The Auto Sleuth: GM, Volkswagon, Mini, BMW, Audi

Wheelbase Communications

Half car/truck from Australia in the pipeline for North America: Remember the Chevrolet El Camino, basically a two-door Chevelle with a truck bed in place of a trunk and a rear seat? It seems that General Motors will sell a rebadged/reworked version of the Holden VE Commodore Ute in North America, which emulates the El Camino at least in spirit. GM is already planning to import 50,000 Commodore sedans, which will be North Americanized and sold here as the Pontiac G8. The new Pontiac trucklet will be named the G8 ST for Sport Truck and will only be available with the 6.1-liter V8, which is the G8 sedan’s optional engine. How will it sell? Hopefully better than the SSR pickup, which, despite powertrain upgrades and price slashing, just didn’t make it.

Mini to be made in America? The hip, fun and trendy brand known as Mini might be making a big investment in North America. The Sleuth hears that Mini is considering building its upcoming sport-utility vehicle — dubbed the Monte — at parent BMW’s Spartanburg, N.C., plant that currently produces the majority of the German automaker’s sport-utility vehicles such as the M- and G-Class. Mini’s Oxford, England, plant is currently running flat-out and likely does not have the production space/capacity necessary for the Monte. The Sleuth hears that the Monte will be powered by one of two 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engines, including the 175-horsepower turbo unit from the Cooper S, as well as an optional diesel range that could include a new 1.4-liter unit. The Monte arrives late in 2008.

Volks to add sporty “R” version of Tiguan small wagon: The hot news coming out of the recent Essen, Germany, Motor Show this week is that Volkswagen will launch an R-Line version of its baby sport-utility vehicle, the Tiguan, a move that’s intended to give this small machine a bit more sporting flair and perhaps more horsepower. The package includes new front and rear bumpers, wider fender extensions, a different grille, large 19-inch wheels and “R” badging. The Sleuth hears that VW might add a high-output V6 engine to the Tiguan R, which could make it much more appealing when it lands here early next year.

BMW 7-series will be completely made over to look sportier; same engines as before, though: BMW buyers will get a completely different car (or two) when the new 7 Series rolls into dealerships in 2009. Details are slowly leaking out but the Sleuth has the goods. Look for an all-new chassis and regular- and long-wheelbase platforms. Expect a dramatic change from the current styling with a much sportier look and somewhat less controversial trunk/rear design. The Sleuth hears that styling between the regular- and long-wheelbase models will be quite different although powertrains for the two will most likely be largely unchanged from the current lineup with the 4.8-liter V8 and the 6.0-liter V12.

A3 cabrio to be added to Audi fleet: The product renaissance out of Ingolstadt, Germany continues. The Sleuth hears that executives at Audi’s headquarters will launch a two-door cabriolet convertible version of the A3 in a year. Aside from two diesel-engine choices, buyers can pick a 160-horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged gas engine or a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter unit. All A3 Cabrios will be front-wheel-drive although the current wagon A3 can be had with Quattro all-wheel-drive. Styling is typical Audi, highlighted by a large, single-frame grille. The retractable soft top can be had as a semi or fully automatic unit, with the fully automatic version receiving more sound insulation.

Market indicators

Quality really is Job #1 at Ford since it saves money: The Sleuth hears that Ford’s improved quality could save the automaker US $300 million in warranty costs next year. Ford was able to save US $900 million this year through fewer dealer repairs. Improved quality is a key portion of Ford’s North American turnaround plan. Ford isn’t alone. General Motors and Chrysler have also tagged quality as the cornerstones for their own improvement.

In-car “telematics” that do more . . . much more: Tele who? Features such as General Motors’ OnStar rolling help desk are taking off and car companies are all jumping on the bandwagon. Now the Sleuth hears that Hughes Telematics (the company that helped General Motors develop OnStar in the 1990s) has announced that it will launch a system that basically combines the features of OnStar and Ford’s Sync — a technology that allows for voice control of most of the cars communications and entertainment functions, even the ones you bring from home, such as your MP3 music player — on all 2009 Chrysler models. However, unlike OnStar, the system will also feature vehicle diagnostics and what the company calls teen-tracking, a technology that informs parents if the vehicle is driven above a set speed, goes outside of a certain area or is driven to an off-limits location.