It looks increasingly likely that
It looks increasingly likely that +Chevrolet will show off a concept for a 200-mile EV alongside the #NextGenVolt tomorrow
My friend John explains why it would be a bad idea to call it the Bolt?
Monthly Archives: January 2015
#NAIAS2015 – Ford Performance Comes out Huge!
While Chevrolet went all in on plug-ins today at the North American International Show, Ford went to the opposite extreme, rolling out a take no prisoners lineup under its Ford Performance banner. Ford CEO Mark Fields reminded the audience that Ford innovation began with racing, referring Henry Ford’s famous 999 race car of 1901. The winnings earned by that car were used to fund the launch of Ford Motor Company.
Ford CTO Raj Nair announced the new Ford Performance division at an event in Dearborn last month where he also announced that former Mustang chief engineer Dave Pericak would become the global director of the group. Under Pericak Ford Performance will bring together the engineering and design groups from North America’s SVT, Europe’s Team RS and Ford Racing. Nair had also announced that a new Focus RS was coming and it would be available in America, but that car was not shown in Detroit.
The most extreme factory Mustang yet
After unveiling the all-new Shelby GT350 Mustang just before the LA Auto Show in December, the crew from Ford Performance/SVT has come back with an even faster version here on home turf. Like the Laguna Seca edition of the 2012-13 Boss 302, the GT350R turns up the performance wick to 11 by shaving weight and adding more go fast parts for the true track-day addict. By dispensing with non-performance enhancing trivialities like a back seat, air conditioning and audio system, Ford has reduced the workload on the new 5.2-liter flat-plane crank V8.
The Voodoo V8 engine remains unchanged in the GT350R with somewhere north of 500 normally aspirated horsepower and a six-speed manual gearbox. Further weight reductions come courtesy of available carbon ceramic brakes and the first ever use of carbon fiber wheels as standard equipment on a road-going vehicle. The 19-inch composite wheels are wrapped in 10-millimeter wider 305/30 front and 315/30 rear tires. All together, the GT350R has a more than 130-pound weight advantage over the baseline GT350.
The next-generation factory off-road race truck
Ford hit a surprising home run with the first generation SVT Raptor several years ago by creating a truly credible off-road racer style truck. The performance team has now applied the lessons from that effort to the new lighter aluminum-bodied 2015 F-150 for a second-generation Raptor. While the original launched with the 5.0-liter V8 and later upgraded to the larger 6.2-liter V8, like its more mainstream siblings, the new Raptor comes out of the gate with turbocharged EcoBoost power.
The 3.5-liter twin-turbo, direct-injected V6 that has powered 40 percent of F-150s in the last several years has been given some upgrades for its new role. Although Ford didn’t give specifics yet, they did say it would produce more than the 411-hp and 434 lb.-ft. of the outgoing V8. The Raptor engine will also be backed up by one of the first applications of Ford’s new 10-speed automatic transmission.
50 Years after its first victory at Le Mens, the GT is back
We’ve all heard the story about how the GT40 came to be. Henry Ford II wanted to beat Enzo Ferrari after failing to buy the Italian sports car brand. After two years of trying, the Ford GT40s earned the first of four consecutive victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. As the 50th anniversary of that first victory approaches, Ford has revealed a concept for the all-new GT that will go into production in 2016.
The last GT used an all-aluminum chassis but this time it will be equipped with the latest and greatest material technology with a carbon fiber tub and body panels. Rather than a thundering V8 engine, the GT will emulate the new Raptor with turbocharged V6 power. A next-generation twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 based on the unite that was so successful in the 2014 Tudor United Sports Car Championship is the starting point. The production engine will send more than 600 horsepower through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to the rear wheels.
The new GT eschews the retro look of the last edition in favor of a more modern design that retains a few cues for familiarity, most notably the two large triangular vents in the front cover. I can’t wait to try this one out!
#NAIAS2015 – 2016 Buick Cascada – Thankfully Not a Riviera
Ever since Opel launched the compact Cascada convertible in Europe two years ago, the question has been when, not if it would join the Buick lineup here in North America. The Cascada is the first open-top Buick since the demise of the Reatta more than two decades ago.
Buick already builds and sells a re-badged Opel Astra as the compact Verano sedan and the Cascada is built on the same underpinnings so this addition was a natural. Despite sharing mechanical bits with its closed top sibling, all of the bodywork is unique to the Cascada including the resculpted flanks. Thankfully, Opel opted to go with a folding soft-top rather than a mechanically complex hardtop. The result is a much more attractive and better proportioned car with the top up or down than the now discontinued VW Eos and Chrysler 200. The top can even raised or lowered at speeds up to 31 mph.
Ever since GM’s 2009 bankruptcy, Buick and Opel have been gradually converging, much like Saturn had tried to do with the European brand a decade ago. Previously however, Opels like the Insignia, Astra swapped their grilles for the traditional Buick waterfall when they made the trip across the Atlantic. This time, the Cascada keeps both its name and horizontal bar grille, replacing only the Opel lightning bolt with the Buick tri-shield emblem.
The Buick convertible also retains the 200-horsepower turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder from the Opel driving the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transaxle. Like the more powerful versions of the larger Regal and LaCrosse, the Cascada uses a HiPer strut front suspension that separates forces to help improve steering feel and minimize torque steer.
Unfortunately, the Buick Cascada doesn’t go on sale until early 2016.
It looks increasingly likely that +Chevrolet will show off a concept for a 200-mile… 5
It looks increasingly likely that +Chevrolet will show off a concept for a 200-mile EV alongside the #NextGenVolt tomorrow
My friend John explains why it would be a bad idea to call it the Bolt?
Why ‘Bolt’ Is A Really Terrible Name For Chevy’s Electric Car
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The WSJ is reporting that GM will show a new 200-mile EV on Monday along with the 2016 Volt
The WSJ is reporting that GM will show a new 200-mile EV on Monday along with the 2016 Volt
Here's my thoughts on why I think it would be foolish for +General Motors to unveil the +Chevrolet Bolt alongside the second-generation Volt ?
The WSJ is reporting that GM will show a new 200-mile EV on Monday along with the…
The WSJ is reporting that GM will show a new 200-mile EV on Monday along with the 2016 Volt
Here's my thoughts on why I think it would be foolish for +General Motors to unveil the +Chevrolet Bolt alongside the second-generation Volt ?
General Motors Would be Crazy to Show New EV Next to Volt | Sam’s Thoughts
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General Motors Would be Crazy to Show New EV Next to Volt
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Chevrolet will reveal a new electric car concept with a 200-mile range on Monday morning at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. We already know for a fact that Chevrolet will show the all-new second-generation Volt at the show (check back here after 12:01am EST on Monday, January 12 for my thoughts on this car) but I personally believe that showing the new concept would be insane.
It has previously been reported that Chevrolet has registered a trademark for the name Bolt, and GM executive vice-president for global product development Mark Reuss has acknowledged that the company planning a new EV with a 200-mile range for the 2017 time frame. We’ll just stipulate Chevrolet will in fact build a 200-mile EV called the Bolt at some time in the next two to three years.
My problem is with the idea that Chevrolet would show this car alongside the new Volt. GM designers and engineers have spent the past four years and at least hundreds of millions of dollars developing a second-generation Volt. No doubt, a big part of that effort went to reducing the manufacturing and part costs in the hope of at least breaking even if not making a profit on Volt. GM will want to sell as many gen-2 Volts as possible both to recover that investment and also to boost the company’s corporate average fuel economy numbers.
We have no idea how much the new Volt will cost, but I’m guessing it’s not going to drop much below $30,000 if it drops at all. Based on the photos of camouflaged prototypes released by GM, the new car doesn’t look like it’s going by much larger or roomier than the original.
According to the WSJ report, GM is targeting a starting price of just $30,000 for the Bolt. The Bolt is also expected to be larger than the Volt. Looking at this purely from a marketing perspective, why would you show a battery electric car with perhaps three to four times as much range, more space and a potentially lower price that won’t be available for two more years next to a car that you need to sell right now?
I can certainly understand wanting to get Bolt out ahead of Tesla and their Model 3. However, given Tesla’s track record for delivering products on time (reminder, they have never delivered anything on time), GM will probably be first to market. However, there is absolutely no reason to show the car now. I would wait until at least the LA Auto Show in November after people have driven the new Volt or perhaps the 2016 Detroit Show. What customer would even consider a Volt if they new the Bolt was coming?
Whoever might have thought showing a Bolt concept now should perhaps be relegated to the same dark corner as the marketer that came up with the infamous Volt dance at the 2009 LA Auto Show.
A very cool story about one of the best race cars of the 1990s
A very cool story about one of the best race cars of the 1990s
Before Ross Brawn became a legend creating championship winning F1 cars for Michael Schumacher, he worked for Tom Walkinshaw where he led the development of the Jaguar XJR-14/Mazda MXR-01/TWR-Porsche WSC95.?
The car above is Mazda’s last prototype to race at Le Mans. Only it wasn’t just a Mazda. It was a Jaguar. Only it wasn’t a Jaguar, it was a TWR. Only it wasn’t a TWR, it was a Porsche. This is the strange story of the orphan prototype that won Le Mans twice in a row and nobody seems to remember it existed.
Yes it’s almost time for the Detroit Auto Show so we need to properly welcome the global media
Yes it's almost time for the Detroit Auto Show so we need to properly welcome the global media ?
Yes it's almost time for the Detroit Auto Show so we need to properly welcome… 1
Yes it's almost time for the Detroit Auto Show so we need to properly welcome the global media ?
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