Cars and Cars.!!!: July 2013

Friday, July 5, 2013

From Mexico, Vuhl 05 promises track-day thrills

The Vuhl 05 set to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 11.

Mexico is emerging as a big player in the automotive manufacturing industry. Ford, Mazda, Volkswagen, and Toyota are currently building vehicles there; they’ll be joined in the coming years by Honda and Nissan, as well asVolkswagen’s second Mexican plant, which will produce Audis.

But despite the millions of cars being made in Mexico each year, there still aren’t many made by Mexican automakers. To this point, the limited-production Mastretta MXT sports car was all that was available, but soon there will be another Mexican performance machine with the debut of the Vuhl 05.

In the vein of track-day stars like the Ariel Atom and KTM’s X-Bow, the Vuhl 05 is an open two-seater born to carve up corners, made by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. The brainchild of brothers Guillermo and Iker Echeverria, whose father drove and built his own race cars for more than 30 years, the Vuhl 05 is the culmination of the brothers’ experience running their own design firm based out of both Mexico City and Detroit.

The Vuhl 05 is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged Ford EcoBoost engine, generating an impressive 285 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. The 1,600-pound curb weight of the Vuhl 05 helps it achieve a power-to-weight ratio of 400 horsepower per ton.

Drivers in the Vuhl 05 will sit in carbon bucket seats and shift a six-speed manual transmission. The dashboard can record performance data, while a built-in HD camera records your best (or at least your most entertaining) laps for posterity. The open canopy and a plethora of splitters, diffusers and spoilers give the Vuhl 05 a look reminiscent of the KTM X-Bow. Would it be wrong to call it the “Mex-Bow,” just for giggles? Maybe a little, but the 3.7-second 0-60 mph time and 152-mph top speed mean that the Vuhl is no joke on the track, and the Echeverria brothers are hoping it makes a strong impression as it makes its debut at England’s Goodwood Festival of Speed beginning July 11.

Vuhl is taking orders now for consumers who want an 05 of their own, with deliveries scheduled to begin in early 2014. Initially the Vuhl 05 will be offered only in the United Kingdom and the United States, but the company hopes to expand deliveries into other European countries, the Middle East and China in the next few years.

autos.msn.com

2014 Camaro gets Bumblebee treatment for 'Transformers 4'

The one-off concept car is even wilder than the 2014 production model coming this summer.

With the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro sporting a thinner grille and restyled lights – not to mention the return of the vaunted Z/28 model coming this summer with 500 horses – you'd think that'd be enough to satisfy buyers of this retro muscle car.

It wasn't working for director Michael Bay, who ordered a custom 2014 Camaro to play Bumblebee in "Transformers 4," the tender but deadly autobot that's best friends with Shia LaBeouf's lead character. The whole front end is new, with an even thinner grille and LED headlights that look half-open, plus a reshaped, domed hood and a lower valance that stretches the air intake farther to the corners. The rear brake ducts are functional and wide-open as opposed to the faint strakes on the production car, and the fuel filler door has been moved onto a black cover replacing the rear window.

If we had to make a good guess, we'd say the gray BBS wheels – at least 22 inches, like on the Hot Wheels 2013 Camaro – have spacers fitted, seeing as they're almost popping out of the fenders. For a sports car, Bumblebee should be squatting lower, but again, those tires barely fit as is. In addition to this special concept, Bumblebee will also be seen in the film as a "restomod" 1967 Camaro complete with modern equipment, just like the Eleanor Mustang from "Gone in 60 Seconds."

Bumblebee 2014 Chevrolet Camaro (c) Paramount

While we could see Bay wrecking the 2014 Corvette Stingray in the film, the one-off Camaro is a bit too special for real crashes – and there's not a chance in hell he'd scrape the $2.4 million Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse and the even rarer Pagani Huayra running alongside in the chase scenes. If that happens, we'll be marching on Hollywood with burning stakes.

autos.msn.com

Datsun hatchback teased before Indian reveal

Nissan's Datsun brand will be sold in developing countries starting in 2014.

Nissan released sketches of its new Datsun subcompact hatchback, the first in a line of cheaper cars that are reviving the automaker's founding name from a 32-year slumber.

The as-yet-unnamed model, which will be revealed in New Delhi on July 15, will appear only in developing markets, including India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa when it goes on sale next year. Automakers in these countries have long offered stripped and sometimes older versions of popular global models in an effort to trim sticker prices. At worst, bottom-barrel automakers such as Chery have entered these markets with unsafe and poorly-built cars, as I found while visiting South Africa this year.

Nissan hopes to change that perception with Datsun, and while these cars won't be certified for Europe, Japan or the United States, they will give buyers "a rewarding brand experience with no compromise in terms of accessibility, reliability and durability," the company said in a statement. The Datsun name was replaced by Nissan in 1981.

Early estimates have pegged the new Datsun's price at the equivalent of $12,000, or roughly twice that of the Indian-built Tata Nano, currently the world's cheapest production car. Engines may go down to 800cc in some markets and warranties will be cut versus regular Nissan models. Pricing and all other details, including the name, will be revealed at the launch.

Nissan wants to grab eight percent of the global market by 2016 as part of a business plan to increase operating profits to that same amount. In Indonesia alone, Nissan has spent $395 million to expand a plant it expects will build 250,000 cars per year by 2014.

With the backing of Nissan, Datsun shouldn't have any trouble making a dent in these markets, where burgeoning middle class societies such as South Africa and India, long shut out from personal transportation, are more apt to cross-shop new brands and less likely to discriminate based on name alone. Plus, with Nissan and other automakers establishing new plants in India, Indonesia and China, the labor is cheaper and there are fewer regulations to clear.

So, it's a win-win for everyone -- unless you're expecting a small car to come with 10 airbags and all the latest safety equipment we take for granted here.

autos.msn.com

Where do the most patriotic car buyers live?

Among prospective car buyers, the country's regions are generally predictable in their automaker preferences.

We like to brush them off, but regional stereotypes exist because they're partially based on truth. Among car buyers, it's common to say that liberal Northeasteners and West Coasters love the Toyota Prius and conservative Southerners and swing-state Midwesterners go for domestic pickup trucks.

And by the raw, faceless audience metrics from car-shopping website CarGurus, this is all true.

CarGurus, based in Cambridge, Mass., tracked the brands its users chose from a pool of 500,000 queries they sent to dealerships in June. Of the 51 cities surveyed, Detroit came out on top, with 68 percent of prospective buyers looking for American-brand cars, compared with San Francisco, which landed at the bottom of the list at 37 percent. Other top cities swayed by American cars were Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Mo., and Tulsa, Okla., all of which ranged from 58 to 61 percent of online shoppers.

In total, 27 cities favored American cars by at least half, including southern cities like Nashville, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., Louisville, Ky., and Richmond, Va. The split between Asian and European cars varied more among all cities, from a low of 11 percent probing Detroit-area dealers for Asian cars to 28 percent in Houston and 29 percent in Richmond, for example. Las Vegas buyers asked for European cars 30 percent of the time despite half choosing American. Asian cars were favored more in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, San Diego and San Jose, Calif., than any other cities (between 32-34 percent), although Los Angeles and San Francisco, despite posting the lowest interest in American cars, were more interested in all three global regions at nearly equal levels.

In the end, this is simply one study from one month from one website, but it's a decent snapshot of general buying preferences. Subarus, for example, are practically the state bird of New Hampshire and the BMW 3-Series is like the Ford Taurus of Los Angeles. But for all the stereotypes associated with cars, there are bound to be plenty of owners breaking them with unexpected choices.

Nothing more American than that, right?

CarGurus snapshot of interest in American cars for June 2013 (c) CarGurus

autos.msn.com

Car Tech Spotlight: Top-flight sound in the Range Rover Evoque

You could get better sound than with the 16-speaker, 825-watt Meridian Surround Sound System, but not by much.

Range Rover Evoque Meridian Sound system.

With cloud-connected smartphone integration and in-dash applications getting a lot of attention, car stereos have become almost an afterthought. But we are living in what I consider the golden age of factory car stereos.

Never before could you get such great sound quality – not to mention a half-dozen or more media choices, in some cases – at a decent price from so many automakers. Factory audio systems have gotten so good, in fact, that re-creating the same experience with aftermarket gear actually could cost you more money, which was never the case in the past.

A good example of this is the Meridian system in the 2013 Range Rover Evoque Prestige that I recently tested. This trim level –and all others – comes with an 11-speaker, 380-watt Meridian sound system, while the $6,400 Premium Package option adds the 16-speaker, 825-watt Meridian Surround Sound System as well as a hard-disk navigation system, a Surround Camera System, Automatic High Beam Assist and other accoutrements.

In my testing, I found that the higher-powered system is just as sonically satisfying as the 29-speaker, 1,700-watt Meridian system that is available exclusively in the flagship 2013 Range Rover Autobiography model. That SUV has a sticker that's more than twice that of my loaded Evoque Prestige.

This was the second time I’ve had a chance to drive an Evoque with the upgraded Meridian system, and the second time I came away impressed with the system’s sound quality. Specific attributes include a smooth response throughout the frequency spectrum, accurate tonal quality so that instruments are lifelike, superb sound staging and imaging that project a palpable sonic picture of the performers strung across the dashboard, very little discernible distortion and solid bass from the system’s 8-inch subwoofer.

I was also impressed with the same setup in a 2013 Range Rover I tested in February. The 29-speaker Meridian Surround Sound System in this particular Range Rover Autobiography model was impressive, but it wasn’t $50,000 more impressive.

That’s the difference in cost between the Range Rover with the 19-speaker system, an $1,850 option on that model, and the Autobiography trim, which costs $135,995. And while the comparison between the systems in the Evoque and the Range Rover may not be apples-to-apples, the comparison between the two top Range Rover trim levels is.

The Autobiography's 29-speaker system is indeed better, and includes speakers in the headliner and the seat backs and Meridian’s Trifield 3-D processing. But it's not that much better to my ears, which have been testing car audio systems for 25 years.

But let your own ears be the judge before spending extra money on this or any audio option.

autos.msn.com

Recall: 185,000 Toyotas for power steering failure

The 2012 Yaris may lose power steering, but only 74 cars in the U.S. are affected.

Toyota is recalling about 185,000 hatchbacks to fix electrical problems that can disable the power steering, according to Reuters and the company.

In the U.S., only 74 cars are affected – the 2012 Yaris hatchback – compared with about 130,000 cars in Japan, where the Yaris is sold as the Vitz.

Due to moisture and manufacturing problems with the steering computer, which sends signals to an electric motor to assist the wheel, the system can short-circuit and disable the assist altogether. At low speeds without power steering, it will be harder to turn the wheel, and the driver will see a warning light on the dash if the problem occurs, Toyota said.

The rest of the cars are located in Europe, where the Yaris is Toyota's best-selling model. Toyota is also recalling the 2011 Yaris (the current-generation model was released one year prior to the U.S.) and another car called the Verso-S from 2011 and 2012, Reuters said.

Dealers will replace the power steering computer at a date that Toyota has not yet specifid. The 74 Yaris owners in the U.S. can visit www.toyota.com/recall or call Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

In June, Toyota recalled 242,000 hybrids worldwide to fix weakened brakes, including about 87,000 in the U.S. In January, Toyota recalled 1.29 million cars, including 752,000 Corolla and Matrix models and 270,000 Lexus ISsedans in the U.S., for airbag computers that could short-circuit and windshield wipers that could detach.

autos.msn.com

So A Musician, An Autocrosser, And A Model Walk Into a Camry…

The Camry controversy continues! Famed Nurburgring racing instructor and TTAC contributor Mike Solowiow says the Camry SE sucks. Unfamed Ohio circle track racer and occasional Grand-Am pay-driver/equipment-destroyer Jack Baruth says it’s GRRRRRRRREAT!

Clearly this can only be settled with more racetrack testing of Camrys. Which leads to the completely inexcusable actions above.

Your humble author somehow managed to get a completely empty session at Nelson Ledges Road Course. No other cars. Nobody in the flag stations. Totally empty facility, except for a few people driving lawnmowers. I’m not going to say that I snuck in and was almost immediately ejected, because that’s not strictly true. They knew I was going to be there. Kind of. The bottom line is that I’m probably allowed to come back, some time in the 22nd Century.

Given that kind of freedom and a completely awesome 2012 Camry LE featuring a four-cylinder engine and just 28,000 ~~rental~~ gentle miles, I decided to take some friends around the track. You’ll see some outtakes from that session in an upcoming review of the Camry LE. But the way we ended the day was like this: I piled my brother Mark, whom European TTACers can see during his August tour, National ProSolo Champion Marc Pfannenschmidt, and Marc’s wife, a former model and current wedding photographer, in the Camry for a quick chat.

The first thing we discovered is that the Camry can accomplish that relatively rare street-car feat of taking the “Kink” flat-out. Mostly because it’s only doing 108mph when said Kink appears. Still, the car’s basic composure continues to impress, even without the improved steering and suspension response of the SE model.

The second thing we discovered is that the foot-operated E-brake works very well.

The following disclaimers apply: Do not drive a car no-handed at 80mph in a turn. Ever. Not even on a track. You could get killed. Don’t E-brake your car in a turn. Not even on a racetrack. You could get killed. If there had been a single other car on course, none of this would have happened. Drive safe and smart. No texting occurred during the making of this video, but Marc’s wife’s figure does cause distracted driving and caused a guy at a gas station near Garrettsville, Ohio to walk into a pole because he was staring at her going the other way. Your mileage may vary, but my mileage was excellent.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

Most American Vehicles
Category	Vehicle	Local Content*
Sedans	Toyota Avalon	80%
SUV/Crossovers	Ford Expedition	80%
Minivans	Dodge Grand Caravan	80%
Hatchbacks	Honda Crosstour	75%
Trucks	Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra	75%
Convertibles	Chrysler 200	74%
Coupes	Chevrolet Camaro	71%
Wagons	Cadillac CTS Wagon, Toyota Venza	65%
* Percentage of U.S./Canadian content based on information reported by carmakers to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA).

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Friday, July 5, 2013

The Vuhl 05 set to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 11.

The one-off concept car is even wilder than the 2014 production model coming this summer.

Nissan's Datsun brand will be sold in developing countries starting in 2014.

Among prospective car buyers, the country's regions are generally predictable in their automaker preferences.

You could get better sound than with the 16-speaker, 825-watt Meridian Surround Sound System, but not by much.

The 2012 Yaris may lose power steering, but only 74 cars in the U.S. are affected.

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