A Trend That (Thankfully) Never Fully Materialized

Clear headlights are one of those things that make you scratch your head and wonder what took so long. Immediately a huge style improvement even with standard halogen bulbs, the advent of projector and now LED lighting elements have given us headlights as critical styling elements. While clear lenses have done wonders upfront they have made only a minor impact at the back. However there was a time when clear and chrome tail lights were all the rage and it seemed like they would spread to every make and model following the like of the Lexus RX, Nissan Altima and the Toyota Prius. Thankfully, the shock value soon wore off and only a few other manufacturers joined the clear and chrome party and the latest iterations of the RX, Altima and the Prius have toned down their designs and we are all better off.

May 2012 Sales Recap

With supplies issues essentially behind them Toyota and Honda were able to post incredible sales increases compared to their May 2011 figures and even surpassing 2010 figures by a significant margin as well. Elsewhere the Chrysler Group continued its strong sales increase of the past year with surging sales at Chrysler itself, Jeep, and Ram brand. On the luxury side Lexus and Acura followed their parent brands with sales returning to previous levels while Mercedes achieved a nearly 20% sales improvement over last year. Overall May 2012 versus May 2011 sales were robust whichever way you look at it with only a couple of brands declining over a year ago. Of note was the Chevy Volt's strong month of 1,680 sales compared to the LEAF's showing of 510.

Of course as good as May was some were clearly expecting a little more perhaps indicating a possible slowing down in June or perhaps just a desire run an article about missing expectations while nearly doubling your sales.

More from New York

This year's New York Autoshow is playing out quite well with a good amount of new introductions. Here are some highlights from day one including the new Viper, Acura RLX concept and the new Lexus ES.

The Dodge SRT Viper returns with a look reminiscent of the second generation and racy front end design that some are calling what the Ferrari F12 should have looked like. The 8.4 liter V10 is up to 640 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque while composite body panels shave weight. More power and less weight is always a great combination and best of all the Viper is returning to American Le Mans racing competition this year as well.

The Acura RLX foreshadows how a top of the line Acura sedan will look when it goes on sale later this year. The production version should look very similar as the recent ILX concept was an accurate depiction of the real ILX. The RL replacement doesn't address all of its predecessor's shortcomings but attempts to solve some. Design-wise the concept design gives a hint of the Subaru Legacy from the profile and the new Lexus GS in the roofline. The most exciting part of the concept is the all wheel drive hybrid setup (preview of what the NSX will have) that Acura says is good for 370 horsepower and 30 mpg in the city and highway. One electric motor is placed before the transmission while two electric motors provide torque vectoring of the rear wheels which promises some great handling prospects.

This angle reminds of a Subaru Legacy

And the roofline is a lot like on the new GS

The spy shots of the Lexus that circulated the web a while back didn't put the new ES in the best light but from the looks of things the ES is going to do alright with a design that aside from the forced new corporate grille is very pleasing to the eye.

November Sales Recap: Chrysler Coming Back

Overall auto industry sales were up once again in November, this time to the tune of 14% compared to a year ago. At the top was Chrysler benefiting greatly with the Chrysler 200 outselling its predecessor the Sebring by a significant margin, 456% to be exact. All in all Chrysler managed a 92% increase in sales. Chrysler group's Jeep and Dodge brands did well as well with improvements of 50 and 43% respectively. Coming in first in the luxury category with a surprise 47.2% improvement was Mercedes, the newly updated C class sedan and coupe along with the new M class propelled the brand to the number one spot in luxury sales for the month. Sales of the new Passat helped Volkswagen post an over 40% sales increase as well. Like in most other months of this year Honda along with its luxury division Acura saw its sales fall once again. On the other hand Toyota and Lexus were able to turn the tide and post a sales increase for the month.

Audi Engine Downsizing and New EPA Fuel Economy Ratings

Engine downsizing has been an industry buzzword for the past few years. The idea behind downsizing is to replace a large naturally aspirated engine with a smaller turbocharged or supercharged engine. At first this concept only applied to mainstream cars but has recently appeared on luxury brands as well. Even Mercedes AMG models are replacing their 6.3 liter naturally aspirated V8s with slightly smaller 5.5 liter twin-turbo V8s. Audi has gone one further with its all new 2012 A6 as the previous V6 model has been replaced with a four cylinder turbo and the V8 option has been dropped in favor of a supercharged V6. These downsized engines have delivered for Audi. Paired with a CVT transmission the A6 2.0T delivers 25 city and 33 highway for 28 combined, numbers rarely seen in the luxury category. The quattro 3.0 TFSI does quite well as well rated at 19 city and 28 highway.


Here are some other notable new ratings. City/highway (combined)

Aston Martin Rapide: 13/19 (15)
Audi A8 W12: 14/21 (16)
Lamborghini Aventador Coupe: 11/17 (13)
Lamborghini Avenador Roadster: 11/17 (13)
Lexus LFA: 11/16 (12)
Volkswagen Passat TDI: 31/43 (35)

Best Green Car Designs

Over the past few years the number of green cars on sale has increased dramatically with new hybrids, mild hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure electric cars available for sale. While styling still remains form follows function the automakers are finally starting to spice up their green designs with additional details and styling elements. With that in mind let's take a look at the best hybrid/electric designs out for sale today. To keep out mainstream sedans we will only be looking at vehicles that are available only as hybrids, no Camry/Fusion/Altima hybrids here.

Sixth: Honda Insight

The car that invented "hybrid" hatchback styling (the first Prius was a sedan) is back but looks stale in comparison to its competition. Having grown in size compared to the original Insight the second generation model looks like a dead ringer for the second generation Prius. While both derive their shape from the aerodynamic kammback styling the newest Insight lacks the sharper styling of the newest Prius.



Fifth: Nissan Leaf

Using a more conventional hatchback/wagon shape than its Japanese competitors the Leaf looks more like a regular car. Nevertheless the big headlights upfront and swoopy design lines throughout give the Leaf distinct styling. Overall the design is interesting and lets people identify the Leaf as an electric car but it's also an electric car that does not look particularly great.




Fourth: Lexus HS 250h

If Toyota kept its second and third generation Prii as sedans the end result would have likely been very similar to the HS. Looking like a mix between the Japan only Toyota Allion and the Europe only Toyota Avensis the HS is by far the most ordinary looking pure hybrid available for sale in America. While the overall shape is fairly clean it lacks the overall design impact one would expect from a luxury oriented brand like Lexus.



Third: Lexus CT 200h

The first hatchback Lexus is clearly designed with Europe in mind as the Audi A3, BMW 1 series and the upcoming Mercedes A-class competitor would look more at home in Europe. Nevertheless the smallest Lexus hybrid has a nice design that does a good job combining an aggressive front end with curvy lines elsewhere.



Second: Toyota Prius

While the second generation Prius achieved instant recognizability as a hybrid and was the first (and essentially only) hybrid to achieve significant sales it is the third generation Prius that finally brought some styling to the table. The Prius gained sharp creases with the third generation and overall looks significantly better than the second generation blob.




First: Chevrolet Volt

Using a fairly conventional sedan styling the Volt looks like a smaller yet better designed Lexus HS250. Overall clean styling already puts the Volt ahead most of its competition but unique elements like the faux grille that looks real, sharp headlights and taillights give the Volt a unique design. The Volt takes first place by having the best combination of goods looks while still looking different enough to stand as an alternatively powered vehicle.

Looking at Luxury Brands Selling Prices

There is always a lot of talk about which luxury brand is the best, which luxury brand sells the most, and which brands even deserve to be called luxury altogether. To clear up some of these questions let's take a look at the average selling prices of the biggest eleven brands that claim to sell luxury cars in the United States. While the manufacturers do not release their average transaction prices in the way that they do with overall sales figures here is our best attempt to see who gets the most for their cars on average. At the top is Mercedes-Benz with an average asking price of around 55,000 per vehicle. Mercedes has by far the most models available for sale in the 75,000+ range. Second is BMW which is able to average a little over 50,000 per every vehicle sold. BMW falls behind Mercedes by offering fewer models over 100,000. Up third is Cadillac that benefits greatly by moving a significant amount of its pricey Escalades every month. Following Cadillac is Audi that sells its models for comparable prices as Mercedes and BMW but moves fewer A6 models compared to the competition. Up next is Infiniti that charges around 45,000 on average followed closely by Lexus that loses ground because of a significant amount of ES sales. Lincoln is able to average a little over 40,000 thanks to Town Car and Navigator sales. Right around the 40,000 dollar cutoff Acura suffers by not having a true flagship sedan or having a coupe or convertible version of the TSX. Opening up the premium category Volvo lacks serious firepower without a V8 in its lineup. Second to last Buick is a great example of selling vehicles at a premium but not luxury prices. Bringing up the rear is Chrysler with a majority of its sales comprised by the 200 and the Town&Country minivan.

*The data represented below is an attempt to find out the average selling prices of the luxury brands based on their product mix. The figures are averaged based on sales, thus a brand selling more flagship sedans versus entry level models has a higher average price than a brand selling mostly entry level models. Because of lack of sales figures BMW's M lineup and Mercedes's AMG models were not factored in, thus those brands likely have slightly higher transaction prices than indicated here.

Lexus LF-Gh Concept Design Analysis

The Lexus LF-Gh made the list as one of the most anticipated New York Auto Show debuts a short time ago. At that point the decision to place the Lexus on the list was purely done because the GS is a significant vehicle in the industry and not because Lexus is known for creating the most exciting concepts. However, the LF-Gh might be the concept that changes that notion. Lexus claims that LF-Gh is a preview of design features that will eventually find themselves on production models. The concept is meant to show how a Lexus premium grand touring sedan will look like. The general profile of the concept should give a hint at what the production GS will look like, but the water cooler talk will certainly center around the massive grille at the front. The giant grille upfront is Lexus's interpretation of the Audi shield and the Mitsubishi grille taken to the extreme. It's tough to see the grille surviving production without losing the uppermost kink or being divided in half. The LED headlights ditch the four light nature of the previous two GS generation and are heavily inspired by the ones on the current LS flagship hybrid. The side profile dithces the sweptback roofline of the current GS for the more formal proportions of the current LS. Perhaps one of the weakest elements of the concept is the long rear overhang which indicates that the concept does show the true GS dimensions. The C pillar features a squiggly cutout as seen on the current IS. The rear trunk is one of the most tame elements of the design, aside from the bottommost extension the tail lights are almost production ready. Overall the LF-Gh concept is a lot more exciting than previously imagined but will also likely see some significant revisions before making production as the next generation GS.






Click on the image to view more LF-Gh concept photos

Most Anticipated New York Auto Show Debuts

With the New York Auto Show quickly approaching let's take a look at some of the most anticipated debuts from New York.

Number 5: Porsche Panamera S. As if the Panamera didn't already have enough horsepower to shame many supercars in a drag race Porsche has decided to give its five door hatch 50 additional horsepower.

Number 4: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Mercedes finally puts its great-sounding 6.3 liter AMG V8 in a coupe to challenge the BMW M3, Audi RS5 and Cadillac CTS-V. The C63 AMG coupe would place higher but we have already seen how the coupe will look thus losing some excitement.

Number 3: Lexus LF-Gh. This hybrid concept should do a good job of previewing the next generation of the GS sedan that is certainly due for an update. In a hotly contested segment Lexus will need a great design to stand out and hopefully we see one in New York.

Number 2: Jeep Grand Cheeroke SRT8. The latest Grand Cheeroke has been well received by both the press and the public alike. The 470 horsepower 6.4 liter Hemi V8 will transform the offroader into a 911 chasing beast.

Number 1: Volkswagen Beetle. The actual third generation Beetle might not make it to the auto show floor but Volkswagen will introduce the latest Beetle in NYC the day before the New York auto show in a similar fashion to the Katy Perry concert Jetta introduction of last summer. The Beetle tops the list because it has the potential to drum up interest in Volkswagen much in the same way the original New Beetle did over a decade ago.

2011 Audi A8 V8 Offers Better Fuel Economy Than BMW and Mercedes Hybrids

The 2011 Audi A8 with the 372 horsepower V8 engine will offer exceptional fuel economy of 17 city and 27 highway. These ratings place the A8 far ahead of its BMW and Mercedes V8 powered competition. Surprisingly, the A8 with its conventional V8 engine and 8 speed gearbox also tops its German rivals' hybrid efforts fuel economy wise. The BMW 7 series ActiveHybrid trails the A8 by 1 mpg on the highway and the Mercedes S400 hybrid comes up 2 mpg short.



Audi A8: 17/21/27

BMW ActiveHybrid: 17/20/26
MB S400 Hybrid: 19/21/25
Lexus LS 600hL: 20/21/22
Mercedes S550: 15/18/23
BMW 750i: 15/17/22
BMW 740i: 17/20/25

Battle of the Supercar Commercials

Strictly speaking supercars don't need commercials to sell. So what is the point of having a supercar commercial? Brand awareness is the answer. A supercar commercial allows a brand to create a connection between the badass supercar in the commercial and the rest of the company's product. Case in point the two latest commercials from Chevrolet and Lexus. Both feature the company's quickest, fastest and most expensive product. The Corvette ZR1 and LF-A.


Chevrolet



Lexus


So which commercial is better? I prefer the ZR1 commercial because it shows how the ZR1 is like a rocketship, while the Lexus strives for perfection in an aspect that has little to do with performance. Still, both commercials feature real supercars and are miles ahead of the typical 0% financing or reliability rating boasting commercials that fill the airways much too often.

What Mercury's Demise Means

The wait is over, Ford announced today that Mercury production will halt in the fourth quarter of this year. Of course, Ford has its glass half-full saying that shutting down Mercury is only an opportunity to improve as a company. The first few paragraphs make it clear.

"Ford Motor Company will expand and enhance its Lincoln brand lineup with seven all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles in the next four years as part of an aggressive growth plan focused on standout product design, class-leading technology and new powertrains – all aimed at competing with Cadillac and Lexus in North America.

Ford also will end production of Mercury vehicles in the fourth quarter of this year to fully devote its financial, product development, production and marketing, sales and service resources toward further growing its core Ford brand while enhancing the Lincoln brand."

Nevertheless, the demise of Mercury does show that today's automotive consumer demands more than ever before. As a brand Mercury cars were slightly fancied up and rebadged versions of everyday mainstream Fords. This no longer works, see General Motors for further evidence.

This is not to say that consumer's aren't willing to pay more for a premium version of mainstream cars. In fact, Ford's focus on the Lincoln brand shows that quality "badge engineering" is the future. The Lincoln lineup is completely based on Ford products, yet they look different inside and out. Even Lincoln's closest competition in Cadillac and Lexus (according to Ford) features a lineup that relies heavily on modified platforms of mainstream cars.

In this sense Ford's emphasis on significantly increased emphasis on the Lincoln brand will be paramount. Ford is going to have to prove to the public that there is a significant difference between a Ford and a Lincoln for the brand to survive and not follow Mercury's fate. Based on the quality products coming out of Ford for the past year, it looks like Lincoln is poised to regain some of its former glory in the coming years.



The MKX is an appealing product, but is it too similar to its Ford counterpart to be considered luxury?

First Official Lexus LF-Ch Photo

Lexus has released the first official photo of its upcoming hatchback concept. The hybrid powered concept will preview a Lexus vehicle that would compete with the Audi A3 and BMW 1 series. Expect the actual production car to have a normal rear bumper, bigger rear window and perhaps different taillights.

The Dirtiest Cars for Sale Today

The current cars and trucks for sale in America are significantly cleaner than the vehicles sold in the past, emitting only fraction of the pollution of the old days. The vast majority of the models listed in the EPA Green Vehicle Guide have an EPA pollution score of at least 6. However, there are quite a few bad apples that don't fair nearly as well when it comes to pollution.

• The vast majority of "heavy duty" pickups and vans have EPA pollution score of 1, 2, or 3 out of 10 depending on configuration. (Ford F-250/350 and E-250/350 , Dodge Ram 2500/3500, Silverado 2500/3500 and Express 2500/3500, GMC Sierra 2500/3500 and Savana 2500/3500)
  
• The Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring with the 2.7 V6 have a score of 3 in all states except California and Northeast.
  
• The Lexus SC 430 has a score of 3 in the same states.
  
• Toyota Scion xD has a score of 3 in the same states.