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.

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.

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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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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Tom Purvis, Chairman and CEO of BMW North America visited with us to expound on the laurels of the BMW 1 Series, destined to be a hit on our shores.

The 1 Series has been in production in Europe since 2002. The automaker is looking to fit the 1 Series in-between the Mini Cooper and the 3 Series.

Better yet in addition to the coupe, which will be on sale in March, a covertable is ready to come off the production line just in time for summer driving with an end of May release. Purvis announced that the convertible will start at $33,875 for the 128i model and $39,875 for the 135i model.
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One of the tough aspects of broadcasting radio from the Detroit Auto Show is that you are literally glued to a chair in the studio. With an interview every 15 minutes there is virtually no time to attend any of the spectacular press conferences that unveil new hardware.

I was sort of caught off guard when I looked out of our Macomb entrance, street level studio glass window and saw a heard of cattle on the street. 115 longhorns to be precise. Dodge was using the cattle to usher in the 2009 Dodge Ram.

I guess longhorns in that number are more impressive then Rams.

I ran outside to take a shot.

Dan Kapps, Director of Powertrain Research and Advanced Engineering for Ford stopped by the radio side to give us the lowdown on the new EcoBoost technology. EcoBoost combines direct-injection and turbocharging, resulting in 20% better fuel economy, 15% lower CO2 emissions and better driving performance.

Direct Injection technology supplies the engine with small and precise amounts of fuel, increasing fuel efficiency while the turbocharger uses waste energy from the exhaust gas to drive the turbines. Kapps explained that the 3.5 liter twin-turbo V6 in the 2009 Lincoln MKS will produce 340 hp and more than 340 lb-ft of torque, the kind of performance you would normally associate with a V8.
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We had an interesting discussion at the Motor Trend Radio Detroit Auto Show studio today with J Mays. J is the Ford Group President of Design and Chief Creative Officer.

J was talking about Ford’s commitment to bring a B Class car to the North American marketplace. In Ford parlance, their definition of a “B Class” is anything smaller than a Focus.
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Well, the moment we have all been waiting for. Tata yesterday officially released there “Peoples Car”, the Nano. At $2,500 this “gadget” is barely highway worthy with a 625cc engine. My personal opinion – a car created to create media hype for Tata, not the car of the masses they are promoting, although some of the hype does seem to have other automotive suits worried that they are lagging behind in the toy business.

I know we have some visitors who open the Garage door in India, what’s your opinion?
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It never ceases to amaze me how European spyshots always show exposed cars in the open traveling down regular streets. Well I guess the blasé attitude of our friends from Rhineland benefit us with the release of photos of the soon to be revised Porsche Boxster and Cayman.

The current Porsche Boxster underwent a facelift in 2004 and the new revision is expected to reach markets in 2008.
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