Bob Lutz showed up in LA recently for an impromptu breakfast with the Motor Press Guild, aka MPG. Bob is always good for a few juicy quotes so I hustled up the 405 in typical OC-LA rush day traffic to grab an earful.
Bob didn’t disappoint. He started with a comment about GM needing to make headway in the Smile States and then proceeded to elaborate on some recent successes in California:
GM’s retail share of market in California for Q4 2009 was 9.3%, up 0.8 percentage points (PP) from Q4 ’08.
Compact Crossover and large car sales were up 4.7 PP and 2.8 PP, respectively for the same period.
In a recent design clinic of an upcoming new Cadillac versus its European and Asian competition, the clinic attendees liked the Cadillac more after they found out it was a Cadillac than when they didn’t know it was a Cadillac. Lutz says this is the first time this has happened. (more…)
Am I missing something here? This is the all-new Bugatti 16C Galibier? One point five million dollars of rolling auto stock?
Will someone tell me they like the styling? Please?
I think it looks like a tank. With a flying butt. Or is that just me?
And is that the malevolent Batman from Stephen King’s Shining II or the Jersey Devil staring out at me from beneath that winged hood?
When I asked the PR maven if the W engine would have eight cylinders, he shouted, “Nine, nine.” But I only count eight exhaust pipes. Go figure! (more…)
Last time we met at this Suzuki hitching post was in July, the 30th to be exact, and I stated the following:
“Suzuki believes that what the world is missing is an affordable, world-class, sports sedan . . . a European sports sedan with the QRD (quality, reliability, durability) of a Japanese sedan. One that will attract a new (read Suzuki) buyer.
“Development targets included the Alfa 159, Acura TSX and VW Passat, with upscale design, craftsmanship, performance and a premium interior being key characteristics. A car designed for American and European enthusiasts. One with an extremely rigid structure, standard dual-zone heating and air conditioning, extensive sound deadening and meeting 2014 safety standards, including eight standard airbags, standard stability control and available all-wheel drive, a rarity in this class.” (more…)
Few things get me as excited here at WheelsTV as being in the presence of history. Earlier in the summer it was the Vintage races at Loudon, NH, and the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance (videos on both of those coming this fall!). I got another opportunity Saturday, September 26, in Brookline, MA, at Bonham’s Classic Car Auction. These are the types of events I circle on my calendar.
The setting was the breathtaking Larz Anderson Auto Museum property. It had been some time since I had been to Larz, but it all came back to me when I took the approaching street and saw rolling hills, elegant landscaping, and the museum itself, essentially a former carriage house to a mansion, both owned by U.S. diplomat Larz Anderson and his wife, Isabel, with a car museum inside. It seems a fitting structure to protect treasured examples of automobilia. (more…)
The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is not for Lucerning drivers.
Part 1, in case you missed it, was all about history, lessons learned but not applied and the essence of the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse. This installment will be devoted to the here and now. (more…)
If you don’t think Buick’s in trouble, you need look no farther than every model they currently have in production. For starters there are only three: the Lucerne, LaCrosse and Enclave. And except for the Enclave crossover, the average age of a Buick customer is in the seventies. (more…)
There has been speculation and rumors, but now its official- supercar-maker Koenigsegg will bring the Saab brand back to Sweden. Koenigsegg, maker of the ridiculously fast CCR and CCX supercars will have some time to develop original product, as GM will continue to produce cars for Saab for the next 5-6+ years. This means we will see the forthcoming updates to the 9-3 and 9-5, as well as the unveiling of the 9-4X crossover and the presumably compact 9-1.
This seems like a fully appropriate marriage, as both brands have a reputation as being quirky, and are obviously from the same country. For Saab, this is the brands best chance for success. As a brand who’s niche was quirkiness, it could not run away from the homogenized design methods of GM. Sure the cars had still had the key start in the center console, but that’s where the originality that made Saab popular. These were still just up-fitted Chevy’s. That works if you are selling Buick’s, but not supposed competitors with high-powered European luxury cars. This could spell a major comeback for Saab- being put in the hands of another quirky automaker, will hopefully bring Saab back to its roots.
Saab won’t have to feel embarrassed every time a “Born from jets” commercial airs, as they are finally in the hands of a company who’s super car is closer to jet speeds than anything the General has to offer.
At a time when even many auto insiders might ask, “Is Mercury still in the car biz?, how is it possible for a former head of Mercury to be named 2009 Automotive Executive of the Year? (more…)
Last July I attended the introduction of the 2009 Mazda6 in Westlake Village, California. To compete for midsize sedan sales against the likes of the more successful Honda Accord, Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata, the Mazda6 had to grow up. Most consumers viewed the previous model as a “tweener”—larger than compacts such as the Corolla and Civic but about a half size smaller than the midsize top dogs. (more…)
Nobody asked me, but . . .
