November 20, 2008
Not only are Detroit automakers having problems; so are the import brands. In fact, ports of entry are now becoming large parking lots, as dealers are desperately trying to unload what they have on their lots. As a result, import vehicles are not being shipped to dealers once they've been unloaded from the ship that brought them here.
Kurt Golledge, was one of just two truckers loading his vehicle hauler with cars last week. Golledge said eight of his buddies were laid off this month because Toyota dealers did not want more deliveries.
"I was dropping cars in Henderson, Nev., about a month ago and the dealer told me: 'Take 'em somewhere else and dump 'em,' " said Golledge, who works for a company called Allied Systems. "All the dealers are telling us the same thing."
Full story here.
Image: Jamie Rector for The New York Times
- Permalink | Comments (2)
- Posted by: Bob Holland November 20, 2008, 6:17 AM
- Categories: Auto Industry
There's been a lot of "Fire the Bastards!" talk from a number of pundits and the media over the last few days, this in regard to the current domestic auto leadership. Rick Wagoner GM's CEO, said if this were to be part of the preconditions for GM getting financial aid, that he would consider it.
"I'll always do what's right for the company," Wagoner said Wednesday in a TV interview. "But even more critical during a difficult time period is having the best possible management team. We have a good team at GM. That's not what I would recommend."
Full story here.
- Permalink | Comments (2)
-
- Posted by: Bob Holland November 20, 2008, 6:03 AM
- Categories: Auto Industry, General Motors
Want to see the future of the automobile industry worldwide? Check out the multitude of news from the LA Auto Show on the West Coast, comprehensively reported here on Straightline.
Want to see the future of the Detroit Big Three? You gotta go to Washington, D.C. where the politicians, lobbyists and other snake oil salesmen are desperately trying to figure out a way to "bailout" Detroit's Big Three.
I posted a big Special Edition yesterday. There were so many updates to that post yesterday, however, that it seems wise to post a second Special Edition to cover the updates likely to flood in today.
So, let's start with the Auto Prophet who surveys the political landscape that provides the context for the bailout debate. You might want to skip this one if ... you ....are a Republican. Related posts from AP here, here, here, here and here. Whew, this guy is good!
Over at The Weekly Standard Blog, you will find a dclaration that it's over for Detroit. In fact, it was over the minute Wagoner, Mulally and Nardelli stepped onboard their corporate jets to fly to DC.
The CarGurus Blog is thinking band-aid.
Meanwhile, brevity remains the soul of wit for Cars! Cars! Cars! when it comes to the bailout, but check out the reader comments.
And GM Fastlane is happy with some reporting yesterday by the hometown newspaper.
Some very revealing data here.
More,much more probably, to come today as the debate progresses here in your nation's capital.
- Permalink | Comments (1)
-
- Posted by: Mark Tapscott November 20, 2008, 5:18 AM
- Categories:
Okay, this event is planned for next summer. If, however, you have a microcar, and are planning to drive it there you may want to start packing, as it may take you that long to get there.
From the web site:
Local microcar collectors and owner/curators of the Small Wonders Micro Car Museum, Ken & Sylvia Weger, along with three other couples, will be hosting the MICRO/MINI CAR WORLD MEET in downtown Crystal Lake at the University Center, located at 100 S. Main Street, on August 21-22, 2010. This is the same group that successfully organized the National Micro/Mini Car meet in 2006, drawing 300 cars and thousands of spectators, making it the biggest National Mini/Micro car event to date.
This will be the first ever WORLD MEET of its kind. Microcar and Minicar owners and their cars, will gather from all over the world to share their enthusiasm for these small wonders. The Weger's are expecting over 500 Micro and Mini cars. Those cars under 500cc are considered to be "Microcars", and those between 500-1500cc are considered "Minicars". Many marques are expected to fill the lush lawns surrounding the University Center. Vendors will provide food and beverages. Alongside the car show, workshops and classes/seminars are being planned.
More info can be found here.
- Permalink | Comments (0)
-
- Posted by: Bob Holland November 20, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories: Classic Cars
Stopped over at Hemmings.com (here) to see what they're up to these days. As you know, that's a site that lives in the automotive past--but in a good way. Much of what they write about pertains to vehicle brands that no longer exist, many of which used to be part of the American automotive landscape: Studebaker, Plymouth, Henry J, Packard, Kaiser, Pierce Arrow, Cord, Willys; the list is almost endless.
So it was interesting to see a blog entry there on the current situation with Domestic Motors. While no new insight was shed on the topic, their concern is that what is currently being produced here in the Heartland just might join that list in the preceding paragraph.
- Permalink | Comments (0)
-
- Posted by: Bob Holland November 20, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories: Auto Industry, Classic Cars
November 19, 2008
Today's press conference for the 2009 Bentley Azure T at the LA Convention Center was like no other we've ever heard from a top-end manufacturer. With no warmup, Stuart McCullough, member of the board for sales and marketing, started in:
"We expect the year-over-year decline to continue. Every company is affected and Bentley is no exception. We've moved swiftly to adjust production."
After the conference, we asked McCullough to elaborate: "Right now I think worldwide we're probably anticipating a similar level of fall for 2009 with the market not bottoming out until at least 2010," he offered.
"It's new model introductions that are driving what little growth there is to be had at the top of the luxury car segment."
The Brooklands has been a help for Bentley in this regard, he said, and the company is hoping for the same from the 2009 Azure T, a higher-performance version of the company's classic four-place convertible. Bentley decided to unveil the Azure T in LA, said McCullough, as California typically accounts for about 10 percent of worldwide Azure sales.
As we reported in an earlier news story, the 2009 Bentley Azure T should be suitably frightening to drive, despite the fact that it's still a big, old, heavy, old-money convertible at heart. Twin turbos help its 6.75-liter V8 deliver 500 hp at 4,200 rpm and 738 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm. A 5.2-second 0-to-60-mph estimate might sound tame, but hitting the 179-mph top speed in this yacht would undoubtedly be memorable.
The Azure T's cross-drilled brake rotors are appropriately enormous (16.5 inches across up front, 14 in back). Its 20-inch two-piece wheels are wrapped in 255/40ZR20 Pirelli PZeros -- a little on the skinny side for such a powerful car, but big, sloppy burnouts are what you want in an Azure T, not outright grip.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor
- Permalink | Comments (0)
-
- Posted by: Erin Riches November 19, 2008, 11:45 PM
- Categories: Bentley, Convertibles, LA Auto Show, Luxury Cars
We didn't learn much about the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series at today's press conference that we didn't' know already. There will be only 175 of them shipped to the U.S., it gives new meaning to the term "fender flares" and we'll never, ever be able to afford it. Mercedes-Benz helped us out on the last part by announcing the official base price of the SL 65 AMG Black Series: $299,000.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor
- Permalink | Comments (0)
-
- Posted by: Ed Hellwig November 19, 2008, 10:46 PM
- Categories: Coupes, LA Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz, Sports Cars
After last night's official introduction of the 2010 Ford Mustang, we were less than impressed. Except for a few obvious design changes, it looked too much like the current model. Judging by the number of emails we received on the subject, there's plenty of disagreement.
With that in mind, we sent our photographer out to capture a few more angles of the new 2010 Mustang. There are various colors, bodystyles and trim levels represented here, so if you can't make up your mind with this set of pictures, you probably never will. Still, the question remains: Is the 2010 Ford Mustang different enough to be called "all new", or is nothing more than an overhyped minor facelift?
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor
- Permalink | Comments (6)
-
- Posted by: Ed Hellwig November 19, 2008, 10:04 PM
- Categories: Convertibles, Coupes, Ford, LA Auto Show
Before and after the wraps were removed from Volkswagen's SCORE Baja 1000 Trophy Truck, the diesel-powered Touareg you'll soon be able to buy sat unloved right next door.
The 2009 Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI, as they're calling it, will reportedly be available as early as January 2009. Some dealers have already received order guides listing the starting price at $43,490, including destination charges. That's about $3,500 more than the 3.6-liter gasoline V6.
No one at the show could confirm whether or not the 19-inch wheels and tires on the display car would be standard on the TDI, but if they are, the effective price difference shrinks by $1,200 -- the cost of that option on the 3.6-liter V6 gasoline model.
Continue reading...
- Permalink | Comments (1)
-
- Posted by: Dan Edmunds November 19, 2008, 5:33 PM
- Categories: Car Tech, Diesels, LA Auto Show, SUVs, Volkswagen
Sometime in the spring of 2009, the beloved Lexus RX 400h will become the 2010 Lexus RX 450h. Like the 2010 RX 350, the hybrid RX is redesigned (though the basic platform architecture carries over).
Key to its new name is the installation of Toyota's 3.5-liter V6. As this is a hybrid application, the V6 is running on the Atkinson cycle (whereby the intake valves remain open during part of the compression stroke). The cumulative output of the 3.5-liter V6 and the RX's front-drive electric motor is 295 horsepower -- up from 268 on the RX 400h.
However, the hybrid RX has put on some weight, so it probably won't be any quicker than its predecessor. "We prioritized mpg, so we didn't push for a much lower 0-60-mph time," said Ben Mitchell, a product planner for the Lexus RX.
Fuel economy is up by 8 percent, says Lexus. Considering that the 2009 RX 400h has a combined EPA rating of 25.1 mpg, that translates to 27.1 mpg.
Otherwise, the news on the 2010 Lexus RX 450h is in-cabin technology. In addition to the new hard-drive-based navigation system with Remote Touch controller, the RX picks up nav traffic, nav weather, iPod integration and a sideview monitor. Of course, Mark Levinson is still around, too. The airbag count is up to 10, as both the driver and front passenger now get knee bags.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor
- Permalink | Comments (4)
-
- Posted by: Erin Riches November 19, 2008, 5:30 PM
- Categories: Hybrids, LA Auto Show, Lexus, SUVs
Audi, which presumably didn't have any crucial product news to discuss today, proudly announced that despite the current state of the world economy, its global sales were up 7 percent in October and that November is looking promising. In fact, the company says it will sell 1 million cars this year. Nothing like a little corporate back patting at an event where many companies are lucky to even attend.
Presenters went on to tout the benefits of Audi's clean diesel engines and its commitment to using this technology in lieu of electric or hybrid-powered cars and trucks. We also heard all about the Audi Mileage Marathon in which journalists drove a fleet of TDI-powered cars and SUVs from New York to Los Angeles in a grossly consumptive effort to promote diesel power.
Audi claims its diesel engines, as a whole, consume 30 percent less fuel than gasoline engines of equal power. This claim is supported by the fact that on the Mileage Marathon the Audi Q7 TDI produced an impressive 33.1 mile per gallon peak.
Diesels might not be as popular with the green crowd as hybrids and electrics, but there are two simple, undeniable facts about diesel fuel which can't be ignored: (1) It doesn't pass the power-producing buck down to coal or nuclear power and (2) the infrastructure to deliver the fuel already exists.
Josh Jacquot, Senior Road Test Editor
- Permalink | Comments (0)
-
- Posted by: Dark Helmet November 19, 2008, 5:13 PM
- Categories: LA Auto Show
"Find the gearshift by starlight," Nissan said as the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible's retractable hardtop opened to the L.A. Convention Center's, uh, starry, starry rafters.
The new G convertible gets 325 horsepower from its 3.7-liter V6, mated to a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission.
Full pricing has not yet been announced, but the limited-run G37 Convertible Premier Edition sold exclusively through Bloomingdale's annual holiday catalog is priced just under $60,000.
Infiniti's first convertible in nearly two decades goes on sale next spring. -- Kelly Toepke, News Editor
- Permalink | Comments (1)
-
- Posted by: Kelly Toepke November 19, 2008, 4:59 PM
- Categories: Infiniti, LA Auto Show
Los Angeles was the North American debut of the Hyundai HED-5 i-Mode, the weirdly named concept powered by Hyundai's new 2.0-liter Theta GDI turbocharged four-cylinder. The HED-5 is a three-row, six-passenger crossover concept that foreshadows a near-future production version. I saw what looked to be some of the production test mules under camouflage at Hyundai-Kia's Namyang proving grounds on my Kia Soul journey to South Korea. If that was indeed the production version, they looked a lot larger than this concept version, which seems to be smaller than a Dodge Journey. -- James Riswick, Automotive Editor
- Permalink | Comments (0)
-
- Posted by: JRiz November 19, 2008, 4:36 PM
- Categories: Hyundai, LA Auto Show
With the Internet bursting with ugly tales of GT-R launch control abuse, broken transaxles and void warranties, a nasty rumor began; that the 2010 Nissan GT-R won't have launch control.
Could it be? Really?
So we asked and asked and asked. We asked three Nissan employees: one from the public relations department, one from engineering and one high-ranking executive. The first two confirmed its removal was being considered seriously, but the decision had not yet been made. Then the high-ranking executive confirmed the bad news.
"It's gone," he said when asked if launch control would return in 2010. "We just don't want to deal with the warranty nightmare anymore. It'll make the 2009 GT-R really special. It'll be the only R35 with launch control." -- Kelly Toepke, News Editor
- Permalink | Comments (9)
-
- Posted by: Kelly Toepke November 19, 2008, 4:33 PM
- Categories: LA Auto Show, Nissan
They usually give cool stuff away at auto shows, although this year there has understandably been a notable swag drop. However, today's His and Hers Swag of the Day Awards go to Mazda and Ford.
On the left is the Sprinkles cupcake Mazda gave away for the Mazda 3 debut. Being the generous guy I am, I brought it back to the media room. Here's how the scene went.
"If there's one thing I've learned over the years is that girls love cupcakes."
Upon which Erin Riches and Kelly Toepke perked up as I placed the boxed chocolate red velvet cupcake with white icing in between them. Despite Erin's initial attempts to avoid confirming my stereotype, she quickly ran off to get a knife. I've rarely seen Miss Riches so happy. Apparently it was delicious.
(As I wrote this, automotive editor Laura Burstein received a text message and exclaimed "Wait, Mazda gave away Sprinkles cupcakes!?!" She's no longer here.)
Not to be outdone, Ford gave away a Hot Wheels model of its redesigned 2010 Ford Mustang. I kept this one for myself. I've rarely been so happy at an auto show. This should up the model car count on my desk to 13. For Ford, that's 99 cents well spent -- I will, of course, never say a bad thing about them. -- James Riswick, Automotive Editor
- Permalink | Comments (4)
-
- Posted by: JRiz November 19, 2008, 4:28 PM
- Categories: LA Auto Show
Next Page »
