Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.
In Germany, rumors abound on a possible sale of GM’s money-losing daughter Opel. GM’s denials are sort of lame. Some within Chevrolet’s European operations are watching Opel’s travails with glee. But a sale? A more likely scenario has the company downgrading Opel to an R&D center for Chevrolet and Buick products. The most likely scenario, however, is that GM CEO Dan Akerson wants to keep Opel but crank up the pressure on the ailing brand’s turnaround.
VW’s cooperation with Suzuki—the Germans own a 19.9-percent stake in the Japanese carmaker—is troubled. It’s being reported in Germany that Suzuki’s proposals for future common vehicles are not very well received in Wolfsburg. That confirms what I’ve gathered from my own VW Group sources over the past few months. “The cooperation could work better,” and, “The design proposals leave a lot to be desired,” are some of the kinder comments.
Porsche has built three electrically powered versions of the Boxster, which are used for various photo-ops with politicians and supposed to “gather experience.” Germany’s leading newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine now reports that Porsche collected the equivalent of over $4.1 million in subsidies. BMW collected almost $1 million for the development of an electric, folding bicycle—something that far smaller companies have achieved without subsidies. The Mini E experiment in Munich cost taxpayers almost $2.5 million. One of the results: The range of the electric drive is “sufficient.”
Chrysler is launching a new diesel engine for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The 3.0-liter V-6 was developed by Fiat Powertrain and VM Motori and is mated to a five-speed automatic; it comes in two power and torque levels: 187 hp/325 lb-ft and 238 hp/406 lb-ft. Fuel consumption in the European cycle is 28 mpg. The same engine will be offered in the European-market Chrysler 300, which is rebadged as the Lancia Thema here.
German supplier juggernaut Bosch is witnessing a revival of interest in the diesel by U.S. carmakers even for the home market and registers a “tail wind” by U.S. secretary of transportation Ray LaHood. “The Americans are recognizing the value of diesel technology,” I am told by Bosch executives: “Diesels will happen, but with a significant delay that can be attributed to the financial crisis.”
I’ve just driven the impressive Porsche Panamera Turbo S, and had the chance to speak with a few sources about future plans for Porsche’s big, four-door sedan. It will remain on a rear-wheel-drive platform; a derivative off Audi’s modular-longitudinal front-wheel-drive platform is out of the question. A more likely scenario will see a big Audi moving onto the next Panamera platform, which will also be used for future Bentley models, and could provide the basis for a four-door Lamborghini in the spirit of the Estoque concept car.
The next Panamera likely will lose the manual transmission currently offered on the naturally aspirated, rear-wheel-drive V-6 and V-8 models. While the U.S. is a “classic manual-gearbox market,” the take rate for the manual Panamera has been low—probably too low to justify a successor. The next Panamera will also receive electric power steering—for efficiency reasons.
Ford has confirmed a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine for its B-Max compact minivan. Ford’s three-cylinder strategy is consistent and will be stretched across multiple model lines. VW and BMW will follow with their own three-cylinder engines, and Mercedes-Benz is working on threes as well.
Do they work? At the Boxberg, Germany, proving grounds, I just sampled a VW Passat powered by a 161-hp, 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine developed by supplier Mahle and force-fed by a single Bosch-Mahle turbocharger. The car’s performance was impressive; according to the Bosch engineer that accompanied me on my drive on the high-speed oval and the handling course explained that power equals that of a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter, while torque is on the level of a naturally aspirated 2.8-liter engine. I liked the 1.2: It emitted a sporty but subdued exhaustnote, acceleration was seamless from low rpm, and I reached over 120 mph with ease and some air to go. It’s the way to go.
Pictures of the Mini Coupe, slightly camouflaged, have been circulated by the manufacturer. The two-door coupe will be launched at the Frankfurt auto show, and the Mini Roadster will most likely be shown at the Geneva auto show next March. Both cars were still styled under former Mini chief designer Gert Hildebrand.
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