Auto News For Wednesday, December 16, 2015 - Infiniti Readies A 400-Horsepower Q50

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories and videos for Wednesday, December 16, 2015.

HORSEPOWER
Ever since Infiniti restored its G nameplate in 2002, the brand's entry-level sedan has been anything but short on power. But for the 2016 model year, Infiniti's G35/G37 successor, the Q50, will be offered with even more power, including a 400-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6. There will also be a 300-horsepower V6 and a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder with 208 horsepower, an engine you know from the Mercedes-Benz CLA250, Mercedes-Benz GLA250, Mercedes-Benz Metris, and Infiniti's new Q30 and QX30.

SLC
As pitiful as alphanumeric names so often are, Mercedes-Benz appeared to have built up some cachet with the SLK roadster. So they're throwing it away, just as they've tossed overboard the M-Clas, GL-Class, and GLK-Class. The SLK is now the SLC, and replacing the SLK55 AMG is this Mercedes-AMG SLC43. Replacing the 5.5L V8 is a 3.0L twin-turbo V6. So what's the deal with the 43 part?

TTAC
Ford's four former core brands at the Blue Oval's Premier Automotive Group haven't completely gone their separate ways – Jaguar and Land Rover remain paired at India's Tata Motors. But Chinese-owned Volvo and Ford-owned Lincoln and the JLR tandem are now isolated entities. How has their status been affected in the U.S. over the last decade?

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
To what degree can Volkswagen turn the tide of public opinion if the company introduces an all-electric Microbus at the CES next month? Likely not as far as Volkswagen could turn the tide if they delivered a production Microbus with a mass-appeal powertrain, a vehicle that would appear on driveways near you in 2017.

WATCH
We're big fans of the new Mini Clubman. After Mini flubbed the first-generation, the new Clubman is a genuinely spacious Mini, but with more handsome proportions than the 5-door. And the barn doors do look cool, even though they're a bit of a nuisance.

Auto News For November 24, 2015 - Audi Has A 3.0L Diesel Software Fix

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories, recalls and videos for Tuesday, November 24, 2015.

FUTURE
BMW’s latest Concept Compact Sedan is a handsome little thing that previews a sub-3-Series entry-level BMW. The car was introduced at an auto show in Guangzhou, China, but there’s no reason to believe this couldn’t be a global model. 

DIESEL
There’s a fix for 3.0L diesel engines, Audi announced yesterday. The software update needs to be approved by the EPA and CARB, but the news suggests that 85,000 Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen vehicles with the 3.0L diesel can be remedied with software alone. 

DETROIT
Jaguar and Land Rover won’t display cars at the upcoming North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. The two Indian-owned British luxury automakers prefer to emphasize auto shows in New York and Los Angeles. 

REVIEW
The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Neil praises the new fourth-gen Lexus RX plenty, but also notes that, "The preproduction RX I drove sounds kind of thrumming and unhappy in the lower rpms, around town, and the 8-speeder shifts like it’s just trying to stay busy.” 

WATCH 
Curiously, Fiat USA’s recent commercial, featuring Pentatonix, aired during the American Music Awards and failed to display in any meaningful way the company’s latest model, the 500X.

Auto News For Wednesday, November 18, 2015 - Fiat 124 Spider Is A Less Attractive Mazda MX-5 Miata

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories, recalls and videos for Wednesday, November 18, 2015.

FIAT
Time was, we thought this car would turn out to be an Alfa Romeo. But here it is, the Fiat version of the new Mazda MX-5 Miata. So if you want a less attractive Mazda MX-5 Miata, you’ll seen be able to get a Fiat 124 Spider.

LINCOLN
Remember when Ford’s Premiere Automotive Group held brands like Aston Martin, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Lincoln? They’re separate entities now (except for Land Rover and Jaguar) with different owners. But for some reason, Lincoln just stole Jaguar’s grille for its facelifted MKZ, which will also be available with a unique-to-Lincoln 3.0L twin-turbocharged 400-horsepower V6.

HONDA
The new tenth-gen Civic sedan is already on sale. Now we know what the Civic Coupe looks like. It’s not the prettiest car on the block, but it’s not as dull or bloated as the ninth-gen Civic two-door.

JAGUAR
Now that we know the Jaguar XE will be really rather affordable, it’s important to know whether evo magazine thinks it’s a great car to drive. Says evo, “The XE thunders straight to the top of the class."

WATCH 
Surely the ideal Consumer Reports reader overlaps with the target market for the Toyota Prius, right? Here’s Consumer Reports’ first video of the fourth-generation 2016 Toyota Prius.

Auto News For Monday, November 9, 2015 - Volkswagen’s October U.S. Sales Volume Increased

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories, recalls and videos for Monday, November 9, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
Although Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover is on a roll, a China slowdown has forced the automaker to dramatically cut costs to the tune of USD $6.8 billion. Jaguar and Land Rover need to build more vehicles, but the vehicles need to be built at a lower cost. 

AMERICAN MUSCLE
At this time last year, the sixth-generation Ford Mustang was beginning to wend its way into the hearts and minds of muscle car buyers. One year later – just this past weekend – General Motors began delivering its first copies of the sixth-generation, 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. 

CADILLAC
As car sales fade, is a full-size, value-priced luxury sedan, Cadillac’s new CT6, the answer for a struggling Cadillac brand? That seems highly unlikely, particularly since interest in Cadillac’s cars are fading especially rapidly and as SUVs carry the brand forward. 

TTAC
Earlier last week, prior to the Cadillac article, GCBC’s role at TTAC was to examine Volkswagen’s U.S. sales outcome for the month of October, the first full month of sales since the diesel emissions scandal broke in late September. And yes, Volkswagen sold more new vehicles in October 2015 than they did in October 2014. 

WATCH 
It’s not the first video review of the current Ford Escape you’ve seen. But nobody goes into more detail than our friend Alex Dykes, of Alex On Autos, and the Escape remains relevant. It’s Canada’s top-selling SUV/crossover; the Escape ranks second in America.

Auto News For Friday, May 22, 2015 - Mazda Says Driving Matters, Not Zoom Zoom

Here are the six must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Friday, May 22, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO BUSINESS
GM's poor safety record related to the company's recent ignition issues has caused the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to mandate  monthly meetings between government officials and the automaker for at least another year. Call it oversight; call it babysitting; call it what you may. The GM ignition switch failure is now tied to 104 deaths, and a NHTSA lawyer called the order to disclose and meet, a "productive and effective tool," according to The Detroit News.

INSIDE THE AUTO MARKETING BUSINESS
Remember Zoom Zoom? It didn't make you buy enough Mazdas. So on the same line of thinking, Mazda now says, "Driving matters." According to an ad for the new MX-5 Miata, "You might not need it. But can you live without it?" Should an automaker be telling me I don't need their product? Or should they be, "You can't live without it," a nice declarative, affirmative statement?

INSIDE THE MINIVAN BUSINESS
Is Stow'N'Go a no go? If Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is going to install the hideaway third and second row seats and install all-wheel-drive, the AWD system may need to use electric motors to power the rear wheels. Now that workers are back on the job at FCA's minivan factory in Windsor, Ontario, it's probably about time FCA decides what they're doing with the new vans.

RECALL
The Ford Motor Company is recalling 21,435 Lincoln MKZ sedans (model year 2015) because, "the parking lights do not reduce their light output from a DRL level when used in conjunction with the headlights."

REVIEW
In a Car & Driver comparison test between Mercedes' new 2016 AMG GT S, the Porsche 911 GTS, and the Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, the winner is.... not the Jag.

WATCH
The era of David Letterman's Late Show on CBS is over. But Letterman was more than just a comedic talk show host, he's also a car nut. Here he is with Maximum Bob Lutz looking at a then new Chevrolet Volt on the Late Show stage.

PHOTO COMPARISON OF TEN LARGE LUXURY SEDANS

To the human eye, shape trumps detail more often than not. The grandeur of a palace will grab your attention even if the colour of its bricks are not to your liking. The silhouette of a woman's body is most likely going to stop a man in his tracks despite the fact that her eyes are too close together and her nose is too wide. A thick t-bone steak cut by the best butcher in Texas will have you salivating.... right up until you see that it's 45% fat.

Likewise, the profile of a beautful new car, particularly as it passes you at high speed, will hold you spellbound. Maybe you hate twin-kidney grilles or bulbous fenders or angular taillights or oversized wheels, but the initial moment in which you spotted the shape of the vehicle will forever remain etched on your automotive conscience.

Yet automobiles basically come in only a handful of shapes. You have 1-box minivans, 2-box hatchbacks and wagons, 3-box sedans, wedge-like supercars and mid-engine roadsters, and back-on-its-haunches rear-wheel drive performance cars. Or, to be more specific, almost every vehicle's shape could fall under the heading of: Dodge Grand Caravan, Volvo V70, Honda Accord, Lamborghini Gallardo, and Ford Mustang. Agreeing with that analysis doesn't mean you don't see differences - huge differences - between a Chevrolet Corvette and a Nissan 370Z. In fact, if anything, agreeing with that analysis only praises the talent of automotive designers who continue to work with the consistent limitations presented by four wheels, a powerplant, a cabin, and cargo space.

Now look at one vehicle segment, expanded slightly for the purposes of this article, for evidence of designer talent when styling large, high-end 3-box sedans. Because the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide are actually hatchbacks and thus strikingly different in overall shape, they're not appearing in pictures after the jump. But ten other big sedans, including a concept and a heavy-duty whippersnapper from Korea, are shown, all with emphasis on profile. We'll all have unique guttural reactions to certain cars while finding others forgettable and some downright offensive. Deep down, these cars are rivals. However, they're seen competing in a high-dollar arena where personal design preference holds far more weight than financing deals or brake horsepower figures. Click through the jump to decide for yourself.

Audi A8

Bentley Continental Flying Spur

BMW 7-Series

Cadillac Sixteen

Hyundai Equus

Jaguar XJ

Lexus LS

Maserati Quattroporte

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Rolls-Royce Ghost

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net

Large Luxury Car Sales Stats

2011 Audi A8 Gallery

Low Volume Automaker Sales In The USA - June 2010

Top 10 Most Expensive Sedans In The World

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING LUXURY AUTO BRANDS IN AMERICA - JULY 2010

Historically, American automotive manufacturers have been criticized for.... well, basically giving customers what they've wanted. Customers, you see, have wanted SUVs and tall crossovers; utility vehicles of one kind or another. Domestic automakers understood this and supplied these vehicles. The populace didn't take kindly to Government General Motors keeping its truck brand, GMC, while killing off its import-fighting brand, Saturn. Yet GMC is one of America's ten most popular auto brands.

Luxury automakers like Cadillac and Lincoln were especially harshly spoken of. The Escalade and Navigator didn't represent forward-thinking environmental consciousness, critics said. Lo and behold, and however, luxury automakers from Sweden and Japan (Volvo, Acura, Lexus) whose best-selling models in July 2010 were utility vehicles, formerely known as SUVs or car-based SUVs or CUVs or crossovers. 

During a month in which truck/SUV/van sales rose sharply in comparison with July 2009, we shouldn't be surprised that many luxury automakers require their SUVs if success is to be assured. The Top 10 Best-Selling Luxury Auto Brands are below. Porsche, for the record, sold 2,703 vehicles in July in the USA, up 75% from last year.

#10 - Jaguar/Land Rover: +46% to 3,808
Best Seller: Range Rover Sport
Slowest Seller: Jaguar XK

#9 - Volvo: -33% to 4,319

Best Seller: Volvo XC60

Slowest Seller: Volvo V50

#8 - Lincoln: -16.3% to 5,586

Best Seller: Lincoln MKZ

Slowest Seller: Lincoln Town Car

#7 - Audi: +22% to 7,817

Best Seller: Audi A4

Slowest Seller: Audi R8

#6 - Infiniti: +37.6% to 9,764

Best Seller: Infiniti G

Slowest Seller: Infiniti EX

#5 - Acura: +50.3% to 13,017
Best Seller: Acura MDX

Slowest Seller: Acura RL

#4 - Cadillac: +141.8% to 14,919
Best Seller: Cadillac SRX

Slowest Seller: Cadillac XLR

#3 - Mercedes-Benz: +7% to 17,367
Best Seller: Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Slowest Seller: Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen

#2 - Lexus: +0.4% to 18,595
Best Seller: Lexus RX

Slowest Seller: Lexus SC

#1 - BMW: +16.4% to 19,064
Best Seller: BMW 3-Series

Slowest Seller: BMW Z4

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net

U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - August 2010
U.S. Sales Of Compact Luxury & Small Luxury - July 2010
Top 10 Best-Selling Luxury Auto Brands In America - June 2010

Top 10 Best-Selling Auto Brands In America - July 2010

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In America - July 2010
Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Amerirca - July 2010
Large Car & Large Luxury Car Sales In America - July 2010

THE NEW JAGUAR XJ - INTERESTING NUMBERS

Back in July, GoodCarBadCar.net went in-depth with the new Jaguar XJ's pricing. Then in August, the XJ's pricing was analysed for differences in Germany, the U.S., and the UK. We know there's a whole lot of horsepower, a completely (and utterly, totally, wildly) new look, and - as always - a field full of competitors which routinely sell in significantly higher Numbers than does the Jaguar XJ.

For something different, The Good Car Guy has plucked out certain Numbers pertaining to the 2010 Jaguar XJ that will make you nudge the person sitting beside you and say, "Hey, did you know the new XJ has....?" before realizing that you don't know the person sitting next to you and they don't want you bumping their elbow.

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6.0 - seconds required for the new Jaguar XJ diesel (a 3.0L twin-turbo) to reach 60 miles per hour, although it ain't about to reach North America at all

50 - percentage of the Jaguar XJ's aluminum body made up of recycled materials

400 - total Computational Fluid Dynamics performed on the Jaguar XJ before the end of the initial design phase, helping to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.29

16 - percentage increase in thermodynamic efficiency inside the Jaguar XJ's new supercharger

300 - milliseconds required for the second turbocharger to come on line above 2800 rpm in the 3.0L V6 diesel

14.9 - size, in inches, of the brake discs on supercharged V8 XJs, making the brakes 1/10th of-an-inch smaller than the wheels on a '92 Jaguar XJ6

14 - millimetres of extra length ahead of the front wheels on the new Jaguar XJ, which, along with an extra 7mm behind the rear wheels, accounts for the new XJs added length while the wheelbase remains the same

20 - stereo speakers used by the new Jaguar XJ when equipped with the top-of-the-line Bowers & Wikins system

1200 - total watts of transient output generated by the new Bowers & Wilkins stereo in the XJ

54,000 - unique parameters potentially handled by the largest electronic processor inside the new Jaguar XJ, the processor which handles the Dolby Pro-Logic surround sound for the Bowers & Wilkins stereo

7,000 - virtual crash tests performed "on" the Jaguar XJ during product development

1,000,000 - virtual miles driven "in" the Jaguar XJ during product development

85 - percentage of each Jaguar XJ to be recycled at the end of its life

COMPARING ZR1, COOPER S, S600, R8 V10 & NEW JAG XJ PRICING IN 3 COUNTRIES

Every automaker on the planet sets up national businesses underneath their international umbrella. These domestic underlings are very responsible for developing pricing schemes independent of what might be happening across oceans or borders. Costs must be covered; profits must be earned. That's the bottom line. Outside of those two factors, it's impossible to predict how any manufacturer will price their cars.

Five vehicles which readily display these remarkable differences are listed below with their prices from three different countries. With the help of XE.com you'll see how these prices relate (or don't relate at all) inside the parenthetical sections.

MINI COOPER S

Germany: €23,100 (equal to £19,896 or $32,976)

UK: £16,580 (equal to €19,241 or $27,470)

USA: $21,950 (equal to €15,375 or £13,244)

AUDI R8 5.2 V10

Germany: €142,400 (equal to £122,659 or $203,160)

UK: £99,580 (equal to €115,596 or $164,920)

USA: $146,000 (equal to €102,351 or £88,171)

MERCEDES-BENZ S600

Germany: €155,355 (equal to £133,773 or $221,501)

UK: £105,160 (equal to €122,096 or $174,124)

USA: $147,450 (equal to €103,393 or £89,044)

CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1

Germany: €136,000 (equal to £117,106 or $193,943)

UK: £109,000 (equal to €126,586 or $180,594)

USA: $103,970 (equal to €72,873 or £62,752)

JAGUAR XJL S'CHARGED SUPERSPORT

Germany: €139,900 (equal to £120,465 or $199,521)

UK: £88,000 (equal to €102,198 or $145,752)

USA: $115,000 (equal to €80,652 or £69,433)

IS JAGUAR XF A LETDOWN AFTER THE C-XF CONCEPT?

Don't even mention it. It's a well-known fact that the discussion on whether or not the Jaguar XF lives up to the C-XF concept has ended. Most agreed that the XF didn't fulfill the promise of dynamism seen in the C-XF, but that once seen on the road, the XF had serious presence anyway. By Jaguar's standards, the XF has been a success in much of the world.

But yesterday morning in routine exploring, tiny picture of the C-XF scrolled across The Good Car Guy's screen. What was that, a limited edition; hardcore; extra-sporting; extra-expensive XF Supercharged? Oh right - sucky. That's just the precursor to the XF, the spectacular C-XF concept.

Since The Good Car Guy's own disappointment was rekindled, let's rekindle your's, shall we? In b&w, you have the wonderful concept. In colour, the XF. Don't tell me the XF looks like an old Ford Taurus from the front or a new Ford Mondeo from the back. Don't bother with the "generic" labels. The XF is good-looking and some would argue that it's also a better driving tool with a better interior than the competition provides. However, seen in the C-XF's light, the XF comes off all mournful.

GET YOUR LOTUS ELISE AS A VAUXHALL WITH A JAGUAR V8

No, it may not be the normal route to a high-performance Lotus, but Caral, a British tuner, will get some attention with its V8-powered Vauxhall VX220. Indeed, it'll no longer be a VX220 but a V8XS.

See, when Lotus introduced the Elise Part Deux, General Motors' UK subsidiary decided it would like a version for itself. With a hefty restyling, a (slight) softening and a turn towards all-rounder, the Vauxhall VX220 was born. As was the Opel Speedster. 

It became apparent, however, that if people wanted a Lotus they were more than willing to pay a little more for... a Lotus. And they did. GM stopped its deal with the sportscar maker and Lotus became the only badge on the front of the Elise.

Although Lotus hasn't been building any cars for Vauxhall or Opel in quite a while, that isn't stopping Caral from getting hold of performance lovers who want their lovingly cared for VX to be stepped up a notch. Caral wanted to begin fitting a longitudnally-mounted GM V6 at first but has moved past that. For a car that originally powered up to the tune of 147 or 200 horsepower, the 450-bhp supercharged Jaguar V8 must be quite a thrill.

No doubt Caral puts in quite a bit of labour to jam a 4.2L V8 in the midst of a very tiny roadster. Nevertheless, they figure the job can typically be done for less than £30,000. The process includes the addition of a roof air intake, a six-speed gearbox, and a wheelbase lengthening for a very Audi R8-like effect.

THE TATA XJR?

Consider it a safe assumption that you'll never see an XJR, XK, or XF rebadged as a Tata. Reports are also pushing speculation into safe assumptions that Tata is about to land Jaguar and Land Rover for $2,000,000,000, however.

Time the purchase of Ford Motor Company's remaining British outposts with the debut of a $2,500 People's Car, too. Then again, the Tata Group also owns hotels with rates as high as $2,795 per night in Mumbai, charter planes for Bollywood stars, and high-end jewellery stores, in addition to Tetley Tea, Tata AIG Life, Tata Cummins, and Tata McGraw Hill. Head honcho Ratan Tata says that when a company is bought by the Tata Group, things remain the same, "except now it's owned by someone in India".

If Tata truly is successful in this purchase, we should hear by the end of 2007. Another Indian company, Mahindra & Mahindra, was a bidder for Jaguar, along with One Equity Partners.

For Jaguar bosses, the worst part of the news is the extra 1,000 miles in their commute to company headquarters. India is a lot farther away than Michigan.