“Consultant” is the new way to say “unemployed.” But, from time to time, it can be quite lucrative to consult on various vague enterprises. Such was the case a few years ago when I found myself with the urge and the ability (temporary, alas) to add something truly outrageous to my personal Island of Misfit Cars. A racing buddy of mine mentioned to me that Spyker was bringing their “demo car” through Detroit. There might be a deal or two to be had. And that’s how I found myself opposite-locking a $296k car across two lanes of Troy, Michigan’s “Big Beaver Road” at the top of second gear, idly contemplating my personal liability in any potential collision while my corporate babysitter clawed feebly at his door like a kitten kneading its mother’s stomach.
Holy Mother of Malaise! As the bad news keeps coming for Detroit, the reactions are becoming increasingly agressive. And now word comes from the Detroit News that US automakers are “taking a cue from their Japanese competition” by reducing the number of trim options on their vehicles. “The industry has way too many brands, too many models, too much choice, to be efficient,” Mike Maroone, president and COO of AutoNation, tells the DetN. The import approach of limiting options to trim levels “may not serve every niche but it’s a much more efficient business model.” But despite Detroit’s apparent acceptance that less complexity is a good thing, they still lag behind. Sure, Ford has cut the number of available configurations for the new Fusion from 2,600 in 2008 to 104 in 2009. But GM has only “streamlined” its Malibu and Cobalt to four main trim levels, while Chrysler can brag only of trying to cut its Sebring configurations down to 1,000 versions. On the engine simplification front, Ford is out ahead of its Detroit rivals as well.
No prizes for guessing “not so much.” But with its product line dead in the water, Chrysler desperately needs to generate some kind of enthusiasm for its continued existence. And at this point, the promise of what Auto Motor und Sport call “retro-flitzers” like the Fiat 500 and 500 C shown above is the only shot they have. And sure enough, Automotive News [sub] reports that Fiat may export European-built cars in order to speed up the timeline for integration with Chrysler. “We are currently working on a plan to begin shipping the Fiat 500 minicar and the Alfa Romeo 940 [entry-premium car] to the U.S. in about a year,” says the anonymous source. who These cars would be sold at “some” Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealers in advance of production of the 500 at Toluca, Mexico and the 940 at an undisclosed American plant. Which means taxpayers will be funding a premium captive-import-led “turnaround.” Oh boy. Meanwhile, Fiat is considering building its production purgatory-bound 169 upper-premium sedan on Chrysler’s LX platform. I can see the “Italian Engineering” ads now.
It may be a groaner, but it’s oh so true. Kia’s replacement for its aging Spectra is a cleanly-styled, classy little sedan that looks more Civic than, say, Optima. Already available in Korea and coming to the US this summer, the Forte is about an inch longer and an inch and a half wider than the the Spectra it replaces. According to Automotive News [sub], base engine is a two liter four-pot, making 156 hp and 144 twisties of torque and mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Upgrade to the SX trim level, and you get a 2.4 liter engine with 173 hp and 168 lb·ft, and a standard six-speed manual standard or five-speed slushbox. Which probably has visions of Forte Coupe hoonage dancing through your head. Well you can just forget it.
How much fun are those back seats going to be? Tesla plans to fully reveal the Model S and its spec sheet on March 26, “by which time Tesla hopes to have a final decision on its DOE loan application so that they can make other announcements about production,” according to Autoblog. Or not. Etcetera.
Nissan’s Cube goes on sale this May, and a Nissan Press Release states that a base 6-speed version (what, you wanted the CVT?) will start at $13,999. And even though only 122 hp are on offer fom the Cube’s 1.8 liter four, even a loaded CVT version will weigh less than 2,900 lbs. There’s also something about an expensive special Krõm (Krôm? Kröm? Krøm?) edition. Specifically, “for those consumers that love the cube but are looking for a little something extra, the cube Kr?m (sic) offers that and then some.” Duly noted. But the nausea-inducing corporate enthusiasm doesn’t stop there. “It’s unique, it’s fun, it’s functional, and it makes being “square” hip again,” bubbles Nissan’s Al Castignetti of the cubist wonder. Translation: the Cd rating is 0.35. More pricing, model info and well-compensated enthusiasm to come.
Ford’s press release lays down markers for its electric powered vehicle offerings. First up, an all electric version of the Transit Connect small commercial vehicle for 2010. But wait, the Electric Transit Connect is actually the work of Smith Electric Vehicles, a UK based company which has been re-powering conventional commercial vehicles for years. No surprise then that Ford’s Electric Transit Connect looks and specs out just like Smith’s “Ampere” (pdf). This makes Ford’s PR spin a bit hard to swallow when they say: “The initiative leverages the “One Ford” global strategy, delivering pure battery electric power for commercial applications on a global platform.” Slapping your name on someone else’s work must be the newest definition of “One Ford.” Further on, Ford is promising a full electric small car for 2011 and its Volt-zapping plug-in hybrid fin 2012. One can only hope the promised “full electric small car” doesn’t have the name Zap hidden under it somewhere.
I got to spend some face time with Kia’s Soul at the Portland Auto Show this weekend, and the more I see of it, the more I think it will be a solid hit. A slightly Americanized version of the Mk 1 Scion xB, the Soul seems to hit a small car sweet spot. It’s more spacious and flexible than an xD or Fit, without sacrificing style or efficiency (à la the current xB). And the quality will make you forget every bad Rio experience you’ve had. The only weak points to be found from a clamber around the stationary Soul are poor rear-quarter visibility (an epidemic problem among stylish small cars) and tiny, hard-to-read guages up front. Otherwise, it’s looking like small-car nirvana with houndstooth upholstery. Still, I’m not sure it means Kia should be seriously considering a production pickup version based on the Soulster Concept. And yet, according to Automotive News [sub], they are.
OK, so the latest GM Fastlane PR exercise is actually entitled “What Is GM Doing With The Money?” Defensive much? Anyway, coming from Fastlane, there’s obviously no mention of giving Cadillacs away. Or throwing cash down the Delphi hole. Or paying Brazilian workers to sit on their hands. No, having received $13.4b, GM’s Steve Harris reveals that GM’s plan is to (wait for it) comply with the terms of the loan! In other words, “prove that we can repay the loan, achieve a positive net present value, and meet federal fuel efficiency and emission requirements, and manufacture advanced technology vehicles in the U.S. ” And with the federal money, GM is “making progress,” says Harris. How? By building concepts like the Cadillac Converj. And announcing vehicles like the 2010 Equinox (Saturn Vue cannibalism!) and the 2012 Spark and Orlando (which debut after the loan is due). Hallelujah! And though Harris mentions the UAW Job Bank shutdown and “discussion” of plans to reduce dealers by 400 per year, his effort to “do a better job of communicating our successes (and) how we will be changing going forward” leaves out all the interesting bits.
Or is that Fortefied? Anyway, the forthcoming Spectra/Forte/XK (neéKoup) has been caught with only a little camo by the guys at Kia-World. And by the looks of things, it will be a Koupe-tacular little partner to the US-bound Soul hatch.
Forty miles without a single drop of gasoline. That’s been the pitch for Chevrolet’s Volt since it was just a concept. And it’s a claim that GM has been hammering hard on in promotional materials, advertisements and to the media. But it seems that the claim deserves an asterisk. Green Fuel Forecast‘s Sam Abuelsamid recently spoke with folks from GM’s Voltec battery development team. In the discussion of the Volt’s thermal management system, an inconvenient truth raises its misshapen head. “If you’re not plugged in and the battery is not conditioned and we’ve got to deal with the elements, right now we’re thinking 0-10°C we won’t use the battery. The more we can use it the better but we’ve got that area of refinement we’ll have to do as we get more of the engines, more of the vehicles, more of the batteries and tune it all up,” GM director of hybrid energy storage systems, Denise Gray tells GFF.
The ad for the new Mercedes GLK is targeted straight at owners of MB’s ML and GL SUVs. After all, the new GLK gives you the “same innovation in a smaller design.” Same agility. Same suspension. Same luxury. Same depreciation (my add). So, why bother paying more for one of Mercedes’ more much macho trucks? Sure, this baby brother routine hurts the automaker. The Nissan’s Rogue’s Murano-i-cide is but one example where a new, smaller vehicle robbed Peter to pay Paul less. But that’s the way it is. In Bailout Nation’s new era of hunker down austerity, downsizing is almost as fashionable as having a job. Big ticket buyer meets smaller ticket price on the dark side of town. The carmakers must figure that what they lose in profit they’ll recover in volume. Ask GM how well that works. In that sense the Mercedes GLK is a born win – loser. Or is it?
Hey, someone from Jaguar talked to the press about the firm’s forthcoming sportscar and let them use their name! Jag’s Julian Rendell tells Autoweek that an “affordable, front-engine sportscar” is likely to be approved by management. No kids, it won’t be an R8-caliber supercar, but rather a long-awaited F-Type. Only it will be called the XE. Which sounds like a trim level on some D-segment commuter car.
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