Power: People Won’t Buy Cars From Companies Headed Into Oblivion
Things haven't looked so hot for Chrysler and General Motors this year. And now it's clear that assurances from the government and CEOs weren't enough to overcome the images of well, sinking ships. And for the image-conscious, buying a car from a failing company or a retired brand? Not so great...
J.D. Power and Associates' latest study released yesterday puts some numbers on how many were deterred. As part of its seventh annual Avoider Study released yesterday, the company for the first time looked at future brand viability as a reason for avoidance and found that Chrysler, Dodge, Hummer, Pontiac, and Saturn were most avoided earlier this year because of an uncertain future.
The study looks at the reasons why shoppers fail to consider—or consciously avoid—certain models. Among the findings: one out of five shoppers avoided a vehicle because of concerns over the future of the brand, and these were the two brands most avoided for this reason.
"New vehicle buyers want to know that if anything goes wrong with their vehicle in a year or two that the manufacturer will be there to back up their product," said Kerri Wise, J.D. Power and Associates' director of automotive research, in a release accompanying the results.
Future viability of the brand ranked fourth after styling, pricing, and perceived reliability, with two of five shoppers saying attributing the look or styling of a vehicle as a reason for avoiding it. Power pointed to the Audi Q5, Dodge Challenger, Kia Soul, and Pontiac G3 as models that were commonly considered due to styling yet not commonly rejected for it.
While "Buy American" bumper stickers are certainly less common than they once were, an undercurrent of patriotic car-buying has surged over the past year, with a total of nearly 60 percent citing foreign or import origins of other vehicles as a reason for rejection.
The news here is good for Ford. Power noted that Ford had much lower rates of avoidance for these reasons and actually made improvements in the perception of its products, reducing the rate of avoidance for quality and reliability as well.
The results are based on nearly 45,000 responses from those who registered a new vehicle in May or June 2009, so the future of Saturn and Pontiac were still undetermined at that time.
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2010 MazdaSpeed3: Dialed Up For U.S.
When an automaker says that they're bringing out a different U.S. or North American version of a vehicle, it's usually a sign that it'll be softer-riding and just not as much fun to drive. But according to Mazda, the U.S. doesn't get the short end of the deal with the MazdaSpeed3; the North American market 2010 Speed3 has the most aggressive setup overall, with an edgier feel overall, a more boisterous sound, and a firmer suspension calibration.
Earlier in the week we had driven the 2010 MazdaSpeed3 on some tight, up-and-down canyon backroads and reported that this new hot hatch is a joy to drive, even when the surfaces are far less than ideal. The limited-slip front differential makes sure that the inside wheel always stays composed out of corners, and the sticky Dunlop SP Sport tires provide tremendous grip while there aren't any disconcerting body motions. However on power, emerging from a tight corner on rough pavement in the lower gears, the steering feedback from the electro-mechanical system—and the overall feel of the car—can be a little harsh and unpredictable.
In high-powered front-wheel-drive cars, torque steer—the tendency to pull to one direction or the other at low speed or out of corners—is a given. Engineers know that there's some torque steer in the MazdaSpeed3 and admit that they could have dialed out more of it with the model's electronic torque management system—which effectively puts a cap on torque in first through third gears—and the electro-hydraulic power steering. In fact they did that with the Japanese-market version. But for the U.S., the Speed3 is intended to be a vehicle with a brash, almost rowdy feel, and they didn't want to dial out all of and in the process dull its powertrain response and steering feel.
A stiffer suspension calibration on the 2010 MazdaSpeed3, compared to the 2009, helps keep it settled despite the torque steer. What's unexpected here—and runs opposite conventional wisdom—is that the MazdaSpeed3 doesn't ride any harder. And factoring in the noise and vibration improvements across the 2010 Mazda3 line, the new MazdaSpeed3 still has a quieter cabin. Mazda said that that they gave some serious MazdaSpeed3 enthusiasts an advance drive with the new one, and after the drive every one of them thought that the new car was more settled and less jarring. Another curious and counterintuitive fact about the new MazdaSpeed3 is that it has wider gear ratios than before; and that makes it faster in some respects. Since torque and power are coming on strong by 3,500 rpm but torque drops off above 6,000 rpm, the respective upper gears then give a larger, usable portion of the rev band after an upshift.
After some hot-lap time with the 2010 MazdaSpeed3 at the very track where it was tuned, it became clear how well the entire package comes together on high-speed sweepers. The Speed3 tends to understeer in all cases of course, but it can be moderated with the throttle and there are certainly no surprises if you back off the throttle mid-slide. The Dynamic Stability Control system is very lenient in allowing a good deal of slip and gentle intervention. The ridiculously wide torque plateau that you're on top of nearly all the time means that you won't have any moments when sloppy driving and scrubbed-off speed will leave you lugging. The only issue we noticed is that the brakes can cook with heavy track use or fade a bit from triple-digit speeds.
Overall though, the Speed3 has a tough, durable feel that not all tuner-style cars have. Especially at the under-$25k level.
Will we get an even more dialed-up one, or one in which torque steer isn't an issue? Mazda officials said that a more powerful all-wheel-drive version of the MazdaSpeed3 just isn't in the works. Sticking with front-wheel drive and an engine that can go in other vehicles helps keep costs down, and as the automaker learned with its previous RX-7, technological advancements and costly engineering can push up prices and punt a sports car out of financial reach of its intended audience—in this case, overwhelmingly, 30-something men.
With no big surprises from the track and the excellent price point, our advice holds: For those who want a lot of performance on a budget, with enough refinement for the commute, the 2010 MazdaSpeed3 is a great choice.
High Gear Media attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Coming This Fall: 2010 Hyundai Tucson, 2011 Sonata Hybrid, and Maybe Equus?
It's shaping up to be a banner fall, if you work at one of the automakers that will still be in business in its current shape come September.
That's the case at Hyundai, where the ambitious product strategy has two and maybe three new vehicles in the bullpen for 2009 and early 2010. The first? A new 2010 Hyundai Tucson crossover set for launch sometime by the end of the year. Hyundai execs suggest the Tucson may be shown off this year on its way to showrooms as a 2010 model. The early preview of the new crossover came this year already, in the form of the HED-6 ix-onic concept from the Geneva motor show in February. A conventional powertrain with a four-cylinder engine and a five- or six-speed automatic is in the cards, along with an all-wheel-drive option.
Next up comes a new generation of the Hyundai Sonata, the big mid-size sedan that's scooped up awards from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata is on its way, and this time around, a hybrid powertrain will join the four-cylinder and six-cylinder lineup. It's not known which engine will get the battery/motor backup, but the four-cylinder engine in the 2009 Sonata is new this year.
The next-generation Sonata's been designed and developed in Hyundai's Orange County, California offices, and is a good bet to be shown at the 2009 Los Angeles auto show in November. Both the Tucson and the Sonata Hybrid could make their world debuts at the show--or both could be postponed a little later.
Finally, the big Hyundai Equus luxury sedan bandied about at the New York auto show earlier this year could be headed for the U.S. as well. While Hyundai still says it's under consideration, other sources say the Equus is coming, and that the chairman of Hyundai personally wants to see the rear-drive, V-8-powered four-door in America.
Stay with TheCarConnection.com next week as we bring you our latest road test on the 2009 Hyundai Sonata.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Hyundai 2010 Tucson Tease, HED-6 ix-onic, Shows In Geneva
Today Hyundai showed off a concept that most are saying will morph into the 2010 Tucson. Called the HED-6 ix-onic, it is one of the concept vehicles that will be on display at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
What can the HED-6 ix-onic tell us about the new Hyundai Tucson, set to bow later in 2009? For one, it features a production-ready 1.6-liter four that makes ample power (175 hp) and boasts an ultra-low emission profile (149 g/km CO2). As CO2 emissions are a direct result of hydrocarbons consumed, the new Tucson should yield admirable economy. The engine will use direct injection to achieve its high power and efficiency.
Known internationally as the IX35 (Infiniti lawyers are surely contemplating copyright violations), the new small SUV/crossover platform will also feature a 2.0-liter turbodiesel four with 185 hp for international markets. Lack of popularity and high fuel prices make the diesel unlikely for the U.S., at least presently.
The pleasing shape seems to meld bits of Kia Soul with Mazda CX-7/CX-9 for an adroit, sporty little urban crossover. Before you bemoan the arrival of - yawn - yet another little crossover, give this one props for putting efficiency first.
[source: WorldCarFans]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Kia Targets Scion with Soul, Introduced at LA Auto Show
The boxy Kia Soul has made the move from perennial show car to production. The model will be in dealers come March, with prices that Kia says will be "comfortably in the teens."
The five-passenger four-door comes in four models: the 2010 Kia Soul (base), the Soul + (Plus), the Soul ! (Exclaim), and the Soul Sport (apparently, there isn't a grammatical icon for "sport"). Content builds through the models, with the base vehicle providing the following as standard: 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 115 horsepower, five-speed manual transmission, six airbags (including side curtains), power windows, power door locks, 15-inch wheels, and an audio system that features USB and line-in inputs. If customers want more features such as air conditioning, ABS, stability control, keyless entry, 18-inch rims, or the larger 2.0-liter engine with 137 horsepower, they'll need to upgrade. The four models are available with very few options, and represent the first level of choice Kia offers those shopping for Soul.
The next step--and details were sketchy from the press conference--will include "port" installed options that are fitted after the vehicles arrive state side from the manufacturing facility in Korea.
The last stage of Kia "personalization" happens at dealers. Taken together, all of these opportunities for personalization will lead to thousands of potential combinations. To prove this point, Kia's display at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show was filled with stylized Souls festooned with exterior graphics, bolt-on body kits, various wheels, and multiple interior trim configurations and options.
It seems that the Koreans have what it takes to bring kustomization to the mass market.--Rex Roy
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
