Ford to position Flex as stylish crossover, not a family hauler

It’s not secret that the U.S. minivan market is on the decline. Ford and General Motors have already abandoned the segment altogether and minivan sales were down 23 percent through the first two months of this year when compared to the same time period in 2007. Ford is preparing to launch its all-new minivan-esque Flex crossover this summer, but the Blue Oval thinks it has come up with a plan to distance the Flex from the negative minivan image — tell people that it’s actually a cool vehicle for people that don’t have kids. Instead of going down the family hauler road, Ford will position the Flex as a hip vehicle for people that want to make a stylish statement. "There’s much more to this vehicle when you look at it rather than just narrowly defining it as a family crossover," Kate Pearce, Flex marketing manager, told Automotive News. "It is the style that draws people to this vehicle. Good or bad, it evokes an emotion." Although the Flex’s largest customer base will likely be those with a family, Ford’s new marketing chief, Jim Farley, made the decision to shift the Flex’s position from a family hauler to a chic mode of transportation for trend-setters.
[ Ford to position Flex as stylish crossover, not a family hauler Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]

Tata Motors to invest $1.5 billion in manufacturing

Tata, India’s biggest carmaker, will be investing heavily into its manufacturing facilities now that it owns both Jaguar and Land Rover. At a press conference on Monday, Tata Managing Director Ravi Kant announced the company will invest $1.5 billion shortly on expanding build capacities, and plans to make sustained investments over the next four or five years. This year promises to be an eventful one for Tata, as it will also begin selling the $2,500 Nano in its home market, according to Britain’s Autocar. The investments are believed to be the result of Tata’s efforts to borrow money from nine banks, as reported earlier this month.
[ Tata Motors to invest $1.5 billion in manufacturing Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]

Bugatti to up 2008 Veyron production

The Bugatti Veyron may be one of the world’s fastest production cars, but it’s certainly not one of the world’s fastest produced cars. When the Veyron launched in 2005, Bugatti made just 5 examples, with production soaring to 44 units in 2006. 2007’s production run saw 83 cars produced and Bugatti hopes to ramp up production in 2008 to 90 units. Although the €1 million-plus Veyron currently has a waiting list, Bugatti has only sold 220 cars out of a planned production run of 300 vehicles. According to Automotive News, Bugatti has already delivered 135 Veyrons. To achieve the extra production — 85 Veyrons were originally slated for production this year — the planned three-week summer break at the Veyron’s Molsheim, France production facility will likely be reduced to just one week.
[ Bugatti to up 2008 Veyron production Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]

Spied: Production Nissan Intima?

Spy photographers have captured images of what looks to be a production version of the Nissan Intima concept. The Nissan Intima concept looked quite close to a production-ready car when it debuted last year at the Tokyo Motor Show, and this sighting could be an indication of why. Although the photos aren’t of the highest resolution, the images were captured just outside of where next month’s Beijing Motor Show will take place, indicating that the road-going Intima will make its world debut at that event. The car seen in the spy pictures is still partially covered, but you can clearly see that the car’s rear windows are heavily influenced by the show car. However, the concept’s smooth bumper was lost in the translation to production. According to Autoblog, if the Intima is indeed launched at next month’s show, it will become Nissan’s flagship sedan in China.
[ Spied: Production Nissan Intima? Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]

Porsche’s VW takeover puts Audi R4 on hold

Development of the much-rumored Audi R4 sports car is unlikely to go ahead, according to German media reports. Porsche, which is planning to take over Volkswagen (Audi’s parent company), is reportedly concerned the mid-engine R4 will harm sales of its Cayman and Boxster. Last week, an Audi spokesperson told trade publication Automotive News the R4 was not in the company’s product plan. The statement marked the first time an Audi representative has ever mentioned the R4. In March, an internal production roadmap leaked from Audi, revealing the R4 was planned as a 2011 model. Constant rumors for the past 17 months also confirm the R4 was, at least at one time, on the drawing board. Porsche is expected to expand its 31 percent stake in Volkswagen to 51 percent or more, giving it complete control of the company. Executives from both sides have insisted the two companies will remain separate, but the demise of the R4 might be the first evidence this is not entirely true. Like the R8, the R4 was expected be a two-seater with a mid-engine configuration. The base model would have at least 200 horsepower, and pricing would start around 40,000 euros. The car would be contracted of aluminum and steel, weighing around 2,600 lbs. High performance models with power between 280 horsepower and 350 horsepower are also likely, the magazine said. It would compete with the Porsche Cayman and Boxster.
[ Porsche's VW takeover puts Audi R4 on hold Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]

Toyota confirms hybrid 24 Hours of Le Mans race car

Toyota is eyeing a return to the world’s most famous endurance race, the French 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a hybrid race car: a first in the race’s 84-year history. "We want to enter when we are confident of victory," said to Kazuo Okamoto, who heads up the company’s research and development department. Such an attitude certainly fits in with the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" approach, as racing has been proven to test and improve technology that will trickle down to street cars customers can buy, not to mention boosting Toyota’s "green" image. The Japanese auto giant has not announced when it will return to Le Mans, with Okamoto saying only that Toyota’s hybrid racing efforts may resume in 2009, as per Automotive News Europe. Participating in the race next year would mark Toyota’s 10-year absence from Le Mans, where it finished second in 1999 before moving on to focus on Formula One. Last year, a Toyota Supra hybrid won Japan’s 24-hour endurance race, the Tokachi 24, though Okamoto is quick to downplay that accomplishment: "The Tokachi means nothing," he said. "Our goal is a step higher." Okamoto went to say the company will introduce high-tech hybrid technology in street cars. "If you want to use hybrid systems in sports cars, you have to make cars lighter and more efficient," he said. Like LLN reported in January, the candidate most likely to represent Toyota in the 24 hour race will either be its Lexus LF-A or FT-HS, both sleek, sports car concepts with hybrid technology believed to be the Supra’s successors.
[ Toyota confirms hybrid 24 Hours of Le Mans race car Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]

Spied again: 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe in detail

Spies have snapped a new round of photos of the production Cadillac CTS Coupe. This time, we’ve got a few shots showing a glimpse at the interior, plus some new angles of the exterior, giving us a better overall impression of the changes (or lack thereof) Cadillac designers have made to translate the striking Detroit concept into a production vehicle. Codenamed GMX226, the stylish couple will be built alongside the CTS sedan at the Lansing Grand River Plant. Production will start in May of 2009. The coupe will feature a backup camera which is not currently found on the sedan, and won’t have traditional door handles, but rather a touch-pad setup instead. Thankfully, it appears that the majority of the CTS Coupe concept’s lines have been faithfully duplicated on this production model. Some feared that the concept’s radical fastback design might be watered down, revealing the Coupe’s sedan roots, but our profile view proves these fears as unfounded. It appears that the production version may have a slightly more pronounced rear deck, but if that’s so, it’s not enough to significantly alter the concept’s silhouette. The CTS Coupe prototype further separates itself from its sedan donor thanks to the elimination of a conventional door handle, adopting instead the concept’s Corvette-style design which hides the door trigger behind the door’s aft cut-line. The concept and production similarities continue with the Coupe’s revised lower side sill, and the distinctively sculpted waistline, which begins at the A-pillar/fender vent, and narrows as it stretches rearward. The camouflage hides whether or not the line terminates into the concept’s razor-sharp point at the C-pillar, but it looks likely that that’s another design convergence between the show- and production cars. Earlier photos also confirmed that the concept’s bold central exhaust will also reach showrooms. There are some visible differences between the Detroit Show Standout and the production model. Cost and feasibility studies have killed the concept’s glass-to-glass side windows, in favor of a visible B-pillar on the production model. The rest of the changes are found in front of the A-pillar. The concept coupe’s large, CTS-V-style hood bulge is gone on this prototype (although we’d love to see it return on the "V" coupe). And the show car’s reshaped front fenders — which sweep more voluptuously to a revised front bumper, tweaked front ground-effects, and more dynamic headlight and fog-light clusters — appear to have been replaced with stock items from the CTS sedan. It looks to us like the CTS Coupe and sedan will share identical front fenders and front fascia designs. From there back, however, the cars could scarcely be more different. The drama of the CTS Coupe concept is alive and well, and on its way to Cadillac showrooms.
[ Spied again: 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe in detail Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]

Ford Australia denies RWD development shifting to the U.S.

Ford Australia — which last year denied it was even working on a new RWD platform — is now denying rumors that the program is being moved from the land of Oz to America. Earlier this week it was reported that Ford would be moving its rear-wheel drive vehicle engineering back to the U.S. from Australia due to the weak U.S. dollar. According to the Australian subsidiary, Ford’s rear-wheel drive vehicle development will be staying where it is. When CarPoint asked Sinead McAlary, Ford’s Australian Manager of Public Affairs, the response they got was "It’s too early to speculate on that." To us, it sounds like either the two divisions aren’t on the same page, or that Ford Australia is none-too-pleased to be losing control over rear-wheel drive vehicle development — the setup that many of its vehicles are based on. The shift would also cost Ford Australia hundreds — if not thousands — of jobs. But with value of the U.S. dollar falling, the move will likely be more about the bottom line rather than which continent wants the development more. The appearance of Ford Falcon prototypes in America also lends credibility to reports about a realignment of R&D.
[ Ford Australia denies RWD development shifting to the U.S. Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]

Suzuki unveils Swift Dzire

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. — a division of Suzuki — took the wraps off of its all-new Swift DZire on Wednesday in New Delhi. The new Swift DZire joind the Swift and SX4 in Suzuki’s Indian lineup and is intended to "redefine the market and stir excitement in the entry level sedan segment." Despite Suzuki’s attempt to stir excitement in the segment, the exterior design of the Swift Dzire could cause potential buyers to feel every emotion except desire. Overall the car’s shape is best described as awkward and it looks as though BMW designer Chris Bangle’s signature "Bangle-butt" is still alive and well. On the inside, the Swift DZire is much more conventional and offers a long list of features not normally found in this segment, including power windows, steering wheel mounted audio controls and automatic climate control. The Swift DZire can be fitted with either a 1.3L gas engine — producing 87 horsepower — or a 1.3L diesel with 140 lb-ft of torque.
[ Suzuki unveils Swift Dzire Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]

GM launches Euro-spec Corvette Competition

The Chevrolet Corvette may be America’s sports car, but that isn’t stopping General Motors from giving Europe its own exclusive version of the ‘Vette. Dubbed the Corvette Competition, the limited edition model has been created to commemorate the start of the American Le Mans Series season. As odd as it seems for GM to create a limited edition model of the Corvette for Europe based on an American racing series, not everything about the Corvette makes sense in Europe. Across the pond, Corvette is actually its own brand — it’s not a Chevrolet Corvette, just a Corvette — and the sports car is sold through Cadillac dealerships. But back the car. GM claims the Corvette Competition "bears subtle resemblances to the successful C6.R race car," but we don’t think they put quite enough emphasis on subtle. The only thing the road-going special edition C6 really has in common with the racing C6.R is a honeycomb grille up front and the same insert between the rear exhaust. Other features unique to the Corvette Competition include a rear spoiler borrowed from the Corvette Z06, unique 5-spoke rims coated in Competition Grey paint, a black exterior and a reduction in available options intended to keep weight down. No changes were made to the Corvette’s 6.2L V8 powertrain. The Corvette Competition — which is slated to hit the European market in April — can only be had in coupe guise, but customers will be able to choose between six-speed automatic or manual gearbox.
[ GM launches Euro-spec Corvette Competition Via Hidstores Car Reviews Blogs ]