The HMMWV (a.k.a. HumVee or Hummer H1) entered production in 1985. Since then, 190k of these rolling beasts of burden have been produced. The military is now calling for a new design, dubbed the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV). Motor Trend reports that JLTCs must be capable of "performing multiple mission roles to provide protected, sustained, networked mobility for personnel and payloads across the full Range of Military Operations (ROMO)." Considering tjhe carnage caused by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), it's no co-winky-dink that the first adjective is "protected." With that sad fact in mind, BAE Systems has developed the vehicle pictured here. Bigger and longer than an up-armored HumVee, yet still under the 16,800 lbs. air-transportation weight limit, the BAE's features a boat-like hull to deflect explosions. Same goes for the angled doors, whose widest point is at chest height. The BAE's passenger floor is flat; passengers can exit from either side of the vehicle. Moreover, all the components are totally modular. Even if insurgents/militias/Al Queda terroristss blow-up the cooling system, the vehicle is still operable. No word on a delivery date, but hopefully in time for John McCain to bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Category: Future Vehicles
Like Coke, the basic recipe for the Ford Mustang's success has remained relatively unchanged since its introduction: a low sticker price, some pretty sheet metal, a V8 (halo-ing for a V6), a live rear axle and an intangible sense of Americana. That hasn't stopped Ford from experimenting with "New Coke" every now and then– you'll recall the Mustang II and the SVO. Well, get ready for more: Motor Trend reports that Ford's suits are considering losing the V8 entirely and inserting the upcoming 3.5-liter V6-TT EcoBoost engine in the 2010 Mustang. The move is no doubt inspired by the same federal regs which have forced GM to consider slotting a turbo-four into the Camaro (and cancelling its DOHC V8 program). On the plus side, the V6-TT engine is slated to make 340hp and a very muscular 340 ft.lbs of torque. These figures easily blow the current V6 used in the Mustang out of the water. In fact, the TT's a match for the 4.6L-liter V8 currently inhabiting the 'Stang GT's engine bay. But can you have a "real" Mustang without offering a V8? And if the new six this becomes the Mustang's top-line engine, could an EcoBoost turbo-four in the base Mustang be far behind? BTW: all those Coke variants didn't up their total market share.
Here's a story with a number of improbabilities: Ford developing anything new, Ford putting money in rear wheel-drive (RWD) and any manufacturer developing a new car right here in the U.S. But with a weak dollar compared to other sites of engineering and manufacture– Europe or Australia– American R&D and production makes sense. As for the other parts of this story from the Detroit News, it's anybody's guess. Does Ford need a new RWD platform? They are, in fact, bound to make the Mustang for the rest of time, and it has to be RWD. To that end, FoMoCo might as well maximize economies of scale and use the 'Stang platform to underpin some other cars. And we don't know how "new" this new platform will be. It could be a yet-again-revised version of the Mustang's current platform, or it could be a version of Australia's Ford Falcon platform– no spring chicken itself. Using the Australian platform straight-up is out of the question; it's RHD only. As an enthusiast, an announcement like this is exciting. As a bean counter, it's dumber than a box of hair. Ford should put this money into their bread and butter cars, like the next generation Ford Taurus.
Scientist/environmentalist Amory Lovins believes that America can solve oil dependency with efficiency. In the early '90s, Lovins conceptualized the Hypercar: an ultra-light, aerodynamic hybrid vehicle with three-to-five-times better mpg than your average bear, with comparable performance, safety, usefulness and affordability. According to US News and World Report, Lovins recently told a National Academy of Sciences energy summit that building cars with advanced lightweight materials like carbon fiber (instead of steel) would boost automotive efficiency to 85 mpg for midsize cars, 66 mpg for midsize SUVs. Lovins claims that "lightweighting" would also improve vehicle safety since the advanced materials can absorb "up to 12 times as much crash energy per pound as steel." Automakers aren't buying it. Literally. "Lightweight materials are horrendously expensive," GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told Automotive News [sub]. "People keep forgetting the cost equation." D'oh! Anyway, Lovins and Lutz must live in parallel worlds. "I'd say lightweighting is the hottest strategic trend in the industry right now," Lovins counters. Ah, "strategic." Meanwhile, Lovins' FiberForge seeks to capitalize on his faith in adding lightness.
Remember when Hummers were cool and the people that attacked them were just fringe lunatics? You might also remember how last month, GM moved 2608 examples of the Hummer H3, its most fuel efficient (ahem) Hummer. That's down some 18 percent compared to February '07. The biggest problem with the H3 isn't the mileage though, it's the irritating 5-cylinder engine and craptastic interior. GM has finally moved to address the first of these problems; the H3 will get the 3.6-liter direct injection V6 out of the Cadillac CTS. In the baby Caddy, it makes 300+ horsepower, and it should do the same in the Hummer. There's also some speculation on the ol' interwebs that GM will also give the H3 a 4.5-liter diesel V8 in the next year. Before kvetching that diesel is now well over four bucks a gallon, remember that some people are less concerned about per gallon costs and more interested in the authenticity and feel of a vehicle. "Good fuel economy" is only a lifestyle for Prius buyers. For some people "diesel powered mutant army truck" is all the lifestyle they want– regardless of MPG.
We reported earlier that ToMoCo is considering adding a pickup to the Scion line in hopes of boosting sagging sales of its "youth brand." The Detroit News reports that a hybrid drivetrain might be the sales medicine Scion needs. "Does it make sense to have a hybrid powertrain?" asks Scion VP Jack Hollis, answering his own rhetorical flourish with "We don't know the answers but we're very open-minded." Although the gas – electrification of the current lineup makes a lot more sense than a Scion truck or SUV, it raises a few questions about Toyota's burgeoning brand portfolio. If Lexus gets a hybrid and Toyota launches a new Prius brand, where does a hybrid Scion fit in the mix? GM-style brand proliferation issues aside, Toyota has committed to equipping all of its offerings with hybrid drivetrains by 2020; the sooner it can exploit economies of scale, the quicker it can lower its costs for the still-expensive system. Note to Volt: the car in front is still a Toyota.
Neurologist-turned-electric-car-expert Lyle Dennis had a private audience with Jon Lauckner, Bob Lutz' lackey "first deputy." Dr. Dennis inquired about the "expected timing, location, and cadence of ramp-up for initial Chevy Volt production." The good doctor wondered if GM is going to roll out the production Volt with "with a small fleet … or… release it like you did the new non-hybrid Malibu?" Lauckner replied that GM's going to introduce the electric – gas hybrid gradually. "Selected people" [read: GM employees] will drive pre-production versions before GM gradually brings the Volt to a Chevy showroom near… someone. Lauckner didn't mention the effect of this plan on the Volt's production date. And his comment represents an about face from previous statements about the Volt's debut: "It makes no sense if you're ramping up production to have people frustrated because the car is in theory able to be sold in every area but they cant get their hands on one because the amount of volume is relatively small." Such as… the Chevrolet Malibu and Buick Enclave launches? [thanks to KixStart for the link]
Our ’06 Volvo V50’s battery crapped-out three days ago. I jumped it, got 100 yards down the driveway… The dash panel turned into a Christmas tree. POWER SYSTEM FAILURE! SERVICE IMMEDIATELY! The engine, brakes and steering died; the car had to be flat-bedded to the dealer. And then the 2004 Porsche Boxster’s battery lunched. It exhibited so many odd symptoms— power windows flopping up and down, radio mysteriously turning on, baffling warning lights— that I never thought instant battery failure. Independent techs who work on Eurolux cars tell me that Audi and Porsche and Volvo (and the like) batteries are so under-sized (in the interest of economy) and overstressed (thanks to electronic-toys overload) that they’re failing prematurely. If this is the state of the 19th century lead-acid art, what are we to expect when millions of cars are powered by batteries?
But really, they say, it's not a concept. The Transit Connect compact van (already confirmed for the U.S.) will be a taxi, especially in the taxi capital of America, New York City. With the Crown Victoria going out of production, Ford needs a big car to take its place in the taxi lineup. So it's a hybrid, right? Wrong. Despite Mayor Mike Bloomberg's insistence that all NYC taxis must be hybrids by 2012, the Transit Connect taxi is internal combustion as usual. It'll have the same 4-cylinder gas engine, front wheel drive, and not-cutting-edge 4-speed automatic as the private sale versions of the TC. Still, it makes a fantastic taxi because it is so easy to get in and out of, and it's loaded with legroom. Sliding doors will be especially welcome on Manhattan's absurdly clogged streets, and it's one of the nicest things about the Toyota Sienna minivans already on the road. Ford's reps also confirm that the wheelbase of all American TCs will be stretched from the standard short wheelbase on sale in Europe. Pity it only seats 4 passengers but a third row was probably a bit of a stretch.
Suzuki, despite its 55 percent market share in India, is not the most exhilarating brand in the United States. Their best car in production, the Swift, isn't even sold here. So to entice all the journos to hit up their press conference, they gave out free lunch. At their new concept car unveiling, they showed us a new D-segment sedan concept (Accord/Malibu/etc competitor) that looks fantastic and a little like the Lexus LS460 from the side. What percent production ready is it? Hard to cut through the PR talk, which says it communicates a new design language, yada yada yada. It's front wheel drive, has a 3.6 liter V6 (sound like any General Motors cars you know?) and a six-speed automatic transmission. The concept car has AWD, though whether that comes through in a production model is questionable.
Another day, another hybrid prognostication from Maximum Bob Lutz. We reported yesterday that Lutz said that one-third of GM's sales would have to be hybrids by 2015 to meet CAFE standards. Overnight Lutz has maximized his vision to 80 percent hybrid sales by 2020. The Freep reports Lutz spouting such cheery bromides as "Ultimately by 2020 we figure that 80% of vehicles will require some sort of hybridization. We cannot get to 35 miles per gallon with anything resembling the current product portfolio with anything resembling current technology." Gee Bob, ya think? To be fair, we know that all this CAFE standards talk isn't really the Car Czar's forte. In fact, it seems like just talking about it is making the poor guy depressed. "Around 2015 we're going to have to sell a ton of hybrids whether people want them or not," Lutz told the Detroit News. "It's basically going to result in the quasi-disappearance of V-8 engines." Now that doesn't sound like the Maximum Bob we know and love.
Not to be confused with Reagan's Surgeon General, Dr. Koop, Kia debuts the Koup concept car today. It's a classic "beats the Scion tC at its own game" move by being a reasonably nicely shaped four-seat FWD sport coupe. The concept engine – which Kia says is real and functional – is a hopped-up turbo four with 290 horsepower…. unfortunately routed to the front wheels. What this concept should mean to you is a realistic preview of the upcoming (and disappointingly, not revealed this week) Kia Spectra sedan and coupe. Considering the current model has been on sale since 2000-2001, it's about frickin' time. Still, if they can bring something that looks like this into actual production, PR Director Alex Fedorak's hope of "standing out in traffic" might inch closer from PR dreamland to real life.
The Detroit Free Press "reports" that some 300 people traveled to the New York Auto Show specifically to gush about GM's Hail Mary PHEV, the Volt. Basic reporting standards are out the window as the Freep climbs aboard the Volt love train, boldly giving a forum to bloggers to voice their fearless and unimpeded admiration for a vehicle which is still little more than a concept. An event titled "Volt Nation," organized by Neurologist Lyle Dennis, was the focal point for throngs of (presumably) unpaid Volt cheerleaders. Let the Freep take you there on the wings of its elegant prose: With the Volt Nation event, Dennis said earlier in the day, (his) Web site (gm-volt.com), which is independent of the automaker, has achieved a milestone."For the first time in history, a major U.S. automaker will hold a conference not for the press, not for the government … but for the consumer," said Dennis, who has become something of a cult hero among those who frequent his Web site. That's right folks, if you become a legendary shill for a failing automaker's last gasp at relevance, you too might just get your own personal conference with Bob Lutz. Sure, he'll probably just slap you on the back and commend you for working harder and cheaper than any marketing hack he's met, but that's just just the price of "cult hero-dom," isn't it?
Despite some, ahem, similar products like the Kia Optima/Hyundai Sonata, Kia Rio/Hyundai Accent, Kia Sportage/Hyundai Tuscon, Kia's Director of Public Relations Alex Fedorak says "the two companies' products are apples and oranges." In an interview with TTAC today, he outlined Kia's future product strategy. Kia is meant to be oriented toward youth, and sporty, with edgier designs, and more performance. In contrast, "Hyundai is more luxury oriented." Which is why yesterday Hyundai introduced the new Genesis coupe by doing burnouts on stage. What the heck? But really, the Kia brand is evolving – the next Spectra will come as a sedan and coupe. "In sum," Mr. Fedorak said, "we are going to be design led." Look, I love the Rondo, but that ain't no beauty queen winner.
You read it right. Bloomberg reports Scion's brand manager, Jack Hollis, revealed in an interview yesterday that they're looking at expanding their lineup of rebadged Toyotas trendy economy cars. Showing Toyota is beginning to read from the GM brand management manual, he asked, "Should it be a youth truck, a youth SUV, an environmental car, a smaller car? We're studying right now to see which would be the greatest priority." He explained their rationale: "There are more leading-edge people we can attract that may not be attracted yet to these first three products." In spite of Scion's dropping sales (down 25 percent last year, 6.7 percent last month), he also said they would keep targeting "trend-setting" customers instead of just going for higher sales volume.
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