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Archives for January 2008

Cross Wheel Drive

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One of the interesting tech stories at the North American International Auto Show this week, that has lacked coverage, focuses on Saab. They showed off, for the first time, Cross Wheel Drive.

XWD as it is known is said to offer capabilities that aren’t available on conventional all-wheel drive vehicles. In addition to providing a variable torque split between the left and right sides of the car, XWD can optimize traction when a vehicle takes off from a traffic light, even in dry conditions.

Steven Shannon, president and chief operating officer of Saab Automobile USA told us that “The beauty of this system is that it does more than transfer torque from the front to the back. It transfers torque from side to side. And with Cross Wheel Drive, zero-to-sixty is going to be faster.”
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Will Dino Return?

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The picture above is of a 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS. The 2 and 4 stood for 2.4 liter and the number 6 stood for 6 cylinder. The Dino 246 was the first Ferrari model produced in high numbers.

This brief history lesson leads us to some European chatter about a successor to the Dino. Although Ferrari is denying the fact, a Ferrari rep in Detroit swatted me off like a fly when I brought up the subject; it appears the automaker is dabbling in reviving the concept of a smaller more affordable sportscar.

A new “baby” Ferrari could be based on a shortened platform of the Maserati GranTurismo which it will share with the Maserati GT Cabriolet coming in a convertible form with a folding hardtop.

I might be swatting at them at the Paris Auto Show if this car is as far along as many speculate.

I found this image from an independent artist that shows what the final production car might look like.

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Keep Your Fingers Crossed

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Let’s hope the Mitsubishi RA concept comes to fruition in some form down the road. This concept must be bleary eyed from all the photog’s flashes over the past few days. This is one of the true concept stars of the show.

Mitsubishi claims there are no plans to put this car into production. Yet in talking to the talented Dave O’Connell, Chief Design Officer since August, I heard – “The Concept RA points the way forward with what Mitsubishi might do with a pure sports car.” The “might” leads me to believe there is probably something in the works. A new Eclipse?
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CTS Fever

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In a year devoid of concept eye popping, I’ve got to have that car mania; the Cadillac CTS coupe concept has garnered much admiration. The interesting story is how this concept evolved.

Jim Taylor the General Manager of Cadillac told us about the coupe variant of the highly acclaimed CTS. It seems the design team wanted to do a coupe even though it wasn’t in their design plan. GM management riding on the wave of success signed off and told the team to proceed.
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The Chinese Riviera

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Buick marketing maven Maria Rohrer stopped by the radio side to gush about the Riviera concept, one of the most striking at the show. 

An important concept on a few fronts. Buick said goodbye to the Riviera some 8 years ago. A one time mainstay of the fleet, it might be an opportune time to resurrect an iteration of he vehicle while Buick is riding on a somewhat high with the popularity of the Enclave. 
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One Step Back

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Len Hunt the affable head honcho at Kia dropped by to give us the skinny on the new Borrego SUV,  getting ready for a September launch.

The 7 seater comes with a KIA first time V8 or a V6. No offense Len, but what were you guys thinking of?  It seems Kia is trying to take squatters rights on abandoned property. This less then spectacular entry into the midsize SUV market comes at a time when most other manufacturers are abandoning ship in this segment.

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You Said It!

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Gene Brown the Vice President of Marketing at Suzuki was talking to us about their X-Head concept. It sort of looks like a Mini Cooper sized rescue SUV. Maybe Brown described it a little better when he said it looks like the type of vehicle a mini Terminator would drive.

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Sounds Like the National Debt

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Want to hear about real pressure to produce a winner? I spoke to John Krafcik, Executive VP at Hyundai yesterday about the new Genesis sedan. Krafcik told me that it cost a whopping $500,000,000 to bring the car from a white sheet to full production including engine development. With the stakes that high, the pressure is obviously on. 
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Child Labor

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Ed Welburn stopped by the Motor Trend Radio booth today and told us a story about his career at GM. Ed is the Chief Design Officer for GM and one of the best design minds on the planet. 

It seems when little Ed was eleven he licked the stamp on a letter that he mailed to GM to learn everything he could about being an automotive designer. GM sent him back a packet of information that obviously struck a cord. Ed went on to design school and began a career right out of class with GM, and he has been there ever since. 
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