ON THE TABLE

September 21, 2011

 Andre Oosthuizen. He's the new head of Porsche marketing here in North America. Formerly the director for Porsche marketing in Africa and the Middle East, Oosthuizen, 39, will definitely have his hands full. First order of business? Dump the "Engineered for magic. Every day." advertising campaign. We get why Porsche is venturing into heretofore unheard of segments for the brand (SUVs, 4-door sedans) in order to generates boatloads of ca$h, but stop going out of your way to demean the "specialness" of the Porsche brand. People will figure out how they can use their Porsche vehicles every day on their own. Go back to telling us why Porsche is still Porsche, and still special.

  Ford. J mays, Chief Creative Officer for Ford, has confirmed that the next-gen Mustang won't be the least bit retro. We already knew this, but it's nice to see it come out anyway. Ford neds a new Mustang for a new generation. Will there be a few Mustang design "cues" - ? Yes, but the car will be forward looking and forward thinking. And it's about time.

The UAW. Cheers for the UAW-GM agreement? Unlike the local media in this town you won't find that here. They came to an agreement because there was no other alternative. Is this a signal of a "enlightened" new era in labor relations between the UAW and the auto companies? Oh hell no. It's still about the hoary rhetoric, the dimwit saber-rattling and the same tired old bullshit as before. Progress? No. The minimum necessary was accomplished. Nothing more, and nothing less. Just another day in the Motor City.

Chrysler. The company wants to keep UAW pay the same through 2019. Uh, good luck with that, Part I.

Mercedes-Benz. It's giving the Smart car its first marketing push under their stewardship and suggest in new ads that it's for people "right sizing" their lives. Really? Uh, good luck with that, Part II.

(Ford)
Ford has launched a new Mustang Customizer site at www.ford.com/cars/mustang so enthusiasts can create their very own customized 2012 Mustang. The website lets enthusiasts customize a Mustang V6, GT, Boss 302 or Shelby GT500 with three different backgrounds – a dragway, cityscape or drive-in restaurant – five different angles and hundreds of accessories from which to choose, including body kits, wheels, decals, grilles and decklids, along with parts from Ford Racing Performance Parts and Ford Vehicle Personalization. Within minutes, several different looks can easily be created and saved as desktop wallpaper. Additionally, users can connect to the site via Facebook with a tool that lets them share and store all of the Mustangs they have created. They can even use “battle mode” to ask people to vote for their Mustang. It's cool, check it out.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: A story currently running on CNNMoney mistakenly mentions my name instead of my brother Tony's name. I just wanted to clarify that for AE readers. I was there when we went down to Hanley Dawson Chevrolet to see it after it had just been unloaded. I helped strip it down for racing over one weekend, I was there for the first race and subsequent races, etc., etc., etc., but Tony did a deal with Hanley Dawson to sponsor the car, and he was the one who ordered it and raced it. A very cool car indeed. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Once again our talented friend Casey Shain aka "art and colour" has graced us with some of his cool digital stylings. This time it's for a "top shelf" Cadillac, a sporty version of the new VW Up! and a futuristic Mustang. Casey has attached his comments below. Enjoy!! - PMD

"Interesting to read the J Mays is going future-forward with the new Mustang for the next generation. That's exactly what will be needed and I can hear the cries of 'that's no Mustang' already. I bet it has some über EcoBoost V6s and a really powerful high-tech 4-cylinder standard. Which I would totally agree with but will freak out the 'Stang Neanderthals' out there. My new Mustang is from the Evos, but it's probably not futuristic enough now!"

"The Cadillac is from the XTS Platinum concept but I call it the XTC and it would have a V12 for a true flagship, 450hp for the luxury version, 600hp from twin superchargers for the V-series. The V is probably a bit too boy racer, but I was feeling randy when I chopped it, lol. Imagine a NASCAR worthy sound from that V12, rather than a Ferrari whine. : )"

"The VW Up! Churada is my fanciful attempt to "sportify" the new Up! city car. It would be a 2 seater with lots of room for luggage or the battery pack for the e/hybrid version. "Churada" is a wind/rain event in the Marianas Islands, going back to VW's use of 'wind' names."