Friday, 27 November 2015
Jeep Chief Concept – Prototype Drive
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2016 10Best Cars: The Envelopes, Please . . .
These are the cars we love for 2016.
2017 Infiniti Q60 Coupe Spied without Camo!
The curtain comes up early on Infiniti’s next coupe. We’re impressed.
Spied: 2017 Honda Ridgeline
Breaking out of its mold-breaking mold.
Bentley Bentayga Driven: First Time’s the Charm
Bentley’s first SUV skips the learning curve altogether.
2015 Car and Driver Editors’ Choice Awards
Our editors’ top choices for the best cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, and more for 2015.
Lightning Lap 2015: Z06, Huracán, Miata, and More!
We invade VIR with 2015's hottest performance machines.
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2016 Honda Pilot EX FWD – Instrumented Test
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2016 10Best Cars: The Envelopes, Please . . .
These are the cars we love for 2016.
2017 Infiniti Q60 Coupe Spied without Camo!
The curtain comes up early on Infiniti’s next coupe. We’re impressed.
Spied: 2017 Honda Ridgeline
Breaking out of its mold-breaking mold.
Bentley Bentayga Driven: First Time’s the Charm
Bentley’s first SUV skips the learning curve altogether.
2015 Car and Driver Editors’ Choice Awards
Our editors’ top choices for the best cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, and more for 2015.
Lightning Lap 2015: Z06, Huracán, Miata, and More!
We invade VIR with 2015's hottest performance machines.
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Alfa Romeo’s North American Boss, Reid Bigland, Talks About What’s Next for Alfa
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The North American debut of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan was a highlight of the 2015 L.A. auto show. To get a clearer picture of what’s next for the legendary brand, we sat down with Reid Bigland, head of the Alfa Romeo brand in North America.
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The North American debut of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan was a highlight of the 2015 L.A. auto show. To get a clearer picture of what’s next for the legendary brand, we sat down with Reid Bigland, head of the Alfa Romeo brand in North America.
Reid Bigland: Look for production of the Giulia to start in late first quarter [2016] for Europe and late second quarter for North America. Both the Giulia Quadrifoglio and base model Giulia should be in U.S. dealerships by summer of 2016.
C/D: Speaking of dealers . . .
RB: Right now [there are] about 140 dealers in the U.S., but it’s continuing to change on a monthly basis and will likely spike as we get close to the on-sale date next summer. Right now it’s a mix of about 120 Fiat/Alfa Romeo dealers and 15 Alfa Romeo/Maserati stores; as the brand matures over the next few years, we’ll have stand-alone Alfa Romeo stores.
C/D: So the dealer strategy sort of follows your previous statements about keeping the Alfa brand unique and not just a collection of select corporate parts?
RB: That’s sacrosanct. You’ve seen scores of examples of people trying to masquerade a premium brand that is a rebadge of something else. The Giulia and 4C use chassis that are completely unique. The Giulia is built on the entirely new Giorgio platform, and if there is a parts bin that we are looking towards, it’s the Ferrari parts bin.
What’s unique about Alfa is that we can keep it in the pure-premium segment, and not have to get down in the $30k range where a lot of the German competitors are right now due to the addiction to [sales] volume. We’ve got that covered with our mass-market brands. The easy thing for us would be to roll the Giulia into the Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram stores and get 2400 dealers overnight. But that isn’t going to work, as rebuilding Alfa is a long-term journey. The cars need to be right, the cars need to be pure, and we need to create a separate experience from that of our mass-market brands.
C/D: Is the 4C going to see any revision or additional derivatives in addition to the recently released Spider.
RB: The 4C really is what it is, a bargain supercar. The car has been in the market for about a year, and we always intended to have a lease program for the car, but it’s been so hot we’ve had absolutely zero incentives on the car so far. We will probably initiate a lease program in the future.
C/D: What are the sales numbers to date?
RB: We’ve sold about 560 4Cs total, and we’ve received about 600 cars. I think we sold 178,00 Chrysler Jeep, Dodge, and Ram vehicles, last month.
C/D: Is there a limited-slip differential in the cards for the 4C?
RB: In the Giulia, yes. But we are making no announcements regarding the 4C.
C/D: Is the mid-size Alfa SUV still on track?
RB: That will be the next one up. Its size is just a little bit bigger than a BMW X3. Look for it to start appearing—realistically in early 2017, maybe earlier in Europe. It’s well underway; we’ve shown the car to our dealers, but it’s got to be right before we bring it to the market. Look for it to have peerless performance when it comes to zero-to-60 and Nürburgring times, the whole thing. It will have the performance, technology, and really gorgeous Italian design and style to set it apart.
C/D: Are you close to announcing the name of the Alfa SUV name?
RB: No word on the name yet.
C/D: What’s the single best thing about making the jump from Ram to Alfa?
RB: At every turn there is something exciting or interesting about the Alfa Romeo brand. I mean, the Honda Civic is a nice car; it’s going to sell well. But it just doesn’t get the juices flowing like the Quadrifoglio does.
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Alfa Romeo’s North American Boss, Reid Biglund, Talks About What’s Next for Alfa
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The North American debut of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan was a highlight of the 2015 L.A. auto show. To get a clearer picture of what’s next for the legendary brand, we sat down with Reid Biglund, Head of the Alfa Romeo brand in North America.
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The North American debut of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan was a highlight of the 2015 L.A. auto show. To get a clearer picture of what’s next for the legendary brand, we sat down with Reid Biglund, Head of the Alfa Romeo brand in North America.
Reid Biglund: Look for production of the Giulia to start in late first quarter for Europe, and late second quarter for North America. Both the Giulia Quadrifoglio and base model Giulia should be in U.S. dealerships by summer of 2016.
C/D: Speaking of dealers…
RB: Right now [there are] about 140 dealers in the U.S., but it’s continuing to change on monthly basis, and will likely spike as we get close to the on-sale date next summer. Right now it’s a mix of about 120 Fiat/Alfa Romeo dealers and 15 Alfa Romeo/Maserati stores; as the brand matures over the next few years we’ll have standalone Alfa Romeo stores.
C/D: So the dealer strategy sort of follows your previous statements about keeping the Alfa brand unique and not just a collection of select corporate parts.
RB: That’s sacrosanct. You’ve seen scores of examples of people trying to masquerade a premium brand that is a rebadge of something else. The Giulia and 4C use chassis that are completely unique. The Giulia is built on the entirely new Giorgio platform, and if there is a parts bin that we are looking towards, it’s the Ferrari parts bin.
What’s unique about Alfa is that we can keep it in the pure-premium segment, and not have to get down in the $30k range where a lot of the German competitors are right now due to the addiction to [sales] volume. We’ve got that covered with our mass-market brands. The easy thing for us would be to roll the Guilia into the Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram stores and get 2400 dealers overnight. But that isn’t going to work, as rebuilding Alfa is a long-term journey. The cars need to be right, the cars need to be pure, and we need to create a separate experience from that of our mass-market brands.
C/D: Is the 4C going to see any revision or additional derivatives in addition to the recently released Spider.
RB: The 4C really is what it is, a bargain supercar. The car has been in the market for about a year, and we always intended to have a lease program for the car, but it’s been so hot we’ve had absolutely zero incentives on the car so far. We will probably initiate a lease program in the future.
C/D: What are the sales numbers to date?
RB: We’ve sold about 560 4Cs total, and we’ve received about 600 cars. I think we sold 178,00 Chrysler Jeep, Dodge, and Ram vehicles, last month.
C/D: Is there a limited-slip differential in the cards for the 4C?
RB: In the Giulia, yes. But we are making no announcements regarding the 4c.
C/D: Is the mid-size Alfa SUV still on track?
RB: That will be the next one up. Its size is just a little bit bigger than a BMW X3. Look for it to start appearing—realistically in early 2017, maybe earlier in Europe. It’s well underway; we’ve shown the car to our dealers, but it’s got to be right before we bring it to the market. Look for it to have peerless performance when it comes to 0-to-60 and Nürburgring times, the whole thing. It will have the performance, technology, and really gorgeous Italian design and style to set it apart.
C/D: Are you close to announcing the name of the Alfa SUV name?
RB: No word on the name yet.
C/D: What’s the single best thing about making the jump from Ram to Alfa?
RB: At every turn there is something exciting or interesting about the Alfa Romeo brand. I mean, the Honda Civic is a nice car; it’s going to sell well. But it just doesn’t get the juices flowing like the Quadrifoglio does.
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How the EPA is Helping Carmakers Hit 2025’s 54.5-mpg CAFE Standard
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From the December 2015 issue
The EPA and carmakers used to square off like two grunting NFL squads. The EPA fights to curb energy consumption and reduce air pollution, while carmakers want to score customers, whose wish lists only occasionally include high mpg ratings. But four and a half years ago, after huddling with the 13 largest manufacturers, the UAW, and the state of California, President Obama blew the whistle on this old government-industry rivalry. Now these former foes have a common goal: a Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) target of 54.5 mpg by the 2025 model year. According to the EPA, reaching it will save consumers more than $1.7 trillion in fuel costs while curbing greenhouse-gas emissions by 6 billion metric tons throughout the life of vehicles produced from 2012 to 2025.
After the Supreme Court granted the EPA the authority to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions last year, the emphasis shifted from mpg to grams of CO2 produced per mile of driving. Backed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the EPA figures that burning one gallon of gas emits 8887 grams of CO2. So 54.5 mpg means 163 grams CO2/mile. Manufacturers are spending billions on lighter, more-efficient vehicles to get there. Meanwhile, the EPA is recognizing creative ways to reduce vehicles’ environmental impact. The most interesting of these is called Off-Cycle Credits, a roster of ways to chip away at CO2 emissions that may not be reflected in the tests used to determine CAFE mpg figures. Companies employing these technologies earn credits without additional testing. Truck credits are higher because they burn more fuel and produce more emissions.
Currently Eligible Technologies
Credit Check
Grams-per-Mile Credit, Car/Truck
Reduced cabin thermal loads: up to 3.0/4.3
Solar-reflective glass and paint are very effective at lowering interior temperatures and reducing HVAC system loads.
Battery charging with a 75-watt solar panel: 3.3/3.3
Engine stop-start with cabin-heater operation: 2.5/4.4
Toyota currently uses a system that stores heat in an insulated vessel for use in cold climates, to be released when the engine is shut down, which winds up saving fuel.
Engine stop-start without cabin-heater operation: 1.5/2.9
This nets fewer credits because drivers are more likely to disable stop-start if occupant comfort suffers.
Active engine warm-up: 1.5/3.2
Preheating engine coolant significantly trims consumption and emissions after a cold start.
Active transmission warm-up: 1.5/3.2
Warming powertrain fluids diminishes friction losses and smooths upshifts. Some Ram trucks already use this technology.
Waste-exhaust heat recovery, 100 watts: 0.7/0.7
Thermoelectric generators convert waste-combustion heat to electricity for powering a propulsion motor or reducing the alternator’s load. No manufacturer has put such a system into production yet.
High-efficiency lighting, 100-watt savings: 1.0/1.0
LED lighting consumes half the energy of HID lamps and only a quarter as much as halogen lights providing the same illumination.
Active aerodynamics, 3-percent drag reduction: 0.6/1.0
Small Savings, Big Gain
Manufacturers can also nominate new methods for consideration. Last year, Mercedes-Benz applied for a 9.1-grams-per-mile credit for its stop-start system in cars and 17.1-grams-per-mile credit for its trucks. The EPA granted credits of 3.7 and 3.6 grams per mile for 2012–2016 model years. GM applied for and received a 1.1-grams-per-mile credit for cars equipped with more-efficient air-conditioning compressors.
Off-cycle credits are limited to a maximum of 10 grams of CO2 per mile per vehicle (or 3 mpg). That may seem like small potatoes, but it tallies up to millions of dollars and tons of CO2 when multiplied by the number of vehicles produced and each vehicle’s 200,000-or-so-mile service life.
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