By Brendan Moore

08.31.2009

In yet another wrinkle in its American strategy, Mahindra and Mahindra may purchase, and then “build out” an existing factory in-country in order to manufacture the pickups it intends to sell in the United States.

Pravin N. Shah, executive vice president for Mahindra’s international automotive operations, told reporters, “We don’t need big volumes to assemble the pickup there (US) and we may do it.”

Mahindra currently owns three tractor factories in the US, the largest in Calhoun, GA.

The reason that Mahindra is considering US production is to avoid the 25% “chicken tax” on all imported trucks. The original plan, which would revert to the interim plan if Mahindra does set up a factory, was to import the trucks as knock-down kits and assemble the trucks in the US.

Mahindra’s strategy for American sales has been fairly fluid, with plans changing several times to date. Originally the plan was to start selling the trucks in early 2009. The trucks would have been subject to the whole 25% tariff.

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Editor’s note:  We kind of liked the Camry Hybrid when we orignally tested it, but Kevin Miller didn’t like the one he rented.  When we first tested the Prius, we didn’t like it, but in George Straton’s commentary below, he has a soft spot for the car, in spite of his status as a performance car enthusiast.

By George Straton

08.31.2009

For a short weekend vacation at a Florida resort it would actually be nice not to have to drive at all.

The new, vastly improved Southwest International Airport, located in Fort Myers, is pitched as the “Gateway” to Florida’s [ritzy] southwest resort areas – namely Naples, Bonita Beach and Marco Island, even Sanibel further north. Yet no one can explain the conspicuous absence of any regularly scheduled ground transport from the “gateway airport” to any of those destinations.

It could not possibly have anything to do with the available limousine services (which charge $100 each way for the 40 mile trip) and the car rental companies which have virtually their own terminal building?

For about the same money I would have expended for the limo service, I could have rented a Hertz Edition Shelby Mustang GT-H. Having owned a black 1986 5.0 (4.9L) Mustang GT (a car that put the Mustang back on the hi-po map) as my first sporty car the Shelby Mustang GT-H sure was tempting. Continue Reading

By James Wong

08.30.2009

Not more than a month ago, my friend took delivery of his spanking new Lamborghini LP560-4.

Shod with 20” wheels and a ground-hugging body, and blessed with a glistening Giallo Midas (a fancy name for yellow) paintwork, the car is any car lover’s wet dream, or anybody’s dream car for that matter. But having had some time with the car, doing the practical things that we usually use a car for, I am not so sure now whether supercars are a good idea for a long term proposition. Let me explain.

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But Will Canadian Saabers Have Any Place To Buy It?

By Kevin Miller

08.28.2009

Saab has officially revealed their new 9-5 sedan ahead of its debut on September 15th in Frankfurt. Described as employing a modern expression of classic Saab design cues, the exterior new 9-5 looks amazing from some angles and a bit odd from others, but the interior looks great. The car will be built in Saab’s Trollhättan factory, and will replace the current 9-5 which has been around for more than a decade.

Globally, the car will be available with a 160 HP, 2.0 liter turbodiesel 4; turbocharged 1.6 and 2.0 liter petrol fours (good for 180 and 220 HP, respectively); and a 300 HP, 2.8 liter V6 turbo. The 220 HP four has optional XWD all-wheel drive, which is standard with the turbocharged 6. While the most powerful motor is available only with an automatic transmission, and the least powerful petrol version is available only with a manual, the remaining powerplants offer a choice between either of the six-speed gearboxes.

Great news for Saab dealers then, right? Well, not if you are a Saab dealer in Canada. Earlier this week, our friends over at Saabs United were the first to report that GM is ending operations at all of their Saab (and Saturn) dealerships on December 31st. Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

08.27.2009

Yesterday, the news came out that the flurry of rebadged/rebodied vehicles that Chrysler and Nissan were hoping to sell for each other have all been cancelled.  We reported this past February that the agreements were in jeopardy (as Chrysler was receiving money from the US government, pre-bankruptcy).  Now, “in jeopardy” has turned into “is dead.”

This means that the announcement from January 2008 – that Chrysler would sell a version of the Nissan Versa/Tiida in South America is off the table, and the more-extensive product-sharing announcement from April 2008 – that Chrysler would sell a Nissan-built “already designed” small car (rumored to have been the Dodge Hornet) and that Nissan would sell a Chrysler-built Nissan Titan.  The 2011 Chrysler-built Titan was to have had its own unique sheetmetal, interior, and driving characteristics, but I couldn’t help but think of the Chrysler Town & Country’s conversion into the Volkswagen Routan when thinking of “unique sheetmetal, interior, and driving characteristics.”  I guess we’ll never know now.

So why did both companies walk away from these deals? Continue Reading

By Kevin Miller

08.27.2009

In addition to my myriad responsibilities here at Autosavant, I’m also a corporate worker bee–flying off to America’s heartland, renting a car, and driving out to a large factory somewhere to contribute to my customers’ (and my employer’s) success. That gives me the opportunity to sample countless forgettable transportation appliances, usually assembled without many options and without much care, which have been sold to rental fleet operators at big discounts, which get the cars off of the manufacturers’ respective books.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I landed in the heart of California’s conservative Orange County and was handed the keys to a Toyota Camry Hybrid in exchange for my weeklong Category C reservation. Equipped with keyless entry/drive and Toyota’s famed Hybrid Synergy Drive, this was my first chance to experience a hybrid out in the real world.

Before I go any further, you need to know that I hate the Camry. Mainly, my strong feelings toward the car come from the fact that people in American society today who buy Camrys are generally terrible drivers. They wander between lanes without signaling, they don’t use their mirrors, they drive 20 percent below the speed limit.  And most Camrys I see on the road, even newer ones, have scrapes, dents, and dings in them, proving that the drivers are so unskilled that they can’t manage to keep their cars unblemished. If you see a car being driven really badly, chances are it’s a Camry. Or a Corolla, but I digress. Continue Reading

By Brendan Moore

08.27.2009

Last year (which now seems like a hundred years ago in the car business), Chrysler and Nissan announced plans to share a couple of platforms and for Chrysler to build the next Nissan Titan, and for Nissan to build a small car for Chrysler to sell overseas. In addition, Nissan would provide the Nissan Versa for Chrysler to sell in South America.

But, a great deal has happened since then, including Chrysler going bankrupt, and, merging with Fiat, a company that has a considerable amount of good small cars in its roster.

Everyone was wondering when the other shoe would drop, and that happened yesterday, with Nissan and Chrysler issuing a joint statement to the press that said, “It was decided it was in the best interests of both companies to end the projects.

Belaboring the obvious, Chrysler no longer needs a supplier of small cars. The new corporate parent, Fiat, has plenty of those small cars.

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Odds and Ends about Cars and the Car Business

By Brendan Moore

08.26.2009

KIA has been showing off their new No3 concept car to the press in Europe lately, and it’s a stunner. The production car is going to make its debut at Frankfurt in September. Based off the Soul platform, the No3 mini-MPV has great looks and presence, and should do well in the European market. Kia design seems to noticeably improve with every new car they do these days, which definitely is not a bad thing. For you readers in the States, you will probably not see the new Kia on your shores anytime soon, if ever. It’s considered too small for the American market.

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By Brendan Moore

08.26.2009

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has released figures showing that automobile dealers submitted 690,114 deals for a dollar value of $2.88 billion by the program’s deadline at 8 PM Eastern Time yesterday.

This brings in the program under the $3 billion funding limit of the program, but this was accomplished only by truncating the time of the program twice. The cash for clunkers programs was originally designed to run until November, but instead ran only four weeks.

Meanwhile, dealers are frothing at the mouth over the DOT computer system used to submit the cash for clunker deals. The platform has been repeatedly overwhelmed with the immense volume of deals being submitted, which renders it inaccessible, and the level of frustration among dealers is very, very high. Additionally, many deals have been rejected for format errors by the DOT, but without any guidance whatsoever on what error(s) on the form caused the rejection by the program, leaving the dealer personnel to simply guess at what might be wrong as they scramble to re-submit the deal. Lastly, payments for the deals that have been approved have been disbursed at a glacial pace.

All of this has automobile dealers hopping mad.

The DOT already has 2000 employees processing cash for clunkers deals, and says it plans to add even more personnel to that number today, in an effort to make some headway against the backlog of deals in the queue.

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By Kevin Miller

08.25.2009

In Paris yesterday, Citroën revealed their new DS3, the first vehicle in its upcoming DS line. Named after the iconic Citroën manufactured between 1955 and 1975, the DS line previewed this week by the DS3 is likely not as overwhelmingly innovative as the original, though it is a good-looking car. While the original DS was an executive car with innovative features like a hydraulic suspension, the new DS line is a set of spacious superminis.

The DS3 is a unique, good-looking car with real style elements like a ‘floating’ roof, a ‘shark fin’ that lends visual interest to the waistline, and recesses on the nose housing LED lights. Citroën claims that the DS line will grow to a range of distinctive models with more radical design content than recent Citroën vehicles. Additionally, the DS can be personalized (much like a MINI Cooper) with a broad range of styling components. Exterior personalization components include the colors or finishes of the roof, body, rearview mirror housings and wheels. For example, the roof can be painted in four colors that contrast with the rest of the body (Onyx Black, Opale White, Botticelli Blue and Carmen Rouge), rearview mirror housings and door sills can be clothed in color or chrome, and wheels and their centers are available in a near-infinite range of colors. Continue Reading