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February 11, 2009
Hyundai's John Krafcik
Atomicalex
If you ever wondered what Bob Lutz would be like after five yeras of charm school, here it is: John Krafcik, president of Hyundai Motor America. He spoke about the revolution going on in the automotive market right now, and how history would look back on it, during the keynote breakfast at the Chicago auto show. Covering everything from peak oil and global warming (he thinks peak oil is a bigger issue) to the business models in use in the auto industry (quality is more important than cost targets, in his book), he owned up to many of the issues and the OEMs’ role in making them worse or better. It was pretty darn cool to hear a well-spoken exec talk about the ugly facts of 2009, and ways the industry can look to the future. Hyundai’s making a lot of hay right now, and it’s clear from this guy that it all comes from the top.
Ford Transit Connect
Atomicalex
Who the hell needs a truck any more when you can get this thing? 1600 pounds load capacity. 24mpg highway. 135 cubic feet of cargo space. 6 feet of load floor. 4.7 feet of load height. Drives like a car. 19.5 foot turning radius (take that, Accord!) Quirky-cool looks. Optional electric drive. $21,475 sticker.
Five lucky winners of Ford’s Connect with Connect contest won fully-kitted-out Transit Connect vans from Ford, showing the flexibility of the platform. This kayak dude didn’t know what to say when he saw his—he just stood there and stared in disbelief. Another winner was so happy, she burst into tears!
Video Tour of New Taurus SHO
Neuwerks
While at the Chicago Auto Show, we took a few moments to get up close and personal with the new Taurus SHO!
GM: Transformers 2
Atomicalex
GM’s press conference was basically an ad for the upcoming Transformers 2. They rolled out a new Bumblebee, the StingRay, and two little microcars named Mudflap and Skids. A bunch of pics from the poorly lit show floor after the jump.
The Fiesta Movement: Are You Game?
Neuwerks
While taking photos of the upcoming 2010 Ford Fiesta, Brian Hjelt (from Neuwerks) and I had the opportunity to talk with Chantel Lenard, who is currently Ford’s marketing manager for small and midsized cars. During the conversation we asked her a few questions about the marketing that will promote a car that previously wouldn’t be of interest to the American market.
Currently Ford is working on a program called the Fiesta Movement, with which they intend to select up to 100 “tech-savvy” enthusiasts to drive a Fiesta during a period of months prior to it’s US release. Drivers involved in this challenge will report back their experiences on social networks such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. I personally am interested in this new marketing move from Ford, as I can’t honestly think of one person that has purchased a car based upon what was said or shown in normal marketing tools.
Most people I know actually get automotive advice from social media, blogs, what friends say online, or sometimes by what people they follow on Twitter or Facebook drive. For many of the Younger car buyers, social networking is the only way they share experiences, and get working advice for issues they want resolved. Ford’s Chantel Lenard said that tools like Facebook and Twitter can be seen as the modern equivalent of getting advice from a trusted neighbor over the fence.
This kind of forward thinking by Ford may be what sets them apart from the dated marketing strategies of their competitors. What’s more, Ford will actually be listening to feedback about the experiences to help better the Fiesta, and continue to advance the growing small car segment!
Ford Chicago Assembly
Atomicalex
The Ford peeps bussed me out to the Chicago Assembly plant where they will build the new Taurus and the new SHO (complete with track package!) The plant covers over 2.8 million square feet and has at any given time about 1400 vehicles in process. That takes over 7.5 miles of conveyor belt, according to the plant manager Anthony Hoskins. We toured the final assembly side of things, where the unit body is mated to the interior and drivetrain, the wheels are put on, and final QC is done. Final assembly is a 5 hour process, if you started a car and moved it non-stop down the line, you’d spent a total of about 12 hours building it. About 35 SHO enthusiasts were along for the tour, holy cow you guys and gals are serious about your Tauri! More pics after the jump.
Do You Like Rock Band This Much?
Neuwerks
For you diehard Rock Band players out there, Chevrolet has your ultimate setup in the form of a totally tricked-out Silverado. This mobile Rock Band entertainment system features lifted suspension, four doors, a trusty 4WD system, and enough subwoofers to crack the moon. All of these features combined together will let anyone get their game on almost anywhere!
Besides the amazing integration of the video game setup, there were some other interesting details such as the guitar neck shaped external mirrors, and copious use of police-style lighting throughout the entire truck. This interesting contribution to the show was a working proof of concept showing that you can truly take your Rock Band setup almost anyplace you like!
Hyundai Genesis Coupe vs. Ford Mustang: Which Would You Choose?
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
Ok, so Hyundai officially announced pricing on the Genesis Coupe today, and it looks like the V6 car is priced pretty close to the new Mustang GT. Both cars are 300+ hp, RWD and weigh a tad over 3,500 pounds. With the Genesis Coupe you get a 306 hp 3.8liter V6, a 6 speed and IRS. With the Mustang you get a 315 hp 4.6 liter V8, a 5 speed and a live rear axle. Which would you choose?
Salivating Over SSR Starsharks
By Speedhunters
Car Culture At Large
Here’s another AE86 for everyone to enjoy; this one is owned by another fellow 86 owner on Club4AG. The face has been converted to kouki (late model, or if you want to be proper, “after minor change”) Levin style, again using kouki foglights without the glass grill. This time the AE86 has a kouki Levin bumper with a zenki Levin lower lip added on to it. The rear bumper is from a zenki AE86.
However, the thing that I think we should all point our attention towards is that AWESOME set of 14×8 and 14×9 SSR Starshark wheels on the car!!! The rare Starsharks are some of my favorite wheels in the history of Japanese wheels. Sadly, SSR just doesn’t make them like they used to. I have owned 13 and 14 inch sets of these wheels before, but none of them were as nicely sized as this set! I’m drooling. These wheels, combined with outstanding stance, really make this AE86 Levin into an outstanding looking car. Gorgeous.
Photos like this make me want to sell all my camera stuff and spend all the proceeds on buying all the old school Japanese wheels I want. What do you guys think? Sounds like a great plan to me! I won’t be creating any more photos, but at least I’d have a few more sets of awesome fat lip wheels to hug!
Big respect to the 86ers in the Pacific Northwest!
By Antonio Alvendia
Oregon Governor Tries to Limit Sale of Performance Enhancing Parts
By David Belau
dartslantsix
As an Oregon resident, I’ve been watching with curiosity as our governor, Ted Kulongoski, goes completely insane. He’s been working overtime on a slew of environmental/global warming pet projects that have really hurt anyone who drives. It started during the summer with his requirement that Oregon gas stations only sell a mixture of gasoline and 10% Ethanol. This hit us right where it counted: not only were we paying over $4.00 per gallon, but our gas mileage also dropped because ethanol contains less energy that straight gasoline! (Actually, it was a triple whammy when our food prices went up due to corn production shifting to ethanol.)
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