Posts Tagged ‘LA Auto Show’
No fancy news events at the NAIAS; in fact no events at all.
by Joseph Szczesny on Dec.23, 2009
Chrysler has a history of staging wild news events at the NAIAS. This year the automaker will be a no-show during press days.
Chrysler Group LLC has confirmed that it won’t host a press conference at the 2010 North American International Auto Show
Chrysler Group traditionally has used the annual Detroit Auto Show for some eye-catching – and expensive stunts – such as dropping a new Ram pickup from the Cobo Hall ceiling, smashing Jeeps through the conference center’s plate glass windows, staging a skit with leaping minivans and even, two years ago, staging a fake cattle drive, complete with cowboys, up busy Washington Boulevard, outside the exhibit hall.
Even in early 2009 when the company was living on federal aid, the company managed to display an array of high-tech concept cars driven by batteries instead of internal combustion engine.
For the first time ever, Chrysler does not plan to hold any kind of press event at the upcoming Detroit Show, spokesman Rick Deneau said.
No Bull!
“We are not going to have a press conference,” Deneau confirmed. “We wanted to be respectful of everyone’s time. Mr. Marchionne is a very practical guy. We didn’t have anything to show,” he said, referring to Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler’s new chief executive officer.
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Tags: 2010 detroit auto show, 2010 NAIAS, auto news, automotive news, car news, chrysler auto show, chrysler detroit auto show, chrysler la auto show, chrysler naias, joe szczesny, LA Auto Show, thedetroitbureau
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R60 CUV a definite, but Coupe and Roadster may follow.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.09, 2009
Could Mini launch production of the Coupe and Roadster concept vehicles next year? A CUV is definitely in the pipeline.
Tucked into the far corner of the L.A. Auto Show sit two Mini concept cars that have been generating some serious buzz. Now, sources say, the Mini Roadster and Mini Coupe could find their way into production in the very near future.
As TheDetroitBureau.com’s Henny Hemmes reported, last week, from Staples Center, in downtown Los Angeles, the two show cars have a decidedly more aggressive look than current Mini products, starting with their steeply raked windshields. (Click Here for the complete story.)
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Up to the A-pillars, the Roadster is similar to that of the current Mini Convertible. The windshield, though, is 60 mm lower and raked at a sharper angle, providing the look of a ‘baseball cap’, said Ian Robertson, Mini’s sales and marketing chief.
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Tags: auto news, auto shows, automotive news, british cars, car news, car reviews, car shows, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, mini convertible, mini coupe, mini crossover, mini r60, mini roadster, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Will Whitacre hold onto the CEO job?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.04, 2009
Can a Texas telecommunications engineer find happiness as GM's permanent CEO?
Now what?
As the automaker dove into bankruptcy, earlier this year, it was clear things would never be the same at General Motors. But for those who thought there might be a bit more stability once the maker emerged from the Chapter 11 process, on July 10th, this week’s events show that change may be the only constant.
What’s clear is that Board Chairman Edward Whitacre is now making sure that the automaker’s top management team is shaped to his liking. Fritz Henderson is out as CEO, with the 46-year-old Mark Reuss taking on president of North America. The septuagenarian GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz maintains his title, but nothing else, with the equally youthful Susan Docherty now assuming his role as head of marketing.
Keeping Score!
There’s still that gap at the top. For now, “Big Ed” Whitacre, the self-styled folksy Texan and former AT&T chairman, is officially General Motors’ “acting” CEO. A grand dragnet has, allegedly, been launched to find someone permanent for the post. But the Friday management realignment suggests to a number of observers that Whitacre eventually may abandon any pretense of this being a temporary position.
(Ken Zino on the latest GM shake-up: Click Here.)
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Tags: auto news, automotive news, car news, ed whitacre, fritz henderson, General Motors management, gm bailout, GM management, gm shake-up, ken zino, LA Auto Show, Mark Reuss, Susan Docherty, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 3 Comments »
Part of plan to “transform” the wounded brand.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.04, 2009
Digital rendering of the small car that will be coming to the Buick line-up.
Look quick.
You won’t see much of Buick’s planned “Premium Compact Sedan” for several years, at least not in the sheet metal. So, for now, we’ll all have to settle for this digital rendering provided by the struggling General Motors brand during its news conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Specifics are vague, though it will obviously slot into the Buick line-up beneath the newly-relaunched Regal sedan. Expect I-4 power driving the front wheels and, considering GM’s sudden focus on fuel economy, highway mileage likely to nudge into the 30 mpg range.
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Tags: auto news, automotive news, Buick premium compact sedan, buick small car, car news, general motors, gm bailout, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, luxury cars, thedetroitbureau
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Maker expects record sales despite horrid U.S. car market.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.03, 2009
The Hybrid Tower concept signals the Japanese maker's plan to launch its first -electric model in 2012, though U.S. plans haven't been revealed.
Late to the game, Subaru nevertheless plans to launch its first hybrid by 2012, company officials told TheDetroitBureau.com, during an interview at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Though a global roll-out is planned, they cautioned that there are no specific plans in place for bringing the gasoline-electric vehicle to the U.S., though it will make it to the market eventually.
During a news conference in L.A., vice president Michael McHale noted that the Japanese automaker has already sold more vehicles, through November, than it did all last year, despite the otherwise horrid conditions of the American auto market.
“We predict we’ll end 2009 with an all-time record, said McHale.
Auto Show News!
The planned hybrid will be loosely based on the Hybrid Tower Concept, a gull-winged show car first seen at the Tokyo Motor Show, in October, and now on display in L.A. The prototype, an official noted, was designed to demonstrate that Subaru’s trademark boxer engine can be used in a hybrid powertrain.
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Tags: 2010 Subaru STi Spec Edition, alternative power, auto news, automotive news, battery cars, car news, car shows, green cars, green machines, hybrid vehicles, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, subaru hybrid, thedetroitbureau
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Shows “final production version” at LA Auto Show.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.03, 2009
Henrik Fisker with his plug-in hybrid, the $87,900 Karma, which debuts in September 2010.
The first Fisker Karma, a high-performance plug-in hybrid, will reach dealer showrooms in September 2010, said the company’s eponymous founder Henrik Fisker.
That’s the better part of a year behind the initial estimates of the California-based start-up but considering Fisker Automotive launched just two years ago, few expected the company could meet its initial, ambitious timetable.
Karma is a two-door sports car, but under the skin, it features a hybrid-electric drivetrain based around a large, 22 kwH lithium-ion battery. That’s enough to yield 50 miles of driving on battery power alone, Henrik Fisker told reporters during a news conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and to propel the vehicle from 0 to 60 in just 6 seconds, with a top speed of 125 mph.
Plugged In!
When the battery runs down, Karma will be able to keep rolling, using a backup internal combustion engine.
“This,” said Fisker, “is about environmentally-friendly cars without compromise.”
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Tags: 2011 Fisker Karma, auto news, automotive news, battery cars, car news, electric vehicles, fisker plug-in plug-in hybrids, green cars, hybrid autos, hybrids cars, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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A clear message to diesel-phobic California regulators.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.03, 2009
For the second year a diesel, this time the 2010 Audi A3 TDI, has won the Green Car of the Year award, held by the Audi of America CEO.
In a victory that carries clear political overtones, the Audi A3 TDI, a compact high-mileage diesel, was named Green Car of the Year during a ceremony at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The German offering was up against four other hybrids and diesels in its bid for the increasingly coveted award. Jurors praised the Audi A3 not only for delivering high mileage and low-emissions but for its comfort, performance and features.
Green Car News!
The award is clearly useful for Audi, which now has two so-called “Clean Diesels” in its line-up and which hopes to expand that line-up significantly, said Audi of America CEO Johan De Nysschen. Calling the award a “milestone,” the executive said the challenge Audi has faced is a “lack of awareness” of today’s diesels, which are vastly different from the slow, rough and smoke-belching oil burners” of decades past.
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Tags: 2010 audi diesel, Audi a3 tdi, audi tdi diesels, auto news, auto shows, automotive news, car news, diesel reviews, german cars, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 2 Comments »
Maker charges into L.A. with plans for battery cars.
by Joseph Szczesny on Dec.03, 2009
Smaller Japanese makers are focusing on pure battery power. Mitsubishi plans to bring a version of its new i-MIEV battery-electric vehicle to the U.S.
In Japan, smaller automakers, such as Subaru and Mitsubishi and even Nissan, are moving towards pure electric vehicles as way to offset the overwhelming edge Toyota and Honda hold in hybrid vehicles.
Mitsubishi, which has been known primarily for small, sporty cars, announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show that it will begin selling an electric vehicle in the U.S. beginning in 2011.
Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko said we’ll soon see a version of the i-MiEV, on display at L.A.’s Staples Center, “which we put on sale this past summer in Japan.” Mitsubishi has delivered approximately 800 of these innovative vehicles, he added. In fact, the raw numbers make Mitsubishi the leader in Japanese EV deliveries.
Charge Up Your News!
“In the North American market, attention has focused on the EV as awareness of the environment grows,” he said. “The i-MiEV was originally designed to help explore an avenue towards sustainability. The vehicle’s size, an innovative packaging makes it especially ideal throughout Asia and Europe.”
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Tags: alternative power, auto news, automotive news, BEVs, car nows, car shows, electric vehicles, green cars, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, mitsubishi battery cars, mitsubishi best buy, mitsubishi i-miev, thedetroitbureau
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50the anniversary year for Mini with talking Camden, Roadster and Coupe.
by Henny Hemmes on Dec.03, 2009
Mini staged several North American debuts, including this sporty Coupe concept, and the roadster to the rear.
Even if it is no Centennial, turning 50 is a milestone for a car brand – and reason to celebrate, which Mini did in style over the summer, at Britain’s Silverstone race track, with the introduction of two new models, the Mini 50 Mayfair and the Mini 50 Camden.
Both downsized offering are making their North American premiers at the 2009 L.A. Auto Show.
Big News...Small Package!
If the names sound familiar, that’s because they honor two well-known London neighborhoods. In car language it means that the Mayfair is comfortable and sophisticated and the Camden looks into the future.
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Tags: auto news, auto shows, automotive news, car news, car shows, Henny Hemmes, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, mini, mini convertible, mini cooper, small cars, thedetroitbureau
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by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.02, 2009
The first car to roll out of the Korean carmaker's new U.S. assembly plant, the 2011 Kia Sorento.
The “Made in America” tag continues to become more confusing, now that Kia has become the latest Asian brand to set up a “transplant” assembly plant. The factory, in West Point, Georgia, launched production of the all-new 2011 Kia Sorento just two weeks ago.
The stylish Korean-engineered crossover could build on the brand’s already significant momentum; Kia sales have been defying gravity during the current economic downturn, posting a 7.8% increase since the beginning of the year.
The crossover market is critical for automakers hoping to take advantage of shifting consumer tastes, said Kia’s vice president of sales, Tom Loveless. “We see customers rightsizing, rather than downsizing.”
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The stylish five-door is based on the Kia KND4 concept vehicle which was unveiled at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. It’s both longer and lower than the outgoing Sienna, and is aimed at buyers who want room for 5 full-size adults, with occasional seating for 7, noted Kia’s marketing director, Michael Sprague.
The unibody-based CUV features a new McPherson strut front suspension and a mult-link rear.
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Tags: 2011 Kia Sorento, auto news, auto shows, automotive news, car news, car shows, crossover vehicles, CUVs, kia plant, kia sorento review, Korean cars, LA Auto Show, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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