Archive for March, 2010

Move over Audi A3 and Volvo C30 – there’s a new luxury hatchback in town. It’s called the CT200h and Lexus claims that it will be the only dedicated hybrid in its class when it comes to market in early 2011.

If you’re wondering why Lexus is choosing to cram yet another vehicle into the affordable end of its lineup, you’re not alone. After all, Lexus already offers the IS250 / IS350 performance sedans, the ES350 luxury sedan, and the HS250h hybrid sedan. So why add another player?

For the answer, look to Europe where Lexus has been eager to expand its market share. The CT200h, with its spacious hatchback bodystyle and high fuel economy, is the company’s first major attempt to court buyers across the pond.

Here in the States, the CT200h makes far less sense. It has to slot into an already-crowded hybrid lineup with only a few thousand dollars to separate it from the larger HS250h sedan above and the Toyota Prius below.

In fact, the CT200h appears to share much of its equipment with its little brother. Details are still coming in, but the 1.8-liter Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain and advanced Dynamic Radar Cruise Control system appear to have been lifted straight from the Prius.

What you do get with the CT200h, however, is a unique body and some nifty techno-tricks, like four adjustable driving modes and a new soft-touch synthetic upholstery called NuLuxe™ (traditional leather will be an option). Lexus claims that the new model will, “excite eco-conscious, young consumers and symbolize urban luxury living.”

With so little difference in price, performance, and MPG between the company’s dedicated hybrid models, the CT200h will have a difficult role to play. Will the fresh sheetmetal and eco-friendly upholstery be enough to impress American customers without cannibalizing sales from the Prius or HS250h?

The Toyota recall scandal has been shocking on many levels and we’ve been studying consumer reactions to better understand how and why people feel the way they do about this ongoing saga.

In addition to analyzing feedback and comments voiced about Toyota on Honk, we also fielded a market research survey in late February to help quantify some of the impacts.

Results of the survey confirmed that consumers are angry with Toyota over both the recalls and the company’s handling of the situation.  Interestingly, the damage seems to be affecting many different components of Toyota’s brand image.  The perception of Toyota’s eco-friendliness, which is not directly connected to safety or quality, nonetheless dropped by four percent as a result of the recalls.

Stephanie LaCrosse, a Honk founder, was recently interviewed in Detroit and San Francisco to discuss the Toyota recall scandal and our findings.  Here are clips from two of her interviews:

Has the Toyota recall scandal affected your opinion of the company?

We’ve got some pretty awesome neighbors here at Honk HQ in San Francisco.  MySpace, Photobucket, and IGN have offices just down the hall and we’re within walking distance to the folks at Current, Wired Magazine, and Twitter.  As a shout-out to our tech-savvy neighbors, we decided to research the Top 33 cars for gadget lovers and technophiles.

We dug into the Honk database to search for car buyers who placed a lot of weight on technical innovations and high-quality infotainment systems when they chose their rides.

The list is full of hybrid-electric vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid, no doubt due to their advanced fuel-sipping powertrains.  Other vehicles that scored well, like the Lincoln MKS and Acura TL, are known for their exceptionally crisp audio systems.

Several family haulers made the list thanks to their kid-friendly DVD systems, auxiliary inputs for video game systems, and power doors.

High-end luxury vehicles on the list impressed with their state-of-the-art active safety features.  The BMW 7-Series, for example, offers an infrared night vision system that can detect and track pedestrians near the roadway.  And the Infiniti FX offers an Intelligent Brake Assist function that can automatically sound a warning and then apply the brakes if a collision becomes unavoidable.

Today’s cars are undoubtedly high-tech and they are getting better and better with each new model year.  Electronic stability control, a life-saving feature that prevents cars from sliding out of control, will become mandatory for all new cars in 2012.  Mobile phone integration continues to advance, too, with audio streams that can be played over the car’s speakers via Bluetooth.

If you’re a gadget-lover, check out these Top 33 Cars for Techies:

1. Acura TL

2. Toyota Camry Hybrid

3. Toyota Prius

4. Lincoln MKS

5. Acura TSX

6. Honda Insight

7. Honda Civic Hybrid

8. BMW X5

9. Volkswagen Jetta

10. Ford Fusion

11. Subaru Forester

12. Mercedes GLK

13. Acura MDX

14. Infiniti FX

15. Mercedes C-Class

16. Nissan Maxima

17. Infiniti EX

18. Volkswagen Eos

19. Toyota Highlander Hybrid

20. Chrysler Town & Country

21. Mazda 6

22. Ford F-150

23. Toyota Sienna

24. Nissan Altima Hybrid

25. Volkswagen Tiguan

26. Acura RDX

27. Ford Flex

28. Mercedes ML

29. Hyundai Genesis Sedan

30. BMW 7-Series

31. Ford Escape Hybrid

32. Audi A4

33. Honda CR-V

What’s big and white and innovative all over?  That would be Nissan’s new NV series of commercial vans.

These beasts of burden may not be as sexy as Nissan’s other products but they do tell a great story about how listening to customers can help an automaker design a better product.

Extensive customer research is very common for retail vehicles, where fierce competition requires frequent product updates every two or so years.  In the world of commercial vehicles, however, there’s very little competition and vehicles can stay on the market largely unchanged for over a decade at a time.

Nissan discovered that commercial van owners were, “among the least-satisfied owners of any segment in the industry,” according to Joe Castelli, the company’s vice president for commercial vehicles.  Sensing the opportunity to shake up a stagnant segment, Nissan formed a team to research and bring in as much customer feedback as possible.

The team interviewed customers at their homes and at their work sites, allowing the respondents to point out what they loved and hated about their current vehicles.  They found that even common sense features, like sufficient lighting in the cargo area and doors that could stay open in windy conditions, were often missing.

Nissan claims that by listening to their potential customers, they were able to pack the NV series full of fresh innovations:

• To improve cabin space and reduce noise, Nissan gave the NV a long hood (like a pickup truck) so that the engine could be moved forward and completely outside the cabin
• To address complaints that loading cargo is difficult when hunched over, the NV has an optional “high roof” that can allow people up to 6 feet 2 inches to walk through the vehicle without ducking
• To prevent the seat fabric from wearing prematurely, the upholstery in the NV has double-reinforced seams that are mounted in a lower, more secure position.  The fabric for those seats also has a water-resistant coating so that spilled liquids bead away rather than creating stains
• To prevent rust and make it less expensive to install cargo racks in the back, the NV comes with pre-drilled anchor holes and a wiring harness that makes it easier for aftermarket upfitters to install their equipment and modifications
• To address complaints that cargo doors do not open wide enough, Nissan fitted a sliding door on the side and special hinges that allow the rear doors to open to a class-leading 243-degrees.  Special magnets keep those rear doors from slamming shut when the wind blows
• To improve the “mobile office” aspect of a commercial van, the NV offers a Bluetooth hands-free phone system for speaking with customers, a navigation system for getting to new job sites, power outlets for charging phones and power tools, and a center console with enough space to hang full-size files.

Nissan went another step further than is typical in the industry and actually allowed customers and aftermarket upfitters to comment on prototype parts.  The extra customer feedback helped engineers fine-tune the design of certain components and it helped ensure that the van would be easy to upfit once it went on sale.

The innovations in the NV series are very clever and that’s largely because Nissan listened to what customers wanted.  This is a product whose thoughtful features will be appreciated by owners and whose presence will increase competition in an otherwise quiet segment.  Customer feedback turned the NV series into much more than just another box on wheels.

Last week marked the 60th anniversary of the start of production for the iconic Volkswagen Van.  The first unit rolled off the line on March 8th, 1950 with an air-cooled 25-horsepower engine and a top speed of only 60 miles per hour.

Despite it’s humble performance, the distinctive people-mover quickly found a home in America’s burgeoning counter-culture movement.  Volkswagen advertisements from the period poked fun at cookie-cutter suburbs and strict social roles, calling out to those who wanted to “buy a car that sticks out a little.”

The Transporter was simple, affordable, and easy to maintain.  Sales rose quickly and on October 2nd, 1962, the one millionth van was produced.

Volkswagen celebrated the milestone at its factory in Hanover, West Germany by decorating the lucky Bus with flowers and donating it to UNICEF.

The Transporter spawned many different commercial and passenger variations over the years, from a single-cab pickup truck to a life-saving ambulance to a luxurious Samba edition with 23 individual windows and large canvas sunroof.

The van has been celebrated in pop culture, too.  Notable appearances include feature billing in The Who song, “Magic Bus,” and a prominent role in the 2006 indie film hit, Little Miss Sunshine.

Like so many of its owners, the Volkswagen Transporter has grown older and more conservative over the years.  Today’s model features restrained styling and a conventional front-engine layout. The charm may be gone from the current model but early Type 2 models of the fifties, sixties, and seventies continue to serve as enduring symbols of counter-culture and clever engineering. Since the Transporter is no longer sold in the states, we are left with the  Volkswagen Routan. While this modern people mover is more functional, reliable, and family friendly than the bus ever was, it clearly doesn’t share the lineage of our beloved Bus.

Happy 60th Birthday, Bus.