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Nov232010

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 04:44PM

November 24, 2010

GSD&M Idea City. Editor-in-Chief's Note: The Austin, Texas-based ad agency has released its final creative work for BMW North America after resigning the account a few months ago, ending a five-year relationship with the German luxury brand. As reported by Advertising Age, the work involves a series of short films entitled "Unscripted Stories" featuring real BMW enthusiasts from around the world - in stark contrast to the elaborate films BMW backed earlier in the decade with such notables as Guy Ritchie, Ang Lee, Madonna, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, etc. - who tell their very personal stories about their relationships with their cars. The work captures the emotional connection people have with their automobiles perfectly. The teaser-trailer for the work is particularly exceptional, you can watch it here. And one of the five short films - this one about Murray Fowler, a 70-something California man who has logged 413,575 miles on his BMW - can be seen here. Take a bow, ladies and gentlemen, this work is simply superb. What a glorious way to go out. - PMD

VW. The German automaker is desperately trying to become one with the American fabric (again). Their latest ploy? Giving away the next-gen 2012 Beetle - while only revealing its silhouette - to 275 audience members at a taping of the annual (and last) "Favorite Things" episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" this past Monday for delivery sometime in 2011. Pontiac did this back in 2004 with the G6, and, well, we know how that turned out for them - lots of initial buzz and a Oprah-fueled frenzy, then, not so much. Will anyone remember this stunt next year when the audience members actually take delivery of their cars? Doubtful. Memo to VW: Be careful of that whole "becoming one with the American fabric" thing. That's how Toyota got into trouble.

Nissan's Leaf. The EPA has bestowed a "99 mpg" rating on the Nissan Leaf even though it doesn't use gasoline or any other liquid fuel. The government agency came up with the rating after comparing battery-powered electric vehicles to traditional gas-burning cars in the interest of helping consumers making their purchase decisions. The agency also classified the Leaf as a mid-sized vehicle instead of a compact, which is somewhat of a coup for the Japanese manufacturer. The bad news? The EPA downgraded the Leaf's range from 100 miles - which is what Nissan was suggesting that the Leaf would go on a full charge - to 73 miles. And yes, we're still waiting for the distinctive "Adam" and "Eve" editions of the Leaf to make their debut sometime in 2011.

(AudiAG)
Now this is just what the doctor ordered, if she or he is a true Autoextremist. The Audi RS 3 Sportback developed by quattro GmbH features the 2.5-liter 5-cylinder TFSI from the TT RS which delivers 250 kW (340 hp) and 450 Nm (331.90 lb‑ft) of torque through a seven-speed S tronic gearbox. With permanent quattro all-wheel-drive and 19-inch wheels, the factory claims zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) takes 4.6 seconds, while delivering average fuel consumption of just 9.1 liters of fuel per 100 km (25.85 US mpg). Top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h (155.34 mph). Deliveries of the RS 3 Sportback will begin in early 2011. The base price in Germany will be 49,900 euros.

(GM)
The Cadillac Aera concept vehicle shared the top prize in the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge with Smart while besting entries from seven other automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Maybach. GM Advanced Design has now captured the top honor - its third since 2005 - more times than any other design team. Designers were asked to envision the “1,000 lb. car” as an efficient four-passenger vehicle that maintained comfort, safety, driving performance and style.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Our occasional AE West Coast correspondent, Tom Pease, filed this interesting report from the real L.A. Auto Show, not the media preview days. Check it out. - PMD

A Few Thoughts on the L.A. Auto Show.

By Tom Pease

Beverly Hills. I woke up to a rainy Saturday thinking that by getting to the LA Convention Center first thing in the a.m. I’d have the place to myself; instead I was surprised that there was quite a crowd waiting to get in. So much so that the show opened 5 minutes early to process the crowd. Nice of them.

One of the things that struck me is how few cars I even cared to look at. I don’t need a sedan and don’t like or care about SUVs so swaths of displays I pretty much ignored. I did do my yearly sit in an MX-5 to see if I can still get in and out of one with some semblance of grace (still can, thanks). I also noted that getting into the Miata was a hell of a lot easier than getting into the backseat of the Acura RDX. The space to get in there is incredibly narrow; I felt like I was mailing myself in there rather than sitting down: in short, hideous and useless. Great idea there!

The new Buicks are very pretty. The new Infiniti are less so. The trunk space on the G convertible is non-existent with the top down. Same with the Lexus. I guess that’s what the backseat is for. Makes the soft-topped Mercedes make much more sense. As for Mercedes, is the SLK so on its way out it couldn’t make it to the show?

BMW was there with everything seemingly in grey. Chevrolet had an aggressive line of Camaros and Corvettes in bright colors facing into the BMWs in a visual F/U. The Cruze is nice and the Volt was something that I could really see myself living with. It was also being swarmed over by some Asian tourists who were taking photos, videos and measuring the interior. Lord knows why.

Kia and Hyundai didn’t have models that made me swoon, but it’s undeniable that they’re nipping at the heels of the Japanese as far as quality and if some of their styling can be charitably called “quirky” at least they’re trying. Honda and Toyota are, styling-wise, as exciting as a chamomile and Atavan smoothie. Toyota's decorations were so focused on reassuring one that they were still safe cars I half expected one to read “Really, the Prius isn’t out to kill you”. The new CR-Z really needs a backseat. I know it would be useless for humans but I kept thinking how much the insurance payments would dip if they’d just shove some seat belts and padding back there.

The Fords are very handsome, the Lincoln versions slightly less so. The blingy grin that is the grill on the sedans stretches to a Dr. Sardonicus maw when applied to the crossovers. The MKT looks like it should be trolling for krill.

Chrysler was there with the new Charger (better) and the new 200, which almost wipes the memory of the dreadful last-gen Sebring out of your mind. Curiously tucked away in the far corner was the Fiat 500. A red, a white and a gray one were on display with one original for size comparison. I write curiously because when people found them they were all over them. It was the only car at that early hour that I had to wait at all to get into and one of the few that people were having their pictures taken in. I can’t blame them: it’s so cute you want to burp it. There’s some thin Sanrio-like about its face with its hint of whiskers, and the interior has a pop-art, retro-future vibe to it that fairly screams “Italian”. Men, women, children and a dog were all over it. Okay, the dog was a service one but she was still there. I can’t wait for the convertible and I’m sure that smart and Mini are in the corner, smoking nervously.

Finally, Cadillac. The CTS couple is stunning as is the wagon. Can hardly see out of the back but I suppose the idea is they’re more focused on moving forward. The STS was there looking rather forlorn and the DTS was there looking like it shouldn’t be anymore. But what I really came to see was the ULC.

The Urban Luxury Concept is quite neat looking, far better in person than in photos. In person it has a kinetic flow to the design that makes it look longer than it is. I just don’t know that it says “Los Angeles” as much as the press release seems to think. Our “sometimes narrow streets” and “confined parking spaces” don’t stop people from driving Range Rovers after all. Of course if I lived on narrow Lago Vista Drive and needed a super-luxury minicar to get to Whole Foods then it’s perfect. But so far I think it’s an answer to a question nobody in LA is asking yet.

I think the answer to that question was the Converj, but what do I know. There’s certainly room in Cadillac's line-up for small, efficient, luxurious cars, even if they sell more in Europe or China than here.

A final note; something that always kind of bugs me is when manufacturers of super expensive cars come to the auto show, then ostentatiously rope their cars off from the Hoi Polloi. I mean, why bother? My license has a 90210 address so unless they ask for an income statement I could go over to the dealer and at least sit in one. Roping your super car off from a kid who just wants to touch one doesn’t make you aspirational, it makes you an a$$hole.

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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" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.