By James Wong

06.30.2009

For the past week or two, Audi has been advertising its new A5 model over the radio here in Singapore where I live.. It illustrates a conversation between a petrol kiosk attendant and a driver of the all-new A5 turbo-diesel. The advertisement pretty much covered all the benefits of the car over a petrol equivalent; exceptional fuel consumption (combined figure of 6.9L/100km) and monumental torque (500Nm) combined with the undisputed great looks of the A5, work of Walter de’Silvia who considers the A5 the ‘most beautiful car he has ever designed in his career’.

For me, one who has long pondered when diesel cars will ever be introduced mass-market locally, this got me heartened. I thought that finally some sense has been knocked into the dealerships. The mainstay of petrol cars is all well and good until you consider that the numerous instances of start-stop traffic and short traveling distances really make a diesel a worthwhile alternative. And who else better than the European manufacturers to introduce a highly frugal and efficient diesel car into the market? Diesel has been a mainstream product in Europe for several decades now, perhaps even more popular than its petrol counterparts, and for the cleanest and most technologically-advanced diesels we need not look further. Luckily for us, Volkswagen and Audi have both taken the first steps into what might potentially be the next big thing in Singapore’s car industry.

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By Andy Bannister

06.29.2009

It sounds and looks for all the world like one of those joke news items car makers push out on the morning of April Fool’s Day.

However, British supercar manufacturer Aston Martin is apparently deadly serious about building its own version of Toyota’s fashionable iQ city car – with a price-tag of around £20,000 ($33,000). The car will be based on the Cygnet concept shown by Aston Martin. For those of you not familiar with the word cygnet,  a cygnet is a baby swan.

Pictures showing finishing touches being put to a concept of what is being billed “the world’s smallest super-luxury saloon” have been released today. The baby car is the result of a conversation months ago between Aston’s CEO Dr Ulrich Bez and Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda.

The Toyota iQ – a sort of Smart with tiny rear seats – has done remarkably well in both Japan and Europe since its launch, commanding an already premium price which Aston Martin wants to double with its own version.

The iQ has state-of-the-art engineering and safety kit, and is undoubtedly one of Toyota’s most innovative products for years. Shiny new ones are popping up everywhere in the smartest parts of London, Paris, Rome and Berlin.

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By Brendan Moore

06.29.2009

Last week the people that work for Fiat, and, are stationed in Auburn Hills, Michigan, were saying that their main brand had too many negative connotations for US consumers, and that Alfa Romeo would be the brand that would represent the Italian might of Fiat Group.

And now?

Now Fiat is saying that four versions of the Fiat 500 will be sold in North America by 2011, and all of those cars will wear a Fiat badge, and the different iterations of the 500 will be the only Fiats sold in the US in the future.

Robert Giolito, the head of styling at Fiat, and, the designer of the 500, said so in Italy last week as the 500 cabriolet was launched.

Hmmm.

Last week a Fiat spokesman said the 500 would be sold in the US, but without the Fiat badge. The 500 would be sold simply as the “500”, and would be sold at select Chrysler dealers.

The recent statement about the Fiat badge does not clarify how the Fiats will be sold in North America, whether that’s at their own stand-alone dealers, Fiat-Chrysler dealers, or, sold as the Fiat 500 at a Chrysler dealer.

Giolito stated that the four versions of the Fiat 500 that will be retailed in the US are the standard 500, an Abarth 500, a cabriolet and an estate/combi/wagon.

Many people questioned the wisdom of Fiat’s apparent desire to go without their main brand in the North American market, but it appears those concerns are academic, given the most recent statement from Fiat.

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By Roger Boylan

06.27.2009

I knew we were in trouble when, after flooring the accelerator to pass a lagging eighteen-wheeler on an uphill grade, I glanced into the rear-view mirror and saw a Toyota Yaris on my tail. After a micro-eternity I managed to pass the truck and pull into the slow lane. The impatient Yaris hurtled past, itself being bullied by a diminutive VW Polo. Both must have been making 80 m.p.h. easily, and either would have been an improvement  over the automotive slug I was driving: an Opel Vectra wagon with all the get-up-and-go of a tractor mower.

I was driving it in the Swiss and French hinterland of Geneva. Having spent several years of my youth in that lovely city, I took my 16-year-old daughter there on a recon to meet old friends and lay the cultural and social groundwork for her, should she some day be interested in studying there, or working at the U.N., or both. Continue Reading

Not game-changing, but it’s got game

By David Surace

06.26.2009

GM finally let all the cats out of its bag regarding Buick’s new LaCrosse, the mid-lux-size-sport-ish-sedan it intends to wedge in front of high-level family sedan and entry-level luxury sedan buyers in the US. First, let me get the metaphor out of the way: as bags go, this one’s a Large with a side order of cats.

You shouldn’t have to be made aware that the LaCrosse is beautiful, though the new ad campaign that aired during this week’s College World Series will try very hard to press that issue through the sickly purple media fug of bankruptcy coverage. Therefore, please allow me to spell it out: the LaCrosse is beautiful, outside and in. Period, full stop.

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By Brendan Moore

06.25.2009

What is happening with the Fiat-Chrysler “merger” these days?

A tremendous amount actually, with Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne holed up in a small office at the Auburn Hills complex, receiving frequent visitors in the form of Chrysler managers. The activity centers around taking Fiat platforms and modifying those platforms to accommodate new Chrysler vehicles, plotting Alfa Romeo’s comeback in the US and deciding that the Fiat brand name will not appear in the US, despite Fiat’s cars appearing in the country.

This is the outline so far:

Fiat and Chrysler are seriously considering putting a Jeep badge on a version of the Fiat Panda, a small little box on wheels produced in Poland (with Ford) that gets excellent fuel economy. The vehicle would be sold in Europe first and perhaps North America later.

The decision has been reached to not bring the Fiat brand name back to North America since Fiat feels there are too many negative connotations to the Fiat name for Americans. The Alfa Romeo brand will be Fiat’s proxy in North America, selling whatever Fiats are deemed to be North American candidates.

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By Andy Bannister

06.24.2009

Passers-by on the streets of central London were treated yesterday to the bizarre sight of a prototype supercar wearing an unlikely badge – that of quirky French make Citroën.

The concept – first aired in the Gran Turismo 5 Playstation game – made a surprise appearance in the city, being photographed outside notable landmarks including Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus. There’s no word yet on the power plant.

Citroën is trying hard to overhaul its rather low-rent image, with a number of well-received new models including the C3 Picasso mini-MPV and the C5 executive car.

It has already previewed the return of its legendary DS badge on a three-door rival for the Mini and Alfa Romeo Mito, and wants to raise the bar to become one of the leading European market contenders.

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By Alex Kalogiannis

6.23.2009

Did a car ever make you nervous? Perhaps it intimidated you in some way, like a beast you were unsure you could tame. Maybe, less dramatically, a car unnerved you on a consumer level with a bit of buyer’s remorse. Meet the 2010 Mustang GT, a car that’s bound to cause you both.

The current generation Mustang put pony cars back on the map in 2005. With its sharp new aggressive lines and ferocity, it was ushered in with a media storm that gobsmacked enthusiasts across the world and featured, among other things, commercials of a phantom Steve McQueen giving it his approval. The Mustang was so striking, it brought the Challenger and Camaro back from the dead as well. Fast forward about 5 years and the 5th generation Mustang still holds its initial appeal, with a slew of variants having kept things fresh, but only just so. After all, 5 years, in car years, is a substantial amount of its lifespan, so it was time for the ‘Stang to get back into shape before it started to look long in the tooth.

The 2010 Mustang was revealed to the world last November at the Los Angeles International Auto Show where we all gaped at the sight of this ultra-modern refresh of the GT. Exterior lines were streamlined, the engine gained a pinch more juice and the suspension was given some attention as well. We have been only too eager to get our hands on one since, and finally we had. I spent four hours driving to where I was to meet the 2010 Mustang in its not-too-distant sibling, my own ‘08 GT/CS, so you can imagine then, that my senses were well calibrated to make pertinent observations on the new one. Continue Reading

By Brendan Moore

06.23.2009

There’s good news today!

The Ford Taurus SHO, a model that many people thought they would never see again, has been reborn. Even better, it is an over-achiever.

The new Taurus SHO shows up again as a bigger, stronger, more agile vehicle. Of course, none of that comes for free, and the 2010 Taurus SHO starts at $37,995 USD. For that, you get a sports GT that has a twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, a six-speed auto transmission that can also be shifted manually via steering wheel paddles, and, AWD.

I have included Ford’s official press release that glorifies and exalts the car at the end of this piece. I’ve also included a technical specifications sheet so that you see what the SHO is made of this time around.

But, I know the most pressing question is, “How does it drive”?

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By Brendan Moore

06.22.2009

Co-driver poses with the 2010 Taurus

Ford is inviting auto journalists to see and drive the new, completely redesigned 2010 Taurus and the born-again 2010 Taurus SHO. Luckily, Autosavant was invited in the first wave, and so I am able to give you my impressions regarding the regular Taurus now, and the Taurus SHO tomorrow.

First, I have to say that the new Taurus is much better-looking in the metal than in the various photographs that have been shown on the web, particularly the front and the front ¾ view. The looks of the Taurus are not going to knock you out; rather it’s a fairly clean design with some interesting action here and there. It’s attractive. The looks will please most people, and that is of tremendous importance in the segment that the Taurus competes in.

I had a long talk with Earl Lucas, the man in charge of exterior design for the new Taurus, when I first saw the car and also was able to speak with him later for a short while. He told me almost immediately after I met him that the design of the Taurus was influenced considerably by different kinds of music, which the designers had playing all the time while they were working on the car. Our interests in music dovetailed somewhat, so I found it interesting to look at a car that was inspired in part by the stuff I listen to on a regular basis. Continue Reading