Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Acura TSX.

2008 is shaping up to be a very busy year for Honda's up-market Acura division. With the unveiling of a new diesel engine and the revamp of their entire sedan lineup, Acura is attempting to reinvent itself as a credible player in the premium sedan segment. But ever since Acura's birth in 1986 as the very first premium Japanese brand, the automaker has suffered from an identity crisis. Acura has always been a mixed bag, as if Honda wasn't sure what it wanted it to be, and with a lineup that spanned the enthusiast-friendly Integra/RSX, the rebadged Isuzu-built SLX and the competent but anonymous RL, consumers were equally confounded.

After complaints that the previous generation of Acura sedans were utterly devoid of style, the automaker decided to give all of its vehicles a bold, new face for the 2009 model year. However, as anyone who has ever followed the follies of cosmetic surgery knows, it's far from a sure bet. Although surgeons claim to be able to take years off a patient's face, the result is often just some weird mutation that looks like a bad photoshop job. Case-in-point: the 2009 Acura RL that debuted at this year's Chicago Auto Show. The new shielded fascia Acura applied to its "flagship" was greeted with howls of pain from virtually all who laid eyes upon it. The RL was followed a month later by an all-new TSX, and on the smaller sedan, the overall look was better received, but many of Acura's aesthetically astute critics remained. Now that we've had a chance to spend some serious time living with the 2009 TSX, we were prepared to move beyond its controversial exterior and see how it faired in the real world. Hit the jump to see how it did.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

How many times have you been stuck in traffic and let your mind wander, dreaming of your personally designed supercar? Take the beltline of that, the fenders of this, those headlights and whatever engine that is you can hear three cars over. Few of us have the resources, talent or time to make it a reality, but Neal Bailey apparently has all three, and the rendering you see above is what his mental wandering came up with: the Baileyspeed Blade.

Sure, you're thinking, "Yeah, nice computer model. Anybody with a mouse can do that." But check out the second picture. Yep, that's Neal Bailey sitting in the Blade as it's being mocked up in Baileyspeed's top-secret workshop (a.k.a. Bailey's garage).

The car's stats are as impressive as its looks, too. A Roush 353 with 480 HP. Fiberglass over box steel frame with a target weight of 2,200 pounds. Four-wheel independent suspension and six-way adjustable shocks and adjustable coil-overs. Price? Bailey only says he hopes to make it "affordable", a truly relative term if you ask someone on a blogger's income.

Bailey tells us that he hopes to have a for-sale version by the end of 2008 depending on how development goes. We asked him a few questions about the project, and you can read the interview after the jump. Be sure to check out our gallery for a few select photos of the Blade's development, and if you want more, there are literally hundreds on Baileyspeed's website.

Apologies for the tardiness in delivering our By the Numbers post this month, but we're here with it now and all the automakers have reported their numbers. Big picture, ups and downs in the industry appear about even, so perhaps October 2007 was a wash. General Motors sales fell 1.1% compared to October of last year, while Toyota Motor Co. sales rose by only 0.5%.

GM was led by a resurgent Cadillac (up 19.9%), bullish GMC (up 10.2%) and a Chevrolet that held its own (up 0.6%). Ford and Chrysler, meanwhile, both stumbled hard, falling 13% and 12.4% respectively compared to last year. With only an 8% increase this month in the number of Wranglers sold, Jeep's only popular model just couldn't save the brand this time, which saw its rate of sales slow to 24% below last year's levels.

Standouts of the month include Nissan North America, which increased its daily average sales rate by 8.8% last month, and Kia, our Biggest Winner of the month, which rose by 20.5%. Big props to Mazda and Mercury as well, both big winners in October with DSRs that rose 13.3% and 20.2%, respectively.

Biggest Winner
Kia 20.5% at 25,185 (10/06: 20,097)

Biggest Loser
HUMMER –33.2% at 3,864 (10/06: 5,565)

BRANDS
Acura –22% at 12,886 (10/06: 15,877)
Audi 10.9% at 7,421 (10/06: 6,431)
BMW 8.3% at 23,451 (10/06: 20,822)
Buick –12% at 14,231 (10/06: 15,541)
Cadillac 19.9% at 21,267 (10/06: 17,052)
Chevrolet 0.6% at 179,825 (10/06: 171,890)
Chrysler –6.6% at 40,440 (10/06: 41,635)
Dodge –9.6% at 73,020 (10/06: 77,654)
Ford –16.4% at 159,361 (10/06: 183,188)
GMC 10.2% at 44,456 (10/06: 38,776)
Honda 3.4% at 101,913 (10/06: 94,747)
HUMMER –33.2% at 3,864 (10/06: 5,565)
Hyundai –4.6% at 30,232 (10/06: 30,479)
Infiniti 1.8% at 9,955 (10/06: 9,406)
Jaguar –27.5% at 1,030 (10/06: 1,366)
Jeep –24% at 31,856 (10/06: 40,297)
Kia 20.5% at 25,185 (10/06: 20,097)
Land Rover 1.7% at 4,237 (10/06: 4,004)
Lexus 0.6% at 25,119 (10/06: 24,006)
Lincoln 13% at 10,299 (10/06: 8,766)
Mazda 13.3% at 22,201 (10/06: 18,843)
Mercedes 6.5% at 22,820 (10/06: 20,598)
Mercury 20.2% at 12,844 (10/06: 10,277)
MINI –11% at 3,370 (10/06: 3,642)
Mitsubishi –3.9% at 9,280 (10/06: 9,288)
Nissan 9.8% at 74,992 (10/06: 65,689)
Pontiac –17.5% at 25,182 (10/06: 29,346)
Porsche 16.9% at 2,862 (10/06: 2,355)
Saab –19.9% at 2,275 (10/06: 2,731)
Saturn –5.9% at 18,908 (10/06: 19,319)
Subaru –6.5% at 14,979 (10/06: 15,404)
Suzuki 5.6% at 6,536 (10/06: 5,950)
Toyota 0.5% at 172,473 (10/06: 165,005)
Volkswagen 4.1% at 17,260 (10/06: 15,942)
Volvo –11% at 7,761 (10/06: 8,384)

COMPANIES
BMW Group 5.41% at 26,821 (10/06: 24,464)
Chrysler Group –12.4% at 145,316 (10/06: 159,586)
Ford Motor Co –13% at 195,462 (10/06: 215,985)
General Motors –1.1% at 310,008 (10/06: 301,317)
Honda America –0.2% at 114,799 (10/06: 110,624)
Nissan North America 8.8% at 84,947 (10/06: 75,095)
Toyota Motor Co. 0.5% at 197,592 (10/06: 189,011)

Click the photo of the 2008 TL for a high-res gallery

Acura kicked off its 2008 model presentation with a rundown of what's new for 2008, which isn't much. The bulk of the presentation was actually about the development of the AXR-01 LMP2 race car. Once that was over, we had the opportunity to select from a fleet TL and TSX sedans for the drive out to Waterford Hills Raceway. I hopped into a six-speed manual TL Type-S to traverse the forty mile route that Acura laid out for us.

The driving route consisted of a mix of stop-and-go and medium-speed city driving, low-speed neighborhoods and twisty back roads. Under the hood, the TL Type-S has a 3.5L SOHC V-6 equipped with Honda's VTEC variable valve timing system. The V-6 has an output of 286 hp and 256 lb-ft of twisting force. The torque peaks at 5,000 rpm but feels reasonably strong at lower revs as well giving the engine a flexible, responsive feel.

You didn't think we forgot to report the numbers, did you? We imagine some automakers wish we had, for instance Jaguar and Mercury, which share our Biggest Loser honor this month by dropping an identical 20.2% in sales. Another of Ford's brands, Land Rover, was the Biggest Winner, jumping 32.2% in sales last month versus August 2006.

Kudos to General Motors for pulling out a 5.3% increase in sales thanks to a big effort by Chevrolet (up 8.6%) and GMC (up 21.2%) that offset losses at the automaker's other brands. FoMoCo, meanwhile, took a hit by dropping 14.4% in sales (thanks Biggest Losers!). Even Toyota felt the crunch, slipping 2.8% in sales last month despite Lexus being up 3.6%. The newly christened Chrysler LLC reported a 6.0% fall in sales, with Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler brands all reporting lower sales last month versus 2006.

Overall, August 2007 seemed like a mixed bag for automakers, with some pulling out a victory (GM, Honda, Nissan, BMW) and others taking it on the chin (Ford, Toyota, Chrysler). This makes it hard to label August 2007 a good or bad month for the industry, but at least it's in the bag.

Biggest Winner
Land Rover 32.2% at 4,853 (08/06: 3,671)

Biggest Loser
Jaguar –20.2% at 1,359 (08/06: 1,704)
Mercury –20.2% at 12,296 (08/06: 15,417)

BRANDS
Acura –10% at 16,436 (08/06: 18,263)
Audi 7.1% at 7,620 (08/06: 7,115)
BMW 18.5% at 26,562 (08/06:22,421)
Buick –15.4% at 19,324 (08/06: 22,853)
Cadillac –2.8 at 19,481 (08/06: 20,036)
Chevrolet 8.6% at 229,012 (08/06: 210,860)
Chrysler –7.0% at 43,650 (08/06: 47,132)
Dodge –8.0% at 82,841 (08/06: 89,790)
Ford –16.1% at 180,282 (08/06:214,759)
GMC 21.2% at 51,222 (08/06: 42,262)
Honda 6.7% at 141,906 (08/06: 132,990)
HUMMER –15.4% at 5,677 (08/06: 6,711)
Hyundai 1.0% at 45,087 (08/06: 44,635)
Infiniti 8.7% at 10,252 (08/06: 9,429)
Jaguar –20.2% at 1,359 (08/06: 1,704)
Jeep –1.0% at 41,712 (08/06: 42,243)
Kia 7.0% at 26,874 (08/06: 25,114)
Land Rover 32.2% at 4,853 (08/06: 3,671)
Lexus 3.6% at 32,199 (08/06: 31,074)
Lincoln 16.1% at 10,423 (08/06:8,979)
Mercedes 1.8% at 20,980 (08/06: 20,602)
Mercury –20.2% at 12,296 (08/06: 15,417)
MINI 25.4% at 4,077 (08/06: 3,252)
Mitsubishi 19% at 13,020 (08/06: 10,954)
Nissan 6.0% at 85,275 (08/06: 80,419)
Pontiac –1.0% at 39,324 (08/06: 39,711)
Porsche 6.0% at 2,548 (08/06: 2,397)
Saab –5.0% at 3,011 (08/06: 3,168)
Saturn –4.2% at 21,117 (08/06: 22,050)
Subaru –7.5% at 16,573 (08/06: 17,809)
Suzuki 6.0% at 8,916 (08/06: 8,399)
Toyota –3.7% at 201,272 (08/06: 209,104)
Volkswagen –7.5% at 21,655 (08/06: 23,420)
Volvo 13.8% at 9,119 (08/06: 10,582)

NA: Mazda

COMPANIES
BMW Group 19.3% at 30,639 (08/06: 25,673)
Chrysler Group –6.0% at 168,203 (08/06: 179,165)
Ford Motor Co –14.4% at 218,332 (08/06: 255,112)
General Motors 5.3% at 388,168 (08/06: 368,776)
Honda America 4.7% at 158,342 (08/06: 151,253)
Nissan North America 6.3% at 95,527 (08/06: 89,848)
Toyota Motor Co. –2.8% at 233,471 (08/06: 240,178)

The Chelfing Razzle is just one in a parade of heinously dated-looking cars available to buyers in its home market of China. There's really nothing particularly interesting to report about the car itself, which the automaker describes as a blend of "Japanese style and Italian reliability, giving you the edge in the city," but a perusal of the spec sheet gives us some insight as to where Chelfing stands on the matter of female drivers. You'll find what we're talking about under the car's "safety" features, and for your convenience, we've pasted a screen-capture of it after the jump.

Thanks to Sid for the tip!

UPDATE: It's satire. The best part is that it seems so entirely believable...

[Source: Chelfing Automotive]

click on this photo of the Portofino for a HUGE gallery of Chrysler concepts

At the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show, Chrysler opened a new chapter in its history with the introduction of the Portofino Concept (above). The Portofino introduced the world to Chrysler's cab-forward design philosophy that would dominate its next generation of mainstream cars. In the two decades since, Chrysler has continued to crank out at least 3-5 new concepts every year, some making their debut in Detroit every January, while the rest were revealed in locations like Geneva, Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo.

In that time, the team from Auburn Hills has created some truly inspired vehicles and others that are not so much. Some of the design details have made it into production, while some vehicles have been moved straight to the assembly line such as the Viper, Prowler, first-generation Neon and the upcoming Challenger. Other concepts that people clamored for such as the Plymouth Pronto Spyder and Dodge Copperhead did the show circuit and then faded away. Then again, some concepts that made it to production might have been better left in the museum like the Crossfire. One of the consistent themes that has popped up every couple of years is a flagship for Chrysler, and after some gorgeous models like the Atlantic Coupe and the Chronos have all gone unbuilt, it appears one is getting called up for active duty on dealer lots. We've learned that the Imperial sedan will start rolling off the line in a couple of years. Regardless of your opinion of any individual Chrysler concept, the debut of new ones are always highly anticipated at auto shows, and they are rarely dull.

[Source: Chrysler]

Bill Howard reviews a new vehicle each week for the website, TechnoRide. While most people envy this aspect of his job, he points out that driving so many vehicles exposes him to flaws and foibles that generate responses ranging from "Huh?" to "What were they thinking?" to "Stop the car, I want to get out."

Here are the twelve designs elements that particularly peeved Howard...

1. Space-wasting ashtrays
2. Mechanical transmissions
   
3. No digital owners' manuals
4. Bad PDF manuals
5. No PDF hot links
6. Dumb button placement
7. Overly reflective wooden consoles
8. Nag screens
9. Where's the Map button
10. No LCD screen controls
11. Unintelligent night settings
12. Dumb speaker systems

Note from JN - We've driven a few media vehicles in our day, and disagree with a few of Howard's criticisms. Ashtrays don't bother us too much anymore, as they're usually pretty small and make great places to stuff wads of paper in a jam. We're guessing Mr. Howard's love of electronics makes him loathe the mechanical, but there's nothing like feeling the components of a good transmission do what you ask. And PDF manuals? Who reads manuals? If I can't figure it out in five minutes, it's a bad design. We're with him on dumb button placements, nag screens, map buttons for nav systems, and pretty much the rest of the list, though.

Related: Technology Overload

[Source: TechnoRide]