There's a crazy underground community which focuses on the pulse jet, which history buffs may remember as the powerplant of the German Buzzbombs of World War II. As you could probably guess, the buzz name comes from the sound that the engine makes.

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We have heard some interesting claims about upcoming electric vehicles before but 175 mph for the Volta G/T (pictured above) definitely raises some eyebrows. While being interviewed by CBS4 at his offices in Boulder, CO, we heard Electric Vehicle Company (EVC) president Bill Kent state that, "Performance wise, this bike will do zero to 50 in about 4.5 seconds". Ok, that's pretty quick and, for all we know, it's entirely possible.

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Though it's usually the adventure touring crowd that excels at turning their motorcycles into rolling technology test-beds, we've recently run across a Yamaha Vino scooter that has been fully farkled. Featuring an on-board computer based around a VIA mini ITX form factor motherboard that's cleverly been hidden under the stock Vino's seat, this rolling geek-mobile packs in WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, GPS, FM radio, a TV tuner and a front-mounted camera in its diminutive frame. With the full-spec computer, pretty much anything should be possible right from the road using this scooter.

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There was a time not too long ago that Lincoln and Cadillac fought over the high-end auto market in the United States. These days, the field is pretty much wild open for Caddy, though Lincoln still sells some nice vehicles. A few years ago, Lincoln commissioned the boys from Orange County to build a chopper commemorating the beginning of production of the Mark LT pickup.

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The Invicta, which is Latin for “invincible,” evolves Buick’s global design direction from the Riviera concept introduced last year in Shanghai. The Invicta show car was co-developed by GM design centers in North America and China to meet customers’ expectations equally in the world’s two largest automotive markets.

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Buick will increase its 2008 Lucerne lineup with two new models available at dealerships beginning in April. The Lucerne Super and Lucerne CXL Special Edition reflect Buick’s commitment to bringing a greater variety of premium products into its portfolio.

“Lucerne Super and Lucerne CXL Special Edition epitomize Buick’s new level of refinement and our effort to deliver the vehicles that today’s customers demand,” said Jim Bunnell, Buick-Pontiac-GMC general manager.

Lucerne Super.Lucerne Super continues Buick’s tradition of delivering luxury, refined power and performance. It’s powered by the 4.6L Northstar V-8 engine that delivers 292 horsepower (218 kW) @ 6300 rpm and 288 lb.-ft. of torque (390 Nm) @ 4500 rpm.

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Buick took another step to bolster its global design presence with a sneak peek at a luxurious show car it plans to reveal in China at the Beijing Motor Show on April 19. Named Invicta, Buick’s show car reflects the way General Motors utilizes design and engineering talent around the world to execute a premium vehicle with international appeal.

The Invicta, which is Latin for “invincible,” evolves Buick’s global design direction from the Riviera concept introduced last year in Shanghai. The Invicta show car was co-developed by GM design centers in North America and China to meet customers’ expectations equally in the world’s two largest automotive markets.

“Buick’s global appeal created an opportunity for GM Design Centers to elevate our collaboration to new levels. Using our virtual reality centers in Warren, Mich. and Shanghai, designers fused the best ideas from both cultures during the development of the Invicta, “said Edward T. Welburn, vice president, General Motors Global Design.”The result will set a new design standard for Buick, and it couldn’t have been achieved by one studio working in isolation. The Invicta represents another significant design milestone in Buick’s history.”

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Normally, we get our recall notices directly from NHTSA, but since the fed's search section is down for maintenance, we'll rely on Kyle's tip to point us to GMInsideNews. The forum for all things General-related has posted a directive addressed to all Buick and Pontiac dealers regarding an upcoming recall issued by NTHSA that affects the 1997-2003 Buick Regal GS and the 1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP fitted with the 3.8-liter supercharged V6.

Both models apparently have a problem with oil leaking onto the exhaust manifold under hard braking. If the oil makes it underneath the manifold's heat shield, it's possible that it could ignite a small flame which could spread to the spark plug covers. The engine fire normally happens five- to ten-minutes after the vehicle has been shut down, and GM is suggesting that all of the 207,542 vehicles affected shouldn't park inside garages, carports or other parking structures until the required fix is completed. The recall notices were sent out today, so we'd suspect that dealers should have the necessary parts in stock by the end of the month.

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A new, small sub-Lacrosse Buick luxury sedan could fit the bill to meet future federal regulations requiring an average fuel economy of 35 mpg by 2020. If given the go-ahead, General Motors would build the new car based on the upcoming Buick Excelle, itself set to debut in China by early 2009 and thought to look like the car you see above. The Excelle is a small, Toyota Corolla-sized sedan that will be manufactured on GM's new global rear-wheel drive Alpha architecture developed out of Germany. If General Motors decides to proceed with the plan, executives will have to determine what North American plant gets to build it, but its proclivity to be driven by its rear wheels should set the small car apart in a sea of FWD compact sedans.

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We've learned a multitude of things working the automotive beat on the 'Net. Among them: the German press is great for rumors and GM will badge engineer damn near anything. A piece from Auto Motor und Sport lives up to both expectations, with a story saying that the impending arrival of the Saab 9-1 hatch in Geneva will spawn a Saturn derivative and possibly a Pontiac version. According to AMuS, The Saab is likely to be powered by a hybrid system soon after it's launched and the Saturn version could feature a removable roof between the A- and B-pillar. Other blatant speculation includes the possibility of a (God help us) Buick version. We're going to stop laughing and get back to work.

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How many Ferraris are too many? We may be about to find out. In 1993, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo assured me with utter conviction that "Ferrari will never, never, never build more than 3500 cars a year."...

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Buick's gullwing coupe concept, designed to reflect the brand's global identity, was presented in China at April's Auto Shanghai 2007 event to showcase Buick's plan of global brand cohesion...

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For the first time in 12 years, Lexus has to share its perch atop the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Vehicle Dependability Study with Buick. Both brands scored 145 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), which is based on data from surveys of more than 53,000 original owners of 2004 model year vehicles. The next three runners up were Cadillac, Mercury, and Honda, with ratings of 162, 168, and 169 PP100 respectively.

Lexus also took home five segment awards for the GS sedan series, along with the GX 470, LS 430, LX 470, and SC 430 -- more than any other manufacturer this year. Toyota received four segment awards for its RAV 4, Sequoia, Tacoma, and Tundra. Ford's Crown Victoria and Mustang, Honda's Civic and S2000 earned their respective automakers two segment awards. Interestingly, GM's now defunct Oldsmobile brand also scored top honors for its Bravada and Silhouette.

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Buick is reviving the Riviera badge - first used in 1943 for its luxury-spec coupes - for this concept, said to preview the style of future production Buicks. Developed in partnership with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, GM's partners in China at its Pan Asia Technical Automotive Centre, it also previews a hybrid powertrain which will go into production in 2008.

Considerably more eye-catching than the last Riviera (killed off in 1999), this 2+2 has 21-inch polished, satin-finish wheels, carbonfibre panels and gull-wing doors, as well as a new interpretation of the Buick 'waterfall' grille and porthole air intakes. A reflective strip on the bonnet, the side mirrors, rocker covers, the LED headlamps and Buick logo are all backlit in an 'icy green', with similar illumination at the rear. When the doors open - outwards and upwards - the 'Buick' name is projected onto the ground. Read the rest of this entry »

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Rendezvous, Buick’s premium crossover model lineup has been streamlined for 2007, with the CX Plus and CXL Plus packages eliminated. The change results in more options for the base CX version, including: 2nd-row removable captain’s chairs, and 3,500-lb. towing capacity. Five-passenger seating is standard on the Rendezvous CX, with a 2nd-row bench seat that can seat three across. A 3rd-row seat, which comfortably seats 2-adults, is available on both the CX and standard on CXL, expanding seating capacity to seven. With the 3rd-seat folded flush and the 2nd-row of seats removed, Rendezvous boasts a class-leading 108.9-cubic feet of cargo capacity. All Rendezvous models for 2007 are equipped with GM’s 196 horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine, mated to a Hydra-Matic electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission.

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