best cars 2009

RPM Daily Auto Show Honors Each year the NAIAS grows a little bigger (Cobo seems to be getting smaller) and more and more journalists flock to Detroit to cover the most important auto show in the world. NAIAS is always full of beautiful concepts, even better-looking models, and a steady flow of product unveilings. 2007 was no different, in fact, this year's show was more of all of the above. Here is the RPM Daily best-of list. Most Significant: Hands-down the Chevy Volt. What a neat concept. 150 MPG, no transmission, Lithium batteries, engine works as a generator to charge the batteries, and it plugs into a 110 volt socket... this one vehicle could forever change the landscape of the automotive business and put the knock-out blow to US and world dependence on foreign oil. Best Concept: I'm going to have to go with the Lincoln MKR. Its striking good looks and RWD platform mix to create the one product that can actually make Lincoln relevent again. That's a big statement for a company that has lost marketshare like Jarred from Subway loses lbs. 415 HP out of a twin-turbo V6 makes everybody forget about the need for a luxury V8. Best production car: Cadillac CTS wins a close one over the Chevy Malibu. It's amazing to see how fast Rick, Bob, and CO are righting the ship over at the General. With so many relevent entrants in such a short period of time, it seems like GM has taken off the gloves and wants to engage in some serious automotive warfare, Detroit-style. CTS comes back for 2008 much better-looking inside and out and bows to nobody in power, technology, or bling-factor. This will be THE luxury product to watch in the next year. Best production utility: The Chrysler Town and Country wins a close one vs. the Tundra. The sheer utility of this vehicle is just stunning. It can do anything a family asks of it and it does it with style, grace, and a little pinache. It will be the most attractive-looking minivan on the market when it comes out, it will have the most useful interior, and it will finally compete head to head in powertrain with Honda and Toyota. The Tundra had a lot of very similar claims as the T&C, but the DCX minivans win on overall volume (with the Caravan) and vehicle differentiation. View product introduction videos here.
2006 Passat	Wolfgang looking for work again For some, getting high-ranking executive appointments at a very young age is just easy. For Wolfgang Bernhard, though, keeping those jobs are another issue all-together. Bernhard is leaving VW after a very short stint at the carmaker. This is only a short time after being passed over at DCX and then leaving. At age 46, he's been a top dog in the automotive world for over a decade. His career, however, is starting to look more like what Alan Mulally's looked like at Boeing. Always a bride's maid... Check out the report from Bloomberg.com
Ford Fusion	Ford to cut down on platforms, more sharing Global platform-sharing is the wave of the future and Ford is looking for a surf board. Ford Motor Company CEO is looking to Derek Kuzak to rekindle the magic he captured with the C1 platform to shave global development costs while giving the company the ultimate flexability to create vehicles for any market anywhere in the world. This could mean choosing between the Mazda 6 platform and the C1+ for the next Fusion and unifying the Focus platforms, this time for good. The company will even commonize interiors. I know, I know... lots and lots of Ford articles. When you're on the hot-seat and a 103-year old company that has the second most recognizable brand in the world is at the edge of a cliff, they get a little extra attention. Check out the Auto Week article.
2007 Toyota Tundra Toyota FT-HS Concept	Toyota looking to build up to five more plants in US Every time Toyota talks of expansion it usually brings on a wave of media interest. Where will the plant be located, what will it produce? The questions are endless. With the continuing rise in market share and an American market that is begging for more Toyotas, word from Bloomberg and the Free Press is that Toyota is looking to build FIVE new plants in the ole USA by 2015. If there were any doubt that Toyota wants to be billed as an American company, this should quell that doubt. This is great news for the south and bad news for the midwest, however. With unions struggling to regain membership numbers and the south not interested in unions, this is a sign of more tough times to come for the UAW. Check out the article in the Free Press.
Ford Edge	Ford’s Mulally has a big 2007 ahead of him Many in the automotive world have been watching the drama that is Ford Motor Company and are wondering when the "who shot JR" episode would show up. The blue oval has been a mess with constant turnover and a relentless line of killed ideas and products. The newest sheriff in town, Alan Mulally, is charged with righting the ship, and he's in for a huge 2007 if the company is to be saved. Edmunds.com just did a terrific column on Mulally and what he is faced with in 07. In the column are scathing commentaries on Mark Fields and Ellena Ford. It's a must read, check it out