Episode 401 – GM In Trouble Over Einstein Ad, Karmann Could Go Out Of Business, Spyker Drive
May 27th, 2010 at 12:01pm
Runtime 7:35
It looks like General Motors isn’t going to receive any help from the German government to restructure Opel. Independent vehicle manufacturer Karmann could go out of business. GM is in trouble with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for using the likeness of Albert Einstein in an ad for the GMC Terrain. All that and more, plus we take a ride around the streets of Los Angeles in a Spyker C8 Laviolette.
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Transcript and Story Links after the jump . . .
It’s Thursday, May 27, 2010 and here’s what’s going on in the automotive world.
NO EUROS FOR YOU!
Right now it does not look likely that General Motors will get any money from the German government to restructure Opel. Bloomberg quotes a government official saying that GM has enough cash of its own to restructure its German subsidiary. To keep the operation afloat for now, GM is going to provide loans to Opel, but will not just give it cash.
KARMANN FADING AWAY?
Most automotive suppliers make parts and components for car companies, but Karmann always made cars in its own assembly plant for different car makers. The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is the vehicle that turned Karmann into a household name, and the company went on to assemble several million vehicles over the years, most recently the Chrysler Crossfire. But these days Karmann has hit on hard times, it’s bankrupt. Magna, the giant Canadian supplier put in a big to buy its convertible roof systems, but Bloomberg reports that German anti-trust regulators shot the deal down. And this probably marks the very end of the Karmann name in the automotive business.
E=GM SUED
GM just can’t seem to find any luck with its advertising lately. According to the Detroit News, the company is being sued by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for using the likeness of Albert Einstein in one of its ads for the GMC Terrain. The physicist willed his publicity rights to the university before he died in 1955. But GM claims it purchased the right to use the image from a “reputable firm” which it wouldn’t name. The ad ran only once in People magazine for its “Sexiest Man Alive” issue last September. The university is seeking $75,000 in damages.
U.S. CONGRESS PUSHING EVs
The Detroit News reports that U.S. Congressional leaders will introduce an $11 billion bill today designed to encourage the sales of electric vehicles and the development of an infrastructure to support them. The plan would provide around a billion dollars to between five and eight “deployment communities.” Under the House version, select cities or transportation corridors would be required to get 700,000 electric vehicles on the road in six years. This legislation may sound like a bonanza for carmakers, but they don’t like it. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers warns that a high concentration of EVs in a small number of towns could turn them into “boutique vehicles.” The proposal would require communities to provide a bounty of at least $2,000 to the first 100,000 local consumers that purchase electric vehicles – keep in mind, that’s above and beyond any state incentives AND the 75-hundred dollar federal tax credit.
CHEVY VOLT 2.0
The Chevy Volt isn’t even out yet and talk of the next-generation model is already flying. Edmunds.com Inside Line reports that General Motors is looking at different options for the car’s “range-extender.” Karl Stracke, GM’s new vice president of global vehicle engineering, told Edmunds that a two-cylinder gas engine could do the job and a rotary powerplant is even a viable option. He said a rotary would consume more fuel than a traditional ICE but would be much easier to package in the car. GM is also looking at diesel power for the next-gen Volt.
GARAGE ART
Would you like to make your house stand out in the neighborhood? A company in Germany is offering murals you can attach to your garage door. Over 250 images are available at the website Style-Your-Garage.com, including animals, landscapes, and even Harleys and Minis. The 3D images are made from a high-quality material that you attach to your garage using Velcro ®. The murals can fit on just about any size garage or type. Prices start at $59 and go up depending on the image and how large your door is.
SPYKER C8 LAVIOLETTE
Recently you probably saw our interview with Victor Muller, the founder of Spyker cars, those exotic sports cars that are as expensive as they are rare. But what’s it like to drive one? Come on, we’ll take you for a drive, right after this.
Spyker sports cars are some of the rarest exotics that are out there. Personally, I’ve never even seen one out on the open road. So we recently swung by Galpin Motors in Los Angeles, a dealership that sells exotics, including Spykers, and asked Stuart McIntosh, the dealer’s Brand Manager, to take us for a ride. Here’s what he has to say.
By the way, that Spyker had less than five miles on the odometer when Stuart took us out in the car. You can watch the rest of the video on the John’s Journal page of our website, AutolineDetroit.tv.
Don’t forget to tune in to tune in to Autoline After Hours tonight. Our guest is Sheila Ronis, an expert in military and defense matters. We’ll be talking about the technological cross over between the military and the auto industry. That’s tonight at 7 p.m. EST.
And that’s it for today’s installment of Autoline Daily. Thanks for tuning in; we’ll see you back here tomorrow.
Thanks to our Partners for embedding Autoline Daily on their websites: Autoblog, The Auto Channel, Car Chat, WardsAuto.com and WWJ Newsradio 950
Electric vehicle news from Magna, Mahindra and Nissan. Pininfarina, the Italian design house, controls about 30% of the Chinese design market. Formula One racing is coming back to the U.S. in 2012 but probably not where you would expect. All that and more, plus we find out why the sedan and hatchback versions of the new Ford Fiesta are styled differently.
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Comments (53)
May 27th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
a Diesel would be a nice improvement in the next gen Volt, but I thought they said they focused on far better and cheaper batteries.
As for the U that sues GM, how dod they came up with that insignificant, laughable $0.075 million? (or $0.000075 billion?) Why bother at all, if you are going to sue a $100 billion (or is it $200 billion) corporation and ask for … $0.000075 billion???
May 27th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
So the German government said no to Opel loans because GM already has US taxpayer dough they can use… I hope I’m not the only one thinking this deal stinks.
May 27th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
All this taxpayer money for EV’s and without even considering where they’re gonna be made, at least if it provides jobs AND helps cut our need for imported oil. It would also be meaningful if we forged ahead with nuclear power plants to further cut back on the OPEC factor. But just giving money to electric car buyers makes no sense.
May 27th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
How does German government’s ruling affect the new pact GM made with the Opel Union? I would hope that it’s voided and a new deal is negotiated. Why give those folks such a large say in GM when their country let them down.
May 27th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
I find it ironic that the domestics feel that Americans don’t want the same type of cars that they sell in Europe, yet Americans have spent billions in purchasing European brands. Just a thought!
May 27th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I am 100% for nukes, but you need to understand they will do little to reduce OPEC dependence. Nukes in the US produce ELECRTRICITY, which is currently 50% COAL, 20% nat gas and 3% Oil. The electricity that is used to power EVS will be an INSIGNIFICANT amount compared to the above.
May 27th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
That Spyker is the only car I’ve seen that looks like it’s got matching Prince Alberts in the glove box.
May 27th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
The consumate saleman (in regard to the Spyker test drive; you don’t need stability control, you don’t need sophisticated intrusions to ‘this/our’ visceral sports car (Oh, but we’re gonna charge, big time, for it though) LOL
May 27th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
I am also for using nuclear weapons to solve all our problems, heck we are already killing the ocean – might as well drop a couple of Nukes and end it all.
-
As for the U.S. Congress pushing EVs – I wonder if Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn was betting on something like this to happen, the Nissan Leaf was practically made for this type of goverment push.
May 27th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
@ Salvador:”using nuclear weapons”?? I believe Nicks comments were in reference to “NUKES”….as in nuclear POWER PLANTS.Just a guess…..
May 27th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Thanks, GA, I obviously was not at all referring to any weapons, let alone Nukes! I think Salvador got it too, but his comments were supposed to be humorous or whatever.
May 27th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Yeah! G.A. or whatever Nick gets it, its Like its Ok to use a slang for nuclear weapons or/as the same for nuclear power plants except that no one of reason does that and I’m like that’s funny Or whatever.
May 27th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100527/OEM/100529851/1255
I said it many times, Mercury was a dog that served no useful purpose. I am glad Mullaly finally saw the light and is winding it down.
May 27th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/fusion-ignition-0510.html?tr=y&auid=6399830
And how about finally self-sustaining FUSION?
This is not from some cocka-mammy fly by night community college, but from MIT, and they will build it outside Moscow.
May 27th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
No one will miss Redundant Motors. And as far as Lincoln, get a different design team in there and do away with them toothy grills and start building real luxury cars, not optionec to the max Fords.
May 27th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Congress is spending billion of dollars — money printed from thin air to support EVs. If they feel the need to do this, why not write checks from their own personal funds — and not spending from our grandkids future.
Bill T.
May 27th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Let me be the one to clarify Nick’s previous statement. He meant to write cockamamie, in the sense of nuts. He did not mean ‘cock a mammy’, in the active sense. I hope Pedro wasn’t scandalized.
May 27th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
What some dont understand about EVs is that the one of biggest supplier of lithium is…..china!!! We get off oil and OPEC then have to deal with the new problem China. We dont have lithium in the US..:( from the fring pan into the fire
May 27th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Dave: we have so used to depending on every thing made in China that one more thing won’t make much of a difference, just think if they decided to place an embargo on us, we’ll run out of everything under the sun.
May 27th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
I agree that Mercury is largely a redundant name plate, but when it is dropped, Ford should strongly consider letting some of the existing Lincoln/Mercury dealers sell Ford. If not, they will lose a bunch of sales. Here is what I see: There are a lot of Mercurys in the parking lot of my condo near the beach in the “Space Coast” area in Florida. There are recent Milans and Grand Marquis’s. There are also a couple Sables, and a Montego or two. Nearly all of these cars were bought from a conveniently located Lincoln-Mercury, Jaguar, and Land Rover dealer. The nearest Ford dealer is about 10-12 miles and many stop lights away. While the Ford dealer isn’t that far away, it is clear that these Mercurys have been purchased, mainly by older people, because of the close, convenient location of the Mercury store. If Mercury is dropped and not replaced by Ford at the nearby store, nearly all of these Mercurys will be replaced by Toyotas, Chryslers, Kias, and Nissans, all of which have much more conveniently located dealers than the nearest Ford dealer.
May 27th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
pedro fernandez Says:
May 27th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
“No one will miss Redundant Motors.”
Like the disappearance of Olds, Plymouth, and Pontiac, it is a little sad to see an old marque go away, even when it makes obvious sense to drop it. The ’51 Mercury in that James Dean film won’t be quite the same when Mercurys are no longer made.
May 27th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
Kit: you know what I found even sadder for the domestics is when GM gave up on their best selling line of mid-size coupes and sedans like the Cutlass, Regal, Monte Carlo and Grand Prix etal and just gave that market up for the sake of downsizing. That’s why pickups became more of a personal transportation vehicle because they filled the void left by these cars.
May 27th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Kit: to a lot of older folks, Mercury is a step up from Ford and no matter how much you try to convince otherwise, they will stick to their guns. Just like in the old days, Olds and Buick were a step up from Chevy, but GM’s brilliant downsizing and branding megaplan in the 80′s killed that too!
May 27th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
In the latest CR consumer survey of quality perception, Honda has pulled way ahead of Toyota, but lowly Hyundai is just ahead of Chrysler. What say you? your majesty, The King of Korean automakers?
May 27th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Pedro, Who Cares about CR. The SHEEPOLE know nothing about cars, they think Hyundai still makes Excels. Their point of view should should have no place in quality surveys, especially with the rampant (Fastly growing) car illiteracy rates in this country. On the surverys that really matter Hyundai makes Chyrsler look like a joke. Who Cares what the SHEEPOLE think at least Hyundais dont have parts that fall off the car on the first day after sale, LIKE EVERY CHRYSLER OWNER I KNOW WHO HAS BOUGHT A NEW ONE?
Honda only being ranked so high in consumer perception only reenforces what I have been saying. Honda isnt all that far from Toyota’s troubles, too bad Joe American doesnt know that and thinks Honda is still in its glory days with CRX, Prelude, Old School Accords, Old School Civics, Old Schoolk Acuras etc…
This Whole South Korea thing now will pass. The North Koreans want something. They always do stuff like this when they want concessions of some kind. Strange how we dont negotiate with terrorists (That need to be negotiated with) while at the same time we negotiate with North Korea everytime they fart the wrong way.
Humm.., isnt this the same Hypocritical Foreign Policy that pisses people off enough to plant bombs in cars at Times Square?
Oh well. America, always puts its foot in its mouth.
May 27th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
John,
They say Santa Fe is coming out soon, but where’s the spy shots at? They should have been out months ago. I hear it all of the time about this Santa Fe, and there is not one spy shot I can rustle up despite my extensive hunting for one. Even the Chinese spy guys cant find one for me, and they can and will find anything.
Unless, the Portico Project is the Santa Fe in disguise. If that’s true, then there are plenty of shots and You Tube videos on that one. Whatever it is, it has a Sonata Grille.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoCSC7nu-pU
Peter De Lorenzo, I SO AGREE with you on gas Prices. They should be at least $5 a gallon.
May 27th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
$75,000??? Probably to big to just pay and ignore – others will line up for theirs every time GM does anything. Small enough to write off easy. What a pesty little lawsuit!
May 27th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
I agree with Kit that the Mercury dealers should have a chance to make it as Ford dealers.
All of the old names will be available for “retro” models in the future. ’51 Mercury cues could easily be adapted to an aerodynamic vehicle (hopefully a high performance one). It could be called “The Mercury by Ford” or something like that.
The late model Camaros, Mustangs, T-Birds, Challengers, and Chargers are all good examples of bringing something back in an attractive way. Some fail and others succeed. The Detroit three own so much heritage design, the possibilities are endless.
May 27th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Compare profiles to KIA Sorento Spy Video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGnRZhvcCEE&translated=1
May 27th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
What do you guys think about John, McElroy’s idea from AAH #57 to bring Lincoln Downmarket to get more Volume out of the ML Dealers, as a way to placate worries from ML dealers about demand?
May 28th, 2010 at 6:36 am
Hey Smoke this does not come from CR but from its subscribers and I have yet to see one issue of this mag in any lower income or any third world people’s coffee table. Only in homes of educated, higher income professional types. So your theory is flawed.
May 28th, 2010 at 7:40 am
“dave Says:
May 27th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
What some dont understand about EVs is that the one of biggest supplier of lithium is…..china!!!”
Wrong. BOLIVIA has the biggest reserves of Lithium, and it will supply CHina, who will biuld all these EVs, not the other way around!!!
May 28th, 2010 at 7:44 am
“The ‘51 Mercury in that James Dean film won’t be quite the same when Mercurys are no longer made.”
The thing that made that film what it was was not Mercury, of course, or even what they did to it, but James Dean. If he had an olds or a pontiac instead, who (TODAY) would notice?
“pedro fernandez Says:
May 27th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Kit: to a lot of older folks, Mercury is a step up from Ford and no matter how much you try to convince otherwise, they will stick to their guns. ”
Pedro:
Mercury used to be a 100% CHICK Brand until very recently. Remember when the attractive Thunderbird arrived in 1983 or so, they had to come up with some weird clone of it they called the Mercury Cougar, whose only difference was the left field styling of the roof.
May 28th, 2010 at 7:47 am
I was a big proponent, for years, of a huge rise in the gas prices (and wrote about it as early as 1995 in a technical journal!) instead of the silly-ass CAFE standards that have accomplished nothing, and I still support the idea, even tho HS just woke up and supports it himself…
May 28th, 2010 at 7:48 am
The next CAFE rules may have some positive consequences, though, they have already forced the imports, especially those that only offer performance or luxury cars, to offer them with the smaller and/or diesel engines and much better MPG, so that their fleet average is above the limit.
May 28th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Nick Stevens Says:
May 28th, 2010 at 7:44 am
“The thing that made that film what it was was not Mercury, of course, or even what they did to it, but James Dean. If he had an olds or a pontiac instead, who (TODAY) would notice?”
Take a trip to the James Dean Festival in Fairmount, Indiana on the weekend of September 24. While James Dean himself was the star of the movie, it created a major “cult” of people who collect, restore, and customize early 50′s Mercurys. Many of these cars are in the show at Fairmount. If Dean had driven a Pontiac in the film, these cars would be Pontiacs instead of Mercurys.
May 28th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Well Pedro why is it that every person I know with a Hyundai has a College Degree including myself? Used Hyundai Owners, and some of us Kids who own Accents dont have degrees, but many of them are young and still in school. Now I dont want to sound funny, but from my experience Elantra owners have the lowest proportion of educated buyers in the Hyundai line.
Hyundai is a brand of Age extremes still. 25-35s and 65+ still make up the core base. Liberals regardless of age drive Accents and Elantras for the most part. The larger cars still attract a mostly older conservative base.
As John Krafick states the Hyundai buyer is a non-conformist. A different kind of non-conformist than SAAB. CR only shows why the American Car Consumer as a Whole is a big ass cry baby, who’s perceptions are based on Tea Party like rumors and speculation.
Believe it or not, If Hyundai’s sales got to more than Double what it is today in America Id consider leaving the brand. All of those new faces with their Crap ideas from Toy/Lex and Honda/Acura, etc… are going to screw this brand’s nice steady but marked evolution up.
The product has been evolving for years, and like fine wine it ages sweet!!! The Accent has come a long way for example from the first Accent I bought, and this progress will continue. If we had a ton of Yaris and Fit buyers jumping ship, they will seriously screw that car up, because Accent’s evolution in the long run is to be an Icon of its class. Fit and Yaris well, they need some name continuity and nameplate longevity with consistent refinement and marked improvement with each new car. Not Typical New Honda/Toyota half assed improvement. If a bunch of MINI and Golf drivers jumped ship then that’s fine, because they actually have something to contribute to the new direction Hyundai is going. Id rather add Prius Drivers than Yaris Drivers. Yaris and Fit are the old school way of doing a car like that, cheap quality and woefully overpriced for what it offers.
By the way, You hardly see a GM Owner with a Degree, well except for Cadillac Drivers. Im sorry but when I think GM I think about Chevys with NASCAR decals and Rebel Flags, before I think about Cadillac.
May 28th, 2010 at 9:54 am
We’re not trying to get everybody to jump ship, just a few from all brands that’s all. Hyundai is doing everything its own way, and catering to what their customers want (A Critical mass of Hyundai Fans was reached a few years back that wanted Hyundai to be bolder), not the critics. The Non Conformist mind from all brands, and every brand has that camp of people. Those are the ones we want.
Its always the non conformers that give brands a chance that sheepole would otherwise smurk at. That’s why Mitsubishi hasnt left yet and VW.
If you think this is something, wait until KIA really takes off. When KIA really takes off it will outsell Hyundai maybe as much as 2 to 1.
Right now Hyundai is diversifying its customer base. Keep and build the amount of kids (Gen Y) in the brand (Next Year’s American Offensive- with tremendous amount of small car products), and then draw others from different demographics (The Offensive over the past few years-Professional Gen Xers who were teenagers when the Excel first came out and 50 something baby Boomers) as well.
The Old Order of Brands is an Anarchy too. The HKAG Non Coformists like myself, some of the VW Guys, the GM Guys are the leaders in the Vangaurd in changing the old order.
I dont count Ford as I think that’s a certifiable Sheepole Brand.
May 28th, 2010 at 10:03 am
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/27/report-ford-said-to-be-shutting-doors-at-mercury/
proof that even today, Mercury=CHICK CAR.
May 28th, 2010 at 10:07 am
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2939a.shtml
Motorweek this weekend will show this test: the Equinox vs the Sorrento and the Equinox kicks its butt, with an impressive Actual average 29 MPG (you can’t get 29 average even from civic-sized tiny comapacts, much less from 4,000 lbs SUVs!!!
May 28th, 2010 at 10:12 am
“Date: May 2010
Miles: 13,000
..
After eight months and over 13,000 miles, fuel economy from our Soul’s optional 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and four-speed automatic has ticked up to 26.6 miles per gallon of regular.”
What is wrong with this picture???
The tiny, ridiculous Kia Soul gets a mere 26.6 MPG when the almost twice as heavy, 182 HP Equinox gets 29.3 MPG?
Maybe Kia should offer a DECENT engine and MPG on this tiny POS???
May 28th, 2010 at 10:14 am
The Nissan Cube, another automotive atrocity, BARELY beat the equinox, with 29.8 vs 29.5 miles average.
“While its quirky top hat styling also lends to quirky highway manners, we continue to be impressed with its open-road fuel economy: 29.8 miles per gallon of regular and rising after 10 months and over 14,000 miles.”
A car as small and as tiny engined as this should get 35 to 40 average.
May 28th, 2010 at 11:07 am
The Nissan Cube got substantially better mileage than a 4 cylinder Equinox in Consumer Reports tests, 28 mpg “overall” for the Cube, vs. 21 for the Equinox. The cars are obviously not equal, though. The tested Equinox weighed 3945 pounds vs 2855 for the Cube, and the Equinox was AWD. The Cube, with a CVT is at its best in CR’s city driving cycle where it got 21 mpg vs 14 for the Equinox. Kia Soul got 19 in the city test.
May 28th, 2010 at 11:15 am
The KIA uses an Old powertrain from the outgoing Spectra Mated to an Ancient Tranny. They will continue to do so, until the time is right to put 1.6 Gamma and 2.0 Nu engines in it.
Small Hyundais will get those engines first.
May 28th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Kit: the equinox is not even a car, it is a 4,000 SUV! And you also should add that the Equinox 182 HP Engine is far more potent than that of the Kia!
The version tested by CR got very low MPG, it is probably an AWD, but even then it is way too high. The 29.3 MPG is truly spectacular. The same Motorweek test got 27.3 MPG for the BMW X5 with the DIESEL. One can compare the two MW tests that do the same mixed loop driving, without reference to any CR test, and the Equinox is again VERY IMPRESSIVE since it beats the DIESEL in the same test conducted by the same organization.
To use the very low 21 MPG CR result, one must make sure they talk abiout the same vehicle, and also one must compare with CR numbers on rival SUVs like the Sorrento, which got only 25 MPG in the same MW test.
It is no wonder that the Equinox has been such a stellar Sales home run for GM, it is probably their only model (and they had quite a few good ones lately!) which had to be produced at a second plant after they could not meet the demand even with three shifts or whatever in the first plant.
May 28th, 2010 at 11:37 am
The Equinox has Direct Injection and the Sorrento doesnt. Considering that, I wouldnt brag Nick. One day that Sorrento will get Direct inecjtion too, and well see about that test again.
When it does I know for a fact you wont like it. HKAG DI tech is more advanced than GMs. A Sorrento with DI could get 20 more Ponies than 2.4 Equinox, and probably 33-34 MPG on the Highway. Its obvious that it is.
The Trucks wont get DI tech for a while however. They have to push it in the cars first, then bring it to the trucks.
Its a cost and priority thing. Whats more important, trying to make sure that an Elantra can get 40 MPG, or making sure that Sorrento gets just 34 MPG?
May 28th, 2010 at 11:39 am
GMs DI tech is also Cheaper than HKAGs, hence the inferior performance.
May 28th, 2010 at 11:43 am
I meant way too LOW (the 21 MPG for CR)
If anyone has seen any other real-life tests of the base 2WD Equinox (that’s the one with 32 MPG highway!), we could use them!
May 28th, 2010 at 11:45 am
“HyundaiSmoke Says:
May 28th, 2010 at 11:37 am
The Equinox has Direct Injection and the Sorrento doesnt. Considering that, I wouldnt brag Nick.”
Why the hell would *I* brag??? I have no ties with GM. And who cares about the above? The consumer wants RESULTS.
But GM can be fully jsutified to brag about the Equinox. Just compare the SALES NUMBERS. And even tho GM offers a ton of different suv’s, which of course dilute the buyer base, the Equinox is kicking the Sorrento’s butt big time!
May 28th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
You have a point Nick, but for a product that used to get half the sales of what it gets now that Sorento is coming on strong. With the right tweaks I think that truck will really give the power to surprise.
I do have to admit the Equinox is a very compelling buy to the shopper. The Sorento is too, however. It depends on what the shopper wants. I personally wouldnt buy any HKAG product anymore until it has GDI. I mean I love HKAG, but Im going to be truthful that GDI is where you want to be as the buyer.
Its a protest decline to purchase from me. They should have had GDi in that thing from day one, unless….. Santa Fe gets the GDi first, and since its a Hyundai it probably will.
May 28th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Nick Stevens Says:
May 28th, 2010 at 11:36 am
“Kit: the equinox is not even a car, it is a 4,000 SUV! And you also should add that the Equinox 182 HP Engine is far more potent than that of the Kia!”
The Soul and Cube are “tall wagons,” the Cube being only one inch and Soul three inches less tall than the Equinox. For comparison, a Golf is 8 inches lower than the Chevy.
Yes, as I said in post 43, the Equinox tested by CR was an AWD.
I don’t know the details of CR’s “city” test, but it returns very low numbers. They measured 24 and 14 in their city cycle for a Mini and Malibu Maxx like mine, but, in my driving I’ve never seen mileage nearly that low for either car.
May 28th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
The 4 cylinder AWD Equinox and the diesel X5 were as close as two vehicles ever get in CR’s mileage tests. They were no more than 1 mpg apart in any of the tests. The X5 did better, 22-21 in the “overall” mileage, but the Equinox beat the X5, 30-29 in the “highway” test.
May 28th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Nick Stevens Says:
May 28th, 2010 at 11:43 am
“I meant way too LOW (the 21 MPG for CR)
If anyone has seen any other real-life tests of the base 2WD Equinox (that’s the one with 32 MPG highway!), we could use them!”
The Equinox that got 21 “overall” in CR’s tests was an AWD 4 cylinder. I’d like to see them test the FWD version, but they haven’t done so.