We’ve seen photos of the refreshed BMW 3-Series coupe and convertible, but shots of the sedan have proven somewhat more elusive. Luckily TTAC has eyes everywhere. Commenter dinu01 spied this updated 3-Series testing near Toronto. “Both front and rear emblems are taped,” he reports. “The driver did not want to be photographed and went between 150-160 km/h.” Have a spy shot of your own? Share it with our contact form, and we’ll share it with TTAC’s readers.
With news of Bob Lutz’s planned May 1 retirement leaking to the web, the auto journalism world is falling all over itself to get his reaction. When the Chicago Tribune caught up with the man of Maximum, they asked him to describe his work at GM and compare himself to (get this) either King Midas or Jesus Christ. You know, for the purposes of journalistic inquiry. Lutz’s reply avoided the self-flattering comparisons, and revealed some of the dynamics that led him to retire:
It’s gotten a little scary. Everything has been so good since I got here [at GM] that I’ve been thinking there really is no place to go but down because not all of my ideas will succeed. No one bats 1.000. It’s been so nice that it’s been a bit disconcerting. I try to establish a climate of irreverence as well as fun. I want to talk, but I want to listen. I want people to disagree and talk me out of things, too. But I’ve gotten no resistance from anyone to anything I want to do here.
Mitsubishi’s ASX represents the brand’s move towards on-road crossovers, a move inspired by research showing that buyers of its Outlander big brother cross-shopped D-segment sedans rather than midsized SUV/CUVs. The C-segment ASX will be called the RVR in Japan and the Outlander Sport in the US market. And though the ASX’s front-end is allegedly inspired by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industry F2 fighter, it looks remarkably similar to BMW’s recently-launched C-segment crossover, the X1. Which kind of makes sense, considering the F2 is actually just a modified F-16. Imitation is the most commercially viable form of flattery.
Chrysler fan site Allpar.com got its paws on a list that it says depicts Chrysler’s upcoming production plans. If true, this list confirms that many of Chrysler’s refreshed products won’t be hitting the streets until 2010 is nearly over, and that the debuts will come thick and fast. So don’t expect much to improve in the way of sales for Chrysler until at least December. Even then, every other TV ad will have to be for a Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge if the firm hopes to educate the buying public about these re-launches. The chances are good that Chrysler will survive until December, barring any supplier issues, recalls or further sales dips. Come December, when we have seen and driven this new generation of Fiat-refreshed products, we’ll have an idea of Chrysler’s chances of survival until 2013, when the next wave of fully Fiat-developed projects arrive. This should be interesting.
Boxy cars are a divisive subject: bring up the Mk. 1 Scion xB, and people will either swoon with desire or faint with disgust. The Heuliez Mia looks to wade into the middle of this controversial segment, offering a huge amount of space in a weird, box-like form. With only a 80km-100km range at the starting price of €18,000, the Mia’s electric drivetrain will doubtless self-select out the anti-cubists, limiting its appeal to fans of the impractically practical. In dense urban centers, however, there will always be an audience for small-but-spacious people movers. But can the Heuliez compete with Asia’s proud tradition of automotive cubism?
Do you like the Fiat 500, but worry that it has too much room and not enough flamboyance? Luckily the nuts at Rinspeed agree with your quixotic tastes. Others might have a harder time “C-ing” the point of this concept.
Longtime auto observers know there’s a fine line between a clean, subtle design and a boring car. What might come as a surprise is that Subaru is the brand currently exploring the liminal zone between nice and narcoleptic. After all, when was the last time Subaru design was accused of understated elegance bordering on the hopelessly anodyne? But Subaru is already abandoning its rough-and-ready, quirkily-styled roots for Audi-junior positioning, and this Hybrid Tourer Concept captures those aspirations brilliantly. Too bad Subaru’s most pressing design challenge is improving its plastic-fantastic interiors.
If Peugeot’s “Five by Peugeot” concept is Jaguar-inspired, this SR-1 concept clearly takes its cues from Old Blighty’s other famous sportscar builder, Aston Martin. Have the Anglophiles taken over at Peugeot, or is this just a jab at Renault, which is required by the terms of its state-ownership stake to not produce cars that are inspired by the designs of non-French marques? Though we’d like to think of this as proof of the superiority of private ownership, chances are Peugeot’s designers just like Aston’s styling. God knows it’s hard to blame them.
The Audi A1 is huge in the sense that it is the main test case for the hypothesis that luxury brands can get folks to pay premium prices for a subcompact car not named MINI. And it had better work, because those European emissions standards are murder. Next up: Mercedes and BMW-branded FWD subcompacts, scheduled to hit the Auto Show tour over the next several years.
No, it’s not a concept, and yes, it is coming to the US this fall. The Versa-based Juke clearly hopes to banish the term “Aztek” [noun, referring to the ugliest crossover ever sold in the US] from the modern automotive lexicon. We’d Juke around some more about this tiny rolling affront to the laws of natural beauty, but frankly we can’t bring ourselves to. For one thing, where do you start, and for another, where would we stop? Expect thesaurus sales to jump considerably when the Juke hits the press-car circuit later this year.
Some cars just have to be seen in person to be properly fathomed. I think that’s what’s going on with the new Infiniti M. In any case, it’s hard to imagine that this model will be able to fly under the consumer radar with the stealth of its predecessor. Luckily Nissan will have the off-putting eco-pedal option to blame for a tepid consumer response. You know, in case the hints of Maserati about the design don’t translate into real life.
A Toyota press release [via Marketwatch] reads:
Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMA) today announced that Toyota has committed $250 million to its contracted manufacturer New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) to fund transition support for NUMMI’s salaried and hourly team members. Toyota’s financial support is enabling NUMMI to offer bonuses to salaried and hourly team members who continue to produce quality vehicles for Toyota through April 1, 2010, when Toyota’s production contract with NUMMI will end. This funding is subject to ongoing negotiations between NUMMI and the United Auto Workers with respect to those hourly team members represented by the union.
[Hat Tip: PickupMan]
What happens when MINIs stop being mini and start getting real? Huge sales in America, probably. Luckily the return of the Moke is not as mawkish as we might have feared. And with four actual doors, passengers won’t have to perform fakir-worthy contortions to reach one of the rear seats alá MINI Clubman. Look for the Countryman at your local upscale supermarket parking lot starting in early 2011.
Unnamed sources tell Reuters that the Maximum era at GM will end on May 1, when Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz will announce his retirement. Unless this is one of those Brett Favre things. Needless to say, TTAC appreciates the month of notice, and will struggle to put together a fitting tribute to the man we call Maximum.
Sometimes you feel like a BMW… and sometimes you don’t. Volvo has caught wind of this, and offers the 2011 S60 in hopes of adding the Bavarian-ambivalent market to its solid Swedophile base. What Volvo seems to have forgotten is that part of the BMW appeal is that the brand can be successfully marketed without resorting to worn-out terms like “naughty.” At least it could, once upon a time.
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