"Maximum" Bob Lutz Returns To GM As Adviser
General Motors has announced that Bob Lutz, former Vice Chairman, will return to GM as a consultant. Lutz will be available to executives and senior leadership on a part-time basis, effective immediately.
Lutz has a lengthy history in the automotive industry, including time at GM (from 1963 through 1971, and again from 2001 to 2010), BMW, Ford, Chrysler and industry supplier Exide. He’s contributed to the development of the Dodge Viper and Chrysler’s LH series cars, the Ford Explorer and the reborn Pontiac GTO (really a badge-engineered Holden Monaro). Lutz has also been behind the development of more recent efforts, including the Saturn Sky/Pontiac Solstice, the Cadillac CTS, the new Camaro and the restyled 2010 Cadillac SRX.
Though most associated with performance cars, Lutz also backed the development of fuel-efficient cars, including the extended-range EV Chevrolet Volt, telling Newsweek in 2008 that, “the electrification of the automobile is inevitable.”
Although Lutz retired from GM in 2010, he has been providing informal consulting services to the automaker since. GM’s announcement doesn’t change much, but it does establish a more formal relationship between the two parties.
[General Motors]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet: Most Hated Car Of 2011?
There are a lot of great cars in showrooms these days -- and a lot of losers, too. Now, it seems that auto journos have unofficially dubbed one of those less-memorable rides to be the worst of all: the 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet.
Even though the CrossCabriolet is fairly new to the marketplace, it's already received a mountain of bad press. Critics have attacked its poor performance ("a front-end shake that would mix a good daiquiri"), its steep price point (upwards of $46,000), and most of all, its distinctly weird appearance ("an artichoke on wheels").
A handful of folks have come to the CrossCab's rescue -- some of them women who seem to enjoy the high seating position and the vehicle's cushier creature comforts, like, well, a heated steering wheel. But nearly all of the CrossCab's saviors have been shouted down by reviewers who feel very strongly that the CrossCabriolet is a serious waste of consumer's money (not to mention the dough that Nissan spent developing it).
Our own Bengt Halvorson does his best to be kind to the poor thing, but he can't help calling it a "head-scratcher" with "some strange proportions, to put it kindly". He tries to cut the CrossCab some slack for being delayed by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, but it's impossible not to compare it to much better luxury rides.
In the CrossCabriolet's defense, we should point out that the model is so new that few folks have had the chance to see it up close -- much less drive it. Public opinion may even out down the road, just as it did for the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour. (Remember the hate being leveled that that one?) That said, the CrossCab seems far more ungainly than the Crosstour, so maybe it's beyond saving.
Of course, we're not even halfway through August, so there's still plenty of time for the Murano CrossCab to get booted from its bottom berth. (At least, that's what Nissan keeps telling itself.) Do you agree with journalists' assessments? Is the CrossCab the bottom of the barrel? Or do you see something far more hideous slouching toward your local showroom? Let us know in the comments below, or on The Car Connection's Facebook page.
[CNN]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Sport Packages Amp Up 2012 Ford Focus
The 2012 Ford Focus might be one of the most eagerly awaited new small cars in a long while--particularly the 240-hp Focus ST--and Ford is upping the handling anticipation with the announcement of handling packages for the top two Focus trim lines.
The automaker says both the Focus SE and the Titanium models will be offered with a sport package with performance upgrades. On the SE, the Sport Package adds new 16-inch wheels, sport seats, rear disc brakes, a blacked-out grille and a five-speed manual gearbox. Four-door SE models also get a spoiler; those with the dual-clutch PowerShift transmission will have manual gear selection available through the shift lever, though steering-wheel paddles are still in the offing. The Sport versions will carry a 17-inch wheel option.
For the Titanium model, which comes out of the manufacturing box with a sport-tuned suspension, Ford will offer a Handling Package that upgrades to 18-inch wheels and summer performance tires.
All Focus versions, sedans and hatchbacks, will have electric power steering and a degree of torque-vectoring control, which means clever programming will be able to shift power between the front wheels to tighten cornering responses.
Ford promises shoppers that Focus pricing will go live on the Ford Web site this week, complete with a car-configurator tool. Sales of the new 2012 Focus won't begin until late spring, though.
For more on specifications, pricing, photos and related news, cruise over to our 2012 Ford Focus page.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2005-2007 Acura RL, Honda Odyssey Recalled For Brake Leaks
Honda will recall 470,000 vehicles in the U.S. due to an issue that could cause brake-fluid leaks—leading to the loss of braking power.
In the affected vehicles—2005-2007 Honda Odyssey and Acura RL models—if any fluid other than the original brake fluid is used in the system, a seal in the brake master cylinder can leak, resulting in Honda says that there have not yet been any accidents connected to the issue.
If this sounds familiar, it is. It's the same issue that prompted Toyota to recall 1.5 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles globally this week, including 740,000 in the U.S. Honda and Toyota had used the same supplier for the components: Advics Company, in Japan.
Although the automaker hadn't yet issued any information regarding the recall effort, it's suspected that the fix will compare to what Toyota and Lexus offer—involving a redesigned brake master cylinder cup.
Honda told several news outlets that a brake fluid warning light would illuminate before there's any braking performance loss; and if owners do see that warning light, they should take their vehicle to a dealership immediately.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Driven: 2010 Nissan Maxima
Sometimes preconceived notions get you in trouble. That might the case—at least to some shoppers—with the 2010 Nissan Maxima; but with a little more time chances are you're going to love this sedan for what it is.
And that might not be a four-door sports car, exactly.
Nissan sets the bar high in calling the Maxima that in nearly all advertising and marketing. It comes adorned with '4DSC' window decals. Even the window sticker proclaims, "The 4-Door Sports Car."
To some, that notion implies a lot of packaging sacrifices in the name of performance, and probably rear-wheel drive—in a car like the 2010 Mazda RX-8, for instance. But at least dressed up the way we tested one—a 2010 Nissan Maxima SV Premium Package model—it's very solidly a luxury car in all but marque, with a sporting edge that doesn't infringe on passenger comfort.
Ready to rumble on the outside, plush inside
The interior appointments—with premium leather, matte-metallic brightwork, and "Eucalyptus Wood-Tone" trim—are absolutely beautiful, and feel like they'd be at home in one of Nissan's Infiniti luxury-brand products. And from the outside the Maxima appears curvy and flamboyant, with just-right proportions and a low-but-upright grille, flanked by headlights that streak back to two points, with fenders that flare upward slightly, in a look that a friend described as "ready to rumble." To top it off, the Maxima comes with flared wheelwells and low-profile tires mounted on eye-catching alloys.
But those low-profile, V-rated performance tires somehow don't spell disaster for ride quality, as they often do. The Maxima has an excellent ride that nearly everyone but the geriatric set will like; it's excellent—quiet, on the firm side but very well-damped.
Acura Announces TSX Sport Wagon
A couple of months ago, we mentioned that Honda was looking to bring an upscale wagon to American showrooms. Today, it's been made official: in one of the briefest press releases we've received in recent weeks, Honda has announced that an Acura TSX sport wagon will arrive in the U.S. in the fall of 2010 as a 2011 model. No additional details are given, but we'll assume that the final product will be very, very similar to the Honda Accord Touring (pictured above) -- a wagon variant of the TSX that's already sold in other markets.
If you'd like to scan the release yourself, it's posted below. Be sure to leave us a note if you find anything hidden between the lines.
All-New TSX Sport Wagon to Arrive in Fall of 2010
TORRANCE, Calif., October 28, 2009 Acura announced today the addition of a TSX sport wagon to its 2011 vehicle lineup. Arriving at Acura dealerships in the Fall of 2010, the TSX sport wagon will be based on the popular TSX sports sedan, which features balanced performance, advanced technology and bold styling. Additional information on the 2011 TSX sport wagon will be announced at a later date.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Preview: 157 MPG Volkswagen L1 Concept
As outrageous as the idea of a production 235 mpg (1.0L/100km) car sounds, Volkswagen believes it has what it takes to build such a vehicle and has already produced a concept version. The ultra-frugal concept hit the floor of the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show today, and we were there to capture these live shots.
News from the show today indicates that 2013 would be the earliest the car could enter production, though we'll have to wait to see rubber hit the road before we'll know whether it's all auto show bluster or real green muster.
Called the L1 and feature a carbon-fiber body wrapped around a 0.8-liter twin-cylinder turbodiesel engine developing 36 horsepower and matched to a 7-speed dual-clutch DSG and a 14-horsepower E-motor hybrid electric drive system. With a curb weight of just 1,100 pounds and a super-slippery aerodynamic body thanks to its tandem seating layout, the L1 is claimed to return a fuel economy of 157.8 mpg (1.49L/100km)--we think this is low enough to warrant the L1 or '1-Liter' name.
The 800 cubic centimeter turbodiesel engine in the L1 is essentially half of the 1.6-liter unit found in the Golf and Polo BlueMotion vehicles, meaning it is a series-engine-derived mill. Performance isn't as terrible as you might expect from a hyper-frugal hybrid, either: top speed is 100 mph and it can reach 62 mph in just 14.3 seconds--not so far behind some standard cars on the road today.
Driving range is an impressive 416 miles, much farther than a typical electric-only or plug-in electric vehicle. Cargo space is at a premium, however, with just 1.8 cubic feet, or about enough for a quick run to the market.
This isn't the first time Volkswagen has developed a super efficient concept car. Back in 2002 the automaker produced a similar vehicle powered by a 0.3-liter diesel engine that returned a fuel economy of 264 mpg.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
GM Extends eBay Sales Program To September 30
When General Motors emerged from bankruptcy on July 10, the company's newly reinstalled PR man, Bob Lutz, made several important announcements. Among them: GM had begun partnership with eBay, which would offer customers the opportunity to bid on and purchase vehicles through the popular auction website. That intrigued many buyers and many in the industry -- the only problem being that eBay said the arrangement wasn't a done deal.
By August 11, however, the two companies had dotted Is, crossed Ts, and put up 16,000 GM vehicles for sale on eBay -- of which roughly 50 sold. We're not sure how things have gone since then, but Automotive News took the liberty of perusing 3,000 GM listings on eBay, all of which had an end-date of September 1, and none had been sold.
Still, General Motors insists that the pilot program has been successful and has generated increased awareness of GM products. And that's likely true. (Based on our own meanderings through eBay Motors, we're guessing that the program's major shortcoming might be that the subdomain -- GM.eBay.com -- is slightly hard to find.) The company has said that roughly 4,000 eBay shoppers "entered into negotiations -- either online, over the phone or in person -- to buy a vehicle." There's no word on how many of those negotiations resulted in sales.
GM's vice president of U.S. sales, Mark LaNeve, says that "The numbers on eBay itself aren't significant, but we didn't think it would be." Unfortunately, that's the classic "Yeah, we meant to do that" explanation for poor performance that never convinces anyone. However, General Motors has opted to extend the program from its original end date of September 8 to September 30 -- so perhaps the company has reason to believe that its partnership with eBay could bear fruit in the future.
[GM.eBay, AutoNews, sub req'd]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Driven: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V
While crawling along in traffic or responsibly setting the cruise on a pockmarked Interstate, it's quite possible to forget that you're in the fastest American sport sedan ever, with more than 550 horsepower on tap.
That's a huge compliment, as most high-performance cars let themselves be known in ever-present ways, with droning engine notes, bum-busting impact harshness, and stiffened bodies that ring in almost constant protestation on coarse highway surfaces.
The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V—which carries into 2010 with no significant changes, by the way—thankfully doesn't have any of these reminders. It's a car that, on the street, doesn't need to assert itself. Yet on the track it's a record-breaker, and if you push it to task, it really does sound and feel the part.
Nearly a year ago we brought you a first drive of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V and reported that, compared to the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, the BMW M3, the CTS-V's Corvette ZR1-derived, 556-horsepower, 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine "has a much fatter torque curve that smacks you back in your seat just above idle and builds steadily all the way to redline." Zero-to-60 times have come in under four seconds, and GM claims a top speed of 191 mph with the six-speed manual.
And, we reported, the 2009 CTS-V has the chassis and suspension tuning to make the great engine enjoyable no matter what the conditions. With the Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) system that's standard in the CTS-V—using magnetically sensitive fluid that can become almost instantly soft or firm to fit conditions—the CTS-V feels composed yet docile, and responsive whenever you want it to be.
GM has put together an overall package that's just as agreeable in everyday driving as it is on the track—and that's no small feat. Most of the week, we drove around with the suspension set to 'Comfort' and the transmission selector simply in drive. That's one of the reasons why the CTS-V doesn't feel at all like a twitchy tuner car or show glaring compromises, favoring performance at the expense of comfort. The throttle pedal is calibrated in a nice, linear fashion, which means that despite all the torque on tap just off idle you can take off gently, so as not to draw attention, the supercharger faintly whirring and whining but the robust, throaty exhaust note saved for when you really get on it. Just keeping up with traffic, you'll find revs rarely getting much above 2,000 rpm, with the six-speed automatic doing its best cushy luxury cruiser impression. And the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V is relatively resistant to tramline and follow bumps and the crown of the road.
For those who want a firmer steering feel and more aggressive throttle calibration, also locking in the firmest suspension settings and allowing more slip from the stability control, there's also a Competition Mode.
As in our first drive, we recommend that you step up to the optional Recaro seats, finished in a grippy yet soft, suede-like material and providing excellent side support along with thigh extensions. These are seats that you'll be happy with whether you spend the day with the cruise control set to 75 or exercise the CTS-V on the track.
The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V, just as the CTS, has a unified, attractive design, with excellent materials and surfaces. We've heard complaints that the CTS's center control stack is cluttered, but to us it seems quite logical—and we'd much rather have a few more buttons than to have a full screen of menus to navigate through repeatedly. Volume and tuning knobs are up high, and the most-needed controls are redundant on the steering wheel. The pop-up navigation system remains one of the best in the business, with a beautiful, high-contrast screen and very well integrated real-time traffic features. Unlike some systems, you don't have to be currently in a navigation mode to get live traffic alerts. As it doesn't steal space or attention in the instrument panel when it's not in use. The hand stitching on door and dash panels is a nice touch as well. Ours used a nice carbon-fiber trim; this editor doesn't usually love wood trim, but the veneers that are available in all the CTS models are top-notch and well worth considering.
The bottom-line price on our test CTS-V was $67,140, which lands it right in the same price range as the M3 and C63, and the Jaguar XJ Supercharged. The CTS-V is hit with a $2,600 gas guzzler tax—which seems a bit odd to us, as we achieved 18 mpg in a week with this performance sedan, doing better than many five-passenger, V-6 SUVs and crossovers. The CTS-V's 12/18 EPA ratings are the reason why, but they don't seem realistic.
While GM as a whole has been doing some soul-searching this year, it's already found its stride—and then some—with the world-class CTS-V.
The manufacturer provided this vehicle to High Gear Media for the purposes of evaluation.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Preview: 2010 Suzuki SX4 SportBack
What is it? A more powerful and fuel-efficient version of the popular SX4 Crossover
The basics: Five-door hatchback with punchy four-cylinder
On sale: Later this year
Price: $16,000 (est.)
Either as a five-door hatchback or a four-door sedan, Suzuki's SX4 is a well-packaged, well-equipped small car and surprisingly enjoyable to drive. After all, for not much money, buyers get a nimble handling compact car with all-wheel-drive, standard navigation, and a range of different bodystyles.
Earlier this month we got our first look at the latest addition to the SX4 lineup, the all-new 2010 Suzuki SX4 SportBack, and today the company has revealed full details. Joining the SX4 Crossover and SX4 Sport sedan, the new SX4 SportBack combines the Crossover's practical five-door hatch body with a more powerful engine and more fuel efficient front-wheel-drive configuration.
Powering the SX4 SportBack is a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine pumping out a healthy 150 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, in combination with 140 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm. Fitted with a standard six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel-drive configuration, the SX4 SportBack delivers an EPA estimated 22/30 mpg city/highway fuel economy. A CVT with pseudo manual control via paddle shifters is also available and gets a 23/30 mpg rating.
The SX4 SportBack's suspension retains MacPherson struts in the front, with a rear torsion beam in the back. Tuned for sporty tastes, the SX4 SportBack benefits from a lower ride height, performance shocks and standard anti-roll bars.
Serving to further enhance the ride-and-handling balance are 17-inch alloy wheels shod with 205 mm all-season Dunlop tires.
Inside, there's seating for five, power windows and locks, dual power rearview mirrors, tilt steering wheel, trip computer, split folding rear seats and rear passenger floor vents. The car also features a newly designed instrument cluster as well as standard navigation, and MP3 and XM Satellite Radio compatibility.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
