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Thursday, October 11, 2007
Industry Examines SUVS and Side Crashes
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -
Some sport utility vehicles don't provide the protection in a side crash that one might expect from such large vehicles, according to tests released Thursday by the insurance industry.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave marginal scores in side-impact tests of 2008 versions of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Jeep Grand Cherokee and two SUVs built by Nissan Motor Co. (nasdaq: NSANY - news - people ) - the Pathfinder and Xterra without optional side air bags.
In similar side testing, the Toyota (nyse: TM - news - people ) 4Runner and Pathfinder and Xterra models equipped with side air bags received top marks of good in the side testing. The Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer received the second-highest rating of acceptable.
"The performance of some of these models in the side test was surprising," said David Zuby, the institute's senior vice president. "SUVS should have an advantage in side crashes because the driver and passengers ride higher up than in cars."
"People often think they're safer in one of these vehicles, but many cars hold up better than some of these midsize SUVs in this test," he said.
In the institute's side test, vehicles are struck with a barrier moving at 31 mph to reflect the force of a pickup or sport utility vehicle hitting the vehicle.
The TrailBlazer and Grand Cherokee, built by General Motors Corp. (nyse: GM - news - people ) and Chrysler LLC, respectively, lack air bags that protect the chests and abdomens of front-seat occupants. The combination of weak side structures and the lack of chest protection led to high forces on the driver dummies' chests and abdomens, Zuby said.
Company officials noted the TrailBlazer, Grand Cherokee and the Nissan SUVs received top scores in the government's side crash tests.
In frontal testing, all of the SUVs received the top score of good except the TrailBlazer, which improved to receive the second-highest rating of acceptable. Previous versions of the SUV had been rated marginal.
Ratings for the TrailBlazer also apply to the GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 9-7X.
In rear crash testing, only the Grand Cherokee received the top rating of good. The Nissan Pathfinder was rated marginal while the remaining SUVs received the lowest score of poor.
GM spokesman Alan Adler said the TrailBlazer "meets or exceeds all federal motor vehicle safety standards and was the first midsize SUV to offer rollover-capable head curtain air bags." The air bags are standard on the 2008 TrailBlazer.
Chrysler spokesman Max Gates said the Grand Cherokee has performed well in internal and external testing and "no single test can determine a vehicle's overall safety performance."
Nissan said in a statement that "while air bag systems, including side-curtain air bags which are either standard or optional on many of our vehicles, have been shown to mitigate the risk of injury, Nissan believes that seat belts and vehicle structure help provide the primary protection in crashes."
Chrysler sees its U.S. retail sales stabilizing
LAS VEGAS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Chrysler LLC is targeting a U.S. retail market share of 11 percent this year as it reduces its inventory of unsold vehicles, executives said on Wednesday.
Chrysler Vice Chairman Jim Press, who joined the No. 3 U.S. automaker in August, said Chrysler's efforts to weed out an overlap in similar models should be evident by next year.
Chrysler's sales have fallen 3 percent in the year to September, in line with a slump in the broad market.
Chrysler's North American sales chief Steve Landry said the company had maintained a retail market share of 10.7 percent on a year-to-date basis and expected to see that reach 11 percent in the fourth quarter.
Landry said Chrysler would reduce its inventory by 100,000 vehicles on a year-over-year basis in the fourth quarter. Press said he wanted to see further reductions in 2008.
Both executives were speaking at an event for Chrysler dealers in Las Vegas on the same day that the automaker clinched a new labor deal with its major union.
Chrysler's shift in strategy accelerates
By Bernard Simon in Las Vegas
Updated: 3:11 a.m. PT Oct 11, 2007
Several non-US carmakers have approached Chrysler to possibly co-operate in the development of new vehicles, a senior Chrysler executive said on Wednesday night.
Steven Landry, head of the Detroit carmaker's North American sales, said these approaches, which remain at an early stage, have come since Cerberus Capital Management, the New York private-equity group, bought control of Chrysler in August from Germany's Daimler.
The proposals seek to marry the unnamed foreign carmakers' expertise in vehicle platforms with Chrysler's success in "top hats", or the more visible parts of a vehicle.Chrysler's senior management, including Bob Nardelli, the former chief executive of Home Depot who moved to Detroit in August, are in Las Vegas this week to rally 3,000 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealers as part of Cerberus's drive to reinvigorate the struggling carmaker.
Jim Press, vice-chairman and president, said Chrysler needed to become more focused on its customers by, among other things, adjusting its product lineup and improving relations with dealers.
Mr Press, who was hired from Toyota last month, said "we've got to look at the products through the eyes of the customers. It used to be that you had trade-offs. For the future, you've got to have customers satisfied."
For instance, he indicated that Chrysler is likely to pull back from its recent strategy of attempting to give the Jeep brand a softer, more urban image.
Several Jeep models that have taken this approach have sold poorly.
Recent moves to cull dealers and combine Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands under a single roof are likely to accelerate.
Several Chrysler executives, past and present, said Cerberus's arrival had markedly sped up decision-making at the carmaker. Mr Press cited a decision to reduce fourth-quarter production by 82,000 units which was taken on the basis of a seven-minute conference call.
He said Chrysler's distribution system was over-loaded with products that customers didn't want, while it couldn't turn out enough of the models that are in demand.
He predicted that macro-economic trends increasingly favoured US carmakers over their foreign rivals. He cited the weakening US dollar, escalating costs outside the US and ground-breaking labour contracts between the Detroit-based carmakers and the United Auto Workers union.
Chrysler and the UAW on Wednesday night reached a tentative deal on a new four-year labour contract, that includes transferring its retiree healthcare liabilities to an independent trust. Full details of the agreement have yet to be disclosed.
1997 Dodge Ram Pickup SST 1/4 mile Drag Racing trap speed 0-60
| 1/4 Mile ET: | 8.090 |
| 1/4 Mile MPH: | 172.000 |
| 1/8 Mile ET: | 5.190 |
| 1/8 Mile MPH: | 136.000 |
| 0-60 Foot ET: | 1.210 |
| Temperature F: | 0.0 |
| Timeslip Scan: | |
| Car Make: | Dodge |
| Car Model: | Ram Pickup |
| Car Type: | SST |
| Car Year: | 1997 |
| Driver: | Chris Cadotto |
| E-Mail: | Click HERE |
| Videos: | Click HERE for a Video |
| Web Site: | |
| http://dragtruck.com | |
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 | Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick |
2009 Dodge Ram Caught in the Desert
There's all the usual camouflage, of course, but you can still see that this Dodge Ram will lose some of its big-rig styling in favor of a more streamlined front end. The hood blends with the front quarter panels more smoothly than before and the headlight clusters look as though they'll get slimmed down a bit, too.
Body style choices won't change much for 2009. Although this test group only included Quad Cabs and Mega Cabs, it's safe to assume Dodge will continue with two-door regular cabs as well. The dimensions of these test mules don't indicate a substantial size increase over the current models, so either these test mules are using current sheet metal in back or the changes aren't that big on the next-generation model.
Since you can't introduce a new full-size truck without more power, this Ram is expected to get a few upgrades under the hood as well. The base V6 engine will most likely go from 3.7 to 4.0 liters, which will add roughly 40 horsepower and 20 pound-feet of torque. Midgrade models get the carryover 4.7-liter V8, as this engine is new for '08. According to officials at Dodge, the top-of-the-line 5.7-liter Hemi V8 will get several revisions that will improve efficiency while boosting horsepower and torque.
A year or so after the Ram's launch, a small-displacement diesel is expected to join the lineup as well. Most of the Ram's competitors are expected to introduce similar engines around the same time. A Dodge Ram hybrid will follow the diesel, giving the big truck two fuel-efficient engine options. It will use the dual-mode transmission codeveloped with GM and BMW.
Expect to see an official debut early next year, with sales beginning in the fall of 2008.
(Enlarge photo)
You can't see much through the camouflage, but this Ram looks as though it might be losing some of its big-rig styling this time around. (Photo by KGP Photography)
(Enlarge photo)
We expect extended-cab models to retain their front-hinged rear doors, but this prototype appears so similar to the current model that we think this is carryover sheet metal being used for testing. (Photo by KGP Photography)
(Enlarge photo)
Judging by the size of these brake rotors, this may be a special performance edition of the Ram. (Photo by KGP Photography)
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