So it's not going to be a flag year for the home team at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Chrysler, Ford and General Motors are about as beat down as major industrial giants can get, but this is a chance for apiece company to convince the public that there's still some life in the Motor City.
Here's the latest rundown on what to expect:
Well this seemed almost inevitable. After watching Tesla and Chrysler suck up all the glory for electric cars that are basically Lotuses with batteries, the British sportscar builder has announced that it plans to build an electric car of its own. In a report in yesterday's Financial Times, Lotus CEO Michael Kimberley said, "Don't be surprised to see an electric Lotus shortly."
You know that second coming of the muscle car war we've been talking about for years now? Well, come this spring it's finally on. The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, 2010 Ford Mustang and 2009 Dodge Challenger will all be acquirable on dealer lots, and the three models detailed after the jump represent the most potent versions of each. Looks like Ford will have the edge initially, but if things start looking up for Chevy and Dodge, a more potent SRT8 or Camaro Z28 could arrive later in 2009.
So here it is, the first "surprise" of 2009, the 2010 Shelby GT500. As you might expect, it's much like last year's GT500 except for the new bodywork and a healthy bump in horsepower. Our man in Detroit has all the details on the 2010 Shelby Mustang here, and rest assured it is quite the potent pony car.
We will take a moment, however, to point out one annoying trend that we hope disappears like Madoff money in 2009: the fuel efficient muscle car. It's not that we don't appreciate a few extra miles-per-gallon here and there, but when the first paragraph of a Shelby GT500 press release talks about its improved fuel economy on the highway we just want to puke.
Remember Ford, it's a 540-horsepower, supercharged Mustang, not a Focus.
Happy New Year.
This past year Chrysler, in what was considered a real coup, snatched two big-time auto executives, one from Lexus and the other from GM. Now, less than a year later, they are gone or are about to be gone.
Deborah Meyer had been VP of marketing for Lexus, and came to Chrysler LLC as their new chief marketing officer. Phil Murtaugh was one of the key players at GM in turning their China operations into such a success. He was to do the same for Chrysler, that being to jump-start their China relationship with Chery. Well, the Dodge/Chery deal went up in smoke thanks to the global financial fiasco. Now Murtaugh too is going up in smoke, as he will depart before next year begins. Same with Meyer, as she too "has left the building."
Not a good sign for Chrysler; wonder how long Jim Press, formerly of Toyota, will hang around?
Strange–and not a good sign. The all-new Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram 1500 pickups actually tested a bit worse than last year's models, in terms of NHTSA rollover testing; at least that was true for 4WD models.
Speaking of rollovers… Weak roof pillars have also long been an issue of severe criticism with pickups and SUVs. Have these new trucks improved in that area? Don't know.
So was that blurry cell phone shot of the 2010 Ford Taurus that surfaced early this year the real thing? Well, after catching this 2010 Ford Taurus image on the streets of Dearborn it would appear as though it was indeed quite genuine.
The redesigned sedan will get a sleeker shape and a slightly less chrome-laden grille. A slightly rising beltline gives it a more aggressive stance while the rear end is finished with a pair of nicely integrated taillights. This is the first time we've seen the interior and it looks like a solid step up from the current model. Nothing ground breaking, but plenty of wood trim and some decent looking leather. We'll have pictures of the finished product after it debuts at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in January.
The new 2009 Dodge Ram now offers three different equipage configurations, with the addition of an all-new Crew Cab model. In the past, Ram 1500s offered only a Regular Cab and Quad Cab model (the MegaCabs were acquirable only on the heavy-duty platform), and the Quads were often criticized for demand of space. Now Dodge has a true crew equipage in its lineup to better compete. Also, this Ram offers a segment-first RamBox option to go along with the Crew Cab model with lockable, weatherproof, illuminated in-bed storage bins that essentially wage a small trunk on apiece side of the bed. The unique bed comes only on Crew Cab models as a $1295 option. The RamBox solution means bed width is slightly compromised, but the option does include a unique bed-extender that can be used as a bed divider.
The three equipage configurations offer two wheelbases (120.5 and 140.5 inches), short (six feet, four inches) and long bed (eight feet) lengths in Regular and Quad Cab models, with a choice of the RamBox or standard shorter-bed length (five feet, seven inches) in all Crew Cab models. Dodge offers five different trim levels (ST, SLT, TRX, Sport, and the top line Laramie), with two specialty packages, Lone Star and Big Horn trims, to satisfy other upper-end buyers. The three engine choices include a 3.7L V-6 (210 horsepower, 235 lb-ft of torque), a 4.7-liter V-8 (310 horse, 330 lb-ft), and newly modified 5.7L Hemi (390 horse, 407 lb-ft).
Its new shape gives the Ram a much sleeker, more aerodynamic look with a 0.419 coefficient of drag (compared with the previous 0.463 Cd of the old Ram. The most significant feature of the truck is still the cross-haired wide-mouth grille, but designers canted it forward this time, much like the Dodge Charger’s, to give it a more head-down look.
For our testing, Dodge loaned us two trucks that couldn’t be more different: an ST regular cab, 4×2, V-6, listing under $24,000 and a fully loaded Laramie Crew Cab 4×4 with just about every bell and whistle possible, totaling out at over $50,000. Most judges commented on the hugely improved interior layout and material choices in the Ram, noting this could be the best Chrysler-originated interior ever. Likewise, both Dodge powertrains drew praise from judges as the smallish V-6 held its own during our on- and off-road segments; while the throaty 5.7L Hemi tore up the test track with a blistering 6.9 seconds to 60 mph in fully loaded dress.
Also, as we test our trucks with a quantifiable load (75 percent of max towing capacity), it’s worth noting the Hemi Crew Cab was slowed the least by its burden. Another area where the Rams stood out was on our Axle Hop Hill test section, where the coil springs, in both base and loaded models, absorbed and swallowed uneven humps and road irregularities with unusual dexterity.
Do you think the 2009 Dodge Ram has what it takes to be the 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year?
By Mark Williams
Photography by Brian Vance, Julia LaPalme, and William Walker
This semi-regular column is written (in his own blood) by an automotive chromatic and noted malcontent, known as The Mechanic. Mercilessly beaten as a child with rolled-up back issues of old car magazines, our free-spoken hero developed a unique "for your own good" take on cars and the auto industry, along with an unfortunate usage of setting himself ablaze. Later, after a distinguished career as an automotive journalist and entrepot editor, he cast off the reins of his musty oppressors, carved out his superego with a plastic spork and became The Mechanic.
I'm bummed out about the new Mustang. After all the teaser shots, after all the hype and the secrecy, it hit my eyes with a thud. I stood there at the Los Angeles auto show staring at it, wondering, "That's the new 2010 Ford Mustang. That? What's so new?"
Of course, I was surrounded by hundreds of members of the easily impressed media, a throng that sings for any car revealed alongside a free buffet, and few had anything but praise for the new design. They couldn't even place down the free chicken fingers long enough to call Ford on the new Mustang's carryover powertrains, including a 4.0 V6 rated at a limp 210 horsepower. That's 90 ponies less than the Camaro's 3.6-liter V6.
Maybe I'm to blame. Maybe my expectations were too high. I was expecting something great. An inspired answer to the Dodge Challenger and coming Chevy Camaro. But Ford, strapped for cash as it is, punted, choosing instead to toss a few new body panels and a revised dashboard on the existing Mustang, a car that prefabricated Bill Ford, Mark Fields and gang look pretty smart when they unveiled it five years ago.
In other words, they decided to shelf the Mustang's needed redesign, instead giving it a midcycle refresh. That means the Mustang is on a 10-year life cycle. A 10-YEAR LIFE CYCLE!!!! Think about that. It means this car will be around until 2015.
It's hard to blame them. Without question, the 2005-'09 Mustang has been a rare highlight during a dark time in Ford's history. It not only kicked off the retro muscle car trend Chevy and Dodge are just now catching up on, it has had the segment all to itself for essentially half a decade. No, it wasn't the perfect car, not even close, but when you're the only game in town, it's hard to look bad.
And the Mustang looked good. So good, it again became Ford's signature product, an example of the company's ability to do something right, just as it had in the 1960s with the original and again in the 1980s with the 5.0. For the past five years, the Ford Mustang, from the lowly V6 all the way up to the GT500 KR, has been a Ford to desire. The Ford to desire.
While Bill, Mark and, more recently, Alan have been in The Glass House screwing up the rest of the Ford lineup (OK, the Edge is pretty good), enthusiasts like us and car lovers all over the world have given them a chance to turn it around. A real chance. Why? Partly because of the Mustang. We all figure that if they can get that so right, well then, they're not so far gone. They can get it. They do get it. They can do this.
Trouble is, the 2010 Ford Mustang squashes all that. It's not that it doesn't look better, it just doesn't look better enough. Soon the hot coupe market will be flooded with new product: the Challenger, the Camaro, the BMW 1 Series, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, the new Nissan 370Z. And the depressing fact is that the 2010 Ford Mustang is not equipped to handle the coming flood of competition.
This game is cutthroat, and the new Mustang is about to be place down like a quarter-horse with a torn hammy and I'm not happy about it.
But why did this happen? Has five years of having the rear-wheel-drive coupe market all to itself lulled the giant Blue Oval to sleep? I don't think so. The demand of fix in the 2010 Ford Mustang is simply a result of Mulally and Company having other fish to fry. Things like a $2 stock price, a collapse of the profitable SUV market, developing a decent small car, solicitation the Washington democrats for cash, trying to get Ecoboost to market without looking foolish, launching the new F-150 cash cow, saving Lincoln, saving Mercury, and of course flying the company jet to Florida every week to visit family. Sorry, Mark. I couldn't resist.
My point is that the disappointing Mustang is much more a result of Ford's present economic state and not the incompetence of its management team. Then again, Ford's present economic state is certainly a result of the incompetence of its management team, so….
I just hope Ford and its iconic pony car are around long enough for the dull 2010 Mustang to have a successor. Maybe it will be great. — The Mechanic, Inside Line Contributor
E-mail me at themechanic@edmunds.com
It’s not unusual for a Jeep Wrangler to leave the competition behind at the beginning of a difficult 4×4 trail. Now, almost ironically, Jeep might be leaving the competition behind in its technological wake. Not a typical Jeep trait. Wranglers in particular have always been something of a throwback, with live axles, mechanical locking differentials, and part-time four wheel drive systems. But all that’s changing thanks in large part to an edict that came down from on high (actually the board room) that Chrysler needs to take a leadership role in advanced technologies.
The company’s recently-announced electric vehicle effort is one of the lynchpins of its future propulsion strategy, and during a brief tech backgrounder in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, we got a chance to hear more about and drive two of the three new Chrysler electric vehicle prototypes; both of which are full of promise.
We’ve already told you about the Dodge EV, Chrysler’s sports car electric vehicle. With an equivalent rating of 268 horsepower (and 480 lb-ft of torque!) in such a light vehicle with exceptional balance, the ride was eye-blindingly fast on the 1/3-mile parking-lot loop we were guided on. The range for the Dodge EV is said to be about 150 miles in perfect comfort-speed conditions so cut that in half if you plan on some enthusiastic pedal play. Still, the nice thing about an all-electric sports car is that all the hard accelerating you do can almost be offset with an equal amount of hard decelerations or regenerative braking.
Of course the sports car is nice, but the real challenge for Chrysler tech engineers is to build an electric vehicle Jeep guys won’t dismiss. What they’ve come up with so far is Wrangler Unlimited that uses an electric motor to drive the rear wheels, lithium-Ion batteries to store the energy, a super-computer controller to manage the energy flow, and a small engine/generator needed to produce power when storage ratings in the batteries start below 30-percent.
Simply put, the Jeep EV will run on full electric power up to 40 miles, then act something like a hybrid after that, where the generator produces power directly to the electric motor as needed. Any extra energy during braking or off-throttle situations will be routed into the batteries. The gasoline tank (which can also hold E85 fuel) will allow the vehicle to travel, depending on the types of loads and environmental conditions, an extra 400 miles or so according to Chrysler. In addition, because of the capabilities of the on-board dual-voltage generator, the Jeep EV can have both a 15 amp 110/120 volt outlet as well as a household 30 amp 220/240-volt power outlet. Very cool if you want to bring your big and little appliances on the trail. We’re told the added weight of the system is only about 100 pounds because of the smallish size of the new engine (no official word yet on who will produce it), probably in the 1.3L to 1.8L I-4 range. The tech guys told us the Jeep would likely do a 0-60 mph in about 9.0 seconds, with a quarter-mile time in the 16.5 second, 90 mph range. After our drive, we can say those numbers might be a little pessimistic.
Acceleration in the Jeep EV is strong and smooth, ramping up power progressively where the vehicle just keeps pulling and pulling up the speedometer at an almost unnerving pace. Because it’s all electronic, the console-mounted stick shift is gone and the gear selection is done by pushbutton just below the Navi screen. The Navi screen itself allows for several different screens to help the driver monitor all sorts of vehicle parameters like battery temperature, power levels, strength, range, charge/discharge direction and more. Our biggest beef is that the steering setup isn’t quite dialed in and the battery pack, from underneath the vehicle, looks like the thickest skidplate you’ve ever seen (but we’re told there is no compromise in ground clearance.)
From what we could tell during our drive, the added weight underneath the vehicle helps to take away some of the Wrangler’s typical “tippy” feel when cornering at higher speeds. Of course, all of our driving was on pavement, but the Jeep guys told us they know this vehicle has to be healthy to do everything people expect a Jeep to do if it’s going to be a success. In fact, we’ve been hearing that a pair of wheel-mounted electric motors could work on a future model to make the SUV more trail capable, but the computer power needed to make the front and rear motors synch is prohibitive. Our guess is that is still a few years out at best, but opens up all sorts of eco-friendly 4×4 possibilities Jeep is hoping will catch on. The key will be to make them work like a typical 4×4. In the 2WD vehicle we drove, there was nothing that prefabricated the vehicle look or act compromised, with the exception of noise and absence of a transmission. Additionally, if you looked under the hood, there was tons of room to store various gear, tools, or mount a winch.
As to acceptance, there will be plenty of debate about making a Jeep as rugged and trail-fixable as a conventional Jeep. Will the core Jeep buyers be interested? We’re not so sure, but no doubt there will be primeval adopters that will get tons of exposure, and maybe, over time, as the powertrains establish themselves safe, watertight, and mud-proof, there may be a place for this kind of technology for the casual bad-weather Jeep guy.
Chrysler told us one of the three vehicles it has been demoing (the EV sports car, a version of the Town & Country minivan, and the Wrangler) would be on understanding as a 2010 model by late next year (that assumes of course Chrysler will still be around next year in its present form). Which one will it be? It would make the most sense and be an easier fit in the Town & Country - they’re priced better to deal with the added technology; the platform has built-in under-floor storage capacity for the batteries; and it’s just about the only segment making money right now. You can expect more on this coming in the near future. And we’ll see if we can get a few more tidbits from the Chrysler EV development team at the LA Auto Show.
