Autoblog

At the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, Ford unveiled the Explorer America concept. It was a car-based crossover concept that, in theory, would improve efficiency versus the once popular body-on-frame Explorer SUV. According to union officials at Ford's Chicago plant, the next Explorer will be produced at the Torrence Avenue assembly plant in 2011. Union officials claim that Ford promised the Explorer to Chicago as part of the recently reworked UAW contract.

The next Explorer will reportedly be built on the outgoing Taurus X platform, which also underpins the Ford Flex, Taurus and the Lincoln MKS and MKT. The Flex, MKS and MKT are all built at Ford's Oakville, Ontario plant, while the pending cancellation of the Taurus X and Mercury Sable left the recently overhauled Chicago plant twisting in the wind. Ford has not officially confirmed that it will build the Explorer at Chicago, but the Blue Oval did say that a new product would be assembled at the plant.

Ford is expected to unveil the new Explorer crossover with efficient new Ecoboost engines that utilize turbochargers and direct injection to offer large powertrain power with the fuel economy of a smaller engine. The Explorer America concept featured a turbocharged 2.0L Ecoboost four-cylinder engine producing 275 hp and 280 lb-ft or a 340-hp Ecoboost 3.5-liter V6 with fuel savings of up to 30% versus the current Explorer.



[Source: Chicago Breaking News via Jalopnik]

Anyone itching to bring home a brand new Volkswagen Rabbit had better act fast. As expected, VeeDub has just confirmed that 2009 will be the last year that the American version of the automaker's popular hatchback will be called the Rabbit. The renamed 2010 Golf will be shown at next month's New York Auto Show in production form with an expected sale date here in the States sometime this fall.

Says Mark Barnes, COO, Volkswagen of America, "The Golf is an iconic nameplate for the Volkswagen Brand and it is known throughout the world. The Golf is Volkswagen's best selling global nameplate with more than 26 million units sold in over 120 countries. Making the change back to Golf is an important step in realigning with our global heritage."

We couldn't agree more, which is why we were all left scratching our heads back in 2006 when the German automaker chose to reintroduce the Rabbit name in America for the fifth-gen Golf in the first place. Oh well, that was a mistake that the automaker can easily rectify. Read the official press release after the break.



[Source: Volkswagen]

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The Fiesta Movement winners are officially being notified, and we have news of a bloggy nature. Our compadre, Davey G. Johnson, the former Jalop and strong aficionado of brown cars, is among the group who will be rolling in a Ford Fiesta for six months. The bad news, according to Davey: his Fiesta won't be brown. Oh well, can't win 'em all. But win he did, nonetheless. Congratulations! We'll have to send someone from Autoblog California Command for a closer look once he takes possession since it appears our own submission from AutoblogGreen lifer Sebastian Blanco wasn't among the favored. Davey's winning Fiesta Movement video, "Baby Bets on a Brown Fiesta," is embedded after the jump for your enjoyment.

[Source: Davey G.]

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	VIDEO: First Tesla Model S buyer takes first ride If you're interested in what it's like to ride inside the new all-electric sedan, here's your chance.		It's official: Volt won't save GM The Presidential automotive task force comes to an obvious conclusion.
	So sayeth Popular Mechanics: HHO systems do not work We've heard it a dozen times (actually, much more than that), but here it is again: don't believe the hydrogen hype. Photo by Broken Chord. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.	Other news of import CARB will regulate tire pressure starting in July 2010 Michelle Rodriguez impressed by Tesla Roadster in Fast and Furious 4 The green side of Obama's auto industry speech

	Gov't rejects automaker restructuring plans, sets new deadlines GM and Chrysler have failed to convince feds their companies deserve further investment.		GM CEO Wagoner out at Obama's request COO Fritz Henderson next in line to become CEO.
	Details on Warranty Commitment Program if you buy a new GM or Chrysler, your warranty is good regardless of what happens to each automaker.	Other news of import Wagoner retirement package worth $20.2M Chrysler, Fiat agree on framework of global alliance Why Obama axed Wagoner LIVEBLOG: Pres. Obama's televised press conference Canada follows suit, rejects automakers' plans

If we were cynics, we could say that Ford just happened to get stuck in deep doo-doo when America's credit markets were still reasonably flexible. When Ford leveraged all of its assets, right down to its logo, the most difficult part was probably not getting the money, it was probably swallowing its Blue Oval pride. Yet cynics or not, a CEO has to know what to do with said money, and Alan Mulally feels he and his company have done well enough to proclaim "We are competitive now" in a new interview with The Detroit News.

For starters, Ford managed to get the UAW to concede more ground and rework agreements. Unlike GM's present situation, Ford's bondholders didn't keep shaking their heads when Ford needed to exchange debt for equity, permitting Dearborn to reduce its debt liability by nearly 33%. Ford (finally!) began showering its European design flair and cars on an American public thirsting for beautiful domestic offerings. And Ford has cut production to match demand. The result: there are 32% fewer cars on dealer lots than a year ago.

Mulally says that Ford has prepared well enough that it won't need to take taxpayer money unless things get decidedly worse, but he doesn't believe that will happen. Although he believes that Ford can't turn itself fully around until the economy does, he did say, "The downturn is a temporary thing. We just have to make it through it."

[Source: Detroit News]

Even in the face of an overall market for SUVs that's seen demand fall by over 50% over the last year alone, Land Rover's top-level Range Rover is keeping the British/Indian automaker afloat. Sales of the Range Rover – which boasts a starting price of $78,525 – are down only 17.8-percent for the first two months of the year. It's the smaller LR3 (down 28%) and entry-level LR2 (down a whopping 57%) that are dragging the automaker's overall sales figures (down 36.6%) into the mud.

Given its importance to the brand, word that an updated Range Rover is expected at next week's New York Auto Show is big news. Spy shots of the new Rover indicate that exterior changes won't be terribly dramatic for the model that was launched way back in 2002, but there should be big news under the hood, where we expect Jaguar's 5.0-liter all-aluminum V8 engine to take up residence.

Given how well the Range Rover name resonates with 4x4 buyers, it's not surprising to hear that the British company may badge its upcoming production version of the LRX concept (which debuted at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show) as a Range Rover. Like the concept upon which it's based, the new model will be a coupe-like take on the automaker's well-defined SUV theme. However, given the frequency with which consumers already often interchange "Land Rover" (the brand) and "Range Rover" (the model) – not to mention "Range Rover Sport" (the model) – this arrangement sounds potentially confusing. Further, given the LRX's more road-oriented mission, one has to wonder if branding the LRX as a "Range Rover" will serve to dilut the range-topping vehicle's hard-earned off-road equity...



[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd | Image: Auto Express]

WHY OBAMA AXED WAGONER

Rick Wagoner is no longer CEO of General Motors for two reasons. First, he failed to come up with a plan that satisfied the government that GM would be viable going forward. Two, President Obama needed political cover before he poured more money into the auto industry, a move which is strongly opposed by a majority of Americans.

Obama needed to show he was decisive and in control to maintain support for his efforts to provide taxpayer money to GM and Chrysler. And firing the chairman of General Motors will make it easier for the Administration to demand more concessions from the UAW.

While axing Wagoner caught me by surprise, after reading the Task Force's report, I almost wonder why the President didn't feel compelled to act sooner. The "Determination of Viability Summary" is a harsh critique of GM's plans. In the eyes of the Task Force, Wagoner simply did not move fast enough and did not meet the government's loan requirements: GM did not come up with a competitive labor agreement, did not renegotiate its VEBA payments, and did not come to an agreement with its bond holders. Indeed, under the latest plan GM submitted to the government, its restructuring efforts would not be completed until 2014.
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John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.
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As enthusiasts, we sometimes make the mistake of referring to Honda as a car company. Honda started out as a motorcycle manufacturer, and now makes everything from generators to IRL engines to robots. The Japanese automaker has produced a series of short films to give the rest of the world a better idea of what it's all about. There are three videos so far, and the latest of these short documentary-style productions is about Honda's unique view of failure. The video, titled "Failure: The Secret to Success," provides insight into the thought process of company founder Soichiro Honda, and how he viewed failure as a means to winning. It also shows how much Honda, a successful car company by all accounts, has failed in the past and what it's learned from those missteps. Have you ever seen an orange 1996 Civic? Neither have we, and you'll know why when you watch the video after the jump.

The short film includes appearances by racing team chiefs, designers, engineers, and the one and only Danica Patrick. The video is just over eight minutes long, and it's available to view after the jump. It's worth your time whether you love the big H or not.

[Source: Honda]

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General Motors has been trying to unload its Hummer division for nearly a year now. Despite assertions late last year indicating that it hoped to have the troubled brand off its books for good before 2009 rolled around, we are now nearing the end of the first quarter of '09 and Hummer is still wholly owned by GM.

According to a new report by the Associated Press, tomorrow is the day that we'll finally find out what the future holds for Hummer and its 160 or so dealers across the United States. We've heard all along that there are multiple parties interested in the brand, and that's apparently still the case.

A GM spokesperson has said that companies from "all different parts of the world" are in the mix to purchase Hummer and the automaker is "cautiously optimistic" that a sale will be made. If a decision to sell Hummer isn't made by tomorrow, it sounds like the brand will likely be abandoned to die a quiet death. Thanks for the tip, Avinash!

UPDATE: Automotive News is reporting that the decision has been postponed "a few weeks" to assess bidders for the brand and possibly complete a sale.

[Source: The Associated Press (via Google)]