Automotive News - January 21, 2008 - (Page 6)

6 • JANUARY 21, 2008 What’s inside Toyota or Scion? The A-BAT and other hot concepts. ➤ Page 24 One of the show’s positive trends: Lots of top executives, such as Ford Vice President Derrick Kuzak, left, and CEO Alan Mulally, strolled the show and mingled with journalists, without the typical herd of publicists and courtiers. Closeup: Design A big star on a small crossover, and other design solutions. ➤ Page 20 Auto show walkaround: Chasing the YIPS around Detroit COMMENTARY Editor’s note: We asked reporter Mark Rechtin to give us his personal list of hits and misses at the auto show. He did so, and we appreciate his efforts. But next time we’ll make sure he takes a bodyguard with him. BY MARK RECHTIN 9-4X and Land Rover LRX was bliss. Some skeptics thought those designs were interchangeable, but the delight is in the details. Wandering executives. In past years you could recognize the Big Honchos by the mass of toadies, underlings and sycophants orbiting around them. This year several journalists casually walked the show floor one-on-one with the likes of Ford CEO Alan Mulally. I was perusing the excellent back seat packaging of a VW Tiguan when Ferdinand Piech slid in next to me. Wild. In an era when journalists demand unfiltered access to executives, this is an excellent trend. Risk-taking in tough times. Sure, I was the only person I found who liked the new Dodge Ram more than the Ford F-150. But I respect Chrysler’s gutsy decision to ditch leaf springs — the industry standard for trucks since the Pleistocene era — in favor of coil springs and shocks. Also, I applaud Toyota for daring to launch the Venza wago-ute into a segment where so many others have failed. The scary-good Koreans. Can someone explain to me how an engineer chained to his desk in Ulsan can create a better Buick than a team of guys in Detroit? The Hyundai Genesis’ performance and interior quality could turn the near-luxury sedan segment on its ear. If dealers can convince Americans to shell out 35 grand for a rear-drive V-8 Hyundai with leather everything, look out. Same goes for the Kia Borrego and the full-sized SUV segment. Of course, I could be wrong about all this. I’m still recovering from a concussion viciously delivered by the deceptive roofline of the VW Passat CC’s frameless doors. Mark Rechtin is Los Angeles bureau chief for Automotive News. You may e-mail him at mrechtin@crain.com. Diesel debut Honda’s first U.S. diesel will appear in 2009 in the nextgeneration Acura TSX. ➤ Page 8 Focusing Chrysler’s brands Three concepts show how Chrysler plans to reduce overlap among the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands. ➤ Page 14 I More Mercedes diesels Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche says diesels will power 20 percent of Mercedes-Benzes sold here. ➤ Page 26 Also Toyota’s Venza crossover falls somewhere between station wagon, minivan and SUV. ➤ Page 10 Nissan has made up its mind: The Cube is coming to America. ➤ Page 16 Ford will launch a subcompact based on the Verve concept in 2010, but first it needs to develop a customer base. ➤ Page 18 f I hear one more automaker announce at a press conference that its 2010 Gazelle XR4Si is aiming at “young, active buyers,” I am going to &$#!! (insert Gen-Y expletive here). Once again, Detroit’s auto show was filled with superlatives, platitudes and concept cars that will never see the light of day. And the nearly universal denial regarding falling sales and rising gasoline prices was truly scary. Nowhere was this suspension of reality more evident than in the automakers’ pursuit of the Generation Y buyer. This mythical young, active hipster is the spawn of the industry’s hype machine. At most, there might be 275 Gen Y kids who look like rapper Soulja Boy or tattoo exhibitionist Kat Von D, ride mountain bikes, “are really into hip-hop music” and have sufficient discretionary income to buy a $31,479 vehicle. The other 69.9 million are just regular kids who play video games in sweat pants, illegally download Incubus tracks, complain about their parents (who still do their laundry), and pray for the day they can afford the monthly payment on a 1999 Honda Civic. I would personally pay off GM’s mountain of debt to hear GM CEO Rick Wagoner admit that the Pontiac Vibe is really chasing the “YIPS” — Young Inactive Petulant Sloths. That’s the real market boom. Gen Y isn’t the only age group getting the fog-machine treatment. And GM isn’t the only perpetrator. The entire industry should admit, for example, that its trendy crossovers are not “sport-activity vehicles” but station wagons for aging baby boomers. ROGER HART PHOTOS The Hyundai Genesis, above, and Kia Borrego: two “scary-good” Korean entries Everyone is an expert on design. Here are a few of my dislikes: The BMW X6’s aggressively tapered roofline has crunched rear seat headroom to the point that only a contortionist can fit. That gigantic grille makes the Lincoln MKT look like a bloated baleen whale. And Land Rover should quit saying that the LRX “hybrid” concept SUV gets 50 mpg when the only powerplant under the hood is a Cobo Hall rat. Now that I have offended pretty much every auto executive, I can tell you what I liked about the show: Rolling doorstops. I am a big fan of “the tyranny of the wedge,” as former Nissan design boss Jerry Hirshberg called it. Point me toward something that looks like a Pinewood Derby car and I am a happy guy. Lozenges make me grumpy. To see crossovers like the Cadillac Provoq, Saab Ford designer Peter Horbury wants a more aerodynamic F-150 pickup. ➤ Page 22 GM will test carbon fiber as a weight-saving material in highvolume vehicles. ➤ Page 26 Product chief Bob Lutz says General Motors will test vehicles powered by lithium ion batteries by June. ➤ Page 28 Goodbye, SRX! Cadillac hopes to triple sales with the Provoq. ➤ Page 30 ANTONIO NUNES/ISTOCKPHOTO Forget the hype about big-ticket Gen Y purchasing power. Most are just regular kids who play video games, illegally download Incubus tracks, complain about their parents and pray for the day they can afford the monthly payment on a 1999 Honda Civic.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - January 21, 2008

Campi will move fast to buy global Ford rolls out new F series — but will it stay No. 1? GM will push metro megastores BMW: We may need a 'green' brand Competition claims traditions German summit Toyota: We have enough plants for now Chinese pitch innovation, not just price Mercedes in, Cadillac out as sponsor of Masters golf tournament Auto show walkaround: Chasing the YIPS around Detroit New Acura TSX will get a diesel Toyota: We'll crack 35-mpg CAFE before 2020 Audi predicts 1 million global sales in 2008 Toyota crosses over into tricky segment LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Digital edition is a 'quantum leap' KEITH CRAIN: Here they come, ready or not EDITORIAL: Incentives war isn't the answer to sales downturn LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Toyota over Chevy? Don’t be too sure DIGITAL EDITION: You did your homework Chrysler concepts show brand tweaks Chrysler: 'Hemi is not powertrain of the future' Some of what we heard at the Detroit auto show Corvette has a future — but maybe a lighter, greener one Nissan exec: Cube is coming to America Subaru relies on new Forester Farley: Ford must groom the market Ford still funds Jag, Land Rover product development Ford will probably develop its new rwd cars in the U.S. Volvo considers North American production Good design: Solving problems, making a statement Horbury wants a more aerodynamic F-150 Hyundai upgrades next Sonata's interior M-B could build C class in U.S. VW hints at vehicles for new N.A. plant Customer demand for CTS sedans strains production capabilities at Cadillac GM to test ZR1 carbon fiber weight savings Honda Pilot has more room, power Indiana plant will boost Honda's flexibility Zetsche sees 20% diesel mix for Mercedes-Benz GM hopes to have E-Flex test vehicles ready by June GM to increase Enclave output Cadillac aims high with Provoq Pontiac to launch G8 marketing in March Big-truck sales fall 43.5% in Dec. Personnel Buckle up for a rocky '08, economists warn Canada sales up 2.4% in '07 Gioia: Ford hybrids will be profitable by year end American Honda opens workplace diversity office Dealers From CDs to Sync: Auto industry races to adapt in-car IT trends Microsoft exec sees a car as 'another room in the house' China's Geely plans plant in Mexico Chrysler exec: China exporters need time Murtaugh: Nissan deal won't affect Chrysler-Chery venture Strike by writers makes TV iffy for auto marketers Super Bowl auto advertisers get pre-game jitters Final Say GM bumps buyout total to 46,000 GM considers U.S.-made Astra Good Karma: Mean, green, fighting machine Purves confirms it: The end is near Rehab for designers: A change can do you good Tata's achievement: Redefining 'cheap' Fans remember auto commercials with sports themes Which brand is stronger — Scion or Prius? Engine advances bring cleaner emissions a step closer Suppliers to the 2008 Ford Focus Varable compression ratio makes a comeback Change the engine's stroke Integrate components to boost efficiency Reduce the size of the engine Eliminate the cams and count the savings ZF expects surge in new orders American Axle's rising son may be another Dauch Honda taps Web for workers Trelleborg unit adds tech center Kia restricts hiring at Ga. plant to Web applicants Magna pursues Ogihara Supplier personnel Age of intelligent transportation is getting closer Plastic spoiler saves weight Automotive News' cartoonist looks at 2007 8 will enter European Automotive Hall of Fame Pininfarina lifted family business to new heights Merciless cost cutter Calvet rescued PSA Opel boys turned bicycle venture into automaker Giacosa fathered the Fiat 500 JCI to supply batteries to Chinese automakers Automakers will spend more on digital ads Ford snares star role in return of 'Knight Rider' GM Certified markets online to Hispanics Writers' strike could benefit auto marketers

Automotive News - January 21, 2008

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