A Four Door Ford Mustang

The following two facts are true, Road & Track is reporting that Ford will be build a four door version of its popular Mustang for 2014 and that today is April 1st. The end result is not too bad at all and perhaps begs the question whether Ford should actually build a four door Mustang to take on the Dodge Charger. Even if this April Fool's joke doesn't sway Ford to add extra doors to the Mustang it should have Ford thinking about building a V8 powered rear wheel drive sedan. Ford actually already builds such a sedan in Australia called the Falcon and in its highest performing application it is powered by a supercharged version of the Mustang GT's V8 with 450 horsepower. With Ford's recent focus on offering its products globally there is a possibility that the next version of the Falcon would be sold in other countries aside from Australia. However, there is also a more likely possibility where the next generation Falcon is replaced by a Taurus derivative. Here is to hoping that Ford utilizes the next generation Mustang platform to create a Falcon for Australia and the USA or at least a true Cadillac competitor for Lincoln. With Ford struggling to differentiate Lincoln from the Ford models they are based on a rear drive MKS would go a long way in doing so.

Click to see more photos of how a four door Mustang would look like

If the next generation Falcon stays rear wheel drive it has a chance of coming to America

Is BMW about to abandon its I6?

With the next M3 around the corner, engine rumors are heating up and those with inside sources are saying that BMW will use a V6 , the rest of us have You Tube videos to analyze. There are three reasons why BMW would want to switch to a V6 from its traditional inline six cylinder layout: two improve performance, for marketing reasons, and to make Audi fans say I told you so (as in Audi used a turbo V6 in its RS4 many years ago). Clearly the first two reasons are significantly more likely to be true. The new V6 which would likely place the turbos between the cylinder banks could allow for better turbo response and the V6 configuration could make for a shorter engine. Using the V6 instead of an upgraded inline six seen in the 335i also gives the marketing folks the ability to differentiate the M3 from its lesser 3 series siblings. Words such as groundbreaking, bespoke and unique can be used to justify the M3's pricing premium. A different engine removes the 135i (with chip tuning) vs. 1M debate and dilemma and allows for a significantly bigger price cushion between a 335i and an M3. Not as strong of an argument as a high RPM V8 on the current M3 but the next best solution keeping while keeping the fuel economy in mind.

In reality both reasons probably play a role if the next M3 does come with a V6 and not a familiar I6 but only BMW knows what the ratio of importance between marketing and performance is.

Will the next M3 feature a smaller version of the M5's V8

Or an updated version of the tried and true I6?

New Styling Element Spreads like Wildfire

A blast from the past styling element is the new trend in the auto industry, and this might not be a good thing. It is showing up on compacts, sedans, vans, hybrids, super cars and everything in between and the results are a mixed bag. We are talking about the A-pillar quarter glass not seen since the days of vent windows of the 1960s. The modern version doesn't provide fresh air but looks to be a necessity in the world of big wheels, wide pillars and sleek rooflines. While some cars like the Lamborghini Aventador, McLaren MP4-12C, Volkswagen Touareg, and Toyota Prius V are able to employ the benefits of the A-Pillar without compromising their design others are not so lucky and end up ruining their design. What's scary is that it appears that the quarter window is growing in size with every new generation, the Honda Fit is a good example of this. If designers don't slow down the quarter glass will turn into a half glass or worse.
 

The "vent" quarter window prevents the SX4 from having any chance at a cohesive design

The Fit has one large "quarter" glass at the A-Pillar

The MP4-12C keeps its quarter glass small and doesn't hurt the design

The Prius V integrates its quarter window decently well

Thankfully this is not sold in America

This quarter window blends in with other creases in the Aventador

Rumor: EPA Adjusts 328i's Impressive Fuel Economy Ratings

As the old adage goes, if something is too good to be true it probably is. When BMW announced the new F30 328i with the 2.0 liter turbo four cylinder it announced a new powerplant with 240 horsepower and a competition beating 24 city and 36 highway fuel economy rating when paired with the 8 speed auto. This made the new 3 series a sports sedan with the fuel economy of a compact. However, the folks at Bimmerfest are reporting that the EPA has/will adjust the 328i auto ratings to a more believable 23 city and 33 highway. Numbers that are still very good but not nearly as magical. While EPA's official fueleconomy.com is still reporting the old figures, BMW's own website says that the 328i auto will only achieve 23/33 mpg.

So the million dollar question becomes, how did this fuel economy fiasco occur? While the EPA ratings appear government official, the reality is that the agency only independently verifies only about 15% of all of the ratings that it publishes. Testing every single model on sale would certainly run up the tax payer bill. The manufacturers submit the ratings according to their own testing (using the EPA protocol) and then the agency audits some of the ratings to keep everyone honest. It appears the 328i automatic got audited and there was a discrepancy.

Super Bowl XLVI Auto Commercials Ranked

As a game Superbowl XLVI turned out to be pretty good thanks to the last four minutes even if it was close yet quite average for most of the previous three quarters and change. Of course the actual game does not define a Super Bowl as some actually claim to watch the game for the commercials only.  As a whole this year's batch of commercials appeared to have less lolz than last year's edition. Nevertheless the automotive industry not only ran the most ads but also managed to have some of the best ads on Super Sunday. Here is my top five:

1. Chevy: Happy Grad

A high school graduate goes wild when he sees that his parent bought him a new Camaro convertible as a graduation present until we see that they actually didn't. This ad is simple yet very funny.



2. Acura: NSX

Great commercial overall, the only problem is that the NSX is very far from production but the commercial still works brilliantly.



3. Chevy: Chevy Silverado

The predicted 2012 Apocalypse comes true, somewhat, and Silverados are still driving around while F-150s are not. A pretty good commercial overall and one that got Ford all riled up and apparently helped Ford sell more F-150s than it did Silverados.



4. Fiat: 500 Abarth Seduction

Fiat has been under fire by the critics for lower than promised sales and an ad campaign that has left much to be desired. A simpler commercial might just be what Fiat needs and this one delivers.



5. Volkwagen:  The Dog Strikes Back

Volkswagen essentially had the best ad last year and unfortunately the sequel is not as good this time around but the two part commercial still takes fifth.

Audi Reveals Next Generation A3 Interior and the A3 Itself

While Detroit is the center of the automotive universe in early January, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is becoming more and more important to the auto industry as cars become rolling multimedia platforms. Therefore it makes sense that Audi would show off the latest iteration of its MMI infotainment system in Las Vegas. However, Audi went far beyond just showing screencaps from the new MMI system and decided to show the entire dashboard from the next generation A3. Like other new Audis the A3 will feature a pop-up navigation display and a touchpad for writing commands, a neat touch is that the touchpad is now on top of the MMI rotary knob. Apparently showing the interior of the A3 was not enough as one of the photos of the navigation screen shows a rendered image of the A3 3 door in its entirety. Keep in mind though this time around the US will only get the sedan version. Nevertheless here is a preview of how the next A3 will look like in other parts of the world.

2011 Sales Recap

Total car and light truck sales as a whole went up  about 10% in 2011 compared to 2010, an increase of over a million extra sales compared to last year bringing the grand total to just shy of 12.8 million. While the industry posted higher sales on average, 2011 will certainly be remembered for the lost market share of traditional powerhouses Toyota and Honda along with their respective luxury divisions. Natural disasters in Japan and Thailand reduced inventory for both Honda and Toyota and thus hurting sales, but ever stronger competition played a role as well. In the end Lexus was the biggest loser as it sales shrunk by 13.4% while Honda and Acura saw loses of around 6%. Both manufacturers should easily top 2011 sales in 2012 but new products for both manufacturers will be vital to improve upon 2010 sales level. At the other end of the spectrum Jeep posted incredible sales improvements over the entire year on its way to a 44% improvement. Kia and Hyundai continued to gain market share with improvements of 36 and 20 per cent while Volkswagen posted a 26.3 per cent improvement thanks to its "Americanized" Jetta and Passat models.

2011 also marked the first full year of mainstream electric transportation available for sale as the all electric Nissan LEAF found 9,674 customers while the range extending Chevrolet Volt enticed 7,671 buyers. While the Volt sold less for the year it has been outselling the LEAF the last few months winning December 1,529 versus 954 for the LEAF. We'll see how far electric vehicles will increase their market share in 2012 with new arrivals such as the Ford Focus.

Taking advantage of retreating Lexus sales throughout the year Mercedes and BMW are both withholding their official sales figures in a bit of election style "too close to call" race for the number one luxury spot. Don't expect things to be Iowa close but stay tuned for updated results tomorrow once Mercedes and BMW both officially announce their figures.