Ford will be offering four-cylinder Ecoboost engines in a vast array of its forthcoming models, reports Motor Trend. The 2.0 EcoBoost will likely see base-model duty in vehicles ranging from the Edge and Mustang to the unibody 2011 Explorer, while replacing the V6 option in the Fusion and Escape. And though the EcoBoost two-liter looks good on paper (275 hp, 280 lb·ft), its projected ubiquity raises an interesting question: how important are engines in product differentiation? If GM’s blurring of the platform-sharing/brand-engineering lines hurts its brands, does the same hold true for Ford’s engine-sharing? Though modern engine control units theoretically allow Ford to customize engine characteristics (torque curve, power, efficiency) for each application, we’re not hearing anything about any such plans in the EcoBoost PR material. Could Ford’s engine uniformity hurt its appeal?
We are proud to be the inaugural City to unveil the first of seven Floralscapes along one of our busiest highways. The commute for Angelenos will now be brightened by floral murals that embody the City’s progressive approach to solving environmental issues by merging beautification, sustainable design and reducing our carbon footprint. From the construction workers to the business team, this public-private partnership with Toyota and Greenroad Media has spurred local job creation across the board.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa in a press release (via PRNewswire) about Toyota’s L.A. “Harmony Floralscape” Prius promotion.
The Word Health Organization has come out with its 2009 Global Status Report On Road Safety (PDF), which reveals that traffic-related injury is the leading cause of death for 15-29 year olds the world over. Road traffic is the second leading cause of death for 5-14 year olds, and the third leading cause for 30-44 year olds. After age 45, it drops to the 8th most common cause of death thanks to an increase in driving ability and other death risks. The study also finds that though high-income nations have far more vehicle registrations per capita than low- and middle-income nations their road traffic death rate is disproportionately low. Even more interesting is the lack of relationship between higher income levels and a higher proportion of non-driver (or so-called “vulnerable road users”) deaths. One might assume that more cars and more safety equipment keeps high-income-nation drivers safer than pedestrians, but it just isn’t so.
Allpar reports that Chrysler is dropping its lifetime warranty offer in favor of a five year, 100k-mile powertrain warranty (in addition to the standard three year, 36k mile bumper-to-bumper warranty). Unlike the lifetime offer, the new warranty will be transferable. Will it be enough to rescue ChryCo’s plummeting resale values? It couldn’t hurt, although the lifetime offer also helped Chrysler sell a deal (and who buys a Chrysler for the car?). Another change is that SRT vehicles now qualify for the new warranty. All of which is a bit strange considering that under the lifetime deal, Chrysler actually reduced its warranty cost projections.
Jalopnik reports that, rather than crying “perception gap” to negative tweets about Buick’s quick-n-dirty Saturn Vue rebadge, GM has killed plans for the plugin crossover. GM spokesfolk say “the overwhelmingly negative response to this vehicle coming out of this event” caused GM to pull the plug. Which is funny because a good hard look at their bloated 2012 CUV lineup would have told them that killing the “Vuick” was a good idea, too. So now GM has a plug-in CUV developed with nowhere to put it. And the Twitterati have another reason to believe they are somehow relevant. In other words, all’s right with the world. Hit the jump for GM’s official word via spokesman Tom Stephens.
With $1.7 billion already claimed by consumers, the NHTSA is preparing a wind-down of the CARS rebate program, reports Automotive News [sub]. Based on dealer sales and “other surveys, the NHTSA “can make a pretty good judgment call” about when to end the program, reckons Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “I know dealers are frustrated, but they’re going to get paid.” LaHood said the program’s high rejection rate is due to the huge demand and dealers’ “failure to fill out claims correctly.” Dealers, meanwhile, are far more likely to blame the rampant delays and rejections on the NHTSA’s “failure to have their shit together.” Either way, it sounds like just about everyone is ready to be done with Cash for Clunkers.
No, we’re not talking about becoming the official web site for Michael Vick. This one involves two stronger dealers in a financial wrestling match. Yesterday afternoon there was a rarely used camper conversion van at the Carmax sale. The model year was 1993. It was a Chevy Van (of 1970s singing fame) with a mini fridge, plastic toilet, furnace and all the hookups you would need to go camping. A very nice package with only 43,000 original miles. The prior owner had been in the military and kept it all in tip-top shape. But then THEY arrived . . .
TTAC commenter bumpy ii has compiled another spreadsheet (XLS format) of monthly sales goodness for your data diving pleasure. This time it’s ten years worth of monthly Hyundai sales by nameplate. See how the Elantra/Sonata combo has carved out a giant chunk of the midsized sedan market. Check out the rise and fall of the Tiburon. Puzzle at why Hyundai ever wasted its effort on the Azera. It’s data-tastic!
Christian von Koenigsegg speaks to Automotorsport Sweden about the future of his new acquisition. Managing Director Jan-Åke Jonsson’s interview can be found here.
Does anyone know that New GM is in the process of retiring about 25% or more of their executives with a fairly ‘normal’ retirement package? This means these execs who were at the healm leading into bankruptcy will be be getting almost a full retirement program including 90% of their earned SERP/ERP and half year’s salary in life insurance. This compares to all current retirees who lost 70% of their SERP and all of their life insurance except for $10k when GM came out of bankruptcy. The arrogance of the ‘new company’ that hasn’t made any money and is using public funds to continue in business is what we would have expected from the old company. Since this company is now owned by the government, can’t someone get at look at these numbers and see what the American taxpayer will be paying these people for the rest of their lives? I am a retiree and am grateful that we kept our retirement program at all. I am just shocked that the next retirees are not going to get similar cuts to their package.
General Motors’ so-called Alpha platform has been something of an enigma since it was first conceptualized by Holden as the TT36 Torana for the 2004 Sydney Auto Show. The TT36 concept was Holden’s pitch for a sub-CTS RWD global premium sedan, although, in proper GM fashion, that job went to the late, unlamented BLS. Though fuel economy issues were said to have killed the possibility of introducing an RWD model below the CTS, the penalty wasn’t huge, making the decision to go with a Saab 9-3 rebadge all the more strange. “As a lightweight rear-wheel-drive car that is going to add about 1mpg compared to an equivalent lightweight front-wheel drive car . . . we just have to sort of wait a while and see where we are,” is how Bob Lutz explained it to Go Auto last year. More likely, GM simply had no money to develop the platform in those pre-bailout days. Now that taxpayers are footing the bill, what can we expect from Alpha?
After months of “deeper, harder, faster” cuts, GM is increasing its production numbers again. “We want to run lean, but we’re way too lean right now and we’re going to miss sales unless we put some production in,” explains GM sales honcho Mark LaNeve. He tells Automotive News [sub] that output will increase 35 percent in the third quarter to 535k units, and “at least” a further 20 percent in the fourth. “And it’ll probably go up from there,” says LaNeve. “Our dealers are clamoring for more vehicles in every segment.” Camaro, Equinox, SRX and Buick LaCrosse are said to be in especially short supply as GM’s nationwide inventory hit 360k units. Though much of the inventory shortfall is the result of Cash for Clunkers, GM’s cup-o-optimism runneth over.
When I was a small child, I would spend hours sitting in a cardboard box pretending it was a car. Now, I spend hours sitting in a car that pretends it’s a box. As a card carrying cubist, I’m always ready to jump in when a new carton appears. The last time I did that, it was about as traumatic as when my older brother tried to duct-tape me inside my favorite cardboard “ride”. I couldn’t get out of the gen2 Scion xB, and my review left no doubts about it. My progeny liked the Kia Soul, but it’s not a real genuine box. But a new package has arrived at the local Nissan dealer, named Cube, no less. So how does it square up?
It’s just a mess, an absolute mess. There is a billion dollars of dealerships’ money on the road.
Says Duke Brubaker, general sales manager of Champion Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda in Owensboro, KY, to Automotive News [sub]. Champion has ceased clunker participation, along with 89 other dealerships surveyed in AN’s survey of 710 dealers. NADA officials allege that CARS’ rejection rates have climbed as high as 80 percent in recent weeks. NHTSA claims they have fallen in the last ten days. How’s about another $3 billion?
The short answer: 31,362 Btus per pound. That’s the average energy cost for constructing a modern motor vehicle – rubber, fluids, glass, metal and battery. Can that number tell you if it’s better, environmentally speaking, to keep your ’85 Renault Fuego or pick up a Honda Insight? That’s a longer answer full of scary science and scarier math. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Lab has attempted to analyze the energy consumed manufacturing vehicles. Their creation is called Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Transportation models. GREET. No really.
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