What is in a name? The older cars had such strong names that stood out, and stayed with us. Just like an old song, new singer with a twist on an old song instant fame. What are car makers of today doing with a name to get that fame? “Automakers are catering to the nostalgia of drivers” – by reviving old models or releasing new cars with names similar to those of famous old models, but with greater fuel efficiency and comfort.
Nissan Motor Co. is the latest automaker to follow the trend by announcing Wednesday its Cima luxury sedan would make a reappearance next month. In December, Honda Motor Co. released the N Box light vehicle, which was named after its N 360 model, the automaker’s first mass-produced light vehicle model released in 1967.
This month, Toyota Motor Corp. began selling the 86 sports car. The 86 is one of Toyota’s model numbers for its Levin and Trueno small sports cars, both of which enjoyed wide popularity in the 1980s. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will reintroduce its new Mirage, a compact car, this summer for the first time in 12 years in this country. Among foreign automakers, Italian automaker Alfa Romeo Automobiles SpA has recently revived its famous Giulietta model for the first time in about 30 years.
On another note I have been wondering about chrysler under Marchionne’s reign and how making vehicles right is a big thing for the chrysler team. Early in 2010, Matt Liddane, who is now Dart vehicle line director, was scheduled to give “new Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne” - a presentation on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, the first new vehicle the company would introduce under Marchionne’s leadership and Fiat control. It wasn’t on the agenda, but Liddane figured he was also scheduled to get his butt kicked.
Liddane was in charge of developing the Grand Cherokee, and he’d gone over budget during the days when Chrysler’s previous owners — Daimler and Cerberus — had sucked the blood out of every stone to cut costs. Liddane had told his team to keep their heads down and keep working. Just get the vehicle right. He’d deal with the consequences when the bosses eventually found out. It was risky, a decision that could get a guy fired.
I cannot leave chevy behind the chevy cruze has been spotted all over the place “Tiffany Harmon researched the Chevrolet Cruze before she decided to buy one.” – Her stepfather and other family members are retired General Motors Co. workers, so she wanted a vehicle from a domestic automaker.
She needed something more reliable than her 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara, a Japanese model. And she sought solid fuel economy for her commute between school and work. “I kind of had the Cruze in mind — just the style and everything,” said Harmon, who bought the model in February 2011 from Shaheen Chevrolet in Lansing. “I liked it, so I bought it.”
What does it take to power electric and hybrid cars? “It takes a lot more than lithium-ion batteries to power electric and hybrid cars.” It also takes electric motors, converters, powertrain controllers, battery management systems and other components.
That’s where Magna E-Car Systems, a recipient of the Detroit Free Press Green Leaders Award, comes in. The Aurora, Ontario, company, designs and manufactures those components in Michigan at research and development centers in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills and a plant it officially opened this month in Grand Blanc Township.
I hope you enjoyed this overview of how fuel efficient cars will hep us at the fuel pump of the future.
