Cars Coming Soon-> A New Ford V8, Jaguar Fights BMW and an Exotic Comes to America!

Jag's RD7 could be based on this RD6 concept

Waaaaay back in 2001, I heard about a car that quickly became an obsession. I was young, just 23, when this car was announced and I knew I had to have one.  I spent hours (at work) pouring over the specs and looking at promo photos. When the car finally hit showrooms as a 2002 model, I went and test drove one about once a month for a year and a half before finally buying a 2004 model.

I’m embarrased by it now, because if I had known as much about cars then that I know now, I would have known the Jaguar X-Type wasn’t at all competitive in its segment. It’s like looking back on my very first concert and trying not to grimace anytime someone asks me who it was (don’t ask).

Today, I half wonder if a new obsession will begin because Jaguar has again announced a new model; this one to replace the X-Type.

Called (for now) the RD7, this five-door hatchback that also thinks it’s a coupe will feature RWD and could have a 2.7-liter diesel V6. If obsession starts, I hope patience is also a trait because we’ll have to wait until at least 2013 for this new Jag.

2010 BMW 5-Series GT

If the design reminds you of something, think of BMW’s 5-Series Gran Turismo and recently announced 335i Gran Turismo that will go on sale in 2011. Apparently 5-door hatchback coupes are all the rage right now! I’m not complaining, in fact, I think I even like them.

I also like V8 engines (even though I asked about banning them a while back) and am excited about Ford’s new “Coyote” 5-liter V8 recently spotted testing in a F-150. Autoblog says,

The Coyote is thought to be a twin cam, four-valve per cylinder motor with an output of 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. The new V8 will replace the long-in-the-tooth modular V8, joining the 6.8-liter V10 it’s derived from.

The 5.0-liter will be used in both the light duty F-series pickups and the Mustang, and it should be interesting to see if Ford markets the EcoBoost V6 in trucks against the V8 when they’re outputs are so similar.

McLaren MP4-12C

If a 400-horse Ford doesn’t get your blood boiling, maybe this will: McLaren’s new MP4-12C will be offered in the U.S.

Perhaps best known for the F1 and the Mercedes-Benz SLR, McLaren’s MP4-12C and its mid-engine 600-horse V8 should quickly make a name for itself. We’ll have to wait awhile to find out though, as the latest McLaren isn’t even slated for production until 2011.

What are your thoughts, fellow Car Gurus: are 5-door hatches here to stay? Anyone else think the McLaren may have the goods inside, but is lacking in the exterior design department?

-tgriffith

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GM’s Sale of Opel to Magna May Fall Apart

German officials have been steaming, because the GM board and some unnamed “advisers” are recommending the company keep Opel and thereby retain GM’s presence in Europe. Said advisers are also suggesting that the company look for financing from “other European countries” to keep control.

GM would be seeking some $4.3 billion. You can imagine how eager other European countries will be to cough up this money and incur the wrath of the Germans, Canadians, and Russians (all stakeholders)—not to mention the Obama administration, which has so far kept a discreet distance from the furor.

Negotiations to sell Opel to Magna, a Canadian automotive group, have been protracted for months (see our piece from May here) and have involved elaborate deal-making, even including some Russian financing. GM’s turnabout has massively irritated the German unions who threatened “spectacular measures” if the decision went against them. There are 55,000 jobs at stake. And the German government has already provided €1.5 billion in bridge financing and gone far out on a political limb for the deal.

So if the new GM board takes this route—and incidentally goes against CEO Fritz Henderson’s wishes (he has backed the Magna deal)—they will be stirring up a total hornet’s nest in Germany, and maybe elsewhere in Europe. The deal was due to be announced Friday. To try and unwind it now shows that GM’s board really doesn’t know what it’s doing, particularly in areas with big political implications.

Do you think the Obama administration will keep hands off in this highly charged situation, as it claims it will?

—jgoods

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Brand New Jaguar XJ Unveiled!

Yes, I’m excited.

I’ve been a fan of Jaguar since I lusted after the 1961 E-Type. I have to admit, though, that I fell under the marketing spell of Jag during its more unfortunate years and brought home a new 2004 X-Type thinking I was getting a true baby Jag.

Now I know better, of course, as the re-badged Ford Mondeo no longer sits in my garage, and I’ve been left with a bad taste concerning Jaguar’s quality.

Now, Jag promises to be different - to be the luxury icon of the 21st Century.

Jaguar’s new XJ, unveiled this afternoon by Jay Leno in England, could put those quality questions to rest for good.

The thing is gorgeous, though it looks nothing like a traditional Jaguar. Gone is the iconic shape of the old XJ, replaced with the sleek lines of the new XF. As Jay Leno said in a live unveiling on AutoWeek.com,

The old XJ was an old guy’s car. You can sell an old guy a young guy’s car, but you can’t sell a young guy an old guy’s car. If you think this new XJ doesn’t look like a Jaguar, you are an old guy.

This car won’t only take sales away from BMW and Mercedes, it’ll be a competitor to the likes of the Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Panamera.

Check out a full gallery of pictures over at Autoblog.com, then let us know what you think of the new Jag.

My view? Jaguar is back, and much to my wife’s dismay, I’m probably going to have to have one someday. Sorry kids, you’re paying for your own college!

How does the new Jaguar XJ look to you?

-tgriffith

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Ugly Design Awards Always Include Japanese Cars

2009 Infiniti FX50

It’s certainly not true that the Japanese are the only ones to produce ugly cars. But theirs have a singular look that anyone can easily identify. We show you three models here, two Nissans and an Acura—good cars, yet no one should buy them unless they want to be accused of being tasteless.

Our big winner has to be the Infiniti FX50, whose appearance Top Gear likened to that of a whale shark. This luxo crossover has achieved good reviews, but imagine driving it to a top restaurant where the parking attendant snickers. And others point at your headlights.

But then look at Acura, with its TL. The nose resembles a cow-catcher on an old steam locomotive. The rear end could well be the front if you replaced the red taillight lenses with clear ones (see video). What has happened to the company that built the NSX?

And where did Nissan’s GT-R (right) come from? If you’re going to produce and sell a 195-mph sports car, it better appeal to more than Japanese buyers. However, Wikipedia tells us that

Nissan chief creative officer, Shiro Nakamura, has likened the new GT-R to the eponymous giant robots of the Gundam series. Nakamura states: “The GT-R is unique because it is not simply a copy of a European-designed supercar, it had to really reflect Japanese culture.”

Who cares? It’s still ugly. Why can’t Nissan be happy producing cars like the G37 coupe and sedan? Or like the classic 300ZX (left), one of which I owned and wish I had still. Japanese car designers can do great things if they get their minds off robots, anime, and other frivolities.

Can you nominate other Japanese cars for the Ugly Awards? Don’t be shy.

—jgoods

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Opel’s “Brazilian Soap Opera” Roars to a Climax

German Chancellery: scene of long nights and stormy negotiations

You know, I never set out to be a financial news reporter, but this Opel-GM story has all the elements of good TV drama: political intrigue, complex characters, last-minute sleight-of-hand. It is indeed a soap opera, interspersed with commercials for the interested parties.

The waters got muddier yesterday when Sergio Marchionne, the Fiat chief (right), announced that his company would boycott Friday’s talks to preserve Opel. Fiat was still interested, yes, but not if it had to fork over another $415 million, a surprise turn of events, as we reported yesterday. Marchionne stated it was “unreasonable” for Fiat to negotiate for a company whose finances remain murky.

So, unless Sergio was playing high-stakes poker, the presumptive winner looked to be Magna, the Canadian parts company whose ability to bring more cash to the table came courtesy of a Russian bank. But Sergio said he was still interested, and Magna even offered a partnership proposal to Fiat—rather like Hitler did to Stalin at one point in WW II. So the plot continued to thicken.

Hold on, stop the presses. We just learned that Magna is apparently going to take a major stake in GM’s European operations, which include Opel. The company gets a bridge loan to sustain it through GM’s expected bankruptcy proceeding in the U.S. And the German federal and state governments will probably foot the bill.

I wish Marchionne had won. The guy is brilliant, a high-stakes negotiator, and a forthright car czar. In Montreal this morning he compared the German negotiations to “a Brazilian soap opera,” and so it has been. He told Der Spiegel in an interview that his company would be a much better fit for Opel than Magna, and I think he’s right.

The [Opel] plant in Eisenach is not just a highly efficient automobile factory, but also a symbol of German unity. However, Eisenach could operate even more profitably by working together with our Fiat plant in the nearby Polish city of Gliwice, instead of with its sister plant in Zaragoza, Spain. No parts supplier or financial investor can offer Opel such advantages, but an industrial partner from within the same sector can. That’s why a joint venture with us makes so much sense.

As he seemed to recognize, the politics—on both the American and German sides—got to be a bit too much. Whether Magna will preserve all of the 50,000 European jobs at stake remains an open question.

Don’t feel too bad for Sergio, however. He’s due to get Chrysler any day now, and that will be another soap opera.

Do you think Opel will continue as a brand under its new ownership?

—jgoods

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Surprise! Big Cars Beat Up Small Ones in Crash Tests

Last week, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released some totally astounding findings. In its front-end crash tests—pitting a Mercedes C-class against a smart fortwo, a Honda Accord against a Fit, and a Toyota Camry against a Yaris (above)—guess what? The small cars got clobbered.

This exercise to benefit the insurance industry has as much validity as telling a group of environmentalists that carbon causes global warming. The real problem, of course, is that weight, size, and all the advanced safety features in new cars, big and small, ultimately work against the push for better fuel economy, as Todd Lassa wrote in the Motor Trend Blog. “I don’t know whether your average 2009 Peterbilt conventional has airbags, but I’d bet it’s safer than the ‘89 and ‘99 models.”

The logic of the IIHS tells us that we should have bigger, heavier, safer, and more fuel-efficient cars—which is clearly not where the industry and its customers are headed. The Institute recognizes the problem, but offers no realistic solution. And who’s going to buy all those neat small cars with gas still at $2 a gallon and oil prices continuing to fall?

One reason people buy smaller cars is to conserve fuel. Gasoline prices skyrocketed last year, and there’s no telling what the price at the pump might be next week. Meanwhile, the gears are turning to hike federal fuel economy requirements to address environmental concerns. The conflict is that smaller vehicles use less fuel but do a relatively poor job of protecting people in crashes, so fuel conservation policies have tended to conflict with motor vehicle safety policies.

However, the IIHS likes the new size-based CAFE standards proposed by the Obama administration, a kind of leveling approach to the problems of size, weight, and economy, which is, after all, one big compromise. And (hear the cheers break out), they endorse a return to the 55-mph speed limit on our nation’s highways.

Lassa remarks, “our highways would be safer if we removed anything smaller than a midsize car, and larger than a half-ton pickup, too. Buses and semis included.”

We surely could use some fresh thinking on this subject.

Do the results of these crash tests mean anything to you? Do you fear for your life when driving small cars?

—jgoods

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The cool new diesel GM won’t build

It’s an engine that could raise those trucks’ fuel economy into the mid to high 20s - higher than the new two-mode hybrid system in the trucks, which is rated at 21 mpg.

The engine has cylinder heads that eliminate the intake and exhaust manifolds. It’s truly an innovation should GM take pride in.

And they won’t build it.

Or perhaps the correct wording is they can’t build it. While GM struggles for survival by cutting costs and trying to reduce brands, innovations such as this new diesel are getting put on hold. That’s unfortunate, because the possible benefits of such an engine are huge.

It’s easy for observers of the auto industry (bloggers included) to immediately criticize GM for moves such as this. Certainly the people at GM know how badly they need innovation, especially the kind that makes pickups border on the fuel efficiency of a sedan.

The fact is, though, GM just can’t afford to move on with the development of this engine, which has already tested as quietly and smoothly as a gasoline engine. They’ve already received $13.4 billion in government loans, and they hope to receive another $16.6 billion. That’s money GM needs just to say in business… they simply can’t afford to innovate right now.

Some people will say they can’t afford NOT to innovate, and there’s some truth to that. A joint venture is a possibility, in which GM would work with another company to build the engines for them. But even if such an agreement were made today, it would be at least a year before the engines were in production.

While I truly believe this engine is exactly the innovation GM has needed for quite some time, I can’t help but wonder if it’s come too late.

Would you be interested in buying a light-duty diesel truck that achieved fuel mileage in the high 20s?

-tgriffith

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Scanning the Auto Blogosphere

1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

This week the auto-blog world served up a number of good stories highlighting an increased focus on fuel efficiency and the environment. The gas2.0 blog posted a notice on a new brand under the Volkswagen umbrella: BlueMotionTechnologies. This new company will work on all of Volkswagen’s most “green” tech, including a stop-start system and regenerative braking that should improve fuel efficiency as well as a couple of new catalytic-converter technologies that should help clean up emissions.

The TopGear blog posted a quick note on the fact that Fiat’s resurrected 500 now offers stop-start technology - which Fiat is calling Start&Stop - to both improve fuel mileage and reduce emissions. We hope this will increase the likelihood that Chrysler will help get the Fiat 500 on sale here in the U.S. ASAP.

The Cars For Girls site summarized a Forbes.com list that names the Kia Optima the best car for carpooling. The ten-slot list focused on safety ratings, capacity and comfort, fuel efficiency, and entertainment options, and it split evenly between U.S. and foreign automakers, with all foreign car spots taken by Asian brands.

Edmunds’ Inside Line passed along news on a new shock absorber developed by MIT students that collects kinetic energy developed when a car hits a bump in the road and turns that energy into electricity. Apparently multiple truck companies and the U.S. military have expressed interest, and AM General has loaned the students a vehicle for further testing.

Wired’s Autopia posted two different stories on diesel cars being considered for the U.S. market that suggest at least one of the Big Three still doesn’t get it. Tony Borroz happily notes that Audi will bring its diesel-powered A3 TDI to the U.S. by 2010. But on the same day, Ben Mack notes that Ford will not make its diesel powered ECOnetic Fiesta available in the U.S. next year - only the gas-powered version. Many readers of Mack’s post felt that maybe he didn’t get it very well either, though, since he trumpeted the diesel Fiesta’s UK mileage rating, apparently without understanding how different that is than a U.S. EPA estimate (UK ratings use Imperial gallons, which are ~1.2 U.S. gallons, among other things).

I was pleased to read good news on the fuel-efficiency and environmental fronts, but some of my favorite auto-blog posts in the last week have been built around photo galleries. Here are my favorites:

• Bush’s Auto Blog’s gallery featuring the ‘57 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa that could set the world record for highest price ever paid for an automobile (photo above). I kind of liked Bush’s Danica Patrick gallery, too.
• Jalopnik’s gallery of photos by designer Rafael Reston, who imagined what the Dodge Viper might have looked like had it debuted in 1967
• Sports Car Digest’s new gallery from the Porsche Museum in Germany

That’s all for now. Please let me know what topics you’d like to see get more coverage on the CarGurus Blog.

-Steve Halloran

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2009 Detroit Auto Show preview

The 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit starts Sunday, January 11, and is already generating all kinds of buzz.

In past years this show created early excitement about upcoming vehicle unveilings, special presentations and lavish parties. This year is different, as the biggest news coming out of Detroit is which automakers will NOT be attending. Most notably is Nissan/Infiniti, who pulled out of the show and even asked its dealers not to make a showing.

That’s kind of like a Super Bowl team deciding not to show up on game day.

Nissan isn’t the only one skipping the party; Mitsubishi, Porsche, Suzuki, Land Rover, Ferrari and Rolls Royce all cite cuts in marketing budgets as reasons for not showing up.

In all the gloom, there are still some exciting unveilings to look forward to:

On the hybrid front, Honda will unveil their new Insight and Toyota will debut the newly redesigned Prius.

Is it power you’re more interested in? Wait till you see the latest version of Audi’s R8, a V10, Lamborghini-powered supercar. (Lambo fans can rest easy, because the R8’s engine was detuned to 525 horsepower, to keep it just slightly out of reach of the Gallardo).

If it’s SUVs that float your boat (or tow it), look for GM’s redesigned Cadillac SRX and Chevy Equinox. The ‘Nox gets new engines and a facelift, while the Caddy becomes sleeker and hopefully more fuel efficient as it loses the V8 option.

Ford, Volvo and Buick should all be showing off new sedans. Ford’s new Taurus could give the Chevy Malibu a new American challenger, while Volvo’s S60 promises a revamp based on the European Ford Mondeo. (Jaguar’s failed X-Type was also based on the Mondeo, so that will be a particularly interesting car to keep an eye on.)

Buick will show the world their all-new LaCrosse, which it hopes will redefine the brand as more competitive in the luxury market.

Then there’s Chrysler, who’s been pretty quiet about their plans for debuts at the show. They do say they plan a special surprise… we just hope it’s not a half-million-dollar sign thanking the government for bailing them out.

Are you excited for the 2009 Detroit Auto Show? Let us know which vehicle debuts you’re most interested in!

-tgriffith

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Look who’s getting in line for government bailouts!

 

Bailout Fever is spreading. 

As Ford, Chrysler and GM plead their cases for $34 billion in government bailout money, another automotive crisis appears to be looming on the other side of the Atlantic. 

I thought the collapse of the auto industry in the U.S. was caused mainly by poor management and the production of gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs. That’s why I was surprised to hear that European automakers are dealing with similar challenges, and are asking their governments for $50 billion in assistance.   

For example, Jaguar Land Rover, now owned by India’s Tata Motors, is asking the British government for $1.5 billion in assistance. (Why they aren’t going to India’s government is an entirely different blog topic!)

While not quite as dire as the U.S. situation, European car sales were down 15 percent in October, with the outlook for 2009 even worse. Many European carmakers are planning temporary production shutdowns and some are already reducing their workforces. 

Looking a little deeper at the situation, I have to bring up this fact: General Motors has a large stake in Opel, the German carmaker. Should GM not get a bailout, Opel will probably receive help from the German government. That could create a domino effect where other European automakers perceive an unfair advantage, resulting in a major case of the ‘me-toos.’

It’s entirely possible that the European situation arose out of the politics of opportunity, presenting them with an easy way out in the form of government bailouts. It sure looks like U.S. automakers are paving the way out of the land of free-market business and into the world of government subsidies. 

I believe it’s best to let the world’s strong auto companies live and the weak ones die.

But what do you think: Do the European car companies need a bailout package?

-tgriffith

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Here are some of the best cars coming out of American right now.

Ford, GM and Chrysler have been getting a lot of bad press lately. While much of it is deserved, there are some high points coming out of Detroit that we should all be thankful for. Here are some of the best cars coming out of American right now.

Ford Fusion

Not since the Taurus was introduced has Ford had a real turning point in the mid-size sedan segment. With the Fusion, Ford offers plenty of legroom, pleasant driving dynamics and a unique exterior that actually makes a statement. And get this: the Fusion is priced lower than other class leaders with prices starting under $20,000. Just the kind of car a struggling automaker needs!

Ford Fiesta

While it won’t be introduced in the States until 2010 or 2011, this is Ford’s evolution into the global market. The compact Fiesta brings big-car features to the small-car segment, offering a stronger, safer, more fun to drive small car than an American company has ever produced. Question is, is this car coming too late for Ford? This car could be the game changer!

Chevy Malibu

Honda perfected the efficient and reliable sedan in the 1980s. It took GM until the early 2000s. Well, 20 years late is better than nothing. With the new Malibu, fuel efficiency, performance and a long list of standard amenities come wrapped in a design that GM says carries the new face of Chevrolet. It features a precise build quality and refined driving dynamics along with a standard 169-horsepower 2.4L four-cylinder engine that delivers 30 mpg on the highway. Even if this car was 10 years earlier to the party, maybe GM wouldn’t be on the verge of collapse today.

Saturn Outlook

In GM’s history of building overly truckish SUVs, the Saturn Outlook is proof that someone in GM corporate finally caught wind that buyers weren’t looking for that anymore. The Outlook is the result of a valiant effort to package eight-passenger seating, real cargo capacity and a pleasant driving experience into the skin of one hot SUV.

Cadillac CTS

I won’t try to top what Motor Trend said about this car: “If you were one of those who wrote off General Motors as a dying dinosaur — after all, it’s been a decade since any GM car took home the Golden Calipers (the Chevrolet Corvette won back in 1998) — prepare to rewrite everything you think you know about what’s in the General’s store. With this bold, savvy, uncompromising showpiece of a sedan — the all-new Cadillac CTS — GM has leapt straight from the rabble’s side of the velvet rope into that coveted, highly selective inner sanctum marked “World’s Finest Cars.” For that remarkable achievement, and for making us grin like lottery winners every time we drove it, the CTS is our enthusiastic choice for Motor Trend’s 2008 Car of the Year.”

Is this list missing your favorite American made car? Add it in the comment section below!

-tgriffith

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Toyota's iQ at the Geneva Auto Show

Imagine living in a country where a car like the Toyota Yaris is big.

That is the direction America appears headed, as our panic-happy society demands immediate changes along with the ever evolving landscape of our economy.

When gas prices were down, Americans hollered for bigger, more powerful cars. Before we knew it, Toyota’s Tacoma expanded from a compact pickup to the size of a Suburban. Then gas prices rose and a backlash erupted against SUVs and pickups, as though the American people are insulted that car companies ever built such massive beasts.

Toyota is again a perfect example of adapting to public outcries and introducing the cars we say we want. So the Yaris isn’t small and efficient enough for you? How about the iQ- a miniscule “4” passenger car measuring 117 inches long (the Yaris is 150 inches).

Though not yet officially slated for a US release, Toyota’s iQ is set to hit the streets of Europe and Japan soon. Success there is assured, though I question whether or not the iQ would be successful in America, especially now that gas prices are stabilizing. Two months ago I paid $4.20 per gallon and just today I filled up for $3.01. Americans could very easily get used to gas that costs three bucks, and frankly I am not convinced that the iQ would sell here if gas remains at that level.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: American SUVs are not dead. What we’re seeing now is America in flip-out mode. Soon we’ll recover our wits, get used to the gas prices and resume our habit of relishing in the rumble of a good ol’ American V8.

The iQ, while a nice piece of engineering and a valiant effort in fuel economy, could become a laughing stock in America. I don’t think the answer to reducing our use of foreign oil is in miniscule gas-powered cars. I’m putting my money on Americans opting for larger electric powered cars, and forking over the costs of keeping their SUV tanks full while we wait for them.

I want to know: how much would gas prices have to fall in order for you to get back into your SUV?

-tgriffith

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