Sleuth: The Week of June 8

Hot off the press!

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe gets green light!: The Sleuth’s sizzling tip this week is that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe that enthusiasts have been pining for has been officially green-lighted. Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor has told a few media outlets that if his company was going to make a V coupe, it would probably arrive at the same time as the regular CTS Coupe. Sources report that the V will arrive in May 2009. It should come as no surprise that it will pack the same supercharged 6.2-liter V8 as the 2009 CTS-V Sedan. Whether the coupe will share the sedan’s 550-horsepower rating remains to be seen. The same engine in the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 makes 638.

VW boss might leave, if pushed: The drama and saga that is Porsche and the Volkswagen Group might have reached a new low after Porsche grabbed a controlling stake in VW. It seems VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn has threatened to resign if Porsche attempts to influence the direction of any of its premium brands. Porsche’s growing stake in Volkswagen — currently 31 percent but expected to reach 50 percent — is causing concern at VW’s various subsidiaries, including Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti. Audi executives fear their company will be the first affected by Porsche’s newfound power. Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking has insinuated VW might be better off without Lamborghini and Bugatti. Let the games begin.

Comedian Jay Leno says North America isn’t dead yet: A few years ago the Sleuth had the chance to meet comedian Jay Leno at his garage near Malibu, Calif. What a cool car guy. Now he’s weighing in on the North American market. Leno says there’s still work to be done in the world of domestic cars. In the June issue of Portfolio magazine, Leno said, “When you get in a cheap American car, like a rental, and the key is left in it, it goes plink, plink, plink. It’s just horrible. Every time you use the turn signal it’s like breaking a chicken leg.” But according to Leno, a turnaround is still possible. “The classic example is Harley-Davidson. Throughout the ‘70s, the motorcycle maker had huge quality-control problems. Then Harley-Davidson said, ‘Look, let’s take our time. Let’s build fewer bikes. Let’s build them properly, so they don’t leak oil and they’ll run forever.’ Harley-Davidson won back the market share.” Leno said small cars won’t work in North America. “No matter what happens, do not expect all Americans to go Eurosize. American buttocks are not getting any smaller.”

Audi R8 to get complete LEDs for $7,000 extra: The Sleuth can see the future, and it looks pretty bright for all-LED technology. Word out of Germany is that Audi is giving its R8 supercar one more feature to give it a leg up on the competition: full LED headlights, a feature that was promised at the time the R8 was introduced. Because LED headlights have yet to become mainstream, the technology is still very expensive, which is why that particular option box on the R8 will set you back about $7,000. Audi claims that LEDs more accurately replicate sunlight and save about a gallon of gas a week compared to a car equipped with traditional lights. However, we don’t expect many of the buyers of a 420-horsepower R8 to be too worried about a tank of gas, especially if they can afford the $7,000 for the lights. The R8 already has a string of LED lights under each headlight.

GM staffer axed for Camaro photos that ended up online: Now here’s some advice for those who might be thinking of moonlighting as a spy photographer: make sure your kids don’t get a hold of the camera. The Sleuth’s news this week is about an electrician working at General Motors’ Oshawa (Canada) Assembly Plant who lost his job after company officials linked him to the leak of several photos showing a prototype Camaro body shell. The photos found their way onto the Internet May 22. According to the Sleuth’s tipster, the employee — who has 28 years seniority — used a camera phone to take pictures of the body to show to his children at home. Unfortunately friends of his children got the photos and distributed them on the Web. It appears GM might be starting to test the assembly process at the Oshawa where the Camaro (and other platform variants) will be built. Does anyone out there think that GM might be being a little strict?

Market indicators

The size of muscle cars: The Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger haven’t been on the road together in 30 years. Now the biggest challenge that will likely face the reborn muscle cars will not be competition from each other, but rather the stigma of their fuel-inefficient pasts. To combat the preconceived image of a fuel-gulping muscle car, Ford designers and engineers have actually given the all-new 2010 the look of a much smaller car. “We have a car which I think is more suitable for the times than the Challenger and the Camaro,” Peter Horbury, Ford Motor’s North American design director, told Automotive News. “Especially the Challenger . . . it is a huge car when you see it on the road.” Compared to the 2008 Mustang, the 2008 Challenger is 10.1 inches longer and 1.8 inches wider. Horbury says the 2010 Mustang will be comparable in dimensions to the 2008 model.

The appeal of small cars: Look out, North America, the small-car rage is on! Case in point: what’s happening inside the planning department of General Motors. The Sleuth hears that GM is set to debut a new compact car later this year that would go on sale early in 2009. It will apparently use the same Delta platform that underpins the Saturn Astra, Chevrolet HHR and Cobalt and Pontiac G5. The powerplant would be an advanced, small-displacement “world” engine that was recently unveiled in Europe. Displacing just 1.4 liters, the four-cylinder will sport a turbocharger to post fuel efficiency numbers as high as 40 mpg. It will also between 120 and 140 horsepower. Apart from Chevrolet, four other brands under the GM umbrella will use the engine, including Pontiac, Saturn, Opel and Daewoo.