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GM's LaNeve: "We are completely behind Saturn"It sounds as if it's about time to get Bob Lutz some face-time with Mark LaNeve, 'cause the two men are trumpeting vastly different statements regarding the future of The General's interstellar brand. Recall that Lutz was recently quoted as saying, "It's really much better to have fewer brands, do it well and then market the hell out of them." This statement was directed squarely at the Saturn Aura, which is selling in much lower quantities than its platform-mate, the Chevy Malibu. Much of the blame can be attributed to the fact that these two vehicles are fighting for the exact same customers, yet only the Malibu gets the big ad bucks for promotion, which is probably as it should be considering that the Malibu is GM's best and most recent midsize sedan. So, what to do with Saturn in these troubled times of belt-tightening? Ditch the brand entirely? Not so fast, counters LaNeve, who recently told dealers that, "We are completely behind Saturn." Hopefully, being "behind" the brand means cutting the number of models it sells and reducing that internal competition between rival GM brands while still keeping the Saturn name alive with new and exciting – not to mention well marketed – products. Sounds easy, right?

posted : 12/24/2008 @9:15:56 PM
Jim Press says Chrysler could be America's Benz, BMW

What American automaker best matches up with the uber-machines from the Germans? Lincoln... no, probably not. Cadillac? Getting warmer. How 'bout Chrysler, asks ChryCo. co-Prez Jim Press. After a quick review of Chrysler's current line-up, we're not really buying the comparison; but it's fun to dream, so we'll bite. The Sebring is roughly the size of the C-Class and 3 Series, but it's driving the wrong wheels to go head-to-head with BMW and Mercedes-Benz, so that would need a complete rework, to say the least. The 300C is a very nice car with an appropriate engine up front, rear-wheel drive and a relatively attractive price compared to the Germans. That could work, but it's clear that Chrysler would need to pump lots more money into the car to keep it up to date with it's competition from Germany. Minivans don't equate very well to any Germanic rivals, especially since the R-Class from MB has been a major disappointment. One possible area that Chrysler has over its supposed competition is trucks. The new '09 Ram may be a major step up from its predecessor, but we're not so sure we're ready to call it the Mercedes-Benz of pickups, which is pretty much how Press says he sees it. We're all for the idea of an American competitor for Mercedes and BMW, and we'd love to see the Pentastar emerge from its financial problems a leaner, more focused manufacturer. Still, we wonder if Chrysler should set its sights on cross-town rival Cadillac before jumping all the way to Germany.
posted : 12/23/2008 @9:06:41 PM

With GM on the brink, what will happen to the Corvette?

Some Corvette fans and avid forum members over at GM Inside News have already asked the unfathomable question of what automaker should take over the reigns of America's longest-running sports car if its parent company were to lose custody. Their answer, rather shockingly, was Toyota. We sure hope it doesn't come to that. Still, tough questions deserve thoughtful answers, and Motor Trend is asking away. Even if The General survives, what does the future hold for Team Corvette, which has seen its ranks diminished in the past few weeks with the loss of key players including Vehicle Line Executive Tom Wallace and John Heinricy, test-driver extraordinaire and director of the performance division?

With such important personalities retiring from the 'Vette project, one might wonder if GM's iconic performance car will lose out on planned development. That seems like a real possibility, but we need to realize that R&D funds may be better spent keeping the leaky company afloat, something that the Corvette isn't a major part of. At least there's an excellent, proven platform for the new team to build from.

posted : 11/30/2008 @7:45:11 PM
Aston Martin to move further upmarket?

Such is the logic of luxury economics: charge tens of thousands of dollars more for the same product, sell fewer of them and boost the balance sheet and your brand's long-term viability. That is what Aston Martin's considering for the next phase of its business plan, which runs from roughly 2011 to 2019 and will see the launch of DB9 and Vantage successors, the Rapide, and the renewed Lagonda brand. The Vantage and DB9 are big sellers for Aston, but the company might be unsure of how to sustain the momentum. One option is to move the price of the $113,000 Vantage closer to the $171,000 DB9, and move that latter car closer to the $265,000 DBS, sell fewer of them but make more money. The DB9 does strike us as a (relative) bargain – it's cheaper than a Bentley GT -- but pricing the Vantage closer to the DB9 would seem to wreck its business case as a 911 fighter. Another option could be to replace the Vantage or DB9 with a mid-engined sports car, which could be drool-worthy and well worth the price bump... but perhaps un-Aston-like. AutoWeek also appears to report that the One-77 isn't sold out, writing "Although Aston has said that it would make a maximum of 77 cars, insiders privately say the market is closer to 25." We don't know how that could be, unless a bunch of the 100 people who applied to buy the car were just kidding...
posted : 10/22/2008 @10:43:19 PM
Automotive News speculates on the future of FerrariIs Ferrari recession proof? It sure looks that way for now as Automotive News takes a look at what the Italian supercar brand has in store for the next few years. To date, the order books seem to be holding steady in spite of the turmoil in the financial markets, but whether that situation remains six months from now remains to be seen. In the meantime, the prancing horse brand is pressing ahead with a new generation of cars over the next five years. In spite of the high prices paid for Ferraris and the huge performance they deliver, even they are not totally immune to the realities of the world around them. New models will incorporate some fuel saving and performance enhancing technology beginning with the California. The replacement for the F430 will pick up the direct injection system and dual clutch gearbox while also losing some weight. Lighter weight construction will also spread to the rest of the lineup including the next limited production model that succeeds the Enzo. The new California will start appearing in European customer hands in the next couple of months with Americans can get their turn next June. The V12 599 Fiorano will get a retractable hard-top in 2012 while the 612 Scaglietti gets a full redesign a year earlier.
posted : 10/18/2008 @7:32:37 PM
Maserati could add a small sedan, wagon is a no-go

Maserati is on a bit of a tear, and if things keep going its way, the Trident will turn that into a full-on ripper. The Gran Turismo S and Quattroporte S have secured the right kind of buzz, a Gran Turismo convertible – said to feature a cloth top, not a folding steel unit – is on the way, and there's always that Gran Turismo MC Corse Concept to hope for. If additional models get to wear the badge, they will come via Alfa. Fiat underlings Maser and Alfa have pledged to share technologies, so if Alfa picks up a RWD platform from someone else, that's an opportunity for Maserati to create a small sedan and coupe to fit underneath the GT and the Quattroporte. What Maserati will definitely not be creating, however, is a wagon: the Kuban GT has been taken off the menu. You'll hear no complaints from us about that, for while there can't be too many Maseratis, there can certainly be the wrong kind of Maserati.
posted : 10/13/2008 @10:31:11 PM
Rumormill: BMW 8 Series on the way, no M-version planned

With their scopes aimed squarely at the upcoming Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz CLS, BMW's M performance division is rumored to be working on their own four-door luxury GT for a 2010 launch. With its styling based heavily on the BMW Concept CS (pictured above), the platform for the new flagship will be shared with the new 7 Series. Under the hood, most expect to see a 6.0-liter V12 based on the current M5's V10, or a twin-turbocharged V8 like the one rumored for the next-gen M5. Even though both of those engines promise prodigious amounts of power, and the lightened chassis will be tuned for performance, BMW insists the new car will not be badged an M8. Regardless, we seem to recall that the lack of an M badge on the mid-90's BMW 850CSi didn't seem to deter enthusiasts.
posted : 9/16/2008 @6:53:18 AM
Futuremark designs new concept dash for Audi

This is the kind of computerized world we can get behind -- not the kind that drives for you whether you like it or not, but the one that allows you to do your human thing even better. Futuremark has created a concept instrument and dash cluster for Audi that is rendered entirely in 3D graphics. In the Nissan GT-R, you can change the center console screen to show or highlight the gauges you want. With Futuremark's dashboard, you can create any kind of dashboard layout, color scheme, gauge look... you name it... that you want. Using its Open GL ES engine (that's Open Graphics Library for Embedded Systems) for the API (that's Application Program Interface), Futuremark wants to show what's coming -- or at least, what's possible -- for in-car information and entertainment systems. We're not really worried about the acronyms; as far as we're concerned, we're talking about the tweakability of video games brought to life in hot cars. Amen to that. The system will be on display at the NVISION in San Jose.
posted : 9/14/2008 @4:04:57 AM
C&D dreams up future Mustangs they haven't made yet

We hear it from the peanut gallery every time we post about another new Mustang variation. It doesn't matter if the car comes from a small niche manufacturer, SALEEN, ROUSH or even Ford itself – people have gotten sick of Mustang mania. CARandDRIVER.com decided that beyond the Bullit, Warriors in Pink, Black Jack, Parnelli Jones and Dan Gurney Special Editions, as well as various examples from Hertz, there are a few more Mustang models that have yet to be explored. According to C&D, the market's ripe for a return of the four-cylinder Mustang, and there are plenty of other worthy causes around which you could market a Mustang besides breast cancer. Plus, if KITT could go from being a Trans Am to a Mustang, why can't Smokey's famous winged muscle car do the same? If you couldn't tell by now, the C&D folk are just exercising their funny bone here.
posted : 9/2/2008 @3:19:00 AM
Report: In 2020, all cars will be hybrids, Toyota think so too

In the future, we'll eat all our meals from toothpaste tubes, everyone will be beautiful and healthy, and we won't need cars, what with the proliferation of nuclear-powered jet packs. Prediction is such thorny business, though Toyota isn't making such a fantastical claim by suggesting that each of its vehicles will have a hybrid option available by 2020. Wired's blog seems to agree that by 2020, hybrids will have proliferated like rabbits, and we'll be awash in electron propulsion systems.We still feel a little cheated that eight years into the 21st century, we still don't have all those things promised to us fifty years ago, but at least automakers are hard at work pushing alternative systems toward viability. Justin Ward, a manager at the Toyota Technical Center overseeing advanced powertrain programs, told a Management Briefing Seminar in Traverse city that work continues on fuel cells to overcome challenges like climate extremes and range. Battery technology, too, will continue to advance, making the current Hybrid Synergy Drive even more efficient. Toyota is still holding off on diesels, and plug-ins present some issues when you consider where that electricity is generated, so it's looking like Toyota will continue to develop its fuel cell technology for the long term and bolster its hybrid offerings in the near future.
posted : 9/1/2008 @6:11:24 PM
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