Author: yoann besnard

Martin Winterkorn plans to stay CEO until 2018

In a recent interview Volkswagen group CEO Martin Winterkorn said that he planned to stay until the 2018 goal has been reached. In other words, he will leave his position only if Volkswagen catches up with Toyota or if the board fires him. He also said that he wants VW in 2010 to be where Toyota is today. It means that the group will have to sell 3.3 million more cars by 2010. Quite a challenge for the group!
In order to achieve such an impressive target, Martin Winterkorn says the company will focus on improving its productivity by 10%. He revealed that each Toyota vehicle has a cost advantage of €3,000/2,155-4,000€/£2,875 over Volkswagen. Martin Winterkorn forgets to mention that the minimum wage -700€/£503 is lower in Japan than in Germany. it is also rumoured that Toyota employs Chinese and Korean workers who don’t require the Japanese company to provide health insurance. Beyond the Toyota production system, the Japanse social system might also help Toyota to build car at a lesser cost.
Vokswagen CEO also said that German design and perfectionism will make the difference in overcoming Toyota. It is true that Toyota fails mainly on the design side as almost all Toyota cars features a dull styling, but Volkswagen models are not better, except for Audi.
Volkswagen also plans to unveil more than 20 new models over the next three years and will invest £20 billion between 2008 and 2010 in product development and manufacturing.
December 11, 2007
Ferrari rules out the SUV rumour

In a recent interview, Ferrari general manager Amedeo Felisa has ruled out the rumours of Ferrari planning to build a SUV. He also denied once again the rumours of the future Dino.
Porsche Cayenne’s success keeps maintaining the rumours, but Ferrari statement matches the decision made by Lamborghini which chose not to build a SUV. Launching a super SUV in the coming years would be a bad idea at a time when polluting emission regulation becomes stricter. Even Porsche might downsize the next-generation Cayenne, which will use the Audi Q5 underpinnings.
Amedeo Felisa acknowledged that Ferrari had tested a four-wheel drive transmission on the F430 but also added that the car maker dropped the idea because of the extra 176lbs generated by the system.
December 11, 2007
Volkswagen to produce the Up! in India

A big part of the 2018 world domination planned Volkswagen focuses on increasing sales in emerging markets. While the German group is a strong leader in China, it still needs to build its nest in the other largest emerging market, India. Volkswagen announced that it will build 240,000 vehicles per year there by 2012. It plans to produce two small cars there: the next-generation Polo and a a model derived from the Up! concept car.
If the production model keeps the core ideas of the Up!, the German low cost car will be more revolutionary than the Renault Logan. Although the latter is an industrial success story, it is more a skilful DIY from former Renault cars than a brand new offer. The Up! production version will receive a brand new platform, will feature a rear-engine and a minimalist interior.
Along the tow cars, it is also rumoured that Volkswagen might build a four-door Polo like Honda did with the City model. Volkswagen group has already been present in India with the Skoda brand whose models are considered as premium vehicles. The Volkswagen brand has been selling the Passat since November and the next-generation Jetta will head there.
December 11, 2007
SL-Class’ renderings from Autobild

In its latest issue, Autobild released a few renderings of the face-lifted Mercedes SL-Class. As reported in a previous post, the grille grows in size and the headlights are inspired from the CLS fascia. The revamped SL-Class becomes more aggressive but lacks a bit of elegance in this rendering, Let’s hope the real car will keep the elegance that characterises the iconic roadster.
Although the final specs of the future car remain unknown, the face-lifted SL-Class will feature new engines with direct ignition which will reduce the CO2 emissions. The engine range will start with the SL350 and will be topped by the SL 65 AMG whose V12 delivers 604bhp.
December 11, 2007
Martin Bubble unveiled on a car park at the Bologna Motor Show

Daimler must be in a mad rage as Martin Motors unveiled the Bubble model on a car park at the Bologna Motor Show. Indeed, the Italian importer of the Shuanghuan cars had been forbidden by an Italian court to show the Smart ForTwo’s carbon copy at the Italian motorshow. But its CEO, stubborn, got round the court order in a clever and funny way.
Daimler had already threatened China Automobile Deutschland of a legal action if the importer displayed the Shuanghuan Noble at the Frankfurt Motor Show in last September. In Italy, Daimler went to court to forbid the sales of the Noble/Bubble in Italy. If Daimler wins the case, the front-wheel drive city car will go back to China.
December 10, 2007
Audi R8 Spider aired at the Superbowl XLII

Brodcasting an ad at the Superbowl XLII is the best way for a foreign car makers to show its devotion to the American market. Audi will join Toyota and will feature a 60-second ad at the event on February 3 2008.
This is not the first time for Audi as it aired an ad twenty years ago, but this is a serious attempt from the German manufacturer to boost its brand image. “It’s time for us to not only let the experts and aficionados know about Audi; we want America to know about Audi,“ said Scott Keogh, CMO of Audi of America in an interview with AdWeek
The R8 Spider is a clever choice, of course, as the coupé quickly became a symbol of Audi’s hard work to catch with BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Sales have been low with 104 vehicles in October and 67 units in November, but American motoring press unanimously acclaimed the Audi’s supercar. Audi will unveil the Spider at the next Detroit Motor Show and all car aficionados will hear about it. With the Superbowl’s ad, Audi will go mainstream. What a challenge for the German carmaker and a serious contender for competitors!
December 10, 2007
Ford F-150 tops the chart in the US while exclusive cars bite the dust

The American magazine Forbes unveiled the list of the Best- and Worst-Selling Vehicles of 2007 over the first ten months. Once again, the Ford F-150 tops despite a sales slump of 12.5% due to high gas prices. The Forbes list also emphasizes the hold of Japanese car makers which have six cars in the list. The humiliation is even stronger for the American car makers as five Japanese models increased their sales.
Among the worst sellers, you will find, of course, exclusive cars such as the Cadillac XLR but also cars at the end of their lifecycle like the Jaguar S-Type. Almost all listed cars recorded a sales slump due to the debt crisis occurring in the US.
10 best-sellers in the US
1. Ford F-Series: 588,952 units, -12.5%
2. Chevrolet Silverado: 526,575, -2.4%
3. Toyota Camry: 398,868, +6.4%
4. Honda Accord: 332,815, +10.2%
5. Toyota Corolla/Matrix: 317,796 -4.0%
6. Honda Civic: 278,764, +2.2%
7. Chevrolet Impala: 270,504, +12.6%
8. Nissan Altima: 239,800, +26.6%
9. Dodge Ram: 214,569, -9.3%
10. Honda CR-V: 184,003, +34.9%
10 worst-sellers in the US
1. Cadillac XLR: 1,525, -42.7%
2. Mazda B-Series: 2,363, -35.3%
3. Isuzu Ascender: 2,523, -40.3%
4. Jaguar X-Type: 2,599, -44.2%
5. Jaguar S-Type: 2,973, -44.3%
6. Audi A8/S8: 3,092, -27.2%
7. Porsche Boxster: 3,148, -21.5%
8. Lexus SC430: 3,311, -33.2%
9. Isuzu i-290/370: 3,575, +21.1%
10. Jaguar XJ: 3,637, -11.2%
December 10, 2007
Smart pre-orders exceed forecasts

In July I reported that the Smart ForTwo had generated 20,000 pre-orders. That was more than just good news. Actually, it was a big surprise. Due to go on sale on the American market next January, United Auto Group has already recorded 30,000 pre-orders according to Daimler CEO Dieter Zietsche in a interview with Automotive News. All customers made a deposit of $99 to ensure that they will be the first to be served when the city car hits the showroom. Moreover, 50,000 people visited the showrooms in order to try the ForTwo model.
Zietsche also said that Smart will not be able to meet the demand as US sales combined with European sales will exceed the production capacity. This statement should be taken with a pinch of salt as Daimler CEO likely wants to generate a sales effect. Indeed, the pre-orders are not definitive sales and a lot of potential customers will change their mind, especially with a deposit of $99. The first customers will get their Smart delivered at the end of next year or the beginning of 2009.
The Smart ForTwo generated a lot of interest in large American cities in California, but also on the East Coast in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Boston. Surprisingly, the Smart also attracted buyers in Nebraska, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
Whether the US might be a sales success or not will likely seal the fate of Smart which hasn’t made a profit yet despite a launch which occurred almost ten years ago.
December 10, 2007
Future Bugatti Veyron already sold out

Bugatti is expected to launch the Veyron targa model at the beginning of 2008, enabling the supercar to become the fastest roofless car in the world. However, despite a price tag estimated at more than £900,000, all eighty cars already have buyers according to Pistonheads.
The Bugatti will be derived, of course, from the supercar, but its top speed will be limited to 217mph. In order to compensate the weight generated by the changes, the Veyron targa will receive carbon fiber doors while the current supercar has aluminium units;. The targa will also feature a unique grille and exclusive headlights. The glass roof will be built by Webasto which provides the metallic roof for the Volwagen EOS.
December 10, 2007
Spyshots: 2009 Ford Mustang

Expected to be launched in 2090, a face-lifted Ford Mustang’s development mule has been caught under winter testing. One does not expect to see a revolution as the current still meets a big success.
Ford designers will focus on modernising the current lines and making them a bit sportier to fight the future competitors such as the new Challenger. The front face and grille, and the taillights will be revamped. The interior styling will also be revamped.
Secrecy surrounds the pony icon’s specs at this early stage but it is thought that the car will remain the same with a small V6 4.0-litre petrol engine and the range-topping V8 4.6-litre petrol unit.
Source: Car & Driver
December 10, 2007