Recent Comments:
Tokyo 2009: Should Honda bring the Freed MPV to America? {Autoblog}
Oct 24th 2009 10:09AM A couple of questions:
A) How many models which had great success overseas sell poorly (or maybe just disappoint) in the US despite being "altered for American tastes"?
B) Which models which by the same criteria failed because they didn't "alter for American tastes".
By my count there are a bunch for A) especially from Ford, GM and Acura.
With respect to B) not any by my count especially under the "great success" requirement. GM failed with the Astra but 1. they didn't market it much and 2. it was at the end of it's model's life and was no longer selling well in Europe.
The answer is easy: bring over models when they are fresh, only alter them to meet safety standards, leave the original powertrains alone, and don't use focus groups; if you don't have staff that recognize good design then find some.
Lastly, since when did a car not sell because of a small engine? The Mazda5 despite the 2.3l is a pig even lightly loaded but complaints about performance are muted. Of course if they offered it with the 2.0l diesel with 266 ft/lbs of torque it would be getting raves. Back to the point this infatuation with bigger engines is driven by car makers not the public, not saying that they won't buy when offered. There was a time not long ago when hardly any MB or BMW's had more than 300hp yet they enjoyed critical accolades and high sales. I have a Fit and the 1.5l engine is ample. This new model even with an extra 200 lbs will do just fine. Those people interested in a small 3 row car will value the better gas mileage over a quicker 0-60mph time.
OMG LOL: New study says 93% of Americans favor banning text messaging while driving {Autoblog}
Oct 1st 2009 7:25PM Why does everyone make something so easy so difficult? We have already been given a clue on incar navigation text entry. Most cellphones have GPS built in (for 911 location purposes) and it wouldn't be much of a burden for all to have the GPS chip. Many smart phones could be programmed to do this now.
What do we do then? Require all phones to disable the keyboard whenever the phone is moving less than 200mph. Yes, I know this will be a great inconvenience for those that text while walking. Why the high speed limit? Should you find yourself on a terrorist piloted aircraft it will probably be okay to turn it on and get out what messages you can with the time you have.
In 5 years almost all phones would meet the new spec. Problem solved.
Frankfurt 2009: Ford Grand C-Max coming to North America in late 2011 [w/VIDEO] {Autoblog}
Sep 15th 2009 10:25AM The C-Max looks looks good but it will not replace a Ford Explorer or Toyota Highlander. The S-Max on the other hand will. Comfortable for 6 adults and if the trip computer can be trusted delivers 54mpg (imperial) at 80 mph on diesel. Space efficient, well designed vehicles will find a market. Honda had the Fit since 2001 but thought it wasn't right for the American market. They finally bring it in in 2007 and haven't been able to keep them in stock.
Toyota, Datsun and VW established a market for quality (VW?) hatchbacks. Thanks to Pintos, Vegas and Korean hatchbacks many associated hatchback with a POS. The Prius alone has turned the tide on the public's impression of hatchbacks. Hopefully the various product planners who have quality hatchbacks (Ford, MB, BMW) in Europe will bring them to the US.
Honda purges select comments from Crosstour Facebook page {Autoblog}
Sep 3rd 2009 5:51PM Hey, lighten up on Eddie. With only 4 connections on Linkedin he evidently doesn't get out much. Maybe he should.
Review: 2010 Cadillac CTS Sportwagon eats up cargo, swallows open road {Autoblog}
Sep 3rd 2009 2:20PM I think it looks good. A 6sp manual a long with a V-6 would make the beginnings of an attractive "Sports Package". The only problem is space - it doesn't have any.
Memo to: Packaging engineers
Subject: Functional objectives
Suggest you look at the MB ML320/430 1st generation and the Honda Fit. These represent extremes with respect to size but they both truly maximize interior space. With the rear seats folded down look at the height of the load platform in respect to the door/hatch openings. The Honda is sick. They moved the fuel tank under the front seats which enables the load platform to be almost to the door threshold creating a 36" vertical opening at the point where the car is 59" tall. This low load floor is carried straight to the back. MB didn't have the "Magic Seat" but did design an articulated bottom cushion which moved it into the foot wells. The MB middle seat back was thick which left the folded configuration taller than the Fit but was far lower than any of the subsequent Alabama variants. MB also took advantage of the IRS to keep the load floor as tight to the suspension as possible. It is obvious in examining these designs that the engineers consciously packaged under floor componentry to maximize functional load space.
Doubtlessly the CTS load floor could have been lowered 4-6" which would have allowed it to ably serve those who truly needed the space as well as those looking for stylish canine transport.
REPORT: Honda could stretch out product cycles to save costs {Autoblog}
Sep 3rd 2009 10:29AM Extending tooling usage may cause quality problems? Whoever said that was ignorant and whoever reported is ...? Manufacturing plants have tooling crashes all of the time. Dies and molds are sent out for repair on a continual basis. In many cases they have backup tooling anyway. The tooling is always kept to the engineering spec. The panel fit tolerances are so tight that you can't have out of spec sheet metal.
Guess what the most expensive tool to fix? Dashboards. Sometimes a piece trash can get in the mold and will ruin the carefully created leather grain effect. Cost to repair? $1000 - $10,000 a square inch. When they are finished it looks perfect and this is hardened steel at over 60 Rockwell C. A lot more info than you wanted.
Official Honda Crosstour Facebook page all lit up with early negativity [w/POLL] {Autoblog}
Sep 2nd 2009 4:54PM Can Autoblog arrange a pool on the time and date that Honda yanks the plug on the Wall on the Facebook page? 5$ and you have to name the date and time. Time of the first official notice decides. Closest guess wins all.
This sounds a lot more fun than the polls.
My guess: Friday 9/4/09 6:00 pm EDST.
Oakley C Six shades: CNC-milled from solid carbon fiber billet {Autoblog}
Aug 28th 2009 8:09AM 24 hours to mill one frame? Put down the pipe. 5 minutes to mill one side and part. Probably transferred to another machine which has a contoured fixture that holds the frame for another 5 minutes machining. Southern California rates for carbon fiber machining? My guess $100 - 200 per hour. If it in fact took 24 hours of machine time they would cost $5000. Expect to see chinese copies in 30 days for $20.
Mahindra's 30-mpg diesel-powered Pik-Up gets driven {Autoblog}
Aug 27th 2009 4:17PM Drop the standard slushbox ,lower the price $1500 and raise the EPA mileage into the 30's. Cost you very little and it broadens the market. At one time many of the security companies were using 5 speed diesel pick ups for patrol duty. Lightly loaded by a single lardass placed no load on the suspension, motor or transmission and they lasted forever. The seats were a bit flat as I remember. Thousands of jobs require nothing more than the Mahindras and will never touch the load rating. Slowly but surely the car manufacturers are going to learn that the US market is much like Europe (forgetting about P/U & SUV's). Just because the Sprinter has a standard auto does not mean that a downmarket competitor has to do the same.
Miserly S 250 CDI BlueEfficiency is first S-Class ever with four-cylinder power {Autoblog}
Aug 25th 2009 5:47PM The 2000 S 320 had less HP than the new S250 so where is the problem? This is not the first luxury barge with a 4cyl. BMW did make a 720i in the beginning for the countries which heavily taxed on displacement.
