The Cadillac Converj Concept has made quite a buzz when it was revealed last but it appears that this is the end of the impressive electric car.

The Cadillac Converj was confirmed by Bob Lutz for 2012, but as you may know already, Lutz it going to leave GM on May 1st and the word it that the Converj is now dead. For those who don’t know, the Converj was going to receive the same technology as the Chevrolet Volt Plug-in Hybrid. “It has always been a concept,” said Cadillac spokesman Nick Twork. “It was never announced officially that we were going to do the Converj. We never issued a press release.” Photo gallery after the jump!

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Tags:Cadillac, cadillac converj dead, car news
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As a special treat for all its U.S. racing fans, Ford has kicked off the “Mustang 5.0 fever” Sweepstakes. Ford’s customer service decision says that this competition gives enthusiasts and customers the chance to win a 2011 Ford Mustang GT.

Before anyone gets any bad ideas, Ford would like to emphasize that no payment is required to be able to participate in it. All they need to do is go to the track and register or they can enter online, through Ford’s parts website. Entries will be accepted only until Nov. 23 and the draw will be held in December. The future owner of the Mustang GT will be randomly selected. The Mustang GT that will be given away is equipped with the new 5.0 liter V8 unit that produces 412 HP, 390 lb-ft of torque and returns a highway fuel consumption figure of 25 mpg. There are additional prizes in store. A bonus prize will be given away each time one of the carmaker’s Funny Cars takes a win in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Prizes will be valued at $75 each and will include autographed merchandise, apparel packages and others. Winners of the bonus prizes will be randomly selected from all sweepstakes entries received to date. Photo gallery after the jump!

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Tags:2011 ford mustang gt, car news, Ford, mustang 5.0 fever
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The “Guns and Hummers” concept will be brought to new heights (and further controversy) with the giving away of a free shotgun with each purchase at Lynch Hummer of St. Louis, Missouri.

Last August, this dealership became controversial when it added a gun store to the dealership. But now, Lynch Hummer came up with this unusual way to celebrate the end of the Hummer brand. Dealership owner Jim Lynch said that something had to be done to make up for lost sales due to the inventory being so low. He thought of adding another product, saying that guns were a huge hit with the customers. Continued after the jump!

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Tags:car news, Hummer, hummer shotgun offer
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The Ford Police Interceptor, a new front-drive sedan that shares underpinnings with the Ford Taurus, will replace the Crown Victoria police car.

The Police Interceptor is a vehicle that’s purposefully engineered to surpass the Crown Victoria’s durability, safety and performance record. The Police Interceptor will start being assembled in late 2011, which is when the Crown Victoria ends production. Ford will also be offering an all-wheel-drive version. In a statement, Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas, said that this vehicle is in response to police throughout the country who want a “new kind of weapon in the battle for public safety.” Continued after the jump!

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Tags:2012 ford police interceptor, car news, Ford
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Chrysler’s Mopar accessories division has five new concepts in store for fans who are set to attend the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. This division usually uses an off-road theme for its show cars.

These concept renderings are all that’s available for enthusiasts to scrutinize as the details about the cars have not yet been announced. The Jeep J7 is based on the four-door Wrangler Unlimited and its styling is intended to resemble the military-spec J8 offered abroad. Continued after the jump!

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Tags:car news, Mopar, mopar easter jeep safari
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Amid the fierce competition in the heavy duty truck market, Chevrolet announced the official figures for its new diesel engine – an impressive 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque.

It appears that Chevrolet delivered on its promise last month to provide best-in-class power. However, it faces competition from Ram, which released a new heavy duty truck late last year and Ford, which also revealed a new diesel truck. What this means is that Chevy or GMC wins when it comes to power, but not with regards to towing capacity. Ram boasts about being powered by a 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine, which delivers 350hp and 650 pound-feet of torque. Continued after the jump!

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Tags:car news, chevriolet duramax specs, chevrolet diesel engine specs, chevrolet duramax specs, chrevrolet
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Aurica Motors LLC is considering a plan for the California joint venture between Toyota and General Motors to remain open by building zero emission vehicles there.

For the past three months, Aurica has negotiated the plan with New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. In a phone interview, Aurica General Manager Matt Pitagora said that they aim to keep the plant open by a viable plan to instead manufacture electric cars. Pitagora said Aurica is a little-known start-up based in Santa Clara, Calif., with eight employees and unpublicized finances. Continued after the jump!

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Tags:car news, nummi plant electric car, Toyota
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The Cash for Clunkers program exceeded expectations and boosted the US car market even further than government forecasts, according to CNNMoney, citing a report by Maritz Research, an automotive market research company. The incentive scheme reportedly resulted to sales of 765,000 new vehicles, more than double than the estimate by US Department of Transportation of 346,000 units. Meanwhile, government reports indicate the sales of 677,000 new cars bought through the program. Maritz asserted that 542,000 of these cars were acquired by customers who wouldn’t have bought a vehicle otherwise. Aside from that, there were 223,000 people who went to car showrooms, were found ineligible for the program, but still purchased one anyway. Maritz vice-president David Fish announced that these results are evident that the CARS program “did not impede future sales.” The survey was conduced on 36,000 people who bought a new car or truck from July to August 2009, which is the period when Cash for Clunkers was available.

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Tags:car news, car sales, cash for clunkers expectations
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Toyota’s US dealers were informed that the recall of Tundra pickups has been expanded due to the risk of corrosion from winter road salt.

The repair campaign includes 2000 to 2003 model years to cover trucks sold in the other 30 US states where there is less risk of corrosion from winter road salt. There’s a risk that a portion of the frame would corrode, causing spare tires or even the gas tank to drop to the road. Initially, about 110,000 Tundras sold in 20 cold-weather states were included in the recall but Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons is unable to say how many vehicles would be added. This campaign comes at a difficult period when Toyota is attempting to recover from a series of recalls that have damaged its reputation and reduced sales. It should be pointed out that the Tundra rust problem is separate from the unintended acceleration issue but that it costs so much more to repair this defect compared to previous recalls. Fixing one Tundra could rack up over 7 hours of work by a technician who would replace part of the vehicle’s frame, fuel tank straps and the spare tire carrier. This is far more extensive than the less than 1 hour of work in repairing sticky accelerator pedals.

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Tags:car, car news, Toyota, toyota tundra recall
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Discussions have restarted between Chrysler and Cummins over the light-duty diesel contract that had been officially terminated during bankruptcy proceedings.

In an interview with Pickuptrucks, Joe Veltri, vice president of Chrysler product planning, confirmed the reopened negotiations. Veltri stated that there’s still no contract but there is a plan for a light-duty diesel. Before bankruptcy, Chrysler had a target to introduce a Ram 1500 diesel in 2011. However, the bankruptcy proceedings voided the contract between “old” Chrysler and Cummins. There are rumors that the light-duty Cummins, which could be a 5.0-liter turbo-diesel, will be offered as well in the Ram 2500. Veltri added that offering the engine in two different models would help improve fuel economy while providing considerable power. Aside from the CAFÉ benefits, a light-duty Ram diesel would be unique in its class as Ford, General Motors, and Toyota have all postponed similar programs. However, cost is one issue that needs to be addressed. Diesel engines and their subsystems (particularly the exhaust treatments) cost more when compared to gasoline engines. Veltri said that the company faces a challenge to sell the customers without losing, especially since the cost to design and produce such an engine is very expensive.

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Tags:car news, chrysler, chrysler cummins diesel engine
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