ON THE TABLE

May 18, 2011

 GM. Editor-in-Chief's Note: Long before the "old" GM did its pirouette into bankruptcy, I suggested in my "too many divisions, too many dealers" ranting that GM would ultimately be best served by focusing on just two divisions here in the U.S., Chevrolet and Cadillac. Buick would be one of GM's "global" nameplates that would continue to thrive in China, and GMC would then go away in favor of a full line of higher-end Cadillac-based SUVs. Given the amount of time GM marketers still spend on justifying the existence of their divisional offerings in relation to their other divisional offerings, before they even think about their competitors, maybe it's time to revisit the two-division strategy. - PMD

Ladies and Gentlemen, Fire-Up Your Marketing Engines! Editor-in-Chief's Note: It has been suggested - given the chaos brought on by the devastating earthquake and its aftermath in Japan - that this market will be "short" by as many as 200,000 units of Japanese imports, thus leaving the biggest window of opportunity U.S.-based automakers have seen in well, oh, about 30 years. Who is going to fill that gap and who is going to win? We'll know by the end of August. It's now or never, boys and girls - if you're going to get you some you better get it right now. - PMD

Saab. We hesitate to give the reeling Swedish automaker even a hint of an "up" arrow, but they have yet another deal with yet another Chinese company - this time it's Pang Da. Spyker Cars, the Netherlands-based company that owns Saab, announced that Pang Da will dump $92 million into the gasping automaker for a 24 percent stake in Spyker, and the two will then form a 50/50 joint venture for the distribution of Saab cars in China. Production of Saabs is not happening - for now - but good luck to all concerned. You'll need it.

Fiat-Chrysler. Big-ticket investors are suddenly balking at giving Sergio & Co. the loans they're seeking, sensing the risk involved in their product plan, or at least the timing of it. As in they got nothin' really new until the 2013-2014 time frame. The Fiat-Chrysler minions insist that everything is under control and that they're sticking to The Plan. Time of your life, eh, kids?

Bob King. The UAW's Most Self-Important Man is raising eyebrows by hanging around with green-tinged special interest groups that espouse deleting the use of automobiles and the dismantling of the Detroit automobile industry as a natural development of their narrow-minded agendas. It has been suggested to King that it's probably in the best interest of his union that he step away.

(Audi)
In case you're going, Audi is bringing its quattro concept to the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este being held at Lake Como from May 20 - 22, 2011. Besides historic vehicles from around the globe, visitors will also be rating the future of the automobile in the category Concept Cars and Prototypes. Audi has entered the Audi quattro concept show car in this category. The winner is selected by the public. “The Audi quattro concept reinterprets the sports car in which Audi introduced all-wheel drive more than 30 years ago. It combines an homage to our history with groundbreaking design, making the quattro concept the perfect car for the Concorso d’Eleganza. For more than 80 years, this competition has celebrated not just the history of the automobile, but also its future,” says Wolfgang Egger, Head of Design for the Audi Group and the person responsible for the design of the Audi quattro concept.

(Audi)
A jury of 76 motoring journalists from around the world has voted the Audi 2.5-liter TFSI as the “International Engine of the Year 2011” in the 2-liter to 2.5-liter category. This engine is now a repeat winner since it won the award last year. The 2.5-liter TFSI engine is fitted to the Audi RS 3 Sportback and TT RS Coupé and Roadster and features both turbocharging and FSI direct gasoline injection technology. With a displacement of 2,480 cubic centimeters, this engine produces 250 kW (340 hp) between 5,400 and 6,500 rpm and peak torque of 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) from 1,600 to 5,300 rpm.