William Maley

The UAW has dropped their plans to organize a foreign automaker plant. Previously, the UAW vowed to organize one foreign auto manufacturer on U.S. soil by year’s end. "We're shifting our strategy a little bit. We are not going to announce a target at all. We are not going to create a fight," said UAW President Bob King. King's announcement comes a few days after UAW spokeswoman Michele Martin said the union wouldn't meet it's goal to unionize a foreign plant by year’s end. Organizing one foreign automaker plant has been a goal of King since becoming the UAW's president back in July 2010. However, the goal has turned out to be an uphill, with the majority of foreign automakers declining to hear the UAW. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

Subaru has done a good job of dodging the “how much is the BRZ going to cost” question only saying the price would be “comparable” to a Subaru WRX. But if Motor Trend is to believed, you can step into the base BRZ Premium for $24,000 which gets you a Torsen limited-slip differential, 17-inch alloy wheels, tilt-telescope leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather shift knob and handbrake, a six-speed manual transmission, aluminum pedal pads, an eight-speaker sound system, and standard Navigation. If you have extra $3,000 lying around, you can step into a BRZ Limited that adds leather-alcantara upholstery, a rear lip spoiler and foglights, among other things. We’ll see if these estimates pan out when BRZ arrives in the US next year. Source: Motor Trend View full article

Smart has been teasing us with many a concept to make us pay attention to the brand and their concept for Detroit seems to continue that trend. Smart has released some design pics of the For-Us concept. The For-Us concept is a pickup truck for the urban market. Based on the Smart ForTwo convertible, the For-Us is three feet longer and six inches taller than the regular ForTwo. With the extra space, Smart has added a truck bed that provides 35.4 inches of load space. The tailgate is controlled electronically to either be raised or lower. Power comes from 55-kW (74-hp) electric motor spins the rear wheels, and is powered by a 17.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack from the ForTwo Electric Drive. Smart says the car can reach a top speed of 75 MPH but doesn’t give a range. Press Release is on Page 2 smart for-us: world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show The Rule-Breaker Stuttgart. smart is turning the automotive world upside down once again and challenging ideas about what an urban pickup should look like. In a tongue-in-cheek manner the for-us signals that this is the right car for the young and young-at-heart with active lives who attach importance to low emissions and taking up minimum road space. The smart for-us translates the practical loading concept of a pickup to the reality of 21st century urban traffic for the first time. With its exterior dimensions (length/width/height: 3547/1506/1701mm) it could almost go unnoticed on the loading area of a typical pickup, and it also anything but ordinary under the body. Thanks to the state-of-the-art electric drive with a 55 kW magneto-electric motor the zero-emission smart for-us is agile and lively to drive. It will celebrate its world premiere at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (14 - 22 January 2012). smart CEO Dr. Annette Winkler says "We at smart love pick-ups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable. With the smart for-us a petrol station is no longer required!” Like car2go, the globally successful car sharing initiative from smart for more flexibility in city traffic, the smart for-us is a mobility concept. It has plenty of room for two people and space for two smart ebikes behind them. Thanks to the docking station on the cargo area of the smart for-us their batteries are always charged, and smart for-us drivers can also reach destinations that are out of bounds for cars – for example traffic-calmed zones in the city or isolated park trails. The design: sassy and robust with extremely short overhangs Compared with the series-produced fortwo the smart for-us makes a powerful statement and its appearance plays with the martial image of conventional mega-pickups. Nevertheless, it greets the viewer with a friendly yet assertive face. It features convex and sensuously shaped body surfaces. The large brand emblem is proudly sported on the grille, and the front has a pronounced three-dimensional design with an underride guard finishing off the lower part of the front end. The longer wheelbase (2480 mm/plus 613 mm) and the track that has been widened by 50 mm on each side also emphasise the robust look of the study. At the same time the extremely short overhangs at the front and rear make it exceedingly compact. The tailboard at the rear of the smart for-us is electrically driven. When it opens first of all the cargo floor including tailboard retracts by 280 mm, then the tailgate slides down in a parallel position. The cargo on the 900 mm cargo area is then extremely easy to access. Sleek, taut surfaces in mother-of-pearl white combined with precisely designed technical functional elements in brushed aluminium – the interior is characterised by contrasts. Like in the smart forvision, the whole cockpit boasts aerodynamic styling for interior ventilation. In place of a conventional rear-view mirror the smart for-us features a smartphone accommodated in a holder on top of the instrument panel support. The driver can see what is happening on the road behind with the help of an integrated video camera. Stylish, uncomplicated, highly functional and easy to individualise – the two seats in the concept car are typically smart. The seat shells, which are open in the middle, are covered with a soft yellow fabric throw giving them a hammock-like seating feel. Electric drive – zero-local-emission driving fun The electric drive of the smart for-us is based on the innovative drive concept of the smart fortwo electric drive, which will be launched in the spring of 2012. Thanks to the 55 kW magneto-electric motor the smart for-us is agile and lively to drive. With 130 Newton metres of torque it boasts powerful, lag-free acceleration and it can overtake other vehicles with the greatest of ease. The maximum speed exceeds 120 km/h. The lithium-ion battery has capacity of 17.6 kWh. View full article

Couldn't GM modify the 3.6L DI V6 (ie add turbos) to take on the 335i or am I just dreaming here?

With Detroit only a month away, news has began to come/leak out of what will be premiering. Late last week, GM’s senior vice president of global product development, Mary Barra told the Automotive Press Association in Detroit the new ATS would make it's debut at Detroit. But that's not all, Chevrolet will be showing a production version of the Sonic RS and two concept vehicles from their GM North Hollywood Design Center. Buick will have the brand new Encore, a small crossover based on GM’s front-wheel-drive Gamma II platform there as well. Source: Automobile Magazine, Left Lane News View full article

In the Math solving all of our problems file; the LA Times is reporting that MIT has developed an an algorithm that can determine whether a driver will run a red light within milliseconds.Their research is being published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems. The group did tests at an intersection in Christianburg, VA with 15,000 vehicles passing through. Their results with the algorithm was correct 85% of the time, which is reportedly the most accurate that has been measured. The hope is in the future, traffic lights will be able to send the information to vehicles and have the vehicles make decisions on what to. This will help reduce the number of accidents at intersections. Source: LA Times View full article

How is the Radio/Navigation unit? Is it easy to use or a pain?

When we last checked in on Saab, they had announced a deal with Youngman automotive and a bank in China and were waiting on approval from GM and the Chinese. Well Saab might have just used it's last life. Yesterday, General Motors announced they wouldn't support the new agreement. "We have reviewed Saab's proposed changes regarding the sale of the company. Nothing in the proposal changes GM's position. We are unable to support the transaction," said GM spokesman Jim Cain. And the news gets even worse for Saab. In a press release today, Saab's parent company Swedish Automotive revealed the administrator in charge of Saab's reorganization for the Swedish government, Mr. Guy Lofalk would apply for termination of voluntary reorganization of the automaker. Lofalk has tried to apply for termination of the reorganization back in October, but was met with anger and threats of removing him from the reorganization. However, that isn't stopping Saab to try one last ditch effort to get some money. Victor Muller, Saab's boss Saab boss Victor Muller is reportedly seeking a loan worth over $800 million from proposed Chinese partner Youngman and an unnamed bank. Source: Autoblog, The Detroit News Related: The Continuing Story of Saab, Part 412.5: Three Ring Circus A Chinese Bank Becomes An Investor In Saab Press Release is on Page 2 7 December 2011 Swedish Automobile Informed By Administrator Of Application To Terminate Voluntary Reorganization Trollhättan, Sweden: Swedish Automobile N.V. (Swan) announces it has been informed that the administrator of the reorganization, Mr. Guy Lofalk, will apply for termination of the voluntary reorganization of Saab Automobile AB (Saab Automobile) and two subsidiaries with the District Court in Vänersborg, Sweden. Saab Automobile and its creditors have approximately five to six days to submit their view to the District Court before the Court takes a final decision about termination of the reorganization. The management of Saab Automobile will consider future steps and continues the current discussions with Youngman about the necessary funding to pay the wages and be able to continue the voluntary reorganization. View full article

I think the surprising part is a Porsche diesel.. But it's a good decision and makes me wonder if the Panamera diesel will come as well

General Motors might have figured out what caused the Volt to catch on fire in a NHTSA storage yard back in June. A source tells the Associated Press the cause of the fire is the coolant used in batteries to help keep them cool. The coolant didn't catch on fire, but crystallized and caused a short circuit. But just as that information was coming out, Reuters learned from a couple sources that GM is closing in on a package of proposed fixes for the battery pack. The fixes include laminating the circuitry in the Volt's 400-pound battery pack, reinforcing the case surrounding the lithium-ion battery and better protecting the coolant system from leaks in a severe crash. The fixes could cost less than $9 million, or about $1,000 per Volt, the sources say. Sources: Associated Press, Reuters Related: Chevrolet Volt Fire Prompts Investigation Into Batteries NHTSA Opens Investigation Into Volt Batteries GM Offering Free Loaner Cars to Volt Owners During Battery Investigation Chevy Volt Tops Consumer Reports Owner Satisfaction Survey GM May Redesign The Volt's Battery *UPDATED* A "couple dozen" Chevrolet Volt Owners Take Up GM's Buyback Offer House Committee Planning A Hearing Into The Volt Fire View full article

Porsche seems to be following the same idea as Volkswagen with setting an ambitious sales goal for 2018. Porsche’s U.S. chief Detlev von Platen told Automotive News this week that he sees the brand selling 50,000 vehicles in the US by 2018. Now that might sound crazy, but Porsche is on track to sell 29,000 vehicles in the US this year. To help reach this goal, Porsche is counting on three models; the new 911, the Panamera GTS, and a new Cayenne Diesel. The Cayenne diesel will arrive at dealers sometime in late 2012 packing a 3.0L V-6 turbodiesel engine producing 240 HP and 406 lb-ft of torque. The diesel will join the hybrid version of the Cayenne. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Motor Authority View full article