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Backseat Driver: Mazda coming through!

Mazda is certainly displaying some oomph at the New York International Auto Show this week.

The company has won kudos for its 2008 CX-9, which Motor Trend named Sport Utility of the Year, its MazdaSpeed3, which is generally rated the best value hi-performance road car, and its Mazda 2 subcompact, which was just named World Car of the Year.

Mazda is considering bringing the Mazda 2 to the U.S. in the near future, according to thecarconnection.com

Meanwhile, Mazda is showing off its show-stopping Furai concept in New York this week. The name means "Sound of the Wind," and the influence of aerodynamic styling is evident in the lines with the front sides and rear seemingly shaped by the wind.

The car not only looks seriously fast, but is armed with a 450 horsepower rotary engine. And it sits next to a real racer, the Mazda RX-8 that won the 2008 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:26 PM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

VP, Saudis to Talk About Oil Security

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- High oil prices paining U.S. consumers is a key topic of Vice President Dick Cheney's talks Friday with Saudi King Abdullah, yet it's unclear whether Cheney will ask the Saudis to increase production to bring down prices at the pump, according to the Associated Press.

Cheney's advisers cautioned in advance of Friday's talks that oil was just one item on a long list of discussion topics which include Iran, Syria, Lebanon, protecting infrastructure against terror attacks and the vice president's visits this week to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:23 PM to Crude oil market | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: With Lamborghinis, less is more

It was interesting to see the Lamborghinis at the New York International Auto Show last Wednesday.

That was press preview day and instead of being surrounded by ogling crowds, the Lambos and their attendant leggy models were very accessible. You could even sit in one of the two Murcielagos, for goodness sakes.

The one Gallardo remained under a wrap so tight it was impossible to see what color the car was. The Murcielagos were metallic grey.

But the fact is, they were not as exotic when exposed like that. When the show opens to the public, the entire display is fenced off with three-foot glass panels.

Inside the panels, and set six inches or so below the display floor, is a walkway for “the invited only.” Outside the panels – at last year’s show, at any rate – the crowd stands and stares, four or five deep.

And that’s as it should be. These are the ultimate dream cars, unobtainable to almost everyone and hopelessly impractical. But that’s not the point.

Lamborghini is all about image and an image is a fragile thing that is better kept at arm’s length.

- Peter C. T. Elsworth

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:01 AM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: Rick, Bob et al get bonuses

You really can't make it up.

While the U.S. auto industry wallows in an economic slump, with total sales this year now predicted by J.D. Power and Associates to dip below 15 million vehicles and buyouts and cutbacks rampant, General Motors announces $3 million of cash and stock bonuses to 19 of its top executives.

That's great, and just another PR blooper from GM.

Just two months ago, vice chairman Bob Lutz, whose bonus is worth about $230,000 according to The Detroit Free Press, caused a contoversy by declaring that he thought global warming was nonsense. Both he and Chairman Rick Wagoner, whose bonus is worth about $364,000, had to explain and defend the statement.

GM has had a reputation for being out of touch for a long time. The 2008 Chevy Malibu was heralded as a ray of light, a first-class car that can compete head-on with the cars that have owned that segment for years - the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry.

And I'm sure Lutz is sincere in his much-vaunted efforts to push the plug-in Chevy Volt and that such bonuses are quite in line with corporate compensation in this country.

But they can hardly go down well in a world where most people are interested in alternative fuel vehicles for both economic and environmental reasons, and are also concerned about their family budgets in face of ramping prices on almost everything, especially fuel.

- Peter C. T. Elsworth

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:29 AM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

J.D. Power lowers sales forecast to less than 15 million vehicles

NEW YORK — Despite dire predictions, auto executives say the market for new cars and light trucks is not rapidly deteriorating and may even stabilize in the second half, according to USA Today.

Several executives here for the New York auto show say they expect tax rebate checks that begin landing in May, along with interest rate cuts, to get consumers excited to buy again.

Jeff Schuster, executive director of automotive forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates, isn't buying it. On Tuesday, J.D. Power lowered its annual sales forecast to 14.95 million vehicles, down from the original view of 15.7 million.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:52 AM to Sales | Permalink | Comments 0