Is the Soul’ster one Kia too many?

Unless you’ve been living under an AMC Gremlin the past few years, you may have noticed that Kia, along with its parent Hyundai, have made great strides in the new car market, mainly at the expense of the former Detroit Three and formerly untouchable Japanese brands like Honda and Toyota.

Here’s the thing: Kia Canada moved out the door 3,464 vehicles last month, up 28.2 per cent from the same month last year. On a year-to-date basis, sales are up 21.2 per cent over 2008 and November marks the eleventh month of consecutive growth.

Great. Fantastic. Good for them. But now we read that a movement is afoot within Kia’s U.S. design ranks to actually put its Soul’ster concept from this year’s Detroit show,, above, into production.

As is, the Soul’ster is a 2+2, convertible version of the Soul boxy wagon. If anyone decided to do a remake of Baywatch, the Soul’ster would make a great beach buggy for the Barbie and Ken lifeguards. But beyond that, would it have any legs as a mass-market product?

Would you consider buying a Soul’ster?   

Does the Kia brand have enough cachet to make the Soul’ster credible on the street?

Or would the Kia end up as another Suzuki XC90 (Google it), or any other dumb halo cars
that should have been left as concepts?

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Done in Detroit: Who’s crystal ball has it right?

In a reversal of traditional roles at this year’s Detroit auto show, it was the American brands that showed up with environmentally conscious green wheels, while the Europeans (i.e. Germans) showed up with all the muscle.

To anyone that was listening, GM, Chrysler and Ford were all about zero-emission electric this and zero-emission electric that.

Neither their Cadillac Converj, Dodge Circuit EV nor Lincoln C had more than four bangers under their hoods conceptual hoods.

Counter that with the Germans: who trotted out all sorts of the screw-the-planet, high horsepower rides.

Mercedes showed its $1 million-plus SLR Stirling Moss super car. BMW débuted its Z4 Roadster and 7 Series V8 luxobarge. While Audi unvieled its ten-cylinder R8 super car.

So who do you think has their long-term product planning right?

Some EV fans—even the most optimistic like Nissan/Renault’s Carlos Ghosn—think electric vehicle sales will never make up more than 15 per cent of the market.

On the other hand, it looks like the global economic downturn may keep fuel pump prices lower than anyone would dare imagine last summer. This may only lower the incentive to go green by minimizing the cost and social untowardness of driving sports performance cars.

Is the future of driving the Cadillac Converj, or the Audi R8 V10?

Autopocalype Update: Tokyo may be a no-go

Just as we wrap up this year’s Detroit shindig, it looks like this falls’ biennial Tokyo auto show may not happen.

Automotive News is reporting, General Motors has pulled out of this year's Tokyo auto show to save the $2 million it had to spend at the 2007 show.

Chrysler has made the same decision and Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported today that Ford was among the other Detroit brands that missed last year's deadline to register for the Tokyo show.

Discussion about canceling the show is driven in part by the decision of some non-Japanese automakers to shun the October venue amid the global financial crisis. But the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association is debating whether to cancel the event.

As you know already may know, there were plenty of no-shows this week in Detroit, including Nissan, Suzuki, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Land Rover. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. canceled its corporate presence, but local Mitsubishi dealers put together an exhibit. Honda had a display, but canceled it media presentation.

[Source: Automotive News]

Done in Detroit...

No running of the bulls. Less pyrotechnics. Fewer super cars—for me, this was the best of the eight Detroit auto shows I’ve officially attended.

Instead of floating out fanciful super cars or you’re-never-gonna-see-this concepts, this year’s show was all business. Like watching your teenager take out the garbage without being asked, the rise in the level of maturity from some of the automakers was jaw dropping.

Instead of flashy presentations that always seems directed towards new car buyers instead of the (supposedly) educated media corps, we got some real credible product and business news. And without some surprise or irony, the two most credible reveals came from of all places, two domestic luxury brands: Cadillac and Lincoln.

The Cadillac Converj concept hybrid makes so much sense on so many levels.

First, it looks great. As I was taking some photography of the car in Cobo Hall on Monday, Jaguar head pen Ian Callum was leading a couple of his designers around the car. And I asked him what he thought.

“Great proportions," he said. “They really nailed it.”

On the business side, the Converj is basically a reclothed Chevy Volt, But it’s premium image (and pricing) will help General Motors recoup some of the billions it will spend in getting these cars to market.

And a lesson for Lexus: Hybrids don't need to look dorkey (re new HS250 h.)

And, in sharp contrast to Chrysler’s EV program, GM’s other big news here was the announcement of a partnership with governments, technology partners and education facilities to develop its own lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Michigan—the first major automaker to do so.

Number two on my “I Bee-leeeve!!” list is Ford.

The Blue Oval crew had about a six-month head start on its Detroit rivals when CEO Alan Mulally announced last simmer that they would move up the introduction to North America of some of its excellent small European products. Just one of the reasons Ford is holding off on any government loans.

Although it’s in a relatively small market segment in Canada, the Taurus looked great. But Ford’s show highlight was the Lincoln C concept.

 Preparing for life without its premium Volvo brand, the compact C is a first step in making Lincoln a brand that could be marketed globally. Something you can’t say with any of today’s cars.

Unfortunately, it was hard to believe anything that’s coming out of the mouths of Chrysler’s executives at the show.

While Reuters is reporting that talks with Renault/Nissan to take over Chrysler's assets to get the Jeep brand are well under way again (rumours that Chrysler Vice Chairman and President Tom LaSorda is denying this morning) listening to CEO Bob Nardelli, in Chryslerland the skies are blue, the roses are blooming, and yes, the sun will come out tomorrow.

Unlike other automakers, with no electric power source, or battery supplier confirmed, how Chrysler will ever get its 200C EV concept— based on a shortened version of Chrysler’s large rear-wheel-drive platform—to achieve its 640 km extended range or 64 km  all-electric range in production is anyone's guess right now. Puh-leeeze…

Live from Detroit!: New Karma convertible not called the Chameleon

Resisting the obviously strong urge to call it's convertible version of its Karma electric sedan the Chameleon, the world’s first plug-in hybrid convertible will be known as the Fisker Karma S Sunset.

The S Sunset is based on the 2011 Karma production sedan, said former BMW and Aston Martin designer turned automaker, CEO Henrik Fisker.

With Fisker’s Q-DRIVE, designed and engineered by Quantum Technologies, you can allegedly drive the Karma 80 kms on a single charge to its lithium-ion battery pack, and packs up to 403 hp from two electric motors.

As such, the sedan is capable of 0-96 km/h in 5.8 seconds and has a top speed of 200 km/h.

Not planned for Canadian sales, in the U.S., the Karma four-door will go for $87,900 greenbacks.

Safe to say, Fisker will want more than that for the sexier S Sunset.

Live from Detroit!: Lincoln C's the future is small

Pleasant surprises were few and far between here in Cobo this year.

But after years of rehashing Frat Pack era Continentals, Lincoln seems to be looking for customers who don’t qualify for CPP benefits with its C concept.

A small four-door that's based on the C platform (get it?) of the next-generation Ford Focus, it looks like Ford’s luxury brand is ready to jump into the premium compact market.

No longer than the current Ford Focus, it's as wide as a Lincoln MKZ sedan, which allowed the designers to fit three-across seating in both rows. Upfront is Lincoln's new waterfall grille. Out back, the C looks inspired by some Recent Renault designs, namely the Megane hatch.

With Volvo being kicked out of the Ford family, Lincoln needs to become Ford’s premium player. And a production version of the C would be a good start.

Live from Detroit!: 2010 Prius bigger, faster, lighter and roomier

As one of the most talked about and leaked intros at this year’s Detroit shindig, on cue, Toyota rolled out its third-gen 2010 Prius this morning.

Bigger and roomier than the last Prius, the 2010 decidedly larger than Honda’s new Prius rival hybrid, the Insight.

More pics here

Hypermiling is what the Prius is all about, right?

So, though not official yet, Toyota’s suits expect official combined fuel consumption rating for the new Prius will be 3.8 L/100 compared to 4.6 L/100 km for the first-generation Prius and 4.1 L/100 km for the second-generation model.

While the just-introduced Lexus HS 250h hybrid offers a 187 hp 2.4 powertrain, the Prius uses a 1.8 version gutting out 134 hp—up 22 per cent from the last model.

The Lexus exists to appeal to customers looking for some luxe with their economy. But the new Prius is also adding on the new features like a moon roof with solar panels that power a smart ventilation system and Toyota’s first application of Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA);

Now if only Toyota could get the price of gas up to last summer’s record highs…

Live from Detroit!: GM's back in the battery biz

While most technology announcements at car shows are about as exciting as watching a NASCAR race, the General’s update on the status of its lithium-ion  battery technology adds more credibility to its electric car program compared to other automakers (that’s you Chrysler!)

First off, GM’s extended range system previously known as E-Flex, is now called Voltec—obviously as a tie-in to the first production vehicle, the Chevy Volt, due to go on sale late next year.

The big news today was GM’s confirmation of partnering with various governments, battery makers and universities to become the first major automaker to make lithium-ion battery packs in the U.S. starting later this year.

Crucial to the success of vehicles like the Volt, Saturn Vue Plug-In Hybrid and the Cadillac Converj concept that was rolled out here yesterday, GM will partner with LG Chem (as in LG, the Korean appliance maker) among others.

Live from Detroit!: Lincoln's crossover goes big

As a follow up to the Lincoln MKT concept seen here twelve months ago, the production version opened up day two of  this year’s Detroit show press days.

Using the same three-row crossover platform as the existing Ford Flex, the Lincoln version adds new styling inside and out and plenty of toys for tech geeks to play with.

A voice activated navigation system equipped with Sirius Travel Link, adaptive cruise control with collision mitigation, blind spot detection system, rear sonar, cross traffic detection and an automatic parallel parking system are just some of the gee-whiz features.

Today’s 267 hp 3.7-litre V6 is standard under the big crossover's hood. But the upgrade will be one of the first applications of Ford’s highly touted EcoBoost twin–turbo direct-injection engines. This one is a 3.5 unit with 350 hp and lb-ft of torque.

The Flex isn’t exactly flying out of Ford showrooms. And expect the Lincoln to carry a $5-7k pricing premium over the ford. Plus the Lincoln’s targeted rival, Mercedes’ R Class, has been a sales dud.

As impressive as the MKT may be, it may be a tough sell when it goes on sale this summer.

Live from Detroit!: Subaru's Legacy continues

Did you know Subaru’s Legacy is celebrating its 20th birthday?

I didn’t. But it seems to be a good enough reason for the Japanese automaker to release a teaser for the production version of its midsize family sedan, and eventual wagon.

Underneath the pimp-my-ride styling of this Legacy (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) "concept," there are no surprises: Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel drive system is mated to a horizontally opposed boxer six-cylinder engine.

Subaru says the new Legacy concept’s “four wheel arches emphasizes the reliability and dynamism of symmetrical AWD” and the grille incorporates a “wing motif” highlighting Subaru’s brand identity.

Expect a slightly toned down version to appear in Canadian Subaru showrooms later this year some time.