ON THE TABLE

October 3, 2012

 Jonathan Browning. The Volkswagen of America CEO told the Brookings Institute that the VW Group built a new plant for Audi in Mexico because the U.S. is losing its luster as a place for foreign investors to do business. And that until this country's political and financial situation improves, VW will be hiring more Mexicans than Americans. Ouch.

 Nissan. David Shepardson, reporting for The Detroit News, quotes Andy Palmer, Nissan's executive vice president of product planning, as saying that the Japanese automaker is disappointed in the sales of its all-electric Leaf, but that they were not giving up on its plan to double electric vehicle sales, even though sales are not meeting expectations. "We're a little disappointed," Palmer told reporters in a roundtable discussion Tuesday. "The uptake isn't as strong as we first hoped." Do ya think?

(BMW)
BMW will unveil the Concept K2 Powder Ride based on the BMW X1 at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

(Photos Courtesy of Goodguys Rod & Custom Association)
Tom Gloy's Brizio Street Rods-built ‘32 Ford roadster has won the Goodguys 2012 Tank’s Hot Rod of the Year award at the Goodguys 2^nd WIX Filters Speedway Nationals. Gloy’s low flying roadster was born during a conversation with Roy Brizio a few years back as the two drove to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Gloy wanted a channeled ’32 Ford roadster but Brizio cautioned that “Channeled ’32 Fords aren’t very comfortable and when channeled they can look too wide.” He also told Gloy how the driver often “sat up too high” in the channeled cars he’d seen over the years. So that was the challenge – to build a channeled, traditionally styled roadster in which Tom could sit low and drive fast.

To redesign the car’s front end, Brizio and his build team narrowed the cowl, grill and windshield. They also sectioned the radiator shell 3 ½”. To get Tom down low in the seat, the floorboards were radically lowered, more so than any other hot rod to roll out of Brizio’s South San Francisco stable.

Out back, the rear quarters were filled and smoothed and the rear wheels tucked tightly against the channeled body. The custom Brizio chassis features torsion bar suspension from Moal Coachbuilders and a classic hot rod rake courtesy of the chromed Magnum 5-inch dropped axle. Custom made 18 and 16-inch ET knockoff wheels are enhanced with custom machined caliper brackets designed to fill the backside of the wheels (inspired by Bonneville style Moon discs).

The roadster has a 302-inch, Hilborn EFI Ford crate motor and Tremec 5-speed gearbox. Brakes are courtesy of Wilwood brakes.

Bay area body & paint specialist Darryl Hollenbeck of Vintage Color Studio spent many hours perfecting the car’s classic finish – a stunning mid-50’s Porsche blue which perfectly contrasts the red leather interior stitched by Sid Chavers.

Gloy's racing career spanned more than 25 years, winning a Trans Am Championship as well as a Formula Atlantic title. He drove in six IndyCar races including a start in the 1984 Indy 500 where he finished 14th. Last weekend, Gloy, who lives in Lake Tahoe, drove the car over 2,000 miles from his home in Nevada to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to collect his award.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: This week our "quick take" has us in the 2012 Range Rover Evoque Coupe. When the concept for this vehicle was introduced I called it one of the design statements of the year. And when the production vehicle followed, adhering close to the concept, I predicted the Evoque's design presence on the road would have a major, positive impact for the brand. And for the most part, it has. But sometimes having a design statement can be a challenge in real world driving, and once behind the wheel the Evoque's limitations soon come to the fore. First of all, the 3-door Evoque maybe be more dramatic than the 5-door, but for practical considerations it's a non-starter. The 3-door Evoque is nothing more than a boulevardier in terms of real world usability, and for some people that may be perfectly fine. But even without having driven one, I can safely say that the 5-door would be the only Evoque worth considering, unless your driving entirely consists of luxury shopping escapades. The Evoque's very appealing compact size is enhanced by an interior that is light, airy and roomy, at least for the front seat passengers, of course. As a matter of fact the Evoque fairly bristles with exceedingly welcoming design touches, especially in the interior, which is first rate in terms of materials and overall appeal. Driving the Evoque was a little disconcerting at first, because it suffers from the dreaded "turbo tip-in" that seems to plague a number of four-cylinder entries in this market, meaning you have to think about throttle application if you have the least bit of interest in being smooth. But once acclimated, the Evoque was certainly pleasant enough. And the more time I spent in it the more reasonable it became, its compact size proving to be one of its biggest strengths. I think the Evoque is a scintillating contemporary design statement and I applaud Range Rover for having the cojones to stick to its guns and bring it to market as is. But $58,745 for a 3-door hatchback with ground clearance and a design point of view? You really have to want it bad. - PMD

2012 Range Rover Evoque Coupe: $58,745 ($44,145 Base Price; Mauritius Blue, $950; Contrast Black Roof, $650; Lunar/Ivory Dynamic interior; 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct injection 4-cylinder with 240HP and 250 lbs-ft of torque; 6-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters (normal, sport and manual shift modes); Permanent Intelligent all-wheel-drive with traction control; Haldex coupling with specific Land Rover Tuning; Terrain Response System (General/Snow/Mud/Sand); Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPAS); Independent front and rear sport suspension with long-travel coil springs; 19" Sparkle Finish aluminum alloy wheels; Dynamic Premium Package - Unique 19" alloys, Exterior package (Black grille, side vents, mirror caps, spoiler extension and waist finisher), Sport exhaust tips and rear skid plate, Oxford leather steering wheel, Perforated leather on the seat central panels, Door panels with contrast stitching, Bright pedal finishers, Unique textured aluminum finishers, Passive entry, Surround Camera System, HDD Navigation, Intuitive voice control, Meridian surround sound (825 watts, 17 speakers), Xenon headlamps with AFS, AHBA, blind spot monitoring - $7,900; Climate comfort pack - Heated front seats, Windshield, Steering wheel and washer jets - $1,000; Sirius satellite radio & HD radio, $750; Style 7 20" Shadow Chrome alloy wheels, $2,500; Inland transportation, $850)

We've added a new dimension to our "Quick Take" auto reviews by discussing brand image, in which we will ask ourselves a simple question: Does the vehicle we're driving adhere to the stated image of the brand? Or is it just a placeholder until they figure it out? We will be very clear as to what we think here, unlike some of the manufacturers in question who aren't quite sure as to who they are and what they stand for. - PMD

Adherence to Brand Image: It's clear that Land Rover is determined to be relevant and appealing going forward, especially to new customers to the brand, and the Range Rover Evoque is the vehicle that they intend to use to push their brand image forward as well. And for that duty the Evoque succeeds admirably. I would venture to guess that new vehicle intenders who see the Evoque barely equate it to anything to do with Land Rover/Range Rover, because it has a completely different vibe to it. This isn't some rugged off-road mastodon fresh from the wilds of Wales, it's a design statement for the road that will go nicely with the other design statements these people have accumulated, from watches and handbags to shoes and sunglasses, etc., etc. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I might add. I'm all for compelling design statements when it comes to automobiles, and the Range Rover Evoque definitely has its place. - PMD

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