TOP 5 MERCEDES GIFTS

The service departments at most automotive dealerships now offer at least some form of a 'gift shop', although sometimes it's hidden on one shelf behind the parts counter. You can have your Subaru WRX rally toque or a miniature Porsche 911 with whaletail spoiler.

Or.... you can buy your gifts (for yourself, I might add) before you even leave the business office. After visiting the Mercedes-Benz USA website, I came up with the most interesting - and most interestingly priced - options I could find. Spoil yourself the next time you buy an E-class. Go get yourself somethin' nice. You deserve it. Here's the GoodCarBadCar Top 5.


5- Electronic Trunk Closer: Select this on an E350, Benz's middle sedan, and you'll have a feature that "allows you to electronically close a fully open trunk lid without touching it. Push a button in the cabin or inside the trunk, and the lid closes itself." $530.00, just $520.00 on an SL55 AMG.

4- Sheepskin Wash Mitt: Do you typically buy your home-car goods from the real-estate agent? Mercedes figures you'll trust them to know how to produce the perfect car-washing mitt. It will, as they say, "capture dirt and grime, and reduce paint surface scratches. Large shape and elasticized wrist comfortably accommodates all hand sizes." That good ol' one size fits all definitely makes the $14.00 seem appropriate.


3- P30 Performance Package: The SL55 AMG is quick, but you want fast as well. Upping the limiter to 186mph, while also adding 19" wheels, a new front bumper, retuned Active Body Control, larger brakes, and a limited slip-diff will be useful. I think. It'll cost $14,070. And you will sound so cool when your friend says, "So you picked up an SL55 AMG, huh?" And you reply, "Yeah, I really thought the P30 Performance Package would be a nice addition. The electronic trunk closer, too."

2- Tire Valve Stem Caps: "...these chrome plated ABS valve stem caps dress-up any wheel. Each a set of four. Available in black, silver or AMG." Yes, AMG is a colour. It means the AMG logo on a silver background, don't you know? For $15.00, it's safe to say these valve stem caps are a steal. You'll want them for your ML63 AMG.

1- Illuminated Door Sills: Considering the fact that you just decided to buy Mercedes least expensive sedan, the C300, you better dress it up. "Light up your C-Class in eye catching style every time you open the front doors with these luminous blue-colored "Mercedes-Benz" stainless steel door sills. Available in a set of 2 for the front." They'll charge you $670.00, but you do get the set of two. Quite generous.

EVO X PRICE JUMP

'Round about the middle of November, there was a collective sigh of disappointment when Subaru's next-gen STi met a $1,500 price jump, rising to about $35K.

I guess that leads us to a collective groan when the price of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X jumps $5,321. The good news for Evo fans? Their rally-rocket is still cheaper than the STi. The bad news? The Evo X MR is an extra $5,000, although it'll save you 1mpg in city driving.

Read more about the new Evo X's performance here, or check out the Subaru pricing post here. By the way, there are reports saying that Mitsubishi hopes to be able to lower those prices by about $1,000.

MALIBU PROFITS

Chevrolet's previous-generation Malibu sold for $17,215 in 2007. That was a base four-cylinder model before incentives. Chevrolet's brand-new Malibu bases $5 below $20K. Bob Lutz says the new model will generate $5,000 more profit per car than the old Malibu.

What does that say about the old model? If a new car, priced $2,000 and a bit more than the old car, can generate $5,000 more in profit, what was the old car generating?

Old Malibu? Ugly, slow, decontented, ugly, and heavily incentivized. And ugly. Malibu's mum couldn't love that face.


New Malibu? Handsome, bold, quicker, pricier, heavily marketed, even award winning. And, yes... handsome. Sounds like the new Chevy Malibu might just earn General Motors an extra $5,000 for every car sold. Shocker.

Links:
Cars.com page for '07 Malibu
Chevrolet.com/Malibu
GCBC's Malibu search

CHALLENGER SRT8 PRICED

Dodge has announced the price for the first edition (limited though it will be) of its good-looking Challenger muscle-car. $37,995 puts the very powerful 6.1L Dodge Challenger SRT8 significantly higher than a Ford Mustang GT but significantly lower than a base Chevrolet Corvette.

These $37,995 cars won't be on driveways near you until spring '08. By the way, Dodge lists $40,095 on its website, a fair chunk of change different from the press-released numbers. Expect horsepower figures for the SRT8 version to be no lower than 425 and torque of at least 420 lb-ft. Those are the numbers for the equivalently-engined Dodge Charger SRT8.

GT-R - UK v Japan

With Nissan GT-R prices in Japan starting at the equivalent of about £34,000, Brits are wondering why on earth they'd buy an officially imported example from Nissan. The GT-R will likely cost over £60K in old Blighty, and after importing costs, a Japanese example wouldn't cost you much more than £45,000 or so.

Care for more Nissan GT-R articles?

What does Nissan UK have to say? Well, not only must Britons wait till 2009 for their first GT-R's to arrive; not only will they pay through the nose for the AWD, turbocharged V6 911-competitor, not only will they have but 300 to divide amongst themselves each year, but they must also wait for its high-dollar arrival because of the grey-import's poor radio reception.

Aha. We all knew that each and every buyer of Nissan's ultimate halo car was purchasing for one reason and one reason only: terrific AM/FM stability. Losing out on such a necessary feature (in a car that reaches 60mph in 3.5seconds and tops out on the exciting side of 190mph thanks to 473 horsepower) would be an incalculable loss.

135i IS HIGH-END LUXURY?

AutoBlog is reporting from the LA Auto Show that BMW's new-to-North America small car, the 1-series, could be optioned up until priced like a 535i sedan.

Reports from eGMcartech via AutoBlog suggest that the 135i coupe, the upper-tier engine which is very zippy indeed, will start at $35,675. Yowza. Check the boxes marked auto trans, paddle shifters, premium package, navigation, heated seats, hi-fi stereo, park distance control (in a car this small?), iPod adapter and.....more.... and you eventually arrive at $52,000.

That's not official, but it is $14,000 more than the starting price in BMW's iconic sports sedan, the 3-series. With the same engine.

STRICTLY NUMERICAL - The Facts From A Potential GM Bailout

That sound you hear throughout the day and into the night comes to your ears all the way from Detroit, Michigan. It's the sound of $46,296 per minute being flushed through General Motors' toilets. Time.com published some of their theories regarding the wants/needs of and for a GM bailout. The Numbers you see below come from that article.

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16,000,000 - total U.S. auto sales in 2007

13,500,000 - expected total U.S. auto sales in 2008

2,000,000,000 - total cash spending, in USD, by General Motors every month

16,000,000,000 - .... and dwindling; total cash, in USD, held by General Motors

5,000,000,000 - USD saved by "throwing all manner of stuff overboard" such as retiree health benefits, workers, assets, and soon-coming designs

2,500,000,000 - total USD third-quarter loss for General Motors in 2008

10,000,000,000 - total USD needed by General Motors from the federal government to pay its bills in 2009

15,000,000,000 - total USD needed by General Motors from the federal government to close plants

54 - total plants in jeopardy (owned by GM, Ford, and Chrysler) in North America if bailout money isn't secured, thus jeopardizing another 4,000 Tier 1 supplier plants that also supply some large Japanese manufacturers you may have heard about

240,000 - total direct employees of the Detroit Three last year

974,000 - total employees of the Detroit Three's partsmakers and suppliers

1,700,000 - total (other) automotive-related workers who have jobs because of the 974,000 mentioned above; who have jobs because of the 240,000 above them

10 - likely unemployment figures, in percent, in the United States were the Detroit Three to come to a halt

12,000,000,000 - total cost, in USD, that Deutsche Bank figures General Motors would have to spend in order to compensate dealers who lose their stores and to chop labour costs and shutter plants

6,000,000,000 - total USD saved in operating costs were GM to spend $12,000,000,000 on getting rid of stuff

EARLY NOVEMBER ROUNDUP

Much has happened in the automotive world over the last nine days. That which GoodCarBadCar hasn't reported on but now deems necessary to is available to you now, with 1/3rd of November 2007 behind us.

McLaren the victim? The FIA has called Renault to the witness stand, suggesting that, Renault had "possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, including details of the McLaren [fueling] system, gear assembly, oil-cooling system, hydraulic control system and a novel suspension component used by the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars." In other words, FIA thinks Renault spied on McLaren. McLaren-Mercedes was fined $100,000,000 for spying on Ferrari.

Could the same conglomeration soon be building the Indigo (above)
and a vehicle for the Queen, the Range Rover?

ACR, three letters used by Dodge over the last decade or more to describe a ridiculously vicious specimen of Viper. The latest edition will have distinct appeal to the core Viper buyership. To be honest, it looks a tad awful. (Can awful be just a tad?)

Skoda was seen testing the next Superb in Death Valley, California. Don't expect Skoda's to come on sale in your local North American VW dealership anytime soon. You're welcome to buy more expensive versions of the Czech vehicles. We see them as Rabbit's, Jetta's, and Passat's.

"We have decided not to sell it," said who? Alan Mulally. What's he talking about? Volvo. Phew... that's good news.

Gilbarco Veeder-Root and Google team up. Google wants you to search for directions to your next destination as your pumping gas, so collaborating with Gilbarco, a fuel pump manufacturer, seems a good plan. Men - and women - who insisted on staying silent in front of the gas attendant when lost will soon be able to do so, at 3500 pumps across the USA, and still be able to figure out a route. If they can read a map. On a screen. While filling up with regular, midgrade, or premium.

Indian automaker Tata, which is attempting to build a sub-$3,000 car before long, could well pay Ford Motor Company $2billion for a combined deal of Jaguar and Land Rover. Ford paid $1.9billion for Land Rover early in the millenium and spent $2.5billion on Jaguar 11 years prior.

Toyota made $4billion in the last quarter. GM lost $39billion in that third quarter. The numbers are slightly misleading. Root through the mess at Edmunds.com. It's so ironic that Chrysler's owners also own 51% of GMAC, General Motors' own financial arm.

PERSONAL IMPORTS

Canadians need just 94 cents to buy an American dollar today. But if those same Canadians wish to buy an American car (or German, Swedish, Japanese etc.) they'll be forced to view the pricing schemes of the two nations as if the currency exchanged was flip-flopped.

GoodCarBadCar has reported on Volvo's efforts to "make it up" to Canada as well as the absentmindedness of many members of the media. The Canadian economy is in fair condition and the American dollar is tumbling in comparison with many foreign currencies. Canadians are up close and personal with the problem, however. A simple cross-border trip would solve the problem, no?


No. Every vehicle Canada Customs sees imported is subject to a 6.2% surcharge. Whether its General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Toyota, Honda, BMW, or John Doe, the charge is applied. When Canadians see the car they want at a significantly lower price in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, or Washington, it becomes easy to forget the 6.2% they'll be forced to fork over at the border. In addition to the travel costs and paperwork.


I don't need my brother-the-accountant to explain that more expensive vehicles make a cross-border trip more lucrative. An American Porsche 911 Turbo + 6.2% is still some $23K less than the full Canadian price. And in the currency difference for a Canadian holding a Canadian bank account and the 911 Turbo bought today in northwest Washington is even prettier. The high value CDN dollar creates an extra $7K+.

For those of us buying less expensive vehicles, the currency difference isn't nearly so useful. A basic American Honda Fit (switched to CDN $) would cost about $13,106 today. Add your surcharge and you're looking at $13,918. Canadian Honda dealers sell a base Fit for $1,062 more. Depending on your travel costs and the time you spend finding an US dealer who will sell to you (many are being instructed not to buy the manufacturers, despite dealer's "independent" status), you may or may not save money.

There's also the issue of standard daytime-runner headlamps and a standard antitheft immobilizer on new vehicles imported to Canada.

In spite of all this, Canadians drove 25,000 vehicles home from the United States in October of 2007. That figure was up 68% from September. Of 2007. One month makes a big difference during an era in which the dollar is skyrocketing.

One more comparison, if you will: BMW, just like any manufacturer, equips their vehicles a little different depending on the market in which the vehicle is being sold. Nevertheless, a BMW 335i is a BMW 335i is a BMW 335i, if you get the drift. BMW UK sells the 335i 'saloon' for £31,550. BMW Canada will sell you a 335i sedan for $49,900. BMW USA? $38,900. Here are the numbers broken down.

The United States price converts to $36,637 CDN and £18,614.
The Canadian price converts to £25,355 and $59,992 USD.
The British price converts to $65,932 USD and $62,110 CDN.

Now you're enlightened. Canada - be careful how loud you complain.... the Brits might hear you.

HOW WOULD GM/FORD/CHRYSLER DESTRUCTION AFFECT YOU?

Facebook revealed an interesting memorandum to The Good Car Guy this afternoon. Written by David Cole, Sean McAlinden, Kristin Dziczek, and Debra Maranger Menk, "The Impact on the U.S. Economy of a Major Contraction of the Detroit Three Automakers" is educating and deep, to say the least. The Centre for Automotive Research's piece will surely come under deeper scrutiny than that afforded by a Canadian freelance/blogger/car expert, but that's not to say you shouldn't read it for yourself. So head to CarGroup.org or follow this link. 

"The motor vehicle and parts industries employed 732,800 workers directly as of September, 2008, and the Detroit Three employed 239,341 hourly and salary workers in the United States at the end of 2007. The international producers employed roughly 113,000 people in the United States at that time. The auto industry has one of the largest economic multipliers of any sector of the U.S. economy, and is sufficiently large that its growth or contraction can be detected in changes in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. In many states employment in automotive and automotive parts manufacturing ranks among the top three manufacturing industries."

How's that for starters?

MCLAREN F1 SELLS IN LONDON FOR RECORD HIGH PRICE

Over a decade ago, the silver McLaren F1 you see here left the factory and became part of a fraternity of what many still call the greatest supercar ever. Slightly slower than a Bugatti Veyron, outlived by upper-echelon Porsche 911s, and out-produced by most every other supercar, the McLaren still engenders unique sentiment among all enthusiasts.

Check out other results from the October 29 auction at RMAuctions.com 

and read more about McLaren here

Though 1997 may mean nothing to you, it clearly combined with the McLaren F1 to mean something to some very wealthy individual at the RM Auctions/Sotheby's London event. That certain someone paid more than double what was expected for the McLaren at £2,530,000. Converted to USD (a practice not recommended for new cars if you're looking for exact MSRPs), that sterling price would be $4,008,174.91 as of the moment of writing or €3,155,447.13 or $4,775,649.88 CAD. 

That's expensive. To put in perspective, were Lewis Hamilton to repeat as world champion in the 2009 Formula 1 season, McLaren has promised him the keys to an especially rare McLaren F1 LM. I gotta say, it seems easier to come up with $4,008,174.91 than it does to win two F1 championships. But apparently it's not too dissimilar. The F1 sold at this auction was pretty much a £1,000,000 when new and has never been sold before. 

DEALS, DEALS, & MORE DEALS

Edmunds.com supplied BusinessWeek.com/Autos with a list of the most discounted vehicles available in the USA. Of almost two dozen vehicles, only two were actual 'cars'. Another would be aptly titled a minivan, another is minivan-based and yet another was designed to be a car-like minivan alternative. The rest?

Trucks or truck-based sport-utility vehicles, that's what they are. Four members of this unenviable list are General Motors trucks, all part of a previous generation of GM's family, and in reality are just two trucks with two badges. (2+2 = 4, yeah?) The minivan member of this list has also been replaced.

Only three of the vehicles wear the badges of foreign companies. Behind the badges, one is a Dodge truck, another a Chevrolet Colorado, and yet another a Chevrolet TrailBlazer. The two cars are, in actuality, just upgraded versions of Ford's Crown Victoria. A large percentage of the list are, will soon be, or should be, discontinued.

Here's Edmunds.com and BusinessWeek.com's Most Discounted Cars in America. Over the span of your financing period, these vehicles would save between 21 and 29% of the list MSRP.

Mitsubishi Raider, Jeep Commander, Dodge Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500 Classic, Isuzu Ascender, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Lincoln Town Car, Dodge Durango, Dodge Dakota, Chrysler Aspen, Mercury Grand Marquis, Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500HD Classic, Chrysler Pacifica, Saab 9-7X, Dodge Grand Caravan, Buick Rendezvous, Isuzu i-Series, and Chevrolet TrailBlazer.

VOLVO'S BIG INCENTIVES

Leasing, financing, and paying cash? Volvo Canada wants to give you a deal. Today's Canadian dollar is worth about $1.07 USD, and says Volvo Cars of Canada CEO Steve Blyth, "We realize Canadians are looking to the US market and comparing prices of vehicles with the same nameplate."

And that's a problem for every Canadian consumer right now. Volvo's most inexpensive vehicle is almost $5,000 cheaper in the States. Blyth wants to remind Canadians however, that "they also notice that Canadian Volvo vehicles have a longer list of standard equipment, a more comprehensive warranty offer and a retailer network equipped with parts to service built-for-Canada vehicles."

Not that's he's blind to the problem. Volvo Canada is offering some huge discounts. "... We recognize that the price is perhaps the most important factor in a purchase decision," the CEO says. "Our plan is that this new rebate program will help customers avoid considering the added cost, hassle, time, and intricacies of importing a vehicle from south of the border." Canadians importing an American-sold vehicle must pay 6.2% extra as an import duty. That importing cost is built into the cost of Canadian-sold Volvo's as well as all cars from other models not built in Canada. (Volvo's were at one time built in beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia.)

Don't get too hyped up on the $5,000 figure you'll see, Canada. You won't be saving more than $2,000 on a 2008 C30, and that involves combining the rebate and $500 worth of Loyalty Bonus if you already own a Volvo.

The best deals can be had on remaining 2007 models. That same C30, as marked '07, has a rebate of $2,000 and a potential Loyalty Bonus of $1,000. Also, for your knowledge, base MSRP differentials from the US market to Canadian market are as follows: $16,290 for the S80, $14,785 on the XC90, XC70 at $9,720, $6,180 for V50's, S40's at $7,130, and $17,555 for the C70 seen below, all prices rising for the Canadian market. Although direct exchange rates apply to the importing of... basically nothing, directly applying today's exchange rate would make the $39,240 American C70 just $36,728 in Canada, rather than $56,795. Have a look at the full roster of Volvo Canada deals below.



2007

S80 Rebate - $5,000
S80 Loyalty Bonus - $2,500

C70 Rebate - $5,000
C70 Loyalty Bonus - $1,000

C30 Rebate - $2,000
C30 Loyalty Bonus - $1,000

2008

S80 Rebate - $2,000
S80 Loyalty Bonus - $2,500

XC90 Rebate - $4,000
XC90 Loyalty Bonus - $2,000

S60 Rebate - $3,000
S60 Loyalty Bonus - $1,000

V50 Rebate - $2,500
V50 Loyalty Bonus - $750

S40 Rebate - $2,500
S40 Loyalty Bonus - $750

C30 Rebate - $1,500
C30 Loyalty Bonus - $500

CHRYSLER CUTBACKS

Over the last few hours you've likely heard about four Chrysler models meeting the axe. Unfortunately, the same announcement held even worse news: 12,000 people lose their jobs. Personal situations of unemployment tend to put things in perspective.

As for the cars, the head honchos at Chrysler LLC want you to kinda believe that things will return to normality when the Dodge Challenger, Chrysler Aspen & Dodge Durango hybrids, and Dodge Journey come on line. (The Challenger should make me happy, but it worries most of us: where do I find the money?) GoodCarBadCar informs you of the departing vehicles and gives you reason to care about their absence and reason to ignore the fact that they've been axed.

Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible: You care because, after all, it was an inexpensive way to find yourself in a droptop. You don't care because the high-impact PT styling had long since lost its impact.

Chrysler Crossfire: You care because..... Sorry, can't think of any reason to care. You don't care because the car was just microwaved Mercedes leftovers, anyway.

Chrysler Pacifica: You care because Chrysler helped urge forward a trend. You don't care because the vehicle was simply marketing and ideologically driven, but not properly executed on the engineering and design front.

Dodge Magnum: You care because it was the mean-lookin', hard-talkin', Hemi V8 station wagon, man. You don't care because it looked like a hearse.

JAPAN TRIO vs GERMAN TRIO: Altima, Camry, Accord battle A4, 3-Series, C-Class

For Canadian consumers seeking luxury and speed in one roomy package, the ability to hit up mainstream Japanese manufacturer dealerships doesn't necessarily strike you as obvious. Isn't this German territory, or at least a place where premium Japanese brands contend?

The Honda Accord, a Good 12 winner, Toyota Camry, and Nissan Altima can likely offer you more features than you know what to do with. Moreoever, their high horsepower levels (Accord 271; Camry 268; Altima 270) produce quite a spark underfoot when pressed, preferrably without two booster seats in the rear and a trunk full of groceries. Is the Japanese trio a partnership of sport sedans? Not at all, but that's not to say they won't shock you with their dynamic capability.

From Germany come lesser-powered alternatives with less space for your people and smaller cargo areas for your stuff. But sport sedans? Oh yes. The 230-bhp BMW 328i with a six-speed manual will light your fire on the backroad commute. Audi's recently renewed A4, in turbocharged form with 211 horsepower, is a better steed than ever before, and the Mercedes-Benz C300 with 228-bhp is a new dynamic force. In fact, BMW and Mercedes-Benz could provide you with 200 and 201 horsepower, respectively, and save you plenty of money in the process. But saving money in this climate? Who needs it? The Japanese trio below is loaded to the gunnels with equipment and flies high into a price spectrum you won't believe.

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Nissan ALtima 3.5SE: $39,938 or (est.) $44,520 with tax

BMW 328i: $39,900 or (est.) $45,087 with tax

Audi A4 2.0 TFSI: $41,200 or (est.) $46,556 with tax

Mercedes-Benz C300: $41,200 or (est.) $46,556 with tax

Toyota Camry XLE V6: $42,629 or $49,849 with tax

Honda Accord: $47,368 or $55,265 with tax

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Imagine heading to the Audi, M-B, or BMW dealership to save money when Honda and Toyota wanted to charge too much. Let's be honest, though. For the Germans to meet the equipment makeup of the three Japanese sedans, their MSRPs would skyrocket. The Accord, with every possible accessory, a back-up camera and the best wheels possible, would drive by looking like.... an Accord. Meanwhile, its occupants would be basking in amazing luxury. Meanwhile, the 3-Series on its tiny (and ugly) 16" wheels looks impoverished and awkward, but does have a blue and white propeller. 

Oh, and if you want to actually enjoy driving the car rather than being driven in the car, you know only the Germans will do the trick.

INSANE FUEL ECONOMY - by smart

Perhaps the timing is ripening for a GCBC Lowdown on the smart fortwo. Perhaps this post would be aptly named a rundown - a simple mathematical view of the new smart fortwo. Canada sees a somewhat different fortwo than that which is available to the Americans.


Canada fills their Mercedes-Benz designed smart fortwo's with diesel; Americans use gasoline. Canada will be seeing the second generation of smart's, and so will the USA. But this is the first smart to clear American customs.

Canadian smart buyers see an entry price $3,400 higher and $4,660 higher on passion cabriolets. Horsepower numbers are significantly different. There's one major reason for the disparity. The core design of the Canadian smart enables it to run on diesel and is also 0.2L smaller than the gas-powered three-cylinder in the American-market smart fortwo. Although power and torque are up in the new 800cc turbodiesel engine, the gas engine is still 26 horses stronger.

Fuel efficiency, however, is the smart's calling card. Maneuverability and safety may be major selling points, but a potential 71mpg (3.3L/100km) in the smart fortwo cdi is... just ... plain... incredible. smart USA believes their fortwo will average 40mpg under "normal driving conditions and current standards". The previous, less-efficient diesel smart fortwo produced Canadian government ratings that equated to 51 US mpg in the city. Even considering that smaller differential in the fuel mileage of the two cars, the diesel smart travels an extra 87 miles (139km) on each tank.

Put it this way: Today in New York City, filling your gas-fired smart fortwo would cost $24.79 USD. Filling a diesel smart in NYC would cost $28.63. The driver of the regular gas smart fortwo could buy himself another gallon of fuel with the savings, and that gallon would make up 40 of the 70 mpg advantage the diesel smart normally holds. (In my neck of the woods diesel/gas are equivalently priced.)

An American smart fortwo wouldn't even drink a whole tank of fuel if you drive from Detroit to Indianapolis. Had you been driving the diesel smart, you would have continued through Indy and all the way to Nashville, at which point you're likely able to roll into a Shell station with a whiff of fumes remaining.

More smart fortwo math? You can cram an extra 60 litres of junk in the back of a smart fortwo that you wouldn't have found space for in the first fortwo. It's 12 total cubic feet is equal to that of a Honda Civic sedan.

FORD'S PERSONNEL COUP - AND OTHER NEWS

The former Scion chief, Lexus boss, and Toyota marketing guru for North America, Jim Farley has been swept off his feet by Alan Mulally at the Ford Motor Company. Any old Scion boys - any old Toyota or Lexus boys, too - surely know how to market a car. We also know they're used to marketing good cars, so we'll see how the 17-year Toyota vet cuts it at Ford. Toyota North America's Jim Press left for Chrysler a while ago, and Deborah Wahl-Meyer left Lexus marketing to take care of those duties at Chrysler, as well....

Jaguar will slightly re-do of the X-Type, but they know North Americans don't care. So they won't bother importing it here in 2009....

Renderings of Audi's M-B CLS fighter have been circling. The A7 quite clearly plays to the age-old theme of longer, lower, wider....

You've been wondering what a Pontiac G8 would look like if it were built as a wagon... I just know you've been curious. Well you should be. And you should also be desirous. For a hint, check out this Holden VE Sportwagon. Remember, the G8 was designed from the get-go as the Holden Commodore, Buick Park Avenue (China), and Chevrolet Caprice (Middle East), and for different places come different needs. Australians want a wagon, and they get a good one....

Expect the Fiat 500 to win the Car of the Year competition. Peugeot's 308, the Ford Mondeo, Kia Cee'd, Mazda 2, Mercedes-Benz C-class, and Nissan Qashqai are also competing. The 500 is a genuinely good car, oh-not-boring-at-all, despite the fact that it's a pure retro remake. The Pug and Kia compete in the small family hatch segment, the terrific Mondeo is a class above. Mazda's entry has been lauded for losing weight - not that it was obese. But weight loss truly is the most efficient way to, well... gain efficiency. The Qashqai is seen in North America as the Rogue, basically. We all know the C-class as Benz's entry level sedan.....




The Ford Five Hundred was a dull, big, boring, dowdy sedan. It was weak under the hood and suffered from poor transmission choices. Ford changed its name to Taurus, a name North Americans are familiar with. The Taurus was a star for Ford 20 years ago, but eventually became the default rental car choice. Ford also happened to upgrade the engine and create a much better vehicle. GoodCarBadCar gave its take on the name-game-and-blame a while ago, but here's some sales info: Sept/06 was not a good month, but the Five Hundred did sell 6,054 units. There were just 3,562 Taurus' sold last month. That's also down from the month before; August saw 4,482 unsuspecting buyers bite. (Poor folks, the car is decent, but it's just so boring.) Ford watched sales in July of 2005 hit 13,555.

GET BACK TO WORK, CHRYSLER UAWorkers

Their strike was so short that some of the 45,000 workers won't miss a shift, providing they answer their phone; check their email; or watch the news. United Auto Workers walked off the job at Chrysler facilities this morning, but by tomorrow morning production should be running normally. GoodCarBadCar was on top of the story as it happened.

If you're unfamiliar with the UAW - check out their website. Completely unaware of this current news story? Follow this GCBC link. This strike affected 18 plants plus a good 30 other facilities in fourteen states, although the American operations downturn would have caused headaches (and an eventual work stoppage) in Canada, as well.

Curiously, some Chrysler build lines weren't working for parts of this week anyway. When nobody wants to buy your products, there ain't much point in building extra, is there? Chrysler is now an independent company, having been divorced from Daimler-Benz in the summer.

THEY'RE WALKING AS WE SPEAK, er..... type

Check it out for yourself, I'm not in Detroit this time around to watch the strike begin and end. Nevertheless, Chrysler LLC workers - those who are members of the United Auto Workers - are walking off the job right now.

Two dozen plants. 45,000 workers.

Just within a the past half hour, CNN was reporting that Chrysler and the UAW were really working to get a deal together. Workers were told by their union reps that by 11:00am EST they were to be seen exiting the plants if they hadn't heard any news on a new deal.

Walking, they are. A mass exodus. Just a couple weeks ago, The Good Car Guy arrived in Detroit for a GM event at the Milford Proving Grounds the same day General Motors' United Auto Workers left the job. Two days later, those UAW folks were heading back to the job just as The Good Car Guy left Detroit to return to the GoodCarBadCar towers. Workers have been interviewed suggesting they were anticipating time off work and have been saving for up to six months.

Let's hope that workers are taken care of and protected. Let's also hope that the UAW would understand that their success is tied to Chrysler's success. Sucking huge dollars from Chrysler will not enable Chrysler to further develop their automobile business. If Chrysler's automobile business fails to meet with more success, these United Auto Workers will be eating Kraft Dinner.

HYUNDAI GENESIS SHOWS THE BMW 5-SERIES, BENZ E-CLASS, LEXUS GS, AND INFINITI M AS "OUT OF REACH"

Let's be clear right from the start. In America, the Hyundai Genesis has a starting price of $32,250. A V8 Genesis with no options is $37,250. 

The V6 version of the Infiniti M, the M35 starts at $43,900. For a V8-engined M45, you'll need $50,250. 

For a V6 E-Class Benz, Mercedes wants $52,775. Stepping up to the V8 E550 will require $61,275.

BMW's 5-Series starts with the 528i, a $44,600 car. Add two turbos and you're looking at $49,800. Add two cylinders and strip away the turbos, and the 550i is $58,800.

Meanwhile Lexus, a brand that was once perceived to bean upstart Asian automaker that couldn't succeed in the worldwide luxury car market and sold more for less as a result, now sells the GS350 for $44,550 and the GS460 for $53,020.

So when Hyundai asks if all the Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, and Infiniti is all that impressive if they remain "just out of reach", the Koreans have a point. Visit their websites (all hyperlinked) for an in-depth look at what's on offer from all five manufacturers and watch the Hyundai clip below to see their point of view. Beware, ads don't get much dorkier. For search results of Genesis on GoodCarBadCar.net, click here.