Why it Matters: One day, Ford will realize that you can sell a heckuva lotta 65 mpg Fiestas in America. Too bad that day isn’t now.
Not so long ago, Ford cars really had only one purpose: make the trucks look good. That was in case a fool wandered too far from the Toyota lot and stumbled into the Blue Oval lobby, where he was sure to find himself suddenly itching for a hay ride.
Hmmm.
Same holds true today, mostly, though Ford is getting ready to launch the Fiesta small car in the USA. That’s welcome news, but it also seems that the clean diesel variant, named ECOnetic Fiesta and selling in Europe, isn’t getting on the boat. That, yes sir, the folks who decide these things in Dearborn actually don’t want a small, turbocharged diesel that gets 65 mpg to stain the pristine highways of America.
In case you didn’t hear me, that’s 65 mpg, as in better than a Prius and miles better than the current clean diesel competition. Granted, the vehicle generates just 88 horsepower, but hey - tune the engine, boost the power to 100 and get, say - 55-60 mpg. But all this is crazy talk. Come on now. Who in the USA would consider a stylish, functional car that gets 60 mpg, doesn’t look like a spaceship and handles like a champ?
Why it Matters: This could be the ultimate alternative mobility play - diesel performance and dependability with hybrid emissions? A dream team, to be sure.
According to MotorAuthority, Mercedes-Benz will sell a diesel-electric hybrid by the end of the year - assuming, of course, that they like all other automakers can keep the lights on in North America. The vehicle will be an S400 BlueHYBRID, mated to a clean-burning 3.2-liter Bluetec turbodiesel. Hey, Mercedes - did I get all the marketing labels on that one? In plain english, it’s a 3.2-liter turboddiesel with a urea canister and filter in the back, connected to an electric motor. And about that motor: it’s a doozy, a full hybrid (it can run on juice only in start/stops application).
I can’t image how much this beast is going to weigh when you tack on all-wheel-drive, but here’s hoping it won’t dent the asphalt. But then, I’m a skeptic. All this talk about technology development is brave to the point of foolishness when you consider that most car labels are stopping the development of anything and everything more expensive than skateboards and scooters. Then again, it IS a hybrid, and we all know how hybrids are treated like the favored little sister - always gets her way, that hybrid. Geez! Here’s hoping we see the debut of the world’s first 350,000 mile hybrid. Or would that be the world’s first truly clean burning diesel?
When you’ve got a hot car, well, you show it off. Especially in a market like this, because, golly gee – he who has the hot car wins. And that’s exactly what Hyundai’s doing. On the heels of its North American Car of the Year win, the Korean automaker will also show off its Genesis Coupe during the Super Bowl.
While other automakers are backing out of the ad fest, Hyundai is diving in, trying to fill the void left by Detroit’s struggles. Hyundai is aggressively going after market share with promotions like their recently announced Job Loss Assurance program. The Korean automaker is looking like the Type A Personality of the automotive crowd when you consider this end to one commercial: A car company that backs you. Now that’s a change.
Ouch.
The cars are good, the warranty unbeatable and the price competitive. Now the ads are edgy and mean, and all the crying done recently by jingoistic automotive journalists about how Detroit will go unheard by John Q, and rightly so: GM, Ford and Chrysler still can’t compete after years (decades) of endless chances. Now that one or two have decent vehicles on lots – though still not the right kind of mix in terms of fuel and space efficiency – we hear cries by kept journos on how the Little Three are actually delivering on the goods, and oh my – what an insult it is for the government to ask for some direction. Psst, hey guys: do it for ten years all the while increasing capacity and maintaining residual values. Then…THEN…you can complain. As far as bloggers who think Detroit got a bad deal, consider that Honda, Toyota and all the other “import” automakers that put together cars in the US will not be getting any kind of US bailout.
Just briefly, here are three steps President Barack Obama can take to help the Little Three help themselves:
1. Sell Chrysler to a company that cares about cars.
2. Force GM to slash dealers and in doing so, reduce GM to three brands: Chevy, Buick and Cadillac.
3. Tell Ford to stop dragging Carroll Shelby out at every Mustang debut, even if it is the GT 500. Yeah, the guy’s a legend, but stop treating him like a tramp…or stop enabling him to be a trampish limelight hogger.
