2009 LA Auto Show Coverage by Autoblog

Jonathon Ramsey

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Review: 2009 Audi A8L a requiem for a heavyweight

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 12:10PM Review

2009 Audi A8L – Click above for high-res gallery

We come not to bury the A8L, but to praise it. Next week the newest generation of Audi's aluminum spaceframe panzer will greet the world in Miami, and we expect it to be a leap through a wormhole compared to today's car. After a week with the current model at the end of its six-year run, we walked away from a saloon that still has us smitten. What we didn't expect was that, even though we didn't come to bury the thing, we would end up throwing quite a bit of dirt on it.

That might make the Audi A8 the Megan Fox of automobiles.
A funny thing happened on the way to reviewing the 2009 Audi A8L: we discovered ourselves writing compromising things about the four-ringed flagship. This is a sedan that we adore mightily, and having thought it over, we might even say unreasonably. It became the girl you're dating that you first describe as "She's great!" just before divulging a list of mildly unseemly behaviors that you'd never considered all at once, ending with, "Wow... I really do like her, but come to think of it... she's a little kooky." That might make the Audi A8 the Megan Fox of automobiles.

We drove the A8L W12 a couple of years ago, and it was possessed of so much battleship-gray girth we wanted to call it the Bismarck and park it in a Norwegian fjord for safety. Yet and still, it was glorious: an exterior awash in pulchritude, an interior so beautiful we wish we had gotten its autograph, and it gulped miles, and gas, like cognac. Since we didn't write about it, we didn't give it the philosopher's thought, and we walked away from it with only roses, no thorns. But now...


Gallery: Review: 2009 Audi A8 L


Photos copyright ©2009 Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs, Inc.

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REPORT: China's Changan delays plan to enter North American auto market

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 8:44AM



Changan is coming to America, just not yet. Aiming to establish a base in Mexico with which to move into the U.S. market, the Chinese automaker signed a deal last year to build a plant south of the border. The familiar story of planetary financial catastrophe has encouraged Changan to tap the brakes on its plans, however.

Said the company's R&D head to Reuters, "We are still doing market research there. There won't be any big investment for the time being." As if the crisis weren't enough, Changan, like other Chinese makers, is also looking at getting into the luxury market with a vehicle developed in-house, and that will divert potential resources from overseas expansion. That means we Americans won't get to sample MPVs like the Changan Joice (shown above) for a while longer.

[Source: Reuters]

REPORT: New Chinese-market Cadillac SLS and Buick Excelle XT to debut in Guangzhou

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 3:59PM



General Motors' China's sales are up 60 percent year-on-year, and The General wants to keep the momentum going at its Chinese outpost. Automotive News China reports that the Guangzhou Auto Show will play host to the unveiling of the market-specific Cadillac SLS and Buick Excelle XT, the latter described as a four-door "coupé-like sedan."

The Excelle XT will take a place between the Excelle and the new Regal. The Cadillac gets 3.0-liter and 3.6-liter engines with GM's SIDI technology that also grace Australia's new Holden Commodores. The luxury sedan, a lengthened version of our STS with a superior interior, will also be China's introduction to OnStar.


[Source: Automotive News China - Sub. Req.]

REPORT: Electric Infiniti will stay true to brand's performance roots?

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 10:30AM



After spending a product cycle honing its image, Infiniti doesn't want to to compromise it's standing in the luxury automobile set -- not even for its electric vehicles. That is why the "compact, high-performance, four-seat luxury Infiniti with zero emissions" that Carlos Ghosn announced at the Tokyo Auto Show will not alter what people have come to expect from Nissan's upmarket brand. If a VP in Infiniti's Business Unit, Ben Poore, is to be believed, it will enhance it.

"The model will fit perfectly with the performance standards that we've set for the brand," Poore said. We don't imagine it will be too difficult for Infiniti to simply electrify one of their vehicles and make it worthy -- we'd hop in an electric G37 in a second. The real challenge will be livability and longevity. Those challenges could be what Infiniti has in mind in not giving its electric car a release date, because they'll want to get it right... and maybe they want that time to perfect a four-door, electric Essence. Let the dreaming begin in three, two...

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

The Baja 1000 - and Hummer vs. Toyota - has been decided

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 8:59AM



The 672.85-mile-long Baja 1000 race is over, and 328 starters were boiled down to just a handful of winners in various classes. The premier events were taken by Andy and Scott McMillin in the trophy truck category, in a modded Chevrolet Silverado. Andy won the race three years ago as a year ago as Robby Gordon's co-driver, but this year beat the NASCAR pilot by three places. The motorcycle category went to the three-way team of Kendall Norman, Timmy Weigand, and Quinn Cody, who crossed the line about 45 minutes before the McMillin's did.

Behind them, two legends of the race practically had the Stock Mini class to themselves: 20-time winner Rod Hall, along with Emily Miller, and Mike Winkel in a Hummer H3 took on Robert Ditner, Joe Nolan, Kez Ziesemer, and three-time winner Ivan Stewart in a 2010 Toyota 4Runner. Of three starters in the class, these two vehicles were the only ones to finish, and the issue came down to the last few miles: Hall's Hummer suffered a long repair stop at mile 40 and he only passed Stewart's 4Runner for first place just thirty miles from the finish.

While Stewart settles for second – and Hall gets his record-setting 21st class win – it's a triumph for the truck and drivers to have finished the race at all. Congratulations to all involved

[Source: SCORE]

Dodge recalling nearly 85k 2007 Nitro models over failing wiper concern

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 8:01AM



Roughly 85,000 2007 Dodge Nitros are being recalled for a windshield wiper issue. Use of the delay settings could lead to the wiper not working at all in any setting. The recall is expected to begin this month, and dealers will repair the wiper mechanism and software for free. For further information you can read the press release after the jump or contact the NHTSA.

[Source: NHTSA]

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SAIC-owned MG launches MG 6, first all-new car in 14 years

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 23rd, 2009 at 7:00PM

2010 MG 6 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The last new MG was the MGF sportscar way back in 1995, and oh, what a difference 14 years makes. The MG6 is the first new MG by the company's new owner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), and they've chosen a four-door liftback for their coming out party. About the size of a VW Golk/Skoda Octavia, the MG6 will be powered by either a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre four-cylinder with 133 brake horsepower and 135 pound-feet of torque, or a turbocharged 1.8-liter with 160 bhp and 158 lb-ft. Shifting is said to be via five-speed automatic.

The MG 6 will go on sale in China first, but it has reportedly been engineered to meet global safety standards and is expected to be exported. SAIC hasn't given any numbers or even locations for export yet, but the company president said they plan to produce it in the UK by the end of next year.


Gallery: 2010 MG6


[Source: Autoblog China (translated)]

Strategic Vision announces 2009 Total Value Awards

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 23rd, 2009 at 4:58PM

Toyota bumped, VW and Ford lead

The 2009 Total Value Awards have been announced, and what do you know, it's more good news for Ford. First, a primer: the "the Total Value Index™" (TVI) took into account more than 48,000 buyers of 2009 models from September, 2008 to March, 2009. Assumptions made by owners of the car – expected reliability, fuel economy, price, etc – are then weighed against "the variables that make up the ownership experience," and voila, you have the TVI.

In last year's awards, Toyota took the top spot in seven of 23 categories, and three more if you count Lexus. The next best efforts were Honda and Chevrolet, each with three. Ford had none.

This year, Toyota and Lexus didn't win a single category. The Yaris hatch was bumped by the Ford Focus Coupe, the Prius was bumped by the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat sedans. The Toyota Solara convertible was ousted by the Ford Mustang convertible, and the Toyota Sequoia was beat by the Ford Expedition.

In all, Ford put four of its lineup in the winner's circle, with the F-250 and -350 bumping the GMC Sierra. VW had five in the top slots, making both Ford and VW the two best makers in the survey, with Honda again pulling up third with three. It's another bit of welcome press for Ford and VW. Now if Ford could just get those pesky labor contracts settled...

[Source: Strategic Vision]

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REPORT: Chrysler could lose up to 145 more dealers because they can't get financed

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 23rd, 2009 at 10:30AM



Chrysler's dealers haven't yet entered the portion of the game wherein they can catch a break. As if the dearth of inventory and lack of new vehicles weren't enough, nearly 150 dealers haven't been able to finalize floorplan financing. Since Chrysler Financial has exited that business, GMAC stepped in, but dealers are having a hard time meeting its terms: 85 have been turned down flat, another 60 or so are still working on it.

In some cases GMAC has asked for more collateral; in at least one other case, GMAC is looking for the dealer to alter the lending structure of his mortgages (not floorplan), held by Chrysler Financial. The former Pentastar piggy bank, again accused of trying to wind down its operations, said it "continues to cooperate" with all involved. If the rumored number of dealers does fall, it would take Chrysler's planned closures up to nearly 1,000, after the 789 announced earlier this year.

[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Mark Ralston/Getty]

REPORT: Toyota forced to submit data on Tundra frame rust to NHTSA

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Nov 23rd, 2009 at 10:01AM



The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began a preliminary evaluation last month of rusting Tundra frames from the 2000 and 2001 model years. Around 200 complaints had been registered before the NHTSA commenced its investigation, with upwards of seventy more complaints coming in since then.

As with the rusting Tacoma frames, the Tundra members in question were made by Dana. Importantly, though, the Tundra examination is focused only on "the cross member that supports the spare tire -- not the entire frame." Still, that area has been blamed by consumers for the spare tire coming loose, and for brake system failures due to corrosion at the brake line mounting points.

Toyota ended up buying back Tacomas or extending warranties to settle the rust issue, but Tundra frames were built at different Dana plants and to different specifications, so the Tundra issue is not assumed to be the same as the Tacoma issue. Toyota had until last week to submit its information on the frames, now the NHTSA will need to decide what to do next.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

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