Michael writes:

Love the website. Here is my conundrum:

My wife and I have two cars. A 2007 CR-V that I use mostly for a 75 mile round trip commute several days a week to San Francisco and a 2004 Infiniti FX35 with 52,000 miles. While the CR-V has a ton of utility, I am tired of driving it. It has quite a bit of road noise, the sound system sucks and frankly it’s kind of a female car. The plan is to keep the CR-V and let my wife drive it, and use it as our family car while we sell the Infiniti and I get something for that daily commute. The Infiniti was purchased from a friend and is in great condition, but I feel like it is a ticking time bomb and want to sell it now to take advantage of high used car prices. Plus the mpg is horrific, it doesn’t have satellite radio and the tires are still original and will need expensive replacing shortly.

We have two young boys that I will occasionally be called upon to pick up/drop off, so I need something with a decent sized back seat. I am an attorney and occasionally clients will see my car so image is somewhat important. At the same time, I can’t go overboard because my clients are not wealthy.  I definitely want a car (or wagon), and something that gets good mpg. I need it to have the latest tech offerings so that my commute is tolerable.  I looked at used but almost seems cheaper to buy at this point so I am looking to buy.  While I would love to say that fun to drive is high on the list, my commute offers little opportunity for fun driving and my busy life prevents much recreational driving, so an all around car would suit us best. We will finance the car and probably pay off in five or less years and then sell shortly thereafter. Probably will average 15k miles a year.

Audi is high on the list. We had a 2004 Audi A4 years back that we loved, although there seems to be a short supply of new A4′s in the configuration I would want due to popularity and they are not the best deal. Also concerned about reliability.  I like the looks of the Volvo S60 T5 and love the free maintenance but the backseat is just a bit small and it’s not very exciting. I test drove a TL and it has all the creature comforts and holds its value well, but my wife thinks it is hideous. 3 series is too small while 5 series more than I want to spend. New C-Class is interesting but probably too small inside. Hyundai Genesis is intriguing but it’s a Hyundai and I can’t get past the Hyundais of old. I have not driven one so can’t speak to how the car drives. I love the Jaguar XF but reliability and mpg turns me off. Lexus CT200h would be an interesting choice but the thing is tiny inside.  Budget is 30-45k.

Steve Answers:

This is the classic case of trying to kick the bucket before the bucket is full.

The Infiniti FX35 is perfectly capable of handling your needs as it stands. It has been given great reviews by an awful lot of owners. The styling is still contemporary for our time and, as ol’ Leonard McCoy would say if he dealt with Yuppies instead of Vulcans, “Good God man! You’ve only driven this thing for 52,000 miles and you want to sell it! Get a hold of yourself and buy some tires!”

That’s my advice. Your clients will not appreciate a new upscale luxury car. The commute you have is a fairly miserable one as far as enthusiast driving goes. You seem to always be pedaling on the debt treadmill… and use fuel economy as the excuse du jour to get into debt some more.

Just stop it. Really.

Don’t spend money. Don’t buy anything. Except top quality tires and perhaps a Sirius/XM upgrade if you don’t have one already.  Those two moves alone should make your commute far better than it is at the moment.

Sajeev answers:

While I agree with Steve, I also have a friend who tends to get new cars for the most trivial of reasons, including needing new tires.  No really, he has no problem with his current ride other than the fact that it needs tires. So it’s time for a new car!

I get it, even if I don’t.

My advice?  Stop buying and start leasing. Aside from the very likely (cough) tire replacements on 2-3 year leases, everything else is covered. You can buy whatever looks right for you, projects the right image to your clients, and when the “ticking time bomb” sound turns into the Edgar Allen Poe’s Tell Tale Heart…well, the lease should probably be up before that time.

My gut feeling? I’d lease something Volkswagen.  Maybe the CC, or one of their crossovers…fully loaded!  It doesn’t really matter, they all have the right image and I’m fairly certain you’ll love it for 24 months.

Chery has asked the Chinese government for its blessing regarding a joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover worth $1.9 billion.

The proposal calls for a new plant in the Jiangsu province that would produce as many as 130,000 cars per year. Chinese government officials will have to perform an environmental assessment before the plant goes ahead. Approval from the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s main governmental economic body, will also be required

Chery recently saw plans for a tie-up with Subaru go belly-up, but an agreement with JLR combined with China’s appetite for luxury vehicles and SUVs should help take the sting out. Jaguar will need to help make some of its product more attractive for China – a V6 engine has been cited as a must-have for the XJ due to taxation reasons.

Exports have been mentioned before as a way to help improve Opel’s precarious near-term fortunes, and now one of Germany’s state-level Prime Ministers is throwing his support behind the export plan.

Hesse PM Volker Bouffier told Just-Auto that he, like the labor unions, would like to see Opel cars exported to other markets.

“I also advocate for Opel to sell cars worldwide – I do not see any reasons why the disposal should be restricted,”

As Bertel discussed yesterday, Opel’s efforts in China has amounted to little, and their successful forays have been into small markets like Israel and Turkey. Australia, Latin America and the Middle East have been cited as potential markets, as well as North Africa. But Australia already has Holden, and elsewhere, Chevrolet products are selling well in markets – like Latin America- where affordable vehicles are more popular than premium cars.

The main actor with some common sense appears to be PM Bouffier. Regarding the demands of the labor unions, who are looking to keep all the plants open, he also qualified his export statements by telling reporters

“Even though I take the concerns of the workforce very seriously, politics can only set the frame conditions for our economy.”

It is this power, combined with amazing precision—its tolerances are measured in thousandths of an inch—that gives the Fifty its far-reaching utility. It has made essential parts for industrial gas turbines, helicopters, and spacecraft. Every manned U.S. military aircraft now flying uses parts forged by the Fifty. So does every commercial aircraft made by Airbus and Boeing.

So says The Atlantic in a fascinating short piece about the rehabilitation of the Alcoa Fifty. In one of those examples of government-industry collaboration that twists the knickers of libertarians and ultra-liberals alike, the United States Government sponsored a “Heavy Press Program” after World War II so American industry could forge massive aircraft parts. The presses were paid for with public money then used by private companies such as Alcoa. Having been brought back to life after a shutdown, the Fifty will now make parts for the Joint Strike Fighter and operate for at least thirty more years.

Russia has a 75,000-ton press, and the Chinese are working on an 80K monster. Without a press of the Fifty’s scale, it is impossible for an individual nation to build large-scale aircraft without outside assistance.

So… if large-scale government intervention and engineering assistance has made the Jet Age possible, why couldn’t something similar be done for American industry?

It’s very tempting to draw some sort of generic lesson concerning this country from a compare-and-contrast between 1950 and 2009. Sixty-two years ago, it was assumed that American know-how and engineering were equal, or superior, to what any other country had to offer. Furthermore, it was assumed that America would build the future, not leverage it, hostile-takeover it, credit-default-swap it, download it, or watch it happen overseas. The Heavy Press Program was based around that idea that the American Government would build the presses and American companies would use them to ensure the greatness of America. That idea was a sound one, and it worked.

When the “bailout” happened, there was no talk about greatness, or innovation, or the future in the Donald Fagen “I.G.Y.” sense. Instead, an unthinkable amount of money was borrowed from China and others then handed over to GM and Chrysler. Chrysler later on became a partner with FIAT, while General Motors continued to pursue an aggressive program of manufacturing expansion in China, Mexico, and elsewhere while mailing-off the major portions of its small-car programs to Korea.

If the United States Government in 1950 was playing the role of the father who agrees to buy tools so his son can build a Pinewood Derby car and win an important competition, in 2012 it played the role of indulgent grandmother to a pair of crackheads, handing cash to people who promise to clean up and get a job right after they score their next hit. The bailout may well have saved the American auto industry, and it almost certainly prevented a major section of the economy from simply disappearing, but it didn’t do anything to promote greatness. The “Fifty” produced the Boeing jet bombers and a global era of American aeronautical dominance; the bailout produced the Volt Dance.

It’s also tempting to suggest that there should be some sort of governmental program to produce the next step in personal mobility, but the truth is the country needs energy answers a lot more urgently than it needs a 100-mpg super-hybrid, even if such a thing could be built. One of the commenters on the Atlantic article suggested a “Heavy Fusion Program”, which is probably closer to the mark. A Manhattan-Project-style national effort centered around creating a safe, future-proofed source of energy would do more to promote world peace and harmony than anything else.

One thing nobody is suggesting doing, obviously, is building a press to match or beat the new Chinese giant. This is 2012. The Space Shuttle is grounded, the American teenager is on Facebook, and the future is made in China.

You would have to travel far to shoot (bad boy as you are) a Bali tiger. Germany’s Auto, Motor und Sport Magazin did not have to travel further than the Golfanlage Schloss Nippenburg to shoot themselves a Macan. Macan is Indonesian for tiger, better known as the name for Porsche’s upcoming SUVlet.

What AMS found here, only superficially camouflaged, will be available in 2013. The Porsche Macan, built in Leipzig, will use the platform of the Audi Q5/Q4. To keep price and exhilaration down, Porsche will use Audi mills in the Macan. To provide some rationale for the higher price, the Macan motors are said to be beefier than those of its Audi alter ego.

Starting price of the Macan in Germany is expected to be around €40,000 ($51,0000). According to AMS, the Macan „looks like a baby-Cayenne.“

The fellow had spent nearly three hours on the road. Just to drive a 10 year old Isuzu SUV.

Traffic cones. Construction. Stalls and accidents. By the time he got to my lot he was already emotionally spent, and it was only 10:00 A.M.

Then he saw it.

The front passenger tire was flatter than a Ford Festiva going through the crusher. I was at the bank when he called. Hadn’t even opened the lot yet. Finally when I got there I noticed that an old Lincoln Mark VIII had two tires flat as well.

It wasn’t a coincidence.

Last Friday I had authorized my first repossession of the year. All the usual things were done to avoid this step. Plenty of calls. Plenty of broken promises. Finally, one broken promise too many meant that I would get my vehicle back. It was done within a matter of hours.

Except the hour in question was 4:00 A.M. and the person in question had just got out of jail. More times than not, I regret financing someone else’s kid… or grandkid. It never works out no matter the goodwill of the guardian in question.

The usual scenario goes like this.

Young fellow is cleaned up enough to look presentable. The parent/grandparent/uncle/aunt is sick and tired of driving the fellow around, or worse, having them abuse their vehicle on a regular basis.

They come to my lot on the hope that I will let their entitled progeny abuse one of my cars. I say no… and that is usually it.

Except when it comes to certain vehicles I have which can take abuse and aren’t worth all that much. A 1995 Lincoln Town Car that had already been repo’d once fit the bill perfectly. Nobody wants a 17 year old, full-sized V8 car with 175k  that was designed with a ruler. More times than not an old Panther like this will be financed to someone’s kid. I have the parent or guardian co-sign on the vehicle. The payments must be directly deposited, and if the insurance is dropped or changed, they get my voice on their phone.

Sometimes you can have the parent make the deposits. Other times it’s the kid. The parents desperately want to teach the kid responsibility. But in real life the deal usually is doomed from the start. Drugs, alcohol, laziness, stupidity, sass and self-destructive behavior invariably lead to several missed payments after five to seven months.

The guy had missed eight weekly payments at this point. A phone that only worked when I dialed it from another number, and every excuse in the world when I had our all too brief conversations. Sometimes a repo can snap someone back to the reality of paying for what is not yet their own.

But when they are on drugs… forget it. You will only get a long list of excuses until you get back your car, and maybe one or two calls from the parent or guardian explaining how it will never happen again.

They’re right. It won’t.

When I got to the lot I saw the damage. I explained to the customer what took place. We worked together on putting the full-sized spare on the car. He drove it. Liked it. Paid for it. To be frank, I was almost misty eyed to deal with such nice folks after having my property violated. It was the third time in four years my property got hit (having a pawn shop adjacent to my lot doesn’t help) and dealing with genuinely nice and helpful souls is what makes any career worth doing.

I still had to repair the damage on the Mark VIII. So i turned off the air suspension. Put two jack stands onto the tires that needed to be removed, and went down the street to a used tire place owned by a fellow named Miles who is from Cameroon. I bought 2 Michelin Harmony’s with about 50% tread on them for $80. Went back to the lot, and three other cars with customers were waiting there for me.

One helped me put the tires back on while the other two went on test drives. The first financed a Saturn. The second financed a Buick the next day, and the other fellow who helped me with the tires is waiting for me to find a true contradiction in terms. A good old Saab.

I used to get into a near ‘Falling Down’ state of mind whenever someone had violated my property. It happened two other times. Though I’m pretty sure neither one involved a customer.  The first time they took a couple of crappy aftermarket CD players and probably did me a favor. The second time they stole a Chinese scooter from a storage unit I had in the back and… did me an even bigger favor.

This time it wasn’t a favor. It was a moment that made me think of Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction talking about someone who had keyed his old 1964 Chevy Malibu.

“Boy, I wish I could’ve caught him doing it. I’d have given anything to catch that asshole doing it. It’d been worth him doing it just so I could’ve caught him doing it.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Go to 2:13 for the Vincent Vega moment.

Well, I didn’t catch him doing it. But at this point in my life I wouldn’t want to catch him. I have too much to lose and nothing to gain from random acts of bullshit machismo. I’ll leave that to the movies.

How about you though? Did anyone ever vandalize your car? If so, did you have the chance to make your feelings known?

In case you have surplus cash sitting around, doing absolutely nothing, hang on to it until the end of 2013. This is when Porsche finally wants to crank up production of its Über-Porsche, the 918 Spyder. Porsche has finished the initial prototypes, which are cleverly camouflaged: If you see something whizzing by, and you think to yourself: “This looked just like a Porsche 917 race car,” then you actually saw a 918 in drag.

If you haven’t heard already, the 918 is is designed as a plug-in hybrid vehicle combining a high-performance combustion engine with electric motors. The car is built as full carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) monocoque with unit carrier, has fully adaptive aerodynamics, adaptive rear-axle steering and the upward-venting “top pipes” exhaust system.

Need an excuse for getting fat for lack of exercise?  Buy Honda’s latest invention, and you won’t even have to walk to the bathroom anymore, assuming a barrier-free environment. Honda presents the UNI-CUB, the first vehicle you steer with your ass.

The UNI-CUB is the next generation of the U3-X personal mobility device that Honda announced in 2009. The UNI-CUB does away with joy sticks and pedals. It combines balance control technology (it goes where you lean) with the world’s first omni-directional driving wheel system. Your range anxiety it will heal not. It has a range of 3.7 miles, and a max speed of 3.7 mph.

Next month, Honda will field test the UNI-CUB at Japan’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo. Later on, “practical applications of the device in a wide range of environments in Japan and other countries” shall be explored.

I did not dare to ask for a test drive ride.

Here are again the January-April sales data for select Chinese automakers:

The Dongfeng PSA and Geely numbers are alright for China. For the others, I took the biggest outlier, that of Dongfeng Nissan, and requested the official number from Nissan HQ in Yokohama. It’s the one in the middle.

I was told officially by a Nissan spokesperson that “Nissan sold 446,806 units in China during the January-April 2012 period. April-only sales were 112,365 units.” Furthermore, I was told that Nissan has no idea where the other numbers came from.

All that may sound quite arcane to you, and it’s not as exciting as heel-toe shifting or a camshaft transplant. Yet, if reported sales can be off by a few hundred thousand units, and if none of the two numbers are correct, then one can safely assume further messes.

Like reports being off by a million.

Bloomberg (and gadzillions of media outlets that use the Bloomberg wire) reported a few days ago that Toyota “said this week that deliveries, including those of subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd., will grow 18 percent to 8.7 million vehicles in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013.”

Not true. Toyota said that sales of Toyota and Lexus cars are planned to grow to 8.7 million.  Not including Daihatsu and Hino. I was there, and I checked back with Toyota today. Spokespeople confirmed again that the 8.7 million are Toyota and Lexus only, and that there is no new projection for Daihatsu and Hino. Global sales by Daihatsu and Hino usually add in the neighborhood of a million cars to the total, which would then climb to somewhere around 9.7 million. All by the usually highly conservative projections of Toyota.

Earlier, Bloomberg had (correctly) reported that Toyota “said in February that deliveries — including those of its Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd. units — will increase 21 percent to a record 9.58 million vehicles in the regular calendar year.” Toyota sure did. Someone should have noticed that a million cars were suddenly missing.

Minutes after Ally Financial, the bs-artist formerly known as GMAC, took its Residential Capital bankrupt, David Shepardson tweeted to his followers that all is fine:

“GM owns 9.9% of Ally Financial Inc, while @USTreasuryDept owns 74 percent”

Isn’t that reassuring?

TTAC readers are not surprised by Ally’s ResCap going under. A bankruptcy by May 14 had been predicted. Shepardson is the Washington, DC Bureau Chief of the Detroit News.

Dayna Hart, GM China’s Director of Communications, and resident of Shanghai, has been shanghaied as a spokesperson for an amazing new weight loss product on Twitter.

Dayna also has been seen sending out tweets to other people telling them “Hey this user is saying very bad things about you …”, followed by an URL that purports to be leading to the alleged on-line defamation.

Apparently, Dayna became the victim of a common Twitter scam: Click on the link in “Hey this user is saying very bad things about you …” (and who does not want to know who’s saying bad things about us ?) and you land on tvivviter.com instead on twitter.com. The site asks you for your login info, you give it – and your Twitter account has been turned into an instant spam machine. If that happens to you, follow these instructions. If you just see the message, don’t click on the link.

People saying bad things about me? Come on, Dayna, what else is new?

As TTAC’s official reviewer of all things “emerging market cast-offs sent to Canada”, I’ll be busy again in Q4 2012, when I get my hands on a Chevrolet Trax.

While General Motors American arm said that “…because of the strong position of the Equinox, there are no plans to introduce the Trax in the U.S. market…”, the Trax is a no brainer for Canada. And isn’t it so much more attractive than the gawky, pencil-eraser-proportioned Encore? I’m personally interested to see how different the interior is from the Buick and Opel version.

Infiniti has characteristically taken the path less travelled. The original Q45 was styled to express Japanese culture (rather than imitate the Germans), tuned for drivers, and infamously advertised with video of rocks and trees. The brand finally hit its stride thirteen years later with the compact rear-wheel-drive G35. It jumped on the crossover bandwagon with a pair of cozy cabined, firmly suspended, VQ-propelled eggs. Those seeking space for their family and their family’s stuff had a choice between the massive truck-based QX56 and something that wasn’t an Infiniti (often an Acura MDX). Market and dealer pressure to offer something much closer to the norm was no doubt intense. So, for 2013, we have the Infiniti JX35 (originally reviewed by Derek Kreindler). Has the brand’s character been overly compromised, or is this the crossover Infiniti should have offered from the start?

Recent Infinitis have been curvaceous, even bulbous. You won’t find fuller forms on any other new car lot. With the JX35, Infiniti clearly struggled with an inherent conflict between this design language and the need to offer competitive interior space. The JX’s exterior is an incompletely resolved combination of a curvy M-like front end (dominated by an over-sized grille and emblem) and a space-maximizing box. A “crescent-shaped” D-pillar is distinctive, but there’s probably an aesthetic reason that explains why it’s never been done before. Expect it to spread to other Infinitis as they are redesigned.

Inside the JX35, Infiniti has also backed off its usual tendencies in order to cater to the typical large crossover buyer. The interior is styled to resemble those in other Infinitis, so it’s easy on the eyes, but the forms are much different. The instrument panel and console are less curvy and less intrusive. The seats are flatter, nearly bolster-free, and less cushy. As a result, the JX feels less “tailored to fit” (or, for larger people, not fit) than other Infinitis. The appeal isn’t as deep, but it’s much broader.

Infiniti is very proud of the way the JX’s second-row split bench folds forward. With no child seat in it, the cushion folds up tightly against the backrest GM Lambda-style to open up a very wide path to the third row. Infiniti’s innovation: unlike in the Lambdas, if you strap in a child seat the bench can still slide forward enough to permit people to squeeze through. There’s no need to order captain’s chairs (that aren’t offered) to maintain access to the third row with child seats in the second row.

In other respects the JX’s rear passenger accommodations are nothing special. As in most crossovers (Ford’s being the major exception), the seats are flat and are mounted too low to the floor to provide adults with thigh support. And as in too many luxury vehicles, there isn’t any space under the front seats for the toes of second-row passengers, essentially reducing second-row legroom by about four inches. There’s still plenty of legroom in the second row if the bench is shifted fully rearward along its five inches of travel. But, again all too typically, if the second row is all the way back there’s very little legroom in the third row. Ultimately, there’s just enough space to fit average-sized men in all three rows if everyone limits their legroom to the amount they absolutely need. To Infiniti’s credit, the third row is better ventilated than most, so the kids won’t bake back there. Behind the third row you’ll find 15.8 cubic feet of cargo volume, about the same as in an Acura MDX. My five-person family’s luggage wouldn’t fit without folding at least half of the third row.

There’s considerably more space for both people and cargo inside a Buick Enclave. But Infiniti’s marketing people never mention the Enclave as a competitor. They prefer to talk about the Acura MDX and Audi Q7, both of which have tighter third rows than the JX and both of which have gone six years since a thorough redesign. But, in terms of specs and configuration, the Buick is actually the JX’s closest competitor. Inside, the Buick wins on quantity, the Infiniti on quality (unless GM has worked wonders with the 2013 refresh).

With a powertrain and chassis derived from the Nissan Murano (and shared with the upcoming 2013 Pathfinder), the JX35’s performance neither delights nor disappoints. Even with all-wheel-drive curb weight is a very reasonable 4,419 pounds, so the 3.5-liter V6’s 265 horsepower are sufficient. The mandatory CVT assists by holding the engine in its power band when this is required. I personally didn’t mind the behavior of the CVT. If you do, select sport mode and it mimics a conventional six-speed automatic. Go WOT with front-wheel-drive and there’s some torque steer and front-end float, but not nearly enough to by themselves justify all-wheel-drive. Unlike in the MDX, which has an oversteer-inducing rear differential, the JX’s all-wheel-drive system doesn’t significantly enhance the driving experience on dry roads.

Fuel economy according to the EPA is 18 city / 24 highway with front-wheel-drive and 18/23 with all-wheel-drive, similar to the numbers earned by large domestic crossovers. The trip computer reported about 21 on my largely exurban driving route (infrequent stops, speed typically between 40 and 60). Given the vehicle’s relatively low curb weight and CVT, it should be capable of better. Blame the aging VQ V6 engine.

The JX’s ride and handling are similarly sufficient for the vehicle’s intended mission. The steering is light but well-weighted, and even provides some feedback if you’re paying close attention. Body motions and lean are fairly well controlled, but rush the JX and it feels heavy and out of its element, lapsing into a safe, dull plow. Did I really expect otherwise, even with the Technology Package’s “active trace control”? Hope, perhaps. Expect, no. The ride is generally smooth and quiet, though there’s some “head toss” over uneven roads (a by-product of thick stabilizer bars) and some minor jitters over patchy pavement (the standard 18-inch wheels might help–the tested vehicles all had the optional 20s). One “feature” that few people will notice, or be bothered by if they do: the 60 side of the second row often vibrates, as if it’s harmonizing with a frequency in the suspension.

The Infiniti JX starts at $41,400. Add $1,100 for all-wheel-drive. Tick all of the major boxes and the sticker’s bottom line reaches $54,800, which is $540 below a 2012 Acura MDX Advance with Entertainment Package. But the ancient Acura lags in the safety nannies department, while the oh-so-2013 JX has them all (ICC, FCW, BCI, DCA, BSW, BSI, LDW, LDP, XYZ, PDQ, WTF). BCI—Back-up Collision Intervention—is a first: if the system detects that you’re about to back up into something, it automatically stops the vehicle. Between this feature and the around-view monitor Infiniti pioneered a few years ago (I’m a fan), the paint on the JX’s rear bumper should be good for the long haul. Use TrueDelta’s car price comparison tool to assign typical values to these features, adjust the price accordingly, and the JX emerges with a nearly $3,700 price advantage over the MDX. Compared to a loaded 2012 Buick Enclave, a similarly-equipped JX lists for $1,890 less before adjusting for feature differences and about $3,200 less afterwards. Even though the Infiniti can be optioned into the mid-fifties, it’s actually a good value. Willing to forego the fancy bits for a lower price? Nissan has a closely related Pathfinder on the way.

In the end, I’m not sure how to answer the question posed by the introduction. In the next few years, I’m going to take my kids on a grand tour of the western national parks from Arizona to Alberta. When I do, I’d like a roomy three-row vehicle with an athletic chassis. I like how Infinitis drive, my wife likes how they look and feel. They might have stuck to their characteristic way of doing things and created our ideal family truckster. But the entire auto industry has realized the pointlessness of catering to fecund driving enthusiasts taking once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain road trips. The Cadillac SRX lost its barely-there third row and shifted to a front-wheel-drive platform. The relatively car-like Mercedes-Benz R-Class was vastly outsold by the clumsier GL. Lexus never delivered a planned driver-focused GS-based crossover, instead peddling the RX, GX and LX. Infiniti paid its car guy dues with the EX and FX; the former has sold poorly, the latter just a bit better. So the JX, which takes the emerging segment norm and dresses it like an Infiniti, is only a surprise in that it didn’t happen years ago. Unless you get off on safety nannies, there’s no wow, and little in the way of driving excitement. But there’s a lot of nice. The big question isn’t whether the JX will sell–it will–but how many other Infinitis will head down the same path.

Infiniti provided a couple of the tested JXs, fuel, insurance, airfare to Charleston, a fancy boutique hotel, and excellent food. Bill French at Suburban Infiniti of Novi provided another JX so I could test the ride on Michigan roads. Bill can be reached at 888-779-2907.

Michael Karesh operates TrueDelta.com, an online source of car reliability and real-world fuel economy information.

Well.

It seems like the bigger the areas I cover (March worldwide roundup anyone?) or the longer the rankings I talk about (Top 265 best-selling models in the USA over Q1 2012, Top 318 best-selling models in Europe in 2011 and Top 100 best-selling models in the World in 2011) the happier you are.

And that’s what I want.

You. Happy.

So I have more and more data in store for you. Don’t worry, when you think I will have exhausted every possible avenue I will still have more. Because that’s what I do all day, counting cars. So you can count on me.

And to follow-up on Bertel’s appetizer earlier today I give you the Top 265 best-selling models in China in April. Just another month in Chinaworld: two new brands launched, 10 new models, and we’re only talking about the cars produced locally…

Not interested? Fine. There is more data (told you) for 159 additional countries for you to visit in my blog, all one by one. Click. The link. You will love it.

Back to China.

And first two clarifications: we will be talking about passenger cars here (and not commercial vehicles which are the subject of another ranking) and only cars produced locally as imports data is still a bit patchy in China.

Now that it finally managed to be the most popular passenger car in the country after 4 years finishing at #2 (See the Full Year 2011 Top 250 here), the Buick Excelle is not letting go: in April it is holding the pole position for the third time in a row and the 6th time in the last 9 months with 23,179 sales.

In 2nd place we find the VW Jetta. Bland you will say. Maybe so. But the interesting fact about the VW Jetta sold in China is that it is still based on the 1984 second generation of the model! You can recognize the original body behind many layers of make-up… In spite of approaching the ripe age of 30, it still sells 21,909 units in April…

On the third step of the Chinese podium this month we find the Ford Focus boosted by the arrival of the new generation and up a massive 14 spots compared to March with 21,793 sales.

Volkswagen is still the dominant brand in China and manages to place 3 models in the Top 5 with the Passat at #4 and the Lavida at #5 and 4 models in the Top 7 with the Bora at #7…

The other interesting development this month is the arrival of the Hyundai Verna (aka Accent) in the Top 10 at #8 thanks to a record 18,786 sales, making it two Hyundais in the Top 10 with the Elantra Yuedong at #9.

The VW Magotan hits its highest ranking ever at #11 with 16,188 units.

Yes, you got this right. There is no ‘truly’ Chinese model in the Top 10 even though all cars above are manufactured by joint-ventures with Chinese manufacturers. In fact I wrote an article about the very fact that Chinese cars don’t seem to be selling well at home…

The best-selling Chinese model at home this month is the Great Wall Haval H3/H5/H6 which is a little unfair because it is in fact 3 quite distinct models but no split sales are available. It ranks #13 overall with 15,747 sales.

The #2 Chinese is also composed of two models: it is the FAW Xiali N3/N5 at #15 overall with 15,476 units.

The Chery QQ is getting old but still selling reasonably well at #20 overall with 12,423 sales.

In transition between the old and new generations, the BYD F3, best-selling model in China overall in 2009 and 2010, is down to #45 at 8,216 units.

Notice also the excellent performance of the Audi A6 L up to #30 with 13,675 sales, double the amount it sold in Germany over the same period (and the German ones are not the eLongated version sold in China)!

Now you’ve read so far, it means you want to know about these two new brands I talked about earlier.

Getting right into it in a few, but first a bit of background.

The latest trend in the world of Chinese cars is the launch of new, allegedly low-cost brands. In April 2011, Guangzhou-Honda launched the new brand Li Nian with the S1 based on the previous generation City. It got a mild welcome with a peak at #89 last August.

Last August as well, General Motors launched its own Chinese low-cost brand, Baojun. Looking like a truly new car, the Baojun 630 received a much warmer welcome: it peaked at #31 last February, and after falling to #83 last month it is back up to #53 in April.

But wait there’s more. In April we welcome not one but two new low-cost brands in the market, with their first model appearing for the first time in the ranking… Ciimo, Dongfeng-Honda’s low-cost attempt, has launched the Ciimo Si Ming based on the previous generation Honda Civic and it sells 3,022 units for a respectable 118th position.

Dongfeng-Nissan released the Venucia D50 based on the previous generation Nissan Tiida sedan, landing at #122 with 2,845 sales. These two monthly figures are so far the strongest starts for Chinese low-cost models: the Li Nian S1 debuted at 2,084 units and the Baojun 630 at 869.

That’s it for the new brands. I still find it quite exhilarating that new brands keep popping up in this market. It must have felt like this in Europe at the start of the 20th century. Even though the majority of these brands may not survive for long there is no denying it is a fascinating time to follow car sales in China.

Especially when you realize that there are 8 other all-new models making their first appearance in the ranking in April…

We also welcome the Gleagle GX7 at #135 with 2,307 sales, the now locally produced Mercedes GLK at #169 with 1,344 units…

…the Beijing E-Series, a Mercedes B-Class clone, at #183 with 949 sales…

…the Dongfeng Fengshan A60 at #191 with 700 units…

…the Chery Cowin 5 at #194 with 589 sales…

…the Great Wall Haval M4, probably the most attractive of these newcomers, at #197 with 532 units…

…the GAC Trumpchi GS5 with a ‘je-ne-sais-quoi’ from an imaginary Subaru Tribeca at #200 with 484 sales…

…and the Gonow Aoosed GX5 at #245 with 85 units. Wait. What? Seriously? Is that the name of the car? I can see the proud owner boasting about how tough its Gonow is. Sounds suspiciously like some hidden, unknown part of my body that I wouldn’t want anyone to know about. But hey, I’m sure it sounds great in Chinese!

Now don’t lie to me. You didn’t know brands like ‘Beijing’, ‘GAC’ and ‘Gonow’ even existed? Don’t panic, it also hurt my feelings to know that somewhere in the world there were cars allowed to be driven on the streets without me knowing not only the model but the brand… But that’s why I’m here! To push the boundaries of ignorance. Nothing less.

China’s best-selling and worst-selling cars, April 2012

Looks familiar? The Shanghai Englon TX4 only sold 6 units in April though…

Top 10 worst-selling cars in China – April 2012:

You can check the entire Top 265 best-selling models in China in April 2012 here

I think you have a few things to say at your next pub meal don’t you?

Until next week…

Data for this post was sourced on www.chooseauto.com.cn, many thanks to DC from www.autoweek.nl for sharing, translating and helping compile the data.

Matt Gasnier, based in Sydney, Australia, runs a blog named Best Selling Cars, dedicated to counting cars all over the world.

“On a clear day,” John Z once famously wrote, “you can see General Motors.” The day has yet to come, however, when the works of GM will be made plain to the mortal man. Consider, if you will, the bizarre story of the “Theta” platform in the United States. It’s a huge success; the Equinox and Cadillac SRX (which, we are assumed, is totes different from the Equinox, but we will will discuss that contention below) combined for about a quarter-million sales in 2011. It’s a perfect example of the way GM is supposed to work nowadays: there are two platform variants with very little visual similarity combining to provide high volume in one model and high profit in another. Theta is NAFTA-friendly, with the cheapie being made in Ontario and the luxury model in Mexico. The two models are generally well-reviewed. The obscurity, stupidity, and thrown-darts decision-making which used to characterize the General are nowhere to be seen. What’s to criticize, even here at TTAC, where we typically cast a jaundiced eye on the RenCen fire drill?

Well, there is the minor issue of a third Theta, which is as perfect an example of GM’s undiminished ability to screw things up as the other Thetas are of the company’s ability to get things right.

What is the Theta platform anyway? The more one reads about it, the less clear things become. It was engineered by Daewoo and badge-engineered by Opel — or is it the other way ’round? How much of a difference is there between Theta, which underpinned the original Vue and Equinox, and Theta II, which is the current Equinox, and Theta Premium, which is the basis of the SRX? Where did the second-generation Saturn Vue fit into all of this?

The Vue-2 was supposedly developed by Opel to be the Opel Antara, after which it was brought to the United States with as few changes as possible. It predated the SRX but GM sources claim there are significant differences between it and the SRX. Take a look at these two shots and tell me you can’t just see the common bones. You don’t need to be Sajeev Mehta to recognize “hard points” under the skin on this pair:

Supposedly the major difference between the Vue and the SRX was the “premium wheelbase” of the latter. The new Equinox, however, has an even longer wheelbase. Who’s premium now?

In its first and only full year on sale at Saturn dealerships, the Vue-2 knocked out 86,000 units or thereabouts. That’s not small volume, and it would be reasonable to assume that GM would like to hold on to some of that volume. It’s also reasonable to assume that one years’ worth of Vue sales didn’t pay the bills on bringing that vehicle. What to do?

Here’s what they did: the Vue returned for 2012 as the “Chevrolet Captiva Sport”. You’ve probably seen a few of them prowling around. Don’t confuse this with the Chevrolet Captiva sold elsewhere in the world, which is a Daewoo Theta aimed at, and assembled in, developing markets. This is just a re-animated Saturn Vue. They look exactly like Saturn Vues, with the exception of Chevrolet badging. The few reviews and/or news stories I have seen about the 2012 “Captiva Sport” have a surprising number of comments from 2008 Vue owners who would like to buy another one.

Unless their last names are “Avis” or “Budget”, however, they won’t have any luck. The Captiva is a fleet-only model designed to keep the Mexican SRX/Captiva plant humming. If you reserve an “SUV” from a GM-affiliated rental company, odds are you will be receiving a Captiva.

What’s good about this idea? Well, it keeps Mexico working, which is important to GM. It also keeps Equinoxes out of fleets, which is good because four-cylinder Equinoxes have been thin on the ground at dealers for some time now. When my brother went to buy his Equinox last year, he had to do some serious looking around. V-6 models and unpopular option combos were about all you could get without waiting.

What’s bad about this idea? Once again, GM is selling an old vehicle through fleets. This doesn’t help the brand’s image, and it ensures that a lot of people have their first “GM experience” in an obsolete car. The Captiva is five years old and hasn’t been revamped even slightly.

Since the Captiva isn’t sold in dealers, even if people do enjoy a Captiva rental, they can’t convert it into Chevrolet ownership. Instead, they will be shown an Equinox, which isn’t really the same vehicle, doesn’t drive the same, and isn’t priced to the same value standard as the outgoing Vue. The same is true for those Vue owners who would like to get something similar. It’s Equinox or nothing for these buyers, who are then forced to watch a parade of Captivas leaving the airport every afternoon.

What will the resale value of ex-fleet Captivas be? Will they sit next to Equinoxes at used-car lots? Will parts be widely available? Will GMAC finance them at attractive rates? What will it cost GM in the long run to keep Mexico humming at full chat?

Short-term thinking at the expense of long-term benefit is, of course, the truest hallmark of GM. It’s outlasted the soft-square seatbelt buckles, the Rallye steel wheels, and the formal roofline. Nothing says “GM” like chasing today’s dollar. It’s tempting, and depressing, to think that it will ever be so.

In the meantime, TTACers on the lookout for a nice, solid pre-owned SUV might want to check out the Captiva when it appears at the auctions. It’s not as “Premium” as an SRX, and it’s not as, um, “2″ as an Equinox, but it will be dirt-cheap and rather satisfying for the price. In fact, from a certain point of VUE, it might even be CAPTIVAting. Chuckle.

TTAC commentator Kenzter writes:

Sajeev,

I recently picked up a 1969 Cadillac Sedan Deville. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime deals you only hear about, like my uncles cousins sister is selling her deceased husbands garage queen for pennies on the dollar deal.

My problem is, the Automatic Climate Control (a $550 option!) does not work. The only settings that trigger any response are FOG and ICE. Even then, I can only hear the blower motor and just barely feel air from the floor vents. Where to begin the troubleshooting?

Thanks,
Kenzter

Sajeev answers:

Damn son, that sounds like a choice cut of Cadillac. I love Caddy’s “fuselage era” not just because I bleed Panther Love, or started watching Mad Men from the beginning on DVD last week…but that never hurts!

First off, you told me absolutely nothing about the car’s condition.  Odds are older vehicles have worn out HVAC systems because of use or neglect.  I hope you understand the headaches associated with old car ownership: when I removed/replaced the evaporator/heater core/blower motor from my 1988 Mercury Cougar XR-7 with nearly 200,000 miles on the clock, I was horrified at the state of everything! But cleaning and replacing worked so well: even with a conversion to less-efficient R134a, the Cougar now has the strongest A/C in the Mehta fleet.  It will freeze the balls off a polar bear on the low-speed setting!

Even low mile garage queens have HVAC problems, because getting old is a bitch no matter who or what you are.

That said, my gut says you have bad vacuum lines under the hood. Especially the one from the vacuum source to the firewall, to (eventually) the HVAC box behind the dashboard.  But that’s for starters: I am so confident because you said the only “response” was from the defogger setting. Most, if not all, HVAC systems will default to the top setting when vacuum lines fail: this is a safety feature to keep your windshield from fogging up in interior/exterior climate changes. Well, in theory.

But what else do you do? You probably need a new blower motor, at this age. And maybe the factory service manuals (that you need to own) will help you dig deeper and find more problems.  Also get Cadillac specific parts catalogs from various vendors, just so you know what the world has to offer in terms of new parts.  Every catalog I get in the mail is like a mini-Christmas present…even if I may buy elsewhere, especially via eBay.

When you have the proper books, get the proper tools. Maybe join a local Cadillac-LaSalle club. Start reading up, learning and slowly tackle the project in your spare time.  Eventually you will fix the whole system. And enjoy the ride, because everything can and will eventually fail on an antique car. That’s part of the fun.

Welcome to the sickness, I am happy you joined us!

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.

What Stracke presented today did not impress. Stracke said that production of the volume model Astra, currently made in three locations, will be concentrated on two plants – which, remains open.

The PSA alliance will not bring immediate results, the reports say. The first car with a common architecture is expected not earlier then 2016.

Opel is already thinking of more alliances. “Opel is open to beneficial partnerships, like the recent one with PSA Peugeot Citroen,” the company said in a statement.

Criticized that Opel had been kept out of new growth markets, Stracke states that Opel wants to open new markets in Australia, North Africa, South America and the Middle East. “We already started successfully in Israel and we will intensify our engagement in China, Russia and Turkey,” Stracke said while stressing that exports into other markets than Europe are not the do-all and end-all.

No kidding: Israel is a 240,000 unit per year market, or about as important on a global scale as the Czech Republic. Opel’s engagement in China so far has led to nothing, seen any Opels in GM’s China statistics? And why does GM have to look for new alliance partners while it sits on the world’s largest (and most mis-managed) scale effect?

Let’s face it: There is no quick fix in sight.

Opel’s and GM’s hands are tied through 2014 by contracts with the unions, the losses will continue.

Closing one plants in 2015 will cost some $2 billion, creating a huge loss after years of hefty losses.

It typically takes a few years until a painful restructuring will show its effects.  This costs time and money, and Opel has neither.

With all the rumors about German-built Citroens and re-badged French MPVs, it’s time to do what North American car lovers do best; cast a greedy eye upon vehicles we can’t get, and talk about how much we’d like them.

The Opel Zafira and Citroen C5 are hardly the most exciting vehicles in the PSA stable. If it were up to me, I’d have the brand-new Peugeot 208 assimilate the Sonic in a Borg like manner. It’s not that the Sonic is a bad car, but the Francofied-GTI is an enticing prospect, and the combined engineering staff of PSA and GM could add in a sedan version for our market.

Initially, I would have said bring the new DS Range over, but they might be a little too French. The range of small commercial vehicles on the other hand, may be just right if the Fiat Doblo comes out as a Ram to do battle with the Ford Transit Connect. What would you want to see integrated into GM’s lineup. Alternately, what junk would you foist on the French as punishment for the crap they inflicted on us?

With Opel’s fortunes in the toilet and Chevrolet vehilces gaining ground in Europe, Opel brass are looking at an obvious solution – stop building Chevrolet products in South Korea and start building them in Europe.

Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke told the New York Times that

“We are in talks with our colleagues in Detroit and Shanghai to find out whether we can build Chevrolet vehicles in Europe, to improve utilization of capacity,” 

The article touches on the many familiar Opel problems – the need to close factories, excessive capacity, staggering losses (Q1 2012 saw Opel lose $300 million), but the Chevrolet solution won’t be an umbrella cure of Opel’s ills. Building Cruzes and Sonics (or Aveos, as they’re known) in Europe brings to light whether the cost advantage of building in South Korea can be maintained.

Opel is also looking to export markets, like Latin America, Australia and the Middle East for growth, but given the popularity of brands like Chevrolet and Holden in those markets, is there room for yet another sort-of premium brand when established GM nameplates and more prestigious European marques are already fighting it out in their respective spheres?

If anything, the way out of this mess may be the PSA alliance. GM puts Russelsheim to use by twinning the Citroen C5 and Opel Insignia, while PSA uses their excess capacity at the Rennes plant (just like Opel, PSA’s unions fear the closure of the factory) to build the Zafira/Picasso/Peugeot MPV. Meanwhile, mum’s the word over at PSA headquarters. That would allow Astra production to be sent to a lower-cost facility in Poland, and England, where the Astra is a key product for Vauxhall.

Suckers come in all shapes and sizes.

They can be a young guy with college loans in his mid-20′s who is charged $800+ for a $100 repair. Or an elderly couple on a fixed income who is encouraged to sign on the dotted line with a malevolent seller.

Every single American has probably been a sucker at some point in their lives when it comes to cars. Young, old, smart, not so smart, confident, fearful… and in all cases, struggling with the unfamiliar. Our society is not one that de-fangs the predators or educates the victims. It is a debtful and litigious one that encourages money to be thrown into every which direction but personal accountability.

Or does it? Frugality is supposedly the in thing these days… and cars are now kept longer than ever. As a life long debt hater, I would like to think that there are far fewer suckers than before. Especially when it comes to cars.

But the numbers tell me otherwise.

This recession has yielded some unusual results in two industries that reflect the lack of change within the American automotive lifestyle. Take a look at this graph for instance.

Autozone is the largest auto parts retailer in the United States. Not to be outdone by a long list of other competitors. It has been a bellweather of success along with many of the other publicly traded auto parts retailers during this recession. Since 2008 this market segment has yielded a 125% return vs. the S&P 500 index.

So should we all just toss in our proverbial ponchos of stock portfolios and start chasing after companies that embrace Americas newfound penchant for frugality? Not quite yet. Any investment we do in life has to require far more than a few blips worth of data.

The idea of buying a parts retailer may be lucrative to the ‘keepers’ amongst us who believe in investing in our cars for the long haul. But the three most dominant and successful auto parts retailers have only seen annual revenue growth of 4% to 7% over the last five years (Click symbols: AAP, AZO, GPC.)

Without going too deep into the rabbit hole of data, success in the auto parts business has more to do with managing inventory and costs than the sudden enlightment of the general public.

As far as it pains me to say it, most Americans are not pursuing the path to wisdom at all. At least as it relates to cars. In fact everything on the wholesale side of the world points to a public that is increasingly dependent on barnacle levels of debt for their roadside freedom.

Go to page 18 of the 2012 Data Source Book for Used Car News and you will see the nasty reality of a ‘sucker’ infested marketplace. According to Experian Automotive, loans for used cars that are for 60 months or less are becoming far fewer in number.  In their place are 5+ year loans. The 61 to 72 month term is now the most common one in the United States with loans beyond 72 months up a startling 41.1% just in the last year (see page 18).

There are now more auto loans for used cars that are six years and longer, than those that are three years or less.

The average term has gone up (page 17). The average payment has only declined for the most creditworthy (see page 16). While those who are the most credit challenged are putting nearly 15% less of a down payment since 2008 ($959 down in 2011 vs $1130 down in 2008, see page 23).

From these numbers, it appears like a lot of folks are going to be bordering on the broke for a very long time. But it gets worse. Far, far worse for the unfortunate among us who happen to live from paycheck to pawn debt.

For more Americans than ever before, the cycle of ‘debt to equity’ has become a ‘debt to debt’ trap. That will be shown in detail come Wednesday. But for now let me ask you a question. How can we reduce the number of suckers in our society? Jokes are welcome as always. But serious answers would be even better.

“…as some men try to be proud of their defects, he extracted an ornament from an inconvenience, and vanity produced a grotto where necessity enforced a passage.”

So Johnson wrote of Pope. It’s always best to face the truth and do one’s best with it. Thus, in this TTAC-reader-contributed image, we have a FIAT Seicento — the absolute exemplar of “crappy Euro commuter” — and, rather than a Valkyrie or guy with a Fast and Furious sword on the side, we have the humble snail. Slow is good! Ask any hipster.

An article in Automotive News lavishing praise on the Chrysler/Fiat merger of equals marriage inadvertently spilled the beans on a couple upcoming products from Marchionne’s minions.

The AN piece, which focuses on the birth of the miracle child known as the Dodge Dart, briefly touches on the car’s platform, known as CUSW. Discussing the ability for CUSW to underpin both C and D segment vehicles, AN states

“Some of those next vehicles are already out in testing, including the successor to the Jeep Liberty that will be built at Chrysler’s Toledo (Ohio) North Assembly plant and a Chrysler 100 hatchback that will join the Dart on the line in Belvidere, Ill. Both of those vehicles are expected in 2013.”

That should provide more grist for the online automotive content mill for the next few weeks. At the very least, all those spy shots of jacked-up Alfa Romeo hatches conclusively prove that the newest Liberty is going to become an American pseudo-Q5 (in the same way that the Grand Cherokee is an American-flavored premium SUV) while the Chrysler 100 exists largely as an offering to Lancia.

If the new Liberty really is going to be a smaller version of the Grand Cherokee – an off-road capable SUV that’s primarily concerned with luxury and on-road manners, then re-naming the car as a “Cherokee” makes a lot of sense. The 100 now looks to be a go after a series of long, drawn out teases from Sergio himself.

And with that said and done, let’s pour one out for the mail Jeep.

Tesla Motors has almost used up funds from a Department of Energy loan program – but the startup car maker also says that they’ll start paying back the money at the end of 2012.

Regulatory filings made by Tesla show that the company still has nearly $104.5 million in DOE money left over, and claims that deliveries of the Model S will begin in June. Tesla’s CFO told Automotive News that the money is earmarked for the company’s third quarter, with re-payments starting in December.

The surprising malaise is elsewhere, further east, much further east.

In China, Porsche sold a mere 0.9 percent more than in April last year. In Europe, bankers and brokers turned their dwindling bonus payments into 13.1 percent more Porsches. In Germany, Porsche sales climbed a baffling 21.5 percent.

January through April, Chinese sales are still up 26.7 percent, but Porsche is quickly losing its Middle Kingdom moxie. Last month in China, Porsches seem to have gone out of style. Porsche had a huge recall of Cayennes in March, delayed reaction perhaps?

However, Porsche receives huge kudos for delivering its numbers in a spin-free, easy to read table, an example all automakers should follow. Any temporary weaknesses in China are quickly forgiven by this reporter as long as the numbers are delivered in an easy to use manner.