Diesel Power sets land speed towing record at 141.998 mph

Filed under: Performance, Truck, Videos, GMC

There are more land speed record categories than we care to count, but the minds at Diesel Power recently tackled one of the more interesting and obscure titles in the realm: the record for the fastest vehicle towing a trailer. That meant the team would need to exceed the 139.11 mph barrier set by the previous record holder. To do that, they whipped up a GMC 2500 HD with over 1,000 horsepower and a two-stage nitrous set up. The trailer itself also required a bit of tweaking, and the crew ditched the standard wheel and tire combination for some V-rated rubber.

Of course, it goes without saying that you should never exceed the posted speed limit, especially when towing a load behind your vehicle. Diesel Power took to the sands of the El Mirage dry lake bed for this stunt, complete with plenty of emergency personnel on hand. The result was 141.998 mph through the traps, which was good enough to take the title. Check out the video below to see the insanity for yourself.

Continue reading Diesel Power sets land speed towing record at 141.998 mph

Diesel Power sets land speed towing record at 141.998 mph originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain twins hit 1M units

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Chevrolet, GMC

The GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox twins have been hot sellers since they went on sale in 2009, but even with strong sales, it's still somewhat surprising to hear that the millionth crossover underpinned by the latest Theta platform has already rolled off the assembly line. According to General Motors, a silver 2013 GMC Terrain has just become the milestone model at its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario.

Both Chevrolet and GMC models are still selling well. Through September of this year, each line has seen double-digit percentage increases over 2011, and a new, more powerful V6 added to the lineup should help to sell a few more units each month. On their current pace, the Equinox is likely to sell just over 200,000 units in 2012 (compared to 149,979 units just two years ago) while the Terrain should have no problem topping 90,000 units for the year (up from 60,519 units in 2010).

Demand has been so high for the platform mates over the last several years that production capacity has been added in Oshawa, Ontario and more recently, Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Continue reading Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain twins hit 1M units

Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain twins hit 1M units originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM lawsuit over Einstein image use dismissed

Filed under: Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Crossover, GM, GMC

Albert Einstein's image has been used to sell everything from computer software to life insurance. In 2009, General Motors used the legendary physicist's face it in an ad for the 2010 GMC Terrain. It ran only once in a single issue of People Magazine.

Hebrew University of Jerusalem sued the automaker in 2010, arguing Einstein's will gave the school all rights to the use of his image. This week, however, a Los Angeles court said those rights expired 55 years after the scientist's death.

"Now, nearly 60 years after his death, that persona should be freely available to those who seek to appropriate it as part of their own expression, even in tasteless ads," ruled US District Judge Howard Matz. "The obviously humorous ad for the 2010 Terrain having been published 55 years or more after Einstein's death, it is unlikely that any viewer of it could reasonably infer that Einstein... was endorsing the GMC Terrain."

GM lawsuit over Einstein image use dismissed originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford, GM win Breakthrough Product awards from Popular Mechanics

Filed under: Europe, Safety, Technology, Ford, GM, GMC

Tucked between an avalanche airbag and a 3D desktop printer, a Ford engine and General Motors' crash avoidance system were named two of Popular Mechanics top 10 breakthrough technology award winners for 2012.

Ford's three-cylinder 1.0-liter Ecoboost engine collected one of Pop Mech's honors by providing power through turbocharging and fuel efficiency through its tiny displacement. While the internal combustion engine has been around for more than 100 years, it's not often that it undergoes such a dramatic improvement.

"We placed the bar incredibly high when we set out to design this engine," said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president, Global Powertrain, in a news release. "We wanted to deliver eye-popping fuel economy, surprising performance, quietness and refinement - and all from a very small three-cylinder engine.

GM's crash avoidance system is a big step toward creating self-driving cars. The system, which debuted in the GMC Terrain, uses a camera mounted near the rearview mirror. It follows the lines on the road to ensure the Terrain stays between them and can detect objects that might be in the way.

While many carmakers are introducing similar systems, Popular Mechanics notes that GM's is "the first practical and cost-effective single-camera vision system for crash avoidance in passenger cars."

Ford, GM win Breakthrough Product awards from Popular Mechanics originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: www.autoblog.com