Reid Bigland, Pres/CEO Dodge and Head of U.S. Sales

Reid Bigland, President and CEO of the Dodge Car Brand and Head of U.S. Sales describes the 2013 Dodge Dart that just went into production and will go on sale in mid-June supported by a major ad campaign that will kick off in mid-July. Bigland also gives a rundown of the other new vehicles coming from Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Fiat this year. In a speech to journalists, Bigland emphasized the focus on California and how the market is outpacing the overall growth in Chrysler sales. A new Southern California-based Chrysler center has been tasked with helping sales and distribution and has already been responsible for adding 37 dealers. The Chrysler brands have seen fast-paced growth in sales that boosted it's first quarter 2012 profit to the highest in 13 years.

I test drove the six speed manual versions of Rallye and Limited new 2013 Dodge Dart and found strong low end torque, nimble handling with a solid feel, especially given the price in the high teens to low-$20,000s depending on features and options. The trunk is roomy, seats comfortable and the touchscreen display somewhat intuitive. One thing a test drive can't answer is the durability question - will it still feel like new in 5 years or 60,000 miles with just routine maintenance. The Dart, based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, starts at $15,995 - check it out in 4 weeks at a Dodge showroom near you.

Carroll Shelby Dies At 89

Saxton & Shelby - 2011

Legendary race driver and car designer Carroll Shelby died today at age 89. Twenty-two years after a heart transplant and sixteen years after a kidney transplant, the man most famous for his Shelby Cobra brand of high performance Ford Mustangs has left us. He was an auto industry legend who set speed records as a driver in the 1950's and was twice Sports Illustrated's driver of the year - in 1956 and 1957.

More Muscle to Muscle Cars
When car executive Lee Iacocca introduced the Ford Mustang in 1964, he asked Shelby to make a high performance version and in the early 1980's when Iacocca ran Chrysler, he asked Shelby to supe up the Dodge Charger. His Mustang-based Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT500 helped make his legend.

Carroll Shelby will be missed as a fixture at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas and at a corner table in the Bel Air Country Club telling stories.

EVS26 - Electric Vehicle Symposium Wrap on KNX Radio

May 9, 2012 KNX News Radio 1070 Business Hour in Los Angeles - a wrap up of EVS26.

Andy Palmer, Nissan EVP, On Growing EV Line-up

Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. expects Leaf sales to grow when the Smyrna, Tennessee plant starts making the electric vehicle helping to overcome the dollar-yen currency challenge. That was one of the reasons Palmer gave in explaining why last year's Leaf sales of 9,000 missed the projection of 25,000. Another factor was Japan's March 2011 earthquake and tsunami which impacted manufacturing. Learning how to mass produce batteries was another issue. With a $4 billion investment in developing the Leaf, the expectations are high.

The NV200 compact cargo van, Infiniti LE and a "city car" will be added to the Nissan EV line-up. Palmer said the Infiniti LE (Luxury Electric) has the underpinnings of a Leaf but taking the hatchback to a sedan was a challenge. The LE is expected to go on sale  in 2014 as part of Nissan-Infinti's 51 launches in the next 5 years.

I spoke to Andy Palmer after he participated on the concluding panel - The Global Campaign for Consumer EV Adoption - at EVS26, the 4-day International Electric Vehicle Symposium that ended in Los Angeles Wednesday.

Bob Lutz Discusses The Case For Electric Vehicles

Former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz believes electric vehicles have the essential "energy security and efficiency" but "batteries have to hold a larger and longer charge" and prices have to come down to be competitive. Lutz believes that "demand drives what is built and right now 95% want gasoline powered cars".

 "The price/value relationship for EVs has to get better", says Lutz, a board member of VIA Motors, which is showing that electrifying gas guzzling trucks already makes sense.

I spoke with Lutz just prior to his appearance on the concluding panel - The Global Campaign for Consumer EV Adoption - at EVS26, the 4-day International Electric Vehicle Symposium that just concluded in Los Angeles.

General Motors Manufacturing Manager Gerald Johnson

The April sales data translates into a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of Sales (SAAR) of 14.4 million vehicles which is better-than-expected according to Gerald Johnson, Manufacturing Manager at General Motors Corp. Johnson, who was speaking on a manufacturing panel at the Milken Institute Global Conference this week in Beverly Hills also discusses China, global quality and vehicle mix.

April 2012 U.S. Auto Sales

General Motors reported April sales of 213,387, an 8.2 percent drop while year-to-date sales of 821,707 represernt an 0.4 percent slip from 2011.

Ford Motor Company April U.S. sales totaled 180,350, a 5 percent decline while year-to-date sales are 719,597, a 4.8 percent increase over last year.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. reported sales of 178,044, an increase of 11.6 percent over the year-ago month on a raw volume basis. The Toyota Division posted April total sales of 160,493, an increase of 13.1 percent over the year-ago month and the Lexus Division reported total sales of 17,551, flat compared to last year.

Chrysler Group reported U.S. sales of 141,165, a 20 percent increase compared with April 2011 and the group's best sales in the month of April since 2008. Year-to-date sales are 539,216, a 33 percent jump over 2011.

American Honda reported April 2012 U.S. sales of 122,012, an increase of 10 percent based on the daily selling rate. The Honda division posted April 2012 sales of 109,837, an increase of 9.2 percent compared to April 2011 and Acura's U.S. April sales of 12,175 were up 18 percent compared to April 2011.

Nissan North America reported April U.S. sales of 71,329, down 0.3 percent.  Nissan Division sales decreased 0.9 percent for the month at 64,200 while sales of Infiniti vehicles were up 5.4 percent over the prior year, to 7,129.

Hyundai Motor America announced an all-time April sales record of 62,264, up one percent over last year's all-time April record, and the second best sales month in company history after last month's all-time record. Year-to-date sales of 225,837 is a 10.5 percetn gain over the same period last year.

Kia Motors America best-ever April sales of 47,550 was a one percent gain over April 2011 and year-to-date Kia sales are 185,610, a 22.2 percent rise over 2011.
   
Volkswagen of America reported sales of 37,525 in April, a 31.5 percent increase over prior year sales, 38 percent increase year-to-date and the best April since 1971.  Year-to-date sales of 131,898 is a 38 percent gain over last year. Audi reported record-setting April sales of 11,521 a 15 percent increase, marking the 16th consecutive month of record sales in the U.S.  Year-to-date are 40,991, a 15.8 percent increase over 2011.

Subaru of America reported record sales for April 2012 of 26,310 vehicles, a six percent gain over April 2011 and year-to-date sales of 106,878, a 16 percent gain over prior year.

The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported April sales of 26,793, an increase of 6.1 percent from the same month a year ago.  Year-to-date, BMW Group is up 13.7 percent on sales of 102,522 in the first four months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.

Mercedes-Benz USA reported April sales of 22,336 for its Mercedes-Benz models, a 23.8 percent improvement over April 2011, delivering a year-to-date total of 83,849 new vehicles to customers, up 17.5 percent.  Combined sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles, smart and Sprinter for the month totaled 25,066, up 30.8 percent bringing a year-to-date total of 91,972, up 22.4 percent, making this the company's highest April on record.

Mitsubishi Motors North America reported April 2012 sales of 5,280, down 34.7 percent compared to April 2011. 

Porsche Cars North America announced April 2012 sales of 3,437, an increase of four percent. For the year, Porsche sold 10,596 cars in the U.S., which is a four percent increase over last year.

American Suzuki reported April sales of 1,774, down 17 percent from April 2011 for a year-to-date total of 8,335, six percent lower than a year ago.

Mercedes-Benz 2013 SL550 Roadster At $106,405 Soon

The sixth generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL550 roadster is being launched in 2012, 60 years after the first SL model debuted, with an all-new aluminum unit body,  with torsional rigidity that's 20 percent stiffer than the previous-generation steel body. The SL550 coupe (pictured above) is powered by a new 429 horsepower 4.6-liter V8 engine with direct fuel injection, twin turbochargers and multi-spark ignition mated to a 7 speed automatic transmission. The engine has 20 percent smaller displacement but generates more horsepower and torque than the previous generation. A pair of paddles strategically positioned behind the upper steering-wheel spokes allows you to manually upshift and downshift the 7-speed automatic transmission with just a flick of your fingers. MSRP is $106,405 (including $905 transportation charge).

The new SL550 engine comes with an ECO stop-start system. Whenever the car stops with the brake pedal depressed, the engine is automatically turned off to save fuel. As soon as the driver touches the accelerator pedal, the engine computer selects the piston that is in the best position for first ignition, and the direct fuel injection and multi-spark systems work with a starter motor to seamlessly re-start the engine.

At the push of a button, the roof is opened or closed in less than 20 seconds. During this transformation, an intelligent tilting mechanism ensures that the roof and rear window "spoon" and retract into the top section of the trunk to preserve a good deal of useful trunk space.

Lamborghini Urus Super Luxury SUV Concept

2013 Nissan Sentra Goes On Sale This Fall

Nissan's recently introduced all-new global sedan will be the basis for an all-new 2013 Nissan Sentra to be unveiled in the United States later this summer for a Fall on-sale date. Sentra will hits showrooms after the summer sales introductions of all-new Altima and all-new Pathfinder. The all-new 2013 Sentra will be launched as the nameplate celebrates its 30th anniversary in the U.S.

Sentra is Nissan's second best selling vehicle behind the Altima so far this year.

2013 Acura ILX Goes On Sale May 22 For $26,795

The all-new 2013 Acura ILX will go on sale on May 22 with a manufacturer's suggested retail price starting at $26,795 (including destination charge of $895) for the entry-level ILX powered by a 150 horsepower 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine paired with a Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission. The 2013 Acura ILX with a 201 horsepower 2.4-liter engine featuring a close-ratio, six-speed manual transmission starts at $30,095 (including destination charge of $895) with the Premium Package.

 
The ILX Hybrid with a 1.5-liter inline engine and an Integrated Motor Assist® electric motor starts at $29795 (including destination charge of $895). Paired with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), the ILX 1.5L Hybrid has an EPA estimated city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 39/38/38 mpg.

The Premium Package (available as a $3,300 option; not available on the ILX Hybrid model) features leather seating surfaces, heated front seats, a power driver's seat, an upgraded 360 watt stereo system with XM® radio, HID headlights, foglights, 17-inch aluminium wheels, a multi-view rearview camera and an Active Sound Cancellation system to make for a quieter cabin. The Technology Package (available on the ILX with 2.0-liter engine for $2,200) adds Acura's ELS Surround® audio system and AcuraLink® Satellite Communication System, Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition™, AcuraLink Real-Time Traffic with Traffic Rerouting™, AcuraLink Real-Time Weather™ with radar image maps and HomeLink®. The navigation system makes use of a hard disk drive (HDD) with 60 gigabytes of storage capacity— including 15 gigabytes that can be specifically allocated for music storage. The Technology package is also available on the ILX Hybrid for $5,500 and includes all Premium Package features except 17-inch aluminium wheels.

Ford Building New Plant In Hangzhou, China

Ford Motor Company will build a new state-of-the-art assembly plant in Hangzhou, China, investing US $760 million with its joint venture with Changan Ford Mazda Automobile doubling its production capacity in China to 1.2 million passenger cars annually by 2015. It brings Ford’s total investment in China to approximately US $4.9 billion since 2006.

The Hangzhou plant announcement comes just two weeks after Ford said it will invest US $600 million to expand capacity at its Chongqing facilities by 350,000 passenger cars, and less than six weeks after the company opened Chongqing 2, the home of the New Focus, which increased its China passenger car capacity by one-third to 600,000 units. Construction of the new plant in Hangzhou will begin later this year, with the first vehicle coming off the line in 2015.

2013 Chevrolet Silverado HD With CNG Bi-Fuel Option

2013 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra 2500 HD extended cab heavy-duty pickup trucks will have a bi-fuel option for $11,000 above the suggested base-vehicle price and you can order them now. The pickups, which run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and gasoline, have a Vortec 6.0L V8 engine that seamlessly transitions between the two fuel systems. A single light-weight Type 3 tank in the bed maximizes available payload and bed space, offering more usable space than competitors. The Silverado HD and Sierra 2500 HD offer customers fueling flexibility with a combined CNG and gasoline range of more than 650 miles.

2013 Cadillac XTS Luxury Sedan To Be Built In China

The all-new Cadillac XTS luxury sedan will be built in China in conjunction with joint venture partner Shanghai General Motors beginning this Fall. The new 2013 Cadillac XTS launches in North America later this spring with production beginning in the coming weeks at the Oshawa, Ontario Assembly Plant. China is the second-largest market for Cadillac with record sales of 30,000 vehicles  in 2011, compared with 17,000 in 2010. The SLS Executive Sedan, an extended-length luxury car exclusive to China has been built in China since 2006. All of Cadillac’s core product lines are sold in China, with the CTS Sedan and Coupe, SRX crossover and Escalade imported from North America.  The SRX is Cadillac’s top seller in China with the average age of a Cadillac buyer in China at 35 years old.  In March Cadillac sales set a monthly record of 2,745, an increase of 35.2% over the same period in 2011.

Talking Cars on KFWB NewsTalk 980, Los Angeles

Money101 on KFWB NewsTalk980 - Bob McCormick and Richard Saxton.

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class Goes On Sale In September

 
The all-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class goes on sale in the U.S. in September 2012 with three models: 2013 GL350 BlueTEC has a re-engineered 240 horsepower V6 diesel engine, the 2013 GL450 has a 362 horsepower twin-turbo direct-injection V8 engine and the 2013 GL550 has a  direct-injection twin-turbo 429 horsepower engine, all with more horsepower than their predecesors. In addition to 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive, standard equipment includes a hill start assistant, and Downhill Speed Regulation). Standard equipment also includes COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST and ATTENTION ASSIST driver drowsiness detection. The radar-based COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST operates at speeds between 20 and 155 mph and recognizes when the distance to the vehicle in front is decreasing. It can also recognize stationary objects. If there is an imminent risk of a collision, the system emits a visual and acoustic warning to alert the driver and prepares Brake Assist for the most immediate possible braking response, which is initiated as soon as the driver applies the brakes.

A new option is the Power EASY-ENTRY system for access to the third seat row. The Parking Assist package for the GL350 BlueTEC and GL450 features PARKTRONIC with Active Parking Assist for automatic maneuvering in and out of parallel parking spots, plus the new surround view camera which uses image data from four cameras at the front and rear of the vehicle and in the exterior mirror casings to calculate a bird's eye view of the vehicle and its surroundings, and shows this and other perspectives on the large COMAND display. The On- and Off-Road package, available as an option for the GL450 and GL550, enhances handling and safety with six programs, delivering optimum driveline control across the most diverse conditions on the road and on rugged terrain.

BMW Prices M5, M6, X6 M & Gran Coupe Models

The 2012 BMW M6 Convertible arrives this June and will be priced at $113,995 (including $895 Destination and Handling). The 2012 BMW X6 M that arrives in May will sell for $93,795 (including destination and handling).

The 2013 BMW M5 and 2013 BMW M6 Coupe powered by a 560 horsepower M TwinPower Turbo V-8 mated to a high torque 7-speed M-Double Clutch transmission will arrive in late summer and will carry Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices of $90,695 on the M5 and $106,995 on the M6 (including destination and handling).

The 2013 640i Gran Coupe powered by a 3.0 liter TwinPower Turbo Inline-6 engine goes on sale in late June with an M.S.R.P. of $76,895. Later in the summer, the TwinPower Turbo V-8 powered 2013 BMW 650i Gran Coupe at $87,395 and the all-wheel drive 2013 BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe at $90,395 will join the line up.

2013 BMW X1 Sport Activity Vehicle Starts At $31,545 This Fall

The 2013 BMW X1 sDrive28i rear-wheel drive model will be powered by a 240 horsepower 4-cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine starting at $31,545 (including $895 Destination and Handling) with the all-wheel drive X1 xDrive28i having the same engine and starting at $33,245. The 2013 BMW X1 all-wheel-drive xDrive35i will have a 300 horsepower 6-cylinder inline TwinPower Turbo engine starting at $39,345.

Both engines are paired to an automatic transmission and BMW EfficientDynamics technology which consists of twin-scroll turbocharging, High Precision Direct Petrol Injection, VALVETRONIC variable valve timing and Double-Vanos variable camshaft control. The intelligent all-wheel drive of the BMW X1 xDrive35i and BMW X1 xDrive28i varies the distribution of drive between the front and rear wheels, as required ensuring optimum traction and directional stability in all weather and road conditions, as well as noticeably sportier responses through dynamically taken corners. Features including the Auto Start-Stop function (28i only), Brake Energy Regeneration and demand-based operation of ancillary units all help to achieve a blend of performance and fuel economy. I'll be racing to a BMW dealer to check it out this Fall.

2013 Dodge Dart Starts At $16,790 In June

The all-new 2013 Dodge Dart starts at an MSRP of $16,790 (including the $795 destination) for the SE trim powered by the new 160 horsepower 2.0-liter 16-valve Tigershark I-4 engine. The SXT trim level starts at $18,790, the Rallye starts at $19,790 and the Limited at $20,790. All will be on sale in June except the $23,290 R/T powered by the new 184 horsepower 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir 2 4-cylinder that will be available in the 3rd quarter of this year.

2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Models On Sale Late This Summer

The third-generation 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe crossover family introduces the two-row, five-passenger Santa Fe Sport (pictured above) and the long wheelbase (LWB) three-row, seven-passenger model called Santa Fe with the Sport will go on-sale late this summer and the larger Santa Fe in January 2013.  Santa Fe Sport will either a 190 horsepower 2.4-liter Gasoline Direct Engine engine with estimated fuel economy of 23 city and 33 highway or a turbocharged 2.0-liter GDI engine with an estimated 264 horsepower. The top-of-line LWB Santa Fe is powered by the 290 horsepower 3.3-liter V6 engine, which is also  in the Hyundai Azera.

The 2013 Santa Fe models feature Hyundai’s Hillstart Assist Control (HAC) and Downhill Brake Control (DBC) to maximize control on steep hills. HAC minimizes rolling backwards on steep ascents while DBC helps the driver maintain vehicle control and speed on steep downhill descents. The LWB three-row Santa Fe offers Hyundai’s first Blindspot Detection System (BDS). This system identifies when a vehicle enters the defined blindspot and provides a warning that a vehicle is approaching.