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Auto-girl
Growing up in the good old USA and with a family like mine, there has always been a certain amount of "auto-knowledge" expected. But, living in this big wide world of men and their toys has always been a little difficult for a woman like me. Being half girly-girl and half outdoors girl, it can be a tough life to balance. I abhor women who cry over broken nails or tan till their skin turns orange and rubbery. I like camping and don’t mind going witout a shower for a couple days. However, put me underneath a car and I have a panic attack! I know how to do an oil change, but have I ever done it? No! I always resort to batting the eyelashes and asking Dad or the current boyfriend.
The men in my life have almost all been into race cars, Harley’s and/or hot-rod’s and I confess, I do like the look of a Fat-boy or the custom interior of an old Cadillac. An uncle of mine has a Charger he’s racing at the Le Mans Classic in July (www.olympia-charger.com) In that light, I really have done my best to learn to understand what they’re talking about! Most of the time I end up saying stupid things like, "What’s a carburetor again?" or "Dad, why is my car making that funny ticking noise?" I must say, my guys have always been dilligent with explanation, but most out there just give the eye-rolling,"You’re an idiot" facial expression and walk away.
So, here I am. I’ve been given this great oppurtunity to write about cars from a women’s perspective. My goal for upcoming blogs will be to not only have fun and comment on the "pretty" autos, but also to actually learn something. Then the next time I see a hot guy with a sweet car, I can impress him with my "motor-skills", because after all, that is the single women’s ultimate goal. Plus, being the opinionated girl that I am, I cannot wait to add my thoughts, photos, and even frustrations as I go along! Lastly, I ask the men reading this to have patience and give feedback not with annoyance, but knowing that there are girls out there who really want to understand!
April 7, 2006
Renault goes to China
Having a factory in China is an obligation if you want to be considered as serious by Chinese car dealers and customers. Renault currently sells four models — Scenic, Megane, Vel Satis and Laguna — in the Middle Kingdom but 740 vehicles found an owner last year. In the middle of last year, Renault teamed up with Dongfeng, which produces the old ZX, the Xsara, Picasso and the 307 in a joint venture with PSA.
The purpose of this joint-venture is to produce 300, 000 Logan per year but talks took longer than planned and Carlos Ghosn has clearly expressed the will to focus on core markets. This difficult situation for Renault, which won’t unveil any new model before 2007, could lead to them postponing the Chinese project. They might even cancel it.
This hypothesis, revealed by two insiders last week, has allowed a speeding up of the process. Four days after it was revealed in the press, the provincial government in Hubei province stated on its website that it would invest 60 billion yuan (US$7.43 billion) in new projects which should benefit the Dongfeng-Renault venture. No comments have been made by either Renault or Dongfeng but for a French carmaker, getting a foothold in China is not up for discussion. Renault is in a difficult situation but it doesn’t mean it must refuse all opportunities or stop projects, especially on the next biggest car market in the world.
December 20, 2005
Daihatsu Esse : forbidden for men
Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, the new Esse from Daihatsu is being sold in Japan from today. Its name, an acronym for Economic, Simple, Smart and Easy summarizes the characteristics of this new kei-car. In Japan, kei-car is a particular segment which allows the owner to get some tax and insurance relief and most importantly an exemption from the usual requirement for a parking space certification.
So, the Esse is 3.39 m long, 1.48 m wide and offers enough space for four tiny Japanese girls and their bags in the small boot. Daihatsu engineers have been very clever in designing a car with poor features which doesn’t feel like it, thanks to fresh colours as Renault did with the Twingo in 1992. The plastics and seats share the same colour as the exterior painting. Like the Twingo, the instrument panel is central but the dashboard is less nifty and closer to the layout we can find in any Japanese car.
In order to meet the regulations, the Esse is powered with a small 600 cc 3-cylinder engine with an output of 58 bhp at 7,200 rpm. Coupled with a CVT automatic gearbox, it is set to become the perfect choice for girls who don’t want to spend a lot on a car.

December 20, 2005
V12 for Connaught
If the United Kingdom has no carmakers, the country is at least full of dedicated craftsmen, who spend their lives designing and producing handmade cars. Even if life is harder since the EU passed stricter safety laws, there is a crop of new companies every year. This year the most important and original one is Connaught. Some craftsmen – such as Morgan – have produced the same car since the 1930s.
Some companies – such as Noble – spend their time producing the best sports cars. Connaught chose to produce a sports car with an original V10 2 litre engine. Since the car was released to the press, engineers have gone back to work, done a feasibility study on the platform and concluded it was possible to stretch it by 4 inches. For Connaught, it’s an opportunity to build a new model. Connaught plans to launch a new sedan in 2010 which would be equipped with a V12. This V12 would be given a supercharger to develop 360 bhp.
Source: Autocar
December 14, 2005
GL-Class: die Cayenne die!
The success of the Porsche Cayenne didn’t exactly please Mercedez-Benz. So the supervisory board decided to mix the R-Class and the M-Class and give birth to the new GL. Like the R-Class whose platform it uses, the GL is a bit closer to an Audi Q7 or Chevrolet Tahoe than a Porsche Cayenne: 200 inches long, 75.5 inches wide and 71.2 inches high. These dimensions can accomodate up to seven passengers at a level of comfort similar to the R-Class. Inside there is enough room for six Schwarzeneggers -a measure of roominess on the American market- but if you want more space for the luggage compartment, the individual rear seats can be stowed -of course- at the push of a button, either individually or in tandem to provide a capacity of 1240 litres. If you need more capacity, you can still the second row of seats to reach 2300 litres.
From the M-Class, it borrows the familiar SUV look (but boxier in order to be reminiscent of the G-Class) and a system derived from the 4Matic coupled with the family air suspension, Airmatic. With the G-Class badge, the GL off-road performances are under pressure. The G-Class was ugly but it was the best when you needed to drive in the mud. With its wheelbase of 120.8 inches, even with the help of the Airmatic suspension, some off-road sections might prove difficult to pass in a GL. But when we know that almost none of the SUV drivers ever use it outside the cities, it’s a minor detail.
If you want to compete with the Audi Q7 or Porsche Cayenne – the American SUVs are out of the race – you need powerful engines. Mercedes offers 4 engines, two V8 gasolines, one V6 and one V8 diesels. The top of the range labeled GL 500 is equipped with the V8 5.5 litre from the S-Class which develops 388 bhp whereas the second V8 unit is a new engine derived from the 5.5 litre which has a cylinder unit of 4.6 litre and develops 340 bhp. Diesel units are the same type, big and full of torque: alongside the V6 labeled GL 320 CDI of 224 bhp, a 4.0 litre V8 is available with an output of 306 bhp and an impressive torque of 516 Lb-Ft.
December 13, 2005
Hyundai Accent Hybrid
It’s a big step for the Hybrid technology. Hyunday unveiled last week at the Guangzhou Motor Show a hybrid version of its Accent, The vehicle is equipped with a 1.4L CVVT engine producing 90 hp and a 16-hp electric motor. According to the Korean manufacturer that should net the car a 44 percent gain in fuel economy.
Beyond these figures which must be confirmed by independent tests, it’s the move taken by Hyundai. Whereas Toyota began to sell its hybrid technology integrated in a dedicated vehicle, the Prius and after a range of luxury limousines and SUV, Hyundai expects to sell its first hybrid under its best seller, the Accent. Thus, the 500,000 figures reached in 7 years could take less for Hyundai, especially if Hyundai sells the Accent in the US as it’s expected.
It’s all the more dangerous for the European manufacturers since there is no real plan for hybrid technologies. A Hyundai Accent sold in Europe could get some rebates from new anti-pollution laws and be sold cheaper than its European competitors.
December 13, 2005
Happy birthday Butzi!
Butzi celebrated his 70th birthday yesterday. Why should this be noteworthy when he’s neither the first nor the last to celebrate his 70th birthday? As he retired from all professional involvement in the past few months, it’s an opportunity to look back over a career dominated by the Porsche 911.
Whereas his grandfather, Ferdinand and his father, Ferry were both engineers, Butzi was the first member of the Porsche family to attend courses at Ulm School of Design. This apprenticeship had a deep influence on the young Butzi. At that time in order to emphasize continuity with its pre-war pre-eminence in progressive modern design with the Bauhaus, Germany developed a simple, functionalist style which embraced both cars and household goods. Ferdinand uses the “ form following function “ concept in all his designs as he says himself: “ Design must be functional and functionality must be translated into visual aesthetics, without any reliance on gimmicks that have to be explained. “
After his graduation, he worked under the influence of Erwin Komenda, the engineer who had designed all Porsches since the beginning of the 1930s. His talent emerged with the 911 project. Porsche wanted to replace the 356. Heinrich Kie -who created the modeling department in 1951- was in charge of the project with the help of the American stylist Albert Goetz. Butzi who was happy to come to the office with his father when he was a small boy was going to give the best gift to Porsche: a legend. Thanks to his success he was promoted head of the design studio in 1962 but was be obliged to quit ten years later after a family’s dispute.
Enthusiastic, he creates his own studio “Porsche Design”and like Rieter Rams at Braun he applied the Neo-Bauhaus style to a wide range of products from pens to watches sold under the Porsche brand. Coming back to the supervisory board in the 1990s, he founded a new company with the help of Porsche and some Porsche Design shareholders. The aim of this new company was to pursue the Porsche Design mission with the help of Porsche.
December 13, 2005
Automotive atrocities : Bond Bug
The Bond Bug could be the automobile equivalent of Cheddar. It is the colour of Cheddar, it resembles a car just like Cheddar resembles cheese, but its three wheels make you doubt it from the start just like the initial tasting of Cheddar makes you regret the experiment.
The Bug is the fruit of a team of men who aim to marry the best of two car manufacturers. On my left, the British manufacturer Bond with the heterogeneous catalogue which ranged from the jet ski to the three wheeled car while also including 2 litres coupes with the evocative name of "Bombshell". On my right the other British craftsman of the three wheeled car, Reliant, which purchased the first one in 1969. The power taken by Reliant predicted the worst and the inconceivable happened. In a stroke of genius, they decided to design a three wheeled car in the spirit of the late Bombshell coupes. In order to be ‘hip’, they asked the famous Ogle studio to design the new car, and the studio did its best to draw an inimitable car.
The distinguishing feature of the Bug was that it was available in a single colour, orange, which enhanced a slender shape where aesthetic research and economy dominated: the originally retractable headlights for aesthetic concerns became fixed for accounting concerns; the cockpit opened completely conferring on all drives a space mission ambiance while the doors were out of plastic to reduce the cost; finally, the optional black stripes on the side pillars conferring on Bug its sporting character completed the piece of work.
All this work with an unanticipated result was nothing compared with handling of the Bug. The problem was that this bug was lighter than an insect and the addition of the driver in the equation transformed the handling in an amusing way. Numbers of driver tried to improve this by installing a sand bag in the trunk, but the operation caused the unexpected effect of the front wheel lifting off the ground. With those inimitable qualities and a high price, one will understand well that the Bug had some difficulties in meeting with success, something which surprised the optimistic managers who had built more than 350 units in anticipation. This failure announced the end for Bond, but not for Bug, which continued its career at Reliant and found nearly 2 500 owners during its five years of production.
November 21, 2005
Cadillac and Corvette back in the UK
After a failed attempt between 1998 and 2003 (only 3,000 cars sold), Cadillac and Corvette are being relaunched in the UK. This time, Cadillac’s range seems more competitive, including the Sweden-built executive sedan BLS, the luxury saloon CTS and the huge SRX, an enormous SUV. Even if those brands are still part of GM, they will be commercialised by an independant importer, the Dutch run Kroymans group.
They assume they number of dealers will amount to 20 by the end of 2008, which should allow to sell 7,000 cars over this period.
Prices will start at £20,000 for the BLS (available with an excellent diesel engine designed by Fiat), £24,850 for the 2.8 V6 CTS and £ 29,850 for the 3.6 V6 SRX.
As for the Corvette, it’s been separated from Chevrolet and form an independant brand within the GM galaxy. The 186mph 400bhp C6 coupe is priced at £45,850 and the convertible at £51,850.
Fortunately, this time, these cars will come with a right-hand drive (excepted the SRX before 12 months and the Corvette) even if the BLS is not expected before May 2006. Then we’ll see if the it can actually take BMW’s remarkable 3-Series.

October 14, 2005
BMW Z4 Coupe
This is BMW’s answer to the Nissan 350Z and Porsche Cayman, a coupe version of the Z4 roadster. That’s what BMW wants us to believe because the collapsing sales of the “flame surfacing” roadster tell a different story. Its sales are so far from the forecasts that it could become uneconomical to produce. From 56,000 sales in 2003, it dropped to 34,000 in 2004 and some insiders say the first six months of this year sales have declined by another 30 percent. Although it is displayed as a concept-car at the Frankfurt Motor Show at the same time as Porsche presents the Cayman, this coupe will go into production next year.
The bodywork of the Z4 is nearly unchanged – including the door and the nose – in order to reduce the development cost of the new model, like Porsche did with the Cayman. More elegant than the roadster, the coupe’s roofline blends into a high boot lid with an integrated spoiler. An interesting quirk: the rear upper body lifts to access the boot. The interior from the roadster is unchanged but is the concept-car blends brown leather with aluminium door inserts and dashboard controls.
The coupe will be powered by the 3.0-litre straight six, 261 bhp and 232 lb ft whereas sources says it could also be powered by the V8, 400 bhp, from the future M3.
September 18, 2005