The Car Exam News #15: Move over, Ford Fiesta: the 2012 Focus will have its followers, and the Focus will also get 40 MPG?

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First the “Fiesta Movement”—now a “movement” for the Focus?

Move over, Fiesta. The Focus will get its own movement: Automotive News is reporting that Ford will market the upcoming 2012 Focus in a similar manner in Europe as it did the Fiesta with the “Fiesta Movement” here in the United States last year. 100 people will be selected to drive the new Focus for two days sometime in early 2011. The participants will write blogs and post videos to Facebook, just as the Fiesta Movement participants did last year.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com) 9/30/10

More Focus news: The 2012 Ford Focus to achieve 40 MPG?

Fuel Economy watchers, take notice: the Detroit Free Press reports that Ford claims that the 2012 Focus will achieve 40 miles-per-gallon on the highway. This hasn’t been certified by the E.P.A. yet, so those numbers are not official right now. If Ford’s claim is indeed true, the 2012 Focus will beat the current highway fuel economy numbers of its main competition: the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, and more.

Source: The Detroit Free Press (http://www.freep.com/article/20100930/BUSINESS01/9300398/1331/BUSINESS01/Ford-says-Focus-will-get-40-m.p.g.-) 9/30/10

P. Scott

The Car Exam News #14: The Car Exam goes to the Coronado Speed Festival’s Media Day, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata is recalled & Ford may reduce its lineup

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The Car Exam goes to the 2010 Coronado Speed Festival’s Media Day

This past Friday was the Media Day for the 13th annual Coronado Speed Festival held at N.A.S. North Island in Coronado, CA. The event is a part of San Diego’s annual “Fleet Week” events, which pays homage to San Diego’s military community. During the time The Car Exam was at the event, racers were prepping their cars for the weekend’s races, and well as making practice runs on the track in their vehicles. From classic Ford Mustangs, classic BMW racers, to newer cars like the Mini, there were lots of cars to be seen.

The fun real fun of it was watching the cars and the drivers go through their paces on the track. Loud, gurgling V8 engines and their exhaust systems filled the air with their intensity and sheer power. But as this event proves, you don’t need a V8 engine or larger to cause a ruckus on the track. There were a variety of four and six-cylinder-powered cars on hand, and they were showing their speed and finesse during the practice drifting runs on the track.

This journalist has not smelled so much scorching tire smoke and rubber in his entire life! And whatever your point of view was, the smell could have been considered either toxic by the general spectator—or absolutely intoxicating by a racing connoisseur or an all-out racing fanatic. Some of the drifts were well-controlled masterpieces, while others were desperate attempts to save face and hopefully avoid an unintentional (and probably costly) collision with one of the barriers on the track. Simply put, it was a grand experience to take in.

Various military service men and women, press members (television, print,internet bloggers and journalists) and other V.I.P.’s were on hand to take in or participate in the event (there was a line for people to sign up to go along for the ride, as well). Numerous vendors and other displays were at the Speed Festival, including Edelbrock and Russo and Steele Auctions. A Ford Motor Company trailer had also pulled up at the event just before I left.

There were two lasting memories for me at the 2010 Speed Festival Media Day: first, I encountered Joe Harding, a native Englander who was filling the radiator of his red 1939 Lagonda race car he was going to race at the event. He told me he had been racing his car for the past 22 years. I asked him if it was difficult to maintain, and he replied, with a smile, that it required “Lots of maintenance.” He also told me he wasn’t looking forward to setup of the track, because the Lagonda was not made for taking corners well. It didn’t matter, though—Joe looked happy to be there and to be racing his beloved 1939 Lagonda.

Next, there was an older gentleman riding a scooter who saw me taking photos of two 1960’s Ford Mustang racing cars parked in front of a trailer. He pulled up to me and offered to take some photos of me standing next the two cars, and I happily obliged. When he finished, he said seriously yet jokingly, “It’s no problem—that’s why we do this (Bleep!).” My interpretation of his comment: People attend the Speed Festival (and all other car events like it)—whether they are five or fifty-years old, men or women, car buffs or media members, because they enjoy seeing the automobiles and relish the lasting memories they can bring.

Story and Photos by P. Scott ©2010 (9/26/10)

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata is recalled

Bloomberg is reporting that Hyundai is recalling over 139,000 2011 Sonatas (built between 12/11/09 and 9/10/10 due to a steering issue. Drivers could potentially face a total loss or reduction of maneuvering control. Hyundai clams that less than 10 Sonatas have been reported with the steering problems, but it’s taking no chances just in case there is a larger problem.

Source: Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-26/hyundai-to-recall-sonata-sedans-in-u-s-to-make-checks-on-steering-issues.html) 9/27/10

Ford may reduce its vehicle lineup

Ford may be taking downsizing to another level: Ford will eliminate its Mercury brand by the end of the year, and now the Automotive News is reporting that Ford may reduce it vehicle lineup to “as few as 20 models.” The report also notes Ford had 97 models when Ford CEO Alan Mulally took over Ford leadership in 2006, and that he stated, “Fewer brands means you can put more focus into improving the quality of engineering.” We’ll see if that proves to be the case, especially since Ford has already made impressive strides improving the quality of its vehicles.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100927/OEM04/100929868/1257) 9/27/10

P. Scott

The Car Exam News #12a: Longer Battery Range for the Chevrolet Volt—maybe, and another free entry day at U.S. National Parks

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Longer Battery Range for the Chevrolet Volt—maybe

More about the Chevrolet Volt: The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Chevrolet may now market the Volt as having a 50-mile travel range on its lithium-ion batteries before the gasoline engine takes over. In The Car Exam’s “The Car Exam Examines Electric Cars, Part 3,” (posted yesterday) I noted that the Volt’s battery range is 40 miles. As of this writing (9/24/10), it still states as such on the Chevrolet Volt section of the Chevrolet website. The Detroit Free Press article also states that marketing of the 50-mile plateau will depend upon E.P.A. testing, as well as its yet-to-be determined method of how to label the fuel economy figures on electric vehicles.

Source: The Detroit Free Press (http://www.freep.com/article/20100923/BUSINESS01/100923073/1002/BUSINESS/Chevy-may-say-Volt-has-longer-battery-powered-range-) 9/23/10

Another free entry day at U.S. National Parks!

Do you want something fun to do this first weekend of Fall? Saturday, September 25 is Public Lands Day—and also a “fee-free entrance day” at over 100 national parks throughout the United States! Go to this web address to find out more information: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm Enjoy!

Source: The National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm) 9/24/10

Look out for Part 4 of “The Car Exam Examines Electric Cars,” coming soon!

P. Scott

The Car Exam Examines Electric Cars, Part 3: The 2011 Chevrolet Volt

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The Chevrolet Volt

General Motors has a lot riding on this vehicle—thanks to the taxpayers, it has been spared the ultimate doom met by other automobile manufacturers: total collapse. The Chevrolet Volt isn’t GM’s first foray into electric cars: that was the EV-1 leased at the now-defunct Saturn dealerships in the 1990’s. GM eventually abandoned the EV-1, but now it aims to get back into the electric game with the Volt.

While the Volt’s price of admission is high (although made somewhat more reasonable by the federal government tax savings credit of $7500), the Volt has a distinct advantage that may make it a more viable option to the everyday driver that its foe, the Nissan Leaf, doesn’t have: a built in-range-extending option—in this case, a small gasoline engine that can extend its range to 300 miles. That’s a viable option for potential electric car owners worried about “range anxiety.”

It’s more appropriate, then, to call the Chevrolet Volt a “plug-in, gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle.” The Volt has an initial range of 40 miles (or 64 km) on an electric charge, via the Volt’s electric motor. The Volt’s range is boosted by a 1.4 liter Ecotec 4-cylinder gasoline engine that powers an on-board generator. The generator starts when the 16-kWh lithium-ion batteries for the electric motor have been depleted. This is important, because drivers who wish to take longer trips can do so by filling up the gas tank when it’s empty—instead of having to wait to recharge the electric motor’s batteries. Drivers should be able to drive about an additional 300 miles (or about 482.80 km), depending upon the manner in which the car is driven, driving conditions, temperature, etc.

The Volt’s electric motor doesn’t have nearly the projected 100 mile range that the Nissan Leaf claims to offer, but having the ability to drive an additional 300 miles with an economical gasoline-powered generator (with the ability to drive further in needed) seems like a good trade-off.

Also, keep this in mind: if a driver ever needs to flee a natural disaster or some other unforeseen calamity, it makes sense to be able to have the ability to potentially go farther in the Volt (if the gas tank is at least half or three-fourths full) than to be limited by the range of an all-electric vehicle that would need to be recharged when its batteries are completely drained and need to be recharged for at least several hours—if not much more—in order to continue to drive any farther.

Certainly, it would be nice to be totally emissions-free, but in a reality of uncertainty it would seem to be logical to want to have ability to utilize a back-up means of propulsion if the driver ever needed it in an emergency situation. By the way, the Volt can be charged in any 120v household outlet (about 10 hours for a full charge), but a quicker charger can be had by charging it in the Volt’s 240v charging station (about four hours for a full charge). Charging times also vary depending upon temperature extremes (extremely hot temperatures over 95 F and 20 F, for example).

Some other facts and figures about the Chevrolet Volt: it is a four-passenger car that has a hatchback instead of a trunk. It has remote vehicle start, a Bose stereo system, a 7” LCD touch screen, a navigation system with voice recognition, XM satellite radio, eight standard air bags and an 8-year/100,000 mile warranty for its lithium-ion batteries. Like the Nissan Leaf, the price of the Chevrolet Volt is high—the M.S.R.P. is $41,000, but decreases to $33,500 with the federal government tax savings credit of $7500. If a customer chooses to lease a Volt, they can expect to pay at least $350 per month for 36 months (three years).

Will the Volt succeed? That’s difficult to gauge right now; it hasn’t gone on sale just yet. Also, $33,500 will put it out of the range for many consumers, especially with a sagging U.S. economy. If it does succeed, it may do so because General Motors found a technological design that could prove to be a winner.

Manufacturer’s Suggested M.S.R.P.: $41,000

Source: Chevrolet (http://www.chevrolet.com/pages/open/default/future/volt.do) 9/22/10

P. Scott

The Car Exam News #12: The Cadillac CTS recalled, and Ford wants 20,000 people to drive the new F-150 in advance of its launch

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GM recalls the Cadillac CTS

The Cadillac CTS gets bitten by the recall bug: the Detroit News reports that GM is recalling over 20,000 2009 through 2010 CTS and CTS-V’s. Why? The glove box door—according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration—inflicted “higher than acceptable” leg injuries on crash test dummies during crash tests conducted by one of it’s contractors. The CTS was retested a second time—and the test results were worse than the first test.

In addition to repairing the glove box, the instrumental panel beam will need to be replaced on some cars. CTS owners will be notified of the recall beginning in mid-October, although dealers will begin to get the replacement parts in this week in order to begin fixing cars that can’t be sold until the repairs are completed.

Source: The Detroit News (http://www.detnews.com/article/20100920/AUTO01/9200391/1148/GM-recalling-20-000-Cadillac-CTS–CTS-V-models) 9/20/10

Ford Wants YOU to drive the New F-150!

According to USA Today, Ford wants potential customers to test drive its 2011 Ford F-150 pickups with its four new engine choices—before they go on sale. You can go to http://www.driveF150.com to participate in Ford’s “Built Ford Tough Roundup 2.” About 20,000 people can sign up, so hurry. The test drives will take place in: Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas; Aberdeen, Maryland; Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando, Florida, and Los Angeles, CA.

Source: USA Today (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/09/ford-wants-20000-to-test-drive-f-150-pickups-with-turbos/1)

P. Scott

The Car Exam News #11: Honda recalls the Crosstour, The Feds drive the Nissan Leaf, Dodge will get a new Viper and the Jeep Patriot gets refreshed

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The Honda Crosstour recalled

Honda is recalling the Crosstour—and not because of its styling. Automotive News reported this week that Honda is recalling 3,336 2010 Accord Crosstours because their air bag modules may not have been tested properly. The air bags will be inspected and replaced if necessary.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com) 9/15/10

The Feds drive the Nissan Leaf

Officials from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) test drove the upcoming Nissan Leaf this week in Washington, D.C., according to the Detroit News. Nissan offered test drives to U.S. government officials, as well as news reporters. NHTSA administrator David Strickland applauded the Leaf for being “…very well thought out.”

Source: The Detroit News (http://www.detnews.com/article/20100916/AUTO01/9160467/1148/auto01/NHTSA–EPA-officials-test-drive-the-Nissan-Leaf) 9/16/10

Chrysler reveals the 2012 Dodge Viper to dealers

According to the Automotive News, Chrysler showed off the all-new 2012 Dodge Viper to dealers at its national dealer announcement show in Orlando, Florida this past Tuesday. Production of the 2010 model of Dodge’s super sports car ended in early July, and there was some uncertainty when the Viper would return. If all goes according to Chrysler’s plans, the Viper should make its return to showrooms within two years.

Chrysler also showed a concept pickup for the Jeep brand that just may make it into production as well.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100916/RETAIL/100919884/1252) 9/16/10

The 2011 Jeep Patriot gets refreshed

Speaking of the Jeep brand, Automotive News reports that the Jeep Patriot receives some cosmetic and mechanical changes for the 2011 model year. Some of the changes include: an upgraded interior, restyled front and rear ends, and a re-tuned suspension with higher spring and damping rates for better handling and a better ride.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100917/OEM04/100919876/1252) 9/17/10

Be sure to look out for “The Car Exam Examines Electric Cars, Part 3” coming soon!

P. Scott

The Car Exam News #10: Toyota plans new hybrids, Fiats in Chrysler showrooms soon & Chrysler names a "new" car

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Toyota plans new hybrids

Toyota thinks more hybrids are a good thing: according to the Detroit News, Toyota is going to bring seven new hybrid vehicles to it worldwide market by 2012. Some of those vehicles include an electric plug-in model of the Toyota Prius, an electric RAV4 SUV and a small car (both the RAV4 and the small car will be built in conjunction with Tesla).

Toyota has already sold over 2 ½ million hybrids across the world, and it aims to sell more. Toyota wants to sell about 20,000 plug-in Priuses per year to begin; however, Toyota had better hope the needed infrastructure is in place to support its sales goals.

Source: The Detroit News (http://www.detnews.com/article/20100913/AUTO01/9130419/1148/auto01/Toyota-plans-new-hybrids-for-2012) 9/13/10

Fiats at Chrysler dealers by February 2011?

The Automotive News is reporting that Chrysler wants dealers who will the selling the Fiat 500 to have their Fiat showrooms built and running by the end of February 2011—that’s only about six months away. 165 dealers will be chosen in October to sell Fiats at their dealerships, so that won’t be a great deal of time to get things going. Dealers will have to get started building their Fiat dealerships as soon as they have been selected if they hope to meet the deadline. Also, Chrysler dealers must be trained to sell the Fiats, so it will be interesting to see how many will actually meet the initial deadline.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com) 9/14/10

The 2011 Chrysler 200 to replace the Sebring

USA Today is reporting that Chrysler’s new replacement for the Sebring will be named the 200. How different will the 200 be? According to Chrysler’s press release (shown on Autoblog.com), Chrysler says, “Virtually every system in the sedan is new or upgraded for 2011, giving the Chrysler 200 its own identity and space in the highly competitive mid-size sedan segment. Exterior and sheet metal upgrades include: front and rear fascias and fenders, grille featuring the new Chrysler brand winged badge, hood, rear decklid and exterior mirrors, new projector headlamps and fog lamps, new LED taillamps and a LED center high-mounted stop light.”

The press release also states a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine, as well as the new 283 hp Pentastar V6 engine with a six-speed automatic will be available. It sounds as if the Chrysler 200 is heavily-reworked Sebring. Hopefully, the current Sebring’s unattractive styling has been heavily-reworked, too.

Sources: USA Today (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/09/chrysler-dealers-to-see-14-new-or-improved-cars/1) 9/14/2010 and Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com)
9/14/2010

P. Scott

The Car Exam News #9: More Chevy Cruze News, Chevy shows the new Aveo and 2011 Honda Odyssey news

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The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze: The Lordstown Debut

There is more news about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze this week: Automotive News reports that General Motors launched the Cruze at its Lordstown, Ohio plant. The Cruze is already the best-selling Chevrolet model globally this year—and it hasn’t even gone on sale here in the United States yet—which is very impressive. New television ads for the Cruze also debuted recently.

GM has high hopes for the Cruze, and Chevrolet needs it to deliver the goods here in the U.S. Why? Ford has an all-new Focus coming soon, Hyundai has an impressive-looking Elantra coming as well and Honda is readying a new Civic for 2012. In fact, Chevrolet wants dealers to have Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas on hand at dealerships so consumers can compare the three cars together—quite a confident move by GM. The Cruze needs to be more than just competitive, though, if GM is to become a strong company again.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com) 9/8/10

The New Chevy Aveo in Paris

In more Chevrolet news, according to USA Today (usatoday.com), the new Chevrolet Aveo (which should go sale next year here in the U.S. as a 2012 model) will make its debut at the Paris Auto Show later this month. It will be longer and wider than the current car (and hopefully roomier, too: the current Aveo seems a bit too small, especially in the rear seat area). The Aveo is also expected to have a six-speed automatic transmission, as well.

Source: USA Today (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/index) 9-9-10

The 2011 Honda Odyssey

The 2011 Honda Odyssey will be going on sale soon, and Honda recently showed off the redesigned Odyssey to journalists in San Diego, CA. There are not very many minivans left on the market these days (Honda, Toyota and Chrysler are the main players now–the Kia Sedona is also still around, and Nissan has an all-new Quest coming soon), but Honda still needs to make the new Odyssey a success if it wants to stay in the minivan game.

The exterior styling is polarizing, to say the least, but the Odyssey may have enough weapons to fight the current minivan battle with Chrysler, Toyota and Kia (and Nissan soon): an upgraded, 3.5 liter, 248 hp V6 engine with better fuel economy than the 2010 Odyssey, an independent rear suspension, a 16-inch hi-definition monitor with split-screen for the second row seats, and much more.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com) 9/9/10

P. Scott

The Car Exam Examines Electric Cars, Part 2: The 2011 Nissan Leaf

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The Nissan Leaf

Nissan has pushed a full commitment into the electric car foray with its 2011 Leaf. Nissan truly thinks there is a market for an all-electric car in the U.S. auto market, and it’s betting on the Leaf to help prove its point. What does the Leaf have to offer consumers?

Mechanically speaking, the Nissan Leaf offers a 80 kW AC synchronous electric motor (which equals about 107.28 horsepower), a regenerative, 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with Electronic Brake force Distribution and Brake Assist, traction control, and a 24 kWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery with an 3.3 kW on-board charger and a Palm-shift drive selector for the transmission.

The Leaf should have a travel range of about 100 miles on a full charge, but that can be seriously limited by driving conditions, the use of accessories (a/c, stereo, etc.) which may discharge the batteries much faster. Fully charging the Nissan Leaf on a 220/240 volt home charging station will take about 8 hours. Nissan rates the Leaf’s top speed at about 90 mph. The leaf also qualifies as a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV).

The five-passenger Leaf is a four-door hatchback, and it has the versatility of 60/40–split fold-down rear seat backs to help increase cargo space (exact capacity numbers are not available yet). The Leaf also has modern niceties like a navigation system, an XM Satellite Radio, an auxiliary audio input jack (for ipods or mp3 players), cruise control, a push button ignition, power door locks, a full array of airbags for safety, and much more. Exterior styling is decent overall; not especially flashy, but not terribly dull either.

How much will the 2011 Nissan Leaf cost consumers? The base price is $32,780–but the federal government tax savings credit can bring the price down to about $25, 280, depending upon the model. Will the public embrace the Nissan Leaf? Will Nissan’s gamble pay off? The Leaf will definitely face an uphill battle on several fronts, which will be discussed in part 4 of The Car Exam’s series on electric cars.

What’s next in the series? The plug-in electric car that has a technical element the Tesla Roadster and the Nissan Leaf both lack—-an element that may give it a distinct advantage over the Tesla and the Nissan. What car is it? The 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

Source: Nissan U.S.A. (http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index#/leaf-electric-car/index) 9-5-10

P. Scott

The Car Exam News #8 – Chevy Cruze Hatchback in Europe, Kia Soul & Sorento recalled, and the 2011 Dodge Durango unveiled

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Chevrolet to sell a hatchback Cruze in Europe
The Automotive News reports that General Motors will unveil a hatchback version of the Chevrolet Cruze at the Paris Auto show on September 30. Sixty-five percent of all compact cars sold in Europe are hatchbacks, which makes the sale of the model essential for Chevrolet in that market. Will we get the hatchback Cruze here in the United States? Probably not, but if GM sees a market for it here (hatchbacks don’t tend to sell well—which is too bad, because they are more versatile and user friendly in terms of space utilization) then GM may change its plans.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com) 9/3/10

Kia Recalls the Soul and Sorento over potential fire risk

The New York Times reported last week that Kia recalled about 35,000 2010 Kia Soul models (with the Advanced Lighting Speakers) and 2011 Kia Sorento models (with the Interior Accent Illumination) due to a potential fire risk.

They reportedly have a defective wiring harness that could potentially cause an electrical short and start a fire. The vehicles affected by the recall: Souls built between 9/7/2009 and 6/8/2010, and Sorentos built between 10/23/09 and 7/30/10.

Source: New York Times (http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com) 9/2/10

The 2011 Dodge Durango debuts

Chrysler desperately needs some new products to get customers in its showrooms, and it’s about to add another one soon. Chrysler unveiled the new Durango last week. It’s built with unibody construction, instead of the old truck-based body-on-frame construction the previous models were built upon. Crossover utility vehicles are unibody constructed—which makes the new Durango—and even the brand new 2011 Ford Explorer—essentially CUV’s now.

The Dodge Durango is all-new and shares a platform with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, which made its debut several months ago. The Durango also gets two new engine choices: the new a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine or an optional 5.7-liter Hemi V8 (no detailed technical specs are available yet).

Sources: U.S.A. Today (www.usatoday.com) 9/2/10 and Edmunds Inside Line (http://www.insideline.com/dodge/durango/2011/2011-dodge-durango-images-released-non-traditional-rollout-in-works.html) 9/2/10

P. Scott