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Ignoring President Bush's request to base fuel economy standards on vehicle weight, the Senate is debating two opposing sets of standards: a Republican plan to go to 36 mpg by 2016, and a Democratic plan to get to 35 mpg by 2013. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is vociferously opposing the plan, which they say would thoroughly eliminate light trucks. /rant starts/ We, on the other hand, went back to issues of Automotive News from the late 1960s and early 1970s and noted that the auto industry then said that current CAFE and pollution standards would result in unsafe, impossible-to-drive, and exceedingly slow vehicles. In reality, you may have noticed we now have much safer, easier to drive, and faster (generally) vehicles. /rant ends/
DCX seems to have been up to its usual standards of ethics when selling Adtranz (a rail car maker) to Bombardier. The Canadian transportation company is seeking $860 million in damages, saying it discovered many substantial, undisclosed costs after buying Adtranz for $725 million. Some issues are a substantially lower equity, apparent accounting tricks, and undisclosed costs of fulfilling existing contracts. Bombardier will seek damages through the International Chamber of Commerce.
1993-1998 Grand Cherokees are being recalled to modify the automatic transmission so people can be sure the vehicle is in park. Five deaths have been reported as a result of Grand Cherokees slipping out of Park, and Chrysler has been criticized for dragging its feet on taking responsibility. Yet again, we urge you to the emergency brake and not trust the transmission to hold the car in place. At the least, you'll know whether the emergency brake is working - you may need it someday!
The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada has named the Jeep Liberty its 2002 Canadian Truck of the Year.
Though the minivan-turned SUV and wagon-turned-SUV have both been done - think Aztek and Outback - Chrysler is claiming that the new Pacifica is a "segment-buster." Stressing that it does not share a platform with the Caravan and Voyager, Chrysler reps said it would be built at the Windsor minivan plant, alongside the Voyager and Caravan. It will have a standard 3.5 liter powerplant, similar to the one used in full-size sedans (and which was supposed to be available on minivans by now). It will feature three rows of seats, unlike the Aztek, including a new Odyssey-like folding seat system which we suspect and hope will make its way onto the Caravan as well.
Mercedes is reportedly looking for a place to build new Sprinter vans, which appear to have received a warm reception - too warm, in fact, for the current "box 'em up and have Freightliner assemble 'em" approach, according to the Financial Times. May we suggest one of the many Chrysler and Freightliner plants which are either idled or about to be? Perhaps that brand new Dakota plant in Brazil?
Once again, Ford is recalling cars - 640,000 of them - due to a fire hazard. The current recall affects 1995 Taurus/Sable and Mustangs. Eight fires have been reported.
Meanwhile, 316,148 Wranglers are being recalled for parking brakes that might release themselves, a reminder that we have to leave vehicles in gear as well as put the brake on. The effects of this are fairly serious, with a full 83 accidents and four injuries. Model years covered are 1990-1995. Finally, 268,000 2001 Rams are being recalled to fix an alternator wire which may loosen - two fires have been reported, but no accidents or injuries.
Chrysler has, like just about every other automaker, sold its vehicles with diesel engines in Europe. If you live in France, a truly niche market for Chrysler, you can get a diesel-engined, manual-transmission Voyager, for example. Now, Chrysler is apparently thinking about bringing diesels to the US as well, to increase the horrendous gas mileage of its SUVs. The most likely candidate is the same turbodiesel used in Europe, a 2.5 liter model. The only American company to currently sell diesels in large quantities to ordinary buyers is Volkswagen - about 10 percent of its sales are diesels. The move may endear the Liberty to fuel-conscious buyers such as the Postal Service. (Courtesy AutoWeek - thanks, TJJ)
We are still building our heavy-duty Ram page, with new details on transmissions and engines. Click here to read more.
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