Who'da Thunk It?

I was listening to the Autoblog podcast from a few weeks ago--which, by the way, I highly recommend for anyone seeking unfiltered commentary from straight-up car guys--and the topic of the new Buick Regal came up. The guys mentioned that it's just a rebadged Opel Insignia, and referenced the fact that if the Saturn brand were still around, this car would have been the next Aura.

It made me think about the interesting path that these two brands, Saturn and Buick, have taken over the past few years. Can you imagine any Saturn from the early '90s being mentioned in comparison to its Buick contemporary? Saturn had been created to present a line of small cars ready to take on the imports. The Buick brand, on the other hand, was the polar opposite, representing big, spacious American iron, for the buyer who thought Toyotas were for suckers. Most people didn't even know that the little plastic-bodied Saturn SL hailed from the same company that pumped out hundreds of thousands of behemoth LeSabres.

By the end of its lifetime, the Saturn brand has moved upmarket, while Buick is on a quest to compete with the likes of Lexus and Acura. I was a big fan of the direction in which Saturn was heading, and I was sad to see it go just as it had finally gotten an exciting lineup. Fortunately, Buick has been given a lot of this displaced attention, and with a showroom that will include the Enclave, LaCrosse and Regal, as well as a spiffy version of the new Chevy Cruze, Buick will be chock full of stylish metal.

Now all we have to do is wait for the Buick name to lose its punchline status.

When Designers Wing It

Okay, so it seems that a good deal of my blog is dedicated to pointing out unoriginal design. I can't help it if all the pens in the industry came from the same two schools. Well, yet another search for a consistent design language across a company's products has yielded yet another familiar face. Take a look at the new Subaru WRX STI. I've blogged before about the Rex's less-than-original silhouette, but the STI has gone further to illustrate Subaru's new plan for a brand design theme.
In a previous post I pointed out the new Tribeca's resemblance to the Chrysler Town & Country. That is due in no small part to the wing-topped grille theme that Chrysler has been pursuing for some time now. But Subaru is also crossing paths with Saturn. If they were looking for a unique style, this is not it. Sure, they went a bit overboard with the three-nostril concept, but swinging back the other way to completely derivative is not the answer.

The Mercury That Could Be

Ever since the 2nd generation Focus launched in Europe, American enthusiasts have pined for it. It's a fantastic car, with refined styling, a high-quality interior and fantastic chassis dynamics. And the ST220 version, with the same 2.5T I-5 found in the Volvo S40, gives the VW GTI a run for its money. Look at it...is that a sweet car, or what?

Anyway, Ford of Europe just came out with another pretty sweet ride that our shores will never see. The new Mondeo (you may have noticed it in the latest Bond movie) is a credible competitor to the VW Passat. While slightly smaller than the US market Fusion, its interior has a level of refinement way past anything sold in this market by the Blue Oval.

Ford tried to bring the Mondeo to the US over a decade ago, as the Contour and Mystique. But the car was a bit small inside and expensive to sell as a Ford product. The fact is, if Ford tried this ploy again, it would probably meet with similar results, as the new car is even higher quality and more expensive.

On the plus side, the new model has grown to the point that American consumers would feel comfortable inside. And that consumer is gradually getting over the notion that price must always have a direct relationship with size. Cars like the Mini Cooper and latest generation GTI are chipping away at this mentality.

Still, Ford's brand image would have a tough time supporting prices like those required to sell the Euro Focus and Mondeo at a profit here. The fact is, Ford would need a clean slate to launch these cars. And as luck would have it, they pretty much have one.

What is Mercury to the American consumer? Well, I think if you ask most people, you'll hear something like, "Well, I guess it's a little more expensive than Ford." Aside from that, people really have no idea what the brand stands for.

The Sword of Damocles has been hanging over Mercury's head for a while. What's the point of this brand? people ask. Well, here's an easy answer. Suggest bringing Euro Fords to the US as Mercurys to a Ford exec and he'll probably come back at you with something like, "Well, it would be too expensive to bring it in line with US regulations." We in the business like to apply a highly technical term to this line of reasoning. It's called bullshit.

Of course General Motors got over this hurdle before Ford, and has begun importing cars from its other divisions around the globe. The Aussie Holden Commodore will be the Pontiac G8, and several Euro Opels will be joining the fun as Saturns.

The Saturn Experiment 2.0 got off to a shaky start last year, though the brand has begun to gain ground. And the real test will be in the form of the new Vue (an Opel Antara) and Astra. The former has arrived here already, with the latter set to check in shortly. These cars are true Opels, unlike the Aura which is simply a classed-up Pontiac G6. Saturn's climb out of the brand doldrums will be slow, but they have the right product, and that is the only right way to execute a brand renaissance.

So will Ford see the light? It's likely that after Saturn has completed its metamorphosis, Ford will take a look and get a severe case of margin envy. By then, though, the Mercury brand may already be 6 feet under. Ford, do yourselves a favor and make a move now, while the gettin's good.

A Mighty Wind

Well, I blew through the Windy City for the Chicago Auto Show, and it's finally on its way...the R32. I've waited with bated breath for its arrival, and I actually got to experience the car in person, in all its glory. There was one snag, however. VW will only offer one transmission option, and it ain't the 6-speed manual that I know and love. No, the R32 will be DSG only. When I heard the news, I could've dropped to my knews and wept. My dreams of ownership seemed to slip away like dust in the wind.

To be fair, though, I've not yet driven a DSG-equipped car, and I've been assured that the experience will reverse my stubborn, backwards, 20th century purist thinking. I even made a new best friend at VW who will give me access to such an experience. I can't wait.

So what else was big in Chi-town? Well, the consensus settled on GM's "new" Pontiac G8. This is a rebadged Holden Commodore, but as NBC used to say, "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you!" For years, Pontiac has been trying to brand itself as BMW on the cheap, right down to the twin kidney grille. But for the first time (at least in my life) GM has actually landed a shot in the same ballpark. (The Solstice doesn't count, since the essence of BMW is the sports sedan.) This is a great looking car, and maybe it'll prove once and for all that the RWD Chrysler 300 wasn't just a flash in the giant US FWD pan.

The Saturn Astra's another strong showing from the General, but it does have a few chinks in its armor. The driver's seat was quite narrow, and I'm smaller than the average American, revealing one of the likely reasons that you can't just grab a Euro vehicle an slap it onto US roads. The car also reinforced my impression that while Saturn's interiors have elevated their standards of design, many of the materials used are not up to that standard. Still, coming from the interior of a VW, I do appreciate the little luxo touches, such as the Astra's illuminated sunroof switches that are quite rare for this price point.

The Toyota Highlander struck many of us as an overgrown RAV4. You've gotta ask yourself, though, is this a bad thing? From the rear it looks a bit Hyundai-ish, and as I've said before, this is not a compliment. But the whole of the vehicle is polished, slightly bland, and slightly aggressive looking. This is a formula that works for Toyota, as it allows people to feel like they're stylish, without actually taking the risk of being so. And risk aversion is what Toyota buyers are all about (not a criticism, just a fact). Look for the Highlander to continue its success within the medium crossover segment.

As for the new Taurus/Taurus X/Sable, let me just say these are
great vehicles, worthy of those names. The roomiest and safest cars in the world--literally!!!--now have a great powertrain and the element of style to back them up. This move by Ford may be a bit of a punch-line due to the rental car rep of the outgoing models, but I can only hope that the publicity of the name change will cause people to give these cars a second look. They deserve it.