Ford planning built-in tool-box/trunk for next F-series
The good folks over at LLN have posted some neat spy photos of an F-series mule undergoing testing.
As you'll be able to see, they have enclosed the forward-most portion of the bed and given bed-side 'doors' to get at this toolbox/trunk area.
This would be a much more integrated solution than the diamond-plate boxes that many truck buyers purchase to keep their tools/etc secure. The side doors would also make this area more convenient than the top opening design of the aftermarket boxes.
It looks like the race to include differentiating features in the full-size truck market is fully underway.
Check it out at:
Leftlane News: Spied 2008 Ford F-150 with 6 doors, "Tough Box"
Why the G8 will succeed where GTO failed
Pontiac is going rear-drive with their new top sedan with the Holden/Zeta based G8.
Basically, this is a Holden Commodore with a Pontiac grill and bumper. You might think..."didn't GM fail miserably by taking the Holden Monaro and putting a Pontiac grill and bumpers on it and calling it a GTO?".
Here's where I think they went wrong with the GTO and how it is all going to succeed insanely well with the G8...
What was really wrong with the GTO?
Really? Not that much. The GTO had insane power, the best interior in the US GM lineup at the time, great handling, room for 4 adults, and fuel economy that cracked the upper 20's with the 6-speed manual.
Where GM missed the boat is in underestimating how much people expected a GTO to look a specific way. The GTO was based on an almost 10-year old design that had styling more in common with the old Cavalier coupe than the in-your-face designs of the past GTOs. A GTO was expected to be aggressive, unapologetic, and a man's car in every sense of the word. The 2004-06 GTO was smooth, sophisticated, and elegant in design...it's no wonder that the manly-men that wanted a 'real' GTO stayed away in droves.
That said, I've driven the GTO (2005, 6.0l 400hp V8, 6-speed manual) and can attest that this was one of the performance standouts of recent memory...but if you can't get the customers in the seats to find out...then you won't move the metal.
What's right with the G8?
The G8 skirts just about every negative above while maintaining the positives that made the GTO a great driver's car.
G8 is a new nameplate, so there's no preconceived notion from consumers as to what this car is supposed to be. Grand Prix buyers, especially the middle-aged, female NASCAR demographic might not be too happy with losing their front-drive sedans - but they should be easily replaced by an enthusiast buyer who wants rear drive but can't give up the back seat. The V-8 should draw 300c buyers from Chrysler, especially the ones that lament the lack of a manual in the Chrysler. Pontiac doesn't seem to think so, but I believe a manual with the 3.6l V-6 would be a hot seller as well, maybe if gas prices spike some more.
Also, the sophistication that didn't play well for the GTO works wonderfully well in a sports sedan. On top of this, the G8 is on the brand new Zeta chassis, so an even better ride/handling compromise should be in the cards.
So, G8 should show exactly how much better this cross-pacific platform sharing works with a couple extra doors. Now, if the new GTO that is rumored to be coming in a year or so skirts the negatives of the 04-06 GTO...Pontiac's resurgence should be well on its way.
Basically, this is a Holden Commodore with a Pontiac grill and bumper. You might think..."didn't GM fail miserably by taking the Holden Monaro and putting a Pontiac grill and bumpers on it and calling it a GTO?".
Here's where I think they went wrong with the GTO and how it is all going to succeed insanely well with the G8...
What was really wrong with the GTO?
Really? Not that much. The GTO had insane power, the best interior in the US GM lineup at the time, great handling, room for 4 adults, and fuel economy that cracked the upper 20's with the 6-speed manual.
Where GM missed the boat is in underestimating how much people expected a GTO to look a specific way. The GTO was based on an almost 10-year old design that had styling more in common with the old Cavalier coupe than the in-your-face designs of the past GTOs. A GTO was expected to be aggressive, unapologetic, and a man's car in every sense of the word. The 2004-06 GTO was smooth, sophisticated, and elegant in design...it's no wonder that the manly-men that wanted a 'real' GTO stayed away in droves.
That said, I've driven the GTO (2005, 6.0l 400hp V8, 6-speed manual) and can attest that this was one of the performance standouts of recent memory...but if you can't get the customers in the seats to find out...then you won't move the metal.
What's right with the G8?The G8 skirts just about every negative above while maintaining the positives that made the GTO a great driver's car.
G8 is a new nameplate, so there's no preconceived notion from consumers as to what this car is supposed to be. Grand Prix buyers, especially the middle-aged, female NASCAR demographic might not be too happy with losing their front-drive sedans - but they should be easily replaced by an enthusiast buyer who wants rear drive but can't give up the back seat. The V-8 should draw 300c buyers from Chrysler, especially the ones that lament the lack of a manual in the Chrysler. Pontiac doesn't seem to think so, but I believe a manual with the 3.6l V-6 would be a hot seller as well, maybe if gas prices spike some more.
Also, the sophistication that didn't play well for the GTO works wonderfully well in a sports sedan. On top of this, the G8 is on the brand new Zeta chassis, so an even better ride/handling compromise should be in the cards.
So, G8 should show exactly how much better this cross-pacific platform sharing works with a couple extra doors. Now, if the new GTO that is rumored to be coming in a year or so skirts the negatives of the 04-06 GTO...Pontiac's resurgence should be well on its way.
Mega post - what's been going on in the auto world?
Okay, Kevin...this one's for you...
What's been going on in auto-dom?
From a corporate stand-point, we've had Chrysler rumored to be for sale and companies as varied as Hyundai, GM, and supplier Magna all in the running to pick up the pieces. Strangely, it looks like only Dodge and Chrysler might be up for sale with Mercedes keeping the Jeep brand for itself (and making a purchase by GM of the rest even less likely).
Ford is still hurting badly. They are bleeding money at a rate that few companies could sustain and are in desperate need to get something other than the F-series and Mustang to market that customers and dealers will be passionate about.
To that end, new man in town Alan Mulally at Ford is quickly trying to turn things around by challenging the processes at Ford that got them in this mess in the first place. He, at least partly, is responsible for deciding to bring back names with equity and rebadge the Ford Five Hundred, Freestyle, and Montego to Taurus, Taurus X (which seems to be a mistake to me), and Sable. Given how little the average public knows about cars, this should help at least in the name recognition department.
Ford has also announced that the new Mazda2 (that debuted at Geneva) will get reworked to become a new small-car for Ford to pitch at the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and Nissan Versa's of the world...but don't expect it until 2009.
Lincoln is still a mess (the new front-end is hideous and the brand has been allowed to become a shell of its former self due to Ford's unwillingness to spend the serious money to compete in the lux market).
Mercury is still not sufficently different than Ford - a problem they could fix by announcing a plan to bring Euro-Ford product over and badge them as Mercury (a la Opel and Saturn over at GM).
GM is still going gangbusters with their turn-around.
Pontiac has announced the replacement to the Grand Prix in the new G8. Available in 3.6l V-6 and 6.0l V-8 forms and based on new Zeta chassis developed by Holden - Pontiac is on its way to a transformation into a true enthusiasts brand...it will be interesting to see if the G6 replacement is a RWD car or if they use an AWD version of the Epsilon 2 platform to skirt having a front-driver in the line. It will also be interesting to see if Kappa (Solstice) spawns a small RWD coupe/sedan to replace the Cobalt-clone G5.
Saturn is close to completing their self-reinvention with the ION replacement that will come late this summer in the form of the, imported from Germany, Astra 3 and 5-door hatches. These are the 2nd most popular cars in Europe (after VW's Golf) and are available in sedan and wagon forms as well if the hatch body-style doesn't catch on. Also, an Astra Red Line would be easy to do as there is already a turbo, sports model of the Astra sold in Europe.
Saturn also has a new people mover in the Outlook crossover that will likely replace the Relay in the Saturn line.
Chevy has as much as confirmed a super-car version of the Corvette that should debut at next year's Detroit show. Expected to pack over 600hp and possibly carry the Corvette SS name - this $100k version of the Corvette should set the supercar establishment on its ear.
Speaking of the SS sub-brand, Chevy has all but announced that SS will now only apply to true sports machines...not just sporty versions of everything they make. The Equinox Sport was announced recently with a 3.6l V-6 but without the SS badge that had SS fans fuming. I'd expect SS to only appear on Corvette, Camaro, and a new Zeta-based Impala that is expected in a year or so. Trucks, SUVs and front-drive cars will likely make due with the 'Sport' badge.
Cadillac is still on a roll...the Chicago show brought the 2008 CTS with familiar, yet more elegant styling, a direct-injection 300+ hp version of the 3.6 V6 (the previous 3.6 becomes the base engine with the 2.8 V6 becoming an export-market only powertrain). Transmissions are now all 6-speed and rumors abound of a wagon and coupe version to come in a year or so. New interiors are all over the place, starting with the SRX, now coming in the new CTS and also in a mid-cycle refresh of the STS. Cadillac is even more of a legitimate player in the upper lux segment.
GMC has the new Acadia crossover and an upcoming Yukon hybrid. Buick has a V-8 version of the Lacrosse coming as well as the stunning Enclave crossover. Hummer has more powerful engines for the H3...but not much else exciting for these three brands.
Until next time...
What's been going on in auto-dom?
From a corporate stand-point, we've had Chrysler rumored to be for sale and companies as varied as Hyundai, GM, and supplier Magna all in the running to pick up the pieces. Strangely, it looks like only Dodge and Chrysler might be up for sale with Mercedes keeping the Jeep brand for itself (and making a purchase by GM of the rest even less likely).
Ford is still hurting badly. They are bleeding money at a rate that few companies could sustain and are in desperate need to get something other than the F-series and Mustang to market that customers and dealers will be passionate about.
To that end, new man in town Alan Mulally at Ford is quickly trying to turn things around by challenging the processes at Ford that got them in this mess in the first place. He, at least partly, is responsible for deciding to bring back names with equity and rebadge the Ford Five Hundred, Freestyle, and Montego to Taurus, Taurus X (which seems to be a mistake to me), and Sable. Given how little the average public knows about cars, this should help at least in the name recognition department.
Ford has also announced that the new Mazda2 (that debuted at Geneva) will get reworked to become a new small-car for Ford to pitch at the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and Nissan Versa's of the world...but don't expect it until 2009.
Lincoln is still a mess (the new front-end is hideous and the brand has been allowed to become a shell of its former self due to Ford's unwillingness to spend the serious money to compete in the lux market).
Mercury is still not sufficently different than Ford - a problem they could fix by announcing a plan to bring Euro-Ford product over and badge them as Mercury (a la Opel and Saturn over at GM).
GM is still going gangbusters with their turn-around.
Pontiac has announced the replacement to the Grand Prix in the new G8. Available in 3.6l V-6 and 6.0l V-8 forms and based on new Zeta chassis developed by Holden - Pontiac is on its way to a transformation into a true enthusiasts brand...it will be interesting to see if the G6 replacement is a RWD car or if they use an AWD version of the Epsilon 2 platform to skirt having a front-driver in the line. It will also be interesting to see if Kappa (Solstice) spawns a small RWD coupe/sedan to replace the Cobalt-clone G5.
Saturn is close to completing their self-reinvention with the ION replacement that will come late this summer in the form of the, imported from Germany, Astra 3 and 5-door hatches. These are the 2nd most popular cars in Europe (after VW's Golf) and are available in sedan and wagon forms as well if the hatch body-style doesn't catch on. Also, an Astra Red Line would be easy to do as there is already a turbo, sports model of the Astra sold in Europe.
Saturn also has a new people mover in the Outlook crossover that will likely replace the Relay in the Saturn line.
Chevy has as much as confirmed a super-car version of the Corvette that should debut at next year's Detroit show. Expected to pack over 600hp and possibly carry the Corvette SS name - this $100k version of the Corvette should set the supercar establishment on its ear.
Speaking of the SS sub-brand, Chevy has all but announced that SS will now only apply to true sports machines...not just sporty versions of everything they make. The Equinox Sport was announced recently with a 3.6l V-6 but without the SS badge that had SS fans fuming. I'd expect SS to only appear on Corvette, Camaro, and a new Zeta-based Impala that is expected in a year or so. Trucks, SUVs and front-drive cars will likely make due with the 'Sport' badge.
Cadillac is still on a roll...the Chicago show brought the 2008 CTS with familiar, yet more elegant styling, a direct-injection 300+ hp version of the 3.6 V6 (the previous 3.6 becomes the base engine with the 2.8 V6 becoming an export-market only powertrain). Transmissions are now all 6-speed and rumors abound of a wagon and coupe version to come in a year or so. New interiors are all over the place, starting with the SRX, now coming in the new CTS and also in a mid-cycle refresh of the STS. Cadillac is even more of a legitimate player in the upper lux segment.
GMC has the new Acadia crossover and an upcoming Yukon hybrid. Buick has a V-8 version of the Lacrosse coming as well as the stunning Enclave crossover. Hummer has more powerful engines for the H3...but not much else exciting for these three brands.
Until next time...
She likes it, she really likes it!
Up to this point, I've saved you all the pain of recounting my and my wife's saga of finding her a new car.
Suffice it to say we've been in and out of the market for the last couple years with anything from luxury cars (Cadillac CTS), SUVs (Ford Escape and Saturn VUE), to no car at all. The goal being to try to find the best combination of build quality, ride and handling, fuel economy, as well as other less quantifiable criteria such how easy or difficult it might be to dork up the interior in day-to-day errand running.
We recently sold our VUE and had an order in on a Nissan Versa (this order fell due to Nissan's inability to build a car that had the combination of options that we had to have - ABS _and_ Convenience Package - until model year 2008)...
So, after all this time of shopping what did we get that met all the requirements and actually looks like a car that we'll have for some time to come?
A 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit. Take a look:
Oh, and that's my turbo Beetle in the background in desperate need of a washing.
Suffice it to say we've been in and out of the market for the last couple years with anything from luxury cars (Cadillac CTS), SUVs (Ford Escape and Saturn VUE), to no car at all. The goal being to try to find the best combination of build quality, ride and handling, fuel economy, as well as other less quantifiable criteria such how easy or difficult it might be to dork up the interior in day-to-day errand running.
We recently sold our VUE and had an order in on a Nissan Versa (this order fell due to Nissan's inability to build a car that had the combination of options that we had to have - ABS _and_ Convenience Package - until model year 2008)...
So, after all this time of shopping what did we get that met all the requirements and actually looks like a car that we'll have for some time to come?
A 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit. Take a look:
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| From Steph's 2007 ... |
Oh, and that's my turbo Beetle in the background in desperate need of a washing.
Be back soon...
Its amazing how much looking for work will eat up free blogging time.
For those of you still following the news here at UOwC...I should be finding the time to bring you the coolest auto news, including the goings-on on the auto show circuit in the very near future.
Stay tuned...
For those of you still following the news here at UOwC...I should be finding the time to bring you the coolest auto news, including the goings-on on the auto show circuit in the very near future.
Stay tuned...
Sky Red Line Dyno run
Automobile Magazine got a chance to not only drive the new Saturn Sky Red Line, they decided to dyno the new roadster to see how closely the car comes to the claimed 260hp / 260lb*ft rating.
Their findings? 228hp and 248lb*ft at the rear wheels.
Assuming a 15% power loss between the crank and the rear wheels gives us: 268hp and 291 lb*ft at the crank...sweet!
Why the discrepancy? It is likely that the power ratings assume worst possible conditions for the intercooler (such as desert heat).
So, all you Solstice GXP and Sky Red Line owners - enjoy your extra speedy machines knowing that you are packing some serious punch.
Read all about it here:
Automobile Magazine: Dynamometer Test - 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line
Their findings? 228hp and 248lb*ft at the rear wheels.
Assuming a 15% power loss between the crank and the rear wheels gives us: 268hp and 291 lb*ft at the crank...sweet!
Why the discrepancy? It is likely that the power ratings assume worst possible conditions for the intercooler (such as desert heat).
So, all you Solstice GXP and Sky Red Line owners - enjoy your extra speedy machines knowing that you are packing some serious punch.
Read all about it here:
Automobile Magazine: Dynamometer Test - 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line
Restyled Equinox - more info
It appears that the fuzzy image of a restyled Equinox from GM's fuel-cell fest last week is less of a mystery today.Official photos as well as details about the Fuel Cell Equinox have been released. GM plans to build 100 of these and place them with families in California (of course), New York City, and Washington D.C. This will result in the worlds largest FCV fleet.
I would still expect this highly modified front-end (which seems to combine a new style Chevy grill with the headlights already used on the Pontiac Torrent) to become the new face of the Equinox in the 2008 model year.
Freshening of the Chevrolet Equinox?
At a recent press event held by GM to hype their prototype fuel cell Chevy Sequel, it seems that GM may have given a quick hint to the updated styling of the Chevrolet Equinox.
Here is a cropped version of that photo to just show the picture of a fuel cell Equinox with decidedly not current Equinox styling.
Our guess is that, with the exception of the large air intakes on either side of the front fascia for the fuel cell, that this is a good indicator of the 2008 Equinox freshening.
Here is a picture, for reference, of the current Equinox:
