With the aging Passat design, VW realized it needed to do something for its mid-sized offering in the United States.  The result of their ground-up redesign is seen here in pictures, but the real story is in the unseen details.  The new Passat will be built in Tennessee, in a $4 billion dollar plant that VW has created.  Instead of a global Passat as it has been, the Passat seen here will be US-only.  Other markets will continue to receive the “B7″ Passat which went on sale in November of 2010.  But enough about its past, let’s break down the new model and see what’s what.

Starting with a highly-revised front end, which appears patterned after the new Jetta, the new Passat would pass for a German version of the Ford Taurus, at least in profile.  It’s definitely a stylish car, with a crease close to the bottom of the doors, and one again at the belt line.  The rear end of the car looks cribbed from the Audi design paradigm.  Despite these visually attractive cues, the new car has a bland look to it, which may or may not bode well for it.  Given its new purpose, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.  Don’t get me wrong – the new Passat is still a good-looking car, it’s just not sexy.

Looking inside, the new Passat has more Taurus cues to it – the split-level dashboard and wood grain go a long way to back this statement up, but the materials look decidedly upmarket from what is found in Ford’s large sedan.

The seats look like they were pulled from the Passat CC, which is a great idea, as those seats are far superior to what was found in the previous Passat, and add a lot of personality to the car.

When it comes to engines and other mechanical bits, you can be sure it’ll have a German feel to it, even though the car is US-built.  Keeping with tradition, a diesel engine will be offered, with a claimed 43 mpg on the highway – besting even most hybrids!  The base 4-cylinder should have adequate power, but the optional 3.6-liter V6 will be the better choice for hustling to and from work, while still achieving a decent 28 mpg.

Volkswagen has a goal of significantly increasing its market share and volume of sales by mid-decade, and the Passat is a key part of this.  Whereas the outgoing Passat and its predecessors have been niche products, the new Passat looks to break out of this, which is probably why the more conservative, Audi-esque design was greenlighted.  With an estimated starting price of $20,000, the Passat is sure to turn heads, at least in the bang-for-the-buck category.

Standard features will include power windows, insulating glass, and a huge surprise for this segment: automatic climate control.  I’m a huge fan of this luxury, as it makes driving much more comfortable than having to constantly fiddle with knobs and buttons as I drive.  To see it standard in a car under $25-30,000 is just amazing, and shows how far certain creature comforts have come in the last decade.

Look for the new Passat at Volkswagen dealers in late Spring, with pricing to be announced in early Spring, 2011.

Show Press Release

by John Suit

Source: Volkswagen

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Under the agreements of the sale, Ford will be sharing with Geely tooling, intellectual property, stampings and other car-related materials, as well as engineering support, for differing amounts of time.  This gives Geely’s employees a transitional period of help, and I’m sure it also works out to Ford’s advantage, letting them keep an eye on Geely while they have access to Ford’s inner sanctum.

The sale of Volvo lets Ford focus on their core brands of Ford and Lincoln, not to mention their professional relationship with Mazda.  The downside of this is that Ford has been using Volvo’s hardware for years to boost its own products.  Volvo-sourced drivetrains and platforms are currently underpinning the Lincoln MKS, MKX and MKT, as well as the Ford Taurus, Edge and Flex.

Of course, this is forgetting Ford’s current quality and technology push, both of which have garnered the automaker high praise in the last 12-18 months.  I’d look for Ford to develop some new platforms to go underneath new sheetmetal when its vehicles are refreshed over the next several years, pulling away from the Volvo stuff and going with new and better setups.

Meanwhile, good luck to Volvo and its new owners, as the niche automaker has only sold 28,206 vehicles from January to June this year.  I project Volvo’s sales to be around 56,400 for 2010, if their current monthly sales continue as-is.

by John Suit

Source: Ford

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There are several technologies which Ford added to its newest Explorer design, in order to keep its current SUV customers happy, while stealing away buyers from its competitors.  The highlights of this laundry list are the following:

Efficiency:

1. Aerodynamics: The design for the new Explorer was optimized in a wind tunnel to produce the least amount of drag, one of the biggest problems with large SUVs trying to gain fuel efficiency.
2. EcoBoost Engine: Ford’s name for its powerful but efficient engines, which all employ Direct Injection and Turbocharging, boosting fuel efficiency and power, respectively.  Also, at cruising speeds, the turbocharger isn’t needed, which also boosts efficiency.
3. Lighter Vehicle Weight: By using aluminum and high-strength steels, engineers were able to remove about 100 pounds of weight, compared to the 2010 Explorer.
4. Low Rolling Resistance Tires: Special rubber in the tires lessens the waste heat generated when a car is moving.  These tires are usually standard equipment on hybrid vehicles.
5. New Air Conditioner: A “variable displacement” air conditioner, which works more like the engine in a car, in that it only produces as much energy as is needed.  This is used again to boost fuel efficiency without sacrificing power.

Overall, Ford is expecting its V6 Explorer to have a 20% increase over 2010 models, and the EcoBoost 4-cylinder should be closer to 30% more efficient.  This should lead to 18/26 city/highway mileage numbers for the turbo 4-cylinder, and probably 16/23 city/highway for the V6 model.

Safety:

1. RSC, or Roll Stability Control, helps keep the Explorer from rolling over, while Curve Control keeps the vehicle moving in the intended direction.
2. BLIS and Cross Traffic Alert help in lane changes and parking lots, respectively.  Adaptive Cruise Control helps keep your distance while on the highway.

The new Explorer will employ all of Ford’s standard safety features, as well as the latest and greatest innovations, the highlights of which are listed above.  This should lead to a pretty safe SUV.

Quiet:

Using their NoiseVision technology, Ford’s engineers found the “hot spots” where noises are generated as wind flows around the vehicle, and engineered these noises out during the design phase.  This leads to a much quieter ride that requires less sound deadening materials.

Other:

1. Unit-body Construction: The new Explorer rides on a platform similar to that of the Ford Flex, Taurus, as well as the Lincoln MKS and MKT.  This means it will have a more car-like ride to it, but retain all the ruggedness of its predecessors.
2. Intelligent 4WD: Ford has equipped the new Explorer with an intelligent 4WD system, capable of handling most types of off-road terrain via a driver-selectable knob.
3. Towing: The new Explorer, when equipped with a V6 engine, will be able to tow up to 5,000 pounds, and a rear-mounted camera with zoom capability will aid drivers in hooking up their toys.

While it may have a car-like ride on-road, and be based on car and crossover DNA, the new Explorer should be no slouch when the going gets tough.

Summary:

Beyond all the aforementioned improvements and features, Ford will of course be offering its MyFord Touch system, as well as an audiophile-grade sound system by Sony.  Also, a lot of you are probably wondering why Ford even bothers, as the new Explorer closely resembles one of the myriad of crossovers they are already producing.  The answer to that question lies in the intelligent 4WD system, not found on any Ford crossover.  It allows drivers to go places crossovers simply can’t – namely mud, sand and deeper snow.

When the new Explorer goes on sale, which should be sometime later this year, I think it might actually cannibalize some of Ford’s crossover sales, especially the Edge, and if it’s as quiet and luxurious as their PR department says it is, look for the already fairly slow-selling Lincoln MKX and MKT crossovers to take a hit as well.  With any luck, Ford is already designing a Lincoln-ized version of the new Explorer, which should include Bridge of Weir leather, nicer interior materials, its own bodywork, and some of the other touches that differentiate Lincoln vehicles from their Ford brethren.

Image Gallery:

by John Suit

Source: Ford

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Toyota has been doing something similar for the past few years, but whereas Toyota masks the sounds with noise-cancellation software and the car’s speakers, Ford’s system allows engineers to rid the car of unwanted noises altogether.  This hardware approach is much easier and more effective, as a software-based system just can’t cope with the multitude of scenarios presented by being in a car.  For instance, how does the software react if a window is opened, or better yet, just opened an inch or so?  How does it react when there are people in the car, in some seats, but not all?  There are lots of permutations to deal with, and getting rid of a noise in the first place is just smarter, if you ask me.

To understand why I say that, let’s look at how the two systems work.  Toyota uses similar technology to noise-cancellation headphones, which listen to outside noises and play the opposite noise through the speakers in the headphones, along with the music you’re trying to listen to.  Toyota uses the car’s speakers in much the same way, playing the opposite of the engine’s noises.  Contrasting this, Ford has developed a system wherein a sphere, fitted with over 30 ultra-sensitive microphones, is placed in the passenger compartment of a car.  The system listens to the noises in the car and records reams of data.  Software then goes through the data and creates a picture of the sound in the car, pinpointing areas that need improvement, whether it be a squeak, rattle or wind noise.  Designers and engineers can then change the parts which created the noise to get rid of it.

Ford has used this technology to make its 2010 F-150 truck the quietest in its class, and the 2010 Ford Flex and Taurus both get high marks for quietness.

Getting back to my earlier statement about Ford trying to compete with Lexus, the Lincoln MKS and MKZ beat the Lexus GS and ES, respectively, for quietness.  With “Noise Vision”, look for Ford’s vehicles to get quieter still.  On other fronts, Ford is replacing a lot of its aging engines with EcoBoost, as well as the standard engines for many vehicles with new designs to make them quieter and more fuel efficient, and developing (or adapting) better platforms to base their cars on, which will better compete in the marketplace with foreign rivals.

by John Suit

Source: Ford, Toyota

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