Karvajal Designs has been displaying its Chevrolet Corvette-altering wares for some time, and it’s finally giving up the details on its line of C6 exterior and engine modifications. The ZX-1 Stage One package includes a completely redesigned body kit that widens the ‘Vette’s haunches to 80-inches (with all the requisite ducting and panels), along with front and rear LEDs, custom exhaust, rear diffuser and 18-inch HRE aluminum wheels.

In addition to the other ZX-1 bling (aluminum sill plates, floor mats, flat-bottom steering wheel, alcantra swathed race seats, etc.), a performance package is available that includes Baer brakes, a Pfaft coil-over suspension, anti-roll bars, full under-body aero package and – most importantly – a Magnuson supercharger tuned to produce over 600 horsepower. If that isn’t enough, all of the exterior bits can be had in carbon fiber and coated in a hue of your choosing. For all the details, head over to Karvajal’s website or the eBay listing for the very first of ZX-1.

The 2010 Ford Mustang is quicker and more refined than the model it replaces, and it has also been upgraded in ways you can’t see or feel – unless you’re in an accident. The new ‘Stang has received a five-star rating for front and side collisions by National Highway Traffic Safety Association, as well as five-stars for roll-over performance. The Blue Oval says that these top scores adds to the company’s industry leading amount of five-star rated vehicles.

Ford achieved the top U.S. government top safety scores in part because of the new Mustang’s stiffer chassis. The 2010 model’s body structure is 31% stiffer than the 2009 model, and Ford engineers augmented the more rigid platform with improved high strength sheetmetal to protect occupants in a side impact.

General Motors Canada has announced that it has begun notifying its dealer body that it will be culling its sales networks by some 42 percent. The massive cut means that GM’s 709 dealers will be trimmed by around 245 stores. The cuts will come as the restructuring automaker will elect to not renew its sales and service contracts come October 2010.

It is not immediately clear how many of those stores are from marques that GM is looking to divest or fold (Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn), but it is estimated by the Canada Automobile Dealers Association that some 10,000 jobs related may be affected by the cuts. Official press release after the jump.

[Sources: CBCNews; General Motors]

Last night, General Motors’ outgoing Car Czar, Bob Lutz, went to New York City to rebut the thrashing David Letterman gave the Chevy Volt a few weeks ago during an interview. That comedian’s criticism came during the an “interview” with Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk (details here). The more forceful Lutz certainly didn’t allow Letterman to control the discussion the way he did when dominating Musk. Lutz actually expressed himself well, even praising Tesla’s accomplishments along the way. In the process of doing that, however, he explained that a big reason the Tesla Roadster costs over $100,000 is its battery pack with 6,831 laptop cells.

Observers were probably far less satisfied with Lutz’s defense of the end of the EV1 program and his argument that the “batteries were not ready” and the company “couldn’t sell” the EV1. He should have just said that the batteries were not ready for a mainstream vehicle and the car couldn’t be sold profitably at a price people would actually pay.

When it came to the Volt, Lutz did a much better job of explaining the differences in the way it works compared to current parallel hybrid vehicles that drivers are used to. Ultimately, Letterman asked if he could get the first production Volt before reprising his electrocution schtick from the Musk episode. Follow the jump to watch the interview for yourself.

[Source: Youtube]

We all know that there is a hardcore group of consumers out there chanting the mantra of “No plug, no sale!” Okay, well, at least a few of you. The problem is that, like commenters on the internet, the loud fringe makes most of the noise, but often actually represents a very small percentage of the total population. For the rest of the car buying public, the realities of choosing a new car go well beyond the ability to “refuel” from a plug in the garage. This is the reality that Toyota, General Motors, Nissan, Mitsubishi and others have to face in planning for future electric vehicles.

How many people are actually willing to pay the price in purchase cost, range, and utility for a plug-in vehicle?

While Nissan and Mitsubishi are (publicly at least) very bullish on EVs, Toyota apparently remains more skeptical. Bill Reinert, Toyota’s U.S. national manager for advanced technology, told a National Academy of Sciences panel in Washington that the company doesn’t expect PHEV demand to top 50,000 units a year, and the total could be as low as 3,500. So far, the argument goes, in most real-world testing, PHEVs are showing relatively little benefit to justify the significant extra battery cost. Unless plug-ins are designed as such and able to operate through most of their range on electric power (unlike conversion PHEVs), the real world benefits may only be visible to dedicated hyper-milers.

Audi started its big push for clean diesel here in the U.S. market this spring when its big Q7 TDI finally went on sale. While the Q7 TDI is one of the most fuel efficient seven-passenger SUVs available anywhere, it’s only the beginning for Audi. Assuming that Americans start taking a shine to hot oil, Audi is likely to introduce a whole series of Rudi D’s disciples here. So far, however, only one has been announced in addition to the Q7, the compact A3 hatchback.

The A3 is the entry-level model for the four-ringed brand here in the U.S. Until now, it has only been sold with a choice of a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder or 3.2-liter V6 engines running on gasoline. At the Detroit Auto Show, Audi announced that the A3 TDI would go on sale late this year. While the A3 TDI isn’t yet available, one was made available to us for five days during a recent trip to Southern California.

Vehicle infotainment systems, those all-inclusive interfaces controlling the myriad electronics on today’s modern cars and trucks, can make or break the driving experience. CNET is offering us a sneak-peek at Volkswagen’s latest iteration from the company’s Electronic Research Laboratory (ERL). Developed with Intel, the new system uses Global Open Research Infotainment Architecture, or GLORIA.

Most systems today us a joystick-like device, touch screen, or hard buttons on the edge of the display (or a combination of the three) to control the inputs. Volkswagen’s new GLORIA system takes it one step further by making Apple iPhone-like “gesture control” possible. This means that users are able to navigate quickly by simply tracing single letters across the pressure-sensitive display. Another unique feature may allow users to import third-party widgets for the system, much like consumers currently load apps from iTunes onto their iPhones. As cool as it sounds, GLORIA is still under development and she isn’t expected to see showrooms for a few more years.

[Source: CNET, Photo by CNET]

Ariel, our favorite purveyors of minimalist motoring this side of a Se7en, are reportedly working on an all-new vehicle that won’t be powered by a standard engine and would “break new ground in the same way that the Atom first did.”

According to Ariel’s head Simon Saunders, the new model will be a significant departure from the Atom, nixing the exposed tube-frame chassis and mid-ship powerplant. Those decisions have allowed Ariel to look at new drivetrains – including fuel cells and electric motors – but Saunders insists that the company’s core philosophy of light weight and spine-crushing acceleration won’t be compromised. Additionally, Ariel has no intention of competing with the world’s largest automakers. Speaking with PistonHeads, Saunders said, “We don’t want to take on the established manufacturers. We will use our knowledge from building the Atom to produce a car for a totally new segment.”

Although plans for an all-new model packing a 12-liter engine producing between 600 and 800 hp have been shelved, Ariel is currently working on another Atom variant equipped with a 500 hp, 2.4-liter V8 aimed to compete with the Caterham R500.

Take a close look at the picture above. Although it might look like a new Jetta wagon, it’s actually the New Golf Estate for Europe. Over there, they sell the load-lugging Variant as a Golf rather than a Jetta. Over here in the States, it is likely to eventually appear as the Jetta Wagon when the new Mk.VI models start showing up. For now, the Europeans get an updated hauler both inside and out that goes on sale in Germany this Friday at a starting price of €18,500 (about $25,700 USD).

That base price includes ESP, six airbags, daytime running lights, roof rails, power windows, power and heated outside mirrors, split-folding rear bench seat, remote central locking, and climate control. There will be three trim levels offered in mainland Europe: Trendline, Comfortline and Highline, the latter of which replaces Sportline. The six engine options are all Euro-5 emissions compliant, and include 122 & 160 PS TSI direct-injected gas engines (120 and 158 horsepower, respectively), 105 & 140 PS TDI common rail turbo-diesels (104 hp/138 hp), and two Multipoint engines delivering 80 PS or 102 PS (79 hp or 101 hp). All but the last two powerplants will be available paired with the DSG dual-clutch transmission.

The most obvious change on the outside of the new model is the institution of VW’s fresh corporate face. The large, chrome, somewhat vertical front graphic has been replaced by a more horizontal grille with less bling. The tail receives a similarly simplified freshening.

Inside, the New Golf Estate gets the same high-quality interior and new gauges and switchgear of the regular Mk. VI Golf. Underhood, the entirely new 105 PS 1.6-liter four cylinder TDI promises to be quiet and clean, with low emissions (119 g/km CO2) and “an extremely low average fuel consumption,” of 4.5 liters per hundred kilometers (that’s about 52 mpg U.S.). Even the hottest 160 PS TSI returns 100 km for just 6.4 liters of petrol (37 mpg), or 6.1 with the DSG (39 mpg).