waymondospiff

6/2 is definitely the earliest I ever remember a Job1 for the CD3s. Normally they run around September I think. And I'm glad the Flex and MKS are both in May. That means an on-sale of late June/early July, right? Also, does anyone know how progressive the F-150 Job1s will be? I remember during other m/y cutovers with significant changes taking several months due to the number of plants involved. Any idea on this? Thanks! Scott

2008 EuroAccord 2008 Acura TSX 2007 NA Accord I see more in common between the EuroAccord & the NA Accord than the EuroAccord & the TSX. So, I don't think it's a safe bet to assume they'll be identical. And any 3-Series is going to cost SIGNIFICANTLY more than the TSX. That's why the TSX can sell - it's just about the cheapest "premium" branded car in the market. I don't see any real reason why this model is going to fail when the last one did well. Scott

2009 European Honda Accord 2008 American Honda Accord The posted link shows the EuroAccord, not the TSX. Checking out the VTEC forum makes it sound like this is probably the interior we're getting, but it's not a sure thing. The "opps, we didn't really mean to release this"-release from Acura at least kept the interior from being shown. Assuming this is the interior of the TSX, it is a similar "theme" to the NA Accord, but it's definitely a unique and more upscale look. I doubt people will confuse the two! I will agree that the current TSX is suffering from the "so what" effect after nearly five years on the market. Hopefully the new model will inject some new life into the model. And a point about not matching the competition: what competition? The TSX competes with lower-end S40s & 9-3s and that's about it. Now, you could argue that there isn't really a market that the TSX captures and instead it draws from the high-end midsize market (Passat, Camry V6, & Accord V6) or from the low-end of the subluxury market (MKZ, CTS, TL, ES/IS, 3-Series, etc.) I can support either theory, but I think the TSX remains a car of value to Acura and hope they continue to update & market the car. Scott

Well, Chrysler desparately needs new V6 engines for two reasons: one, fuel economy standards mean not EVERYTHING can be a Hemi, and two, the current 2.7L & 3.5L are overdue for replacement. Weren't Chrysler & Mercedes sharing the Phoenix development? If so, is it still a MB-Chryco partnership, or did MB divest or keep the program in-house? Quite a few possibilities. But Chrysler certainly needs a better V6 engine. Of course, they could always just start sourcing VQs for their midsizers. hint hint Scott

Ford's options: 1. Continue selling the outdated but effective Econoline. 2. Redesign the Econoline as a "traditional" fullsize van. 3. Sell the existing Econoline and the existing Transit. 4. Redesign the Transit to "upgrade" its capabilities to fully replace both Transit and Econoline. 5. Redesign the Transit and the Econoline - market them both as work vans, one light duty and the other heavy duty. Which one is highest profit? Which one is lowest cost? And how much are cost and profit linked in this equation? I say go with number 4. But that's my opinion. Any others? Scott

This is something that I've thought should happen for a long time. The simple reason: how many people "custom order" a car? I don't want anecdotes like "I always order my cars" because that means nothing. Are there actual numbers on % share? And, more importantly, how many of those customers would refuse to buy your car because they have to get power adjustable pedals with their keyless ignition system? The most important aspects to "personalization" are car color and custom wheels. I doubt Ford is going to change the availability of colors (I would actually advocate more exterior/interior palletes and combinations...) and custom wheels are generally an aftermarket item anyway. I think Ford will figure out a way to make this highly beneficial - a win-win for dealers, customers, and the company. Good show! Scott

It's not the first. The current TSX is actually lower with the manual vs. the auto. There are a handful of other models that are all "manual impaired." As far as these people claiming the TSX is a dud, have you driven one? Brilliant car. Brilliant. The interior hasn't been released yet, so it's hard to say whether the TSX & Accord share an interior - the last two didn't. In fact the TSX's interior differed from the EuroAccord even (On which the TSX is derived, and the previous EuroAccord & AmeriAccord had extremely similar interiors.) I quite like the current TSX and would consider the second gen. if I were in the market. Also, there is a WORLD of difference from the local, high pressure, dumpy Honda dealer and an Acura dealer. That alone is almost worth the premium... Scott

It's not the most attractive vehicle ever (you'd think Ford could at least give it an American-ized nose) but it's going to be an awesome little vehicle for Ford NA. Thoughts... 1. 143 cu ft of cargo space? That's more than a minivan or a Yukon XL/Suburban. Impressive. 2. 2.0L 4cyl & automatic? Not exactly a rocket. Is this the Zetec or the Rocam (?) or the Duratec/MZR? 3. 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway is the best they have to offer? I'd expect better. However, I'm guessing that real-world vs. a larger V8 van is more significant than these two numbers would lead you to believe. Anyone else? Scott

I do forget how blase an auto show can be. I've been at Detroit every year for 17 years now and I made it to LA this past year. After doing NAIAS & now LA you just start to expect EVERY autoshow to be that large and flashy, but obviously, those two are exceptions, not the rule. Philly however... Scott

I have to agree with several of the above comments...the new Accord is a big let down (exterior - eh, interior - ugh), the current CR-V is not attractive, the Ridgeline is silly, the Odyssey looks bug-eyed, and this Pilot proposal is a definite mis-step. The S2000 is still a sharp car, if not bland for a roadster and the Fit & Civic both remain different and interesting...but three cars does not make a lineup. Same for Acura - the TSX is nice, the TL & RL not quite as nice but not bad, but the new RDX & MDX are just not attractive. I hope Honda can sort out their design language/concept, even if I'm not a target Honda consumer, I know since it says "Honda" I'll have to see a LOT of them on the road, and I at least want to look at something attractive. Scott

"Facts" in quotes is correct, 'cause here's info from the US Census Bureau's 2004 report: Median household incomes, given for the 50th percentile, all figures inflation adjusted and displayed in 2003 dollars. Median (50th) 2003 - $43,318; 1991 - $39,679; 1979 - $38,649; 1967 - $33,338 Whenever I here complaints about how "rough" it is for the middle class these days and how it's so hard to "get by" today as compared to before I reflect on my childhood... -I grew up with one telephone, it was a party line shared with the neighbors. No cell phones for everyone in the family. -We had two cars, one Plymouth Horizon and one Plymouth Duster. Both manuals, neither with air conditioning, leather interior, ABS brakes, sunroof, power windows/locks/mirrors, cruise control, air bags, etc. -We had one TV. It was color. We had an antenna on the house to get the local NBC/ABC/CBS/PBS and later on Fox channels and on a clear day we could get the CBC out of Windsor. No big screen TV with cable or satellite, plus the movie channel extras and the sports pack. -Dinner was what was on sale at the store, hot dogs, macaroni & cheese, chicken & noodles, beef tips & rice. If we were really splurging we might have pork chops on the grill. And for a special occasion we might go out - Pizza Hut or Bob Evans was fine dining. Today, tonight actually, my girlfriend and I ate a relatively common dinner and the bill came to $45 dollars for the two of us. -My "game system" was playing outside. Or in my room with toys. Very few things I owned needed batteries. For Christmas this year my cousins got a Nintendo Wii, plus an extra controller, and four games to start out with. I was told it was in the $400-500 dollar range for their Wii. So before I delve into more stories of my childhood and bore everyone to death, here's my point: the "average" American spends a lot more money than they did before. But this isn't necessarily because of a crush on the middle class, but rather due to voluntary spending by most Americans. Also, "Furious" I think you might be interested in the FairTax I mentioned above. Take a look at how the middle class does under the FairTax vs. the current tax system - there's an article by Boston University economist Laurence Kotlikoff detailing how a theoretical middle-class family can enjoy a 27.9-33.5% INCREASE in their annual living standards simply by changing our tax system. Honestly, I don't care, but doesn't this deserve some "penalty box" time? Seriously. Scott

Doesn't really jive with... Employment numbers are stable and wage rates have risen at a rate now outpacing other industrialized nations. You have a very telling anecdotal story, however, this study is factual, not anecdotal and we're all advise to weight the two sources of information accordingly. Here's one idea: FairTax - it would remove the tax component from doing business in the US, both the compliance cost (millions of dollars spent to calculate how much money you owe the government?) and it helps the US manufacturers stand on even footing with other global manufacturers (namely Europe where the VAT tax is refunded on exports.) But I don't want to get preachy - there are other ideas as well. Scott

A recall on the Fit and everyone jumps all over it? Maybe it's just the split personality disorder of bon.com, but seriously, the Fit is a brilliant little car and I'm hoping the Verve is as good as the Fit. Even with a sensor recall, I'd still buy a new Fit. Scott

Just as an FYI - The list is: 1. Honda Accord (2008) 2. Nissan Altima (2007) 3. Chevy Malibu (2008) 4. Hyundai Sonata (2006) 5. Toyota Camry (2007) 6. Ford Fusion (2006) 7. Dodge Avenger (2008) This makes the Fusion & Sonata the oldest cars in the test and the Sonata already got it's midcycle refresh. Ford can't always have the newest model in every class, so this is an understandable finish for the Fusion; not desireable, understandable. I'd expect to see a 2.5L/6AT 2009 Fusionto rank above the Camry & Sonata. And if I had to bet on Epsilon or CD3, my money'd be on CD3. Scott

Are we lining up to take sides? I'm not about to read the 19-page summary of a manufacturing research study, but this is very telling: 1-US manufacturing grew more productive, especially during the 90s, whereas other countries' productivity improvements slowed. 2-US productivity grew while the total number employed in manufacturing and the total hours worked ("# employed" x "work week") stayed the same. Contrast this with other countries who saw a decline in both number employed & total hours worked. 3-US wage rates & labour costs have risen less quickly than in other countries, however, in the 90s that trend changed and the US has outpaced wage rate & labour cost increases in comparison. But this requires thought and reasoning skills. It's much easier to say "NAFTA is evil." There you go. Scott

If that's a Milan, it's getting a bigger revision than I had expected - different window line & different door skins. The picture appears to have different proportions than a CD3 car - it looks taller, more like a D3 - but the elements look pretty much like a Milan (door cuts, roof/trunk transition, etc.) Whatever, it's not a Lincoln - you can see the "edges" of the headlamps through the camouflage and they don't wrap around like the MKS, which is almost certain to carry to the new MKZ. Scott

Did no one read the article? "The concept debuting in Detroit will be wearing very masculine GMC styling cues, however, and sounds as if it will be billed as a unibody pickup." -and- "click above for more high-res pics of the 2003 Holden Crewman" -and- "...the obvious upside that if the GMC four-door ute is popular with the public, it can be sold in Australia as Holden's replacement for the Crewman, which wasn't updated along with the rest of the Ute lineup last year." So, the pictured vehicle ISN'T what is going to be shown in NY. It's simply the last generation model sold in Australia. If GM is serious about bringing this over it'll probably look much different than the pictured vehicle. Also, the GMC brand is a great home for this model - it will get more attention and more credibility sharing space with the Sierra than sharing space with the HHR. And anyway, is this any "less" of a GMC than the Acadia, the best-selling version of GM's Lambda platform? And finally - there is a very good reason that GM is showing this: "...since GM knows that demand for trucks in the future has to be satisfied with vehicles that are more fuel efficient than body-on-frame trucks. A recent spate of unibody truck concepts...show that automakers are very interested in switching to lighter unibody platforms for vehicles that have traditionally been truck-based." CAFE standards, pure and simple. If this little car/truck means GM can build more Silverados than it's a very, very smart move. Scott

That's it! I knew it was something: Looking at it again today, for the second time, it's not awful or repulsive...but I don't find it particularly attractive. At all. Maybe it's like the Lexus SC430 Convertible - I don't really like it in any way, shape, or form, but rich older men (and women around 40 & up) seem to really like it - that's the only type of people you see tooling around in them. And honestly, I can't afford an SC430 and I'm not in the market for a $35-40K personal coupe. So, to Cadillac, I say build it. You don't need my approval. Scott

Seconded. Proof - Mazda6 Sportswagon...brilliant. Sales? Nada. Scott

Venza? Eh. In pictures it doesn't look quite right - like the front end and back end don't go together. Or like someone shot it with a wide angle lens like all those pictures of dog's noses on greeting cards. But there you go. It's a Toyota, so, if it's priced between $25-35K they'll sell everyone they can make, probably something like 100K/year. The Flex is far more interesting. Scott

"No" from me. I like the sedan, but this looks like some kind of bizarre oragami experiment. Scott

Didn't I just read there is going to be a significant (one year or longer gap) between the Flex and the Lincoln version? If that's true isn't it rather early to be showing the MKT? Silvrsvt, I think it's been stated that the Fusion will NOT be at the show...rather turning up in NY in April. But I may just be making it all up too. Scott

Oh, so he was...my fault. Well then - the Edge isn't really any bigger - but it does weigh a HECK of a lot more! Hopefully the Edge will be one of the first vehicles to be lightened under Ford's new environmentally friendly design guide. Scott

I know you're just trying to rile people up with that comment, but seriously? If this were on a unique platform people would be moaning "All that development cost for one low-volume vehicle" or "they'll never sell 400k again, why so much money" or "I won't buy it - it's too wussie without BOF" etc. For anyone who really thinks that... Camry Chassis - Camry, ES350, Avalon, Sienna, Highlander, RX350 D3 Chassis - Taurus/Sable, Taurus X, MKS, Flex, MK(F?), Explorer ...so where exactly is Ford overstretched yet Toyota, selling >600k/year on one chassis, right on the money? Scott

I have to look harder to find the dissimilarities than I do to find the similarities. I guess it's good that it appears all-new to the buying public - I would have thought it to be roundly rejected like the "not all-new as was claimed" Freestar, Explorer, 2005 Focus, & 2005 Escape. But if it looks "all-new" to some/most/nearly-all people then hey - power to Ford! Eh, not really: 2008 Ford Escape Limited FWD - 3.0L V6 200hp - 18c/24h - 3387lbs - 174.7in long & 71.1in wide 2008 Ford Mustang GT Deluxe - 4.6L V8 300hp - 15c/23h - 3500lbs - 187.6in long & 74.0in wide 2008 Ford Mustand V6 Deluxe - 4.0L V6 210hp - 17c/26h - 3345lbs - 187.6in long & 74.0in wide 2008 Toyota RAV4 Sport V6 FWD - 3.5L V6 269hp - 19c/27h - 3549lbs - 181.1in long & 73.0in wide 2008 Ford Edge SEL FWD - 3.5L V6 265hp - 16c/24h - 4078lbs - 185.7in long & 75.8in wide The Escape just has kinda lousy fuel economy numbers. Not awful - but low enough to take it off of my consideration list. Scott