The Truth About Cars » New York Auto Show

What’s Wrong With This Picture: What? Just 600? Edition

Robert Farago — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:50:06 +0000

TTAC Commentator FerrarimanF355: “It’s a good thing you’re not at the NY Auto Show, then”

Robert Farago — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:58:54 +0000

New Audi Cabriolet: Only 15 Seconds to Get the Girl

Robert Farago — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:14:34 +0000

Audi’s has dropped their A5 and S5 drop-tops at the New York Auto Show. As the hardtop A5 3.2 Quattro is currently sitting on my driveway, I reckon this fresh air version will be, as The Sun newspaper would say, a stunna. In terms of dynamics and comfort, the new A4 platform is a vast [...]

Mercedes Hybrid S-Class: Four Minutes to Save the World

Robert Farago — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:56:09 +0000

Land Rover Sport: Green Queen Gets 5.0-liter Supercharged Engine

Robert Farago — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:13:08 +0000

Four days after the Indian-owned SUV maker secured a $400 million loan from the European Investment Bank to “invest in new greener technology to lower emissions during vehicle production and driving,” Land Rover journeys to New York City to reveal that it’s sticking a monster motor in its Range Rover Sport Supercharged. The new, Jag-sourced [...]

Why Do I Keep Hearing the Safety Dance in my Head?

Robert Farago — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:05:34 +0000

Bob Lutz’s Nine Greatest Hits

Justin Berkowitz — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Being Bob Lutz has a fantastic job. He’s rich as sin (thank you, Daimler, for buying Chrysler), and he has Czar in his unofficial title with GM. He can say whatever he feels like, whether it’s about global warming (“a crock of shit,” in his words) or random price projections for meeting the next round [...]

MDI Air Car Breaks Cover At NYIAS

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:56:21 +0000

We reported earlier that Indian automaker Tata had entered an agreement to license compressed-air technology from French firm MDI. But we hadn't seen a prototype... until now. The MDI Air Car was discovered by Autoblog Green at the New York Auto Shows X-Prize display, confirming the goofiness of the concept. Think Manx dune buggy meets golf cart meets tree frog. No word yet as to how the vehicle (one hesitates to use the term "car" so loosely) will conform the 100mpg performance required for participation in the X-Prize. Although we typically embrace the use of revolutionary technologies, this one just seems way too far removed from reality... unless you want a carbon-neutral trip to the 19th hole.

NYT: New Pontiac G8 Ute is “Hell Camino”

Robert Farago — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:41:06 +0000

One of TTAC's Best and Brightest asked the obvious question: "is Lawrence Ulrich working for you secretly?" Nope. It's just that love is breaking out all over for the new Pontiac G8 pickup ute sport truck thingie. More specifically, The New York Times car hack asks "Who exactly was clamoring for a two-seat, gas-guzzling pickup with the cheapest-looking interior this side of a Motel 6?" [NB: TTAC would have said "Who the Hell..."] The Wheels' description of the G8 without the rear seats is plenty pithy: "The 6-liter V-8 from the G8 sport sedan, good for 361 horsepower and a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds. The 74-inch cargo bed can handle just under 1,100 pounds, and there’s a 3,500-pound towing capacity. Now, if it could only tow itself away." Ulrich describes the "we don't know what to call it so you do it" Aussie import as "Like Hell Camino: a pointless hodgepodge that’s worthy of an expletive-filled diss from 50 Cent himself." [thanks to Nicholas Weaver for the link]

Hyundai Sonata and Genesis Coupe In Person

Justin Berkowitz — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:09:57 +0000

In rounding out our coverage of Hyundai's offerings in NYC, we've got shots of the facelifted Sonata and Genesis Coupe. Both are much, much better in person than in pictures. The Sonata's biggest aesthetic improvement is the interior, which goes from zero to hero. Build quality and fit and finish are way better, and it no longer is ergonomically challenged. Hyundai's Mission: Bland sedan has, dare I say, some style. As for the Genesis coupe, while I thought the initial press shots showed a hideous Lexus IS knock-off in coupe form, in person it's more of an Infiniti G37 coupe knock-off. Very slick car, and with Kia's use of a 290 hp turbocharged four in the Koup concept, the turbo four that Hyundai announced for the Genesis coupe sounds promising. Although Hyundai didn't have any prices, you'll be glad to know that Hyundai's trademark olfactory character is unchanged in this RWD coupe: even the preproduction show car's interior smelled like a Hyundai interior, which I'd describe as musty crayon.

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Ford Shows Transit Connect Taxi Concept

Justin Berkowitz — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:40:27 +0000

But really, they say, it's not a concept. The Transit Connect compact van (already confirmed for the U.S.) will be a taxi, especially in the taxi capital of America, New York City. With the Crown Victoria going out of production, Ford needs a big car to take its place in the taxi lineup. So it's a hybrid, right? Wrong. Despite Mayor Mike Bloomberg's insistence that all NYC taxis must be hybrids by 2012, the Transit Connect taxi is internal combustion as usual. It'll have the same 4-cylinder gas engine, front wheel drive, and not-cutting-edge 4-speed automatic as the private sale versions of the TC. Still, it makes a fantastic taxi because it is so easy to get in and out of, and it's loaded with legroom. Sliding doors will be especially welcome on Manhattan's absurdly clogged streets, and it's one of the nicest things about the Toyota Sienna minivans already on the road. Ford's reps also confirm that the wheelbase of all American TCs will be stretched from the standard short wheelbase on sale in Europe. Pity it only seats 4 passengers but a third row was probably a bit of a stretch.

Berkowitz Rides in Ford Flex

Justin Berkowitz — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:35:53 +0000

This is the first anniversary of the Ford Flex [not being on sale]. Ford debuted a concept that looked production-ready at last year's NY Auto Show. This year, it's pretty much ready to go, in finished pre-production form, and off to dealers this summer. Ford's PR folks, who join Toyota in warming up to TTAC, gave me a 20 minute ride in the Flex. Without driving it, what I can say hit me the most is how it feels fully thought through, as opposed to previous cars in which someone started a good effort and then went out to lunch (the Mustang's missing interior, e.g.). The seats are extremely comfortable, and the prepro car was silent inside - which is a feature I hope stays on the actual production models. It's very heavy on creature comforts and goes as far as having a compressor-driven refrigerator as an option, so odds are that it'll be heavy in general. Fit and finish is a huge improvement over most other Ford products, and there's even some character - the cloth version's seats were described as having a tweed pattern. Huh? Engine will be the 3.5 liter V6 from the Flex and Taurus, although one of the marketing guys admitted he wishes Ford's 2.7 liter diesel from Europe would be available. In the future though, the EcoBoost version will be available with a turbocharged V6. Sadly, the packaging isn't what we hoped for, because while the seats totally fold flat, this still ain't rivaling a minivan or the Expedition for space. For example, the third row is still only for children and Napoleonic adults (like me). Looks slick in person, so much so I don't have any idea why Ford's going to sell it alongside the extremely similar Taurus X.

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Ford Slogans Drive You (Crazy)

Robert Farago — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:32:30 +0000

It turns out we got it semi-wrong when we reported that FoMoCo's new tagline is "Ford. Drive One" (pearl two). Wandering around their auto show stand, it's clear The Blue Oval Boyz' marketing mavens are hedging their bets. They're rotating their taglines a la Nissan (Shift BLANK), Pontiac (is BLANK) and Mercedes (BLANK like no other). Three separate LCD's proclaim three separate reasons to drive a Ford product: "Drive Smart," "Drive Green," Drive Safe." (It hardly seems likely that Ford will stop at three taglines, so feel free to suggest further variations on the theme below.) The lack of a single sales message does not bode well for branding, but it certainly should satisfy the divisional mandarins within Ford's Byzantine bureaucracy (our turn!). Meanwhile, a word of warning to prospective Flex buyers: if you want to put adults in the way back, opt for the convex non-sunroof sunroof option. Otherwise, neck compression is a given.

Click here to view other taglines

Suzuki’s Concept Sedan and My Free Lunch

Justin Berkowitz — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:31:56 +0000

Suzuki, despite its 55 percent market share in India, is not the most exhilarating brand in the United States. Their best car in production, the Swift, isn't even sold here. So to entice all the journos to hit up their press conference, they gave out free lunch. At their new concept car unveiling, they showed us a new D-segment sedan concept (Accord/Malibu/etc competitor) that looks fantastic and a little like the Lexus LS460 from the side. What percent production ready is it? Hard to cut through the PR talk, which says it communicates a new design language, yada yada yada. It's front wheel drive, has a 3.6 liter V6 (sound like any General Motors cars you know?) and a six-speed automatic transmission. The concept car has AWD, though whether that comes through in a production model is questionable.

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CAFE Has Maximum Bob Confused, Depressed

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:25:38 +0000

Another day, another hybrid prognostication from Maximum Bob Lutz. We reported yesterday that Lutz said that one-third of GM's sales would have to be hybrids by 2015 to meet CAFE standards. Overnight Lutz has maximized his vision to 80 percent hybrid sales by 2020. The Freep reports Lutz spouting such cheery bromides as "Ultimately by 2020 we figure that 80% of vehicles will require some sort of hybridization. We cannot get to 35 miles per gallon with anything resembling the current product portfolio with anything resembling current technology." Gee Bob, ya think? To be fair, we know that all this CAFE standards talk isn't really the Car Czar's forte. In fact, it seems like just talking about it is making the poor guy depressed. "Around 2015 we're going to have to sell a ton of hybrids whether people want them or not," Lutz told the Detroit News. "It's basically going to result in the quasi-disappearance of V-8 engines." Now that doesn't sound like the Maximum Bob we know and love.

Kia Debuts “Koup” Concept Car

Justin Berkowitz — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:48:58 +0000

Not to be confused with Reagan's Surgeon General, Dr. Koop, Kia debuts the Koup concept car today. It's a real classic "beats the Scion tC at its own game" by being a reasonably nicely shaped four-seat FWD sport coupe. The concept engine - which Kia says is real and functional - is a hopped-up turbo four with 290 horsepower .... routed to the front wheels. What this concept should mean to you is a realistic preview of the upcoming (and disappointingly not revealed this week) Kia Spectra sedan and coupe. Considering the current model has been on sale since 2000-2001, it's about frickin' time. Still, if they can bring something that looks like this into actual production, PR Dir Alex Fedorak's hope of "standing out in traffic" might inch closer from PR dreamland to real life.

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GM Loves Bloggers (Who Fawn Over Their Quasi-Vaporware)

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:34:05 +0000

The Detroit Free Press "reports" that some 300 people traveled to the New York Auto Show specifically to gush about GM's Hail Mary PHEV, the Volt. Basic reporting standards are out the window as the Freep climbs aboard the Volt love train, boldly giving a forum to bloggers to voice their fearless and unimpeded admiration for a vehicle which is still little more than a concept. An event titled "Volt Nation," organized by Neurologist Lyle Dennis, was the focal point for throngs of (presumably) unpaid Volt cheerleaders. Let the Freep take you there on the wings of its elegant prose: With the Volt Nation event, Dennis said earlier in the day, (his) Web site (gm-volt.com), which is independent of the automaker, has achieved a milestone."For the first time in history, a major U.S. automaker will hold a conference not for the press, not for the government ... but for the consumer," said Dennis, who has become something of a cult hero among those who frequent his Web site. That's right folks, if you become a legendary shill for a failing automaker's last gasp at relevance, you too might just get your own personal conference with Bob Lutz. Sure, he'll probably just slap you on the back and commend you for working harder and cheaper than any marketing hack he's met, but that's just just the price of "cult hero-dom," isn't it?

Porsche Slaps a Cease and Desist Order on Winding Road for “Solstice Targa”

Robert Farago — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:57:23 +0000

"Farago better cover his ears," former TTACer Chris Paukert said, kneeling by one of his colleagues in the floor of the press room. As if. Turns out Porsche has issued a cease and desist order against Paukert's current employer, windingroad.com, after the website referred to the new Solstice hardtop as a "Solstice Targa." Within hours, the automaker sent a legal document ordering them to stop using the word "Targa" for anything other other than a Porsche Targa (named after the Targa Florio). They "suggested" the alternative: "T-top" or "removable glass roof." While we understand Porsche's Kleenex-like desire to protect their model nomenclature, perhaps a quiet word in the website's proverbial ear would have sufficed. We also wonder if Porsche would have been satisfied if Winding Road had used a small "t" instead of a capital "T." I know: let's see what happens. Solstice targa. Anything? Just for fun: Solstice Targa. Frank, put Ms. Brown on standby.

Lutz: Brands are Back on Track

Frank Williams — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:04:13 +0000

"We are undoing the mess we had in the 1980s when every brand had everything, they all looked the same and they were all priced the same." So says GM's Product Jeffe Bob Lutz, quoted in The Wall Street Journal. The winner of TTAC's first annual Bob Lutz award went on to say their brands are emerging with their own identity, with "Buick standing for American luxury, Cadillac for total luxury and Pontiac getting back to its quality built roots." So let's run down the GM lineup and see where they stand: Pontiac is selling Cobalts and Holdens. Saturn is selling Opels. Saab is selling TrailBlazers (with the ignition key between the seats). Buick, Saturn, GMC and Chevrolet are all selling the same CUV with overlapping prices. Saturn, Chevy and Pontiac are all selling the same mid-sized car at about the same price. Cadillac is selling squared-off Corvettes and blinged-out Avalanches and Tahoes. Everything GMC sells is duplicated in the Chevy lineup. They're talking about introducing a Chevy-priced "entry level" Cadillac. Yep. Looks to me like GM has a firm grip on their brand identities. Too bad they don't have a firm grip on reality.

GM Mulls Turbo-4 for Camaro

Samir Syed — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:46:03 +0000

Autoweek 's Richard Truett reports that General Motors, feeling squeezed by ever-tightening fuel economy standards and ever-rising gas prices, is considering offering a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine for the base trim of its upcoming 2010 (for this week, anyway) Camaro. Speaking at the NY Autoshow, GM Vice-Chairman and daily TTAC newsblog fodderman Bob Lutz said he feels that the RWD drivetrains available from the Solstice GXP and Sky Red Line would make an excellent fit in a Camaro. Of course, the last time GM tried the i4/Camaro recipe, we ended up with the "Iron Duke" in slower-than-molasses 1982 Camaro. It's not so much the number of cylinders or the power output that bothers me - indeed, a 260 HP Ecotec is more powerful than some V8's of yore - but the turbocharging. To me, American muscle means a big, lazy, rumbling naturally-aspirated torque bomber with even power and torque-curves. I don't think I could ever get used to a Camaro with the exhaust note of a Cobalt SS.

Honda Unveils New Fit

Justin Berkowitz — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:09:07 +0000

Honda officially showed the second generation Fit to the world today, For a B-segment car, it's something of a looker. Power rises to a useful 118 horsepower from a new 1.5-liter engine, and the optional automatic transmission (befitting a car that will spend time in congested urban areas) gains a cog (for a total of five). Honda's also hoping to convince buyers of its cheapest car to spring for high-profit-margin items like the optional navigation system. Interior plastics are improved, and the flexible seating returns. Honda calls the latter "Magic Seat." While useful, if this is Honda's impression of magic they should probably stop going to prestidigiation performances at the airport motel. Honda forgot to release the Fit's crucial MPG figures. Since these are the most important stats for this car (besides price), you'd have thought Honda would have remembered not to remember to forget.

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World’s Fastest MINI

Robert Farago — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:03:50 +0000

Gentlemen racers will be delighted to hear that MINI is thinking about, going to, we'll tell you tomorrow during the OFFICIAL LAUNCH, run a MINI Challenge race series stateside, And here's the chariot its participants will be flogging: the MINI John Cooper Works Challenge MINI. The world's fastest factory-authorized, non-street legal MINI boasts 208 horses @ 6000 rpm, with an extremely useful 192 ft.-lbs. of torque @ 2000 to 5100 rpm. She'll top out at 147 mph and offers a delightful overboost feature. In race trim, the extra oomph lasts 15 seconds. As MINI never met an accessory it didn't want to sell at an enormous profit, look for some of the race mods to make their way into the street iterations. If they're not there already.

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Volt Birth Watch 34: Lutz Gives Up on a $30K Volt

Justin Berkowitz — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:57:40 +0000

At a special session for bloggers-- accessed by TTAC after RF's personal appeal to Maximum Bob-- GM Car Czar Bob Lutz said he's "given up on a thirty-thousand dollar Volt." In fact, even priced closer to $40k "we're not going to make a dime on the Volt for years." Lutz dismissed any concerns about profitability, labelling the electric - gas hybrid "an eco-flagship." The new pricing strategy: a tax credit or rebate to get the consumer's out-of-pocket expenses in the "lower thirties." While millionaire bankers and movie stars have flocked to the Prius for its earth-saving cred, the real reason for its strong sales numbers: the price starts in the low twenties. So Lutz' dream-- that consumers will pay $35k+ for a grocery-getting Volt-- seems a little... futuristic.

GM Car Czar Bob Lutz: “The Planet is going to save itself”

Robert Farago — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:26:43 +0000

Speaking at The New York Auto Show, GM Car Czar Lutz defended his view that anthropogenic global warming (AGW) is a crock of shit [not paraphrasing]. When manicmommies.com blogger Kristen Brandt asked Maximum Bob why GM didn't make a vehicle for breeders who want to save the planet, Lutz launched into an anti-AGW tirade. Maximum Bob said the recent 2008 International Conference on Climate Change (see video: Global Warming Snow Job) supposedly signals a turning point in the scientific community's opinion of AGW. "Don't worry about saving the planet," Lutz tut-tutted. "Trust me: the planet is going to save itself." "I didn't want to sound like a tree-hugger," the all-expenses paid blogger demurred. "Then don't sound like one," a bellicose Lutz replied. In other news, Bob is still hopeful the tree-hugger's four-wheeled poster child-- the Chevrolet Volt-- will be ready by the end of 2010.

Scion Haku Scoop

Robert Farago — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:20:20 +0000

The nice thing about security guards at auto shows is that they know very little about security and can't guard shit. As Justin and I were looking for the aforementioned free lunch (which indeed there is no such thing as), we headed into a conference room. "Are you with Toyota?" the guard demanded (in the sense of idly inquired). A simple "yes" and there it was: the new Scion Haku concept. The California sunset (TM) orange car looked like a chopped xB, with bells on. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me. So... then I met Matt Hardigree of Jalopnik, who'd been given a magenta-colored press pass (PR) by mistake. I sent Matt back into the room to grab some shots of the top secret Scion, with the understanding that we'd post them simultaneously. Done. TTAC. Making friends wherever we go.