ON THE TABLE - MAY 14, 2014

Sergio Marchionne. Editor-in-Chief's Note: The Great Sergio said at an event in Indiana today that he'll still be a success even if he doesn't meet some of his lofty targets. "The exercise of leadership requires the setting of some pretty bold objectives," Marchionne told reporters. Uh, whatever you say, Sergio, but in this country we call that backpedaling. And given your ridiculously aggressive sales targets for Alfa Romeo in this country, it smacks of so much #BushLeagueBullshit too. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Just how delusional is The Great Sergio Marchionne? Nick Bunkley ‏(@nickbunkley) from Automotive News tweeted the following Monday morning (April 12th) on Marchionne's plan for Alfa Romeo: "#Chrysler wants 150K Alfa Romeo sales/yr in N America by 2018. Years other lux brands took to hit that: Lexus - 10, BMW - 25, Audi - 41 and Mercedes - 47." This just in: Any analyst who is knowingly buying into Marchionne's plan for Alfa needs to turn his or her credentials in immediately and walk quietly away, because you're looking loopy right about now. I've said it before and I will say it again a couple hundred more times before this circus comes to its inevitable end: The High-Octane Truth about Alfa Romeo is that it’s not a mass-market brand, it was never meant to be a mass-market brand and it never will be a mass-market brand. Let alone a "luxury" brand. But in the end even that doesn’t much matter to The Great Sergio, when it comes right down to it. Why? I can assure you the dealers will pay for it when Marchionne’s grandiose plan for Alfa goes nowhere. It will be their fault somehow and The Great Sergio will have long since departed when the recriminations start flying. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Speaking of Automotive News, the publication's rabid canonization of The Great Sergio has reached epic proportions. The last two weeks of coverage of The Great Sergio's plan in AN has been such a gushing, fan-boy boot licking of Marchionne's "brilliance" that all hopes of rational perspective have been trampled to death by the insipid prose generated in one story after another. Are they issued kneepads before entering the Auburn Hills headquarters so that they can readily assume the position? Or does it just come naturally? I think we all know the answer to that. Needless to say, it's just flat-out embarrassing at this point. When will it stop? Oh, it's not likely to end anytime soon in case you were hoping otherwise. And this just in: Pathetic doesn't even begin to cover it. - PMD 

(Photos courtesy of Cadillac/newspressUSA)
Cadillac is going to close out its current model V-Series production run with a special-edition 2015 CTS-V Coupe. The special edition CTS-V Coupe - limited to 500 copies - includes the brand's full menu of high-performance technology, including Cadillac’s Magnetic Ride Control, Brembo brakes and a 556-horsepower (415kW) supercharged V8 engine.

The 2015 special edition CTS-V Coupe has an exclusive Ebony interior with red contrast stitching, Recaro® performance seats, metal pedals, Midnight Sapele wood trim, microfiber suede-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, dark-finish V grille, satin graphite wheels and red brake calipers.

The 500 special-edition CTS-V Coupes will be produced this summer and are available for immediate order. Pricing begins at $72,195, including a $995 destination charge and $1,300 gas guzzler tax. Exterior color options include Crystal White, Black Diamond ($995) and Phantom Gray. Buyers can opt for either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. A sunroof also is available ($700). The next-generation V-Series models are in development and will premiere sometime next year.

(Photos courtesy of VW/newspressUSA)
The 2015 VW Golf R will be the most powerful version of the Golf ever to be sold in this market - with an estimated 290 horsepower - which is 34 horsepower more than the previous version sold in 2013. Like all three previous Golf R models, the new model has permanent all-wheel-drive; in this case, the latest version of the 4MOTION® system with a fifth-generation Haldex® coupling. There’s also a new sport suspension, a progressive variable-ratio steering system, and a stability control system (“ESC Sport”), which can now be deactivated for track driving. Other highlights include the optional DCC® adaptive damping system. Equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox, the Golf R will go 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds. With the six-speed DSG® dual-clutch automatic transmission, the car completes the sprint in just 4.9 seconds. The new R model has a manufacturer-estimated highway fuel economy rating of 31 mpg with the six-speed manual transmission, up from 27 mpg.

(Images courtesy of Cadillac/newspressUSA)
The 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe rides on the same 109.3-inch wheelbase as the sedan, but features its own bodywork, and is longer, lower and with a wider front/rear track. The roof, doors, rear fenders and trunk lid are unique to the Coupe, along with a specific front fascia and front fenders to accommodate the wider track. Eighteen-inch wheels are standard on the Coupe. The 2015 ATS Coupe goes on sale later this summer with a choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and power from a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder or a 3.6L six-cylinder engine. It will start at $38,990, including a $995 destination charge.

Editor-in-Chief's's Note: This week our "Quick Take" has us in the 2014 Infiniti Q60 Coupe Journey. This car seems to be lost in the previous decade somewhere. As much as the Nissan V6 engine has been a perennial favorite, this car felt old, sluggish and heavy right out of the gate and I can't imagine anyone giving this car even a momentary glance when considering a comparable BMW. I mean, really, there's just no comparison. The Q60 feels dated, looks dated and it seemed to lack even a modicum of a raison d'etre. It didn't help matters that the interior was singularly uninspired and dressed in an ultra-light color combination that was so far removed from the realities and inevitable wear and tear of everyday use that it seemed to be some sort of a joke. I could have said "where do I begin?" at the beginning of this but why bother? The Infiniti Q60 is eminently forgettable, existing in a parallel universe somewhere on the Planet Obsolete. - PMD

2014 Infiniti Q60 Coupe Journey: $50,405 ($40,400 Base Price; Venetian Ruby; Stone Leather interior with Silk Obi aluminum trim; 3.7-liter, DOHC, 24-valve VVEL V6 engine with 330HP and 270 lbs-ft of torque; Rear-wheel-drive; 7-speed automatic transmission with Drive Sport (DS) mode (manual shift mode with Downshift Rev Matching); independent front and rear suspension; front and rear stabilizers; 4-wheel disc brakes; 18" aluminum-alloy wheels; P225/50R18 all-season tires; High Intensity Discharge headlights with auto on/off; LED taillights; 8-way power/heated front seats; Tilt and telescopic steering wheel; Bluetooth hands-free phone system; 7.0" color vehicle information display, AM/FM audio system with six speakers and single disc CD player; Technology Package - Intelligent cruise control, Advanced climate control system, Rain sensing windshield wipers, Front pre-crash seat belts, Brake assist with preview braking - $1,250; Premium Package - Power sliding/tinted glass moonroof, Rear sonar sytem, Infiniti Studio on Wheels (premium audio system by Bose with Driver's Audio Stage), Memory system including driver's seat, steering wheel and outside mirrors, Driver's seat power lumbar support, Power tilt and telescopic steering wheel - $3,250; Sport Package - 19" aluminum-alloy wheels with summer performance tires, Sport-tuned suspension and steering, Viscous limited-slip differential, Sport brakes with 4-piston front and 2-piston rear calipers, Sport front fascia, Solid magnesium paddle shifters, 12-way driver and 8-way front passenger sport seats with manual thigh extender, Aluminum pedals and footrest - $1,950; Navigation Package - Infiniti hard drive navigation system, NavTraffic and NavWeather (with three months of SIrius XM service included), Zagat Survey restaurant guide,  DVD-video playback, Infiniti voice recognition - $1,850; Interior Accents Package - High gloss maple interior accents - $600; Trunk mat, trunk net and first aid kit, $200; Destination charges, $905)

Adherence to Brand Image: That Infiniti is scrambling to come up with a product-focused brand image is no news at this point. We're inundated with one article after another orchestrated by Infiniti PR minions who are desperately trying to get us all to believe that Infiniti has it goin' on. They've hired industry veterans, they're trying to get out from under the mundane tedium that being a stepchild of the Nissan monolith entails, and they've even dragged F1 star Sebatian Vettel into the mix as their "director of performance" to instill that notion in car-oriented enthusiasts' heads. But it isn't nearly enough and there is something decidedly amiss in Infiniti Land. The really new and interesting products just aren't there and the company's product cadence is in such dire straits that the situation isn't likely to get fixed anytime soon. So in the meantime we're left with a brand that's a purveyor of "me-too" products that lack inspiration. Infiniti smacks of a brand that's flailing about trying to throw anything up against the wall that they can get their hands on to see what sticks. And it isn't working.  - PMD