Ousted GM marketing boss Susan Docherty came into her own at GM as General Manager of the HUMMER brand. How well did her stewardship of that brand work out? We’ll let this picture do its thousand-words thing on that question [HT: AsianMartin’s Twitter feed, via SpeedSportLife].
We love us some data here at TTAC, and since we’re already looking at a grip of sales data today, we thought we’d add this excellent infographic that appeared in Sunday’s New York Times to the mix. It depicts America’s per-capita miles driven on the x-axis, and the price of gasoline on the y-axis, and shows that the two aren’t as inextricably linked as some might have thought. As we try to make sense of monthly sales data and look for “the new normal,” this kind of data provides a crucial context for month-by-month trends. We hope you find it as enjoyable and illuminating as we did.
Who built this luxury-car concept, shown at the Beijing the Auto Show? It’s not a brand that is well-known in America, but that’s not the only reason you might be left guessing…
Former EV-1 driver and “science guy” Bill Nye hams it up while promoting GM’s Volt Extended Range Electric Vehicle. And actually, according to a recent gm-volt.com interview with Bob Lutz, GM now prefers that you refer to the Volt as “an electric vehicle with range extension.” Huh? Sounds like they’re gonna need a science guy to break this one down…
Audi and BMW have history of trading shots in their advertising, not only calling out their rival by name, but also targeting each other’s advertising. With China taking on increased importance in the global luxury car game, the battle has moved to Hong Kong where BMW has purchased this giant billboard… immediately over an Audi dealership. Insecure much?
Sure Mitsuoka is a weird company, with a penchant for changing somewhat-boring modern cars into profoundly quirky tributes to classic designs. For example, if you really want a Nissan Versa that looks like a Jaguar Mk. II (and really, who doesn’t?), they’re the folks you go see. But is anyone imbalanced enough to desire a Mustang-based quasi-Rolls-Royce Drophead? Or is this just an attempt by Mitsuoka to out-ugly its own Orochi? There had better be a good reason for this monstrosity, because this Roller rip-off is deeply, almost intentionally hideous… as if the designer felt that the Mustang’s flank lines actually compliment the tacked-on Rolls hood. And we thought it was impossible to make the Geely GE look good…
Yes Howie Long, Honda has managed to sell everything from lawnmowers and mopeds to cars and jets under the same brand name for decades, without ever damaging the value of the Honda brand. In fact, given that Acura is Honda’s only auto branding exercise thus far and it’s hardly the strongest brand in the world, the best branding advice for Honda seems to be stick with the Honda thing. Which might explain why this Everus concept from the Motor Company’s forthcoming China-only brand, Li Nian, is such an Acura-like disappointment [via Paul Tan].
A fully grown camel weighs up to 700kg (1542 lbs). That makes about a ton and a half for a pair. Which is another testament to the legendary ruggedness of the Peugeot 404 pickup, a vehicle that I would love to own. As the former owner of a slew of Peugeot 404s, including a wagon that this pickup is based on, I can attest to their intrinsic ruggedness. And I’m a notorious overloader too, having once been weighed out with a 3400 lb load of building rocks at a quarry in my half-ton F-100. But still; and how did they get them in there anyway? Read More >
Well, it’s been nearly 20 years since Nissan offered its vision of a Future Electric Vehicle, but the dream seems to be coming true. According to Automotive News [sub], Nissan has already booked 3,754 (deposit-free) pre-orders for its Leaf EV in Japan, launching the nameplate over half of the way to its first-year JDM sales goal of 6,000 units. In the US, Nissan already has 115,000 potential buyers on its pubic reservation list, which gives buyers priority for pre-orders. Interestingly, only 15 percent of Japanese Leaf private pre-orders are from people under the age of 40, while a full 61 percent of pre-orderers are over 50 (though this could be more indicative of Japanese demography than anything to do with the car). 36 percent of all Japanese pre-orders so far are from fleets, though given the apparently strong demand for the little EV, this shouldn’t hurt resale too much. After all, that’s what long-term battery degradation is for. [Photo Hat Tip: TTAC Commenter Mercennarius]
Having acquired Saab’s old 9-3 and 9-5 platforms, Beijing Auto is wasting little time in putting the old Swedish warhorses back into action. In fact, if you cover the digitally-altered front end of this C71 concept, you’ll notice that it’s barely been changed. And that’s not all: at least one of BAIC’s two new SUV models seem to take more than a little inspiration from Jeep’s Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. Rather than simply ripping off popular models as other Chinese automakers do, BAIC’s designers seem only to seek inspiration from their partner firms. The weird part: BAIC has signed a deal to sell new, “real” Saabs at its Chinese dealerships. The real deal and the cheap, outdated knockoff sold in the same dealership? Even by Chinese standards, that’s a bizarre strategy. [via ChinaCarTimes]
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