It's still weird to think of Jim Press being at Chrysler LLC instead of Toyota North America. The man had been a staple at Toyota for the past 37 years or so, and we got used to seeing his face next to their logo. But now he's at Chrysler as the automaker's new co-Vice Chairman and President along with Tom LaSorda. We've all been wondering why he made the switch from the Japanese juggernaut to the smallest of the Big Three, and he answers us in this interview with Paul W. Smith on Detroit radio station 760 WJR-AM. Not surprisingly, he says the challenge at Chrysler was his motivation for leaving Toyota, which makes sense because this automaker has nowhere to go but up. Perhaps the triumvirate of Bob Nardelli, Tom LaSorda and Jim Press can make that happen. No doubt Jim Press will be rewarded handsomely for his contribution, though.
Click the Read link to hear the interview or download it.
We caught up with Mr. Flex at the 2007 New York Auto Show to talk about his new Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition and what it's like to apply the flavor of his personal customization to a vehicle that begins life on an assembly line. We learned that applying a two-tone paint job like the Orange and Black livery on the Expedition FMF Edition is not an easy task for mass production. Funkmaster also tells us about wheel selection (we've seen a few different styles on the FMF Edition) and how much he expects his signature ride to cost when it goes on sale in the fall.
Follow the jump to watch the interview, and check out all of our videos from the show over on YouTube where you can subscribe to the Autoblog Video channel.
There are a lot of questions surrounding the proposed merger of competing satellite radio providers XM and Sirius. USA Today had a chance to ask a few to Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin, the would-be CEO of the two companies if the merger is allowed to take place. Below are some bullet points from the interview with answers to the most burning questions.
Fees would not likely be raised above $12.95/month
Dual receiver radios will likely be available that can receive both XM and Sirius content
People with radios that receive only one service can continue to receive just that service
Both brands and services will remain intact
Live, real-time satellite television will be offered
It's still not clear to us, at least, how exactly this merger will work. Karmazin says that content from service will be available to subscribers of the other service soon after the merger goes through, but it isn't clear whether those subscribers will need to purchase a compatible receiver, perhaps a dual receiver, or if XM channels will be broadcast across the Sirius network and vice versa. We'd also like to know what effect the merger will have on automakers who have already aligned themselves with one service and have been installing Sirius or XM receivers in their vehicles for years now. Clearly there are cost savings that can be realized, otherwise the merger would never have been proposed, but we're wondering if the imminent confusion caused by the merger will hurt the two brands in the long run.
Saturn general manager Jill Lajdziak's enthusiasm for her brand is infectious. And really, who can blame her? The charismatic and ebullient Ms. Lajdziak is at the helm of a brand that's critical to GM's product-based turnaround plan and which has seen its entire lineup overhauled over a very short timeframe. It's paying off, too. The day before we interviewed her, the Saturn Aura won the North American Car of the Year Award -- beating out both the Honda Fit and Toyota Camry. We aren't necessarily surprised about that -- we raved about the Aura XR that paid a visit to Autoblog Garage last year. Aura's just one part of the story, though.
It's joined by a compelling new crossover in Outlook, a legitimate halo car in the Sky, and will soon see the dated Vue replaced by a stylish replacement courtesy of sister brand Opel. To top it all off, next month in Chicago Jill will pull the wraps off the Saturn Astra hatchbacks. Saturn is a very serious player in multiple segments now, but Jill Lajdziak hasn't lost sight of the brand's roots, either. Read on as she tells us what it's like to oversee such a drastic brand reinvention and how she plans to carry Saturn's existing customers into the new era while winning over new converts who haven't perhaps considered the brand before.
The first question and answer can be found below. Follow the jump for the interview in its entirety.
Jill Lajdziak -- Division General Manager, Saturn North American International Auto Show January 8, 2007
Autoblog: Obviously you won the North American Car of the Year award yesterday. Was it unexpected for you? How surprised were you to get that?
Jill Lajdziak: Well, you know what? Tough competition. And so to win versus two very key competitors in the marketplace, we couldn't be more honored. We weren't surprised -- we know we've got a great product on our hands -- but it ultimately comes down to the voting. And I think what makes this award really coveted and really special is it's done by 47 jurors, 47 auto journalists. We have high respect for them, they're the best at what they do, writing about cars and trucks, they evaluate product every day, all manufacturers 365 days a year. They have voted and the have obviously named the Saturn Aura the Car of the Year. We couldn't be more thrilled. And because of that, it's not just one person's opinion, but it's 47 opinions and that's a good endorsement for this brand and it's a great recognition for the kind of product we've brought forward to the marketplace.
Ed Peper, the General Manager of GM's Chevy division, has had a very good North American International Auto Show. It began with the unveiling of the Camaro Convertible concept at the automaker's celeb-studded kickoff event. It continued with a pair of awards for the new Silverado pickup truck and the reveal of the Volt concept, an exciting "green" vehicle concept that commanded everyone's attention. Finally, on the last day of the press preview, he introduced the completely-new 2008 Chevy Malibu, a stylish family sedan that is going to make waves when it's released later this year.
Through all of that Ed found time to sit down with us to talk about all the above and Chevrolet in general -- where it is now, and where it's headed. He's an engaging and enthusiastic ambassador for his brand, and he answered everything we threw his way, giving us insight into:
The feasibility of seeing a Volt-like production car
What kinds of powerrtrains we can expect for the Camaro
How closely the production Camaro's appearance mirrors the concept's
How Chevy will use the SS brand going forward
When we should (or, more importantly, shouldn't) expect to see the next Impala
Thoughts on the potential impact of the new Toyota Tundra in a segment that Chevy and the other domestics dominate
It begins below and continues after the jump. Enjoy.
Ed Peper - Division General Manager, Chevrolet North American International Auto Show January 8, 2007
Autoblog: Ed, thanks for being with us.Obviously, you're having a good show.Talk to us about yesterday (Sunday, 1/7) and the night before and how that worked out for the Chevrolet brand.
Ed Peper: We are really excited to start the show with the GM style event on Saturday night and it was just a great collection of designs and stars and music kind of all put together. And for the final vehicle to come down that runway and be the Camaro convertible concept in Hugger Orange with (gunmetal) blue stripes -- it was just an incredible moment to come down that runway to a standing ovation.It was just great.
Yesterday, we sat down for a few minutes with Ed Welburn, GM's Vice President, Global Design, to get his thoughts on the current design direction at GM. He's overseeing a wholesale change in the General's approach to vehicular design inside and out, and for the first time in years, people -- journalists and regular folks alike -- are pointing at General Motors' new cars and trucks not to deride them for how they look, mind you, but as examples of how to do it right.
Cars like the Saturn Aura, the upcoming Saturn Vue, the upcoming Malibu, the Camaro, and the GMT900 family of trucks and SUVS demonstrate that General Motors has thrown its old approach out and is playing the game on an entirely different level. The man leading the way is Ed Welburn, whose team of talented designers has produced a string of highly compelling vehicles that GM hopes will lead them through a product-based turnaround.
We asked Ed to share the story of his first contact with General Motors with us, and then we spoke at length about the current state of design at the automaker. The anecdote Ed shared with us is below, and you'll find the remainder of the interview after the jump.
Ed Welburn - GM Vice President, Global Design North American International Auto Show January 7, 2007
Autoblog: I remember an interview you did with Tavis Smiley a while back where you recounted the story about when you were 11 years old and you sent a letter to GM. Can you share that with our readers? It's a good story and I think our readers would be interested in hearing it.
Ed Welburn: You know, my interest in automobile design and cars goes back to early childhood -- age 2½, 3. I was drawing cars. Very primitive cars, but I was drawing, that's what I drew. By age 11 I'd decided that car design is what I wanted. I wrote General Motors at age 11, told them I wanted to be a car designer, and that I wanted to know what kind of courses to take in school, what kind of schools I should go to, and they sent me great information -- I mean terrific information. I just really followed their lead and today when young people write me asking about careers in design I do the same. I make sure they get great information about schools of design and how to pursue a career.
We're counting down the last few days until the start of the Detroit show, and looking forward to seeing in the flesh (er, metal) what's bound to be one of the biggest stars of the show, the aggressively beautiful Jaguar C-XF concept. Jaguar claims the show car is not a direct preview of the next S-Type sedan, but rather previews the company's new styling direction, which quite apparently departs from the retro theme in favor of something far more bold, aggressive and futuristic.
As if the styling didn't speak for itself, this video features British design legend Ian Callum speaking for it, describing the themes he and his design team strove to incorporate into the C-XF. Jaguar, Callum insists, is the originator of the sports sedan, a category which the marque needs to reclaim from the competition. The C-XF is intended to do just that.
Click "play", sit back and enjoy listening to an artist describing his work. If you haven't seen our high-resolution gallery of Jaguary C-XF images yet, click here.
Formula One drivers get interviewed all the time, so their media skills have to be as honed as their driving aptitude. But it's not often you see one of the greatest, most legendary drivers of all time being interviewed by another one of the greatest, most legendary drivers of all time. The few times that does happen, it's good entertainment, giving us an inside glimpse into the paddock dynamics.
Here we bring you the late, great Ayrton Senna being interviewed by F1 guru Sir Jackie Stewart. Watch as old Jackie puts the screws to young Ayrton about race collisions, and check out Ayrton's most patronizing response to his knighted elder.
Despite the fact that doctors predicted he would be in the hospital for 15 months, Richard Hammond exited the ER after only a couple of weeks following his horrific accident involving a jet car that he lost control of at over 300 mph. Last Friday Hammond gave his first interview on Brit Jonathan Ross's talk show, which we've assembled here for you after the jump. The interview comes in two parts and totals around 15 minutes.
We have no idea who Jonathan Ross is, but apparently Hammond was hankering a trip back to the '70s and the purple and red set of Jonathan Ross hit the spot. In their conversation, Hammond reveals that he can't remember the two weeks following the crash, and that by doctors' orders he's not allowed to drink, at least heavily, for the next two years.
Seeing the Hamster engaging in a conversation, successfully at that, is a bit weird considering the story we've all been following. No one would be surprised if the man arrived on set in a full body cast sipping lunch through a straw, but instead Hammond saunters on stage and shows us all that his trademark wit and humor has recovered fully.
Check out the videos after the jump.
Thanks for the tip, Matt! For those coming late to the story, check out these... Related posts:
We recently discovered James Glickenhaus poking around the comments section of our posts on his Ferrari P4/5 produced by Pininfarina, so naturally we approached the connoisseur of cars to see if he'd be interested in answering a few questions about the one-off Ferrari he commissioned from the Turin-based design house. Fortunately Glickenhaus graciously carved out some of his valuable time to sit with us and field some questions. Here are some of the things you didn't read in the article "Beast of Turin" that appears in the latest issue of Car and Driver. Also check out all of Pininfarina's P4/5 images after the jump. Enjoy!
AB: Did you approach Pininfarina or did the Italian design house approach you with the idea to build a one-off Ferrari based on the Enzo? JG:Pininfarina approached me and asked if I would be interesting in commissioning a one-off car and I responded that I'd be interested in something that looked like a P4 built on an Enzo chassis.
AB: Could you briefly explain the story surrounding the true identity of your Ferrari 330 P3/4 with chassis no. 0846 and tell us if that played into your desire to build a P4/5 of your own? JG:Briefly I bought what I believed to be an original P4 motor and P4 gearbox and other original P4 parts mounted on a replica P4 chassis, and after a massive investigation found that against all odds I had bought the original P3 chassis remains of P 3/4 0846, 0846's original 66 593 type P3 gear box, 0846's Original P4 heads and various other original remains of 0846, and I totally rebuilt those parts into 0846 as she exists today. Ferrari S.p.A. helped me by recasting P4 uprights for me, and my acquisition of 412P 0854, a "No Question Car," enabled me to restore 0846 to her original Spyder configuration using the original spyder tail of P4 0858, which I also acquired. I am currently restoring 412P 0854 to her proper coupe configuration using her original coupe body, which I also acquired. For those interested in reading an in depth investigation of 0846, click here.
AB: Since it's based on the Ferrari Enzo, we're assuming that the P4/5 will be street legal in the U.S. and meet safety and emissions regulations. Is this the case? JG:Yes, that is the reason we began with a new fully US legal Ferrari Enzo and all modifications were made within all applicable safety and emission requirements and were crash tested by computer. P 4/5 is street legal world wide.
We recently discovered James Glickenhaus 
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