ON THE TABLE

July 28, 2010

GM. The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid has been priced at $41,000, including shipping, and GM plans to drill into potential consumers that's it's a real car - with real capabilities - that won't leave them stranded. “Our strategy will be, ‘It's more car than electric,' ” U.S. Marketing chief Joel Ewanick said in a conference call. “They're looking for a real car. They're looking for a car that will meet their transportation needs, that gives them no anxiety... You can drive it across the country without having to recharge, and our competition can't do that.” GM says the Volt can travel up to 40 miles on battery power before it switches to its on-board gasoline-powered generator engine. The Nissan Leaf - the Volt's only competitor so far - is a full electric vehicle with a 100-mile estimated range - and your range may vary, big-time - before drivers need to recharge. The Volt, which will officially be available in late November if not December (they're saying possibly October but we're not buying it - Ed.), will qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit just like the Leaf, which hits dealers in December priced at $32,780. The Big News? GM will lead Volt advertising with an eye-opening lease deal - $350 a month for 36 months with a $2,500 down payment - despite being priced higher than the Leaf. (The Leaf lease deal is $349 a month for 36 months with $1,999 down.) Ewanick said that GM can offer such a competitive lease rate because of the elevated residual values brought about by high consumer demand and interest and the competitive advantage of an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty on its lithium ion battery system.

(GM Corp.)
Step right up, all you "early adopters" out there, and you too can be the first on the block to have a Chevrolet Volt in your driveway - as long as you live in California, Connecticut, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and the nation’s capital - at least at first.

Peter Bejin. The craftsmanship supervisor at the Chicago facility where Explorer will be produced had this to say: “Crafting a high-quality vehicle is like preparing a gourmet meal. You start with high-quality ingredients, execute your recipe with flawless preparation and finally, present it with flair and panache.” And that’s our AE Quote of the Week.

BMW. The BMW Group will be the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) from now through 2016. BMW Group will also be the Official Mobility Partner of four National Governing Bodies: USA Bobsled & Skeleton, U.S. Speedskating, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field.

(Photo by Pawel Litwinski © 2010 Courtesy of Gooding & Company)
Considered the ultimate Pre-War racing Alfa Romeo, this 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza with coachwork by Brianza will be offered at Gooding & Company's upcoming Pebble Beach Auctions. An exceedingly rare and significant Alfa Romeo, this Monza was piloted by a few noteworthy Genovese drivers during the 1930s and 1940s, including the famous Renato Balestrero. In his hands, chassis 2311218 competed successfully at all the major European racing events, including San Remo, Gran Prix of Bari, Circuito di Senigallia, Circuito di Modena, and Circuito di Voghera, all of which supported Balestrero’s achievement of winning both the 1947 Sport Nazionale and Sport Internazionale Championships with this 8C Monza.  In the Monza’s later years of vintage racing, it competed successfully in the Mille Miglia twice (1997 and 2001), Laguna Seca (1997, 1998, and 2008), Copperstate 1000, New England 1000, Colorado Grand and the 8C Tour. Notably, this car has an unbroken ownership history from new and has had only three Californian owners since 1954.

Notsopuremichigan.com. A parody of the brilliant Michigan tourism campaign Pure Michigan, notsopuremichigan.com offers a series of hilarious (and seriously sarcastic) videos that poke fun at various Michigan destinations, including Mackinac Island, Grosse Pointe and hipster hangout Royal Oak. We thought our native Michigander readers might get a kick out of it.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Our "quick take" this week covers the 2011 Ford Fiesta 5-Door Hatch SES. Our Tuxedo Black Metallic tester with its Black cloth interior looked great. Crisp and contemporary, the Fiesta wears Ford's new design language well inside and out, and it was nice to see the car in something other than the now ubiquitous Lime Squeeze Metallic.  The most striking thing about the Fiesta to me was its excellent driving dynamics. It's composed over all surfaces, the feedback through the steering wheel is excellent, and its high-speed road manners are exemplary. The Fiesta oozes character and composure and its extensive product development shines through in day-to-day driving.  My only caveat is that I would get it with the manual gearbox. Though the "Power Shift" dual clutch 6-speed automatic responded terrifically under flat-out acceleration and hard driving, it was less impressive in stop-and-go driving. It was as if it forgot what it was supposed to be doing in those high-traffic situations, being inconsistent and somewhat jerky at times. The Fiesta's automatic gearbox certainly isn't in the league with the superb dual clutch gearboxes from VW - yet - but that's something to work on. Overall, however, the Fiesta is a superb package befitting a company that knows who it is, knows where it wants to go, and understands what it will take to get there.  - PMD

2011 Ford Fiesta 5-Door Hatch SES: $19,660 ($17,120 base price, 1.6L TIVCT, Power Shift 6-speed automatic, $1,070, AdvanceTrak with ESC, Rapid Spec 301A - Comfort/Upgrade Package, Heated Front Seats, Chrome Belt Line Molding, Passive Keyless Entry/Start System, Chrome Decklid Molding, Perimeter Alarm - $795; Destination & Delivery, $675)

WE'RE OPENING THE VAULT!

The AE wearables are back - and only in extremely limited quantities and sizes, we might add - and once they're gone, they're gone! We're starting with our most popular items, the classic AE Sweatshirt and AE Hat. Click on a PayPal button below to order yours now! (If you prefer to pay by check, please send us an email with AE STORE in the subject line, and we'll reserve your item.)

AE Sweatshirt - Crewneck, sturdy 80/20 cotton/poly, in black with throwback lettering - the original AE logo in our Chiller typeface shown above. Size XL only. 40 bucks, including shipping. US orders only.

AE Hat - Black with throwback lettering - the original AE logo in our Chiller typeface shown above. 25 bucks, including shipping. US orders only.

Publisher's Note: Check-out John McElroy's daily news show covering everything about the auto biz by clicking on the graphic below. Good stuff guaranteed. - PMD

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" hosted by Autoline Detroit's John McElroy, with Peter De Lorenzo and friends this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.

 

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