Each of us autophiles has a dream car that we want to build by combining the features of our favorite rides. Let us say you will get the body of a Lamborghini or a Ferrari, the interior of a Pagani, engine of a Veyron, and the everyday functionality of a Porsche. This is what you call a car made from the parts bin or assembled by borrowing existing parts of existing models.

The top executive of General Motors North America Mark Reuss was recently asked by Car & Driver to come up with his dream car using the parts available in the shelves of the company.

It might not be a perfect setup, well you might not think of the GM parts bin as the best place to get your dream car components but Reuss was able to come up with a very interesting ride.

The GM president wants the bodywork used for the Cien Concept for Cadillac in 2002 which he believes defines the Cadillac brand. He wants the electric motor of the Chevy Volt that gives out 149 horsepower to drive the front wheels while Corvette’s V6 2.8L powerplant will deliver power to the rear wheels making the dream car a hybrid that is an all wheel drive.

The handling will be chopped from the Corvette and make use of the magnetorehological dampers and the brakes from ZR1. The tires will be snatched from the Camaro so it will be the F1 Supercar G rubbers from Goodyear.

The GM exec even came up with some numbers. The hybrid engine will be able to produce 440 horsepower and a torque of around 450 lb-ft which may be good enough for 0 to 96 kilometers per hour in just 3.2 seconds. Reuss even predicts a lap time of his dream car at the Nurburgring and estimates it to be at 7:46 which is quite fast.

The interior will borrow the steering wheel in suede of the Caddy CTS-V and the bucket seats of the Opel Insignia OPC. The dash will have the multifunction like info box like that of the Volt’s. It will also make use of a noise cancelling system and boast of excellent visibility with night vision, blind spot detection, and cameras to aid the driver.

General Motors thru its SAIC GM Wuling joint venture rolls out the first vehicle under the Baojun brand to take advantage of the fast growing demand for compact vehicles in China. The carmaker’s Baojun 630 comes in three trims and will cost $9,750 to around $11,495.

The Baojun 630 aims to address the demand in the 2nd-tier and 3rd-tier cities in China. The sedanwas first unveiled during the 2011 auto show in Shanghai. The Baojun 630 was developed in the automatic center of SAIC-GM which will eventually be improved in order to produce SUVs and MPVs.

The SAIC GM Wuling team up is looking at around 20,000 units of the Baojun 630 this year. The join venture has a goal of adding a new car model each year to be marketed under the Baojun brand. Baojun means “treasure horse” in Chinese. It also aims to get a big chunk of the market for compact and subcompact vehicles through 2016.

The Baojun 630 is a well positioned vehicle in the market covering the segment of those who can afford cars priced between $10,00 to $12,000 which is considered with the largest potential in the booming economy of China.

Baojun dealerships have mushroomed in eight cities across China including those in Najing, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Jinan, and Shijazhuang. By end of 2011, the brand is expected to have 150 showrooms to cover more cities.

GM is among the car giants which formed a joint venture with local Chinese car manufacturers to take advantage of the demand for budget cars in the second tier metros of China which are dominated by local brands like Chery and Geely.

If you have been paying attention to the news lately, then you probably know that GM last year was down the toilet and they actually had to take out a loan from the U.S government.  Well, I can tell you for sure that, that loan was just that a … loan and the government is expecting payment and GM is coming through!

Payments are being made constantly and with the first quarter of the year coming to a close, GM is paying $192 million to Canada and of course one billion back to the United States.  Another installment should be given on March 31st as well.

Personally, I think that GM is doing something good right now. They are getting things done and making up for their debts.

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After the much awaited transition of power, changes are underway in all facets of the American community. One of the changes that we can believe in, as his campaign suggested, is in the car industry. But does Obama bring good news or otherwise?

“Everybody, from labor to management to creditors to shareholders, giving something up,” stressed Obama. He thinks that shared sacrifice among every industry including the car industry would have to be considered.

Ironic as it may sound, Obama has his own reasons. Automakers would have to wait and see what happens because this may mean that tougher conditions on federal loans will be imposed in his administration. To backtrack in Bush’s administration, he allowed automakers to get a specific loan so that they can keep up in spite of the recession. These loans had strict conditions that involved time tables as well.

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When buying a new car, you can get rid of your old one with for the poor.

The US Senate has decided to approve $350 billion more of bailout money for the automobile industry. The budget, which is the second round of federal funds, is set to be released this year.

Sources say that the federal funds will be used to provide loan grants to automotive suppliers, auto finance companies and automakers.

The first $350 billion funds were released to fund emergency loans to automotive companies such as Chrysler LLC an General Motors.

The second round of $350 billion was released after aids to new President Barack Obama ensured that the funds will strictly be controlled, insiders say.

Obama designee National Economic Council Chairman, Larry Summers, said in a letter that the second $350 billion funds will not be allocated to industrial policies. He also said that the automobile companies will only receive the additional aid provided that they have a concrete reconstruction for long-term viability.

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