Porsche's battle against London's car-hating Mayor, Ken Livingstone, continues. PistonHeads reports that Porsche now claims a study by London's own government transit authority, Transport for London, shows congestion charging would increase greater London's CO2 levels by 182k tons by 2012. The argument is simple: if people can't go in straight lines through London, they'll be driving longer routes around the congestion zone. More driving, more CO2. The reduction of CO2 in central, congestion-charged London would be only 2200 tons– a tiny fraction compared to what happens in the surrounding areas. Meanwhile and in any case, Porsche is getting maximum PR benefit from the fight. Everytime someone reads about Porsche pouring millions of pounds into this legal struggle, they create David and Goliath associations. Sure, the greens share Livingston's anger. But they're not buying Porsches anyway.
Posts By: Justin Berkowitz
In chatting with Lieberman today, it became clear that GM has more engines than it really needs in its U.S. lineup. They also have too many brands, too many models, too many employees, too many factories, too many dealerships and too much debt. Those issues notwithstanding, engines are the order of the day. And I think GM could get by with only four engines. I just recently experienced the explosive 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Pontiac Solstice GXP, Saturn Sky Redline, and Chevy Cobalt/HHR SS. The transversely or longitudinally-mounted mill makes 260 horsepower. It should be GM's base engine. Next up: GM's 3.6-liter direct injection V6, currently residing in the Cadillac CTS. It's smooth and has plenty of torque, but it could use more power– especially next to the 260hp turbo four. If they could push the V6 to 340 horses, they'd be all set (ahem, turbo). At the top of GM's automotive range: the 6.2-liter LS3 V8 that's presently in the Corvette. There's nothing to say about this engine except that it's perfect. Finally, GM probably needs a separate V8 for the trucks, even if the LS3 is a fairly close relative of current V8s in GM's truck stable. And that's it. Two-liter turbo four, 3.6-liter V6, 6.2-liter V8, and a truck V8. So I put it to you, TTAC's best and brightest: what does GM need to do on the engine front?
Sometimes I go overboard making fun of people who drive cars that I don't like. But not this time. Toyota's "Look at us – we're on the Internet" blog has a post about a guy who claims to have converted his Prius to look like a shuttle from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whereas before he had a car that should have gotten all the chicks, he probably now has to scrape them off the hood of the car. Willie Yee – a psychiatrist! – has painted his Prius (Sharpie?), put on new space-age wheels, and a has a CD with sound effects from Star Trek that makes the sound system display look vaguely Enterprise-ish. Sounds like he really went overboard with the conversion process, which seems about as intense as a four-year-old pimping out his tricycle. So if you see Yee on the road, you don't have to think "A Prius driver… maybe he's a nerd." You'll know he's a nerd. And not a very good one; the blue uniform from Next Generation seasons 4-7 that he wears is for science officers. He wouldn't be allowed to drive. Now who's the king nerd?
In spite of the high cost of diesel, Audi is anticipating the US passenger car market to be approximately 10-20% oil-burning in the next few years. Economic arguments to the side, Audi has announced its diesel product plans for the US in the near future. A 3.0 liter common rail V6 diesel engine, with 211 hp and 406 lb ft of torque is headed for the Q7 crossover and the new A5 coupe. In the A5, Audi claims it'll make 0-60 in 5.9 seconds. The A4 will also get this engine down the road. But in addition to the diesel V6, the Audi Q7 will also have oil-burning options of a V8 and V12. The V8 has 326 horses and 560 lb/ft of torque and Audi claims it will get 24 mpg combined. And if you really want to go the nose-heavy route, the diesel V12 with 500 horses and 737 lb/ft of torque will warp time and space as you hit 60 in 5.3 seconds. Since diesel fuel has suddenly shot up in price (oil manufacturers realized diesels get better mileage, and as such represented lower profit per mile?), Audi's right to argue the performance aspects of these engines rather than prioritizing their efficiency, which is still respectable considering the performance you'll get.
The rumors around the rumor mill are that the next super-hot version of the Ford Focus – the RS – will get 4WD or AWD and 350 horsepower from a six cylinder engine. If you've been following the development of the RS (and as North Americans, you probably haven't), the story until now was that it would be 300 hp, from a highly tuned 5-cylinder engine, and front wheel drive with a trick diff to tame torque steer. But the latest info seems to take that a step further, with a blogger claiming he has actually seen the rear differential on the RS test car at the Nurburgring confirming its 4 wheel power. Yours truly still doubts the 6-cylinder engine for packaging and weight reasons, but only time, spy shots, and "accidental" PR leaks will tell the full story.
You know how awesome the GMDAT Suzuki Forenza sedan is? Unfortunately, we've never reviewed it here at TTAC, which is mostly due to our intimidation by the 127 horsepower engine. Still, the car has a real global role. In Canada (where it was recently discontinued) it was known as the Chevy Optra. In the UK, the Chevy Lacetti. And in China? It's a luxury car! The Buick brand, very strong in China, is offering this same car as the Buick Excelle, and they've just released pictures of a refresh. What a travesty that they would dilute the absolutely crucial Buick brand name in its only viable market – China – with a car like this. I spoke with Ash Sutcliffe of the China Car Times website, who responded to my brand dilution concerns as such: "…it could be that the Excelle is very cheap, and they feel that they are getting an American car for a Chinese price." In fact Sutcliffe says the price is in the heart of "first new car" territory. It's too bad that what's exciting for the first new car buyer is bad for the guy considering a Chinese Buick Park Avenue that costs 5 times as much as the Excelle.
Citroen's C2, a fairly popular citycar over on the continent, has been refreshed. In addition to a new cutesy front fascia, it will now feature a 110 hp diesel engine (in some countries this has already been available as the "hot" model). There are some suspension upgrades too, but perhaps most important to buyers in this segment is that the C2 with the 1.6 turbo-oilburner will consume only 4.4 liters/100km, or 53 US miles per gallon and yet still cranks 175 lb ft of torque.
In America, the Rogue is Nissan's compact crossover. The Qashqai (nicknamed Kumquat by Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear) is the Rogue's overseas fraternal twin (shared DNA with some substantial differences). Nissan is rolling-out a long wheelbase, seven-passenger version of the Cash Guy in the near future; pictures have hit the Internet. Does this development portend a rogue Rogue coming to the U.S. in a stretched version? Probably. Toyota's RAV4 offers a seven-passenger option; or reasons I can't quite grasp, American consumers seem fairly hung-up on the notion of three row vehicles. Nissan, of course, has made no official announcement re: the Rogue. The spinmeisters would probably tell you there are currently no plans to sell a stretched Rogue in North America and that it's always looking at new market segments. Admirers of Turik nomenclature are advised to watch this space.
By now you might have heard from Autoblog or Edmunds' Inside Line the shocking, incredible news that Mercedes is developing a blown 4-banger in the C-Class for sale here in the U.S. I say good. Apparently some "other" blogs have forgotten that Mercedes has, until this latest generation, always offered a 4-cylinder engine in the C-Class in the U.S. The last generation had a supercharged 1.8 and a supercharged 2.3 at different times. Before that there was the C230 Kompressor in the first-generation C, as well as the C220 and C230. And of course the original baby Benz, the 190E was named for its little 4 pot, as well as the 190E 2.3. So now that we've got the history out of the way, is this a smart business idea? Hell yes. Buyers of entry luxury cars tend to be wary of running costs — that include fuel consumption — and then there's the importance of appeasing the CAFE gods. Not to mention,there's something nice about a luxury car focused on ride, rather than keeping up with the Joneses (and the Hondas). If/when it debuts, expect the blown 1.4 liter to make 150-170 horses and to come with Benz's 7-speed auto.
One topic that TTAC has steered clear of is the constant liveblogging of announcements about Knight Rider. I realize that retro-1980s stuff is cool for some people, and Knight Rider is nominally about a car with gadgets. But seriously, who cares? It's not previewing some heretofore unseen production model, and it's got all the same boring action as modern action films with fake car-chase scenes so over the top they're just mundane. How many times can we watch a car leap off a bridge, enter orbit, fix a satellite, re-enter the atmosphere, stop at Taco Bell and then land on a Persian rug? The Knight Rider debut had 13 million viewers, which is comparatively pretty high for fiction shows (but a fraction of what American Idol gets), but much like initial car interest, new TV shows often do well the first time, then their ratings fall off a cliff. Worst of all, this "futuristic" car isn't even that cool. If they really wanted to appeal to the male youth demo, why not have KITT be an Evo instead of a Mustang? Oh right, because Knight Rider is a giant commercial.
About a month ago, SEAT showed a concept car for the Geneva Auto Show, previewing the replacement for its crotchety Ibiza compact car. SEAT has unveiled (or someone leaked, you be the judge) pictures of the new Ibiza production car, and it's another great looker. After new subcompact cars like the new Fiesta have been revealed with sheet metal that has some style and flair, this market segment is really heating up in Europe. Until now, SEATs were just cheaper, often bizarre-looking rebadged VWs with interiors straight from Audi's 1992 parts bin. In the theoretical board room, SEAT is meant to have some sporting intent according to VW's brass, and this Ibiza has it. Is it true to SEAT's tagline "Auto Emoción?" Not with the range-topping 1.6 liter 105 hp engine, but good fuel economy and slick looks will at give the Spanish-German compact a fighting chance. (And yes, a 150-200 hp hot version will eventually be built).
In a recent article in the New York Times, reps from GM and Toyota both told the newspaper that they are optimistic about the automotive market in the near future. They felt this way especially in light of the declining interest rates (checked your savings account's variable rate lately?) and the $600 stimulus checks that the Federal government is sending out … some time or the other. Without getting into an economics debate here, let's just say that $600 isn't a whole lot of money, the last year's worth of Fed actions cutting interest rates hasn't helped, Americans are in over their heads with debt, and GM has been offering 0% financing on cars for years. Ford is pleasantly candid in the article, saying "I'd like to be able to tell you the worst is behind us, but I really can't give you that assurance." In fact, Jim Farley at Ford (remember when he ran Lexus?) thinks that next quarter is going to be even worse. The article is just a gold mine of reality checks though, like Chrysler VP Steven Landry saying "I don't know if I can take another March like this one" and Toyota's US chief Bob Carter insightfully opined "We're not immune to economic cycles and downturns in the automotive industry."
Last week, the Americans sold Jaguar to the Indians. After losing billions on the English marque, Ford finally unloaded their perennial loss maker on Tata Motors. Amidst varying reports on the Indian conglomerate’s plans for the brand, the new XF sedan continues to roll down the assembly line. We’ve already driven the base model of the car that is (for now) Tata’s greatest hope for immediate profit. Now we turn to the Supercharged model. Stateside, acquiring the XF Supercharged requires an extra ten grand (and the rest) above than the base car’s base price. Is it worth it?
Indian investors aren't thrilled with Tata's acquisition of Jag and Land Rover (JLR). Not only have JLR lost billions of dollars for Ford, but apparently Tata wasn't just pulling a fist full of coins out of the sofa to pay for the brands. Reuters reports this morning that "Tata has announced plans to raise $4 billion, expected to help finance the Ford deal and the manufacture of the Nano." And considering the added "earnings volatility" the JLR deal brings (translation: nobody knows what the hell could happen to Tata's bottom line), the purchase is sending ripples through the Indian stock market. It seems people are realizing Tata just bought companies that don't make money. You would have thought Tata already had the cash for the deal; this is not the best time to be looking for $4b on the credit market. And what happens if Tata can't raise the cash? Just sayin'…
Selling indulgences are we? Toyota has made a $20m donation to the Audubon Society, the single largest donation in the conservation society's history. At the same time (coincidence or what?), ToMoCo and AuDoBo are co-launching "TogetherGreen.org." The Car Connection says TogetherGreen programs will have three prongs (devil's trident perhaps?). The first "uses innovation grants to increase measurable land, water, and/or energy conservation." Part two: conservation fellowships. TogetherGreen will train up to 200 environmentalists that can become expert guides, organizers and role models. Part three funds volunteer days, which will be offered at Audubon's network of nationwide community centers, to present hands-on experience with environmental issues." Out of curiosity, what's the bet the Audubon society won't be criticizing Toyota's nine SUVs anytime in the near or distant future?
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