Recent Comments:
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy {Autoblog}
Apr 12th 2008 5:43PM I think it is a mistake to assume that just because weight has gone up in recent years that there is little if anything that can be done to bring it down without heavily compromising safety, comfort or price.
Every once in a while Detroit needs to put its cars on a diet. It just so happens that we're at the beginning of a new cycle.
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy {Autoblog}
Apr 12th 2008 10:06AM The problem with the current crop of faux-pony cars is not that they offer V8s -- it's that each car was derived from a modified full-sized sedan platform.
A car that big and heavy will need a more bigger V8 to achieve decent performance. By the same token, a V6 or a 4 cylinder won't achieve much better mileage in such a heavy car because it would be so overworked.
The pony car of the future will be like the Fox-based Mustang: roughly 100 wheelbase, 70 inches in width, and weighing in at 3,000-3,100 pounds in V8 form. This is the perfect size to offer a range of engines, from an economy 4 to a blow-out V8.
Who will get there first? At least GM has a more compact platform in the Solstice/Sky; Ford could plausibly draw upon the Mazda MX-8/Miata platform. Chrysler is SOL. They should slap on a radiator grille and rename the Challenger the Cordoba, because that's really what it is.
Mark LaNeve: Camaro won't be positioned as a muscle car {Autoblog}
Mar 23rd 2008 12:53PM TriShield, in general that's true, but all three "pony cars" are so heavy primarily because of platform sharing with relatively large RWD sedans.
Chrysler didn't have access to a smaller RWD platform, but GM and Ford did but chose not to use them. Here's another case where Detroit assumed that bigger was better.
This has happened before. A major reason for the decline of pony car sales in the early 1970s was that they all got bigger and fatter.
I think the Fox-based Mustang would have been the ideal size for a contemporary pony car -- it was big enough to fit a V8 but small enough to work decently with a four.
Hyundai launches site for Genesis Coupe {Autoblog}
Mar 23rd 2008 12:13PM The comment rankings are unusually aggressive for such a routine posting. I take it Hyundai's p.r. staff works weekends.
Mark LaNeve: Camaro won't be positioned as a muscle car {Autoblog}
Mar 22nd 2008 12:29PM I'm very curious to see how heavy the Camaro V6 turns out to be -- and what impact all that weight will have on gas consumption. I suspect that GM will regret having put the Camaro on such a large platform.
Chrysler plans to make vehicle improvements on the fly {Autoblog}
Mar 16th 2008 12:55PM Flex manufacturing is great, but it still costs a boatload to come up with a new body. The money that went into the Challenger is money that didn't go into a product that could sell in decent numbers. I suspect that the Challenger is likely to not generate more than 10,000 or so annually after the first year. And that's regardless of whether it offers a V6 -- the car is simply too big, heavy and awkwardly styled.
Lutz defends "crock of sh*t" comment about global warming {Autoblog}
Feb 23rd 2008 6:48PM Somebody should save this thread for a few decades as evidence of the automotive industry's thinking in 2008.
Ford's "effing" problem needs a fix {Autoblog}
Feb 18th 2008 8:44PM Slow news day? What's the big deal? Ford wants to globalize its nameplates. Fiesta has a great deal of equity, particularly in Europe. Why not use it? After all, Honda has been extraodinarily successful by sticking with the Civic name, and Toyota with the Corolla.
Using another F name is overkill? Really? Does that mean Chris is also going to complain about Audi using too many A's in its nameplates? That BMW's numerical naming system is too predictable?
Oh. What works for other brands is bad for Ford. Because Chris is bored with F names . . . and wanted to make a play on the word "effing."
Dodge Viper could be sacrificed for new Sebring {Autoblog}
Jan 10th 2008 9:58AM I wouldn't shed a tear if they killed the Viper. It seems to me that a good halo car should embody the most important qualities of a brand or car company. For example, the NSX may have been a money loser for Honda, but it proved that they had some of the best engineers in the business.
What does the Viper "say" about Chrysler? To me the Viper has always been decidedly crude and brute design even compared to the Corvette. How is that image good for Chrysler, particularly now that it has gone solo?
The Challenger is a better halo car because it better reflects the company's heritage, both design- and price-wise.
It would be interesting for an automotive journalist to dig up financial numbers on halo cars. I wouldn't be surprised if GM heavily subsidized the Corvette for years, until sales finally rose to a profitable level. Chrysler may feel that it simply doesn't have deep enough pockets to follow that route.
VIDEO: Ins and Outs of the Toyota A-BAT Concept hybrid pickup {Autoblog}
Dec 28th 2007 2:13PM Travis, that was a thoughtful analysis. All I would add is that concepts are generally designed to be over the top. A production version of this vehicle would obviously be toned down, hopefully in ways that address some of the concerns expressed in these threads (e.g., poor visibility).
I think this is a promising direction for trucks that cater to suburbanites. However, I hope Toyota will consider downsizing the A-BAT, e.g., the 74 inch width suggests a curb weight more akin to a mid-sized than a true compact pickup.
