November 19, 2008
While originally developed for the military, this honeycomb tire could be the future, in that you would never need to have a spare. Yeah, they would have to put some sort of 'skin' on the sidewalls so that the honeycombs don't clog up with mud or snow--a huge issue if you go off-roading. Also wind noise and aero-efficiency are likely to be problems with such a tire as it currently is shown.
This tire was developed because the military wants an alternative to the current Humvee "run flat" tires. The current run-flats, despite the name, still need some air pressure, and can blown out via gun fire.
"You see reports all the time of troops who were injured by an IED or their convoys got stranded because their tires were shot out," said Resilient's General Manager Mike Veih. "There's all sorts of armor on the vehicle, but if you're running in the theater and get your tire shot out, what have you got? You've got a bunch of armor in the middle of a field."
The tire was developed by Resilient Technologies and Wisconsin-Madison's Polymer Engineering Center. They studied other airless tires, like the Michelin "Tweel," but in the end settled on this design. The patent-pending design mimics the precise, six-sided cell pattern found in a honeycomb and best duplicates the "ride feel" of pneumatic tires, according to the developers.
"The goal was to reduce the variation in the stiffness of the tire, to make it transmit loads uniformly and become more homogenous," said mechanical engineering professor Tim Osswald. "And the best design, as nature gives it to us, is really the honeycomb."
Full story here.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 19, 2008, 5:29 AM
- Categories: Car Tech, HUMMER
This had been long rumored, and it now appears to be true. Expect better fuel mileage and a higher torque capacity than what is available with the current Subie automatics.
I'm happy to hear about both these improvements. The main reason that the new Subaru diesel only comes with a manual is because they currently don't have an automatic that can handle the torque of that engine; and if they want to sell it here in great numbers, an automatic has to be part of the plan. So this is good news indeed.
This new CVT will first appear in the Legacy (and Outback), and then will trickle down into the Forester and Impreza lineups. Hope to see something at one of the upcoming auto shows.
Full story here at NASIOC.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 19, 2008, 4:57 AM
- Categories: Subaru
No, GM is not buying into Subaru (again). But there is an interesting story found over on Jalopnik (here) via TurboNines.com (here) and TrollhattanSaab.com (here), about GM filing patents for a Tribeca-based Saab 9-6X.
Huh? GM-Saab divorced themselves from Subaru several years ago. What's going on here?
Don't know exactly, but it sure makes for some interesting speculating--and is a refreshing break from the never-ending doom-and-gloom news coming from Detroit these days.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 19, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories: General Motors, SUVs, Saab, Subaru
The 2009 Silverado Hybrid 2WD starts at $38,995, including a $975 destination charge, while the 2009 Sierra Hybrid 2WD starts at $39,365, including shipping.
Four-wheel-drive versions of the hybrid trucks are even more dear. The 2009 Silverado Hybrid 4WD ranges in price from $42,145 for the base model to $48,280 for the top trim level model. Prices include destination.
The 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid 4WD ranges in price from $42,515 to $48,650 for the up-level model. Prices include destination.
Think the General can pull his off? That's bunch of money--especially in this economy from a company in trouble.
Here's Inside Line's take: GM Announces Pricing on 2009 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrids
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 19, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories: Chevrolet, GMC, General Motors, Trucks
November 18, 2008
After weeks of annoyingly frequent teaser shots, we finally got a chance to see the 2010 Ford Mustang first hand. It was introduced at an event here in Santa Monica that included a little drifting, a who's who of Ford racing legends and of course, ol' Shel himself.
It was a good show, but when all the fanfare was over and we got a closer look at the 2010 Mustang, it wasn't all that impressive. Ford says that nearly all the exterior sheetmetal is new, but you would be hard pressed to spot the differences. Most of the interior has been revamped too, but again, it only looks better if you're intimately familiar with the current cabin.
Who knows, maybe it will look that much better on the road. We'll know early next year as it's scheduled to go on sale just in time to do battle with the Chevrolet Camaro.
Oh, and one more thing, Ford executive Mark Fields said to keep an eye out for more Mustang news at the Detroit Auto Show in January. So yeah, it's not even on sale yet and Ford is already rolling out the derivatives.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig November 18, 2008, 9:52 PM
- Categories: Ford, LA Auto Show
Though the official 2008 LA Auto Show unveiling happens tomorrow at the convention center, 100-odd journalists from the U.S. and Europe had a meet-and-greet with the Mini E today on the 2nd floor rooftop of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. We're told a crane was used to hoist the show car up here. Probably, it was a rather sturdy crane, too, as the Mini E is a fatty at 3,229 pounds -- a normal Mini Cooper S lists at under 2,700 pounds.
As we reported in the IL news today, Mini will lease the car to real-live customers in early 2009. The 450 lessees will get to keep the car for 12 months, paying $850 per month. That figure has nothing to do with the actual cost of the car, which packs 5,088 laptop-grade, lithium-ion cells (housed in 48 modules and packed into 3 storage boxes in the hatch area). That monthly payment includes all service visits (every 3,000 miles), insurance and the installation of a 220-volt box in the customer's home -- allowing 2-to-3-hour recharges of the 35-kilowatt-hour battery pack.
The lessee selection process promises much competition and disappointment, as the Mini Es will be doled out to both businesses and private individuals and only to those living in greater Los Angeles and the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area.
Mini officials are keen to emphasize that this is merely a field trial -- and that putting electric drive components in a Mini is a marriage of convenience, rather than an idealized packaging scenario. All drivetrain components (201-hp electric motor, batteries) are sourced from California-based AC Propulsion and then shipped to Munich, where they are installed in a Mini Cooper shipped from Oxford.
"A conversion is always a bad compromise," one BMW engineer told us. "The ideal architecture would be purpose-built. If I had the chance to build an electric car from scratch, to create a car with some performance, I would go for rear-axle-drive."
Later, we got a chance to drive the Mini E. We'll tell you all about it in an upcoming first drive.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor
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- Posted by: Erin Riches November 18, 2008, 7:50 PM
- Categories: Green Tech, LA Auto Show, MINI
Congress has returned for a post-election lame duck session and topping its agenda is whether to approve a tax-paid bailout of the Big Three automakers in Detroit. Leading the charge for the $25 billion proposal is GM's Rick Wagoner.
But there are lots of pros and cons on the proposed bailout, which if approved would essentially give GM, Ford and Chrysler a $25 billion infusion of operating cash, along with some degree of strings, depending upon what Congress approves. Approval is not guaranteed.
Straightline readers are taxpayers and serious auto enthusiasts, so your opinions ought to count heavily in the public debate on this issue. What follows are links to respected sources presenting both sides of the debate, plus links to the latest in commentary from the automotive side of the Blogosphere.
For the Bailout: Center for American Progress
This liberal think tank in Washington, D.C. favors the bailout but with strings, and presents its case in an excellent and comprehensive post on its blog, The Progress Report.
Among its major points in favor of the bailout, CAP links to a piece in The New Republic that argues the Chapter 11 alternative favored by many bailout opponents would be quickly followed by Chapter 7 liquidation,which would be an economic calamity for the nation.
Against the Bailout: The Heritage Foundation
This conservative think tank has published multiple articles and analyses in recent days, including "Questions Congress must ask the automakers,"
and "The Detroit Bailout: Unsafe at any Cost."
Among its major points against a tax-paid bailout, Heritage argues that the automakers failed to challenge excessive compensation demands by the UAW, with a result that Detroit's business model cannot compete with lower cost producers in Japan and South Korea.
Lots of excellent coverage at The Truth About Cars, including this report from Bertel Shmitt that Chinese companies are, with encouragement from the central government,making plans to buy GM and Chrysler.
Also at TTAC is essential reading - "Man Up" by Ken Elias who explains what GM should do if it hopes to be credible in the current debate.
Elsewhere on Edmunds.com, Phillip Reid cannot stand the thought of a world without Chevy, Buick, Caddy, etc.
Former GM manager Lori Roman comes from a family that has been seeped in GM jobs for generations, but she says a bailout is the wrong way to fix the Big Three. And Eric Peters, a journalist who has covered the auto industry for more than a decade, is less than enthusiastic about a bailout.
Finally, if you haven't yet read Peter DiLorenzo at AUTOEXTREMIST on this issue, go here. He is passionately in favor of a bailout and isn't bashful about expressing his opinion about those who oppose the idea.
I hope these links help folks sort out their own views on this issue, the resolution of which - whether this week in the lame duck Congress or after Barack Obama is inaugurated Jan. 20, 2009 and a new Congress comes to the nation's capital - could change the face of the auto industry around the world forever. I'll update this post with more links as they become available.
UPDATE: A Payne-ful Look at Bailout
Long-time Detroit journalist Henry Payne has a thoughtful piece on NRO that reminds of a possible middle way between tax-paid bailout and private sector bankruptcy, public receivership.
And at Seeking Alpha, Andrew Snyder sees in GM a mobile home with a "monstrously obese woman clinging to a bucket of fried chicken inside." But he loves GM, really, he does.
Suzanne Denbow at Ride Lust expects the Senate to reject the bailout, but doesn't see a vote happening until at least Thursday.
UPDATE II: Name Your Conditions for a Bailout
Chris Hafner and company at Amazon.com's fine Car Lust blog want to know what conditions you would attach to a federal bailout, if one is to be approved by Congress. And if you aren't sure who are your senators and congressman, go here to THOMAS, enter your zip code and there you are.
If GM is going to survive, the Chevy Volt is almost certain to play a major role. Guess what just happened to show up at the Edmunds.com offices earlier this week? Editor Karl Brauer lays out two potential scenarios of the Volt's future. Why isn't GM putting the Volt on display in Congress and saying, "Look, just help us get this thing to market."
Former GM manager Lori Roman comes from a long line of auto company employees, but she says a federal bailout of Detroit's Big Three would be like sending arsonists to fight a fire.
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- Posted by: Mark Tapscott November 18, 2008, 10:45 AM
- Categories: Carnival of Cars
With the "gobble-gobble" season about to begin, it should be noted that the Thanksgiving holiday is the most dangerous for drivers. It's on this holiday that there are more travelers on the road--and they're often traveling greater distances. Simple math will tell you the odds of having an accident go up dramatically when the roads are clogged and for long periods of time.
I know this for a fact. Three years ago we got rear-ended while driving to New Hampshire for Thanksgiving. Fortunately it happened only about ten miles from our house, and no one was injured. So let's be careful out there...
Full story here.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 18, 2008, 6:13 AM
- Categories: Trends
First GM sells their stake in Suzuki, and now Ford has announced that they plan to sell two-thirds of their stake in Mazda. As with the GM sale, Ford is scrambling to find cash.
Ford, currently owns 33.4% of Mazda, which is a controlling interest. This sale is about a 20% stake. This would net Ford $540 million based on Mazda's closing price today, which is barely a quarter of what a 20% stake in the Japanese automaker was worth one year ago. Mazda's shares rose 6.4% to 184 yen today amid media reports of a coming sale.
Full story here.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 18, 2008, 5:41 AM
- Categories: Auto Industry, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Suzuki, Trends
GM only owned 3% of tiny Suzuki, but they're desperate for cash, so they sold their stake back to Suzuki. That gave the General $230 million--and every little million helps.
Suzuki claims this will have no impact on their future plans. In fact the two automakers will continue working together despite the sale. "We are committed to continue promoting and implementing not only our existing projects, including development collaboration on advanced automotive technologies, but also collaboration on entries in new emerging markets," Suzuki said in a news release.
Full story here at Carscoop.com.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 18, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories: Auto Industry, General Motors, Suzuki
Last month Straightline reported that Chrysler would not be using Getrag for their dual-clutch tranny (Chrysler's dual-clutch transmision may be dead). Chrysler's concern (or claim) was that Getrag was underfunded for the project. Now we learn that Getrag's U.S. plant, because of Chrysler's pullout, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection--and they're suing Chrysler LLC.
So, in addition to not having a supplier for a dual-clutch automated manual transmission, Chrysler has got a lawsuit to deal with; just what the doctor ordered...
Full story here.
Here's AutoObserver's take: Harbinger of Things To Come: Chrysler Supplier Getrag Files Bankruptcy
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 18, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories: Auto Industry, Chrysler
November 17, 2008
This semi-regular column is written (in his own blood) by an automotive sage and noted malcontent, known as The Mechanic. Mercilessly beaten as a child with rolled-up back issues of old car magazines, our free-spoken hero developed a unique "for your own good" take on cars and the auto industry, along with an unfortunate habit of setting himself ablaze. Later, after a distinguished career as an automotive journalist and magazine editor, he cast off the reins of his musty oppressors, carved out his superego with a plastic spork and became The Mechanic.
"A foolish consistency," Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "is the hobgoblin of little minds." And so, after bashing America's homegrown carmakers here over the past few months, today I boldly reverse course and assert that it's your patriotic duty to once again buy American. I'm clearing out my hobgoblins in a full-on effort to save our domestic manufacturers, and so should you.
If you're even half-awake you know that Chrysler, GM and Ford are all on the brink of financial obliteration. Within the next six weeks it's conceivable that one or two of them could go bankrupt and it's likely that by the end of next year all three will have. That is, if nothing changes. And the thing that needs to change most is, well, us. And by us, I mean you.
It's pathetic to watch a once-mighty company like GM grovel for government cash, but expecting a change in federal policy to be the change that saves the car companies is flat stupid. Giving the car companies buckage for doing nothing more than pulling political strings doesn't change the underlying weakness of the industry. All it's going to do is postpone the reckoning, not avoid it.
The fundamental underlying weakness of the American car industry isn't labor cost (though that needs to change, too), but that Americans aren't buying American cars. Even the good ones.
And there are 40 years of good reasons for this, stretching back to your Uncle Ted's Pontiac Parisienne with the red velour interior, the wire wheel hubcaps and the ability to shed chrome trim at highway speed.
But today there are more competitive domestic models than ever before. GM, Ford and Chrysler each have their fare share of cars and trucks that pack high levels of build quality, driving dynamics and overall design. In other words, there's no reason not to do the patriotic thing and buy an American set of wheels.
And I'm not listening to any crap that says a Toyota Camry assembled in Kentucky is an American car. Forget it, Bud; that thing's as Japanese as whale hunting and ritual suicide.
Meanwhile, it's impossible to argue that cars like the Chevrolet Malibu, the Ford Fusion and the Saturn Aura aren't competitive with the Accord and Camry. Even if they are still a smidgen behind those Asian benchmarks, that smidgen should easily be overcome by patriotic duty.
Patriots know that one of the things that makes America great is that it has an auto industry. And patriots don't want Ford, Chrysler and GM to swirl down the same toilet bowl that flushed away British Leyland and the rest of the English car business.
This happened once before, you know. It was 30 years ago. Chrysler was done, bailed out by the government and revived by the buying public. The CEO of Chrysler at the time, Lee Iacocca, convinced Americans through a series of TV commercials he appeared in, that buying a K-car was the right thing to do at the time.
Buying American became fashionable and Chrysler thrived. Next thing you know, we have the minivan, the Viper and the Grand Cherokee. Things turned around, because Americans cared about America.
You do care about America, don't you?
Look, you may want a BMW 5 Series and you may even deserve a BMW 5 Series, but right now it's important to do the right thing and buy a Cadillac CTS. Even if you think the BMW is better in every conceivable way, you ought to also know that the world would be a much worse place if America didn't have General Motors in it. The mush in your skull knows damned well that GM is a linchpin in our economy and that its failure will lead to a cascade of failures including, most likely, your job, too.
Don't whine that you can't afford a new car. Of course you can. It's just a matter of manning up, gathering your wits and skipping the three six-buck lattes you drink every day. Because if the American auto industry is going to be saved, then damn it, it needs to be saved by Americans. And those lattes are making you fat anyhow.
Here's one American who's shopping for a new American car right now. What are you doing? -- The Mechanic, Inside Line Contributor
E-mail me at themechanic@edmunds.com
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- Posted by: The Mechanic November 17, 2008, 4:09 PM
- Categories: The Mechanic
On Friday we reported that Google will unveil an iPhone app that allows performing a Web search by simply speaking a command into Apple's popular phone. On the same day, telematics provider ATX announced that it has developed a system that let's drivers simply say what they're looking for and a vehicle equipped with on-board Internet access and a navigation system finds it.
ATX calls the application Browse By Voice, and it allows speech-enabled access to the Internet for local search and general Web searches while behind the wheel -- without having to remove your hands to type text into an in-dash display. "So, when a Google or Yahoo search engine main page is displayed on an in-vehicle display, the user will only have to say: "What's the weather in Boston?" to activate the search rather than having to type the phrase or use a knob to do the equivalent entry of a text stream," ATX says in a press release on the app.
ATX, which has already demonstrated the prototype app to several automakers, is betting that on-the-road Web surfing will soon become as common as iPod integration. And with Autonet Mobile, Chrysler and BMW all having introduced in-car Internet service since the beginning of 2008, and Mercedes set to debut a system at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show, that seems more like a reality than a longshot gamble.
Continue reading...
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- Posted by: Doug Newcomb November 17, 2008, 10:00 AM
- Categories: Car Tech
You know things are serious when Edmunds.com takes a political stand. And that's exactly what they've done in regards to saving--and with apologies to political pundit /comedian Ben Stein--'Domestic Motors.'
Vote yes, is what Edmunds is saying to Congress. It's that important.
Here's AutoObserver's take: Congress: Vote Yes on Automaker Loans
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 17, 2008, 9:38 AM
- Categories:
Retired F1 champ Michael Schumacher will ride a Honda in the World Superbike Championship next year. Schumacher has dabbled in bike racing before, as reported here on Straightline (Michael Schumacher to race Honda CBR1000RR).
"Michael is convinced that the German championship is right for him at the moment," Honda Racing's Carlo Fiorani was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "For the moment he has not asked us to race in the 2009 world championship.
"But if he wants to, there is a way for him (to do it). All he has to do is ask us."
Schumacher has stated that he's not looking for a new career here, but rather this a "hobby" for him. Not a bad way to keep busy in retirement, I'd say...
Full story here.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 17, 2008, 6:24 AM
- Categories: Honda, Motorsports
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