Two years ago, when Kia Souls were just starting to arrive on dealer lots, the Peter Schreyer-styled mini-MPVs looked like “visitors from another planet” on lots filled with old-style Optimas, Spectras and Rios. Today, the Soul fits in fine with its newly-styling siblings… now it’s the old, dumpy Rio’s turn to feel out of place. Along with the frumpy Sedona, the littlest Kia reminds visitors to the Kia lot that once upon a time, not too long ago, Kia’s cars really were an automotive last resort. It’s not that these are fundamentally bad vehicles, but compared to the pop and sizzle offered by their new siblings, they simply aren’t trying to be more than basic transportation. But now, with a new global Rio set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show, even the littlest Kia is getting in on the family’s new flair for visual drama.
Between Nissan’s Esflow concept and this BMW Vision ConnectedDrive concept, it’s becoming pretty clear that “clean fun” is the theme of the forthcoming Geneva Auto Show. But BMW isn’t just signaling the production look of its EfficientDynamics sportscar… the Vision ConnectedDrive also demonstrates BMW’s dedication to managing the coming information overload created by ever more technologically-dependent automobiles. Autocar reports:
BMW knows that the day is rapidly approaching when on-board sensors will deliver so much data to the driver that innovative ways are needed to present the information so it can be absorbed and acted upon quickly.
Intended to replace the conventional instrument cluster, the next-gen HUD will display info like road speed and sat-nav directions in three-dimensions.
This tech allows different information layers to be superimposed on top of one another, in turn allowing the driver to display the required data in the foreground, while ghosting less significant info into the background.
By providing this ‘optical depth of field’, BMW reckons it can provide the driver with multiple additional information sources without having to redesign a car’s fascia to take an additional display screen.
Just another step towards the day when Graphical User Interfaces become as important to cars as styling and performance.
What do Dodge and Hyundai have in common, besides a Mexican Accent? They’ve both just unveiled large, V8-powered, rear-drive sedans at the Chicago Auto Show. I realize the whole “who would have thought Hyundai would be here by now” storyline may be getting a bit played out by now, but seriously, who imagined that Hyundai would be slinging a 429 HP rear-driver boasting a V8 with specific output of 85.8 HP/liter? Not this blogger. Of course, because the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 offers an extra 1.4 liters of displacement more than Hyundai’s new “Tau” 5.0, it makes a hefty 465 HP and 465 lb-ft of torque to the Hyundai’s 429 HP and 376 lb-ft… but then the big Hyundai beats even the 370 HP Charger R/T on fuel economy, getting 17/26 MPG. Oh, and the two cars couldn’t look more different either. The question: which will America prefer?
What happens when Nissan re-imagines its Leaf EV’s internals into a “sports car of the future,” inspired by its long line of Z cars? You’re looking at it. Nissan will show this Esflow concept at the Geneva Auto Show, and, based on the reaction it receives, they’ll consider a production model. Though it uses Leaf electronics, the Esflow is being presented on a “bespoke” RWD platform, with a pair of electric motors driving the rear wheels. And the Leaf’s battery was likely improved upon for this concept, as Nissan claims about 150 miles of range and a sub-5 second 0-60 time.
They say that when you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail… which is why, after writing about the dangers of “automotive nationalism,” this video made left me more impressed with Ferrari’s pride in the global development of its new FF Grand Tourer than with the pure eyecandy of the spectacle. Although, to be fair, the sheer sexiness of Ferrari’s new shooting brake-style tourer left me fairly riled up as well.
Here comes the Opel Allegra, the forthcoming European market city car, and (CARB willing) maybe even Buick’s next CAFE-buster. A Buick on a shortened Opel Corsa platform is madness, you say? Let’s see your old Roadmaster get 35.5 MPG combined…
Worried that Chrysler has lost touch with young buyers? Worry no more! Chrysler’s Tim Kunisis tells Automotive News [sub]
There are two paths: the traditional Chrysler path and the S path. There’s a huge customer base for chrome and wood. There are also people who want something a little edgy.
As a result, Chrysler is introducing its “S” line, a trim level that stands for Style rather than Sport, which will encourage these edgy Chrysler customers to tart up their Mopar metal with non-traditional accessories. Nor is “S” a top-level trim designation, but will be available on the standard 300, the 300 Limited and the 300C. And though Chrysler is showing an “S” version of its outgoing 2010 300, the first new “S”-branded vehicle will be the 200, which should look something like the Moparized 200 shown at the Detroit Auto Show. And if the whole “what’s in-what’s out” question is giving you some trouble, AN [sub] provides the hand guide below.
Yes, everyone loves to hate on the BMW 3 Series’ success… but nobody loves to hate it like the Mercedes C63 AMG. And with a new version for 2012, Benz’s Bavarian-burner has about as good a shot as anything else on the market of convincing Mr Prospective Sports Sedan Buyer out of an M3. Meanwhile, it also serves as a stern, 481 HP warning to Jaguar, Cadillac and the assorted Dreier-chasers: when you’re chasing such a coveted market segment, you have to go big or go home [nauseating technical details for the 2012 C-Class can be found here].
Via Autocar come these first pictures of a long-rumored entry-level Maserati sedan testing in Europe with Quattroporte-based bodywork. The British buff book reports
Despite looking similar to the Quattroporte at first glance, the mule’s identity is given away by its shorter wheelbase, smaller front brakes and ill-fitting windscreen. The mule also sports just one exhaust pipe on each side at the rear, instead of the brace that appear out of the bumper on each side of its bigger brother.
The €55k Maserati sedan is said to be based on the platform used for Alfa’s 166 replacement, which is widelyrumored to be the same Chrysler LX platform that currently underpins the 300 and Dodge Charger. However, because the LX platform’s wheelbase is only .6 inches shorter than the Quattroporte’s 120.6 inch measurement, it’s perhaps more likely that this BMW M5-fighter is based on the shorter LY variant, which has a 116 inch wheelbase. In any case, the global success of the Quattroporte makes this entry-level model of special interest… especially if Maserati can spin a Chrysler-based platform into sales gold.
Via designauto.fr, come these first pictures of Fiat’s Chrysler-cum-Lancias, the Thema (Chrysler 300) and Flavia (Chrysler 200). But are these rebadges worthy of the Lancia name? Hit the jump for the context necessary to answer that question… (Read More…)
I was not the only journalist to feel a little let down by Volkswagen’s latest Jetta. After building a name in the US by offering classy European-style appointments without charging European sports-sedan prices, the latest Jetta is, well, just a little too American. VW insists that the stripped-out interior helps bring the Jetta’s pricetag down to American expectations, but it’s not at all clear that competing on Toyota’s turf will be a winning strategy for the German automaker. And it certainly won’t work in Europe, where VW offers the same Jetta with an improved interior, the multilink rear suspension offered stateside only in GLI trim, and more options like multi-zone climate control. But will US-market consumers ever have the option of buying a European-spec Jetta with all of its upmarket features?? When asked by InsideLine, VW’s Jetta boss Frank Donath answered
There is the strong chance that the midlife Jetta for North America could get all of the European features. It depends on sales performance.
VW has played this game before, hinting that the Amarok pickup truck might come to the US if consumers buy 100k units. In this case, there’s a better chance of VW having to make good on the offer, as consumers could well buy quite a few Jettas. But then, if Americans are buying lots of the cheap US-style Jettas, why bring in the Euro model? Let’s face it: the days of old-style Volkswagens is as good as over. At least until it brings the very European Scirocco over.
Volkswagen captures the schizophrenia of the SUV phenomenon by offering the Qatar auto show two ways to Touareg: the rugged rally-raid fantasy of its Dakar racer-for-the-street “Race Touareg” and the status-seeking bourgeois bling of the Touareg Gold Edition. Which raises an interesting question: if both were offered for sale, which would sell better? I’m sure most of TTAC’s readers would join me in saying I’d buy the Race Touareg but sell the Gold Edition. After all, urban posing is the mass-market reality underlying the rugged outdoorsy fantasy of SUV marketing.
Volkswagen’s 2002 “One Liter Car” was a classic project of the firm’s legendary chairman Ferdinand Piech. The grandson of Ferdinand Porsche was taken to setting staggering tasks for his engineers, who dutifully turned out such mechanical wonders as the world’s fastest car (Bugatti Veyron), the first car to achieve 1 liter per 100km fuel economy (the so-called “One Liter Car”), and the world’s most unnecessarily expensive Volkswagen (the Phaeton). Though it was never introduced for production, the One Liter Car convinced VW that diesels could be as efficient as any hybrid, and became a point of great pride for the company. A few years ago, there was even a rumor that a limited number would be made for sale to the public, but only an updated concept and vague talk of 2013 production ever materialized. And now, VW has introduced a new One Liter Car, called the XL1, in Qatar of all oil-rich places.
This time, the XL1 seats two side-by-side and has a plug-in hybrid drivetrain featuring a two-cylinder diesel making 47 HP and a 26 HP electric motor hooked to a Li-ion pack with up to 22 miles of EV range. The concept can reportedly hit 62 MPH in 11.6 seconds and has a top speed of 99 MPH. A 2.6 gallon tank gives the XL1 a 341 mile range, thanks in part to the low overall weight of 1,753 lbs. And with its larger, more conventional layout, VW isn’t being shy about the fact that this One Liter car represents a step closer to production.
If the British empire was built on cups of tea, the rise of the Korean automakers might just as well be chalked up to the restorative properties of spicy breakfast foods. There’s nothing like facing the day with sizzling tastebuds and clear sinuses to give a third-tier auto manufacturing nation the perspective needed to steal a march on its Japanese, European and American rivals. Possibly in deference to the healing powers of breakfast kimchi, Kia has named its newest city car the Morning for the Korean market and the Picanto everywhere else… and it’s sure to spice up Kia’s European sales, further extending Hyundai-Kia’s lead as the top Asian brand on the Old Continent.
With a number of shocking nameplate-engineering jobs on deck (who’s ready for a Chrysler 200-based Lancia Flavia?), Fiat’s easing into things with one of the more innocuous moves on the to-do list: rebadging Dodges Journey as a Fiat. In Europe, the Freemont will slip into obscurity between Fiat’s Qubo and Doblò, much as the real Fremont struggles to serve as more than a unnecessary and unwanted distraction between Oakland and San Jose. And even though European buyers don’t buy many midsized crossovers, and don’t come to Fiat when they do, the Journey has been reworked to live up to the refined tastes of the European soccer mom. From retuned steering and suspension, to diesel engines, a new instrument panel and more soft-touch materials, The Freemont is a Dodge Journey for people who aren’t willing to buy shockingly poor-quality vehicles on the strength of inane advertising alone. And since they’re not calling it the Multipla, there’s no tip-toeing around comparisons to storied predecessors. But the fact that Fiat isn’t used to selling vehicles like the Journey is already showing up in its marketing literature, which enigmatically refers to the Freemont as a
“factotum vehicle” which has been “designed to meet the diverse needs of families and those seeking a spacious, comfortable and versatile vehicle to cater for the frenetic pace of everyday life or weekend leisure time”
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