2008 Audi A4: technical improvements

So to the technique then. The most important change for the next A4 is a small change of place between the differential and the gearbox. Small but important! This will allow the engine to be moved about 110mm to the back, hence improving weight distribution, reducing the front overhang and increasing the wheelbase. This should make miracles for the handling and comfort of the new car. On top of that, the quattro (torsen) AWD system will be improved to send more power to the rear wheels and…surprise: a pneumatic suspension is rumored to be offered as an option. Well, that’s a lot of changes and all for the better! More welcomed changes: a new DSG gearbox, a first for longitudinal engine applications and the disappearing of the pump-deuse diesel engines. All diesels are expected to be of the superior common-rail type.

Still a question remains: with all of those changes can the new A4 finally challenge the established luxury saloons from Mercedes, BMW and Lexus? Well, definitely not... and maybe yes… Let’s clarify things here: the FWD versions will not be a match for the superior RWD prestige saloons. These FWD versions will also share several 4-cylinder engines with Seats and Skodas… thus very far from luxury excellence! But the quattro versions, with more power to the rear wheels, longer wheelbase, improved weight distribution and pneumatic suspension? Maybe, just maybe Audi can finally be a true competitor.

However, and regardless of technical competence and credibility (and RWD snobbery!), the next Audi can achieve something special. If the design previewed by Huckfeldt’s photoshop turns real then Audi will be in a position to have a real winner in its hands. One of the few cars that can sell massively only because of its design, by winning everyone’s hearts. I can remember only a few recent cars in Europe to achieve such feat: Peugeot 206, VW Golf IV and BMW 3-series E46.
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Update: Renault Laguna III

A quick update with a new CGI showing the rear of the next Laguna. This is a reliable interpretation based on inside information: Renault has been hiding this new car very well! As you can see, the design is elegant but still recognisable as French incorporating sufficient Renault DNA. For example, check the door handles... very French indeed. Still, the proportions appear to be spot on and contribute to a very elegant appearance.

Renault will make sure that the new Laguna is very strong on perceived quality (Ghosn wants it to be in the top 3 at this level). However, don't be fooled by thinking that Renault wants to move upscale. Renault wants to be leader in profitability amongst mainstream manufacturers. And that is a very different proposition than trying to move to premium league. Increasing design appeal and quality but still in the mainstream league.
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2008 Audi A4

This will be an important model change for Audi. Because the A4 is a strong model in the range and also because the next A4 features some interesting (maybe even revolutionary) changes in the traditional Audi technical architecture.

But first let’s deal with design. Seen below are several recent CGIs organized in a rather clumsy collage. The most reliable interpretations are the middle ones, and as usual are originated from Huckfeldt work. The B8 Audi A4 will be a superb interpretation of Audi design language that will win everyone’s hearts. Some key changes will be observed in the design that are closely related to the technical revolution: shorter front overhang and longer wheelbase. Some of the CGI presented are not very attractive because these are based on the roadjet concept that was a bit bland. But have no fear: the Huckfeldt interpretation is the most reliable and the design of the finished car will be fabulous.

The interior design will follow the current more driver-oriented language. This was not particularly well accomplished in the A6 but evolved to magnificent levels in the new TT. The interior of the 2008 A4 will fit in the middle: not as sporty as the TT but more interesting than the A6 model. Check back in the next days for the technical discussion and the answer to the pertinent question: can Audi finally challenge the… you know!…
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2007 Renault Laguna III

Auto-Plus has in its current issue an article on the next Renault Laguna. Some of the important features of this car were already discussed here (see the article on Infiniti), namely the change of focus of Renault's design towards more elegant and less controversial shapes. The CGI presented by Auto-Plus is already known from other sources and reflects the final design in a reliable way.
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2008 Alfa Romeo 169

4-door coupe craziness… The first decade of this century will be known as when humans fell in love with 4-door coupes. The idea of occupants in the rear seats traveling with very few head space, difficult accessibility but loads of style seems to be gaining everyone’s hearts. And for now photoshop artists can’t stop massaging existing vehicle designs into stylish 4-door saloons with a strong profile resemblance to the Mercedes CLS. The one that started it all… Do you remember Mercedes slogan? “The future of automobile” They are right!

The 4-door coupe of the day is the next Alfa 169 that you can see below. The design looks spot on; let’s see if it eventually turns out like that. However, the interesting bits of this new car lie underneath… it is rumored to use the same platform of the future Maserati Quattropuorte, that features a longitudinal engine, RWD and a transaxle gearbox for good weight-distribution. This means state-of-the-art superior architecture and a credible alternative to Mercedes, BMW and Lexus saloons. Furthermore, V6 and V8 engines are in the program, although Alfa really needs to have a V6 diesel and even use its 2.4jtd to in order to get volume sales. Just a small detail: check the front overhang of the CGI. It’s too big isn’t it? The artist used an Alfa 159 (a FWD with a monstrous front overhang) for the basis of the design and forgot to change that. Of course, the real Alfa 169 will have a much smaller overhang thus reflecting the superiority of its RWD architecture.
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2010 Audi Q3

Audi took a lot of time before deciding to make SUV’s. Which is rather strange considering their expertise with AWD. But finally they did it and rather nicely in the shape of the beautiful Q7. And now it seems we will have plenty of Audi SUV’s: Q7, Q5 and Q3. German Auto-Bild magazine just recently published an article with information on the Q3 model and a couple of CGIs. The picture presented below is very similar to the CGI presented by Auto-Bild, although this particular image looks frightenly real…

Technically one can expect to find the uber engines of the A3 model range. These will be transversally mounted and hence the popular (in VW group) Haldex AWD system will be in use. It’s not a very good system but then, who cares? This machine is not really intended for great outdoor excursions and the quattro badge will provide adequate marketing credibility.

The most interesting feature of the design is that it will also have a 3-door version. And a gorgeous one by the way. Walter da Silva did a great job with the Audi corporate face. It fits very well in all kinds of models. The Q3 previewed below also points to some design features expected to be found in the next A3 model. Nothing extraordinary, just the usual refining and exquisite detailing added to a very successful model.

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BMW 4-door coupé

And another 4-door coupé... Further proof of the influence of the Mercedes CLS in the automotive landscape. This week's Auto-Bild issue has an article on future BMW vehicles including a rumoured 4-door coupé version of the 6 series. Auto-Future loves 4-door coupés... you can check previous reports on the Mercedes CLS influence in future car design, Peugeot 608, Audi A7, Porsche Panamera, Passat coupé,... Thinking of it... maybe we will have too many of that! Time will tell... for now BMW's decision seems logic because the boys from Munich are witnessing the success of the Mercedes CLS and that means loosing some sales to the three-pointed-star. And of course, finding more highly profitable niches is one of the main tasks for premium manufacturers these days.

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2008 VW Scirocco: update

A recent article by Autoweek focused on information about the next VW Scirocco expected to arrive in 2008. It is stated that the design concept is now frozen (and that’s about time for a 2008 market introduction). The magazine presents a nice illustration by Radovan Varicak (see below) but this is not accurate on the final design. The popular red illustration by Auto-Bild is still the most reliable (see it in previous blog entry). Meanwhile, VW officially confirmed the Scirocco designation for the new model and the production site in Portugal.
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Technically no big novelties are expected; the engine range and transmission choices will closely follow the ones found in the Golf V, except for the base engines. The Scirocco will be placed with a premium over the hatchback hence the lack of base engines and specifications. Maybe some updates of the Golf VI can be found on the Scirocco: gadgets such as new SAT-NAV and an improved interior in quality and design.

Interestingly Autoweek mentions inside information regarding sales numbers of 25000/year. This is very conservative. If the design presented by Auto-Bild is confirmed this thing can rise to epic proportions. Make no mistake: this is the most interesting VW car to wait for in the next 3 years.


The 2008 VW Scirocco and a near-new trend
The not-so-new trend is the following: the Golf V (and VI) hatchback is mainstream. It will not aspire to be anything more than that, unlike what happened with generation IV. But the Scirocco, Eos and Golf SUV derivatives can aspire to be premium versions of the range, with profit margins closer to the true-premium manufacturers (Mercedes, BMW, Lexus…).

This trend was not followed with the old Golf IV where almost the whole range was perceived as premium in its class. Today, with the relative failure of the Golf V, and the “einser effect” (read: BMW 1 series), such feat is not possible. Hence the importance of niche models to gain more profit and expand the range. This trend is not that new, other examples: the Peugeot 407 range vs 407coupé (the profitable niche version); Peugeot 206 range vs 206cc; current VW Passat vs future VW Passat 4-door coupé, etc. In the compact class VW is a doing a good job of creating new profitable niche versions. And the Scirocco is the most interesting of these.

2008 Mercedes Sportcoupé and a new trend for future cars

No new cars...
The last report on the next Mercedes sportcoupé made apparent a new trend in car manufacturing and design. In the compact class, and in the close future, several manufacturers will upgrade their cars without really making new cars. That is, keeping the most part of the platform unchanged and only making new panels and interior. This is rumoured to occur with the next Mercedes compact but also with the Peugeot 308 and VW Golf VI. If one considers the level of sophistication that cars in this class achieved (multilink suspensions, very high body stiffness and passive safety) it seems rational to keep development cost low by keeping the most part of the underpinnings unchanged. Other key feature: compact cars have grown up a lot in recent years - there isn't much more margin to keep increasing width and length of cars in this class. This is another point for relaxing on the development of completely new platforms.

However, that does not mean that consumers will be paying more for the same car. Prices are expected to keep at the same level or lower and still improvements can be made in stifness and NVH levels even if the platform is kept mostly the same. More good news: if the size of the cars does not grow a lot there is margin to apply some development efforts (read investment) in weight reducing measures. This new trend will be closely followed here at Auto-Future.

2008 Mercedes C-class Sportcoupé

A recent report was made on auto-future about the next Mercedes Sportcoupé. Remembering what was written at the time: “So what can we expect from this new Mercedes? Mercedes is learning from the success of the BMW 1-series and will apply it in this new car. Instead of being just a 3-door version of the C-class (as the current sportcoupé that is almost as expensive as the regular C), they are making it a bit smaller (and with a smaller wheelbase) and cheaper. This means bad news for many manufacturers. Other than that one can expect a lower base price but very big, expensive (and profitable) options list. ” Well, everything was right but a surprise emerged from recent news in German Auto-Bild: the next Sportcoupé will be just a major restyling of the current model. The platform and underpinnings are kept the same but a new skin will appear with a front design more closer to the new C-class W204. This will keep development costs very low and Mercedes can sell it for less money. This means big worries for other car companies…

What will customers loose? Not much really. Of course the new car will miss some new developments of the W204 saloon (Presafe system for example). And one might think that by using an “old” platform the sportcoupé would be in disadvantage against other competitors. But… what competitors? Only the BMW 1 series is in the same league as the sportcoupé, the rest of the cars in the compact class are clearly inferior machines. We will see a formidable fight between the small BMW and the new C-sportcoupé. Other cars will have to upgrade a lot to offer the same drive feel and confort as the uber German compacts. Only RWD can provide such drive quality.

The only cloud in Mercedes strategy for this model is in design. From the reliable interpretation by Huckfeldt it seems that the profile and the rear do not change much from the current model. Also a 5-door version is not expected (a strong selling point for the small BMW). A strong design is thus needed to reinforce the new car appeal. But of course, Mercedes will work hard on the detailing of the new car so expect neat touches and flawless execution.
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2008: Infiniti in Europe

This is a wrap-up of previous blog entries about the arrival of Infiniti in Europe and the future of Renault. All together for more clarity and future reference:
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Infiniti: welcome to Europe!
Recent news have stated that Infiniti, a Renault owned brand, will arrive in Europe in 2008. Auto-future would like to give a warm welcome to this brand and rejoice with this excellent news. This arrival means that consumers will have more choice in the luxury segment. The excellence of the luxury trio (Mercedes, BMW and Lexus) will be challenged by this new competitor. More choice, more competition usually means better prices and service. More good news are related to Renault influence in Infiniti. Currently Renault has no influence over Infiniti products but this will change in the future. This means that design and product evolutions will be up to date with European tastes. Expect, for example, to receive an updated G35 in 2008 with some slight changes over the recently presented G35 sedan. And diesels: Europeans love diesels and Infiniti products must reflect these preferences.In the next days Auto-future will look at this important event. What to expect from Infiniti, their chances of success but also some reflections about the (bright) future of Renault. And the reasons why PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) needs to be worried…
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What to expect

This is a simple exercise. Just by looking at the current range one can predict what will arrive in Europe and what not (or better, what should not).

G35: YES, of course. But with diesels

G35 coupé: YES, of course!

M35/45: Maybe, but needs a redesign to comply with European tastes. And diesels, of course.

Q45: errrr..., no.

FX35/45: YES, PLEASE! However, don't forget the V6 diesel.

QX: NO! Please don't.

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Technically the biggest changes are related to engines. The wonderful Nissan V6 will be present as well as in some Renault vehicles. The current Renault diesel 4-cylinder engines can be used in the G-sedan, both in 2.0 and 2.2 versions. However, a new diesel V6 must be developed by Renault. The current offer originated from Isuzu is not adequate.Future vehicles? Well, it is a bit early for that. One can expect that Infiniti range will develop with some European-only models. Possibly some smaller SUV based on a future (Nissan Qashqai) Renault model… but don’t be afraid: Renault will not exercise badge-engineering in its cheapest way! The technical expertise and practice of Renault is too good for that.

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What are their chances?

Can Infiniti threat the hegemony of Mercedes and BMW in the luxury segment in Europe? Well, of course not, at least not for quite a few years. For starters the target of Infiniti in Europe should be Lexus, a brand that will greatly expand in the next years mainly due to the arrival of diesel engines. So, assuming that Infiniti will have diesels right from the start, one can envisage Lexus as a reasonable competitor for comparison of sales numbers. Infiniti has quite a few weapons to fight Lexus in Europe: more competitive price, more sporty and emotional design (at least the new G-sedan and the next G-coupé) and also something related to Renault and the way the French manufacturer will handle its new brand. I don’t know how to qualify it, it’s a je ne sais quoi, a savoir-faire of Renault that will greatly benefit Infiniti.Of course Infiniti will not steal sales only from Lexus. One can include in this target-group base versions of Mercedes and BMW equivalent models, top versions of mainstream manufacturers (Renault, VW, Ford, Peugeot, etc.), premium-wannabes (FWD Audis, Saab 9-3, Volvo S40/V50). So everyone has reasons to seriously look at Infiniti. However, a key factor must be provided in order to bring success to Infiniti. Besides the introduction of diesel engines and some minor changes of design, interior trims, etc. one thing needs to be accomplished: the communication, marketing strategy and dealer network must be completely independent from Renault. Nothing wrong with Renault, it’s just the way things work in the luxury segment! But don’t worry, Renault people know their stuff and will accomplish these goals with success.

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Infiniti and the future of Renault

The people at Renault must be very happy these days. For starters there is the success in Formula 1 races. This is not a new thing for Renault, in the 90’s they dominated for several years as engine-supplier. Now they achieve great success developing the whole car. This is one key feature about Renault: if these guys decide on trying to achieve something they usually accomplish it. Another example is passive safety. They decided they would be the best in the business and simply got it. More happiness for Renault? Just check their purchase… when they bought Nissan they got in the business a little jewel: Infiniti. A proper luxury brand with all the usual amenities - V6 and V8 engines, an impeccable record of reliability, some amazing designs (mainly the G-coupé and FX SUV), and most important, RWD platforms. And finally they will be taking advantage of all of this and bring it to Europe. Thank you Mr. Ghosn!So Renault can now focus on mainstream while pushing Infiniti well into the luxury segment. But Mr. Ghosn made more important decisions. The next models of Renault will have more restrained, elegant and emotional design. Less wacky designs and more emotional appeal. Check out the next Laguna III for the first iteration in this new philosophy. Typically Renault has been the most avantgarde and adventurous brand, as opposed to Peugeot that filled the classical and elegant area. In a political context, Renault was left-wing and Peugeot would be moderate-right. Now Renault will do what Blair and the Labour-party did in the UK. They will advance to the conservative side. PSA people need to be worried about this. And they also need to be worried because they don’t have a luxury brand. My advice for Peugeot: make a very good and serious offer for Jaguar. Really do your best to try to buy it from Ford. PSA people: do it now or you will regret it later. (B-plan: if this fails try to buy Saab while it still is a sort of premium brand).

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Infiniti and Renault "haut de gamme"

In our comments about the arrival of Infiniti in Europe we already mentioned that Renault can focus on mainstream while Infiniti will be targeted at the luxury segment. However, Renault wants to be leader in profitability amongst the mainstream manufacturers. For that purpose several actions will be taken including a move to more serious, classic and elegant design (both exterior and interior) and improvements in perceived quality. One of the most expected future cars from Renault is their substitute for the Velsatis. Again, Renault has good chances by using the platform of the Infiniti M-sedan. However, I would not be surprised if they follow a different route from the classical 4-door sedan. While using Infiniti underpinnings Renault can choose to make a 4-door coupe following the Mercedes CLS lead. Or maybe develop a crossover vehicle seating up to 7 persons (and following the Mercedes R-class lead). Both of this options are good alternatives for the future Renault haut de gamme, knowing that by using the Infiniti platform Renault will gain much of the features needed to have credibility in this segment: big engines and RWD. And the lack of those features sure undermined the efforts of Renault (and other French manufacturers) in the luxury segment in the past.

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Infiniti in Europe, the future of Renault and... Alpine?

To make a closure on the discussions about Infiniti in Europe (check previous entries) Auto-Future would like to kindly ask Renault to bring back the Alpine brand. This is a well-known and loved European prestige-sport brand that existed under the Renault umbrella some 15 years ago. The reborn of this brand would allow Renault to move further into the prestige segment and maybe targeting (in a few years) such coveted machinery as Porsche and Aston Martin. For that purpose Renault now has available credible technical platforms in the shapes of the G-coupé and future Skyline GT-R cars. The underpinnings of these vehicles could be improved and the design of Alpine managed to reflect its heritage. And Renault could get a commercial liasion to its Formula 1 winning campaign. On a closing note I would like to give an example of the passion and “halo” that the Alpine brand carries: a Portuguese designer is currently building a “modern-Alpine” (Ernesto Freitas - Lusomotors). Not just designing or dreaming but actually building the car! His interpretation of a modern Alpine is a RWD vehicle, a small sports-car with central V6 engine. This example could well be the entry-level model of the Alpine family. Check his efforts in the video that shows a scale model being machined.
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Video link

Ford Mondeo 2007 in AutoBild pages

No comments!
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Is Ford lagging behind in RWD revival?

A recent post in a Ford enthusiast blog (myforddreams.blogspot.com) made a point about the revival of RWD and the lack of enthusiasm (read investment) from Ford. While GM just got a nice new state-of-the-art RWD platform in the shape of the new Holden Commodore (and will use it in several vehicles from its brands including the next Camaro), Ford seems to be lacking in development efforts for new RWD vehicles. Of course, there is the Mustang, but we are not talking about a muscle-car brute. We are talking about a sophisticated state-of-the-art platform that can be used for saloons/coupes/estates/etc. for any Ford brand in the world.

Let’s make one thing straight: the reason why RWD has not been used a lot in the last 15 years is not because it was unsafe. It wasn’t used a lot because such things are expensive. More expensive to manufacture and much more expensive to develop than FWD vehicles. The revival of this superior architecture is more related to lower development costs from acquired experience and platform sharing than the arrival of ESP systems, although this sure helped. Another thing: consumers are more informed and manufacturers can not expect to compete against Mercedes, BMW, Lexus and Infiniti with inferior architecture. Consumers know this and have punished wannabes over the years. RWD is the technically superior architecture and the choice to have in the luxury segment.

So back to Ford. Is Australian Ford division developing some new platform for the Falcon? Remember, if GM now has he Zeta ready it is due to the efforts of their Australian division Holden. Ford needs to have a world class RWD platform. Future Jaguar cars MUST use RWD. Future Lincoln vehicles MUST use RWD. If Ford has troubles getting it right just ask Mazda engineers. They can do it right and quick!

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The new Holden Commodore and its internals means good news for future GM vehicles and troubles for Ford

Infiniti in Europe, the future of Renault and... Alpine?

To make a closure on the discussions about Infiniti in Europe (check previous entries) Auto-Future would like to kindly ask Renault to bring back the Alpine brand. This is a well-known and loved European prestige-sport brand that existed under the Renault umbrella some 15 years ago. The reborn of this brand would allow Renault to move further into the prestige segment and maybe targeting (in a few years) such coveted machinery as Porsche and Aston Martin. For that purpose Renault now has available credible technical platforms in the shapes of the G-coupé and future Skyline GT-R cars. The underpinnings of these vehicles could be improved and the design of Alpine managed to reflect its heritage. And Renault could get a commercial liasion to its Formula 1 winning campaign. On a closing note I would like to give an example of the passion and “halo” that the Alpine brand carries: a Portuguese designer is currently building a “modern-Alpine” (Ernesto Freitas - Lusomotors). Not just designing or dreaming but actually building the car! His interpretation of a modern Alpine is a RWD vehicle, a small sports-car with central V6 engine. This example could well be the entry-level model of the Alpine family. Check his efforts in the video that shows a scale model being machined.

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Video link

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Infiniti and Renault "haut de gamme"

In our comments about the arrival of Infiniti in Europe (check previous entries here, here, here and here) we already mentioned that Renault can focus on mainstream while Infiniti will be targeted at the luxury segment. However, Renault wants to be leader in profitability amongst the mainstream manufacturers (on this information check this Renault strategy document). For that purpose several actions will be taken including a move to more serious, classic and elegant design (both exterior and interior) and improvements in perceived quality. One of the most expected future cars from Renault is their substitute for the Velsatis. Again, Renault has good chances by using the platform of the Infiniti M-sedan. However, I would not be surprised if they follow a different route from the classical 4-door sedan. While using Infiniti underpinnings Renault can choose to make a 4-door coupe following the Mercedes CLS lead. Or maybe develop a crossover vehicle seating up to 7 persons (and following the Mercedes R-class lead). Both of this options are good alternatives for the future Renault haut de gamme, knowing that by using the Infiniti platform Renault will gain much of the features needed to have credibility in this segment: big engines and RWD. And the lack of those features sure undermined the efforts of Renault (and other French manufacturers) in the luxury segment in the past.

Fiat Stilo/Bravo 2007

Fiat should treat their employees better. For example, give them some nice cellphones with good 2MPx+ cameras. For now we will have to deal with this small resolution photos of some parts of the Stilo replacement that should be presented in September at Paris show. However, these are good enough to confirm some details that already surfaced in recent photoshop images. The new car is expected to be a big version of the Grande Punto. That is all fine but Fiat needs more. Fiat needs something spectacular.

The Stilo replacement is a very important model because Fiat has been for too much time a one-model brand. Most of the profit and sales of the company are originated in the Punto since all other models fail to success. And if the Punto fails (as happened with the previous generation) the company gets into serious finantial trouble. Thus, they need this new Stilo to have success. And I hope they can get it right.

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Update on future European Ford models

A well known European Ford site has been receiving visits in its forum from people that claim to have seen several future Ford models in internal presentations. One has to handle such information with care since naturally their claims have not been confirmed yet. For now we have information that the next Mondeo will be a disappointment, except for the rear of the estate versions that will be the best-looking of the range. On the Focuc CUV (or SUV) it was described as being close to the Auto-Bild shop that you can see below, but better looking. Prospects for the next Fiesta are very good, it was described as " little similar to Fiat Grande Punto, but more stylish". However the next Ka model did not get so much appraisal. We llok forward for more information on these models and will update soon, hopefully with CGI of the next Fiesta.
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Auto-Bild and the next small Mercedes

I’m sure many of the readers of this blog are familiar with such features as “Actual Items” or “Headlines” from Conan O’Brien or Jay Leno’s shows – when they go through a selection of articles and advertisements that have been clipped out of magazines and newspapers, that have something rather out of the ordinary written on them. It might be a misprint or a funny remark or association. It is usually great fun and in the case of Conan’s show “it’s all real, why would we fake this, that would waste everyone’s time!...” Oh well,… German magazine Auto-Bild just made a funny example of that type of news. Just check the front-page of this week’s issue. You will see a CGI of a future Mercedes C-class compact model. Everything looks ok, a nice photoshop by Huckfeldt based on reliable information and showing a gorgeous small Mercedes car. But… check the lower-left corner. Some blokes are pushing a VW Golf that seems to have suffered breakdown. One can imagine the obscenities they say in German language while pushing the unreliable machine. Is this a joke by Auto-Bild? Or maybe a sophisticated subliminal message. One that states that in two years time Germans can travel in style, comfort and quality in a new small Mercedes instead of driving a poor people’s Golf. The cruelty of these Auto-Bild reporters!

So what can we expect from this new Mercedes? Mercedes is learning from the success of the BMW 1-series and will apply it in this new car. Instead of being just a 3-door version of the C-class (as the current sportcoupé that is almost as expensive as the regular C), they are making it a bit smaller (and with a smaller wheelbase) and cheaper. This means bad news for many manufacturers. Other than that one can expect a lower base price but very big, expensive (and profitable) options list. Business as usual for Mercedes.

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Infiniti in Europe and the future of Renault

The people at Renault must be very happy these days. For starters there is the success in Formula 1 races. This is not a new thing for Renault, in the 90’s they dominated for several years as engine-supplier. Now they achieve great success developing the whole car. This is one key feature about Renault: if these guys decide on trying to achieve something they usually accomplish it. Another example is passive safety. They decided they would be the best in the business and simply got it. More happiness for Renault? Just check their purchase… when they bought Nissan they got in the business a little jewel: Infiniti. A proper luxury brand with all the usual amenities - V6 and V8 engines, an impeccable record of reliability, some amazing designs (mainly the G-coupé and FX SUV), and most important, RWD platforms. And finally they will be taking advantage of all of this and bring it to Europe. Thank you Mr. Ghosn!

So Renault can now focus on mainstream while pushing Infiniti well into the luxury segment. But Mr. Ghosn made more important decisions. The next models of Renault will have more restrained, elegant and emotional design. Less wacky designs and more emotional appeal. Check out the next Laguna III for the first iteration in this new philosophy. Typically Renault has been the most avantgarde and adventurous brand, as opposed to Peugeot that filled the classical and elegant area. In a political context, Renault was left-wing and Peugeot would be moderate-right. Now Renault will do what Blair and the Labour-party did in the UK. They will advance to the conservative side. PSA people need to be worried about this. And they also need to be worried because they don’t have a luxury brand. My advice for Peugeot: make a very good and serious offer for Jaguar. Really do your best to try to buy it from Ford. PSA people: do it now or you will regret it later. (B-plan: if this fails try to buy Saab while it still is a sort of premium brand).

Infiniti in Europe: what are their chances?

Can Infiniti threat the hegemony of Mercedes and BMW in the luxury segment in Europe? Well, of course not, at least not for quite a few years. For starters the target of Infiniti in Europe should be Lexus, a brand that will greatly expand in the next years mainly due to the arrival of diesel engines. So, assuming that Infiniti will have diesels right from the start, one can envisage Lexus as a reasonable competitor for comparison of sales numbers. Infiniti has quite a few weapons to fight Lexus in Europe: more competitive price, more sporty and emotional design (at least the new G-sedan and the next G-coupé) and also something related to Renault and the way the French manufacturer will handle its new brand. I don’t know how to qualify it, it’s a je ne sais quoi, a savoir-faire of Renault that will greatly benefit Infiniti.

Of course Infiniti will not steal sales only from Lexus. One can include in this target-group base versions of Mercedes and BMW equivalent models, top versions of mainstream manufacturers (Renault, VW, Ford, Peugeot, etc.), premium-wannabes (FWD Audis, Saab 9-3, Volvo S40/V50). So everyone has reasons to seriously look at Infiniti. However, a key factor must be provided in order to bring success to Infiniti. Besides the introduction of diesel engines and some minor changes of design, interior trims, etc. one thing needs to be accomplished: the communication, marketing strategy and dealer network must be completely independent from Renault. Nothing wrong with Renault, it’s just the way things work in the luxury segment! But don’t worry, Renault people know their stuff and will accomplish these goals with success.

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