NOTES : 2008 ACCORD AND CALIBER SRT4 PRICING; DELOREAN... AGAIN?! TAURUS SELLING IN KOREA AND PASTE-ON (AND PHONY) SUNROOFS ...

Honda's 2008 Accord is just as interesting for what is available as for what isn't. Ford's Taurus (nee 500) will be sold in Korea, and we can't imagine why. Some guy is selling a paste-on sunroof, which reminds us of those fake "Continental" rear-tire carrier kits and faux vinyl roofs. The DeLorean threatens to make a comeback; will it become the Avanti of the 21st century? And Dodge hopes-to-high-heaven that their SRT4 Caliber can enjoy even 10% of the cachet with people under 40 which their Neon demonstrated.

Here's some of the PR fluff from Honda on the most important car (to American Honda) which they sell in the USA, the Accord:

"The Honda Accord was first Japanese-nameplate car assembled in the United States and calendar year 2007 represents the 25th anniversary of its manufacture here. The first Japanese-built Accord was introduced as a 1976 model, and by 1982 it was being manufactured both in Japan and in a brand-new automobile assembly plant in Marysville, Ohio. The success of the Accord set a path for Honda, and conclusively proved that assembling cars in America was a viable proposition. Seven more Accord generations followed, leading to the eighth-generation 2008 Accord.

Completely redesigned for 2008 with increased dimensions for a more spacious interior, the sedan styling theme expresses a powerful presence with sharp and strong character lines. The coupe is further individualized with an aggressive stance and unique proportions that create a muscular, sporty demeanor.

An available 3.5-liter i-VTEC V-6 engine produces 268-horsepower - the most ever for any Accord - while  introducing a new generation of fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM®) technology and achieving a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) rating. The VCM system operates in six-cylinder mode for power and 4- and 3-cylinder modes for efficiency, resulting in an EPA city/highway fuel economy rating of 19/29* miles per gallon (Accord Sedan V-6).

Also new for Accord, an Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure enhances frontal collision compatibility with vehicles of different sizes and bumper heights. Additional safety equipment standard to all Accord models includes Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), also known as Electronic Stability Control; side-curtain airbags; dual-chamber front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), active front seat head restraints, anti-lock brakes and more.

The Accord is available in sedan and coupe body styles with 2.4-liter 4-cylinder and 3.5-liter V-6 engine choices. Available transmissions include a 5-speed manual (standard with all 4-cylinder engines), a 5-speed automatic (standard on sedan V-6 models, available with all 4-cylinder engines and V-6-powered Accord Coupes,) and a 6-speed manual transmission (exclusive to the Accord Coupe EX-L V-6 6MT).

The Accord Coupe styling radically breaks from the sedan with a uniquely aggressive image. Its long hood, sleek roofline and muscular lines suggest power and a heightened agility compared to the sedan. Dimensionally, the Accord Coupe's overall length of 190.9 inches is 3.2 inches longer than 2007 model, its width of 72.8 inches is 1.2 inches wider, and its height of 56.4 inches is 0.6 (LX-S) to 0.7 (EX, EX-L) inches higher. Compared to the 2008 Accord Sedan, the Accord Coupe is 3.2 inches shorter in length, 1.7 inches shorter in height and 0.1-inch wider." --end of Honda PR release--

OK, enough of the corporate PR stuff. Accord is THE crucial, mission-critical car for Honda (and we don't know what "mission-critical" means, but everyone's saying it). It is now, by tradition, either the #1 or #2 best-selling car in America, trading "Best Of" jabs with Toyota's Camry, year after year. And rightfully so --- Both offer near worry-free transportation, lots of interior space, smart styling for the segment and just a bit of excitement if the buyer so desires. We're talking about a car which sells in numbers over 400,000 units annually, just in the USA. Figuring conservatively ($10,000 factory profit per car), those kinds of numbers add up to $4 BILLION in monies for Honda (and remember, that money, while much of it is indeed put back into America, the ultimate decisions as to where that profit goes remains naturally where the company is headquartered, in Japan).

And while we haven't completely prepared our evaluation of the 2008 Accord as yet (but we will have a full road test posted here soon as well as a video road test from 'CAR NUT TV'), what the all-new Accord does not offer is also a bit more-than-interesting: A hybrid model, which the previous generation Accord did offer.

The Accord hybrid was a bust. Honda found it more than a neat trick to try and promote a car both as a fuel-sipping gas-miser hybrid and the most-powerful Accord ever. Schizophrenia is never a popular sales tool. In reality, its direct competition, Toyota's Camry hybrid, offered a true 40 miles per gallon in highway and city mileage combined, while the Honda Accord hybrid, at $5,000 more on its sticker than its Camry competition, produced an honest 10 miles per gallon less. And we drove both cars a lot.

Accord hybrid was a rare bomb for Honda. We'll present our impressions of 2008's Accord here very soon; though we can say without fear that Accord Coupe continues to be one of the best-looking cars on the road.

But Honda needs to decide what kind of technologies they are going to use on their largest car to produce  the kind of mileage and emissions figures Americans are beginning to demanding. Honda prides itself on using no "tricks" such as turbocharging or supercharging to get the most performance and efficiency from their engines, and they've been able to get away with that --- so far. Honda sells no V8 engines, either, claiming they get more than enough horsepower from their V6 engines (see Honda's NSX model, sold in the US as an Acura). At this point, Honda might be thinking of "hybrid gas/electrics" as some sort of gimmick, though the Honda Civic hybrid apparently lives on (at least for now). We can expect to see Honda making use of much of the new diesel technologies, which offer great promise for every car-maker.

Whenever Honda brings out a "brand-new" car, it's news. We'll certainly find out more about the future of this particular 8th generation Accord when we visit the TOKYO MOTOR SHOW the third week of October.

PRICING ON CALIBER SRT4

Gotta hand it to Dodge --- $22,995 is a tried-and-true method of drawing that "younger than springtime" crowd to the showroom ... A crowd which this division of the Chrysler Corporation, sorely needs to reach. Potential buyers in their 'teens and 20s can not afford a 300 model, especially one with a Hemi. The PT Cruiser has become a smaller minivan for the over-50 crowd (at least from what I've seen on the California freeways, and from breakdowns of Chrysler sales figures) --- And Chrysler has just brought out a new "paint and tape" version of the PT which insiders say is the vehicle's final iteration. More on that later; but it isn't groundbreaking, and we can tell you that. In their own division, Avenger, Challenger, Magnum (all three for the "older-crowd" cars), Nitro (warmed-over Jeep) and Stratus (second family car) and of course, Viper, are all out of reach, both dollar- and image-wise, once you get one optioned out by the dealer. If Dodge can create and sell for under-$25K a "well and popularly-equipped" SRT4, they just might have an answer to their Neon SRT4, which was a great car for a younger set who were "turned onto" a car company called "Dodge" for the first time. And by the way, SRT stands for "Street and Racing Technology". But, you know, it still looks like a box and we expect it won't handle much better. Here's some PR stuff on the car from the factory:

"Boasting 285 horsepower, 265 lb.-ft. of torque and a 0-60 mph time in the low 6-second range, the all-new 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4 is available for $22,995, which includes $560 for destination. The 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4 once again delivers the SRT mission of benchmark performance at the lowest price.

Exterior styling includes an aggressive SRT stance, a front fascia with functional brake cooling ducts and a larger grille opening. The unique hood features a functional air scoop enhancing underhood cooling. A large integrated spoiler above the rear glass is tuned for smoother air flow and lift reduction. Available exterior colors are Brilliant Black, Sunburst Orange, Bright Silver and Inferno Red.

Inside, the all-new Caliber SRT4 boasts sport seating with deep, performance bolsters, an SRT race-inspired instrument design, and an optional Reconfigurable Display (RCD), with exclusive "performance pages" that provide lateral and longitudinal G-force, 1/8-mile and 1/4-mile acceleration time and speed, 0-60 mph time and braking distance. The Dodge Caliber SRT4's suspension is lowered 28mm in the front and 22mm in the rear, contributing to the unique SRT performance ride and handling characteristics. Chassis highlights include unique performance tuning, 19-inch cast-aluminum wheels and Goodyear three- or four-season performance tires. Benchmark braking is delivered via four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with 340 x 28mm vented front rotors and 302 x 10mm rear rotors, with twin-piston aluminum front calipers. And finally, a whopping 285 horsepower and tire-smoking 265 lb.-ft. of torque is delivered courtesy of Chrysler's 2.4-liter DOHC I-4 Turbo World Engine. An electronically tuned Brake Lock Differential and Getrag DMT-6 six- speed transmission help put the power to the ground." --end of PR release--

DELOREAN REDUX? DEAR GOD, SAY IT AIN'T SO!

All you folks out there who have been taught through your TV and movie screens that there is something almost magical about the DeLorean, well, to quote a line from many other films, fuhgeddiboutit.

DeLorean wasn't a good car to begin with, and practically nothing which can be done to it now improves it abilities, either in speed, handling, comfort, dependability, etc. It fails, as a car, on many, many levels.

But that's like saying Paris Hilton shouldn't be famous because she's a lousy actress. DeLorean the car, and Ms. Paris, have this in common: Being famous for being famous; fame is drawn to them because of the extremely well-crafted marketing campaigns which swirl around them. If the DeLorean car had not been in the movies (ok, in case you don't know, it's in the many "Back to the Future" movies which, for the record, we really enjoyed, especially the first and second ones). it would have remained an automotive oddity, too new to be considered a "classic" at auction, thus never drawing high bids, and eventually to fall into the "auto orphan" category, with a factory which could never service the cars or make an adequate number of spare parts. But a guy in Texas (where else?) thinks he has the answer.

Here's part of a Salt Lake Tribune story on the topic from August 20, 2007:

"A quarter century after DeLorean Motor Co. began making its glitzy, $25,000 two-seater - an operation that collapsed after two years - Stephen Wynne's small automotive outfit plans to bring the vehicle back into limited production at a 40,000-square-foot factory in this Houston suburb. DMC eventually made fewer than 9,000 cars, distinctive for their gull-wing doors, stainless-steel exterior and rear-engine design. An estimated 6,500 remain on the road. Already, the Humble (TX) operation will take an existing DeLorean, strip it to the frame and rebuild it for a base price of $42,500. The company also handles routine maintenance, such as oil changes and tuneups, and ships between 20 and 50 parts orders a day to mechanics and individual owners worldwide." ---end of story quote---

When we saw the name "Wynne", we immediately though of another Wynn, Steve Wynn of Las Vegas,  who has built and owns some of the biggest hotels and casinos in the world (he's broadened his reach beyond Las Vegas and Atlantic City to the small island of Macau, just a hydroplane ride away from Hong Kong. We also remembered that the big-time Wynn is the same guy who put his elbow through a Picasso painting called "Le Reve" ('The Dream', 'Le Reve' is also the name of a hotel Wynn is building in Las Vegas). Wynn paid more than $48 million for the Pablo Picasso painting of Marie-Therese Walter back in 1997 (see photo of painting), and hoped to claim $54 million for a "thumb-sized" rip in the painting. The painting had already been sold to New York art collector Ronald Lauder (his mom was Estee' Lauder); but after Wynn put the hole in it, Wynn says his wife told him not to sell the painting; she felt it was a 'sign' that the painting should stay in Wynn's hands. Their insurance company agreed with Mrs. Wynn. And Wynn does have a fantastic art collection, much of it displayed in his various Las Vegas hotels, including the Bellagio.

But why bring up Wynn versus Wynne? Because the Las Vegas Steve Wynn has a horrible disease which is slowly but surely taking away his sight, and we felt that the only person who could possibly be interested in re-producing the DeLorean car had to be be someone who must be ... blind.

Wynne is also planning to re-create fully-running, "better-than-new" with interior, exterior and drivetrain improvements DeLoreans for about $57,500. Even venerable old Carroll Shelby once told me, "Ya know, Steve, it takes just as much money to build one car as it does to build a million of 'em", speaking as he was of Federal regulations, crash-testing and all of those other little petty "annoyances" our government demands. Frankly, the adversarial relationship between DC and Detroit has been one of the few public/private bonds which actually works. We well-remember all the tooling for the Avanti winding-up in the hands of some midwest mall-builder, and living as we do in the area in Palm Springs, CA, where the Avanti was designed by a team of young, eager stylists striving to save the Studebaker Corporation in 1960, led by the incredible Raymond Loewy, we do feel for this guy. And other than, "Remember the Avanti!" our other advice is: "Good luck".

TAURUS ON-SALE IN SOUTH KOREA: WHY?

Ford is launching the Taurus in South Korea at the end of the month where it's expected to compete with locally manufactured sedans like Kia's Opirus (just WHO the hell is naming these Korean cars?!), which we know in the U.S. as the Amanti (same question). Closest thing to "Amanti" in this country was the crew over at Mazda when they were trying to come up with their own new "luxury" division, and that was going to be called "Amati". Go figure, right?

Korean Taurus' (Tauri?)  will get the same 263-hp 3.6L V6 and six-speed auto as US cars, placing it above much of its local competition.

The Taurus was "re-launched" in the US this year when it bombed as it went upscale, leaving many buyers behind, and tagged with a new name: "500". Thus Ford had to educate all their loyal and potential buyers that the "Fusion" was really supposed to be the replacement for the "old" Taurus, and Taurus was now aimed at a more upscale crowd.  And that cost Ford a TON o' money; you can bet on that.  It cost Ford, probably, tens of millions to do and then re-do their ad campaign for this car. So the "Fusion" name gets pasted on all of Ford's NASCAR racers and all that expensive advertising for the "new 500" goes away. Then suddenly, and with little noticeable fanfare, the venerable and once-popular Taurus name magically returns to the marketplace. So all those buyers who have been aching to buy their father's car now have their chance. But remember the late, great Oldsmobile Division's "This is not your father's car" ad campaign? That program is now in textbooks, studied for its being one of the worst automotive ad campaigns ever. We said it in the news story you just read above this one, but we'll say to FoMoCo the exact same thing we said to the guy trying to bring back brand new DeLorean Motor Cars: Good luck!

PASTE-ON SUNROOF; GUARANTEED TO NOT LEAK!

The DECANO self-adhesive sunroof is a miracle of technology that's comprised of a "series of flexible laminated layers, weatherproofed and framed with a self-adhesive tape." The public will never know your sunroof is actually a giant black sticker with a frame around it. Buy a better-standing in your community for only $25 plus $6 shipping and handling.

Where will this horror stop? My god, stop the insanity!!! Several terribly ugly "paste-on" appearance bits and items have been perpetrated on us through the ages. This group includes "Continental kits", sometimes laughingly known as a "Full Cleveland", which included phony rear-tire carriers that were somehow attached to your vehicle's rear bumper, and plenty of chrome was a mainstay of these "appearance packages". Also, faux vinyl roofs, as if real vinyl were not bad enough. Interestingly,  ironically, and maybe karmically, too, both the faux and the real vinyl roofs would eventually peel off and go flapping in the wind ... And by the time the car had gone through several generations of sales and owners, the folks who ended up with these beauties never had the money to fix (or remove) them. And let's never forget all those "Indy 500 Pace Car" paint-and-tape jobs, and the many other vehicles ruined by the factory or dealer in "commemoration" of some event or race. These things NEVER bring big prices at auction.

Perhaps the General itself, yes, General Motors, was the single worst perpetrator of these ugly add-on "extras". For a time there, and well into the 21st century, any Pontiac model which would stand still long enough would have "plastic cladding" attached to it. This would range  from front air dams to rear wings and to those horrible pieces of "handsome (ahem) side cladding" which had nothing in particular to do with appearance or performance.

But phony sunroofs? Yech!