Chevrolet’s new Australian-built Caprice PPV killed the field at the Michigan State Police trials for 2011 models, winning 0-60, 0-100 and top-speed comparisons, the braking competition and turning in the fastest average lap time. Dodge’s Charger nipped at the Caprice’s heels, but the day belonged to Holden. As predicted [unofficial results including Ford’s Taurus-based cruiser available at Jalopnik].
Paul Penaloza writes in with a timely query:
I’ve got a question for the crew. I have a relative who loves the VW Passat wagon and the promise of the better mileage with the TDI. She was crushed when she found out it did not have a third row like a minivan. That got me thinking, are there any car wagons out there that have a third row of seating these days?
Ah, the rear-facing third row… if that doesn’t bring back childhood memories, you’ve missed out. Remember gang, that’s “car wagons.” No Swagger Wagons or Cute Utes for the former Passat owner. If I didn’t have the $56k to stump for a new E Class wagon (and I don’t), I’d be thinking used… or reminiscing about making faces at freeway traffic. Or both.
The on-again, off-again, and forget about it romances between BMW and Daimler are legend. So much legend, that they fill pages on Google. Short version: The tops want some kind of a wedding, the bottoms torpedo any collaboration wherever they can. So if BMW and Daimler won’t be able to tie the knots(s), who can? Wait until you hear who dares. Read More >
Deep in their hearts, the folks at Volkswagen think the ICE has a long ways to go. Privately, and after a few drinks, they often say that EVs are lunacy on wheels. I don’t blame them. Publicly, they put on a good show when needed. Here is another act: Volkswagen introduces an all-electric Golf. Read More >
OK, so the basic functionality of the Car & Driver/Chrysler “Txt U L8r” app is fine: receive a text message while you’re driving, and it will read it aloud and automatically reply that you are driving and cannot respond immediately. But the industry’s fundamental ambivalence towards distracted driving quickly rears its head in the form of a “paid upgrade” that allows voice-activated replies by the driver: distracted driving is not a problem to be solved, but a money-making opportunity to be exploited. As a result, the message that C&D and Chrysler send with this new app is “Texting while driving is bad, bad, bad… unless you shell out for our perfectly safe app.” Which, not to put too fine a point on it, is bullshit.
Read More >
I took some flack from TTAC’s Best and Brightest on Monday when I suggested that the UAW’s deal to give 40 percent of Orion Assemblys returning workers a 50 percent pay cut was “cowardly and despicable.” What I didn’t make clear enough was that I have no problem with the UAW working for a lower wage as long as the burden was spread evenly. Instead, the union has arbitrarily divided its existing workforce into the old guard “haves” and the relatively-recently-hired “have nots” as a ploy to make the union seem capable of profitably building subcompact cars in America. It’s bad enough to prop up the old guard by paying new hires less, but cramming down recalled Tier One workers is totally contrary to the very concept of a union. And I’m not the only one who finds the lack of solidarity and shared responsibility within the union troubling.
In news which will shock absolutely no-one, Business Week reports that Toyota and Nissan’s attempts to woo buyers of big pick-up trucks are failing (or failed, depending which way you’re looking at it). “The Big Three successfully beat back the Toyota incursion into the pickup market” said Brian Johnson, auto analyst for UK bank Barclays, “We had expected Toyota would do what they did with cars and take over the market. Their share gains have been frustratingly slow.” As with most things, the devil is in the details. Or in this case, the devil is in the market research. Read More >
When Honda first launched its current Insight hybrid, it was the cheapest hybrid on the Japanese market, and it quickly became the best-selling car in the country. Then everyone realized that the Prius was infinitely better for not much more cash, and the Insight dropped off. Now, Honda is trying to recapture its budget-hybrid mojo by releasing the car it probably should have made instead of the Insight: the Fit Hybrid. And they’ve priced the 1.3 liter IMA hybrid Fit at just $19,310 (1.59 million Yen), according to Automotive News [sub]. But this time, Honda’s not trying to take on the Prius directly. Says Honda CEO Takanobu Ito
They are totally different cars. Their price ranges are different and they look different. So I don’t consider the Prius as the Fit’s direct competitor. We just want many more people to own the Fit by expanding our line-up.
No word yet on possible US-market availability.
Jeremy Clarkson thinks it’s a pile of wank. Bob Lutz thinks it was a crock of bowel movement. But say what you like about global warming, if you can get credentials which make you “eco-friendly”, that’s worth a lot of marketing money. Which is why Honda is probably feeling pretty chuffed with themselves. Read More >
For some people (you know who you are), the 200 horsepower provided by the 2011 Hyundai Sonata’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder base engine just isn’t enough. The traditional solution: a V6. But Hyundai, taking a page from Chrysler’s Iacocca-era playbook, has opted to offer a turbocharged 2.0-liter four instead. The specs look good: 274 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 269 pound-feet of torque from 1,750 rpm. The pricing? Even better. The Hyundai Sonata SE 2.0T lists for $24,865, only $1,550 more than the regular Sonata SE. Are these the cheapest horses new car money can buy in a midsize sedan?
What does the line “It’s More Car Than Electric!” mean? Beats us, but apparently it’s supposed to make you want to buy a Chevrolet Volt. Maybe “The electric car you can just put gas in on those days when you’re not giving a crap about the environment” was too long. Perhaps “It’s actually a series hybrid” didn’t pop with consumers. And maybe “Avoid the scary Range Anxiety® you get with ‘real’ electric cars” was too aggressive. All we know is, GM has registered “It’s More Car Than Electric,” and it’s time to get used to it. Meanwhile, how did we not find the ad parody above sooner?
The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s investigation of the Jefferson Parish payroll wrapped up Wednesday, revealing that the parish’s red light camera program was at the center of a scandal that drew the interest of federal investigators. Auditors concluded that former parish President Aaron Broussard and former parish attorney Tom Wilkinson likely violated payroll fraud statutes.
In its retooling announcement for the Orion assembly plant, GM notes that
Orion will be the home to Chevrolet’s new small car and Buick’s future compact sedan – the all-new Verano.
What’s interesting is that GM doesn’t call the “new small car” the Aveo, even though it’s shown near-production versions of the new model bearing the Aveo name at several auto shows. Sooner or later, GM will have to start sticking with consistent, memorable nameplates in order to build up the kind of loyalty enjoyed by models like Accord, Camry, Civic and Corolla. Which would suggest that an improved Aveo should be called the Aveo, and that the new Opel Astra-based Buick Verano should be called something less instantly forgettable. We’ve speculated about what a three-door Buick Astra hatch might be called, but this Verano plan calls for an intervention. Help GM keep Buick from sliding into 90s-era ambivalence by improving on the narcoplesy-inducing nameplate Verano. It doesn’t have to be a heritage nameplate, but it should be something that makes the brands foray into compact cars seem like less of an afterthought. And that will be just as good four generations from now.
First of all, the Nissan Juke really is a fun car to drive. The engine’s an absolute cracker, and the chassis is shockingly composed. Too bad it’s impossible to mention the car without a full-blown war breaking out over its controversial styling. As I noted in my review, Nissan is unabashed about targeting a specific demographic with the Juke, and a number of practical concerns were overlooked in order to please what Nissan calls the “urban experience seeker.” In this video, Nissan’s Alfonso Albaisa shows that the Juke’s design is also a product of this intense focus on 30 year-old guys. Plus, counter-intuitively, a desire to forge a more cohesive design language across Nissans product portfolio. Had Albaisa and his team designed the Juke with more universal values in mind (but with the same widened Versa chassis and 1.6 liter direct-injected turbocharged engine), it’s tempting to believe they could have made a truly iconic automobile. And this is coming from someone who more or less fits the Jukes target demographic.
Steve writes:
I’ve been stuck trying to find the right car for several months. This car would replace a 2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca Limited, that I’m driving because my wife just didn’t like the ergonomics and heavy steering input. Legroom on the passenger side of the Tribeca is awful for long drives. This car would supplement my wife’s 07 Lexus RX350.
Criteria: 4 door, used, under $25k, automatic, reliable, comfortable for long family (of 3) drives, better mileage than the RX350 and decent handling. FWD or AWD are ok, but I can’t manage RWD in the New England winter with my very steep driveway (otherwise I’d prefer RWD). My commute is a mere 3 miles of 40 MPH suburban roads, but I want to use this car instead of the RX350 on longer drives from Boston to Vermont etc. So it needs to be almost as comfortable as the RX350. Here’s the real nice to have: a little more fun for me. That means reasonable handling and lack of body lean in turns…not a Camry. But roads in my area are pothole city, so a compromise is needed. Here’s what I looked at: Read More >
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