Lincoln MKR

InsideLIne has a first look at the Lincoln MKR concept car that supposedly points the direction the Ford is now taking Lincoln to.
I have to admit that this car looks very nice, taking Lincoln in this direction defiantly couldn’t hurt, I just wish that Ford would stick to something
Stylistically, but considering how much Lincoln has been ruined by a seeming lack of direction already. This looks like a positive move in the right direction.
Read

Joe

Mercedes Ocean Drive

Mercedes has released Pics of what it calls it ocean drive concept, for all intents and purposes it’s really a 4 door convertible ala the old 60’s Lincoln continental, I’m not a big fan of this type of car, but then again with hindsight, it probably would make a great beauty pageant car.
The car is still In the design and concept faze, I really hope that it stays a concept and goes the way of the dinosaur .
http://www2.blogger.com/link

Joe

Your Mustang sedan is here !

Autoweek has a little tidbit on Ford possible plans to expand the Mustang line in more than just a 2 door coupe…
In a secret product planning meeting last fall, key Ford executives discussed a bold strategy to take the legendary Mustang mainstream. Ideas include both sedan and wagon variants of America’s original muscle car, with those cars joining the traditional coupe when the sixth-generation Mustang arrives in U.S. showrooms in 2011, AutoWeek sources say.
I’m not sure of what to think about this, while Ford may use the Dodge Charger as an example for doing this, I feel that may not be the way to go, Chrysler hasn’t produced the Charger in thirty years, and it’s really not something the rest of us have been asking for, does anyone remember the glorious 4 door thunderbird sedan?
Ford has to focus(no pun intended) on its present sedan line up and not confuse the situation with another sedan, much less one carrying the mustang name on the rear deck lid.

Joe

Saturn Outlook

Autoweek.. has a very positive review of the Saturn’s new outlook SUV.
While Enclave aims at the Acura MDX and Lexus RX range, Outlook’s target is somewhat more affordable with the likes of Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander in its sights. If our experience with an option-laden top-level XR edition is any indication, Saturn has overshot its mark. At a price some 15 percent lower, it matched up well against an MDX also in our fleet recently. This is good because the Honda Pilot is due to be replaced soon, and for once GM is leading rather than trailing its moving target.
Saturn appears to be on the upswing, with the entire product line getting a complete makeover, it seems that Saturn will finally becoming the import alternative that was originally envisioned so many years ago.

Joe

GM's Global Design

DETROIT (Reuters) -- General Motors said it expects new products to account for nearly 40 percent of showroom sales in 2007 as it rolls out vehicles designed under a new system to cut costs and revive brands.GM executives, meeting with reporters and analysts Thursday evening, also said a key push for the automaker in 2007 would be to take steps to drive gains in the residual value of its vehicles -- a key consideration for new car buyers and lease underwriters.The steps outlined by senior GM executives are part of the automaker's strategy of moving beyond the cost cutting that has characterized its turnaround effort this year to show that it can grow revenue without resorting to costly sales incentives.GM's overall U.S. sales were down 8 percent in the year to November and the company is banking on the success of new cars and car-based "crossover" vehicles -- including models for its Saturn, Buick and Cadillac brands -- to grow revenue.GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said GM had increased its capital spending by $1.5 billion over the last two years and would continue to invest more to drive sales gains."Next year will be a very important year for us on the revenue side," Wagoner said, adding GM expected its sales from launch models to rise from 20 percent of U.S. sales this year to nearly 40 percent next year.ONE 'LEGO SET', MANY VEHICLESGM's product development chief Bob Lutz said GM intended to stake out a reputation for exciting design even as it drives down costs by building more vehicles on common platforms -- an area where rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp. are seen as having a large lead.Lutz said future versions of GM's current-generation of small cars -- the Astra built by its Opel-subsidiary and the Aveo built by Korean affiliate Daewoo -- would share a single platform. "They will all come from the same Lego set," he said.Lutz also said GM had earmarked elements of its global development to teams in different countries seen as having particular expertise.For example, future mid-market sedans would be developed by a team based in Germany, he said. Development work for small SUVs and light pickup trucks would be done mainly in Brazil, leaving engineers in the United States to focus on full-size pickups and SUVs, he said.GM's board rejected a proposed alliance with Renault and Nissan Motor Co. two months ago, and Lutz said GM's progress in integrating its own operations showed that was the right choice."We said we didn't need an alliance to achieve this," Lutz said. "And this is why -- we are achieving an international alliance within GM."Separately, GM sales chief Mark LaNeve said GM had increased its net pricing in every segment of the U.S. auto market this year except mid-sized sport-utility vehicles, a category still reeling from higher gas prices.GM has also improved the residual value of its vehicles -- a measure of the percentage of the original sales price remaining on trade-in -- by 8 percentage points over the last year and a half, he said.Some of that gain came after GM rolled out a five-year, 100,000 powertrain warranty in September for its entire 2007 model line-up, executives have said.Driving further gains in residual values will be a priority in 2007 for GM, LaNeve said, without specifying what further steps the automaker might take."There's a big effort underway in that area," he said.

Reading this article gives me hope about the world’s largest auto company, GM seems to be positioning itself for the long run, as I’ve said before, perception of quality is half the battle, and it’s a battle that the domestic auto companies have to win.

Ford to Borrow 23 Billion

From The Detroit News.....
DEARBORN -- Ford Motor Co. is super-sizing the financing package it announced last week and now plans to increase its borrowing capacity by more than $5 billion to as much as $23.5 billion.
Ford on Wednesday cited "overwhelming support by lenders" as the reason behind the move, but investor worries about the automaker's debt burden drove its shares down 4.2 percent.

I’m not sure how to react to this, while it’s good to see Ford moving forward with its restructuring plan it’s saddens me to see them revert to putting up all it’s assets to secure the loans that Ford needs to remain in business while it tries to turn itself around.
The UAW also appears to be a looming problem on the horizon, I just don’t see how the UAW can even try to force any kind of an unfair position, the company is in dire straits and needs to get its house in order.
Link

Joe

Chevy Tahoe Police Vehicle

This rather long post is from GM and the release of Chevy’s Tahoe police Vehicle, I’ll just post the press release…..
PRESS RELEASE:
Redesigned 2007 Chevy Police Tahoe Is The First SUV Designed From Its Inception As A Law-Enforcement Vehicle

The dramatically redesigned 2007 Chevrolet Police Tahoe delivers more power, enhanced ride and handling qualities, and more safety features than its 2006 counterpart. It also delivers a great deal of utility, cargo room, visibility and go-anywhere capability. But those attributes are only part of the 2007 Police Tahoe story. What distinguishes this vehicle is the fact that it is the first SUV designed from its inception as a law enforcement vehicle. That designation delivers a great many benefits to law enforcement agencies.

"Like the 1999 Chevrolet Impala Police vehicle – the first car in automotive history to be designed from its inception as a law enforcement vehicle – the 2007 Police Tahoe includes a number of law enforcement-specific enhancements. These enhancements were achieved during the design phase, with the result being that the Police Tahoe is available to law enforcement agencies with a number of features that set it apart from retail Tahoes," said Bruce Wiley, GM manager of law enforcement and specialty vehicles.

Compared to its retail counterpart, Police Tahoe is lower to the ground for improved handling, especially at high speeds. The front and rear suspensions feature stiffer springs and shocks and there's also a stiffer jounce bumper that is more ideally suited for police loads.

Police Tahoe also features a fully integrated electrical system for 2007, making it easier for upfitters to install such police-specific equipment as light bars and police radios.

"When we say that we design our police vehicles with the needs of law enforcement agencies in mind, we mean it. For example, Tahoe's electrical system is designed the same as the Impala, and both vehicles now function and upfit the same and can share some wiring harnesses. The result is easier upfits and lower costs to law enforcement agencies," Wiley added.

Enhanced powerplant
Police Tahoe's standard Vortec 5.3L V-8 engine receives a number of enhancements for 2007. It delivers more power – 320 horsepower (238 kW)* and 340 lb.-ft. of torque (470 Nm)*. That's 25 more horsepower and an additional 10 lb.-ft. of torque than the 2006 version of this engine. The Vortec 5.3L represents the newest chapter in GM's small-block's 50-year history and features Active Fuel Management technology, resulting in improved fuel economy. When combined with other vehicle-wide features, including improved aerodynamics, the small-block V-8 helps give the Tahoe the segment's best fuel economy. Preliminary testing with 5.3L-equipped models shows unadjusted combined fuel economy ratings of 20.5 mpg on 2WD models.

The 5.3L Vortec can operate on fuel that contains up to 85 percent ethanol. E85 reduces reliance on fossil fuels and it's a clean, renewable resource that benefits farmers, because it's derived from corn.

The 5.3L V-8 is mated to a four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive.

Built for speed
Because of the high speeds typically encountered by law enforcement vehicles, Police Tahoe gets H-rated, P265/60R17 blackwall Goodyear RSA steel belt radial tires (compared to S-rated on production models). These are mounted on 17-inch steel wheels. Police Tahoe also receives heavy duty cooling – thanks to a higher capacity radiator and engine oil cooler –and heavy duty brakes with ABS, providing added safety for braking under specific conditions. For an additional level of safety, security and peace of mind, all 2007 Police Tahoe models feature a tire pressure monitor, alerting the driver if any of the tires begins to lose air pressure. A tire pressure monitor is also included in the spare tire and must be activated prior to being placed on the vehicle.

For underbody protection, Police Tahoe features a Skid Plate Package that includes a front underbody shield that starts behind the front bumper and runs to the first cross-member. The Skid Plate Package protects such vital vehicle components as the oil pan and other key drivetrain components.

A 26-gallon fuel tank, 160-amp alternator, a heavy duty 730 CCA battery with run-down protection and extended-life spark plugs are standard on Police Tahoe. Dual 730 CCA batteries are also available.

Superior ride and handling
The 2007 Police Tahoe is built on GM's new full-size SUV platform, which incorporates features such as a new, fully boxed frame, coil-over-shock front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and an all-new, premium interior system that bolster the vehicle's comfort, quality and capability. Wider front and rear tracks enhance handling and lower the center of gravity for a more confident road feel.

Tahoe's engineers paid extensive attention to detail to ensure a quiet driving experience. It starts with a new, stiffer frame, which reduces vibrations transmitted to the passenger cabin. The strength and accuracy of the fully boxed frame also enable more precise mounting and tuning of chassis and suspension components, which also help reduce vibration.

Enhanced safety and security
The '07 Chevy Tahoe is designed to be among the industry's safest and most secure vehicles, with a 360-degree perimeter safety system of occupant protection and crash avoidance technologies. New features include a standard dual-stage driver and front passenger frontal air bags; optional roof-mounted head curtain side air bags with rollover protection for all seating rows; and front-seat safety belt pretensioners that are linked to the vehicle's sensing system to provide segment-exclusive deployment in rear-end crashes.

Crash avoidance is bolstered through enhanced design and driver control dynamics, such as wider front and rear tracks, as well as more responsive suspensions – including a new coil-over-shock front suspension design and new rack-and-pinion steering. The vehicles are built on a stronger and stiffer, fully boxed frame that contributes to enhanced crash energy management. The front frame section has been designed to optimize crush progression, resulting in improved energy absorption efficiency.

Enhanced utility
"Since September 11, 2001, the operating methodologies of police and fire municipalities have changed. They are looking at new and innovative ways to utilize police and emergency response vehicles, to carry more equipment, expand communication capability and address issues created by the need to carry tactical and hazardous material gear," Wiley added. "The Chevrolet Police Tahoe is capable of meeting the rigors of all these needs."

Even with its second-row seats fully upright, Police Tahoe delivers an incredible 60.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity for such items as gun cases, haz-mat equipment and other gear and materials that law enforcement officers may require to do their jobs. The second-row seats may be individually folded forward, adding even more cargo capacity. Second-row seats come with inboard headrests and reclining seatbacks. With both second-row seats folded, Police Tahoe delivers a cavernous 108.9 cubic feet of cargo capacity.

Fiscally responsible
A number of municipalities are turning to vehicles such as the Chevrolet Police Tahoe because it's a fiscally responsible proposition. Although the initial cost is higher than that of a sedan, the increased capability and durability, longer lifecycle and higher residual value can combine to make Tahoe the more cost-effective choice, said Wiley.

The Police Tahoe joins the Chevrolet Impala Police Vehicle, Chevrolet Tahoe Special Services and Chevrolet Express Prisoner Transport Van in GM's lineup of law enforcement vehicles. Every vehicle GM offers to law enforcement agencies is "road ready," meaning they can be delivered completely equipped and ready for use

I hope I don’t crash the server with this one(just kidding), the truck looks pretty snarky and I’m sure having one of these big brutes pull up behind you is more impressive than an Impala.

Joe

GM Grows in China

Insideline... reports…

SHANGHAI, China — General Motors in China would make a great case study for an MBA student. While GM tries to turn things around in the U.S., its sales are soaring in China, where the automaker surpassed Volkswagen to become No. 1 in passenger car sales.The contrast between GM China and GM North America is stark — and not lost on top GM executives. Indeed, they smartly are making a case study of their own of GM China to see what valuable lessons translate to other markets.

This may qualify is a total streak of luck or evidence that either GM secretly knows what it’s doing, or the Gods have simply decided to smile On the General and give the old boy another chance.
There’s no denying that China represents the future and the kind of market growth that hasn’t been seen here since the first half of the twentieth century.
The Chinese market will be the bar that all companies will be judged by, and it’s good to see a domestic car company possibly in the lead for this type of thing, but I wouldn’t get to comfortable with the idea, it’s still too early in the game and things could change overnight, but in this case, this may be GM’s game to lose.
More..

Joe

Ford Escape Refresh

Inside Line is has extensive coverage of the LA auto show and one of the noteworthy vehicles there is the redesigned Ford Escape.
Amazingly enough the escape is number one in the small crossover SUV segment, surprising considering the competition from the likes
Of a redesigned Toyota rave 4 and recently introduced Honda CRV.
Ford seems to have hit the sweet spot with the Escape and no doubt the mostly positive press that the hybrid version received,
It’s good to see Ford giving the Escape a redo especially in light of the increased competition .
Read More

Joe

Sebring convertable

Autoweekhas the latest on the new Sebring Convertible.
This car still says rental to me, it just doesn’t have anything that will draw me in, but then again this car isn’t really aimed at the driving enthusiast.
It's really a car for the person who wants a car with a top that drops down, and makes you look somewhat good while doing this.
If you want to waste a little bandwidth reading up , hit the autoweek link and enjoy.

Joe

Ford Borrows some cash

From Automotive News….
DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. said today that it plans to obtain a financing package totaling $18 billion to help fund its restructuring. The automaker said it expects to complete the package by Dec. 31. Upon completion, Ford Motor expects to boost the liquidity for its automotive operation to approximately $38 billion, consisting of cash and available credit lines.The extra money will provide a liquidity cushion against a recession or other unanticipated events, Ford said in a prepared statement. It also will address negative cash flow. As much as $15 billion of the financing packaging will be secured with Ford's automotive assets, the company said.
Wow, Ford has finally managed to secure financing while it tries to pull itself up by the bootstraps, the best solution of course for avoiding situations like this is to make a winning product line that sells well and then Ford can avoid ever having do this again.

Joe

Mr Bond Your car is ready

Autoweek reviews this latest beauty from Aston Martin and says…….
Viewed from afar, the proportions of the roadster are a little wider in the rear, compared with the coupe, to accommodate the power-retractable soft-top. But from any angle, the car is still sublimely seductive.
This car is just beautiful, there’s no other way around it, this is a James Bond car personified, I’ve seen the coupe versions of this car and to be honest, I wasn’t sure how the roadster
Would compare, I very rarely see cars that make me drool with lust and wish I had the means to buy one, but this is absolutely the car that brings out these emotions in me.

Perfect.

Joe.

UAW & Delphi

Automotive News....
DETROIT (Reuters) -- The United Autos Workers union said today that bankrupt parts maker Delphi Corp.'s management will be forced to meet with the union to reach a settlement."The battle with Delphi is far from over," UAW president Ron Gettelfinger said in an online question and answer session with union members. "This process will require them to meet with our union."Gettelfinger said there has been very little discussion between the union and Delphi recently."Our union has been available to meet with the corporation at any time, day or night," he said.Delphi filed for bankruptcy in October 2005 and has outlined plans to drop several business lines, close U.S. union plants and cut thousands of hourly and salaried workers in order to reorganize the company.Earlier this month, a bankruptcy judge gave Delphi more time to negotiate a settlement with former parent General Motors and the unions on issues ranging from its U.S. hourly wages to the ultimate ownership of the company.Pete Hastings, credit market analyst at Morgan Keegan said Gettelfinger's comments suggest "a bit of posturing.""It seems that he's saying to his constituency that GM needs to come to us," Hastings said, adding that Delphi bankruptcy proceedings suggests progress is being made in the negotiations.Delphi in March moved for court authority to reject its thousands of parts contracts with GM and its labor contracts with its unions if it could not reach agreements.In recent public comments, GM CEO Rick Wagoner has said the company is making progress in its negotiations with Delphi.But when asked by a union member, Gettelfinger said Wagoner had been referring to bilateral talks between the automaker and Delphi without the participation of the company's main union."The discussions Mr. Wagoner is referencing are just that -- discussions between Delphi and GM," he said.Separately, Gettelfinger said negotiations for its labor contract with GM, which spun off Delphi in 1999, will begin in July. The current contract with GM expires on Sept. 14, 2007.Gettelfinger declined to comment on the UAW's position on a jobs bank in coming contract talks.GM shares were down $1.05, or 3.07 percent, at $33.13 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. GM's stock has lost 6 percent this week, the worse weekly performance in 8 weeks. But the share are up over 70 percent so far this year.


This posturing seems pathetic, this is another example of the industry changing and he union seemingly still trying to posture it’s way in to a favorable deal
With a company that no longer can afford to be this way.

Joe

New Altima Coupe

Looks there's a new midsize coupe on the horizon. This 2008 Nissan Altima coupe was caught during what looks like a photo shoot prior to its official debut. Similarities to the Infiniti G35 coupe are obvious although there are enough Altima styling cues thrown in to make sure it doesn't infringe on the luxury brand's turf. Given the finished look of this car, a debut at the Los Angeles auto show in November seems likely.
This car looks nice, though why Nissan decided to make the car look so similar to the G35 coupe is anyone’s guess, then again the cars will be sold at different stores and even though they closely resemble each other are based on different platforms, the G35 being rear wheel drive and the Altima coupe being front wheel drive.
Joe
Read More......

Impala To RWD

Today Autoweek online reports…
General Motors sources say the next Impala will share a rwd platform with the upcoming Chevrolet Camaro, which will be built late in 2008 in Oshawa, Ontario. Impala production will start several months later, a GM source said. The rwd Impala also will be distinguished from the 2007 model by its long wheelbase and short front and rear overhangs. The car will be similar in length and width to the front-drive 2007 Impala. The passenger compartment will be larger than that of the 2007 Impala, the source said.

This is great news to hear, I’ve long advocated Chevy returning to it’s read wheel drive roots, I feel the decline of the American auto industry began when it began to move away from familiar territory.
Detroit is In a race to hold on to its dwindling market share, and mindshare is the biggest war then they have to win, I believe that that Japanese are here to stay, but there should and will be a vibrant American auto industry.

Joe

Ford FUD

More From Detroit...
Fortune mag runs over Ford's image
I t was bad enough that Fortune magazine referred to new Ford Motor Co. President and CEO Alan Mulally as a "student driver" and called his firm "a profoundly dysfunctional company" that is "going down the tubes." But the magazine added insult to injury in its latest edition by accidentally using a Toyota Tundra pickup instead of one of Ford's own F-150s to illustrate the story. The rival pickup appeared on each page of the story, adding a fresh dash of salt to each cut the article took at the struggling automaker and its new leader. One Ford executive suggested making up a set of vehicle identification cards for Fortune, like those given to aircraft spotters during World War II. The Insider thinks the word "Tundra" on the side of the vehicle should have been a sufficient clue.


This is the last thing that Ford needs, and we know that Ford has done a lot over the years to seriously hurt its own image in the eyes of the public,
But his kind of thing is amateurish at best, and putting a Tundra instead of a F150 is something that even the local High school paper wouldn’t get wrong.
Then again maybe that’s the answer to articles like this, I would suggest that Fortune go to the local high school , hire the school paper editor and then pick up one of the kids from Auto class and that should put an end to the mistaken Tundra pictures .

Joe

Ford & GM Quality Moves Up

From The Detroit News
General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are improving the reliability of their vehicles as they design new models, but the domestics still lag the leading Japanese brands in overall comparisons, according to the influential Consumer Reports magazine.
Redesigned GM models such as the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon large sport utility vehicles won high marks for predicted reliability, based on the performance of the prior-model-year vehicles.
"This is promising for GM's full line of redesigned full-sized SUVs and pickups, which share the same platform as the Tahoe," the magazine said.
The Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr midsized cars also had top predicted-reliability ratings, according to Consumer Reports' widely watched annual survey, now on the newsstands.

This is great news, it’s good to see these guys making gains in the market like this, this is the kind of free press that no amount of marketing can do for you, and this is where all of the domestic automakers have to do a lot of work, Mind share is the game that the foreign automakers have already won.
And now it’s a long and difficult road for them to win it back.
Trucks like the Tahoe which show great improvement and creativity, will be easy wins for Detroit, the buying public has embraced Asian truck makers, but the American trucks haven’t lost their reputations in this market, no doubt thanks to the demand in the last few years which forces Ford, GM and Chrysler to keep their truck offerings well designed and freshly updated.

Joe

Chrysler Increases Lease Deals

The Detroit News Reports……..
DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group is leasing 2006 model year vehicles at a drastically higher rate than cross-town rivals General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. as it works to unload a glut of new cars and trucks.
Lease deals can help automakers boost sales because they typically offer lower monthly payments.
Dealers say Chrysler is making lease deals on 2006 models even more attractive by lowering lease interest rates, relaxing credit requirements and raising vehicles' residual values.

This news just give me flash backs, wasn’t this the exact same thing that Ford did in the nineties to boost sales? This is really a great way to hurt resale’s
And trade in values on its vehicles.
Chrysler seems to be going into desperation mode to keep its sales up, which really seems ironic considering that Chrysler has a pretty good product line
Going and shouldn’t need to do this kind of thing.
I think that this points to a bigger problem, one of perception of the product, granted that everybody is doing leases in one form or another, but I don’t think that Toyota or Honda have such high lease vs. sales ratios.

Time for a some new thinking in Detroit.

Read More...

Joe

Lincoln MKX review

Edmonds Inside line has a first drive of Lincolns new MKX and this is one of the things that they had to say…….

It's not by accident that we have focused here on the front grilles of these two
new crossovers. Except for styling elements such as the grilles, these two
orbs are almost identical. They share the same unibody platform, a much
modified version of the Mazda 6 structure. Both are powered by the same 3.5-liter V6. Both send their substantial power through the same excellent six-speed automatic transmission. And both comfortably seat up to five passengers in a body
that's shorter than the Ford Fusion sedan. And, like many of us who frequent
the bar or the egg crate, they both could stand to lose some pounds.

Now this bothers me, the fact that the MKX resembles is almost identical to the Ford Edge is not good news, This comes at a time when Ford really needs to establish separate brand identities for all its auto divisions and to have what will be key players in what’s a growing product segment be so close in appearance Isn’t the way to do it. Lincoln mentions that they bench marked Lexus in respect to certain things is a good start, but what they should have done is bench marked Toyota and one of the ways they could have started is by making the Ford and Lincoln versions of this platform share parts extensively but share no body panels and very little trim pieces, as Toyota does with the RX330 and it’s almost identical(under the skin) Toyota Highlander crossover.

To me this seems to be the way that Ford liked to do things in the past, the very same things that helped them lose market share.
As I’ve said before, Ford need to do things differently and even though it’s under pressure to make money and stem market share losses, they can’t go back to the old way of doing things.

Joe

New Super Vette spied

Autoweek has another small story that seems to conform that the long rumored super corvette is shaping up to be more than that, while it’s obvious from the looks of this car that it’s still in the prototype or mule car stage, Corvette engineers seem to be serious about bring this super corvette out in time for the 2009 model year. The oversize hood bugle shows the car is still a long way off from being ready from a public release.
With rumored numbers in the six hundred horsepower range this next Vette will no doubt have rabid buyers with the connections and the coin, ready to plunk down the hinted one hundred thousand dollar price tag.
Sill a bargain by super car standards.

Joe

Porsche Family does the shuffle

This from Reuters
The Porsche and Piech families that control all the voting rights in Porsche have reshuffled their holdings in the German sports car maker, which is itself the largest shareholder in Volkswagen.The foundation Ferdinand Porsche Privatstiftung as well as the Ferdinand Porsche Holding GmbH, both headquartered in Salzburg, now hold 100 percent of the common shares in Porsche since Oct. 20, after previously controlling less than 5 percent, the company said today in a financial advertisement.Previously, Porsche and Piech family members also owned common shares directly. All shares traded on the stock exchange are preferred shares that carry no voting rights.Volkswagen had already said the roughly 21 percent stake Porsche owns in the world's fourth-largest carmaker was parked at the foundation and the holding company.

While it’s obvious that this is news worthy in the automotive world, especially because the Porsche and Piech families are pretty low key and rarely draw attention to themselves.
There’s a tight connection between VW and Porsche and It doesn’t look like this will change anytime soon.
This writer remembers the AUDI VW Porsche dealers of the eighties and nineties, as a kid I could never make the connection, and even now I feel that Porsche had to do its own thing. Not that VW is anything to be embarrassed about, but you can already see the day that there would be a Volkswagen Audi Porsche Buick Hyundai super store.
Joe

Automotive news reports
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., a small automaker in Mumbai, India, is quietly preparing to enter the United States. Mahindra has signed an independent distributor, Global Vehicles U.S.A. Inc., of Alpharetta, Ga.
Dealers who have heard Global Vehicles' sales pitch say Mahindra plans to reach the market in October 2008. The venture plans two vehicles, they say: a regular-cab pickup with a 2.6-liter turbo diesel engine and an SUV called the Scorpio. The company already sells farm equipment in the United States.
This comes across to me as another duh, why anyone would like to enter the market right now is beyond me, the fact that they want to enter the market with a vehicle that resembles
A Mitsubishi Montero just as market trends indicates that people want cross over’s and don’t want full or Midsize Suv’s.
I don't know, I really don't use farm equipment, so I can't judge their products, but this doesn't seem like a winner to me.

Joe

Seen at SEMA !

Well it’s that time of year, When Christmas comes early in the world of the automobile, Sema is the annual specialty equipment market association which is taking place at the Las Vegas convention center, it’s a dream for those that love to modify their cars, and a nightmare for people such as myself that belive that having good taste is not something that everybody is born with.
In all fairness there are some pretty cool things to see, the Automakers will use this event to take the wraps off of some of their concept vehicles, while you don’t really get a good look at what is really to come it’s at the very least entertaining.
Toyota will be there with a modified F j Cruiser, and Ford will have a really pimped out Expedition that is sure to make some 13 year old boy cry for one.
If you haven’t been able to tell by now, I’m not a fan of these kind of things, it somehow gives people license to display just how much bad taste they have, and then of course their joined by other people with bad taste and before you know it, nobody realizes that the emperor has no clothes.
But then again this is Las Vegas and you really don’t have to have good taste to be there.

Just Money....

Joe

More Diesel Tech From Honda

This Autoworld Honda Motor Co., Ltd., today announced it has developed a next-generation diesel
engine that reduces exhaust gas emissions to a level equal to a gasoline engine.
Honda's next-generation diesel engine employs a revolutionary NOx catalytic converter that enables a great reduction in NOx emissions sufficient to meet stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier II Bin 5 emissions requirements (based on Honda's internal calculations). This catalytic converter
features the world's first innovative system using the reductive reaction of
ammonia generated within the catalytic converter to "detoxify" nitrogen oxide
(NOx) by turning it into harmless nitrogen (N2).The new catalytic converter
utilizes a two-layer structure: one layer adsorbs NOx from the exhaust gas and
converts a portion of it into ammonia, while the other layer adsorbs the
resulting ammonia, and uses it later in a reaction that converts the remaining
NOx in the exhaust into nitrogen (N2). Ammonia is a highly effective reagent for
reducing NOx into N2 in an oxygen-rich, lean-burn atmosphere. This ability to
generate and store ammonia within the catalytic converter has enabled Honda to
create a compact, lightweight NOx reduction system for diesel engines. The
system also features enhanced NOx reduction performance at 200-300oC, the main
temperature range of diesel engines.Honda designed the catalytic converter for
use with its 2.2 i-CTDi diesel engine, which has earned widespread praise for
quiet, clean operation and dynamic performance since its introduction in 2003 on
the European Accord model.By further advancing combustion control, the 2.2
i-CTDi delivers cleaner exhaust to the NOx catalytic converter. Honda achieved
this by optimizing the combustion chamber configuration, reducing fuel injection
time with a 2,000-bar common rail injection system and boosting the efficiency
of the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system. Thanks to these improvements,
Honda has reduced the amount of NOx and soot normally found in engine exhaust,
while increasing power output.Along with developing superior technology for
cleaning exhaust gas, Honda plans to address other technical challenges in
developing clean diesel engines, such as handling diesel fuels with different
cetane numbers and meeting U.S. On-Board Diagnostic System requirements. Honda
plans to introduce its next-generation diesel engine in the U.S. within three
years.Gasoline engines presently employ three-way catalytic converters that
offer NOx reduction rates as high as 99 percent, but this performance is
possible only at the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. In the oxygen-rich
environment of a lean-burn diesel engine, three-way catalytic converters only
reduce NOx levels by approximately 10 percent. Honda's new catalytic converter
efficiently reduces NOx in a lean-burn atmosphere, enabling diesel engines to
rival gasoline engines in cleanliness. The compact system is also easy to
install in passenger vehicles.

It always helps when new engine technology begins to make its way out of the experimental faze into the production side of things, but I would like to see some of this in Hondas entry level cars such as the Civic, I think the time is ripe for the automakers to try another assault on the diesel market in north America.
It hasn’t worked in the past, and it seem like the only car maker to try is Volkswagen but people today may be more willing to accept diesels than in the past.
But they won’t know unless it’s put out in the market and advertised.

Joe.

New S-Type coming

Here are the latest spy photos on the possible upcoming Jaguar S-type, first impressions look positive on where
Jaguar may be taking it’s midsize BMW 5 series competitor, it looks like the Ford subsidiary is moving ahead with plans to completely remake
It’s image by abandoning most of the traditional Jaguar styling cues and moving the cars more into the mainstream to attract customers
Who have so far shied away for the Coventry England automaker.
While many traditional Jaguar fans may lament this move, this hopefully will attract more buyers to the fray, with ford under pressure
To turn things around, jaguar doesn’t have the luxury of being coddled while it tries to find its way and become profitable, most likely
The top execs have been told to produce or jaguar must go on the block. This is no guarantee against a sale of course, but a Jaguar with
Improving sales numbers would make for a good sales pitch to a potential suitor.
In the end I believe the best situation for Jaguar would be to stay with ford, usually when companies buy smaller manufacturers like this
The lack of synergies becomes obvious early on, and a company will stick around long enough to sell its accusation and make a profit, but Ford has held on to Jaguar For a very long time witch tells me that they were more interested in simply owning and maintaining this Historical luxury auto maker.
But even in this instance a good business case must be made, and even Jaguar can’t escape the harsh light of sensible business economics, so now the clock is ticking for Jaguar and the next year will be a harbinger of who will be the owners of the auto’s with the cat on the bonnet .
J.

Way Forward Part Deu on it's way

This in Automotive News....

DETROIT -- A better version of Ford Motor Co.'s Way Forward restructuring plan
is on its way, new CEO Alan Mulally said last week."We are going to continue to
look for opportunities to improve that plan," Mulally said in an interview with
Automotive News after Ford reported a $5.80 billion loss for the third quarter.
The two areas that most need enhancement are the product plan and manufacturing
productivity, Mulally said. Of the product plan, he said: "It is what it is
today. But with the shifts in customer demand, we know we're going to end up
with changes to that plan across the entire portfolio." On the production side,
Ford needs to do more to improve quality and the number of models that can be
made at its assembly plants, he said. Mulally didn't rule out the possibility of
more plants being closed beyond the 16 already announced.

This is certainly something that I’ve been advocating for some time from Ford, all the catchy names and Flashy commercials won’t help you unless you change the public’s
Opinion about your product. And Ford has focused too much on one and not enough on the other.
As I’ve said before, now is the time for Ford to Really change the fundamental way they do things, and with Mulally at the helm, it seems this may be finally happening.

J

Dodge has the Nitro, you bring the Bling

Inside line has a thorough review of the new Dodge Nitro, while the Nitro looks like a winner, on paper it’s less than Impressive, not surprising given the origins of the engine and chassis. The Nitro seems to go against the Automotive trends in the industry of making car based SUV’s.
I prefer the best of both worlds, the ride height and site lines of a SUV and the ride and handling of a unit body and car suspension based crossover.
I can already see Nitro’s with Twenty inch Gold rims and spinners, Don’t laugh, the aftermarket industry love trucks like this.
Read the Full article here

Ford's new Edge & Potential

Inside line has it's first full review of the new Ford Edge and the Verdict is....

Forget what you know about Ford?Although its cabin furnishings are a little disappointing, the 2007 Ford Edge offers a complete package otherwise. Ample
power, agile handling, a quiet ride, lots of room, a full set of side airbags — it's all here. Basically, this is the same approach Ford took with the current-Generation Explorer, applied to a more refined car-based design.
Yet, the company is counting on the Edge to fight political battles its
traditional SUVs could never
win.

Suv's like the Edge Are the Future as Nissan and others have proven, and it's great to see Ford enter the market with such a competative Vehicle right from the start.With the Edge and other redesigns comming this can Ford the ability to turn things around.

Now the only thing than coud derail what looks like a promising start for Ford in this segment is the Quality and reliability .

Ford has to get this right.

Joe

New Volkswagen Eios

Volkswagen is set to release its new Eios convertible this month, the automotive press seems to be giving the car the thumbs up, but with some reservations,
The car is based on the Jetta and Golf Chassis, not a bad thing, and seems to be a competent handler.
The standard engine is the 1.8 liter turbocharged 4 cylinder engine that produces 200 hundred horsepower and 207 pound feet of Torque, I still have reservations
About the choice of this engine, simply because the Eios is a heavy car at a bit over 3500 lbs, this little convertible is not a Miata.
But the biggest problem I believe the Eios will bring with it is the price, starting at around $28.000 U.S., this is not an inexpensive car and will face serious
Competition from the likes of the Pontiac G6 and Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder .
I think the Eios will be well received by its potential owners but feel that like some other VW models is coming in at too high a price point, Volkswagen's
Business model seems to be to price the cars into the entry level luxury range and hopefully your customer base will buy into this model and pony up the cash .

I’m not knocking VW’s model lineup, there are a lot of wonderful qualities about the state of Volkswagen today, but today’s market is saturated with well
Conceived and built cars for substantially less, there was a time just a few years ago when Volkswagen was the equivalent of a German Toyota or Chevy, and Audi did the heavy lifting as the premium mark to compete with the likes of BMW or Mercedes, but it seems that Volkswagen has decided to widen that model to Include the VW brand. And that’s where I believe they have to think again.

Joe

Will Daimler sell?

Today Automotive news and Reuters reports that Mercedes may put the Chrysler
Group on the block,
Is the Chrysler group for sale? During a presentation to
analysts and journalists today, DaimlerChrysler CFO Bodo Uebber refused to rule out the sale or spinoff of its unprofitable Chrysler group."We don't exclude anything here," including structural changes, Uebber said during his third-quarter earnings teleconference today. "We will do our analysis. Second, we will talk about measures. And third, we will draw our conclusions."Asked again whether DaimlerChrysler has put the Chrysler group up for sale, Uebber repeated the same answer without giving a yes or no. "I don't do any speculation," he said. Chrysler group losses dragged down DaimlerChrysler's third-quarter financial results. The Chrysler group lost $1.47 billion, down from a $393 million profit for the same period a year ago. The company predicts Chrysler will lose $1.2 billion in 2006. DaimlerChrysler posted quarterly net income of $680 million and projects a companywide operating-profit target of
$6.29 billion for the full year.The Chrysler group's loss overshadowed a rebound
at the Mercedes Car Group, whose quarterly operating profit rose to $1.24
billion.DaimlerChrysler has assigned a team of senior executives to study seven
major facets of the Chrysler group's business. The teams have been asked to
improve margins by $1,000 per vehicle. Officials declined to give a timetable
for the internal study.

How Ironic, when Mercedes Bought Chrysler all those years ago and all the outrage after what was supposed to be a merger of equals turned into an outright accusation of
A major American corporation by a foreign buyer such as the Daimler group, now eight years later it looks like the honeymoon is over and Daimler may want to go back
To being Daimler Benz, but who can blame them, Chrysler keeps losing money and the shareholders and board of directors may have run out of patience.
One interesting question is who would the potential suitor be, maybe Toyota? Or GM? Probably neither, there seems to be no reason for Toyota to look at Chrysler, Strategically
A Toyota/Chrysler match up wouldn’t yield anything of value and then again Toyota would inherit the retirement costs and Union contracts that they have avoided in their own
Factories. As for GM they’re really not in the position to make a major purchase like Chrysler,.. ditto Ford.
No, the only real suitor in the picture would seems to be Renault-Nissan, this could really play into Carlos Ghosn's hands, Ford and GM have from the beginning stressed that
They would go it alone with the exception of the possible merger rumor between the two companies some time ago.
No it looks like there’s only one enthusiastic buyer for Walter P Chryslers’ former company, and Renault- Nissan looks to be the most obvious fit.
The synergies here are obviously different than GM’s, and Nissan would have to take a closer look at the situation to see if this makes any sense for them.
The Automotive landscape seems to be reshaping itself and this may the first major change of more to come.
J.

Chevy Sequel

This from Auto week online…..
Driving Sequel turns out to be unremarkable, which is the most remarkable aspect. It drives much like any crossover vehicle, only without engine roar or conspicuous transmission shift points. Push on the accelerator pedal and it surges up to 60 mph in about 10 seconds. Stomp the brake pedal and it stops like a car—no goofy reactions as it switches back and forth between regenerative and friction braking. And it steers just like a car, complete with road feel. The suspension could use a little dialing-in, but only because the electronically controlled shocks were installed just a couple days before we drove it.All this is remarkable because the previous generation version we drove in France three years ago—the Hy-Wire—felt like a corporate-funded science fair experiment, laden down with weird control interfaces (twist the steering grip to accelerate or brake, for instance) and different-for-the-sake-of-different attributes meant to emphasize the technology more than to serve a potential customer. It was limited to 40 mph and felt slow and cumbersome.
This latest prototype from GM looks very promising, it shows that GM is ready to play and isn’t willing to let the likes of Honda get to market first with this kind of vehicle and technology. To say this looks very promising would be an understatement, the automakers have to move fast to establish more alternative fuel vehicles before the next Oil shock sends car and truck sales into the dumpster again.
It ‘s this kind of innovation and forward thinking that will save the American automakers, instead of being reactive, general motors’ is being proactive and showing the there is
Still creativity and passion in the halls of GM.
J.
Find out more from AutoWeek

Ford To Increase Reductions

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co.'s campaign to consolidate dealerships will cover more markets than initially planned.The broader scope will help Ford prepare for sharp reductions in market share.U.S. share of the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands will drop by as much as 2 percentage points in 2007, U.S. sales chief Cisco Codina says. He forecasts share in the low to mid 14 percent range next year, down from the low 16 percent range the company projects for 2006.The Dearborn automaker's dramatic drop in U.S. market share and sales - it lost 1 million units from 2000 to the end of 2005 - has left dealers struggling with big declines in profit and in some cases financial losses.

More bad news from Ford? Who would have thought, but this is to be expected , I don’t think Ford Has a complete picture of its current standing in the market place and won’t until later this year.
I still believe that they are doing the right thing by consolidating dealerships, they need a distribution and production network that matches their market share. And that this has the potential to make Ford a much stronger company in the long run.
J.

Kia to scale back plans

Automotive news....

WEST POINT, Ga. -- KIA Motors Corp. has scaled back its U.S. sales expectations and as a result will use its U.S. plant as an export base for markets in Latin America.KIA had targeted U.S. sales of 800,000 vehicles a year in 2010, but now expects sales of about 650,000 in 2010, Chung Eui Sun, Kia CEO, said here today at the plant's groundbreaking.Chung and his father, Hyundai-Kia Group Chairman Chung Mong Koo, lifted shovels of sand to break ground on Kia's first U.S. plant here today. The younger Chung said it has not been determined how many of the plant's 300,000 vehicles a year would be shipped out of the United States.

Kia is just more competition in an overcrowded north American Auto market, this just make it's harder for all the players to make money in the car business.

But then again this is the way it's supposed to to be here, it's a shame the cable , cell phone and oil industries don't have this kind of competition.

J.

Saturn Aura

The new Saturn Aura looks like it may have what it takes to win over some import owners who usually will cast a very critical eye towards any off the domestic brands.
This is probably the best chance Saturn has of reestablishing itself as an alternative to the foreign brands. As usual the Aura seems to come up short in certain areas such as interior quality, though in all fairness most of the Aura's competitors also show some budget cutting to lower the price of the car.
Ive' mentioned elsewhere that some of the things that GM seems to do to tarnish it's image is the constant budget cutting of the interior trim and parts .
I think that this car has a good chance of building good will toward the Saturn brand if it's executed properly and in this case it looks to be true.
2006 is a different world to 1993 when Saturn first debuted, Hyundai is now a major player in the entry level car biz and the Japanese brands are as formidable as always.

But one car can't carry a whole brand. and the Aura is only the beginning of a rejuvenation of the Saturn brand.

Here's to Saturns success.

J.

Review of LS 460

Inside line Reviews the LS 460 and the verdict is.........

The flagship of the fleet should be fashioned from an uncommon and uncompromised
blend of technology and opulence. It should sport elements that distinguish it
from the lesser vessels of the line, instill in its occupants an aura of
invincibility and convey to the driver a lofty level of dynamic excellence,
tempered but not tamed by a lush layer of luxury.Does the 2007 Lexus LS 460,
flagship of Toyota's youthful premium franchise, live up to these criteria? Yes.
Is the LS 460 the equal of such grandees of the high-end game as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series?
After a week in this standard-wheelbase example, our answer is, "Not yet."

It still seems the the automotive press thinks that Lexus can't quite match what the finest from Germany can offer, granted that this can be subjective, automotive writers tastes can very as much as that of movie reviewers, Some journalist prefer the overly aggressive chassis tuning that is the Hallmark of a premium German sedan and are unwilling to accept that the way that Lexus engineers interpret what they believe what a high end luxury sedan should feel like may differ.

In the end this won't really matter, the LS460 will be a success and thousands of buyers will eventually consider Lexus the benchmark by which all Luxury cars should be judged by.

In the end the companies with the most to lose are BMW and Mercedes.

J.

Read more.......

http://http//www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=117189?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*

DETROIT -- Financially troubled supplier Collins & Aikman Corp. halted
shipments to Ford Motor Co.'s Hermosillo, Mexico, assembly plant on Friday, Oct.
13, as part of a long-running pricing dispute.A one-shift interruption caused
Ford to lose about 400 units of its Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ
sedans, according to a story today in the Wall Street Journal.The drastic
measure followed failed efforts by Collins & Aikman to get price increases
on the interiors the company supplies to the vehicle platform, the newspaper
reported.Collins & Aikman spokesman David Youngman confirmed the shipment
interruption but declined to comment on details of the dispute

This whole situation doesn't make Ford look good, it's rare that an Auto supplier refuses to hold shipment, doing this risks a law suit and the possibility of future buisness, as mentioned in the article Collins & Aikman stated that it has been trying to get Ford to agree to a price increase for a while, and Ford seems to be dragging it's feet.

Either way the Dearborn Auto giant dosen't need the interuptions.

J.

New Mercedes Gullwing

Mercedes Benz appears to be working on a successor of the legendary Gull wing sports car.This version looks to be styled along the lines of the McLaren super car of a few years ago with performance to match the cars the cars most likely stratospheric price tag.

Look for the new Gull wing to appear around 2009-2010.

J.

Chrysler Dealer stops orders

Last spring, Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealer Troy Allen of Derry, N.H., came up
with a solution to the soaring inventories and floorplan costs that had been
keeping him awake at night. He stopped buying vehicles altogether from mid-May
to mid-July, the first of a series of Draconian measures Allen took to ensure
the survival of his 34-year-old family-owned dealership. The Chrysler group had
overestimated demand for its new trucks and had built too many. Now it was
pressing Allen to take more from its sales bank of acres of unsold cars. For
years, Allen's dealership sold about 60 new and 25 used vehicles a month. But it
has been a tough ride of late.

This excerpt from automotive news that unfortunately is a subscription only site.

This may be a trend of late as many dealers find themselves in the crossfire of trying to please

district managers while at the same time manage their inventory,In the past as today the solution was simply to offer special deals from the factory and national advertising and hope that the cars would sell, but in the day and age where dealers find themselves with more inventory than they can sell, stopping or delaying new orders until the older stock is sold may become a trend Nationwide for dealers who sometimes feel that they have to take whatever their sent in order to keep the factories running.

J.

New Mugen CRV

Mugen, the after market Tuner that was started by the son of Company Founder Sochiro Honda has developed a performance package for the new CRV that looks worthwhile.

While there's still not alot of info on what the package will have, more can be found on Mugens website.

http://www.mugen-power.com/top.html

New Honda FCX

Even as Honda plows forward with plans to be the first to introduce a
fuel-cell production car, I found myself strangely uninterested in this
alternative-energy vehicle. It seemed like an outdated look into the future,
like finding a back issue of Popular Mechanics that said flying cars would
be the next big thing.

This car looks provides a early look at what may be possible with a Hydrogen fuel cell, Honda seems to be far along in takling the problems associated with this type of car. But It will be awhile before this form of transportation is practicle and affordable to the average consumer..

Joe

http://http://www.edmunds.com/insideline

Kerkorian may have last word with GM

Reuters reports...

DETROIT -- Institutional Shareholder Services, which advises on proxy votes, said today it sees a growing chance that investor Kirk Kerkorian will challenge the board of General Motors in a proxy fight.Kerkorian, who owns a 9.9-percent stake in GM through his investment firm Tracinda Corp. had pushed for a GM tie-up with Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.When GM's board voted this month to walk away from that potential alliance, Kerkorian's financial advisor, Jerry York, resigned from the GM board and Tracinda said it had shelved plans to raise its stake in the automaker to about 12 percent.ISS said the tone of York's resignation letter to the GM board suggested that he was setting the stage for an eventual showdown with management.York criticized GM's now 11-member board for not sufficiently challenging management, saying discussion materials were not sent to directors far enough in advance of meetings and the board had erred in not bringing in its own outside advisors to evaluate the Renault-Nissan deal.GM countered that it had hired Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to assess the potential benefits of the tie-up and that both had concluded that GM would have gained less than its rivals from an alliance.The company has also rejected York's criticism of its board oversight as baseless.ISS said the dispute seemed to foreshadow a proxy fight and suggest that York could now be soliciting support from other institutional investors since he has left the board."One of the first arguments dissidents who run proxy fights make is that the board has failed in its oversight of management," ISS said in a research note. "Mr. York's resignation letter is a roadmap of a potential line of argument Mr. Kerkorian may make to shareholders in the future."It added: "Mr. York is now free to test the waters by meeting with major GM shareholders to discern whether there would be support for such a fight."York has scheduled a speech later this month at an automotive conference organized by brokerage Gabelli & Co.The speech marks the first appearance by the former Chrysler and IBM executive before a group of investors and analysts since a January presentation in Detroit in which he detailed Kerkorian's reform agenda for GM.GM shares have gained about 65 percent since the start of the year as investors reacted to signs of progress in a restructuring, expected to reduce annual costs by $9 billion by the end of the year.

It's must seem like a nightmare to the GM board that this whole situation might not be over
and Kerkorvian might try to force the issue, once again my question here is what's his angle.
This man has plenty of money and has more than his hands full, why he may come back
with a counter move is still unclear.

J.

Dealer consolodation to Begin

In Automotive news...

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. and General Motors want to reduce the number of dealers they have in the United States through consolidation. But they must allow dealers to make up their own minds on whether and how to exit the business, says William Bradshaw, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association.Bradshaw, speaking here at an Automotive Press Association luncheon today, said that so far there is no indication that the automakers are exerting pressure on individual dealers to sell to another dealer or to retire and close their stores."But this consolidation won't happen overnight," said Bradshaw, during and after his luncheon address. "This is a two-, three-, four-, five-year process. They must let each dealer make up their own mind. It's an individual decision. This is not something that should be dictated by auto manufacturers."

So starts the long dance to get the dealership networks to better reflect market share in specific areas of the country, I would be nice to see this happen in a fairly efficient manner, but this won't be the case, with sales suffering at certain Ford & GM dealerships, this will be the chance for some owners to cash out and no doubt some will try to get as much as they can.

J.

New Nissan Skyline on it's way

After getting teased with the GT-R Proto concept vehicle in Tokyo last year, our latest spy photos reveal the 2008 Nissan Skyline GT-R in near production trim. Scheduled for a debut at the 2007 Tokyo auto show, the next-generation Nissan Skyline will be the first version of Nissan's supercar to make its way to the U.S. With as much as 450 horsepower and all-wheel drive, Nissan's high-powered sports car will slot well above the current 350Z.Although Nissan has shown several Skyline concept vehicles, details on the engine and transmission configuration have yet to leak out. Expect a large V6 with displacement bumped up to as much as 3.8 liters and twin turbochargers so the Skyline can compete with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Turbo. Previous Skylines have used manual transmissions only, but there's speculation that this Skyline may use a seven-speed, paddle-shifted gearbox instead. Nissan also considered using rear-wheel drive given recent advancements in traction control technology, but has since settled on a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system

Alonzo Wins Japan

SUZUKA, Japan (Reuters) - World champion Fernando Alonso hailed his surprise Japanese Grand Prix victory as a gift from God on Sunday after an engine failure left Michael Schumacher's Formula One title hopes in tatters.
The penultimate race of a hard-fought season left the Renault driver 10 points clear of his Ferrari foe and needing just one more point to seal the championship for the second year in a row.
After two retirements in the previous four races, in Hungary and in Italy, the Spaniard felt the wheel of fortune had finally turned his way again.



"It was not only Monza where we lose points, I think we had very unlucky moments in Hungary as well and in some other places as well -- China -- so we lost a lot of points in bad luck moments," he told a news conference.
"For sure these 10 points are a little present that God gave to us," he added after his seventh win of the season but first since Canada in June.
Alonso had led last weekend in China only to lose out to Schumacher after he and the team made a wrong tire choice at his first pitstop.
In Monza he was penalized five places to 10th on the starting grid for allegedly impeding Ferrari's Felipe Massa in qualifying and was then sidelined when his engine blew.
The 25-year-old led in Hungary before a wheel nut came loose and pitched him out. Continued...
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

With this win Michael Schumacher effectivly takes himself Out of the running for the championship, regardless Michael will go down as the all time winningest driver in F1

History.

J.

GM slowly returning to health

DETROIT (Reuters) -- After nixing a three-way alliance with Renault-Nissan, the pressure is on General Motors to post quarterly results that deliver on the promise of its go-it-alone turnaround strategy, analysts said today.GM CEO Rick Wagoner on Wednesday, Oct. 4, called GM's progress to date this year "well ahead of what the skeptics thought possible" in explaining the reason for breaking off talks with Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co.Wagoner's buoyant assessment of the automaker's restructuring raised expectations that GM was on track to report a significant improvement in third quarter results later this month."Our read is that GM management probably presented solid, preliminary third quarter results to its board ... and had built enough credibility with its board to make the case for going it alone," Bear Stearns analyst Peter Nesvold said. "In short, a solid third quarter report from GM is likely in store."GM, which lost $10.6 billion last year, reports third-quarter results on Oct 25.The Renault-Nissan deal had been urged by GM's biggest individual shareholder Kirk Kerkorian, who has a 9.9-percent stake in the automaker and whose personal representative Jerry York sits on the board.But GM's board voted unanimously to walk away from the deal this week, fueling speculation that Wagoner had won York over for now with evidence of solid financial gains."One could take this unanimous vote as a signal that GM's board remains committed to the current management team and is likely pleased with recent profit improvements and the company's future prospects," Calyon Securities analyst Joseph Amaturo said in a note to clients.Amaturo sees a number of positives for GM in the second half of the year, including the fact that most of its cost-savings will start to be reflected in the third and fourth quarters."This, coupled with reasonable production volumes and higher average transaction prices in North America, should lead to meaningful year-over-year improvements," said Amaturo, who expects GM to post an operating profit of $1.45 per share in the third quarter.That is well beyond the average analyst estimate of 40 cents per share for the quarter, according to Reuters Estimates .But GM has so far surpassed Wall Street estimates this year by posting operating earnings of $2.30 per share for the first half, excluding charges. That compares to a consensus expectation of just 9 cents per share for the two quarters combined.Since January, GM has quieted critics by quickly executing most of it turnaround goals, including cutting 35,000 factory jobs and selling assets, moves Wagoner credits for helping drive a 70 percent gain in GM stock since the start of the year.GM also surprised investors by raising its cost-cutting target by $1 billion to $6 billion by the end of 2006.The automaker has also yet to realize big benefits from two as-yet unresolved issues surrounding former subsidiary Delphi Corp. and its finance arm, GMAC.Wagoner said on Wednesday that he was focused on completing talks with bankrupt former parts maker Delphi and its unions. But analysts say the threat of a strike at the parts maker, once seen as a major risk to GM, is now relatively low.GM is on track to close the sale of a majority stake in GMAC, a transaction that is expected to bring in about $11 billion to the parent company and lower the cost of GMAC's funding.But some analysts question if GM's momentum can be sustained once steps already taken in its restructuring are fully reflected in results.High material costs and weakening demand for large SUVs and pickups remain a risk for GM, which relies on light trucks for 60 percent of sales.Deutsche Bank analyst Rod Lache said he remains cautious on GM. "That said, we do not anticipate seeing evidence of a negative turn at GM until mid-'07," he said.

Corvette SS in the works

The word floating around the Auto Industry is the Good People at Corvette engineering are working on a new secret Super Corvette,this car that is being to referred to as the Corvette SS is going to bring a new level of performance never seen to Corvette drivers anywhere. While this could change, the cars specs read like something of a racers wish list.

This car is rumoured to have a supercharged engine with a 6.2 litre 650 Horsepower range .

The price range is expected to be around the 100.000 dollar mark, expensive yes, but most likely dirt cheap compared to other cars in the class that will usually cost two to three times as

much money. The name of the car is still apparently being worked on, names like Corvette SS,

Blue devil,Stingray, or Z07 is being toyed with.Hopefully Chevy will pick a name that means something such as Z07 which generally refers to Corvettes that have higher levels of performance over the standard Corvette.

2009 is the year that this super vette is expected to make it's appearance.

J.

New Altima Hybrid

Inside Line reports...

Nissan is late to the party with its hybrid, trailing Toyota and Honda by several years. Carlos Ghosn, who heads both Nissan and Renault, had repeatedly disparaged hybrids' viability as a solution to environmental and fossil-fuel
issues.The company said the '07 Altima Hybrid initially will be sold in states that have adopted California's tough emissions regulations, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as California.

This is a good summary of the Altima Hybrid, it's nice to see Nissan coming to the party even if a few years late, the only question here is why Nissan is licensing Hybrid technology from Toyota Rather than introducing their own. Hybrid powertrains have been around long enough for Nissan to have a mature design of their own.

J.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=117038

Bentley Continental GTC

Bentley's Continental GTC is the kind of car that breaks the stereo type and reaches out to the non' Bentley buyer,it has contemporary lines and the gorgeous cratfmanship that makes cars like this worth every Penney that you pay for it. It also seems to have the power to back up it's good looks and sporting pretensions, though a Ferrari it's not, this is the kind of car that you arrive in, not really drive hard, if that's what you prefer, Porsche has the car for you.

My only real problem with this kind of car is that will attract the kind of buyer who will never explore it's capabilities or even care to understand what it's true underlying nature is all about. Unfortunately this car will end up in the hands of retired old men with more money than sense, or the young wives they marry.

Here are the specs

2007 BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTCOn sale: Sold out price:$196,285 Powertrain: 6.0-liter, 552-hp, 479-lb-ft twin-turbocharged W12; awd, six-speed automatic Curb weight: 5500 lbs 0 to 60 mph: 4.8 seconds (mfr.)Fuel economy (EPA combined): 13.3 mpg (est.)

J.

GM rejects Alliance

DETROIT -- General Motors and Renault-Nissan have ended discussions about a proposed alliance one day after GM directors voted unanimously against the plan. The tally included Jerry York, who represents billionaire GM shareholder Kirk Kerkorian on the GM board. Kerkorian had pressured GM to enter the Renault-Nissan alliance.GM CEO Rick Wagoner said today at a press conference that the parties generally agreed on the benefits of a tie-up and acknowledged that most of those benefits would go to Renault and Nissan. Wagoner added that the parties could not agree on paying GM money to compensate for the imbalance in benefits.“The alliance structure that was proposed was not in the best interest of GM shareholders,” Wagoner said.He added: “We concluded that not using GM funding to invest in Nissan-Renault is a good move at this time.”

This is definitely good news, this alliance would have benefited Nissan and Kirkorian and very little for General Motors, A Ford- GM alliance makes much more sense and would be more balanced. With this behind them,GM can now continue to focus on it's rebuilding.

J

Volvo S80 Review

Sexiness, safety and evolution are the axis of the 2007 Volvo S80 sedan.At first glance the all-new Volvo S80 looks identical to the model it replaces. The overall length stays the same, but the wheelbase is a bit longer, the track a bit wider, and it is a little more than 1 inch taller. The subtle changes in dimensions and in sheet metal give Volvo's 2007 S80 a much more aggressive stance. Coupled with new and more potent engines, Volvo continues to roll sex appeal into its models.
Volvo continues to roll out cars that now appeal to those seeking safety
and sex appeal, This is somewhat confusing for me, I never thought the day would come when I found a Volvo sensible and appealing.
J.
Find out more....

Toyota sales up

It was the best September ever for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. -- good for the Toyota, Scion and Lexus brands, good for cars and trucks.The Japanese automaker’s U.S. sales soared 25 percent in September from a year ago to 222,950 vehicles. Toyota’s U.S. sales for the month still trailed those of General Motors and Ford Motor Co.Among the other top six automakers, Ford Motor’s U.S. sales rose in September while GM, DaimlerChrysler, American Honda Motor Co. and Nissan North America Inc. posted declines.The sales comparisons in September for the domestic makes of Ford, GM and the Chrysler group are being made against a slow September 2005, when dealer inventories were depleted and shoppers were scarce after a summer of employee pricing deals.Overall, U.S. auto sales in September were up 2.0 percent from a year ago to 1,355,929 vehicles. But for the year to date, U.S. auto sales were down 3.7 percent from the same period last year to 12,712,159.GM held a 24.6 percent market share in September, down from 25.9 percent a year ago. Ford Motor’s share for the month was 17.5 percent, up from 17.1 percent last year, and Toyota Motor Sales’ share was 16.4 percent, up from 13.4 percent in September 2005.
It's good to see the domestic Auto builders with numbers that are trending upword, but it's hard to ignore the fact that Toyota is now breathing down Ford's back and will most likely overtake them in market share in the future..who would have thought.
J.

New Rolls on it's way

Autoweek has the latest info on the new upcoming baby Rolls Royce yet to be named, the only information given is that the car will be available sometime in 2010 and will come in below the 330.000 list of Rolls Royce's big boy Silver spoon, it will obviously be hand built and have the finest options that money can buy.
J.

Acura MDX quick Glance

2007 ACURA MDX
ON SALE: Oct. 17
BASE PRICE: $40,665
POWERTRAIN: 3.7-liter, 300-hp, 275-lb-ft V6; awd, five-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 4541 pounds
0 TO 60 MPH: 7.5 seconds (est.)
FUEL MILEAGE (EPA COMBINED): 18.9 mpg

How smart is it to introduce a sport/utility vehicle right now? Gas prices are unstable (yes, they’re dropping, but who knows how long that will last?), and pickup and SUV sales are beginning to show signs of shrinking. Yet here we have an all-new Acura MDX, and the good news for MDX lovers is that it’s a huge improvement over the outgoing model.
Acura’s seven-passenger MDX has always been a strong player in what could be termed the medium premium market (Volkswagen Touareg, Volvo XC90, Lexus RX and the like). Acura, going against conventional wisdom, figures the category will grow 26 percent in the next five years and aims to be ready.
The new MDX is a handsome devil, with crisper sheetmetal. It is 2.2 inches longer and 2.4 inches wider than the old one. Acura officials said they were going for a sportier-looking—and driving—MDX.

Acura is following a proven formula of providing a product with a high level of quality-content and fit and finish at a lower price than it's competitors, with the the first generation MDX, Acura seemed to be testing the waters, once they became established, they choose a target, aim and shoot. In this case their target is BMW, and Acura seems poised to make a dent in the sales numbers of BMW's X5.

J.

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