Looks like the executives over at Honda caught a showing of Weekend at Bernie’s over the holiday break and got an idea. Just because the Acura NSX is dead, doesn’t mean they can’t show it off.
There was already a NSX concept car ready for January’s Detroit Auto Show before the project was indefinitely idled, so Honda doesn’t want to waste it. The concept car won’t mean that there is an Acura supercar bound for the U.S. The NSX will be there just to fill space.
From a business standpoint it’s easy to understand that Honda is just trying to get its money’s worth; but from an enthusiast’s standpoint, showing the concept is like Honda is taking us to the strip club. Honda’s New Year’s gift to North America is the ultimate ‘you can look but never touch’ set-up.
With Porsche moving forward on plans for a four-cylinder engine, Volkswagen and Audi going ahead with plans for a small mid-engined coupe/roadster, and Porsche definitely taking a controlling position in VW; it’s hard to ignore the possibility of Porsche making a 914 successor.
Sometimes when a company goes for a its smallest version the styling gets a little out of hand. Examples include the original 914 had a tough time fitting in with the rest of the Porsche family line as well as outcasts like the current Nissan Micra and the MkI Austin Healey Sprite. So we decided to go to the extreme in styling and have a rendering of our own “Bugeye” Porsche.
One way for Tesla to rebound from tough economic times is to sell its services on the street. While hookers may charge for a service, it seems Tesla’s service is a charge. Spy photographers have caught electric Smart prototypes recharging at the Tesla’s San Carlos facility.
Has Tesla entered an agreement with Daimler to work on the Smart EV? We do know that there are electric Smart cars currently being tested in London, and Tesla is gaining a reputation for being a pioneer in electric vehicles. So if the partnership is true, let’s all hope Tesla can add some speed to the Smart’s ride.
Chrysler will likely be in the hands of a new parent company soon, the only real questions are when and to whom? We already know why: Chrysler is a somewhat small car company with $11 billion in cash reserves, and a parent company (Cerberus Capital Management) who’s entire strategy for Chrysler was to sell it in the end. "I can tell you that we have approached and have been approached by third parties who are interested in exploring future possibilities with Chrysler," Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli said in a memo to employees.
Last week, the surprise story was that General Motors and Chrysler had entered merger talks, but GM is not the only suitor. Other potential buyers have included the Renault-Nissan Alliance, Fiat or Tata. So let’s take a look at what each one could possibly mean...
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Mazda may just be pulling a trick on General Motors. While GM gets the spotlight and the pressure associated with its new Volt, Mazda may be working on a sneak attack. What makes the Volt unique is that it’s a purely electric car. Whenever the gas engine is needed, it is only used to generate power for the electric motor. Autocar is now reporting that Mazda is working on a similar type of car, using a rotary engine to charge the electric motor. Furthermore, Mazda seems to already be utilizing the technology in a test car that looks like a Mazda 5.
No word yet on what kind of batteries are being used or what kind of body Mazda will use for the new system. This may be where GM has the advantage. Much of the project resources of the Volt are being used to develop long range and lightweight lithium-ion batteries for the car. Also a lot of attention is being used to develop an original body for the car, so that it will have the least amount of wind resistance possible.
Early last month we brought you rumors of a replacement for the current Bugatti Veryon as early as 2011. The rumors are now surfacing again along with plans for an even faster version of the 1001 hp supercar. Before VW replaces the current Veyron, there could be a new "Veyron GT" could have as much as top 1200bhp and be capable of 270 mph. At that speed, you may literally not know what hit you.
It seems that Volkswagen really likes having this car as a flagship (or just is a glutton for punishment) because VW reportedly looses money on every $1.5 million Veyron sold.
Stories are beginning to surface again about the likelihood that Mercedes’ parent company Daimler will lose its independence. Earlier this month, other takeovers in Germany focused a spotlight on Daimler’s situation. Currently the German carmaker has lost 45 percent of its value over the last year, but it still has €9 billion ($13.2 billion) in liquidity – a combination that makes it a perfect storm for unwelcome new owners. A spokeswoman for Daimler said: “We do not see ourselves as a takeover candidate, but we cannot totally exclude the possibility. We have no indications that an investor is building a large stake.”
Daimler’s only large shareholder is the Emirate of Kuwait, with a stake of 7.6 percent as of the end of April. But multiple hedge funds own a total of about 20 percent of the company. A Swedish investment firm Cevian Capital also bought a stake in the company and has been part of the rumor of a potential new parent for Daimler.
Unlike its cross-country rival BMW, Daimler shares are completely traded on the open market. The Quandt Family has held a controlling interest in BMW since 1959, and so they can block any takeover attempts. But there still is hope that if a foreign company tries to take over Daimler that it will become a point of national interest. Then Daimler may get its own “Volkswagen Law”—A German rule that protected Volkswagen from voting rights for any investor going beyond 20 percent (Porsche has since struck it down.)
So could Daimler end up the in the same hedge-fund fate as its former subsidiary Chrysler? Time will tell, and we’ll tell you.
It’s the rumor that General Motors won’t let die: will the Corvette be exported to China? America’s greatest production sports car was shown a the Shanghai Motor Show last year, and last month a spy shot caught a black one outside the Chinese government’s automotive quality and inspection department (they licenses cars for manufacturing in China.) But the Automotive News is reporting a GM spokesperson in China says there are no immediate plans to bring the sports car to China, before adding: "Never say never."
A great way to insure continued production is economies of scale: producing more cars brings down the total cost of production. The Corvette should be no exception. Unfortunately exporting in left-hand drive only has left the car a novelty in places like England and Japan. So by sending (or producing) Corvettes in China, they could utilize their power as a premium marquee - GM is seen as a high mark of quality in China. This will help General Motors save money on the manufacturing and design, and in an ideal world, that will translate into more cash for GM to invest in more great Corvettes at home like the ZR1.
Mahindra is an Indian carmaker that first gained attention by building Jeeps for the home market. Now they may be interested in moving on to the next generation of American military vehicles by buying the Hummer brand. This may seem like an odd move during a time when high fuel prices are causing large SUVs to grow stale on dealer lots, but Mahindra may be looking at Hummer for part of a bigger plan.
It’s no secret that General Motors wants to get rid of Hummer, and Mahindra may utilize its name and products to help bring it’s own cars to the U.S. Its rumored that the company is developing a network of around 300 dealerships across the U.S. to sell Mahindra vehicles, with a $125,000 fee being asked from dealerships to become franchisees.
As General motors and Ford are trying to stop record losses, they may both turn to an unlikely ally, each other. Although neither company will publicly admit it, credible rumors say that the expense of future engines and transmissions may be shared between the two rivals. Considering that a new engine may cost $1 billion and a new transmission may cost $800 million, only having to spend half as much would be a great benefit to either ailing carmaker. The deal may also extend to technology that is already in development such as the system to be used in GM’s volt or Ford’s EcoBoost system.
All three of the “Big Three” American car companies have built brand loyalty through cross-Detroit rivalry. Many readers have fathers (or who are themselves) who identified themselves as a “GM-man” or a “Ford-man”. But quietly the companies have shared technology. Most recently, GM and Ford split the expense of developing a new six-speed transmission.
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