tokyo auto show

Down on the Street...in Tokyo: The Chevy MW Is The Opel Agila

As we continue to clean out our CompactFlash cards, we've found another piece of metal from the Tokyo streets. Here's the perfect example of a city car produced by the General that they just don't build or sell over in this here part of the globe. This five-door 'merican Revolution is the Chevy MW, and it's a re-badged Vauxhall Agila which is a re-badged Opel Agila which in turn is a re-badged Suzuki Wagon R. As a Suzuki, the MW was first built in Japan, but now in all forms is built at GM's Gliwice, Poland plant. Speaking of the Opelized version, did we mention the second-generation 2008 Opel Agila was unveiled in Frankfurt earlier this year? Oh wait, we've found some shots of the reveal of that one on our many CF cards as well. The newest model of the Agila will be powered by either one of two gas engines — a three cylinder 1.0-liter 65 HP model and a four cylinder 1.2-liter engine rated at 86 HP — and a diesel 1.3-liter four cylinder engine rated at 75 HP. Will the new 2008 Agila have as many re-branded options as the earlier models? You betcha. The General's already planning for the new Agila to be sold by Suzuki as the Splash. Ah, the sweet smell of platform prostitution and brand whoring. Don't you just love the global automotive industry?

gossip

Gossip: US M3 Pricing Announced?

We know what it looks like. We know how much power it makes. We know what it smells like, its favorite color, what it had for lunch on Tuesday and who it is voting for in 2008. We know that BMW's new M3 thinks it is OK to have white wine with beef, feels that Simon Cowell is cruel but funny, agrees with Nancy Pelosi on a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq and cries at the end of Bambi. The M3 enjoys long walks on the beach, hiking, will try anything once, likes getting dressed up for the opera but is just as comfortable in sweats on the couch watching football. We know everything about the M3. The car is more over exposed than Britney's crotch Mini's Clubman. In fact, we've even known the price for a few days but sat on it because we're sick of reading about this damn car. BMW, release it already, because the one thing we don't know is how it drives. And we're this close to not caring. Though, we do have a soft spot for 420 horsepower German sleds. And according to the lads at autospies.com, the M3 is going to cost us Yanks a very RS4-like $68,989. Which probably is probably close and possibly accurate. At least we know what we don't know. – Jonny LIeberman More »