ON THE TABLE

November 17, 2010

   Fisker. Editor-in-Chief's Note: Word filtering out from the Green Mountains (the Shiny Happy California ones that is, not the real ones in Vermont) suggests that the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sedan is a porker, weighing as much as 5,000 pounds, according to the New York Times. Really? Now there's a shock. Not. Why anyone with at least a modicum of practical knowledge about this business would be surprised by that is beyond me. The looming Fisker train wreck could be spotted years ago. Take a dollop of unbridled design ego - aka Henrik Fisker - add a large measure of hubris, multiply that by a ton of investment money from card-carrying members of the "green" intelligentsia, then add in unending blind praise from a bunch of media types who should have known better, and you have a formula for automotive disaster. At the end of the day Fisker is yet another automotive start-up with lofty goals and pedigreed green-tinged backers that will ultimately fail because of its fundamental inability to come up with a machine that can rival anything from a global automaker with the kind of depth of serious talent and the technical resources at its disposal to do it better. Much better. And lighter to boot.  But hey, if you're one of those first-on-the-block types who just has to have the latest in country club conversation starters, have at it. Your Fisker Karma - and future automotive afterthought - awaits.

(GM)
The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible premieres at the Los Angeles International Auto Show this week. Start of production for the new convertible begins in January and goes on sale in February. Nice.

 

(Cadillac)
Cadillac introduced the Urban Luxury Concept in conjunction with the L.A. Auto Show media days this week. The latest design study from GM's North Hollywood Advanced Design Center explores a new type of compact vehicle that, according to Cadillac, "offers a luxury experience in a diminutive size." The concept "weaves Cadillac’s iconic design elements into a form that eschews conventional vehicle design to answer the needs of metropolitan motorists." In other words, it's a city car. The micro Cadillac seats four, with easy access to all seats available via a pair of scissor-type doors that extend outward and rotate forward when opened. Touch-pad screens and projected readouts take the place of most traditional gauges and serve as the audio and climate system controls. GM engineers have developed a concept hybrid propulsion system that includes a turbocharged 1.0L three-cylinder engine employing electric assist technology, engine start-stop function, brake energy regeneration and a dry dual-clutch transmission. Cadillac projects fuel economy of 56 mpg in the city and 65 mpg on the highway. “This is a new vision in vehicle design that was created to answer the needs of city dwellers,” said Frank Saucedo, lead designer. “The door design is purposeful and technologically advanced, which is the essence of how we’re taking Cadillac into the future.” The Urban Luxury Concept features 19-inch wheels, a wheelbase of 97.1 inches (2,467 mm), and an overall length of just 151 inches (3,835 mm). It's 68.1-inch (1,730 mm) wide and 56.9-inch (1,446 mm) high. “It may not look like Cadillacs on the road today, but it shares the comfortable and high-tech elements that owners have come to associate with larger, traditional luxury sedans,” said Saucedo. “As more customers demand premium features even in smaller vehicles, a vehicle like the Urban Luxury Concept could be a solution.”

(Photos courtesy of GM Corp.)
GM is marking 10 years of automotive design at its North Hollywood Advanced Design Center, a milestone that, according to GM, "honors GM’s rich California heritage and celebrates the innovative spirit of the designers who are creating the vehicles of the future." The North Hollywood Design Center includes designers from the United States, England, France, Germany, Finland, Italy, Korea and Iraq. The design center has won the prestigious L.A. Design Challenge three of the last six years. “GM Design traces its roots back to Hollywood native Harley Earl and California’s rich, diverse and eclectic culture, which has inspired some of our greatest designs over the past century,” said Ed Welburn, GM’s vice president of Global Design. “And since its inception, the North Hollywood Advanced Design Center has continued this tradition and played an integral role in some of our most notable advanced concepts the last decade.” The studio’s design team has been led since its opening by studio director Frank Saucedo, and has created vehicles like the Chevrolet SS concept (above), the Pontiac Solstice and others below.

The Chevrolet Borrego Concept.

The GMC Granite Concept.

The GM EN-V Jiao (Pride) Urban Mobility Concept.

(Ford)
World Cup and Olympic gold medal winner Jonny Moseley will serve as the host of Focus Rally: America, a real-time interactive reality show starring the new 2012 Ford Focus. Focus Rally: America will take audience interactivity to a new level, according to Ford; interactive elements will engage viewers to not only follow along in real time but to participate virtually in challenges during the rally and even impact how the game plays out. Focus Rally: America will start Feb. 1, 2011, and run for five weeks, with long- and short-form webisodes streaming on Hulu™; while additional content will be shared in real time on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Eight audience members will be awarded a new 2012 Ford Focus at the end of the show.

(Porsche Cars North America)
Introduced at the L.A. Auto Show, the Cayman R is basically the Cayman version of the Boxster Spyder. 121 pounds lighter and with the most horsepower available in a mid-engined Porsche - 330-hp - the Cayman R offers an even more precise driving experience than the “standard” Cayman S, according to Porsche. The Cayman R features the 3.4-liter six-cylinder Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) boxer engine found in the Cayman S, but produces 10 more horsepower. With a six-speed manual transmission, the Cayman R does zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. With the optional seven-speed dual-clutch PDK (Doppelkupplungsgetriebe) transmission and the Sport Chrono package, that time is reduced to 4.4 seconds. Top track speed with the manual transmission is up by 3 to 175 mph (282 km / h), 174 mph (280 km / h) with the PDK. Lightweight components and the omission of certain standard equipment not directly associated with driving performance is part of the Cayman R. In addition to the removal of the A/C and stereo - which can be ordered separately - the Cayman R's sports suspension is lowered by 20 mm. The Cayman R comes with a standard limited slip differential, front and rear spoilers from the Cayman Aerokit and special lightweight 19” wheels also found on the Boxster Spyder. Lightweight aluminum door skins, carbon-fiber backed sport bucket seats and interior door panels from the 911 GT3 RS also contribute to the weight reduction. Black-framed halogen headlights, contrasting side mirrors and "PORSCHE" side-stripes add to the its appearance. The 2012 Cayman R goes on sale in February 2011 with a U.S. base price of $66,300.

(Mercedes-Benz USA)
Mercedes-Benz debuted of the all-new 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG in L.A. The four-door coupe features the all-new AMG V8 biturbo engine, delivering up to 550 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, as well as the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed Sports Transmission. Fuel economy of 16 mpg city and 21 mpg highway (estimates) represents an improvement of up to 33 percent compared with the preceding model. The 2012 CLS63 AMG goes on sale in the U.S. in the summer of 2011. AMG also announced a partnership with Ducati high-performance motorcycles. The initial aim of the cooperation between the performance brand from Affalterbach and the Italian manufacturer of high-performance motorcycles is to develop common marketing activities. AMG will support the Ducati MotoGP team as an Official Car Partner for 2011. During selected AMG events, participants will be able to take test drives with Ducati motorcycles, and Ducati customers will have the opportunity to drive the latest AMG high-performance cars.

(BMW)
Editor-in-Chief's Note: BMW says "words such as 'breathtaking', 'irresistible' and 'flawless' pepper the history of BMW convertibles." Really? Not. So. Much. Especially lately, where we would use the words "contrived," "ponderous," "ungainly," "tedious" and flat-out "butt ugly" in some cases. At any rate, BMW pulled the wraps off its new BMW 6 Series convertible at the L.A. Auto Show yesterday and we'll spare you the rest of the corporate blah-blah-blah and PR-speak - if you're so inclined you can immerse yourself in the minutiae somewhere else - and just say that it's a giant "whatever" to us. - PMD

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" 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.

 

By the way, if you'd like to subscribe to the Autoline After Hours podcasts, click on the following links:

Subscribe via iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=311421319

Subscribe via RSS:

http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/podcasts/feeds/afterhours-audio.xml