In a desperate attempt to maintain some sort of enthusiasm for perhaps the most over-hyped vehicle since the 2010 Camaro, Chevrolet’s marketing department assembled a rag tag group of dancers to perform what appears to be an epileptic fit. While the dance/cheer/cluster successfully accomplished Chevy’s larger objective of bringing the Volt to the forefront of popular conversation, it also garnered a fair amount of criticism for brilliant lyrics such as “…V for Chevy Volt you see, it’s so simple like a dimple, plug it in and see.”
Unfortunately, contrary to what one would logically assume, the marketing team responsible for this gem was not under the influence of any illicit substances and was subsequently mildly offended by the negative feedback. According to a story published by the Detroit News this morning, Chevy claims the Volt Dance was never intended to appeal to the audience of automotive press professionals or adult car buyers, but rather to the children.
Full disclosure: the next journalist to use some variation of the word “cracked” to describe the Honda P-NUT’s debut is getting kicked in the shins at the next auto show. I’ll be watching.
Unlike the majority of the unpalatable concepts that have littered Honda’s booth for the better part of 2009, the Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) does not immediately offend the senses. As a matter of fact, the angular front fascia and the well-defined, sloping shoulders are actually quite attractive and almost lend Honda’s design department an air of hope. “Almost” being the operative word.
Unfortunately, the P-NUT unveiled live in Los Angeles last week is not a production-ready urban crawler but a purely a conceptual interpretation of the soul-sucking enviro-friendly vehicles Honda promises to roll out in the future. Apparently, the RWD, rear-engined P-NUT’s primary objective is to demonstrate that there is hope for the ultra-compact city car beyond the ugly, underpowered options currently available today, which is basically akin to performing a digital makeover. The immediate reaction is positive…and instantly killed by the harsh smack of reality.
Bottom line: if you want small, fun, cool and only slightly fruity, buy a MINI Cooper. If you want small, marginally faster than a pair of Rollerblades, and guaranteed to score you plenty of dude poon, buy a smart ForTwo. See Honda? Theoretical problem solved. Now get back to work on the CR-Z.
When I was in high school, one of my good friends was an exceptionally good wrestler. He was also extremely good looking and had a wit about him that wasn’t exactly Showtime-at-the-Apollo-quality but still got the job done. Because of his tenaciously competitive spirit and his ability to charm essentially everyone, no one ever ridiculed him for perfecting what is inarguably one of the gayest professional sports outside of a skating rink. Sure, we thought it, especially those of us that went to the games and observed the painted-on singlets and heavy petting firsthand, but we never said anything. While I can’t speak for my friends, I personally chose to keep my biting sarcasm in check because within in a few months of knowing him, I had deduced that he was currently experiencing his “glory days” and after high school, the most he probably had to look forward to was a modestly successful career as a ladies shoe salesman. I figured, why rain on his parade? Life will take care of that soon enough.
Much the same can also be said of the 2011 Saab 9-5.
Although it was officially unveiled months ago at the Frankfurt Auto Show, it’s appearance at the LA Auto Show marks the first time I’ve seen it in the flesh and while I find some aesthetic aspects leave much to be desired, I can’t bring myself to delve further into detail. You may have though Saab’s 20-year dysfunctional marriage to the General was the most damaging to its career but as sad as it may seem, those were just the highlights. Now the entire brand is posed on the edge of extinction while the 9-5 itself faces a fate worse than death with intellectual property rights now under BAIC’s exclusive ownership.
In light of this bleak outlook, it hardly seems fair to ridicule the 2011 9-5 for a confusing design language that looks more bred from Lexus than it does from jets. So rather than criticize it for what it was and what it’s utterly failing to be, lets instead allow the 2011 9-5 a last hurrah before it’s raped of all relevant technology and left to fade into obscurity inside a Beijing office building.
On the whole, RideLust’s (read: my) first foray into the glamorous world of open bars and company-sponsored parties was extremely successful, save for the excruciatingly boring reveals. Fortunately, since unlike most automotive journalists my trip was financed completely out of pocket, I’m not obligated to paint any particular company in a flattering light and thus able to provide an accurate, far more entertaining analysis. Well, entertaining for me at least, I’m sure the scores of dissenting douchenozzles commenters will have much to say otherwise.
Topping my list of favorite new reveals are some interesting selections that seem at odds with RideLust’s traditionally Macho Man Savage taste in automobiles and include the Honda P-Nut (Personal-Neo Urban Transport), Audi e-Tron, 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe, Mazda2, and the vehicle destined to be perpetually overshadowed by the Mazda2 – the Ford Fiesta (among many, many others).
This year marks the first time RideLust’s editorial staff (read: me) has possessed enough disposable income to fund live auto show coverage and it is with great excitement that I embark on my journey to the LA Auto Show. Well actually I embark tomorrow, today is mostly filled with last-minute trips to the bank for toll money (seriously, the bridge fare is a JACK) and Macy’s for a new pack of socks (I plan to be stuntin’), but I digress. I will begin my journey tomorrow with a 7:30am EST flight out of PHL and, weather permitting, I’ll touch down in the beautiful City of Audigier at 10:48am PST. I will be constantly relaying my experiences via Twitter, so if you’re interested in brief, off-color, occasionally off-topic auto show updates be sure to follow me at @SuzanneDenbow.
At 12 o’clock this morning while most of us were nursing the nasty side effects of a weekend-long bender, GM officially unveiled the new 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe to the motoring press. The live, in-the-flesh reveal isn’t scheduled until next week at the LA Auto Show (which I will be attending, for all 3 of you interested fans), but as PR custom dictates GM was kind enough to give us a sneak preview a full 7 days early.
Based on its increasing popular full-sized brethren, the CTS coupe shares all the basic styling cues of the CTS sedan yet features a much chunkier, Beyonce-in-a-bodysuit ass. Fortunately, thanks to the 304-hp direct injected 3.6L V6, if you are successfully able to row your own (6-sp manual standard, 6-speed auto available for poseurs) you should be able to peel out of a dead stop before the jeers from the Bimmer owners reach your ears. If you aren’t fast enough on the throttle or otherwise catch the last sing-song remnants of “Fatty fatty two-by-four…” the CTS coupe also comes with enough interior accessories to keep your crushing depression at bay until you get to your therapist’s office, including iPod/MP3 capability, 40-gig hard drive, pop-up nav, Bluetooth, standard Keyless Access and Smart Remote Start, rear camera system, and a Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround™ audio system.
In just a few short weeks, the 2011 Mazda2 will officially debut at the 2009 LA Auto Show and as a part of my steadfast dedication to both automobiles and business trips to sunny California, I’ll be there on behalf of RideLust to cover it live.
For years the Mazda2 has enjoyed a very successful European run as a just-as-fun yet slightly more budget-friendly companion to the Mazda3 and in December, the US will finally be allowed in on the action. “Bringing Mazda2 to North America completes the bookends in our line-up,” explained Jim O’Sullivan, President and CEO, Mazda North American Operations. “With the seven- passenger crossover CX-9 at one end and the sub-compact Mazda2 at the other, Mazda’s line-up now spans the most significant product segments in the industry, and is the strongest, best-designed, best-built we have ever offered. Mazda2 will be true to everything that makes our cars stand apart from the competition: it will be stylish, fun-to-drive and a heck of a value. In short, it will be the definition of Zoom-Zoom.”
Despite featuring performance specs that would make a grown man weep for the sheer beauty, the McLaren MP4-12C is having difficulty earning a warm U.S. welcome. Originally, the highly-anticipated Ferrari-fighter was scheduled to make its first U.S. appearance at the LA Auto Show in December, followed shortly thereafter by its inaugural debut on dealer lots. Now, after a struggling market has left many dealerships skittish of six-figure commitments, McLaren is finding it all but impossible to wrangle a dealer network and has subsequently delayed the MP4-12C’s launch. Thus, contrary to earlier reports, the MP4-12C will not be featured at the LA Auto Show and likely will not see a U.S. launch until much later in 2010.
This morning, Green Car Journal confirmed the five finalists up for nomination as the 2010 Green Car of the Year®, including the Audi A3 TDI, Honda Insight, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Golf TDI. The winner will be announced on December 3rd at a press conference during the media preview days at the LA Auto Show which, unlike last year, we’ll actually be attending. Also unlike last year, we find the majority of the nominees surprisingly fun to drive and genuinely deserving of the accolades (“majority” being the operative word, the jury’s still out on the Insight).
Unfortunately, our humble opinion will have very little bearing as the winner of this year’s prestigious award will be chosen by a star-studded panel of judges that in years past have included the likes of Jean-Michel Cousteau, Carroll Shelby, and the Crimson Chin himself, Jay Leno. We will, however, have the exclusive privilege of sitting somewhere in the back of the convention hall and straining to hear the ceremonial address as we try to get our new camera to focus, so check back later for official updates.
A few weeks ago at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Honda released the FC Sport, a three seater sports car based on the same hydrogen fuel cell technology that powered the FCX Clarity. There’s an interesting interior layout in the McLaren style with the driver in the middle of the car and the two passenger seats set further back on either side. As of right now, it’s only a design concept, but we’re hoping they at least put together one functional version, for fun.
Honda’s goal was to develop a light, high-performance vehicle with a low center of gravity. The key to the design was the distribution of the fuel cells, which allowed them to balance out the weight while at the same time increasing interior space. It’s low to the ground and extremely aerodynamic, which also ads to the vehicles efficiency. Check out the official press release and some images:
