Audi E tron Quattro Concept Press Conference

Audi started its press conference different than others, different than others with problems with recalls and associated turmoil.  They hit it head on at the beginning of their press conference.  Rather than ignore the pink elephant in the room the addressed it.  They apologized for violating their customers trust with the clean diesel and what has now been determined to be a deliberate effort to foil emissions testing with programming that senses when a car is in test mode to run its cleanest.  They said they will make their customers whole and resolve the problem.  They promised to win their customers respect and loyalty back.

They discussed the A3 e-tron which was one of the Green Car of the Year nominees.  Its really a nice A3 that just so happens to have been electrified as a plug in hybrid.  Making a total 204hp and 243 ft lbs of torque this compact hybrid tops its competition in terms of power and performance yet returns up to 30 miles in EV mode and EPA tests at 87MPe in EV mode and 39 MPG combined in gas mode.  Certainly not prius numbers, but its not a prius.  Its an Audi and it gives up nothing in terms of performance, luxury or build quality.  Its an Audi dammit and you don't compromise the experience.  Its worth the slightly lower number from a prius for an Audi in my not so humble.

The big news however was the E-tron Quatrro concept and its North American debut.  It promises to be a competitively priced (with what...Tesla Model x?) full sized all electric EV with a range of 300 miles.  Enough for a non-stop Vegas run something no EV today can claim.  Creature comforts and performance of an Audi are promised in the production model when it releases in a couple of years.  Unlike other manufacturers releasing EVs, this won't be a CA release only, it will be national.

To ensure range anxiety will be a thing of the past with this car Audi is partnering with a few others to build a fast charge network across the country.  Making it possible to drive cross country, across multiple states, not just a few established interstate routes that we see now.  These fast charging stations promise to charge the E-tron Quattro for 200 miles in 30 minutes.  Not gas fast, but an improvement in mobility with an EV.

More pics from Press Days at the L.A Auto Show in a flickr album

Buick unveils the wowza Avenir and a dud at NAIAS

The big surprise from Buick was the Avenir (French for future) concept car which is a thinly veiled version of the next LaCrosse.  My suggestion, dump the LaCrosse name and use this one.  This car is so totally different that it deserves its own name in history.

This was an odd reveal, private party the night before the NAIAS Press days began, not the usual hoopla grand reveal during press days.  Interesting.  The flagship sedan offers seating for four, full LED exterior lighting, and 21-inch wheels in its premium sports options.

Like Buick's of yore this has some unique design elements that I really like.  The traditional waterfall grill is there, split in the upper third by a too huge Buick emblem and a tasteful chrome rib continuing the hoodline at the head lamps.

The rear view is really nice as well. with a subtle point drawn from the windshield reminiscent at least of the '71-73 Riviera's and their boat tails.

But don't let my blathering color your opinion.  Buick got 2 Eyes On Design Awards for this car.
General Motors Global Design Team for the Buick Avenir concept car won EyesOn Design's Best Concept Award Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. Director of GM Global Color and Trim Sharon Gauci , Design Manager Color and Trim, GM Australia, Jenny Morgan-Douralis, and GM Design Manager Buick Color and Trim Rebecca Waldmeir won EyesOn Design's Best Use of Color Award for the Buick Avenir.

Little was offered up in the way of power train and tranny options.  Best guess is it will be conservative with the 2.0L turbo four as standard and a V6 as an option.  Nothing stronger, as well, the true aggressive sport luxury brand for GM is Caddy, not Buick.  A shame as this car looks like it should have some real go power behind it.

Its a very nice looking concept that appears more production ready rather than a study in what the future could be.  Build it, give it its place in Buick History.

Now for the dud.  The Cascada.  A convertible sedan that's nice enough in appearance.  Its rated as a 4 seater, but with 3" between the front seat back and the cushion end of the rear seat only amputees will be placed in those rear seats.

The car just seems to be missing the mark on so many points.  The front end is molten pointy, not the crisp style and angles of the Avenir, or even lesser current production Buick's like the Regal that is already on dealership lots.  Its a near miss, the premise good, front seats and ergonomics are nice, but you get to the back seat and it all falls apart.  Sad, I had hopes for this car, but its really a rehashed Opel with a Buick emblem glued to the grill that doesn't even fit the bill with current Buick design language.  Equally Sad, is this car is a step back for a brand that has been moving forward and doing such nice cars the last few years.  We need Buick to succeed.

All pics by me.  More in my flickr album from 2015 NAIAS

CMax Solar Energi Concept

Making the most of the sun in sunny So Cal


I really love this concept and when Ford invited me down to their Los Angeles Regional Office (in Irvine?) I jumped on it.  I'm a solar kinda guy, made the decision to fall off the grid last year and don't regret it at all.  A plug-in hybrid with a solar panel on the roof should have been a no-brainer, but it took the folks like  Mike Tinskey at Ford and his team to come up with a way to make it practical.  Mike is the Global Director of Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure so he knows a lot about this topic.

Solar panel efficiency has gotten better in recent years, now up to 21% of energy captured converted to power.  This isn't enough however to give a full charge to the car in an average city like someplace back east like Charleston SC, but in a city like Los Angeles the potential is there to bring the batteries to a full charge during the course of an 8 work day.

Ford teamed up with the folks at Georgia Institute of Technology and came up with a carport looking lens concentrator that would effectively increase the amount of light hitting the panel to maximize electricity production.  The car is on a platform that would move and track the sun during the course of the day to ensure best possible light concentration on the panel.  This technology primitive as it is hints at greatness to come.  Imagine it.  Plug in at night, drive your 20 miles or so to work in EV mode, charge by the sun and drive home the other 20 miles on a solar charge home.

Why is this important?  A lot of reasons.  We are cursed with the highest density and gridlocked traffic where this bump and go is actually the EV/Hybrids strength as all that stopping is an opportunity to regenerative brake charge the batteries.  The use of a hybrid/EV serves to lessen significantly the pollutants and green house gases being emitted all working to give us cleaner air.

Interesting stats came out of this meeting.  The last couple of years the hybrid/EV has accounted about 3-4% of all car sales here in the U.S.  The startling bit of that stat is that fully half of those sales took place right here in California.  Leaders in the transition to sustainable CLEAN transportation.

A few nifty factoids on the CMax Solar Energi concept and the potential it represents.
·         C-MAX Solar Energi Concept eliminates the need to plug in and charge a hybrid vehicle altogether. It harnesses the power of the sun by using a special concentrator that acts like a magnifying glass, directing intense rays to the panels on the vehicle’s roof
·         C-MAX Solar Energi Concept represents an exciting possibility for the future of mobility. This prototype is part of Ford’s vision for imagining what sustainable transportation will look like in 2024 and beyond and the near-, mid- and long-term steps we must take to get there
·         Internal Ford data suggest the sun could power up to 75 percent of all trips made in a solar hybrid vehicle. That means a typical owner can avoid sending more than four metric tons of greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere ever year.
·         According to our climate scientists, if all light duty vehicles (cars and trucks) in the US adopted this approach, we’d reduce greenhouse gas emission (GHG) by more than 1 billion metrics tons per year.