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Cadillac goes to RWD - rear-wheel drive; includes related articles on Kia, California emission standards, and Borg-Warner
With deference to competitors like Lexus and Infiniti, Cadillac's car lines will shift from predominantly front-drive powertrain layouts to rear-drive to better serve the tastes of global luxury-car customers. Guided by GM Vice President and Cadillac General Manager John Smith, future Cadillacs will also embody a "fusion of art and science" theme formulated in cooperation with Wayne Cherry, vice president of GM's design staff.
A two-seat roadster concept car, to debut at Januarys North American International Auto Show, will serve as the compass needle for Cadillac's new design direction. Interestingly, a behind-the-scenes tug of war between Smith--eager to build momentum and Cherry--reluctant to show too much too soon--yielded a blizzard of background information at a recent California briefing but only one sketchy rendering of the coming roadster. At the eye of the whirlwind, the name of Cadillac's concept car evolved from Icon to Evoq (pronounced "evoke").
Chief designer Kip Wasenko called Evoq, "a flag ship that defines the soul of Cadillac." Currently under construction at the Metalcrafters facility in Fountain Valley, Calif., Evoq will use the (C5) Corvette's powertrain layout, transaxle, rear suspension, and elements of its hydroformed frame. A supercharged 4.6L Northstar V-8 will provide ample power and performance. Evoq's hand-crafted steel body features a steeply raked windshield, a high beltline, and a power-operated three-piece folding roof. According to Wasenko, the combination of crisp, tailored lines, distinctive proportions, and a new interior will provide ample visual distinction from Corvette. Deviations from C5's blueprint are a 5.5-inch-longer wheelbase, an 11-inch-shorter over all length and a roofline raised by one inch.
For the remainder of the Cadillac line, the art and science theme defined by Cherry will abandon curvaceous, sculpted shapes for a computer-generated geometric look sharp lines, flat planes, crisp intersections. Key graphic elements intended for the future include: vertically arrayed headlamps, a shield-shaped egg-crate grille, trapezoidal rear roof pillars, a taut, full-length beltline (what Cherry calls a spline), and tall, narrow taillamps. Cherry noted that the new menu of geometric shapes includes circles (necessary for wheel-related details) but not ellipses because, "a line that is a portion of an ellipse lacks tension." When asked if tail fins are back, Cherry declared that this interpretation of Cadillac flair is wholly fresh and modern, not at all retro.
Lending stability to the division's future plans, Smith announced he would retain his current rifles and stay the course when the rest of GM's marketing organization is revamped next year. And offering a further look into his vision for Cadillac, he hinted that a Boxsteresque two-seater powered by an abridged Northstar, might be an appropriate sequel to Evoq.
California Wants Tougher Emission Standards For Trucks
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) wants light-and medium-duty trucks--including minivans, sport-utilities, pickups and full-size vans--to meet passenger vehicle emission standards beginning in MY 2004. At the same time, the board will allow hybrids and fuel cell vehicles to accumulate zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) credits. "What's pretty much etched in stone is the principle that SUVs will be treated the same as cars," says CARB spokesman Jerry Martin.
Hardest hit are medium-duty trucks (the traditional 3/4-ton pickups and vans with a 8,500 pound GVWR) and diesel-fueled trucks and cars. Today's smoggiest, gasoline-fueled, medium duties, for example, will have to slash non-methane organic gas (NMOG--formerly HC) emissions by almost two-thirds, CO by 25% and NOx by about one-third. Pickups with diesel-cycle engines face almost 40% less NMOG emissions, 20% lower CO emissions and almost two-thirds less NOx emissions.
For diesel cars NMOG emissions must be reduced by about one-half and NOx emissions by one-third.
CURRENT AND PROPOSED CARB STANDARDS Pollutant Truck Truck Car All (gpm) (MD,G) (MD,D) (D) (proposed 2004) NMOG 0.4 0.4 .31 .156 CO 5.5 5.5 4.2 4.2 NOx 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.6
Key: MD=medium-duty, G=gasoline, D=diesel
Note: current standards are 100,000 mile cycles, proposed are 120,000 mile, gpm = grams per mile
Borg-Warner Chief Wants `Junker' Plan
Borg-Warner Automotive Chairman John Fiedler says a government-sponsored program to scrap older, high-emissions vehicles is the fastest way to clean the air.
He points out that Italy and France offered such incentives to people to trade in their old cars. The move improved their economies and took polluters off the road, at least initially. He does note however, that new car sales in those countries plummeted when the junker payments ended.
Still, Fiedler points out that getting the polluters off the road quickly might be a good strategy, especially while gasoline prices are low. "Hybrid engines are interesting if the fuel cost is high enough," he says, "but we need to shorten the horizon as to how long an engine stays in the marketplace.'