William Maley

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com June 4, 2012 The thought of the hyper-performance Focus has been under consideration for awhile, but there are murmurs of another car taking the Focus' place. Autocar reports that Ford could be considering building an RS version of the Fiesta instead of the Focus. Ford has already decided that there will be another RS model, the debate now is which one. Both vehicles make a good case as to why they should be the lone RS model. The Fiesta is a global car and is the vehicle that is used in the World Rally Championship. The Focus is also a global car, has been sold as an RS before, and can bring in higher profit margins. Ford has yet to admit it is planning either car, instead it's focusing on its ST models at the moment. Source: Autocar View full article

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com June 3, 2012 With gas prices going up and up, automakers are offering fuel-efficient versions of their compact cars to help stretch a gallon of gas farther. Consumer Reports wanted to see if these fuel-efficient compact models are worth the extra $500 - $800 from their non fuel-efficient models. They picked up a Chevrolet Cruze Eco, Ford Focus SFE, and Honda Civic HF to test the claim. Each of the vehicles were equipped with an automatic transmission. The Civic HF and Focus SFE is rated at 33 MPG combined, and the Cruze Eco is rated at 31 MPG combined. CR found in their testing the Civic HF got the highest combined MPG with 33, the Focus with 31, and the Cruze Eco was last with 27. The news gets even worse for the Cruze Eco. Consumer Reports found that Cruze Eco would only save about $20 per year in gas if prices stayed around $4.00. The Focus SFE would save $145 and the Civic HF would save around $135. That would mean you would need to own the vehicles between 3 to 38 years for the savings to offset the higher price. CR points out that the Mazda 3 SkyActiv and Toyota Corolla can achieve similar mileage without any special tweak. Source: Consumer Reports View full article

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com June 3, 2012 Audi of America president Johan De Nysschen stepped down from his post this past Friday. Audi spokesman Brad Stertz told Autoweek that the move is immediate. Stertz also said De Nysschen is leaving for another job. In an e-mail to workers, de Nysschen explained why he is stepping down, "I do want to make it very clear--this development is unrelated to the present discussion and expectations of reorganization of senior roles inside the VW Group. Rather, it comes from a realization of the future leadership needs of Audi, in order to attain our goal of becoming the most aspirational premium brand in the U.S." He goes on to say; "I'd like to think you know me. The spirit of Audi roars within my heart. However, after much reflection, I have the very clear conviction that Audi is at a new inflection point in the ongoing development of the brand in the U.S.--and this demands leadership with new insights and a philosophy which is more appropriate for this new phase for the company. I dearly love this company and all it represents. I thrive on developing turnaround strategies and on building companies, but Audi of America is no longer a construction site. It needs leadership with a different skill set. I want Audi to win. But I too, need to secure my future, and must play to my own strengths. Stepping aside for new leadership, and setting forth to seek out a new "construction site," in a manner of speaking, is a painful but appropriate decision at this time. A win-win, if you like. Such an opportunity presents itself at this time, and I have decided to accept this new challenge." de Nysschen has been Audi's U.S. president since December 2004 and has overseen the considerable growth for the brand in image and sales. Audi's COO Mark Del Rosso will handle day to day operations until a replacement is found. Source: Autoweek View full article

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com June 1, 2012 Its hard to believe that the current Volvo XC90 will be around 11 years old when the next XC90 will come out. But according to Inside Line, that is what will happen. The new XC90 isn't due out till 2014 at the earliest, but it will bring forth a platform that will underpin many of Volvo's future products. Called Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA), this platform will underpin the next generation S60, V70, XC60 and S80. As for power, the XC90 will exclusively use four-cylinder power only. The four-cylinder engines will be part of the Volvo Environmental Architecture engine family and come in gas and diesel versions. There is also a plug-in hybrid in the works as well. Source: Inside Line View full article

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William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com June 1, 2012 General Motors is expected to announce today the closing of the Oshawa Consolidated Line. The line currently builds the Chevy Impala and overflow production of the Equinox. General Motors told workers this morning the closure will happen on June 1, 2013 and layoff around 2,000 people. Chris Buckley, president of CAW Local 222 is not happy with the decision. “GM announced to us this morning their plans to close the plant. We are extremely offended. Our members. both active and retired, made huge sacrifices to help save this company during their auto crisis. GM’s way of rewarding Canadian autoworkers is to throw them onto the street,” Buckley told the Windsor Star today. Production of the Impala will move to the Detroit-Hamtramck plant. Chevrolet Equinox production will move to Spring Hill, Tenn. We'll be keeping an eye out for an official announcement from GM. Source: The Truth About Cars, The Globe & Mail, The Windsor Star UPDATE: The Truth About Cars has gotten some comments from GM about Oshawa Consolidated Line closing. Originally, the line was supposed to close down in 2008, based on plans made in 2005. However, demand for the Equinox and Impala was so high, the plant was left open. The closing will take place in shifts. Third shift will be phased out in the forth quarter of this year, while second shift will follow in the first quarter of 2013. Production will end will when the final W-Body Impala rolls of the line later in 2013. There is somewhat good news for the laid-off workers. GM could add a third shift to the the Oshawa flex plant that builds the Chevrolet Camaro, Buick Regal, Cadillac XTS, and the next-generation Impala if additional capacity is needed. The 2,000 laid-off workers will have first shot at applying for the jobs. Source: The Truth About Cars View full article

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com June 1, 2012 Last month, we talked about what Porsche has got in store for their lineup through 2016. One of the vehicles that Porsche has got in store is the Pajun, aka the Junior Panamera. Automobile Magazine has uncovered some new information about the Pajun. The Pajun will not only target Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but also at the Audi A7, BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe, and Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class. Porsche will not only offer the Pajun in the five-door model like the Panamera, but will also offer it as a shooting brake. As for power, the Pajun will solely rely on V6s. The lineup will include a 3.0L V6 producing around 320 HP and 324 lb-ft of torque, and a twin turbo version of the 3.0L V6, boosting power to 420 HP and 413 lb-ft of torque. Two diesels will also come: a 3.0L V6 Audi diesel rated at either 260 HP or 320 HP. A hybrid version and high performance turbo version are also in the works. Source: Automobile Magazine View full article