Variance

Oh...I've seen the Crossfire get torn a new one many a time. Of course, the interior's not the only part of it that does...but I digress... The fact of the matter is, the new Sebring has an interesting interior design but the quality doesn't look to be the greatest. We'll see what changes the production version will make but right now, it doesn't look good.

I thought of that too but the only one I saw on eBay looked pretty beat. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-MEAN-LOOK...1QQcmdZViewItem

Whoa, that thing is damn clean.

IIRC, you've already written off the Magnum and there are only so many V8 RWD wagons I can think of: BMW 540i wagon MB E500 wagon Buick Roadmaster Estate Chevy Caprice wagon Not really a wide selection...

Man, really, let it go already. You've said your peace, now move on. You just look childish trying to restart an unnecessary fight that has started to die down.

I really think people are making too big a thing of this. Some of you seem really on edge about this and it's getting pretty ugly. I just suggest we agree to disagree who's in the wrong concerning this and move on. The Outlook isn't cancelled; all is well.

Calif. Woman, 62, Gives Birth to Baby Boy http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp.../2343325684.htm

Tax Breaks Given on Gas-Guzzling SUVs By TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 18, 2:16 PM ET New tax breaks are available to anyone who wants to help the environment by purchasing fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles. But if owners of small businesses really want to save money, they can get even bigger federal tax breaks by buying the largest gas-guzzling SUVs. The disparity is drawing criticism from environmentalists and the Republican chairman of the Senate's tax-writing committee, who is working on a change. Dealers and owners who have benefited from the SUV tax incentive say it helps spur a key part of the economy — auto-making — and allows small business owners to purchase vehicles that improve their bottom line. Federal tax rules that took effect last month allow a credit of up to $3,150 for anyone buying a hybrid car. The credit is the same regardless of tax bracket. However, owners of small businesses who buy a Hummer, Ford Excursion or other SUV weighing more than 3 tons get a deduction of up to $25,000 — depending on tax bracket — if they use the vehicle exclusively for work. The benefits don't stop there. Once they subtract the $25,000 from the cost of their 3-ton SUV, small business owners can deduct the depreciation on the remaining amount. Someone who bought a $60,000 SUV, for example, can claim the remaining $35,000 over six years. No such luck for small business owners who buy cars weighing less than 3 tons. No matter how much the vehicles cost, they can claim just $15,535 in depreciation over six years and $1,675 each additional year. Deductions for depreciation on trucks and vans weighing less than 3 tons are slightly more generous. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is working on a bill that would level the playing field between SUVs and hybrids. "It's inconsistent for the tax code to encourage business people to buy heavy SUVs and not alternative vehicles," said Grassley, whose committee has oversight of tax legislation. "As consumer demand for alternative energy products increases, it's important for the tax code to be consistent." A Grassley aide declined to describe the legislation in detail, saying more information will be released in coming weeks. Dan Becker, head of the Sierra Club's global warming program, said the SUV tax break flies in the face of President Bush's State of the Union call for less reliance on oil. "The president is right that we're addicted to oil, so we should break the addiction by urging Americans to buy hybrids, not Hummers," Becker said. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers declined to comment beyond saying the group is satisfied with current tax policy. Nashville real estate agent Cindy Jasper said the deduction has boosted her small business. She uses two Hummer H2s to take clients to rugged farm and equestrian properties — and the vehicles also help grab customers' attention. "It's just such a great marketing vehicle," she said. "You have to do something to be a little bit different." The tax breaks for large SUVs are rooted in long-standing deductions for small business purchases, including trucks and vans for farmers, contractors and others who need heavy vehicles. Trying to jump-start the economy after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Congress increased the deduction for small businesses from $25,000 to $100,000 for 2003 and most of 2004. However, lawyers, doctors and others also took advantage of the measure. Treasury Secretary John Snow wrote in a 2004 letter that the Bush administration favored the deduction's "complete elimination" except when there was a legitimate business need for a large SUV. That same year, Congress reduced the deduction to $25,000. The IRS does not keep statistics on the number of people who took the SUV deduction, spokeswoman Nora Butler said. Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060218/ap_on_...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

stars

GM CEO jokes about automaker's reported demise Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:07 PM ET MIAMI, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Responding to reports suggesting General Motors Corp. is heading for the automotive junk heap, its chief executive joked on Friday about the words a man might like to hear from a mourner at his own wake or funeral. "Look, he's moving," was the punch line, which GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner delivered to laughter in a speech to the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. It was a rare moment of levity for Wagoner, who is under enormous pressure to turn around GM after its stunning $8.6 billion net last loss year. "Despite some speculation to the contrary, we at GM are still moving," Wagoner added. "In fact, we're taking some big steps to get moving fast in the right direction." Whether GM is moving fast enough, or in all the right directions, is an open question. Analysts say many of its recent belt-tightening measures -- including a dividend cut, a reduction in white-collar benefits and executive pay -- generate relatively paltry cash savings for the ailing automaker. Wagoner insists his turnaround plan is gaining traction, however. And his upbeat tone on Friday, which came in stark contrast to more dire pronouncements of the recent past, was aimed at countering some of the doom and gloom that has been written about GM lately. "If all you do is read the headlines, you may not have as constructive a view of the outlook as we believe you could have," said Wagoner, who spoke to reporters after his speech at a hotel on Miami's waterfront. In his prepared remarks, Wagoner also poked fun at President (George W.)Bush for having suggested, in a recent interview, that GM needs to build vehicles that are "relevant." "He may not have had a chance to drive our products recently," said Wagoner. "He (Bush) only buys one car a year or two, I guess, so we've got to sell to everybody else," Wagoner said. "I'm not overly obsessed with it," adding that the president's remarks had been taken slightly out of context. Speaking of outlooks, Wagoner also said GM was too closely focused on its turnaround and day-to-day operations to offer any concrete financial forecasts for this year. That may speak to a sense of urgency at GM, as it tries to pull itself up by its automotive bootstraps. But it is also disconcerting for investors in the world's largest automaker, which just cut its annual $2 dividend in half. "I understand people's desire for guidance but our assignment is to get the business turned around as fast as we can and start getting better results today and tomorrow," Wagoner said. GM has said it expects to post stronger results this year than in 2005, aided by new models and recent cost-cuts. But on a cautionary note, Wagoner said he could not rule out more big one-time items in 2006, like the $3.6 billion in after-tax special items that it reported in the fourth quarter. "I really can't tell you how that will come out. Certainly there were plenty of special items last year and the possibility of them for this year exists as well," he said. Link: http://today.reuters.com/investing/Finance...umber=0&summit=

Tuner Special: Hamann Rocks BMW M6 Date posted: 02-17-2006 LAUPHEIM, Germany — Hamann Automobile Technik + Design, the BMW tuning specialist, has further tapped the latent potential in the already sensational M6 coupe, boosting engine output and performance to new heights. Hamann offers three different engine tuning options on the car's 5.0-liter V10, which, in stock trim, delivers 500 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. At the first tuning level, Hamann upgrades the wheels and tires, and removes the speed governor, which lifts top speed to 185 to 200 mph. At the second stage, Hamann also reprograms the engine computer to boost output by 30 hp and torque by 11 lb-ft. The third stage adds high-performance exhaust headers, metallic sports catalytic converters, a performance air filter and muffler, and removes all electronic engine restrictions. Output of the V10 jumps by 60 hp, with torque climbing by 40 lb-ft. Top speed peaks at around 200 mph. Hamann's aero add-ons include a chin spoiler in fiberglass or Kevlar, a completely new front apron with integral high-beam headlamps, side skirts, a tail spoiler, a roof spoiler, and a rear apron with integrated diffuser. Hamann also offers a number of chassis enhancements, as well as a wide variety of wheel/tire upgrades and interior accessories. For more information, see the company's Web site at www.hamann-motorsport.de. What this means to you: Even BMW's ultimate M Series cars can be tweaked to go just a little faster. Link: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109346

teenage

I'm not really a dog person but if I ever were to have one, I'd like a rottweiler.

And thinking about it, if the ugly-as-an-Aztek-hit-with-a-bag-of-bricks BMW X3 can find customers, I see no reason a small crossover from any other brand can't find at least as many.

Nonsense. They're perfect for the up and coming compact-luxury-SUV-for-people that-want-an-SUV-but-not-a-big-one-that-has-a-luxury-badge market. In all seriousness, there seems to be the theory of "if you build it, they will come" at work here.

Pretty much. It just means it's put on hold for a period of time. Although, "delayed" can suggest an unforseen problem more than "shelved".

Nissan cuts SUV, truck production Japanese automaker's U.S. plants slash output of Titan, other big vehicles after rise in gas prices. Christine Tierney / The Detroit News Saddled with large inventories of light trucks, Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. has cut back production of the large Titan pickup and big sport utility vehicles built at its U.S. plants. Last month, Nissan slashed output of the Titan at its Canton, Miss., plant by 29 percent, to 5,680 vehicles. Three years ago, Nissan anticipated that it would be producing more than 8,000 Titans a month on average at the plant to sell more than 100,000 a year. But the Japanese automaker has been hurt, much like its Detroit rivals, by slumping demand for large vehicles after the spike last summer in gas prices. Nissan launched a slew of big vehicles in 2003 in the U.S. market, where it generates about 60 percent of its total profit. But both the Titan and Quest minivan fell short of their goals, slowing the Japanese automaker's momentum in the U.S. market. Last month, its U.S. sales dipped 1 percent. Nissan's car sales were up, but truck sales declined 1.6 percent, reflecting a 9 percent drop in Titan sales, a 21 percent drop in sales of the large Armada SUV and a 31 percent slump in Quest sales ahead of the rollout of a restyled minivan. Nissan has overall vehicle stocks estimated to last 60 days, but with the Titan "we've crept up close to 90 days, and we'd like to right-size the inventory," said Jed Connelly, senior vice president for sales at Nissan North America. "We're trying to have production match the current sales rate." Nissan also cut production of the Armada by 11 percent in January and reduced output of the premium Infiniti QX56 large SUV by 10 percent from year-earlier levels. Overall, it pared truck, SUV and minivan output by 9 percent. Nissan's production of light trucks, including the Titan, peaked in March, the last month of the Japanese fiscal year. But Titan production has declined for five consecutive months, and Connelly expects its full-year sales will fall slightly short of last year's levels. While the Titan's struggle reflects the weakening demand for gas-guzzlers, it also illustrates the difficulty newcomers face in the big pickup segment, where brand loyalties to Detroit's automakers run high. Competition is expected to increase as General Motors Corp. rolls out new large pickups and Toyota Motor Corp. launches a full-size pickup early next year. Connelly estimates Nissan will sell between 85,000 and 90,000 Titans this year, down from around 92,000 in 2005. "When you're breaking into a segment and you're attacking the sweet spot where the domestics have had a strong resonance for their brands, it's a long road," said Jeremy Anwyl, president of auto research Web site Edmunds.com. "The Titan is a perfectly credible product, but it's going to take a while to be accepted," he said. In an interview at the North American International Auto Show last month, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said he expected U.S. vehicle sales would be flat in 2006, but car and truck sales would fluctuate sharply. "You'll see volatility in the mix," he said. "Small cars sales will increase one month, and then there'll be a pushback from large SUVs." This year, Nissan expects to increase U.S. sales slightly after introducing a new Sentra sedan and a Versa subcompact. Despite cutthroat competition in the large vehicle segments, Nissan executives are trying to hold the line on incentives, even if it means losing a few thousand sales. "We'd rather protect the brand," Connelly said. According to Autodata Corp., Nissan incentives run about $2,310 per vehicle, in line with the industry average and well below the discounts on domestic brands. CNW Marketing, another firm that calculates discounts, estimates Nissan's incentives averaged just under $2,100 in December, less than those of all its major rivals. "We don't have incentives like Dodge, Chevrolet and Ford," said Steve Gonzales, new car sales manager at Charlie Clark Nissan, a dealer in Harlingen, Texas. "Our incentives aren't huge." Link: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../602170370/1148

Lexus Mulls Small Crossover By Global Auto Systems Staff February 17, 2006 New premium compact CUV would be based on Toyota RAV and could be assembled in Canada. TOKYO—Toyota's upscale Lexus brand, as part of an ongoing expansion of its product portfolio, plans to introduce at least one more luxury crossover and is considering the addition of a smaller near-luxury crossover based on the recently redesigned RAV4. The proposed compact Lexus CUV would be positioned as a smaller sibling to the popular RX330 and would be targeted at Acura's Accord-based RDX, which goes into production this summer. Sources familiar with Toyota's plans say the company could bring the smaller Lexus, which as yet has no name, to market as early as 2008. The compact Lexus crossover would be built on Toyota's new MC global mid-size platform, which also underpins the '07 Camry and '07 ES350 sedans. The same platform will be used as the foundation for the 2009 RX350, which replaces the current RX330 in fall 2008. Supplier sources say Toyota is also studying a proposal to consolidate production of the three Lexus vehicles—the ES350, the RX350, and the new compact crossover—at its new plant in Woodstock, Ontario, in 2008-09. The Lexus brand is planning to add a high-end crossover vehicle, based on its 2003 HPX concept, in 2008. The all-wheel-drive CUV, which will share its underpinnings with the IS sedan, will be imported from Japan and will be positioned to compete with the Infiniti FX. Link: http://globalautosystems.com/index.php?opt...id=263&Itemid=2

Hyundai May Build Cars in Czech Republic By Global Auto Systems Staff February 17, 2006 The Korean automaker is said to have concluded negotiations on a $1.2 billion facility to assemble 300,000 vehicles a year. PRAGUE — The Industry and Trade Ministry said it has concluded talks with Hyundai Motor to build a $1.2 billion assembly plant in the Czech Republic. A deal could be announced in early March at the Geneva Auto Show. Hyundai's Kia subsidiary will begin assembling cars this year at a new plant in neighboring Slovakia. The two brands are among the fastest-growing in Europe. Hyundai executives have said the company could spend up to a billion euros on a new factory in Central Europe, where talks have focused primarily on the Czech Republic. They have not specified which models are likely to be produced there. Currently, most Hyundai cars sold in Europe are exported from Korea. Link: http://globalautosystems.com/index.php?opt...id=261&Itemid=2

The Autoweek article is old but the the reason I posted it is because it's coming here and the recent articles from my usual sources didn't have any photos. Current article from The Auto Channel: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/02/17/210978.html

2007 BMW Alpina B7 America Sings the Alpina Blues By MATT DAVIS AutoWeek | Published 01/16/06, 1:09 pm et AT A GLANCE: 2007 BMW ALPINA B7 ON SALE: November BASE PRICE: $125,000 (est.) POWERTRAIN: 4.4-liter, 493-hp, 506-lb-ft super-charged V8; rwd, six-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT: 4400 lbs (est.) 0 TO 60 MPH: 4.8 seconds (mfr.) COMBINED FUEL MILEAGE: 18.9 mpg (mfr.) When last we wrote about Alpina cars coming our way (“Z8 One Better,” Jan. 6, 2003), it was decided to off-load the entire final year’s worth of Z8s—450 cars—on the United States over the last nine months of 2003. All the cars were modified to 4.8-liter Alpina V8s with Alpina’s own Switchtronic sequential transmission. At the same time, BMW headquarters was in discussions with BMW North America to also bring over the B7, based on the “ugly-trunk” 7 Series. After some serious business-case hurdling, however, it was decided to postpone Alpina’s Atlantic crossing—the famed Blues would stay home awhile longer. That was then. Now BMW North America has hatched a fiendishly clever plan to bring us not only the new “less-ugly-trunk” B7, but possibly also an Alpina-fied version of the next X5 sport/utility vehicle. The thinking is that in North America it would be nice to have a full lineup of high-performance BMWs, be they Ms or Bs. But there will be no importing of Alpina B3s, B5s or B6s, thereby avoiding competing with BMW M sales. For now, the only sure thing is the B7 will be in the United States by the end of 2006 (regular-wheelbase version to start, possibly Li version later), exact quantity to be determined. Bringing over an Alpina X5 won’t be decided until midyear, once development of the supercharged V8 intended to go in it is finished. We sampled this blue cruise missile around the rolling farm roads of Upper Bavaria. Aside from the test car’s creamy-smooth off-white Lavalina leather interior and the lack of a Big Gulp cupholder, this is what we will be offered late this year at a price approaching $125,000. Like the 2003 Z8 Roadster and the B5 we’ve recently driven (“Road Warrior,” June 20, 2005), the Alpina B7 is phenomenal work. While its price might cause some to flinch, Alpinas are a breed apart. On one level are the AC Schnitzers, Hamanns and Dinans that do great aftermarket work on Bimmers. But Alpina is unique in that all cars produced are assembled directly at BMW factories. With the B7, all main parts for its 4.4-liter V8 are given extra heat treatments at BMW’s Steyr, Austria, plant. Then the engine is built at Alpina in Buchloe, Germany, and sent with the six-part cooling set (engine cooling, gearbox cooling, etc.) to the 7 Series plant in Dingolfing, Germany. Other component suppliers send everything directly to Dingolfing, where full assembly takes place. BMW does the Alpina Blue paint, glass work, wire harness, sound system, Alpina ECU software uploading and airbags. Completed B7s are then put through final checks back at Alpina. The 493 horses between 5250 and the 6000-rpm redline make the B7 about even with the M5 and M6 in the power mode, only at lower revs. But first and foremost, Alpina is about abundant low-end torque, and as you would expect the B7 is awesome in this department. There is 506 lb-ft between 4250 and 5250 rpm, thanks to supercharging together for the first time with BMW’s Valvetronic variable valve timing and the fully remapped ECU. Compare the M5 and M6, with 383 lb-ft of torque peaking at 6100 rpm, not to mention the 8250-rpm redline, and the different priorities are clear. Ms are for the racer in you, Bs are for the big-time execs who want blue rumbling thunder and a 4.8-second 0-to-60-mph time. The heat generated by the 0.8 bar-pressure Nautilus-style supercharger (that can raise the effective compression ratio to 16.2:1 from a nominal 9.0:1) is handled by creating higher transfer-rate water and air cooling for the engine, gearbox and rear differential. The waves of torque are tamed by swapping out the 750i rear axle assembly in favor of that from a 745d, and the gearbox cogs and housing are significantly hardened. As when we drove the B5, the autobahn beckoned us in the B7. Braking steadily from the 186-mph top speed is an inspiring experience, made so by using the big discs and floating calipers from the brake package created by BMW for the 760Li—14.72-inch front, 14.57-inch rear. The 21-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels are wrapped in sturdy Michelin Pilot Sport 2 treads. A more robust suspension setup comes via Sachs shocks and Eibach springs. Put this all together with the discreet Alpina aero trim, and the drive is sublime at an entirely Bavarian level. It’s hard to find greater road-going confidence than what the B7 offers all around (barring snow and ice, of course). And with the high-end comfort seating standard on the B7 for North America, you’re supercharging along in cushioned style. Given Alpina has annual capacity for around 1000 cars, probably only 100 or so B7s at the max will make it to the United States in the first full year. If those are devoured as we imagine, the next decision will be how to expand Alpina’s capacity to satisfy North America’s hunger for these notorious Blues. Link: http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...E/60106003/1004

The tone of article? All the article said was the Outlook had been put on hold for a retooling. And how is Josh responsible for how other people interpreted the article? You think he's here every moment to clarify every single thing? Give me a break. A sensationlist tone would be if Josh knew the Outlook was't being cancelled and put forth the notion that it was. If you had read the article, you could see that was plainly not the case. You think he intentionally wanted to work people up and getting people pissed off at GM? Please.

Ummm...you might want to check my name again...

So your beef is the use of the word "shelved"? "Shelved" means something is postponed; I don't see what was misleading in the title. Even if you had a point (which you don't, IMO) even you say the details were elaborated on in the article. People have no one to blame but themselves if they don't take the time to read something in full before sounding off. Complaining about the semantics of the title is weak (especially when you're wrong).

BMW Turns to Steam to Boost Power, Improve Fuel Economy By FELIX BAUER | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS AutoWeek | Published 02/13/06, 1:17 pm et MUNICH, Germany -- BMW is applying steam-engine technology in an auxiliary drive that the automaker says can boost both power and fuel efficiency in ordinary piston-driven cars. The automaker is testing a two-stage device called the Turbosteamer on a stationary conventional 1.8-liter engine at BMW headquarters here. The device works entirely on the waste heat from the engine. Turbosteamer converts more than 80 percent of the heat energy in the exhaust into usable power, says Raymond Freymann, head of BMW's advanced research and development subsidiary. BMW could start building production vehicles with the system by the first half of the next decade, Burkhard Goeschel, BMW board member for r&d, said during a briefing. The system can be used on any combustion engine. In trials on a test rig, the system when attached to a regular BMW four-cylinder, 1.8-liter Valvetronic engine reduced fuel consumption by 15 percent. It also generated an extra 13 hp and 14.8 pounds-feet of torque. The concept is hardly new. The first patent for a steam auxiliary drive harnessing exhaust heat was issued in 1914 to Wilhelm Schmidt of Germany. The sheer size of a heat-recovery system had been the biggest problem. But the Turbosteamer fits in a regular 3-series body. "All we lose is a bit of ground clearance," says Freymann. BMW knows that a production version of the Turbosteamer system must provide enough benefit to justify the higher price tag. Says Freymann: "The clients have to save more fuel than the system's extra cost." How the system works BMW's system uses two fluid-circulating systems to recover exhaust heat from the gasoline engine. The primary high-temperature circuit pumps water through a heat exchanger, surrounding the exhaust gases immediately behind the catalytic converter. Water is heated to 1,022 degrees Fahrenheit. Steam is converted into mechanical energy in an expander and transferred by pulleys to the engine crankshaft. The steam flows through another heat exchanger and transfers its remaining heat to a second circuit filled with ethanol. This lower temperature system replaces the engine's regular coolant system. This system also collects heat in a heat exchanger in the exhaust-gas flow. It releases its energy in a second expander unit that transfers the energy to the crankshaft. Link: http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...1024/LATESTNEWS