Archive for November, 2009

Chrysler Presentation in Full Detail

November 4, 2009 by Colin Bird

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charger (530 x 331)

So, after having a complete day to absorb the Chrysler press conference, I feel a bit underwhelmed, namely because I expected a very flashy to-do, considering that the Italians were hosting it and all. Besides a side profile view of the 2011 Dodge Charger and a gauge cluster from an unspecified vehicle, no new renderings were released.

We now know all 4 brands’ full product cadences for 2010 through 2014. Chrysler unveiled its new marketing, which I saw almost immediately during last night’s World Series game.

While Fiat will definitely shape Chrysler’s future direction, many of the big unveilings we will see for the next three years will have been either Cerberus or Daimler derived.

I’m excited to see what Cerberus did to reshape the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring – both of which had better be getting nothing short of the complete revamp that the Ford Fusion got this year.

Chrysler is the brand that will transform the most. The feel from the conference tells me that the 2011 Sebring is getting a completely redone exterior and interior and a new pentastar engine. It makes sense, considering that the Sebring was panned more often than the Avenger. Chrysler will get an all new compact sedan in 2012, based off a Fiat platform. Internationally, Lancias and Chryslers will be marketed to the same people, meaning you will only see either or nameplate depending on the region.

More editorial analysis of the conference will be coming shortly. For a detailed list of the major changes see below:

Chrysler: Will become the Lancia of North America

Chrysler (520 x 127)

  • Chrysler will benefit the most from the Fiat partnership.
  • Marchionne admits that Chrysler is a two model brand: Town & Country and 300C.
  • Chrysler has 5 models and 1.8% for 2009. Will have 7 models and 3.4% market share by 2014.
  • Chrysler 300 Sport Edition, Town & Country Family Edition and PT Cruiser Final Edition will be released Q1 2010.
  • New Chrysler logo debuts in Q1 2010, merges w/ aesthetic of Lancia’s logo.
  • New Chrysler website coming out in the next few days.
  • 2011 Town & Country gets new engine, all new interior, refreshed exterior and “best-in-class” ride and handling, along with NVH improvements for Q4 2010.
  • All new 2011 Chrysler 300 debuts.
  • Significant refresh offered on the 2011 Chrysler Sebring: new engine, all new interior, new exterior, improved NVH.
  • All new Chrysler designed Town & Country for 2014.
  • PT Cruiser ends in 2010.
  • New Fiat based midsized crossover debuts in 2013, new D segment sedan for same year.
  • New compact sedan debuts in 2012, based off Fiat platform and powertrain.
  • New subcompact car debuts in 2013: Will be contracted built by Fiat group.

Ram Brand: Turning Commercial – a la. “Fiat Professional”

RAM (426 x 342)

  • Ram will debut a new marketing program tonight on 109 TV ad segments, including the World Series tagline: “My name is Ram.”
  • New Ram commercial will start airing tonight. Focus on hard work, loyalty and reputations. “My tank is full” line is repeated throughout.
  • Ram expecting 415,000 unit sales by 2014, up from 280,000 in 2010.
  • Ram considering expanding into heavy-truck – meaning 18-wheel segment.
  • Fiat will add commercial vans to Ram brand. Check out the most likely candidates here and here.
  • Current Dodge Dakota will go away in 2012, new unibody midsized truck under development.
  • Looks like a Fiat diesel will be introduced to the Ram pickups in the near future.
  • Ram keeps the “Ram” logo.

Jeep Brand: 2010-2014: Back to its roots

  • Jeep’s new slogan launches Oct. 30. It says: “I don’t live to live through anyone, ever.”
  • Jeep aims for 800,000 global sales by 2014. Sold 497,000 units sold in 2008.
  • Jeep planning significant refresh on Jeep Liberty in 2010.
  • Jeep Compass Patriot will be significantly refreshed in 2010-2011 – 2012. Both will get Fiat replacements.
  • Jeep Wrangler will get a big upgrade in 2011 – Jeep’s 70th anniversary.
  • New Jeep Grand Cherokee for 2010 MY.
  • Next generation Jeep Liberty will see a 600 lbs weight savings through new chassis developments.

Fiat Brand: Quasi re-introduction to the North American market

  • Fiat 500 will debut at the end of 2010 with multiair, 1.4-liter engine technology.

Dodge Brand : Will it turn sporty?

DODGE (520 x 189)

  • Overhaul of branding, marketing, positioning and point of sale complete by Q2 2010.
  • 11 Dodge products new or refreshed by 2014.
  • Dodge Avenger sedan gets a new interior, new engine, refreshed exterior and improvements in NVH for 2010 – Avenger will be replaced with new D-segment sedan in 2012-2013.
  • Dodge Caravan gets all new engine, completely new interior, new exterior and improved NVH for 2010.
  • Dodge Charger completely redesigned for 2011 MY – new Pentastar engines.
  • Dodge Journey gets all new interior, refreshed exterior, new engine and improved NVH for 2010.
  • Dodge will get an all-new seven-passenger CUV – most likely the unibody Durango.
  • New B segment sedan – similar to the Dodge Hornet concept – will be introduced.
  • Dodge getting all new logo: will simply say “DODGE” in black/red hues.
  • Dodge Caliber getting refreshed interior for 2010 MY.
  • A all-new C-segment (Caliber sized) sedan for 2012-2013.
  • Possible new Viper for 2013 or 2014.

Powertrain: Downsize/turbo, multiair, start/stop and gas-direct injection

  • A Fiat 1.4-liter Multiair engine for the Fiat 500 in Q4 2010 for North American markets. 1.4 Multiair turbo for Q4 2011.
  • Phase out existing 4-speed transmission.
  • Pentastar V6 to debut in Jeep Grand Cherokee in mid-2010.
  • Chrysler will develop high-performance Pentastar V6 in Q2 2010.
  • Fiat diesel engines will be adapted to Chrysler engines.
  • Start/stop technology to debut on Jeep Wrangler diesel in Q4 2010.
  • Dual dry-clutch transmission to debut on D-segment vehicle by end of 2010.

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Filed under: Industry News, Product

AutoBird Podcast – Episode 1

November 3, 2009 by Colin Bird

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Podcast

I know that the AutoBird Blog has only been up for a day and you’re probably expecting another post, but instead today I deliver to you this amazing podcast!

The first episode of the AutoBird Podcast is formatted as a weekly conversation between AutoBird and Joel Feder – founder of the blog Accelerate Mpls.

This week’s topics include: the Porsche Panamera, which Joel has recently driven, Porsche’s future direction under VW’s control, the Buick Lacrosse, Buick’s future compact sedan and crossover, and Chrysler’s upcoming November 4th press conference.

Listen and enjoy! Note: this podcast was just added to iTunes literally 4 hours ago. I don’t have the RSS link to deliver to you at this time, but if you search for ‘AutoBird’ in iTunes you can subscribe to the podcast.

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Media Hype: Buick Debuts Two New Ads

November 2, 2009 by Colin Bird

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Buick recently revealed two new 30 second ads for the 2010 Buick Lacrosse.

The first ad, called “Push,” goes over the infotainment and navigation features on the new Lacrosse. The second ad, dubbed “Smooth Ride,” details the Buick’s sophisticated adaptive suspension (see videos below).

The new ads follow the same logic set up in Buick’s “Crosswalk” commercial from earlier in October. It’s an ad that follows what’s almost becoming a cliché in modern TV adverts: basic elemental concepts, conveyed through simple clauses with an intelligent-sounding announcer and great imagery.  For examples, watch the latest Apple iPhone or Master Card commercials.

The new ads are a part of an initiative by Bob Lutz, who took over GM’s advertising/marketing department in July. Lutz’s intent was to reform Buick’s advertising so that it properly projects the design quality and technological advancements of ‘new’ Buick.

The commercials also feature Buick’s new ad tagline, “The new class of world class.”

These ads are much, much better than the “Take a look at me now” garbage from this summer.

They are, in fact, reminiscent of Acura’s latest TL commercials, and that should go without surprise.

Buick clearly has Acura in its crosshairs, as many of its recent and future product launches will compete directly for Acura’s customer base and with the few other mid-luxury marquees.

I also like the fact that all three Buick ads were shot in downtown Chicago, where I spend about 50% of every work day.  Downtown Chicago does have this rough texture to it, something that can easily contrast the Lacrosse’s ability to traverse the urban jungle with the proficiency of a sedan $10,000 more expensive.

Despite the new publicity, Lacrosse sales were down 11.7% in September. However, GM doesn’t break out sales of the new Lacrosse from the legacy model (2009MY).

GM blames this Buick’s initial poor sales on production oversights.  According to Bob Lutz, GM anticipated a need for only ~3,600 Buick Lacrosses for October, but dealer demand was nearly three times that amount.

This begs the question: with all this new advertising on the Lacrosse, will there be a car to sell at the local lot? According to Bloomberg, Susan Docherty (former VP of NA Buick GMC) set tighter supply limits in July to maintain the Lacrosse’s pricing power.

The same supply constraints also occurred during the Chevrolet Malibu’s launch during its big advertising rollout.

Still, while American Lacrosse sales were down, GM managed to sell an astounding ~20,500 of the redesigned Lacrosse in China during its first two full months of availability.

Sadly, I couldn’t find a TV advertisement for the Chinese 2010 Lacrosse, so this Sino-Buick Ad will have to do:

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Filed under: Industry News

Welcome to the AutoBird blog!

by Colin Bird

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Hello and welcome to the AutoBird Blog. For those of you already following the AutoBird Twitter or Facebook sites, this blog will be a more in-depth editorial counterpart to those headline news applications.

For those of you who are viewing AutoBird for the first time, you will want to make this your site of choice for the latest car news, rumors and punditry.

Want to know a little about the man behind AutoBird? Well, I’m Colin Bird and I’m an aspiring consumer journalist. Besides a healthy background in journalism and a fanatical love for cars, I’ve also learned a thing or two about the automotive industry at Cars.com – where I currently work as a Dealer Experience Advocate.

While many automotive blogs are ‘gearhead’ centric, the AutoBird Blog will specialize more in the automotive economy.

Camaros, Mustangs and Corvettes are all very exciting, but so is the industrial revolution that enabled the defeat of the Nazis, the suburbanization of our cities, and the development of a vibrant middle class, all of which – for better or worse – have helped define quintessential Americana.

Even though the auto industry is over 100 years old, there seems to be no stopping its constant innovation. With the reinvention of two large domestic firms, the birthing of dozens of small California companies, and the emergence of large industrial goliaths in Germany, India, China and Korea, there is no more exciting a time to cover the industry than now. AutoBird will be there every step of the way to help make sense of it all!

For additional information about AutoBird and its writer go to our About page. Additional comments can be directed to colin@autobirdblog.com. Visit http://twitter.com/Auto_Bird for up to date information.

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Filed under: Editorial

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