Variance

It's all in the design and tuning. All CVTs are not the same.

First 2007 CR-Vs Roll Off of the Assembly Line East Liberty, Ohio 09/26/2006 -- Honda production associates left their shift at the East Liberty Plant this morning having finished production of the first U.S.-made Honda CR-V, an all-new version of one of America's most popular sport utility vehicles. Sixty units of the CR-V - all them in the color Nighthawk Black Pearl - rolled off the same East Liberty assembly line where Honda associates also build the Honda Civic Sedan and the Honda Element SUV. "We're proud that our associates can build three distinctly different vehicles on a common assembly line with Honda's commitment to quality," said John Pleiman, plant manager and vice president of Honda of America Mfg. Inc. "Their dedication has been a key component of Honda's flexible manufacturing systems, which allow us to respond quickly to market changes." Both shifts at East Liberty built the first batch of CR-Vs, which began to take shape in the body welding shop. They emerged from the paint shop on the first shift Monday and journeyed down the final assembly line. The first model was driven off the line at 7:17 p.m. Eastern time. "Communication is the key part of making flexibility work on the line," said associate Paula Wilson of Bellefontaine, who has worked at Honda for 22 years and is one of the original associates at the East Liberty Plant, which opened in 1989. Roy Preston of Springfield, an original East Liberty associate who has worked for Honda for 20 years, said: "This is the best start we've had of any of the new models. We were more prepared for it, since our plant has been flexible for so long." Flexibility also is a key attribute of the nearby Marysville Auto Plant, where Honda builds the Accord Sedan, Accord Coupe, Acura TL luxury sports sedan and Acura RDX luxury sport utility vehicle. Annual production volume of the CR-V at the East Liberty Plant will be determined by customer demand. Truly a global product, the CR-V for the North American market also is produced in the United Kingdom and Japan. "There was a considerable amount of teamwork around the world in redesigning and manufacturing the CR-V. Here at East Liberty, our associates were empowered to suggest process changes that made this vehicle fit in with the Civic and Element," said Dave Skidmore, engineering project leader for the CR-V. CR-Vs made at East Liberty come equipped with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder i-VTEC engine produced 40 miles away at Honda's Anna Engine Plant in western Ohio. Between 2003 and 2006, Honda has invested about $750 million to keep its Ohio operations as state-of-the art facilities. Honda's total U.S. capital investment in research and development, design, manufacturing and sales operations has risen to more than $8.5 billion since 1979, when the company began U.S. manufacturing. The East Liberty Plant inaugurated U.S. light truck production by Honda in Ohio when the Element went into production in November 2002. The 2007 CR-V* goes on sale Thursday. The new crossover vehicle has a dramatic new body structure. Under the aerodynamic look are safety enhancements, including Honda's exclusive Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, six airbags, antilock brakes, pedestrian safety design and Vehicle Stability Assist with rollover sensor. Source: Honda Motor Company

It's funny how many of those are true for me.

Pricing for the Popular Versions of New 900 Trucks DALLAS – GM North America President Troy Clarke announced today, just prior to the State Fair of Texas, that the most popular versions of the all-new 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty pickup trucks will be priced the same as the models they replace. The industry leader in full-size pickup sales, GM has comprehensively redesigned the trucks with new exterior and interior designs, as well as powertrain, chassis and safety systems. Production of the trucks begins on Oct. 2, and they are expected to begin arriving in Chevrolet and GMC dealerships in early November. “The all-new 2007 Silverado and Sierra will set the new standard in the full-size pickup segment with segment-leading fuel economy, performance, capability, refinement and safety,” Clarke said. “And the best part is, our customers can get into one for the same price as the prior model, but with more standard equipment.” Also new for 2007 is GM’s five-year / 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, which is fully transferable and includes courtesy transportation and roadside assistance for the duration of the warranty. The 2007 Silverado and Sierra extended cab pricing begins at $23,605, and the crew cab versions of the trucks start at $27,000. All prices include a $900 destination freight charge, and apply to two-wheel-drive models with a standard 4.8L V-8 engine. In addition to the carry-over pricing on the most popular models, GM also announced modest price increases on several other versions of the trucks, and some models actually went down in price. “Nearly half of the 2007 Silverado and Sierra models are within $300 of the models they replace, with added standard equipment such as OnStar, tire pressure monitoring, StabiliTrak and improved fuel economy,” said Clarke. “We wanted to reward and grow our customer loyalty by exceeding expectations for unparalleled capability and value.” Source: General Motors

No, that was Jeremy (the other car was an SLK55 AMG).

That sometimes happens. For instance, there was a preview clip of Richard being shot at in a car last(?) season but it hsn't aired yet. It'll probably turn up in the fall season (or whenever the next season airs).

10-to-1 it's our hacker "friend" again. Every time a new member screenname like that popped up, the forum got f-ed in the a. I think they may be disappointed this time since the security hole was plugged.

Not suitable for HD use? It's kind of to be expected for a half-ton platform, no?

Nissan and Toyota HD Trucks Postponed Both Toyota and Nissan were planning on entering the full-size heavy duty pickup truck market soon, but both automakers have delayed joining the fray for at least a couple years. Nissan had hoped it could build a heavy-duty version of the Titan off of the half-ton's platform, but it's clear that the truck's frame won't be able to meet the minimum payload and towing targets that heavy-duty truck buyers demand. Though the full-size half-ton Toyota Tundra (shown wearing its work dungarees) will enter production in less than two months, the automaker's plan for a heavy-duty version has been postponed for undisclosed reasons. Toyota may be betting that the market for heavy duty trucks will shrink along with the half-ton market, though analysts are quick to point out what the domestic manufacturers already know, which is that the heavy-duty truck market follows different trends than the market for trucks as a whole. Rather than going up or down in correlation with gas prices, purchasing of heavy-duty trucks is more likely to go up or down with the rate of home construction in the country. Either way, heavy-duty versions of the Nissan Titan and Toyota Tundra are coming, but it looks like Detroit won't have to worry about them until 2009 at the earliest. This really isn't news (not to me, anyway). Nissan had said before that the HD Titan would come with the next generation (not the current) which would start in 2009. Plus, I don't recall Toyota having a set timeline for the HD Tundra release in the first place. Read "Heavy-duty pickups by Toyota and Nissan delayed" @ Autoblog

Chrysler Dealers Still Loaded with 2006s Chrysler, and all the brands contained within, is not experiencing the typical surge in dealer orders for model year 2007 vehicles that's typical for this time of year. Dealers, unable to unload the 2006 models already on their lots, are all about supporting their company, but not at the expense of their bottom line. Read "Chrysler dealers don't want '07s" @ Autoblog

Honda FCX Fuel Cell Concept Vehicle Driven TOCHIGI, Japan 09/25/2006 -- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today held a demonstration drive of the next-generation FCX Concept fuel cell vehicle. The FCX Concept features a newly developed compact, high-efficiency Honda FC Stack as well as a low-floor, low-riding, short-nose body. It offers a comfortably large cabin and futuristic styling along with significant improvements in power output and environmental performance. Limited marketing of a totally new fuel cell vehicle based on this concept model is to begin in 2008 in Japan and the U.S. To meet Honda objectives for significant gains in both environmental and driving performance, the FCX Concept is equipped with a V Flow1 fuel cell platform consisting of a compact, high-efficiency fuel cell stack arranged in an innovative center-tunnel layout. This has allowed designers to create an elegant, low-riding, sedan form that would have been difficult to achieve in a conventional fuel cell vehicle. This new fuel cell stack is 20 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than the current FCX FC Stack, yet its power output is 14kW greater. The drive motor has been positioned coaxially with the gearbox for a more compact design, with output increased by 15kW. Overall, the power plant is about 180kg lighter than that of the current FCX and about 40 percent smaller in volume. The result is improved energy efficiency and performance along with a more spacious interior. While with previous fuel cell stacks the hydrogen and the water formed in electricity generation flowed horizontally, the new FCX Concept features vertical-flow design. This allows gravity to assist in discharging the water that is produced, resulting in a major improvement in water drainage, key to high-efficiency fuel stack performance. The result is stable power generation under a broad range of conditions, and higher output from a smaller package. Low-temperature startup has also been significantly improved, enabling cold-weather starts at temperatures 10oC lower than the current FCX -- as low as minus 30oC. As an auxiliary power source, the FCX Concept carries a compact, high-efficiency lithium ion battery, contributing to increased power output and a more compact power plant. These efficiency improvements to major power plant components give the vehicle a travel range approximately 30 percent greater than the current FCX. The vehicle is also highly efficient, with an energy efficiency of around 60 percent -- approximately three times that of a gasoline-engine vehicle, twice that of a hybrid vehicle, and 10 percent better than the current FCX. Other features include seat upholstery and door linings made from Honda Bio Fabric, a plant-based material that offers outstanding durability and resistance to sunlight damage. Other improvements such as Shift-by-Wire and a newly designed instrument panel with easy-to-read display of hydrogen fuel consumption facilitate improved ease of operation. The new fuel cell vehicle currently under development for release in 2008, will feature the principle technologies of the FCX Concept to achieve a new dimension in environmentally friendly driving pleasure not found with gasoline-engine vehicles. Source: Honda Motor Company

Honda Unveils Next-Gen Clean Diesel TOCHIGI, Japan 09/25/2006 -- Honda Motor Co., Ltd., today announced it has developed a next-generation diesel engine that reduces exhaust gas emissions to a level equal to a gasoline engine. Honda's next-generation diesel engine employs a revolutionary NOx catalytic converter that enables a great reduction in NOx emissions sufficient to meet stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier II Bin 5 emissions requirements (based on Honda's internal calculations). This catalytic converter features the world's first innovative system using the reductive reaction of ammonia generated within the catalytic converter to "detoxify" nitrogen oxide (NOx) by turning it into harmless nitrogen (N2). The new catalytic converter utilizes a two-layer structure: one layer adsorbs NOx from the exhaust gas and converts a portion of it into ammonia, while the other layer adsorbs the resulting ammonia, and uses it later in a reaction that converts the remaining NOx in the exhaust into nitrogen (N2). Ammonia is a highly effective reagent for reducing NOx into N2 in an oxygen-rich, lean-burn atmosphere. This ability to generate and store ammonia within the catalytic converter has enabled Honda to create a compact, lightweight NOx reduction system for diesel engines. The system also features enhanced NOx reduction performance at 200-300oC, the main temperature range of diesel engines. Honda designed the catalytic converter for use with its 2.2 i-CTDi diesel engine, which has earned widespread praise for quiet, clean operation and dynamic performance since its introduction in 2003 on the European Accord model. By further advancing combustion control, the 2.2 i-CTDi delivers cleaner exhaust to the NOx catalytic converter. Honda achieved this by optimizing the combustion chamber configuration, reducing fuel injection time with a 2,000-bar common rail injection system and boosting the efficiency of the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system. Thanks to these improvements, Honda has reduced the amount of NOx and soot normally found in engine exhaust, while increasing power output. Along with developing superior technology for cleaning exhaust gas, Honda plans to address other technical challenges in developing clean diesel engines, such as handling diesel fuels with different cetane numbers and meeting U.S. On-Board Diagnostic System requirements. Honda plans to introduce its next-generation diesel engine in the U.S. within three years. Gasoline engines presently employ three-way catalytic converters that offer NOx reduction rates as high as 99 percent, but this performance is possible only at the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. In the oxygen-rich environment of a lean-burn diesel engine, three-way catalytic converters only reduce NOx levels by approximately 10 percent. Honda's new catalytic converter efficiently reduces NOx in a lean-burn atmosphere, enabling diesel engines to rival gasoline engines in cleanliness. The compact system is also easy to install in passenger vehicles. Source: Honda Motor Company

2007 Nissan Altima Production Begins SMYRNA, Tenn. (Sept. 25, 2006) – Employees from Nissan North America’s corporate headquarters joined the manufacturing team in Smyrna to celebrate the start of production of the company’s best-selling model in the U.S. market: the Nissan Altima. The first 2007 production model rolled off the assembly line today. Manufacturing Vice President Bill Krueger presented an oversized key to Marketing Director Fred Suckow at the mid-morning ceremony, symbolically handing off the all-new Altima from the manufacturing plant to the sales and marketing team. The Altima sedan then drove through a banner stretched across the Trim & Chassis final line. “The Altima is an important car in the Nissan lineup, and the new model builds on the strengths of the former model,” said Krueger. “We took a lot of actions to assure a high-quality launch. We completed two system trials and two production trials to verify parts, systems and equipment. Dedicated launch teams made the Altima the total focus of a group of managers and production technicians, and we had dedicated trainers on each shift. We installed new equipment in several zones, such as the rear subframe decking device, sunroof assist device and front-end module decking device. And while we were working within all our functional groups, Nissan engineers were also working closely with suppliers to assure their preparedness. “We’re confident that all these actions and many others will result in a high-quality vehicle that will provide a lot of value for our customers.” The all-new 2007 Nissan Altima is evolutionary in design, but revolutionary in its platform and hardware while offering new levels of quality feel, enhanced comfort and available convenience features. Along with its distinctive styling, the fourth-generation Altima is built on the all-new Nissan “D” platform with improved body rigidity and a redesigned suspension. The new Altima also offers Nissan’s advanced Xtronic CVT™ (Continuously Variable Transmission), a choice of the award-winning VQ-series 3.5-liter V6 or powerful 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder engines, and a long list of technology features – including available Intelligent Key with Push Start Ignition, Bluetooth® Hands-Free Phone System, RearView Monitor and an advanced touch-screen navigation system. In calendar year 2005, Nissan North America sold 255,371 Altimas. Altimas produced in Smyrna are exported to Gulf Coast Countries, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and other countries. In fiscal year 2006, Nissan will export approximately 40,000 Altimas. Since the production launch of the first Altima on June 11, 1992, the Smyrna Plant has produced 2,448,367 units to date. With the addition of 284,640 units built at Nissan’s vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Miss. – where production started on June 14, 2004 – Nissan has produced 2,733,007 Altimas in North America to date. The Smyrna Plant employs 6,500 and represents an investment of $2.1 billion. In addition to the Altima, the plant produces the Nissan Maxima, Nissan Xterra, Nissan Pathfinder and Nissan Frontier. Source: Nissan North America

I believe I'm with the majority when I ask: Who wouldn't? (Regardless of the brand.) Emphasis on "majority". I know there are some out there who would swap out stock head units for aftermaket ones but NAV screens give a very upscale feel to most interior. Emphasis on "most".

Seems like he's already made up his mind : Interesting...the Aurora looks almost like a Camaro in that pic.

I don't remember about GM but Ford was the one that initally contacted Ghosn. Not vice-versa.

The Lexus SUV to be based off of the Tundra is supposed to be under a completely different name. As far as I know, the LX/Landcruiser has always sat on its own platform.

2006 SEMA Preview: Dodge HEMI Nitro & Panel Van The Hemi-powered SEMA Nitro will be painted in black-purple metallic, with a two-tone black and slate-gray interior, according to Myles. A lower aero body kit will include new fascias, wheel arches and side sills. The cabin will sport four bucket seats from the Viper. A second Nitro conversion — both are being done in-house — will be a white Mopar-themed panel wagon with special graphics on the sides. The rear seats will be removed and a sliding load floor installed to accommodate surfboards and other large gear. Read "Hemi-Powered Dodge Nitro Charges in to SEMA" @ Edmunds

Spied: 2008 Lexus LX The brawny Lexus LX470 was introduced in 1998, and since then has had a couple of minor updates. Now these latest photos capture a future LX470 that is restyled and updated inside and out. Read "SPY SHOTS: AutoSpies.com breaks the first spy photos of the next Lexus LX470!" @ AutoSpies

BorgWarner Slashing North American Jobs U.S. automakers' production cuts are rippling through the supplier industry, with BorgWarner Inc. saying Friday that it is eliminating 13 percent of its North American work force and Lear Corp. earlier this week cutting its sales forecast by $300 million. The U.S. Big Three are losing market share to Asian automakers at the same time that the U.S. economy is softening and domestic car sales are slowing. Suppliers that do a heavy business with General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's U.S.-based Chrysler Group are sharing their customers' pain, an analyst says. Read "Auto supplier BorgWarner to cut jobs" @ Yahoo

For what it's worth, the music isn't from any anime I've ever heard (or was the previous one)... But that's not of particular interest now, I gather.

Dodge Ram Recall Repair Parts Rare The big truck of the company that tells you to "grab life by the horns" has currently been grabbed by the balls by a lack of parts to repair them. More than 140,000 2006 Dodge Ram 1500s are under recall because of front and passenger-side air bags and seat belts that might not function properly with child safety seats. Chrysler notified dealers about the recall Sept. 6. The automaker plans to tell vehicle owners in October, when it has enough replacement parts stocked up to do repairs. Dealers said they've received air bag replacement parts but are waiting for seatbelt parts. Read "Dealers lacking Ram repair parts" @ Detroit Free Press

Bascially, under the skin, it's still a Solstice (which was nominated last year). It's not significantly different from the Solstice for the purposes of this judging.

Nissan/Renault Alliance: GM Outgoing, FMC Incoming At least, it looks that way: Carlos Ghosn's Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. may start talks with Ford Motor Co. as prospects fade for a link with General Motors Corp., two people with knowledge of the discussions said. Executives from the Renault-Nissan team and Ford have been in touch in the past month about exploring a possible link, according to the people, who asked not to be named because the proceedings are private. William Clay Ford Jr. initially called Ghosn in July to discuss a partnership if the GM-Ghosn talks led nowhere, three people familiar with the matter said last month. Read "Ford, Ghosn May Talk as GM-Renault Fades, People Say" @ Bloomberg