I just never know: is the clue too easy or too hard. The last one certainly was (too easy), and Educator(of teachers)Dan, who asked for the Fifth Avenue, nailed it within minutes of posting. Hopefully, this one will keep you going a few minutes longer.
GM’s decision to use its off-the-shelf 1.4 L four as the range-extender power source was a compromise born of necessity. The originally conceived 1.0 L turbocharged three cylinder engine didn’t exist (in the US), and GM’s pre-bankruptcy budget was a little constrained to spend the bucks for the tooling. The 1.4, in a different state of tune, is shared with the Cruze, as is as much of the rest of the car as possible. GM has made it pretty clear that the gen1 Volt is a bundle of compromises, given the time, technology and budget constraints it faced. But the gen2 is apparently another story. In an echo of GM past, Volt Vehicle Director Tony Posowatz tells Automotive Engineering that the engine options are wide open; way way wide open:
“That may be a Stirling cycle engine, perhaps it’s a Wankel, a gas turbine, a small displacement motorcycle engine– you can extend the possibilities to a lot of different alternatives.”
Well, the Canadians might not be too big on hybrids, but (surprise, surprise) Eugene has embraced them fully. But when I first ran across this sign, even I was a wee bit surprised. What’s next? Hybrid Massage? Hybrid Organic Market? or will it jump to Plug-In Acupuncture? To get a better picture of what I mean, take the (full) hybrid jump: (Read More…)
I’m in that odd camp of being both a Scion owner and a Scion hater. It has to do with their gen2 replacement models, which all arrive with a death wish. My scathing review/styling analysis of the gen2 xB launched a whole genre of reviews comparing it to various greasy foods. The current xD escaped my wrath; I just couldn’t be bothered. And both the current xB and xD are selling at one-third the level of their predecessors: the gen 1 xB sold at about a 5k/month clip in 2005-2006; the current xB is down to about 1700/month. The xD has dropped similarly from 2400/mo (xA) to 800/mo. And now it’s the tC’s turn. (Read More…)
It seems unlikely: Canadians prefer smaller cars and those with high fuel efficiency, but they’re shunning hybrids. Monvolant, via autoblog, reports that Honda will be dropping the Insight and Civic hybrid models, due to poor sales. Only 748 Insights have found Canuck buyers, and even fewer Civic Hybrids. Honda had planned to sell 10k Insights in Canada this year. Pop!
The Insight has been a major sales disappointment stateside too. But here’s the real shocker: Only 2,272 Toyota Prius have been sold in Canada through July of this year. Are the Canadians hybriphobic? Or just genuinely frugal? (The two top selling cars in Canada are the Civic and the Corolla)
[Ed is away at the Nissan Juke junket playing [Magic], so I’ll try to keep the ship afloat today]
There are plenty of caveats and warnings in GM’s IPO documents, but one doesn’t need to read all 734 pages to get a bit nervous. On page 25, there’s this:
“We have determined that our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting are currently not effective. The lack of effective internal controls could materially adversely affect our financial condition and ability to carry out our business plan.”
For years, old GM had problems with its accounting controls and reporting (odd for a company run by head bean-counter Rick Wagoner), and in 2009 finally settled a case with the SEC. That supposedly led to a complete overhaul of financial controls and reporting. (Read More…)
Jeff writes:
Long-time lurker here with a question: I’m currently driving a 1996 Outback with 162,000+ miles. Over the years I’ve had to make a few minor repairs in addition to regular maintenance, but nothing more serious than replacing an alternator. The car still drives well and gets 23-25 mpg in daily mixed driving (and about 28-30 highway), but has been slowly using extra engine oil for about the last 40,000 miles. I make sure I check the oil level at least bi-weekly, but normally don’t have to add any for at about 2-3 months, or after an extended highway drive. (75-80 mph turns the engine at 3000+ rpm; there’s a definite drop in the oil level during the trip.) I’m using full synthetic 5W-30 as recommended by the manual.
Chinese motorists are spared the joy of ethanol. In China, corn will continue to be eaten, not driven. China’s state news agency Xinhua reports that agricultural experts decided that it is “too early for China to adopt corn-based ethanol fuel to feed automobiles, given the expensive production costs and the country’s large population.” The short version is: “Ethanol? Bu yao!” (No want.) (Read More…)
What is the fastest sedan under the sun? Up until a few days ago, it was a Mercedes E-Class, tuned by Brabus. That car can kiss the world record good-bye. (Read More…)
Automobilwoche [sub] picked up strong signals that Volkswagen is interested in adding Alfa Romeo to their growing roster of brands. Last December, Marchionne had put Alfa on strategic review, and gave the brand, as Ed Niedermeyer put it so delicately, “a year to get its proverbial shit together.” They popped some Imodium, and in April, Marchionne was “determined” to build the brand into a “full-line premium carmaker.” Nevertheless, here and there whispers had popped up that Alfa could be sold if the right buyer would show. (Read More…)
Did we mention that Hyundai is doing well in the U.S.? Sales up 21 percent for the year. Hyundai cars sold in the U.S. average about 30 miles per gallon, the best fuel efficiency in the industry. Jack Baruth loves his 2005 Hyundai Accent so much that major portions had to be redacted such as not to conflict with indecency laws. Can Hyundai do much better than that? They think they can. How? No idea. (Read More…)
China’s Chery started selling cars in Brazil last year. They were shipped from a Chery factory in Uruguay. The Brazilians like the cars so much, especially the TIGGO SUV, that Chery decided to drop $700m on the Brazilian market, and to have an assembly plant up and running in Sao Paulo by 2013. (Read More…)
Okay, everybody, take out your old Waitresses or Bouncing Souls songbooks, and sing along with me: I know what girls like I know what chicks want I know what girls like Girls like …the Ford Edge. Ford’s rolled 400,000 Edges out the door since the model was introduced five years ago. For reasons I cannot […]
One of the reasons why I started writing for TTAC was that, as a lifelong resident of the Detroit area I was tired of watching people with little direct knowledge of this region using stereotypes and caricatures to demean my neighbors. Typically people outside the region will describe Southeastern Michigan as a place of unemployment, indifferent workers, crime and racial disharmony. As with most prevarication, there’s an element of truth to those stereotypes, but it’s not the whole truth.
I can understand finding that kind of behavior in comment threads online, but it’s distressing when what is generally considered the leading newspaper in the country, the New York Times, lazily relies on a ‘usual Detroit template’ when covering an event in this area.
After the onset of carmageddon, premium and luxury cars were considered as unsalable. According to mutual agreement, the future of the automobile was small ecoboxes. If there was any future at all.
Fast forward to Germany … (Read More…)
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