A post that has nothing to do with the Volt or the Bailout
By Robert FaragoSeptember 17, 2008 - 1,194 views
It’s the new Saab 9-4X! The fact that Fourex is an American brand of condoms and an Australian lager shouldn’t get [both remaining] fans of the brand up in arms (or wherever). Thanks to a “premature leak” on Saab’s Chilean website (David Hasselhoff is big down there too), The Motor Authority reveals an SUV-lite that looks reasonably appealing. And we’re willing to bet the key willl be between the seats. That said, the ostensibly Swedish model (built in Ramos, Mexico) could well suffer the same fate as the abortive 9-2X (Saabaru) and 9-7X (Saablazer), based as it is on Caddy’s new SRX platform. In fact, this time ’round, the Saabillac will be competing with a nearly identical iteration in the same GM “sales channel” (i.e. HUMMER, Cadillac and Saab). It could even appear in the same showroom. How great is that?
Posted in Future Vehicles | News Blog | 21 comments 
Chevy Cruze Spotted in Wild, Camo Free
By Justin BerkowitzSeptember 15, 2008 - 2,006 views
Chevy’s upcoming Cobalt replacement sibling replacement, the Cruze, has been spotted out in the wild wearing New York dealer plates. In rental white and with black door handles, it looks pretty generic and just a little strange. Compared to the original press photos, it also looks pretty large, which is not necessarily a bad thing. As we’ve said before, the key for this vehicle will be whether GM can live up to their 40+ mpg promise for this car. If it can, that may be enough to cut into sales of vehicles with immense intertia, like the Civic and Corolla. The Cruze will ride on the Delta platform that is also set to underpin the Volt, which oddly enough is also targeting 40 miles as its range on a full charge. Maybe. And while the Volt is set to cost some $40,000, this Cruze should be available for well under $20,000 when it hits dealers in the summer of 2010.
Mystery photographer on Photobucket »
Posted in Fuel Economy | Future Vehicles | News Blog | 45 comments
DetN: Will the New Ford Fiesta Be a One-Hit Wonder?
By Robert FaragoSeptember 15, 2008 - 1,241 views
As much as we give The Detroit News shit for their indefatigable cheer-leading, there are times when Motown’s hometown paper surprises us with something roughly akin to journalism. The article entitled “Ford Fiesta draws raves in Europe” starts off with the usual PR-laden ecstasy (without the DJ Tiësto soundtrack). “The Fiesta will give Americans their first real look at what already defines Ford’s cars and crossovers on this side of the Atlantic. It will also be the litmus test for Ford’s as yet unproven theory that American consumers are finally willing to pay real money for a smart, sophisticated small car. ‘This vehicle represents the core DNA of the company,’ Jim Farley, Ford’s chief marketing officer, told journalists gathered here for the European launch of the Fiesta last week. ‘This vehicle is a catalyst for change.’ It also is a lot of fun to drive.” (Our invitation to the Tuscan junket must have got caught in the spam filter.) Then, just when you think you’ve had your fill of bilious boosterism, “The troubling thing about the Fiesta is that it speaks to Ford’s past just as much as it does to Ford’s future, some analysts say. [Me! Me! Oh pick me!] Ford is an automaker that has, time and again, escaped financial Armageddon on the strength of one really good car. The Model A saved the company after Henry Ford allowed the Model T to linger too long without a replacement. The Mustang pumped new life into the company. And the Taurus saved it from the Japanese. Farley acknowledges that counting on one car is a fundamental flaw in Ford’s culture. But he says it is an issue the company is working hard to exorcise. The Fiesta is not a product of that thinking, he said, because it is just the first in a big lineup of compact and subcompact automobiles.” Uh, I think that one– the importance of continuous development– went straight over Jim’s head. Oh dear.
Posted in Future Vehicles | News Blog | 21 comments
The Jetsons Were So Behind The Times
By Edward NiedermeyerSeptember 10, 2008 - 1,472 views
The flying car has long been the sci-fi terminus point for automotive technology. Such automotive luminaries as Henry Ford and Glenn Curtiss have been lured into costly, fruitless developments by visions of blasting away from traffic on the wings of flight. But the vision has never translated into production reality. The Moller “Autovolanter” is no closer to production than the flux capacitor, although far more complex. Green Car Congress reports that the sky-whip uses no fewer than eight of Moller’s proprietary Rotapower rotary-hybrid engines to power the Autovolanter. The plug-in hybrid two-seater can drive 150 miles on the road before lifting off vertically and flying a further 75 miles (at up to 150 mph), carrying up to 375 lbs and achieving nearly 15 mpg in the process. Well, in theory. Development of a prototype is estimated at $5m, though Moller claims low-volume production could make the Autovolanter available for $250k. But then there’s the problem of licenses, regulation and in-city use. Says Moller founder Dr Paul Moller “flying it in US cities is not going to be politically acceptable until it has been deployed successfully in other roles and environments. Practical or not, it excites the imagination to think about being able to rise vertically out of a traffic jam and just go!” Of course legal niceties weren’t really considered during development, as the Autovolanter was prototyped at the request of a “wealthy businessman who was unable to commute from the city to his country home due to the overcrowded streets of Moscow.” Dude, just bribe the cops.
Posted in Future Vehicles | Gizmology | News Blog | Technology | 17 comments
Dodge Ups Hemi Power!
By Justin BerkowitzSeptember 10, 2008 - 1,396 views
In keeping with the horsepower numbers for the Hemi in the new Challenger, Dodge has announced that the Hemi in the Charger sedan will get an upgrade for 2009 as well. Rather than continuing to produce a puny 340 horsepower, the newly revised 5.7 liter Hemi will now crank out 368 horsepower. Take THAT, Pontiac G8 GT. In addition to the increase in ponies, the Charger R/T will also benefit from an additional 5 lb ft of torque, raising the total to 395 for 2009. The Hemi adds variable valve timing as well, meaning highway fuel economy gets a modest bump from 23 to 25 mpg (city remains the same at 15). You think this isn’t enough to save Chrysler? That they really need competitive small cars? That Chrysler is dead in the water? Well yeah, probably. But they only had enough money to either give the Charger R/T a little more power, or to buy Bob Nardelli a new toupee. Frankly, I think they made the right choice.
Posted in Fuel Economy | Future Vehicles | News Blog | 23 comments
How Many New Cars Chrysler Will Debut In 2010? It Depends On Who You Ask…
By Edward NiedermeyerSeptember 10, 2008 - 1,249 views
As we’ve argued before here at length, Chrysler’s current “worst of the worst” predicament boils down to one word: product. And it’s not just that Chrysler’s current batch of products suck, there’s not much coming down the pipeline that shows any real promise. But that’s not stopping Auburn Hills from rolling out a new hype offensive, touting the awesomeness of Chrysler’s forthcoming 2010 lineup. Leading the charge is President and Vice Chairman Jim Press, who sees the Chrysler turnaround in historical terms. “For our company, we’re going to have a product renaissance in 2010 … just as the market is coming back,” Press is quoted as saying in the Detroit Free Press. “We’re not on the ropes,” he insists. “We’re not worried.” Why aren’t ya worried Jim? Because Chrysler’s going to be launching seven new vehicles in 2010, according to Press. Pinky swear. But then supply-chain philistine John Campi chimes in to promise “eight or nine” new Chryslers in the mythical 2010 model year. So which is it? Ask an analyst, and he’ll tell you that Chrysler is likely to have five new models for 2010: a new Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Dodge midsized SUV possibly called the Durango, a refreshed Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, and a reskinned Nissan Versa. Ask the same analyst (in this case Erich Merkle of Crowe Chizek and Co) where Press and Campi came up with their numbers, and your expert will suddenly be out of answers. “Maybe there is some variant that you could start counting. There are ways to double-count some things sometimes. It’s a bit of a stretch,” admits Merkle. Possibly indicating what the Cerburian dog might pull out of its “product pipeline” in 2010, Jim Press is going after the Chevy Volt. Having shown three “post prototype” EVs to its dealer council, Press notes “We don’t have enough money for a PR stunt. All we have is enough money to build a car that we can sell.” Luckily Chrysler still has the Freep for fawningly credulous no-cost PR. After all, getting a Chrysler dealer to publicly admit that “I am more excited about their product line than I have been in years and years and years,” is surely worth some kind of consulting fee. Or ad revenue.
Posted in Future Vehicles | News Blog | 22 comments
Orlando: The Cruze To Wait For?
By Edward NiedermeyerSeptember 9, 2008 - 935 views
As the U.S. struggles to adjust to fuel prices that the rest of the world has been living with for years, European cars offer the most obvious template for model-line reform. Flexible, fuel-efficient vehicles have thrived on the continent for decades, and the European’s have gotten good at squeezing space for a whole family from compact platforms. So when GM first started showing images of its new Cruze compact, this blogger bemoaned that “while the old Chevy Cruze (Suzuki Ignis) was a tall, flexible wagon, the new model sports a long front overhang and a tight greenhouse.” Long, low and wide, the new Cruze felt like downsized Americana (we don’t need no headroom or no stinkim’ hatchback), rather than a platform built for utility and flexibility. Well, my worries were mistplaced (sorta). GM is showing pictures of its Orlando concept, a three-row MPV based on the Cruze platform and aimed squarely at the Mazda5 and Euro-proven Ford Focus C-Max, headed stateside in 2010. Jalopnik notes that there aren’t currently a huge range of small, fuel-efficient family haulers for sale in the states, but this simply proves that (for once) the General may actually be ahead of the curve. There are likely shortcomings, including an emphasis on “American” styling that appears to sacrifice space and visibility for the tight greenhouse that is so fashionable here. Still, by leveraging platforms and offering fuel-sipping transport for large families, GM only improves its chances of success. And no, I’m not kidding. Now, get ready for some major brandgineering….
Posted in Europe | Future Vehicles | News Blog | 10 comments
GM Unleashes Another Not So Fine, Not So Young Cadillac Cannibal
By Edward NiedermeyerSeptember 9, 2008 - 2,463 views
Way back in 1987, The New York Times began a story on GM with a lead that echoes through the ages: “Just about the last thing the General Motors Corporation needs these days is more ”cannibals.”’ With all the turmoil GM has endured since ‘87, you might think that it would have taken The Gray Lady’s advice by now. But no. Motor Trend reports that the new Cadillac Escalade will be based on GM’s played-out Lambda platform, joining the Traverse, Enclave, Outlook and Acadia in cannibal Hell. As usual MT manages to look on the sunny side of the move, claiming that the Lambda’s “oversubscription” is precisely why “a Cadillac version makes economic sense.” And yes, it will likely be the only Lambda-based whip with a (small block- the new Northstar has been axed) V8 now that the planned Enclave Super has been canceled. Still, the new Escalade won’t just steal sales from well-equipped Enclaves, it will also put the squeeze on the Theta-based SRX CUV. Besides, if Caddy is still a legitimate luxury brand, shouldn’t its flagship Ute retain its fuel-swilling truck platform to keep it in line with such damn-the-fuel-prices competitors as the Range Rover and Hummer? After all, the new 2009 Escalade paid off its tooling costs within three months of going on sale. Unless of course this is just more cheap-and-dirty “retooling for increased energy efficiency” bailout loan fodder.
Posted in Future Vehicles | News Blog | 30 comments
Hyundai ix55: Worst Alphanumeric Name Ever?
By Justin BerkowitzSeptember 5, 2008 - 1,735 views
Yes, we all hate the alphanumeric nomenclature, snaking over the auto industry like poison ivy. And with only so many letters and numbers, we always expect some repeats (Lexus LS/Lincoln LS, Chrysler 300C/Mercedes C300, BMW X5/Mazda MX-5). Has Hyundai gone a character too far? The car we North Americans know as the Veracruz is being introduced to Europe as the ix55. Not only is this a bizarre thing to say down at the pub (Oh, I drove my ix55), but it’s awfully close to, well, a lot of other cars. Hyundai’s new scheme for European car names is to begin with the letter “i,” because if it worked for Apple, it’ll work for them. Or Mitsubishi’s “i car.” The X we can assume refers to this vehicle being an AWD crossover, and of course the 55 is because it has a 5.5 liter V8. Erm, no. Instead, it sounds to me like a mish-mash of BMW (xDrive 50) and the 55 immediately conjurs memory of a trillion Mercedes AMG cars with 55 at the end, from C55 to E55 to S55 to CL55 to CLK55 to ML55 to G55). Besides, what was wrong with Veracruz?
Posted in Branding | Capsule Reviews | Europe | Future Vehicles | Gizmology | High Finance | New Cars | News Blog | 29 comments
FIAT to Make Nano of its Own
By KatiePuckrikSeptember 5, 2008 - 597 views
FIAT and Tata have been cosying up to each other for some time. Ratan Tata was elected to the board of Directors at FIAT at Sergio Marchionne’s request, FIAT are looking to supply engines for Land Rover and Jaguar (A Jaguar XK with a Ferrari sourced engine? Fancy that!) and their joint ventures in India. But it seems, FIAT want a slice of Tata pie now (no, dirty jokes, please). The Economic Times of India reports that FIAT want to launch their version of the “world cheapest car” by 2010. However, Sergio Marchionne (FIAT’s CEO) didn’t disclose the price of the car. I’m no Sherlock Holmes, but I’m guessing it’s got to be less that Tata’s $2500 for the Nano, if it’s to qualify as “the world’s cheapest car”. Marchionne also didn’t say how it would be built, where it would be built, how much would be shared with the Nano, or how many Bothans died to bring us this information. Meanwhile, doesn’t Tata need to sort out its own production issues first?
Posted in Future Vehicles | India | Industry | News Blog | 5 comments
POWERED