Mitsubishi’s ASX represents the brand’s move towards on-road crossovers, a move inspired by research showing that buyers of its Outlander big brother cross-shopped D-segment sedans rather than midsized SUV/CUVs. The C-segment ASX will be called the RVR in Japan and the Outlander Sport in the US market. And though the ASX’s front-end is allegedly inspired by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industry F2 fighter, it looks remarkably similar to BMW’s recently-launched C-segment crossover, the X1. Which kind of makes sense, considering the F2 is actually just a modified F-16. Imitation is the most commercially viable form of flattery.
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Chrysler fan site Allpar.com got its paws on a list that it says depicts Chrysler’s upcoming production plans. If true, this list confirms that many of Chrysler’s refreshed products won’t be hitting the streets until 2010 is nearly over, and that the debuts will come thick and fast. So don’t expect much to improve in the way of sales for Chrysler until at least December. Even then, every other TV ad will have to be for a Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge if the firm hopes to educate the buying public about these re-launches. The chances are good that Chrysler will survive until December, barring any supplier issues, recalls or further sales dips. Come December, when we have seen and driven this new generation of Fiat-refreshed products, we’ll have an idea of Chrysler’s chances of survival until 2013, when the next wave of fully Fiat-developed projects arrive. This should be interesting.
The supreme court of Missouri sent photo enforcement companies scrambling on Monday after it declared the red light camera administrative hearing process in the city of Springfield to be void. The high court moved with unusual speed, handing down a strongly worded, unanimous decision about one month after hearing oral arguments in the case.
“This is a $100 case,” Judge Michael A. Wolff wrote for the court. “But sometimes, it’s not the money — it’s the principle.”
Boxy cars are a divisive subject: bring up the Mk. 1 Scion xB, and people will either swoon with desire or faint with disgust. The Heuliez Mia looks to wade into the middle of this controversial segment, offering a huge amount of space in a weird, box-like form. With only a 80km-100km range at the starting price of €18,000, the Mia’s electric drivetrain will doubtless self-select out the anti-cubists, limiting its appeal to fans of the impractically practical. In dense urban centers, however, there will always be an audience for small-but-spacious people movers. But can the Heuliez compete with Asia’s proud tradition of automotive cubism?
The mind can deviate to all sorts of weirdness when it comes to cars. Baby on Board signs. ‘Rims’ that cost more than the actual vehicle. The ungodly use of purples, yellows and lime greens on entry level econoboxes. Then there’s the real deals. Cars that are so hysterically and vomitously ugly that only it’s creator can appreciate the rancid spewage. I see a lot of that at the auctions. Let me give you a few true classics of the trade…
If news about recalls can’t bring Toyota sales in China to their knees, maybe insurance premiums will.
The Nikkei [sub] reports from China that insurance premiums on Toyotas have recently risen by as much as 40 percent. Insurance premiums are going up everywhere in China. No wonder, considering that more than 100,000 die a year on China’s roads, and about half a million are wounded. But Toyota premiums are rising particularly sharply. Read More >
Legions of Toyota owners have brought their automobiles to their dealers to have their carpets zip-tied and their pedals shimmied. But did that end the customer complaints? You guessed it: It did not. The NHTSA has already received 10 complaints that the fixes were for naught and that cars still have a mind of their own. Understandably, do-nothing-NHSTSA, having received congressional tongue lashings about lackadaisical attitudes, is on it like sonic. Read More >
Should you be working at a Renault (or Nissan) outfit that is not directly involved in the making and selling of cars, be on the lookout for people from headquarters. Renault is combing its assets all over the world for “non-strategic” ones that could be sold off to raise cash. Read More >
While Toyota is trying to convince the American public that they’re as American as losing at hockey Wal-Mart, Hyundai is pulling the same stunt over at the other side of the pond. Forbes reports that Hyundai wants to become a card carrying member of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). Read More >
In order to save Nissan from certain death in 1999, Renault dispatched Carlos Ghosn to Japan to take over as COO. The French-Lebanese Brazilian was promoted President of the Nipponese carmaker, and CEO in June 2001. In Japan, he had shocked the conservatives, later he became a cult figure, a gaijin shogun. He was even immortalised in a manga. In 2005, Ghosn was crowned King of the Realm and became CEO of Renault.
So, you’d think by now that Monsieur Ghosn-sama is sick to death of the Franco-Nipponese alliance? And that the 55 year old will retire to the South of France? Read More >
This is the news from the Lake Wobegon car show, where all the vehicles look beautiful, all the engines are low-emission, and all automotive managers are above average. No wait, this is Geneva, probably the world’s most important car show. The rest of the opening sentence is true, though — at least, that’s what public relations would have you believe.
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The guessing of the last clue truly was an Epic fail. Well, its understandable, given how rare a bird that was. Without giving too much away, let’s just say we’re back on more familiar ground with today’s mystery car. Happy hunting!
Do you like the Fiat 500, but worry that it has too much room and not enough flamboyance? Luckily the nuts at Rinspeed agree with your quixotic tastes. Others might have a harder time “C-ing” the point of this concept.
Longtime auto observers know there’s a fine line between a clean, subtle design and a boring car. What might come as a surprise is that Subaru is the brand currently exploring the liminal zone between nice and narcoleptic. After all, when was the last time Subaru design was accused of understated elegance bordering on the hopelessly anodyne? But Subaru is already abandoning its rough-and-ready, quirkily-styled roots for Audi-junior positioning, and this Hybrid Tourer Concept captures those aspirations brilliantly. Too bad Subaru’s most pressing design challenge is improving its plastic-fantastic interiors.
If Peugeot’s “Five by Peugeot” concept is Jaguar-inspired, this SR-1 concept clearly takes its cues from Old Blighty’s other famous sportscar builder, Aston Martin. Have the Anglophiles taken over at Peugeot, or is this just a jab at Renault, which is required by the terms of its state-ownership stake to not produce cars that are inspired by the designs of non-French marques? Though we’d like to think of this as proof of the superiority of private ownership, chances are Peugeot’s designers just like Aston’s styling. God knows it’s hard to blame them.
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