We had a brief word with the IIHS’s Russ Raider, who was quite cagey on the origins and condition of the 1959 Bel Air that was destroyed for the Institute’s 50th birthday. What we were able to get out of him was that the ’59 Bel Air was in “good” condition, with only a little engine rust, leaky hood/trunk seals and non-original upholstery in the negative column. We also learned that the car was procured in Indiana, and with this information we went looking for Bel Airs on the internet. And you’ll never guess what we found . . .
The WSJ reports that EV manufacturer Aptera is asking the government for $75M from its energy-efficient retooling funds. Unfortunately for the makers of the Jetsons-inspired 2e, there’s some debate about whether its three-wheel design makes it a car or a motorcycle. Which means the gravy train could be delayed at the station. The Department of Energy has already rejected Aptera’s request for this reason, but Congress is wading into the issue at the EV maker’s request.
One thing’s for sure: they don’t BUY them. Exhibit A3. Sales of Audi’s premium compact are cold, cold, cold. In August, the German car company moved just 479 copies, bringing its eight-month year-to-date total to a paltry 2,295 units. Exhibit BMW. The 1-Series is a flop; just 914 examples moved off dealer lots in August, bringing their YTD total to 7,443.On the hand, MINI. In August, BMW’s British brand flogged 5,111 Coopers stateside, bringing their eight-month YTD total to 30,868 moved MINIs. Questions for the class: is that as good as it gets? Is the so-called small premium market saturated? And if you’re a dead car company walking trying to resurrect a dead brand walking, is it worth developing a new car for this niche market? GM’s film would have you believe that the “small premium” market is ascendant. If gas prices go through the roof . . . nah. As Ford said in one of its UK ads, “space is the ultimate luxury.” You don’t think Europeans buy small premium cars because they want to, do you?
The Porsche GT3 RS with its wildly painted orange wheels was not going to let me past, despite my flashing headlights of protest. Why should he? I was in a mild-mannered Carrera S, devoid of any go fast wings or air ducts. I resigned myself to trying to gain momentum over him before we entered the Flugpatz, where the wider bit of road would provide a much safer passing zone and keep me from joining the purple Peugeot 206 we had just passed at Hatzenbach in the Armco barriers. I needn’t wait so long, as in my mirror, four “angel-eye” rings glared at me from the nefarious BMW M5 ‘Ring Taxi. I put on my right-turn signal, let her pass, and then squeezed the accelerator in order to whip past the Orange Swedish Porker. Let the games begin, for I was on my 100th lap, and it was time for a joust with Sabine Schmitt in our Deutsche Chariots of Terror.
Attending the IAA in Frankfurt are all (most of) the involved parties in the Saab/GM/Koenigsegg/BAIC-and whoever deal. For fans without a scorecard, that’s Saab Automobiles’ CEO Jan Åke Jonsson, Christian von Koenigsegg and Bård Eker of Koenigsegg Group, CEO of GM Europe Carl-Peter Forster and BAIC’s CEO, Mr. Wang Dazong. While the details behind the S/G/K/B/W deal are still being held under wraps, there are some interesting views and thoughts drifting through the autoblogosphere. Mr. Wang tells ttelia.se that Saab will be part of BAIC’s global vision, which is part of BAIC’s 10-year plan. Wang assures that BAIC has no other intentions than being a minority owner, and describes the Saab/BAIC deal to be a win-win, yin-yang thang. After all, we learn, Wang learned to drive in a Saab. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reveals Wang’s plans to base the Saab deal on the “strategic alliance” between Renault and Nissan. And now the real news . . .
Bloomberg reports that Toyota spent the last three years secretly testing lithium-ion batteries for its hybrid Prius, then rejected them as unsuitable. And they still don’t want to talk about it. “Toyota last month ended road tests of 126 Priuses in the U.S., Japan and Europe that began in 2006, Jana Hartline, a company spokeswoman said in an interview [with someone somewhere at some point]. Details of the program, in which the cars’ nickel metal hydride batteries were replaced with more expensive lithium models, weren’t released.” [Point of information: that’s Priora.] Bloomberg fails to make the obvious contrast with GM’s public trials (sans gas engine) and tribulations (say hello to my little bankruptcy) vis à vis its electric/gas plug-in hybrid Hail Mary, the . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . Volt. But they do kinda hint at it . . .
This is a sick way for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to “celebrate” its 50th anniversary, but we do love us some crash test video. Apparently, “the driver of the 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air would have been killed instantly while the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu’s driver would walk away with a minor knee injury.” As someone who suffers with that affliction (head fake Bob), I’d ask the IIHS to define “minor” and will henceforth avoid speeding to my local car show in a 1959 Bel Air. Meanwhile, note to the IIHS: in fifty years you couldn’t have added sound? Gary Numan’s Cars, anyway. [Thanks to DC Car Examiner for the link.]
So, you thought your $14,312,130,642 “investment” in New Chrysler bought you some accountability, seeing as it’s your tax money? Here’s your Frankfurt wake-up call from Uncle Sam’s appointed/anointed ChryCo CEO, via the Associated Press:
Marchionne said Wednesday that Chrysler’s new business plan won’t be released until November, and declined to discuss the forthcoming model lineup.
The autoblogosphere is alight: Geely has informed FoMoCo they’re no longer interested in buying Volvo. Turns out that a previous statement that Geely wanted to aquire 100 percent of Volvo PV was a solo play from a CEO of one of Geely Groups’ subsidiary companies, not Geely as a whole. Or was it? The Swedish punditocracy is viewing this one a tactical play from Geely to lower the price, in a “typically Chinese” fashion. Meanwhile, Ford’s adamant that Volvo is getting the old heave-ho. According to di.se, Fords’ Chief Financial Officer said “Die! Volvo! Die!” Skämt. In fact, Lewis Booth said . . .
Huh? Buick has not only lost the plot, they’ve lost the title of the book. Automotive News [sub] reports that GM’s uh, something brand, is changing its tagline. Again. You may recall that Buick changed its tagline in June. As in just over three months ago. Sure, that tagline sucked. As we pointed out at the time, “Take a look at me now” is/was a po-faced echo of a Phil Collins song about unrequited love destroying the piner. Our Best and Brightest suggested alternatives, none of which included “The new breed of first class.” Buick’s choice manages the virtually impossible: it’s worse than the existing tagline.
The good folks at Jaguar have been kind enough pledge an XFR to the TTAC side for the upcoming first annual (?) Robert Lutz Sports Sedan Challenge. In principle. We still don’t know whether Lutz imagines his challenge as a head-to-head race or a hot lap time trial, and these are important factors in planning racing strategy. Not to mention expensive car-lending decisions. Still, if GM actually goes through with this on fair terms, we could have one of the CTS-V’s top competitors for a mount. And if Hyundai brass show up as is being rumored (let alone Sergio Marchionne in a Quattroporte), we could just have one hell of a spectacle on our hands.
According to the Chattanoogan.com, a recent traffic study performed on Signal Mountain roads revealed that more than 90 percent of drivers exceeded the posted speed limit. Can you guess what the city’s response was to this fact? If you guessed “let’s install speed cameras and ticket everybody,” then you’re absolutely right: “Signal Mountain Police Chief Boyd Veal, who presented the report to the council, said he believes the town should consider using traffic cameras mounted on trucks to catch speeders, as Chattanooga and Red Bank already do.” This is how speed cameras have spread across states. If a city hears that another city nearby is making a bunch of money after installing cameras, you can bet that cameras are going to be first on their list when a “speeding problem” shows up. Not everyone is on board though . . .
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