ON THE TABLE

September 12, 2012

 Fisker. The floundering car company embarrasses itself yet again by declaring that it "set a world record for Highest Number of Single-Brand Electric Vehicles to be Charged Simultaneously, with 45 owners of its Karma Electric Vehicle with extended range (EVer™) having their cars charged at the same time." Huh? A new low.

GM. Comes out with guns blazing in defense of the Chevrolet Volt after Reuters said that GM was losing $49,000 on each Volt sold. GM's response: "Reuters' estimate of the current loss per unit for each Volt sold is grossly wrong, in part because the reporters allocated product development costs across the number of Volts sold instead of allocating across the lifetime volume of the program, which is how business operates. The Reuters' numbers become more wrong with each Volt sold." GM will be using the Volt architecture and drivetrain underneath the luxury Cadillac ELR plug-in hybrid set to debut in late 2014.

 Howard Cooper. The 82-year-old Michigan automobile dealer generously awards his employees with $1,000 for each year of service upon his retirement from the business.

Viper fans. Get ready to pay up, kids. The 2013 SRT Viper that will hit showrooms by the end of the year will cost at least $99,390, which includes a $1,995 delivery charge. The Viper GTS will start at $122,390, including delivery.

Toyota. The Japanese automaker is replacing its advertising tagline - "Moving Forward" - which it has used since 2004, with "Let's Go Places." Well, it's better than "Let's Stay Home" but beyond that, not so much.

A full video, previewing the next chapter for McLaren Automotive, has now been launched ahead of the British sports car manufacturer’s first international motor show in Paris later this month. The video shows trails of light traveling over a seemingly invisible form, with the airflow creating a dynamic shape with dramatic visual effect. The light show provides a glimpse of what will be unveiled at the McLaren Automotive press conference - said to be the successor to the legendary F1 - at 17.45 CEST on Thursday, September 27th. Watch it here.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Our "quick take" this week has us in the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu ECO 2SA. Now, after the Camaro ZL1 Coupe (and a very nice Audi A4 2.0T quattro tiptronic that we didn't write about) you would think the Malibu would be a bit of a letdown, and frankly, it was. But that doesn't mean the new Malibu isn't a good car, because it definitely is. Some would argue that the design is a step back, but I don't agree. Even though the previous Malibu is a nice looking car, this new Malibu has a little more design oomph to it, which I find to be okay, especially in the class it's competing in. Whether it will be able to sway any Camry intenders away from Toyota remains to be seen, however. I have no quibbles with the way the Malibu drives, but you have to adjust your expectations a bit when you're behind the wheel. It's no performance car by any means, but it is an excellent everyday car. And there's a lot to be said for that. The e-Assist feature works seamlessly and unobtrusively, the interior is nicely rendered and it's quiet, composed, and did I say it's quiet? The thing is incredibly quiet. Now to enthusiast drivers that may not matter in the least, but in a car built for the day-to-day slog it's pretty damn good, welcome, in fact. Talking about cars like the new Malibu is difficult because when considering the state-of-the-art in these mainstream cars the bar is set pretty high, and it goes higher with each new entry. Meaning, we're so used to the level of competence being pushed upward in these cars that it's difficult to find dramatic, deal-breaking faults with them. The Malibu ECO is a superb car for its intended mission. And for a lot of people that's more than enough. In fact it will do just nicely. -PMD

2012 Chevrolet Malibu ECO 2SA: $29,080 ($26,845 Base Price; Crystal Red Tintcoat with Cocoa interior; 2.4-liter ECOTECH 4-cylinder with e-Assist technology; 6-speed automatic; Cruise control; electric power steering; Stabilitrak stability control system with traction control; Leather package - leather appointed seat trim, driver and front passenger heated seats - $1,000; Crystal Red Tintcoat paint, $325; Cocoa fashion trim, $150; Destination charge, $760)

We've introduced a new dimension to our "Quick Take" auto reviews by discussing brand image, in which we will ask 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: Right on point. To me, a mainstream Chevrolet has to deliver three things: 1. Value. 2. A modicum of style. 3. Competent day-in, day-out drivability. Note I said mainstream Chevrolet. These parameters certainly don't apply to the Corvette or Camaro, obviously, but you get the idea. The idea of a mainstream Chevrolet is something most consumers understand, even though those same consumers have been distracted by other makes that deliver those three factors too, even better in most recent cases. But the new Chevrolet Malibu ECO doesn't give away much to other competitors in its class. In fact, I would say it is very much present and accounted for in the game. And it adheres to the long-standing brand image of Chevrolet in every respect. - PMD

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