Two for the Road talks Trends
Phoenix, Arizona
October 2008
The automotive landscape is in constant flux and what amazes
me is how quickly manufacturers are making changes and getting them to market.
There was a time that it took 5 plus years from the concept to production and
in some cases that time is more than cut in half. Some things we hear are
coming include;
A Cadillac CTS wagon and yes you read correctly I said a
wagon. GM says they expect to only sell around 4,000 units of the CTS Sports
Wagon in the US
but they hope to be a big hit in the Euro market. The CTS Sports Wagon will go
on
sale in the spring of ’09 with a choice of two 3.6 liter V6’s, one being the
304 horsepower Direct-Injection but the Asian and Euro markets get a 2.9-liter
turbodiesel engine that Cadillac is developing. I wonder when the American
market will welcome that engine. Stay tuned for more on this car.
Good news for rear-wheel drive fans the Alpha RWD Cadillacs
are scheduled for the
2011 model year replacing the front-drive BLS in Europe
and expanding the lineup to the U.S. The 3-series sized car could be a big hit
but only time will tell.
Look for a new Lambda Escalade as GM tries to inject some
new excitement into the Tahoe based Luxo-SUV. Using the Lambda platform makes
economic sense because of production of the Buick 
Enclave, GMC Acadia, Saturn
Outlook and the new Chevy Traverse. It would also give the Escalade a more edgy
look without going overboard. It would most likely be powered by a small-block
V8 since the Northstar replacement planned for the Enclave was cancelled.
While the new Chevy Cruze is a pretty nifty looking little
car, we’ll have to wait until 2010 before production begins in the U.S.
Production in Germany, South Korea and Russia begins in March of 2009 with the
car being powered by an anemic 112 horsepower 1.6 liter or 140 horsepower 1.8
liter gas engines and a 150hp 236 lb-ft of torque 2.0
turbodiesel. We won’t see
the diesel iteration in the U.S.
because the cost of the Cruze would go north of $30k and I don’t thing that
will work for a vehicle only about the size of a Cobalt. This market will
likely get a 1.4 liter turbo in the 150 to 170 horsepower range. Nice looking
car but we’ll have to wait and see.
There’s a lot of buzz about the Hyundai Genesis and perhaps
rightfully so, it appears to offer a lot of luxury and way better than average
performance for not a whole lot 
of money. But Hyundai is jumping into the CUV
fray with the 2010 Portico. While only spy pics are available, it’s pretty
clear that Hyundai is aiming to cut into the Sport Cross-over market. The Portico
has a pretty aggressive stance, a lower swept back roofline that despite the camouflage
looks very interesting. Maybe even more interesting is the talk about
eventually getting hybrid power. Slated to go on sale in 2009 as a 2010 it will
be interesting to see if the Portico continues Hyundai’s march towards
dominance with lots of quality at a great price. So far, looks pretty good.
Thank you Bob Lutz for “McChevy”
By: Cathy Droz
Two for the Road USA
Bob Lutz, let me thank you for
giving General Motors your own version of “McDreamy.” I am referring to Brian
Nesbitt your GMNA Vice President of North America.
I officially call him “McChevy.”
My partner Bill and I were
invited along with other auto press of Arizona
to an intimate dinner with Bryan Nesbitt, Dawn McKenzie and Annalisa
Bluhm. I was so looking forward to meeting a real GM design person, a man involved in the HHR, Malibu, Saturn Sky
and the Volt, a man who would design cars the way Manolo Blahnik designs shoes.
As I mingled at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, ironically Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed design, with fellow journalists;
I saw the usual faces in the crowd. Since most of the Arizona journalists are over 50 and pretty generic in attire, I noticed immediately a
young man that looked like the lead singer in a rock band, a hairstylist or model talking to one of the Boomer media people. Thinking this rock star mistook our group for The Osmond family groupies; I laughed to myself and started looking for our guest of honor Bryan Nesbitt. I figured he was going to make a last minute grand entrance because he was busy in his hotel room putting finishing touches on a Camaro or a spaceship.
However, as we were escorted into a private dining area I noticed I was seated next to the young man I mistakenly
thought was with the wrong group. Immediately I introduced myself and he kindly said he was Bryan. Could this well dressed, hair gelled, tanned looking 007 handsome man be the famed designer of the Volt? Could this be the man who put Lutz’s dream of design back in to
General Motors?
It didn’t take long to realize that Nesbitt was not only easy on the eyes but easy to talk to. He was gracious,
bright and engaging and knew his stuff. He had enough charisma to make both genders want to know more about his work, and I’ve never been so interested in drive
trains, torque and curves of steel in my life.
Now “McChevy” is not much older than my son, but I was dazzled by his maturity and his honesty. He knew his
stuff as one question after the other was fired at him. Whether the Volt, Corvette or alternative fuels Bryan knew it all. I liked the fact that when I asked the personal questions he didn’t say “no comment” or check with Human Resources, he told his story and had everyone at the table
silent and in awe.
He explains that as a product of the 70’s and his parents divorce, he and his mother traveled for long periods
of time living out of her ’69 Gremlin. He confessed to living a bohemian life with a mom who was not afraid of adventure. Despite the constant driving from state to state or visits to friends, he peered through car windows watching fins and headlights mixed with Grilles
and tires. Add to the mix his father, a corvette fanatic whose passion for cars quickly spread to Bryan. Nesbitt confesses he knew he wanted to design automobiles at a very young age and orchestrated his schooling and career choices to get there. He was born in Arizona, attended major design Universities, lived and worked in Europe and resides in Detroit,
Michigan with his wife and four children. What a great story of a boy with a dream, one you might hear come out of Warner Brothers rather than General Motors. A wonderful career and at age 38 holds the title of the youngest VP at General Motors.
Arizona gave us Presidential candidate John “McCain” and now thanks to you Mr. Lutz, we are proud to claim “McChevy.”
Bondurant School of High Performance Makes Bill Z… A Safer Driver in One Day
Phoenix, Arizona
August 24, 2008
It was with a bit of trepidation that I pulled into the parking lot at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving to take the Highway Survival Training course on a beautiful summer day in Phoenix. Having gone through the one day racing course a couple of years ago I knew better then to think that I was going to make it through the day feeling good about my driving skills. These folks are the crème de la crème of driving instructors and they can always find something problematic with ones driving, and rightfully so.
I have to say that I, like a lot of people, feel like I am much more capable than average driver, but after going through the racing course, I was cured of any ego that I may have had regarding my ability to handle a race car.
That feeling was why I was apprehensive about what they were going to put us through with this course regarding my daily driving skills. I read that we were going to be dealing with emergency maneuvers, skid control exercises, shifting exercises, braking and cornering, a slalom run and of course some laps on the big track; all things that test reactions and coordination. Then, to make matters even more stressful, I saw that my classmates were a couple of youngsters with the razor sharp reflexes of youth that made me feel well, old.
That aside, Alex and Nic were very nice young men and our instructors Will and Austin were great and after spending a bit of classroom time learning about the forces that control a vehicle, weight and balance and the effects of inertia that we can use to maximize braking and steering, it was off to the practice pad.
From that point on the day was a blur of driving. First learning how acceleration effects turning by going in a circle in ever widening circles while holding the steering wheel in one position and then coming back to the starting point again, without ever turning the wheel. From there we went on a short loop of the track to learn how to find the correct line to get the car around the track as fast a possible without losing control. We learned how to “look where you want to go” rather then where you’re going, no small 
thing to get used to.
From there we practiced some accident avoidance by driving up to 45 miles per hour in the center lane of three lanes with green lights and wait for the instructors to turn two to red, then we had to maneuver into the lane with the green light. Again, no easy feat when they seemed to wait until way too late to make up your mind. But a minor miracle happened when we actually listened to the instruction to “look ahead” and use our peripheral vision to change lanes as we reacted to the lights.
The skid cars were an absolute blast and if for no other reason then to get to do that, you should check out the Highway Survival Training course. It is absolutely amazing at how quickly all three of us got a handle on “looking where we wanted to go” rather then where we were going. As far as correcting for understeer goes, no real big problem, just slow down and get the weight on the front wheels, even if you have to tap the brake, until you have the car going where you want it to.
On the other hand, dealing with oversteer is an entirely different, and much more fun matter. Most of us can remember times when the back of the car starts coming loose and putting us into a spin, which is a very ugly feeling. Well, after a few minutes in the skid car, we were all feeling pretty sure of ourselves in dealing with that problem should it arise in the future.
Then we got to run the slalom course, again, more fun then should be legal, and after that several timed laps on a SCCA type course where we had to avoid running over pylons racing for time, which I think I still won even though Alex had a time 1 second better then mine. I was in a big Cadillac CTS and he was in a small Pontiac Solstice so when I factor that I’m older then their fathers, and I was in a bigger heavier car, I win. Needless to say, he doesn’t feel that way.
Finally we got to go on the big boy track and chase Will and Austin for several laps, again, more fun then you can possibly imagine.
But while we had a great time, the most important thing we learned is that driving is very complicated and without understanding how to control a vehicle in unexpected circumstances, the results can be devastating. And while we learned a lot, the most important thing we learned was, that we didn ’t know enough, and that can be very sobering. I’ve been driving 
for almost 5 decades and I was amazed at how much I didn’t and don’t know. My young friends were very much aware of how much they had to learn but it was also great to hear that they felt a new respect for driving and I believe that they’ll be much more careful when the get behind the wheel now and that is a good thing for everyone.
With so many more cars on the road, and people driving faster every day it’s even more important to learn skills that will help keep you and your passengers safer on the road. I don’t know many people that wouldn’t benefit from spending a day at the Bondurant School going through this course. I know I feel a whole lot better about how I drive now and I bet you would too.
For information on the school, go to www.bondurant.com and check out their schedules. I’m glad I did and I bet you’ll be glad you did.
Cadillac Escalade Introduces
The first full-size Luxury SUV Hybrid
July 1, 2008
Two for the Road USA
Call it fortuitous or just good luck but Cadillac is hoping that timing is everything as they unveil the all new 2009 Escalade Hybrid, and for those that have no fear of fuel costs, the ultra-posh Escalade Premier is a killer vehicle. Cath and I, along with a few other journalists, were invited to a press preview luncheon in Phoenix were we were briefed on the new Escalade and then given the opportunity to take and short drive in a both the Hybrid and Premier.
John Howell, the Director of Global Product did a short presentation talking about the two-mode hybrid that’s the world’s first hybrid applied to a large luxury SUV.
We were told that the Hybrid delivers more than a 50-percent fuel economy improvement in city driving. It’s powered by GM’s two-mode hybrid system and offers buyers the same dramatic design, luxury and full-size capability that have made the Escalade an icon, while delivering nearly 20mpg in city driving.
The Escalade Hybrid is available in 2WD and 4WD configurations. It delivers up to 5,800 pounds of usable towing capacity on 2WD models and 5,600 pounds on 4WD models. Nearly all of Escalade’s standard comfort and convenience features are included as standard equipment on the hybrid model, including an eight-inch,touch-screen navigation system that displays performance readouts of the two-mode hybrid system on the screen.
Now I’m about as far from being an engineer as one can be so trying to make sense of how this system works is way too challenging for me. Here’s some of the information we received in the press kit from our meeting with GM. “Providing power to the hybrid’s electrically variable transmission’s (EVT) two electric motors is a 300-volt nickel-metal hydride Energy Storage System (ESS).
This battery pack is located under the second-row seat, where it takes up virtually no additional space and does not interfere with second- or third-row ingress/egress.
The primary function of the ESS is to provide power (300 volts) to the EVT and to store captured energy produced during regenerative braking. In addition to supplying power to the EVT, the ESS also provides power to the air conditioning compressor and the
Accessory Power Module (APM), which converts the high-voltage supply to 42 volts for the electric power steering system, and 12 volts for the vehicle battery and other 12-volt electrical accessories.
Battery pack durability and reliability are maintained via optimized charge and discharge cycles, as well as a dedicated cooling system that draws air from the passenger compartment. As part of the vehicle’s emission control system, the ESS is warranted for eight years/100,000 miles.”
Well, there you go GM’s two-mode hybrid system 101 from me to you.
Truth is, the nuts and bolts of the system are not what people are interested in, save you engineer types out there of course, but what people want to know is what it all means in real life, day to day terms? To that point Cadillac says that The Escalade Hybrid preserves the entire persona that makes it a standard-bearer of Cadillac’s overall product resurgence. When you see it, there’s no doubt that it’s a Cadillac, and styling cues from the landmark Sixteen concept vehicle, including a detailed signature grille, front fender vent ports and layers of chrome accents only add to the appearance.
The Escalade’s interior features a premium layout and it’s available in two colors, Ebony and Cashmere. Standard features include a distinctive instrument panel; gauges with white needles and blue light inlays with continuously lit, white-LED backlighting;
Nuance leather-covered seats; leather-covered door trim and center console; and a power-assisted rear liftgate that opens and closes with the touch of a button. Needless to say, it is a Cadillac with all the requisite luxury one expects in a Cadillac.
So the question is, did GM get the timing right with the Hybrid iteration of the Escalade, or is there simply no market for the full-size SUV any longer.
I’m sure there are a lot of people out there that actually need a full-size vehicle whether it’s for daily use for their family, or weekend and vacation time,
or to tow boats, ATV’s, motorcycles or other types of trailers. This isn’t inexpensive by any stretch of the imagination and while pricing isn’t firm yet, we expect it to start in the mid-seventies so it certainly won’t be for everyone. What it does though, is fill a need that the SUV was actually developed for before it became the “cool” thing to drive, and that is be multi-faceted utility vehicle for those that need it. What a novel idea.
There’s no question that the price of fuel is
problematic for most of us today and in response, Chrysler has implemented
there own version of an economic stimulus program. According to information we
received today Chrysler, in response to direct customer feedback citing the
prospect of rising gas prices as a top concern, announced its own economic
stimulus package: an exclusive gas price protection policy that eliminates the
risk of further spikes in fuel prices. With the U.S. purchase of eligible Chrysler,
Jeep and Dodge vehicles, customers can enroll in the “Let’s Refuel America”
program and receive a gas card that immediately lowers their gas price to $2.99
a gallon, and keeps it there for three years.
The offer is available at 3,511
U.S. Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships through June 2, 2008, and is
available on vehicles ranging from popular new compacts, crossovers and
minivans to full-size diesel-powered pickup trucks.
“Today we are proud to introduce
an unprecedented program to help put customers’ minds at ease and do something
to help working people who are worried about the volatility of fuel prices and
vehicle cost of ownership,” said Jim Press, Vice-Chairman and President,
Chrysler LLC. “The Let’s Refuel America Price Guarantee puts money in your
pocket today, and allows our customers to better manage their fuel expenses.
And you can't get it anywhere else besides a Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge
dealership.”
The Let’s Refuel America program
offers consumers a combination of the fuel price protection program and
additional bonus cash up to $3,000 on available vehicles, including Chrysler PT
Cruiser, Dodge Charger, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Dakota and Dodge Ram.
For more
specifics on the program go to http://www.chrysler.com/en/refuel/
