Toyota NS4 Concept – I Can Haz Styling?

NS4 Front

Posted by on January 26, 2012

The words hybrid and sexy are rare sentence neighbors. On the rare occasion when a hybrid car attempts to break the Prius formula, aerodynamics comes in and transforms the car back into Prius shaped milquetoast. The Chevrolet Volt started life as a retro-looking low slung gangster mobile, but in production trim, it loses all the attitude and settles for being a Cruze with side skirts.

The Volt was a badass before it turned into a Cruze with skirts

Is it impossible to create a stylish hybrid? Toyota, the world’s largest hybrid automaker, certainly wants to with its NS4 plug-in hybrid concept. Follow the jump for a quick preview.

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Safety: Electronics to monitor electronics?

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Posted by on January 24, 2012

After a car crash, a lawyer goes into the trunk a retrieves a black box. He’ll pull a black handle from his briefcase, attach it to the box, and start cranking. After 10 seconds or so, a stream of paper starts sliding out – ACCEL +0.2, ACCEL +0.5, DECEL +0.8. With this piece of paper, the lawyer can claim that you were accelerating mildly before hitting the brakes hard and crashing.

If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gets their way, car electronics may be monitored like this one day. As a software engineer, I think this is brilliant in concept. I think of it as an audit trail for everything the electronics does.  Unfortunately, I also think it’s a complete waste of money and time. Let me explain.

Adding additional oversight for electronic systems is hogwash. The additional complexity won’t track anything that current systems don’t already track. It’s one thing for several automakers to band together to reduce development costs, but it’s completely another for a government entity to come in and dictate a standard. Safety is already high on the priority list when consumers buy cars, and companies are aware of this. That’s why companies optimize their designs to earn full crash test ratings. But what does complying with electronics oversight buy you? It doesn’t avoid crashes, it doesn’t lessen crashes, it doesn’t do anything except force engineers to check off another item. I’d rather have those engineers spend their time innovating on new safety systems rather than falling in line with bureaucratic mumbo jumbo.

sources: Autoblog, Flickr

 

Is Beijing the New Motor City?

640px-BeijingCBD-2007-8

Posted by on January 20, 2012

Volkswagon released sales numbers for 2011 and became the worlds 2nd largest automaker, beating Toyota out by selling a quarter million cars more cars. What’s more interesting is that the bulk of their sales increase didn’t come from the Americas or the UK. No, to find that answer, we have to travel to far east. In total, the Asia/Pacific regions accounts for 31% of VW’s sales (2.56 million cars). VW also had a good year in North America with 666,800 units sold, but it’s clear that the Chinese have more of an appetite for cars at the moment than Americans. This begs the question, how will cars change when Beijing becomes the new Motor City?

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Cars that Hate Tall People

miata

Posted by on January 19, 2012

I’m tall. Not NBA player tall, but at 6’4″, I’d consider myself above average tall. Being tall is usually awesome. I can reach the top shelves of cupboards, see over large crowds, and mock my short girlfriend. But when it comes to cars, I wish I was four inches shorter. There are just so many interesting cars that I can’t even fit in for a test drive, let alone own. The photo you see above is me slouching in an NC Mazda MX-5 – the largest Miata ever built.  Follow the jump for a gallery of other cars that discriminate against the vertically challenged.

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2013 Ford Fusion Preview – The Super Model of Family Sedans

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Posted by on January 18, 2012

The Ford Fusion has been a good value and well reviewed since its introduction. The Fusion received praise for its precise handling and controlled body motions when compared against competitors. But alas, these virtues weren’t enough to convert buyers from segment of bestsellers like the Camry and Accord. For the new year, the Fusion has a triple play of new Fusions to entice buyers – a normal one, a hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid. All three Fusions wear undeniably beautiful new sheet metal, have upgraded interiors, and have two new available powertrain options. Follow the jump to see if this new Fusion has what it takes to reinvigorate the family sedan.

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2013 Porsche Boxster Preview: The Poor Man’s 911

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Posted by on January 13, 2012

The terms Porsche and 911 are synonymous. Prestige, performance, and heritage are so deeply ingrained in the brand that  loyalists are willing to forgive ugly creations like the Panamera, and cash cows like the Cayenne. But such prestige doesn’t come cheap.  The 911 starts at $82k, a price that only the top earners of society can afford.  At these numbers, value is no longer the top priority and excitement and desirability trumps all.  But what about the recently wealthy, or rich folks looking for a deal? Is there a model with significant savings, but the same prestige and excitement? Porsche thinks so, and the 2013 Boxster may be just the ticket. Follow the jump for a preview.

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Ram Dakota: The First Unibody Truck

2013-dodge-dakota

Posted by on January 12, 2012

Sergio Marchionne, head of Fiat/Chrysler, has confirmed plans for a new Dakota pickup. According to Insideline, he’s also noted that there’s a “better than 50% chance” that the truck will be unibody. A unibody chassis translates to a smoother ride, decreased weight, and better fuel economy at the expense of towing capacity. Does America need a uni-body pickup? Follow the jump to see why we think so.

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2013 Buick Encore: Who’s it for?

exterior

Posted by on January 11, 2012

Buick unveiled the 2013 Buick Encore at the Detroit auto show after a slow strip tease over the past week. The verdict? Macho SUV styling squashed into itty-bitty compact form factor. Nay, not even compact, think subcompact. This is the first Nissan Juke fighter that no one asked for. But before we dismiss the Encore, let’s take a look at what it’s good at and who the target buyers is.  Who knows, maybe Buick is predicting a segment of the market that just about to explode in growth.

What surprises me most is the footprint of the Encore. Built on top of a modified Chevy Sonic platform, the Encore is going to be small – Juke and Mini small. And while I’ve always been a fan of small cars, America as a whole hasn’t shared my enthusiasm.  But times are changing. Ford has adopted it’s one-world strategy to build basically the same models everywhere in the world to save on research and development. From the looks of it, GM is also toying around with the same idea.  Compact and upscale have been a staple in the European markets for some time now. With high gas prices, high insurance, and carbon emissions taxes, it’s easy to see why our European counterparts choose the cars they do. With fuel economy and frugality in mind, the Encore makes a lot of sense. It’ll have the same 1.4L turbo that the Chevy Cruze uses and clever packaging will yield an impressive 48 foot-cubes of space with the seats folded.  The main question is whether Americans are ready to embrace such a small car for midsize prices.

2013 Buick Encore interior photo

Buick's QuietTuning with noise cancellation and an inviting interior makes the Encore an inviting place to be

There’s a lot of back and forth on the topic in many comment threads I came across on the topic today, but the one that stood out to me was a comment from VelocityRed3 on The Truth About Cars. He or she writes:

“Well I’m a little older (44), divorced, almost empty nester (my youngest still lives with me & will be for at least 2 more years (hopefully graduating from Georgia State at that time) & this looks very, very interesting to me. Just big enough for me & my girlfriend to jot down to Savanah for the weekend & looks really comfortable for that 3 mile daily work commute. I too am awaiting pricing on this.”

What hit me is that with the right price (cheap), Buick could actually capture the interest of a younger generation of buyers than their current brand image. The styling isn’t winning any points for me, but the form factor is right in line with my 2006 Scion xB. If the Encore could achieve the same mileage and similar utility as my xB, but with a quieter and smoother ride, Buick has my attention.

2012 Toyota Prius C – Affordable Green Machine

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Posted by on January 10, 2012

Toyota has promised in the past to produce different flavors of Prius. There’s the proven and popular Prius all auto enthusiasts love to hate. Have a family and need a bit more space? Prius V. Wish for a bit of luxury while saving the environment? Lexus HS250 (fondly known as the “Hella Slow to 50″). Hate the look? Camry Hybrid.  At the Tokyo auto show and Detroit auto show, Toyota shows off a new Prius family member, the Prius C. Follow the jump for a quick look.

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2013 Dodge Dart Preview – Can Mopar Build a Desirable Compact?

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Posted by on January 9, 2012

Dodge and Chrysler are on a roll with exterior styling and interior upgrades. Their entire lineup have been refreshed or redesigned with few exception (Your days are numbered Avenger and Journey). That said, Mopar hasn’t had a compact car capable of getting auto enthusiasts’ blood pumping since the thrilling (but unrefined) Dodge Neon. Will the 2013 Dodge Dart be the shot of adrenaline enthusiasts are looking for? Follow the jump to find out.

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