Autoblog Canada

Indian tuner turns Chevy Optra into Mustang 'Eleanor' replica

George Kennedy — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Chevrolet, Ford, India, Daewoo, Humour

If you are a big fan of automotive oddities, this may come as a little treat. If you are a Shelby or Mustang die-hard, prepare to have your sensibilities violated.

The master fabricators at BigDaddyCustoms are the minds behind what you see above. At first, it appears to be a slightly misshapen custom Mustang, modeled after "Eleanor" from Gone In 60 Seconds, but upon further examination, something appears to be amiss. In fact, the custom shop, based in India, has created an Eleanor replica grafted upon a lowly Chevrolet Optra. While it may take a second for the Optra to ring a bell, you should recognize its badge-engineered sibling, the Daewoo Lacetti, used on Top Gear.

We don't know what star would opt for the reasonably priced car in Shelby's clothing, but its clearly someone more concerned with the aesthetic than the performance credentials of this automotive mash-up.

This is not BigDaddyCustoms' first foray into aping a well-known automobile. The shop recently gained notoriety for constructing a Range Rover Evoque based on a Tata Safari. It's called the Moon Rover, and we're sure has the same all-looks/no-go formula as the "Elanor" project.

Click here to view the complete photo gallery.

News Source: BigDaddyCustoms

Indian tuner turns Chevy Optra into Mustang 'Eleanor' replica originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM announces 2013 Malibu will go on sale in South Korea

Chris Shunk — Thu, 05 May 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Chevrolet, GM, South Korea, Daewoo, Plants/Manufacturing, Shanghai Motor Show

2013 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ - Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu may be General Motors' best attempt yet at creating a truly global midsize sedan. GM says the Malibu will be sold in 100 countries spanning six continents, and one of those markets will be in South Korea, a country where the Malibu has never been offered before.

The General claims that interest in the 'Bu has grown in Korea, with 30,000 Internet club fan members in a market where the sedan has never before been offered. The excitement comes after GM unveiled the Malibu at the 2011 Shanghai Motor Show, where the fresh four-door was named "Most Eye-Catching Car."

Korean car buyers tend to be a very nationalistic bunch, but that won't be a problem for the Malibu, since GM will build the sedan in Bupyeong, Korea this fall. In fact, the Bupyeong plant will be the first facility to build the new sedan. The move to sell the Malibu in Korea is part of GM's plan to replace the Daewoo make with the Chevrolet brand. Hit the jump to read over the GM press release.

Gallery: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

Continue reading GM announces 2013 Malibu will go on sale in South Korea

GM announces 2013 Malibu will go on sale in South Korea originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Thu, 05 May 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Chevrolet replaces Daewoo name in Korea

Noah Joseph — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Chevrolet, GM, Daewoo, Marketing/Advertising

Chevrolet Camaro in Korea - Click above for high-resolution image

There once was a time when Daewoo was one of the biggest companies in South Korea. It was larger than both LG and Samsung, and second only to Hyundai. But these days the name is all but gone.

The Korean government disbanded the Daewoo Group in 1999. At that point GM already owned about half of Daewoo Motors, a stake that has varied over time. Ever since, the General has used Daewoo's resources to develop and produce a range of vehicles sold under other GM divisions, principally Chevrolet, which has already replaced Daewoo in many markets to become GM's principal global brand. (The globalization of Chevrolet has escalated to such an extent that, over the course of last year, somewhere in the world, a Chevy was being sold every 7.4 seconds.)

One of the few exceptions has been in Korea itself, where the Daewoo name still means something. But that something isn't necessarily good, and so GM is phasing out the name even in the brand's own domestic market. The development has been a long time coming, and will encompass both the cars themselves and the company that builds them. GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. is officially changing its name to GM Korea Co by the end of the quarter.

In an odd bit of history repeating, the company was called GM-Korea once before, after Detroit stepped in to take over half the company from Toyota, which had collaborated with what was then known as Shinjin Motor until 1972. Full details of the announcement in the press release after the jump.

[Source: GM]

Continue reading Officially Official: Chevrolet replaces Daewoo name in Korea

Officially Official: Chevrolet replaces Daewoo name in Korea originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford nabs former Cadillac stylist for new Lincoln design chief

Steven J. Ewing — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Cadillac, Ford, GM, Holden, Daewoo, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

Max Wolff, formerly of General Motors, has been hired by Ford Motor Company to head up Lincoln's design team effective January 3, 2011.

During his tenure at GM, Wolff was most recently responsible for leading Cadillac's exterior design team, though he also held positions at the automaker's Holden and Daewoo divisions. Ford sees Wolff's global design experience as a benefit for Lincoln, bringing "a fresh perspective that will challenge us internally and take Lincoln to new levels of prestige," says Derrick Kuzak, Ford's Group Vice President for Global Product Development.

Wolff, 38, is tasked with creating a definitive design language for Lincoln that extends beyond the large split-grilled creations we currently see. Specifically, Ford has cited that the Lincoln brand will debut seven all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles over the next four years, including the automaker's first-ever C-segment car. For the full details, hit the jump for the official press release.

[Source: Ford]

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Ford nabs former Cadillac stylist for new Lincoln design chief originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: GM considering CVTs for small cars

Steven J. Ewing — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Chevrolet, GM, Saturn, Daewoo, Rumourmill, Design/Style

2010 Chevrolet Spark - Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors is considering the introduction of continuously variable transmissions in its next round of small cars in an effort to improve fuel efficiency. According to a report from Automotive News, the Chevrolet Cruze is being considered for CVT application, as well as Bowtie's smaller Aveo and Spark compacts.

In speaking with AN, Sohn Dongyoun, GM's vice president of engineering at Daewoo, says that CVTs offer an easy, quick fix in order to help improve fuel mileage. Dongyoun says that GM will need to improve the fuel economy on its small cars by at least 10 percent in their respective next generations.

This will not be GM's first application of CVTs. In the early 2000s, the automaker used CVTs in the Saturn Ion coupe and Vue crossover, as well as the Opel Astra hatchback overseas. This CVT was not well received, however, and was discontinued at the end of the 2005 model year. Currently, no word has been given as to whether or this GM's new CVT would be developed in-house, or when we might see the first applications being offered.

Gallery: 2010 Chevy Spark

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: GM considering CVTs for small cars originally appeared on Autoblog Canada on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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