Talking Cars with Consumer Reports #59 - 2015 Detroit Auto Show _ Consumer Reports

The Appeal of Luxury Cars: A Shift towards European Design and Asian Investment

As we take a closer look at the world of luxury cars, it's clear that the industry is undergoing a significant shift. One of the most notable trends is the increasing appeal of European design. Cars like Land Rover and Jaguar are making waves with their sleek, sophisticated designs that evoke a sense of European elegance. This trend is not only aesthetically pleasing but also reflects the growing influence of European brands in the global market.

The Indian Company Behind the Revival of British Luxury

One key player behind this shift is Tata, an Indian company that has taken on the challenge of reviving the fortunes of iconic British luxury brands like Land Rover and Jaguar. With significant investments pouring into these companies, it's clear that there's a new energy in the air. The financial backing from Tata has enabled these brands to refresh their designs, improve their performance, and expand their global reach. As a result, we're seeing a resurgence of interest in British luxury cars, with many enthusiasts eager to get behind the wheel.

The Volvo XC90: A Chinese-Designed Marvel

Another significant development in the world of luxury cars is the emergence of Chinese-designed models. The Volvo 60 inscription, designed by a team from China, has made its debut and received widespread acclaim for its sleek design and impressive performance. With its unique styling cues and added features like a more spacious interior, this car promises to be a game-changer in the market. Whether it's the first Chinese-built car or not, one thing is certain: Volvo is on the right track.

Ford's Performance Division: Bringing the Heat

Meanwhile, Ford's performance division has been working overtime to create some seriously impressive vehicles. The latest iteration of the Mustang, with its carbon fiber wheels and engine tweaks, is a testament to the brand's commitment to delivering high-performance driving experiences. By pushing the boundaries of what's possible in terms of power and handling, Ford is redefining the possibilities for performance cars.

Audi Q50: A Study in Evolution

The Audi Q50, on the other hand, represents a more measured approach. With its understated design and impressive capabilities, this car has carved out a niche for itself in the luxury SUV market. By building upon the strengths of its predecessor, Audi has created a model that feels both familiar and new. Whether it's the refinement of its engine or the added features of its tech package, the Q50 is an excellent example of how to evolve without sacrificing performance.

The Rise of Alpha Romeo: A New Player in the Luxury Market

Alpha Romeo is set to make waves in the luxury market with its latest line of models. With a focus on performance and style, this Italian brand promises to bring some much-needed excitement to the industry. From the upcoming diesel variant to the sports sedan that's rumored to rival BMW's 3 Series, Alpha Romeo has big plans for 2018. Will these new cars live up to their promises, or will they struggle to make an impact in a crowded market? Only time will tell.

The Infinity Q60: A Coupe Concept with a Twist

Finally, we have the Infinity Q60, a coupe concept that's generating buzz for its unique design and impressive features. With its sleek lines and cutting-edge tech, this car promises to be a head-turner on the road. While it may not bring anything new to the table in terms of style or innovation, the Q60's presence at the Auto Show serves as a reminder that there's always room for evolution and improvement in the world of luxury cars.

The Twilight Zone: Buick Takes Center Stage

As we wrap up our tour of the Auto Show, it's clear that something strange is going on. With brands like Land Rover, Jaguar, Volvo, and Alpha Romeo making headlines, one can't help but wonder where Buick fits into this picture. In a world where luxury cars are all about style, performance, and innovation, it seems almost peculiar that an American brand would be getting more attention than the likes of Infinity. And yet, there's something undeniably charming about Buick's understated design and commitment to reliability.

As we gaze out into the Twilight Zone of the automotive world, one thing is certain: the future of luxury cars looks bright. With new models, innovative designs, and Asian investment pouring in, it's an exciting time to be a car enthusiast. Whether you're a fan of European elegance or Japanese engineering, there's something for everyone in this rapidly evolving landscape. So buckle up, folks – it's going to be a wild ride!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe're here at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next on talking cars hi everybody and welcome to talking cars with Consumer Reports I'm Tom mler I'm Jake fer I'm Gabe shenar you know the thing about the Detroit Auto Show this year it felt like going to a tapis place you know there were a lot of little plates you know they were all very tasty but no for meals have you had lunch yet are you hungry I'm I'm hungry but I I do I want to start with dessert first and that's the Ford GT and the actur NSX Ford GT stole the show okay over this is done this thing was amazing and they started off right in the beginning and this thing was amazing and here's what really blew my mind about the GT okay fine lots of horsepower Mid Engine okay we got it but here's the thing everyone is showing old cars okay Alpa Romeo's got like these cars from the 30s and the 60s and everybody's doing that and you know what generally when you do that you're like here's our new one and you squint really hard you can see like a body line that matches it here is a situation in my estimation that they outdid the original this new 4D GT looks better than the original because they're doing stuff with materials they couldn't do in the' 60s with carbon fiber and buttresses and all these crazy things it's blew me away so all what you're saying is all we need is another VW bus in the Retro theme right no no it's exctly as long as got 600 horsepower I'm good but but yeah BW bus would be on the Segway you're absolutely right I mean the show is about all kinds of little nichy products uh you know exotic cars like the 4D GT the Acura NSX high performance uh CTSV and GSF but where's the meat and potatoes here you're right I who wants meat and potatoes well no I mean you have things like the acur NSX um which you know they're finally going to build after the longest gestation period there were Super Bowl commercials for this thing what two years ago that's right yeah I think they wanted to beat the Pontiac Solstice for the longest gation period but I mean did the Ford GT steal the nsx's Thunder yes oh absolutely n NS what I mean it came out right before it and like the NSX looks kind of pedestrian compared to that GT okay we got we got to like that but I mean but for the meat and potatoes argument you're totally right I mean where's the midsize sedan where's the small SUV are vehicles that people actually buying numbers but here's the thing I don't care because you know what we've had our meat and potatoes we've had that for enough you know what this means this means the Auto industry is back and they could go and build the stuff that people dream about and not just the things that people have toy mean it's party time it is no but but some people are trying to be responsible someone has to be responsible GM GM came out with two cars with almost the same name uh the Chevy bolt and the Chevy Volt the next one's going to be the jolt you can go to ADT I mean this game has played on forever on social media um the bolt is the more interesting idea uh 200 Mi of electric range for around 30,000 bucks okay so first of all yes electric and by the way we just filled up for $1.75 a gallon unfortunate timeing it's okay everyone's got a title out there the Tesla killer Tesla killer are we kidding here Tesla killer it's more like a a leaf killer right it's a leaf competitor we don't even know if it's a killer of leaf right I mean 200 miles is really really impressive get bigger batteries eventually but but I mean here's the thing it's like okay it's a it's a it's a neat car but I mean stop saying Tesla killer because you know what it's that's not the reason people buy Teslas tesl are exciting and they're fast and they look cool and they do all these things this is a car that's a responsible vehicle that could go 200 miles maybe it will make a dent in electric car sales which nobody's buying electric cars kind of a dirty little secret cheap is going to be but but I mean back when gas was 450 a gallon people weren't buying electric cars so I mean but you still have um carbon you know Carbon uh footprint reduction efforts you still have reasons you know there are still things in place no matter what the temporary uh drop in gas prices is there are still reasons for these cars to to exist but not for people to buy them that's the difference you got to make a car that people want and do you think people will is this your theory people won't really want I I mean the bolts this little square box they call it a crossover it's a freaking hatchback right but I mean Tesla Teslas are cool people buy Tesla they want Tesla they're not buying them because oh they think they're going to you know save money in the long run or an equation that makes any sense anywhere that's a whole different uh proposition there but you know it's also weird in the same way Chevy seem to suck some of the core at least the distinctiveness out of the Vault yeah I mean it looks like an a oh yeah I mean there C pillar looks like a Volvo a little bit I mean apparently that's what customers wanted make it more normal you can barely tell it's a hatchback yeah I mean I'm sure there's some solid improvements now you're up to 50 m a range instead of 35 it's incremental and I don't think that's what they really needed I mean you still did you get in the back seat I mean it's got a third seat belt in the back so it's a five-seater but you can't actually put real human legs back there it's still got a really bad bad head room it doesn't have the functionality of a of a PRI or a Prius did in 2004 for that matter at least the center console way better now oh yeah it actually has buttons and knobs now speaking of practicality trucks we've saw a lot of trucks at this show we saw the new um new Toyota Tacoma yeah so yeah two Japanese pickup trucks uh starring in Detroit it's a Tuma which gets a a smaller new V6 uh the 35 replaces the 4.0 and the Nissan Titan which is uh I mean it almost looks like a caricature of a of a honka truck yeah let's talk about the Tacoma first because there's more to talk about with the Titan yeah I mean it's an update they made the frame a bit stiffer hopefully it drives better well they they had to I mean it used to be the only game in town in compact pickup trucks uh and it has a huge following it's it's such a popular Workforce but you know there's Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon right behind it so it's it was time to do something with it coma I think it's smart though cuz you they didn't spend a lot of money on it you know so you you keep the profit engine going let me throw it a number it was kind of a not a big announcement but um 29 okay the Eco Diesel from Dodge Ram now they've got 29 mes per gallon they're touting about this vehicle the issue is is that people tend to buy people want to buy what they want not necessarily what they need so you could argue it's like oh this small size compact pickup truck that's going to do the hauling I want but the difference in terms of fuel economy the difference in terms of price isn't that much bigger I think people are going to be happier with the full-size Dodge Ram or Silverado or what what not maybe um but not all diesels are for fuel economy and that's where the Titan comes in you with with a cumins V8 that's making 550 555 uh feet all the torque in the world all your torqus belong to us yeah you know they're going for this funny niche of between light duty half ton trucks and heavy duty trucks I I think actually they're really right about that I mean we we actually went we did the our diesel heavy duties because yeah you know what the domestics have done generally if they I wanted Diesel and theyve almost forced you'd get way more truck than you need I mean you're kind of happy with the people want the diesel but they're forced into a heavy duty pickup truck even though they don't need the heavy duty pickup truck and they don't need the harsh ride and they don't need the the the bouncy and the and the uh unrefined of such a Workforce yeah well you just have to wonder is it going to have the bouncy you know I mean it does have a distinct you know the Titan XD has a distinct frame from what will be the normal Titan you got to wonder how's this thing going to drive how's it going to ride is going to be better well and the other thing is that I mean they make a big deals like where are the first you know V8 Diesel you know when you get so many adjectives in there you know you start like phasing out the thing is is that Dodge Ram they've got a V6 diesel it's got plenty of power it could do a lot of stuff it's not Towing 12,000 lb well and how many people need to tow the 12,000 lb again hard of the market you got a lot of people who are buying the light duty trucks who probably already have more capability than you really need and you could get that six-cylinder Diesel and stto what 8,000 lb or whatever it is probably pretty good even if it doesn't have two more cylinders uh before we leave it the Titan boy it looks like a Chinese knockoff of an old F-150 just not a not yeah there's something uh the proportions are a little odd there and the whole thing looks comically huge painting it yellow doesn't H uh speaking about pickup trucks with too much capability Hyundai says you know people want cheap trucks people want small trucks people want trucks that can't really do anything based on what Hyundai Hyundai research research they talked to a couple hipsters in Brooklyn and out came the Santa Cruz the the the the the people in yeah the people in this country I don't think really believe that and they've tried I mean how many Concepts have we seen every three years someone else brings out this there's there's like a sign say with a with a pickup truck did this a couple years ago and we saw Vehicles like the Baja and and the ridg line which RG line yeah how many people bought the Honda ridg line it was a terrific truck for a lot of uh the right thing for a lot of people it was the right thing but it's not what people not something that people I know but look people are going to buy trucks you know they're going to buy these broozer trucks and we saw some more of those there we saw the Ford Raptor so we had Ford Raptor and then also Dodge got there the ram Rebel yeah which which you can a six wonder who's going to get speaking of com V8 you can I mean that that's where it's at you know I mean that thing with the 33in tires and oh and the seats where you actually had the actual tread pattern on the seats of the Toyota tires are on the seats that's hot right there people need that that's true got that it's not a one it's it's like people buying a a Jeep Trail Hawk uh for all those styling details that's it's all about the where it's the image I'm just amazed how much engineering work when into the Raptor it's 6 in wider it's on a different frame you know because it's aluminum they can do the Ecoboost V6 now you know there there's there's a lot of work that went into that but I'm sure there's a lot of profit that come back out of that uh more cars that are alluring to people Buick going in a completely different direction yeah I this is uh really I mean apparently it's uh in China it's the year of the Buick it's a good year for Buick at the at the Detroit show too I mean we saw the Cascada which is an appeal car yeah it's an Opel Astra basically uh convertible and good timing because uh the Volkswagen Eos is going away pretty soon so all eight people who bought that no but beyond that I mean there aren't many vehicles in that segment I want to carry four people I don't want a super expensive car I don't want a sports car I'm not going to buy an Audi 85 I'm not going to buy a BMW 3 Series CBR CBR you know price of 200 200 dead so now now you have you fill a gap you fill a gap that has kind of gone away so there's a gap there I mean plenty of people in Florida bu Buick and if I was in Florida I wouldn't mind a drop top so hey it works out good uh everybody wins perhaps more appealing though is the Buick avenur oh yeah I think for me that's the star of the show actually I mean I know you don't know this about me but I have a soft pot for Buick because it was the the car I got my license on I started my at least my legal driving career on a Buick so I think that aenir is really a very appealing kind of I think you like it cuz it looks like a Panamera that's what I'm saying they um they both have all the nose in the world they have a lot of nose no um no gab Gabe's right that was props goes off for Buick for for two things one showing that concept but also kind of keep it under wraps I mean there's very few surprising secret right I mean usually it's like oh yeah I saw that already on you know the blogs a week ago that was like holy crap and I think we're going to see you know we're going to see certainly styl from that going forward if not that vehicle and you know what they need to make that vehic they need to make that vehicle cuz I mean props to them it's a Buick that is what a Buick should be right you know something want something differental with different headlights and a if I were in charge there I'd take the chassis of the Chev SS and that that would be the the basis for that Buick yeah and that that would be a heck of a car speaking drive all-wheel drive yeah sure speaking more American luxury we saw the new Lincoln MKX right and moving on yeah I mean it's you know it's it's an expected you know it's an expected uh yeah and then pretty soon we're going to see the Ford Edge which is Twin vehicle and that's really really an important thing for Ford because they've been completely not competitive in that uh space yeah well you can argue the MKC still isn't but yeah you know it it you know more power more EOB boost power easier controls and nicer interior you know product upgrades that they need the fact that it shares an engine with a GT makes it more interesting already so well that that's the genius thing about the Ford GT is that it's got you know the E mark EcoBoost it Market EcoBoost you know it's like my truck has the same engine as this super car my crossover has the same yeah everything all EcoBoost all the time uh talking about some news and more vehicles with EcoBoost uh Gabe our predictions for North American car of the year were half right yes half right and uh actually uh in a good way I'm I'm glad that I was uh half wrong on my prediction because uh there's a lot of things to write down we we're learning a lot about D yeah so yeah the Mustang didn't get car of the year the VW Golf did should the golf have gotten car of the year they sell well I mean it's yeah you're right I mean they sell like you know I don't know maybe like 20 30,000 yeah a lot more not exactly right but I mean on the Merit of the car sure I mean here's a car it uh it rides more comfortably than a Toyota Camry it's quieter it handles better than the Mustang you inside you feel like you're in an Audi so uh they got the power trains right they got rear seat now me paying for an Audi so totally deserved yeah just a weird and when it's combined with a GTI it's it makes a stronger and that cracks me up too because like the GTI is not a Golf GTI they make such a big deal that oh it's a different car now only in the US market but but now well in the US market but now that it's north americ Car of the Year oh no it's the same thing yeah exactly I'm surprised the Pat the pat golf is too golf Sport Wagon isn't in there you know just oh it is already retroactive and the electric one too yeah absolutely yeah um golf Tiguan too uh more diesels uh Land Rover and jaguar they're going to put diesels in almost everything yes um more diesel choices uh I mean we've seen actually uh among our subscribers that uh there's pretty large take rate on Audi q5s diesels Audi A7 GLK Volkswagen Gang Busters and diesels we love diesels come on it's it's true I mean they're great and and what they're what's they're really good at is they're they do really good in fuel economy and not necessarily the EPA cycle but the way we tend to drive as American you you hop on the highway and cruise along at 70 that diesel just does so well in terms of fuel economy and situations which people who drive a lot tend to be in those situations and if you drive long distances the range 6 7 800 miles on a tank that's wonderful you can make it to the next diesel station it also makes sense it also makes sense for them you know Land Rover and jaguar have to deal on their europeanness you know that that's what makes that's the appeal of the cars these just make them more European yeah so it was just a matter of uh of of money to get it federalized and now there's so much money from Tata the Indian company that owned them to do that then there's no barrier anymore o there there's a trend right there well there it is speaking of money that's coming from a country other than you expect money from Asia it's helping out luxury cards that's right China yeah and Volvo then we saw what will be the first Chinese built car yeah and it's going to be a Volvo the60 inscription which has the 3 point something inch added to its wheelbase and actually that that it really works good in the back seat is comfortable and it's it's nice and I think it kind of uh makes the Volvo S80 a bit uh frivolous at this point why bother I mean honestly I'd also just I'd just buy an XC90 you know it's the first time I got the sit one what a stunning car the interior is gorgeous I absolutely agree you know and and a lot of people were worried about oh Chinese ownership or Indian ownership whatever and in the end I think this may be much better than what we've seen before I mean like like you when GM took over sa right and and what happens there it's like strangled it they strangled it they're like oh well just put a SB badge on this Malibu or whatever you know here we've got basically you guys work it out we'll fund we'll fund it and we'll let you make the decision decis devel this is what we're seeing and we're seeing this with Land Rover we're seeing this with with with uh Volvo and it's like really exciting because I mean it could have gone the other way these companies could have been bankrupt and gone and gone as choices sure so another Choice coming to the American Market is Alpha Romeo eight new models by 2018 there'll be a crossover in there we're going to have the uh right so it will be the the do charger uh Alpha Romeo that's right the rim diesel dies first of all as much as I love Al it be 12C uh to waste half an hour of a press conference on the spider version of uh the 4C was a little uh yeah a little our time comes cheap that's okay um but yeah there's next one's going to be a sedan Sports sedan uh to compete with a BMW 3 Series and that's uh I think pretty imminent yeah uh you know you were saying earlier Ford comes out with tweaked version know there's some performance Geeks at Ford you know I got to hand it to him that way I mean like the the Mustang uh gt350r carbon fiber Wheels carbon fiber Wheels production carbon fiber Wheels I mean that's pretty cool for a bike it is absolutely imagine a car that goes almost 200 miles hour yeah curb fields are standard equipment that's right the reduction in unsprung weight yeah that's good stuff uh we also sell the infinity Q60 yes great paint job so yeah it's trying to be positive here and um at least I got the name of it right I won't get the name of new Mercedes SUVs right back to the Q60 so yeah it's a it's a coupe and uh I think it's some time away it's Coupe concept uh Q60 there there's probably going to be a convertible at some point but it's like it it doesn't seem to bring anything new to the party over a G35 group or G37 coup I mean we were there or a four series or uh right I mean this is or an Audi U a55 but I mean you look at the competitors but I me even just look at you know their history you know I mean what does the Q50 bring that the you know Infinity G37 didn't have well it brings horrible reliability touchreen system that doesn't work but but yeah so going away by way but but but this is the issue it's like what what new to the party and and you kind of expect it I mean a show like this is you know there's new and interesting things and you you can't just be kind of like what we have before um there's got to be something new and exciting and we're you can even ask I hate to say it but you can ask what does the infinity brand bring to the party sure it's a weird Auto Show where Buick is more relevant than infinity I think we're going to wrap it up on that Twilight Zone like reference as always thanks for listeningwe're here at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next on talking cars hi everybody and welcome to talking cars with Consumer Reports I'm Tom mler I'm Jake fer I'm Gabe shenar you know the thing about the Detroit Auto Show this year it felt like going to a tapis place you know there were a lot of little plates you know they were all very tasty but no for meals have you had lunch yet are you hungry I'm I'm hungry but I I do I want to start with dessert first and that's the Ford GT and the actur NSX Ford GT stole the show okay over this is done this thing was amazing and they started off right in the beginning and this thing was amazing and here's what really blew my mind about the GT okay fine lots of horsepower Mid Engine okay we got it but here's the thing everyone is showing old cars okay Alpa Romeo's got like these cars from the 30s and the 60s and everybody's doing that and you know what generally when you do that you're like here's our new one and you squint really hard you can see like a body line that matches it here is a situation in my estimation that they outdid the original this new 4D GT looks better than the original because they're doing stuff with materials they couldn't do in the' 60s with carbon fiber and buttresses and all these crazy things it's blew me away so all what you're saying is all we need is another VW bus in the Retro theme right no no it's exctly as long as got 600 horsepower I'm good but but yeah BW bus would be on the Segway you're absolutely right I mean the show is about all kinds of little nichy products uh you know exotic cars like the 4D GT the Acura NSX high performance uh CTSV and GSF but where's the meat and potatoes here you're right I who wants meat and potatoes well no I mean you have things like the acur NSX um which you know they're finally going to build after the longest gestation period there were Super Bowl commercials for this thing what two years ago that's right yeah I think they wanted to beat the Pontiac Solstice for the longest gation period but I mean did the Ford GT steal the nsx's Thunder yes oh absolutely n NS what I mean it came out right before it and like the NSX looks kind of pedestrian compared to that GT okay we got we got to like that but I mean but for the meat and potatoes argument you're totally right I mean where's the midsize sedan where's the small SUV are vehicles that people actually buying numbers but here's the thing I don't care because you know what we've had our meat and potatoes we've had that for enough you know what this means this means the Auto industry is back and they could go and build the stuff that people dream about and not just the things that people have toy mean it's party time it is no but but some people are trying to be responsible someone has to be responsible GM GM came out with two cars with almost the same name uh the Chevy bolt and the Chevy Volt the next one's going to be the jolt you can go to ADT I mean this game has played on forever on social media um the bolt is the more interesting idea uh 200 Mi of electric range for around 30,000 bucks okay so first of all yes electric and by the way we just filled up for $1.75 a gallon unfortunate timeing it's okay everyone's got a title out there the Tesla killer Tesla killer are we kidding here Tesla killer it's more like a a leaf killer right it's a leaf competitor we don't even know if it's a killer of leaf right I mean 200 miles is really really impressive get bigger batteries eventually but but I mean here's the thing it's like okay it's a it's a it's a neat car but I mean stop saying Tesla killer because you know what it's that's not the reason people buy Teslas tesl are exciting and they're fast and they look cool and they do all these things this is a car that's a responsible vehicle that could go 200 miles maybe it will make a dent in electric car sales which nobody's buying electric cars kind of a dirty little secret cheap is going to be but but I mean back when gas was 450 a gallon people weren't buying electric cars so I mean but you still have um carbon you know Carbon uh footprint reduction efforts you still have reasons you know there are still things in place no matter what the temporary uh drop in gas prices is there are still reasons for these cars to to exist but not for people to buy them that's the difference you got to make a car that people want and do you think people will is this your theory people won't really want I I mean the bolts this little square box they call it a crossover it's a freaking hatchback right but I mean Tesla Teslas are cool people buy Tesla they want Tesla they're not buying them because oh they think they're going to you know save money in the long run or an equation that makes any sense anywhere that's a whole different uh proposition there but you know it's also weird in the same way Chevy seem to suck some of the core at least the distinctiveness out of the Vault yeah I mean it looks like an a oh yeah I mean there C pillar looks like a Volvo a little bit I mean apparently that's what customers wanted make it more normal you can barely tell it's a hatchback yeah I mean I'm sure there's some solid improvements now you're up to 50 m a range instead of 35 it's incremental and I don't think that's what they really needed I mean you still did you get in the back seat I mean it's got a third seat belt in the back so it's a five-seater but you can't actually put real human legs back there it's still got a really bad bad head room it doesn't have the functionality of a of a PRI or a Prius did in 2004 for that matter at least the center console way better now oh yeah it actually has buttons and knobs now speaking of practicality trucks we've saw a lot of trucks at this show we saw the new um new Toyota Tacoma yeah so yeah two Japanese pickup trucks uh starring in Detroit it's a Tuma which gets a a smaller new V6 uh the 35 replaces the 4.0 and the Nissan Titan which is uh I mean it almost looks like a caricature of a of a honka truck yeah let's talk about the Tacoma first because there's more to talk about with the Titan yeah I mean it's an update they made the frame a bit stiffer hopefully it drives better well they they had to I mean it used to be the only game in town in compact pickup trucks uh and it has a huge following it's it's such a popular Workforce but you know there's Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon right behind it so it's it was time to do something with it coma I think it's smart though cuz you they didn't spend a lot of money on it you know so you you keep the profit engine going let me throw it a number it was kind of a not a big announcement but um 29 okay the Eco Diesel from Dodge Ram now they've got 29 mes per gallon they're touting about this vehicle the issue is is that people tend to buy people want to buy what they want not necessarily what they need so you could argue it's like oh this small size compact pickup truck that's going to do the hauling I want but the difference in terms of fuel economy the difference in terms of price isn't that much bigger I think people are going to be happier with the full-size Dodge Ram or Silverado or what what not maybe um but not all diesels are for fuel economy and that's where the Titan comes in you with with a cumins V8 that's making 550 555 uh feet all the torque in the world all your torqus belong to us yeah you know they're going for this funny niche of between light duty half ton trucks and heavy duty trucks I I think actually they're really right about that I mean we we actually went we did the our diesel heavy duties because yeah you know what the domestics have done generally if they I wanted Diesel and theyve almost forced you'd get way more truck than you need I mean you're kind of happy with the people want the diesel but they're forced into a heavy duty pickup truck even though they don't need the heavy duty pickup truck and they don't need the harsh ride and they don't need the the the bouncy and the and the uh unrefined of such a Workforce yeah well you just have to wonder is it going to have the bouncy you know I mean it does have a distinct you know the Titan XD has a distinct frame from what will be the normal Titan you got to wonder how's this thing going to drive how's it going to ride is going to be better well and the other thing is that I mean they make a big deals like where are the first you know V8 Diesel you know when you get so many adjectives in there you know you start like phasing out the thing is is that Dodge Ram they've got a V6 diesel it's got plenty of power it could do a lot of stuff it's not Towing 12,000 lb well and how many people need to tow the 12,000 lb again hard of the market you got a lot of people who are buying the light duty trucks who probably already have more capability than you really need and you could get that six-cylinder Diesel and stto what 8,000 lb or whatever it is probably pretty good even if it doesn't have two more cylinders uh before we leave it the Titan boy it looks like a Chinese knockoff of an old F-150 just not a not yeah there's something uh the proportions are a little odd there and the whole thing looks comically huge painting it yellow doesn't H uh speaking about pickup trucks with too much capability Hyundai says you know people want cheap trucks people want small trucks people want trucks that can't really do anything based on what Hyundai Hyundai research research they talked to a couple hipsters in Brooklyn and out came the Santa Cruz the the the the the people in yeah the people in this country I don't think really believe that and they've tried I mean how many Concepts have we seen every three years someone else brings out this there's there's like a sign say with a with a pickup truck did this a couple years ago and we saw Vehicles like the Baja and and the ridg line which RG line yeah how many people bought the Honda ridg line it was a terrific truck for a lot of uh the right thing for a lot of people it was the right thing but it's not what people not something that people I know but look people are going to buy trucks you know they're going to buy these broozer trucks and we saw some more of those there we saw the Ford Raptor so we had Ford Raptor and then also Dodge got there the ram Rebel yeah which which you can a six wonder who's going to get speaking of com V8 you can I mean that that's where it's at you know I mean that thing with the 33in tires and oh and the seats where you actually had the actual tread pattern on the seats of the Toyota tires are on the seats that's hot right there people need that that's true got that it's not a one it's it's like people buying a a Jeep Trail Hawk uh for all those styling details that's it's all about the where it's the image I'm just amazed how much engineering work when into the Raptor it's 6 in wider it's on a different frame you know because it's aluminum they can do the Ecoboost V6 now you know there there's there's a lot of work that went into that but I'm sure there's a lot of profit that come back out of that uh more cars that are alluring to people Buick going in a completely different direction yeah I this is uh really I mean apparently it's uh in China it's the year of the Buick it's a good year for Buick at the at the Detroit show too I mean we saw the Cascada which is an appeal car yeah it's an Opel Astra basically uh convertible and good timing because uh the Volkswagen Eos is going away pretty soon so all eight people who bought that no but beyond that I mean there aren't many vehicles in that segment I want to carry four people I don't want a super expensive car I don't want a sports car I'm not going to buy an Audi 85 I'm not going to buy a BMW 3 Series CBR CBR you know price of 200 200 dead so now now you have you fill a gap you fill a gap that has kind of gone away so there's a gap there I mean plenty of people in Florida bu Buick and if I was in Florida I wouldn't mind a drop top so hey it works out good uh everybody wins perhaps more appealing though is the Buick avenur oh yeah I think for me that's the star of the show actually I mean I know you don't know this about me but I have a soft pot for Buick because it was the the car I got my license on I started my at least my legal driving career on a Buick so I think that aenir is really a very appealing kind of I think you like it cuz it looks like a Panamera that's what I'm saying they um they both have all the nose in the world they have a lot of nose no um no gab Gabe's right that was props goes off for Buick for for two things one showing that concept but also kind of keep it under wraps I mean there's very few surprising secret right I mean usually it's like oh yeah I saw that already on you know the blogs a week ago that was like holy crap and I think we're going to see you know we're going to see certainly styl from that going forward if not that vehicle and you know what they need to make that vehic they need to make that vehicle cuz I mean props to them it's a Buick that is what a Buick should be right you know something want something differental with different headlights and a if I were in charge there I'd take the chassis of the Chev SS and that that would be the the basis for that Buick yeah and that that would be a heck of a car speaking drive all-wheel drive yeah sure speaking more American luxury we saw the new Lincoln MKX right and moving on yeah I mean it's you know it's it's an expected you know it's an expected uh yeah and then pretty soon we're going to see the Ford Edge which is Twin vehicle and that's really really an important thing for Ford because they've been completely not competitive in that uh space yeah well you can argue the MKC still isn't but yeah you know it it you know more power more EOB boost power easier controls and nicer interior you know product upgrades that they need the fact that it shares an engine with a GT makes it more interesting already so well that that's the genius thing about the Ford GT is that it's got you know the E mark EcoBoost it Market EcoBoost you know it's like my truck has the same engine as this super car my crossover has the same yeah everything all EcoBoost all the time uh talking about some news and more vehicles with EcoBoost uh Gabe our predictions for North American car of the year were half right yes half right and uh actually uh in a good way I'm I'm glad that I was uh half wrong on my prediction because uh there's a lot of things to write down we we're learning a lot about D yeah so yeah the Mustang didn't get car of the year the VW Golf did should the golf have gotten car of the year they sell well I mean it's yeah you're right I mean they sell like you know I don't know maybe like 20 30,000 yeah a lot more not exactly right but I mean on the Merit of the car sure I mean here's a car it uh it rides more comfortably than a Toyota Camry it's quieter it handles better than the Mustang you inside you feel like you're in an Audi so uh they got the power trains right they got rear seat now me paying for an Audi so totally deserved yeah just a weird and when it's combined with a GTI it's it makes a stronger and that cracks me up too because like the GTI is not a Golf GTI they make such a big deal that oh it's a different car now only in the US market but but now well in the US market but now that it's north americ Car of the Year oh no it's the same thing yeah exactly I'm surprised the Pat the pat golf is too golf Sport Wagon isn't in there you know just oh it is already retroactive and the electric one too yeah absolutely yeah um golf Tiguan too uh more diesels uh Land Rover and jaguar they're going to put diesels in almost everything yes um more diesel choices uh I mean we've seen actually uh among our subscribers that uh there's pretty large take rate on Audi q5s diesels Audi A7 GLK Volkswagen Gang Busters and diesels we love diesels come on it's it's true I mean they're great and and what they're what's they're really good at is they're they do really good in fuel economy and not necessarily the EPA cycle but the way we tend to drive as American you you hop on the highway and cruise along at 70 that diesel just does so well in terms of fuel economy and situations which people who drive a lot tend to be in those situations and if you drive long distances the range 6 7 800 miles on a tank that's wonderful you can make it to the next diesel station it also makes sense it also makes sense for them you know Land Rover and jaguar have to deal on their europeanness you know that that's what makes that's the appeal of the cars these just make them more European yeah so it was just a matter of uh of of money to get it federalized and now there's so much money from Tata the Indian company that owned them to do that then there's no barrier anymore o there there's a trend right there well there it is speaking of money that's coming from a country other than you expect money from Asia it's helping out luxury cards that's right China yeah and Volvo then we saw what will be the first Chinese built car yeah and it's going to be a Volvo the60 inscription which has the 3 point something inch added to its wheelbase and actually that that it really works good in the back seat is comfortable and it's it's nice and I think it kind of uh makes the Volvo S80 a bit uh frivolous at this point why bother I mean honestly I'd also just I'd just buy an XC90 you know it's the first time I got the sit one what a stunning car the interior is gorgeous I absolutely agree you know and and a lot of people were worried about oh Chinese ownership or Indian ownership whatever and in the end I think this may be much better than what we've seen before I mean like like you when GM took over sa right and and what happens there it's like strangled it they strangled it they're like oh well just put a SB badge on this Malibu or whatever you know here we've got basically you guys work it out we'll fund we'll fund it and we'll let you make the decision decis devel this is what we're seeing and we're seeing this with Land Rover we're seeing this with with with uh Volvo and it's like really exciting because I mean it could have gone the other way these companies could have been bankrupt and gone and gone as choices sure so another Choice coming to the American Market is Alpha Romeo eight new models by 2018 there'll be a crossover in there we're going to have the uh right so it will be the the do charger uh Alpha Romeo that's right the rim diesel dies first of all as much as I love Al it be 12C uh to waste half an hour of a press conference on the spider version of uh the 4C was a little uh yeah a little our time comes cheap that's okay um but yeah there's next one's going to be a sedan Sports sedan uh to compete with a BMW 3 Series and that's uh I think pretty imminent yeah uh you know you were saying earlier Ford comes out with tweaked version know there's some performance Geeks at Ford you know I got to hand it to him that way I mean like the the Mustang uh gt350r carbon fiber Wheels carbon fiber Wheels production carbon fiber Wheels I mean that's pretty cool for a bike it is absolutely imagine a car that goes almost 200 miles hour yeah curb fields are standard equipment that's right the reduction in unsprung weight yeah that's good stuff uh we also sell the infinity Q60 yes great paint job so yeah it's trying to be positive here and um at least I got the name of it right I won't get the name of new Mercedes SUVs right back to the Q60 so yeah it's a it's a coupe and uh I think it's some time away it's Coupe concept uh Q60 there there's probably going to be a convertible at some point but it's like it it doesn't seem to bring anything new to the party over a G35 group or G37 coup I mean we were there or a four series or uh right I mean this is or an Audi U a55 but I mean you look at the competitors but I me even just look at you know their history you know I mean what does the Q50 bring that the you know Infinity G37 didn't have well it brings horrible reliability touchreen system that doesn't work but but yeah so going away by way but but but this is the issue it's like what what new to the party and and you kind of expect it I mean a show like this is you know there's new and interesting things and you you can't just be kind of like what we have before um there's got to be something new and exciting and we're you can even ask I hate to say it but you can ask what does the infinity brand bring to the party sure it's a weird Auto Show where Buick is more relevant than infinity I think we're going to wrap it up on that Twilight Zone like reference as always thanks for listening\n"