In fall of ‘09, Gotryke Productions headed to native country (Detroit) to catch up with Ian Callum, who heads Jaguar design for Part II of an interview series with Jaguar designers.
Gotryke spoke with Callum for an exclusive one-on-one interview about his design philosophy. Interactive Jaguar will show off the handiwork of Creative Director/Co-Founder Chuck Gibson in an upcoming video featuring my interview with Callum. (The first video featured Chief Designer Giles Taylor)
But first, a little background on Callum’s world tour to introduce the 2011 XJ. The setting: the Argonaut building, where perhaps the most influential 20th century designer Harley Earl set up shop in the heyday of General Motors design. The revamped building houses the College of Creative Studies highly-coveted automotive design program, among other artistic disciplines. Callum spoke to the future car designers of the world about the XJ and his job. It’s not a stretch to say the students were enthralled — after all this is what they want to do, Ian is the man. The day was an ultra cool blend of automotive history with tenements of futurism that define the current of design.
topsy turvy at Saab 60th Anniversary, Trollhatten, Sweden
Loyal Saab enthusiasts, (and there are many) are clinking glasses of aquavit and exhaling this evening with news of the GM sale of Saab to Spyker. I’m sure Trollhatten is celebrating into the wee hours. Trollhatten is a middle class factory town — and the home of Saab.
Until a last minute deal was sealed, GM was prepared to wind down Saab, sending a brutal blow to the Swedish and American work force and to a storied contingent of car culture. While the American media has focused on the domestic turmoil, Saab is a company of fervent enthusiasts with distinct persona influenced by the greenery of Sweden and celebration of its foundation. When the company celebrated it 60th anniversary in 2007, I saw the madness first hand as thousands of Saab enthusiasts converged in Saab country — Trollhatten, Sweden. It was the wildest car show imaginable. (And I say that as a veteran of SEMA, DUB Magazine shows, and many hot rod shows.)
Back then, it seemed Saab would survive forever, a unique entity unto it’s own, well suited to weather the cold of it’s native climate. But now looking back, even at the time, the reunion was bittersweet. GM owned Saab, but one would never know it from the way the Swedes took pride in the Saab heritage, and all but overlooked GM’s executive role in the staunch identity of the cars.
Even the GM people who ended up working for Saab maintain a special affinity for the distinction of Saab — clean, no-nonsense cars with well-tuned sophistication. In truth, Saab never fit in within the GM pedigree, and it’s nerdy-cool personality was at times swallowed by the GM empire, where it felt like an oddball.
In the recent days, as it seemed that Saab was done for, I felt a thickness at the back of my throat, remembering what I had seen of Saab and how I grew to love the cars and their origins. A flash of Eric Carlsson came to mind, the ageless rally car driver aka Mr. Saab, who I met at 9-3 event in San Diego, and who was surrounded by paparazzi and adoring fans in Trollhatten that year.
At that same San Diego event, I drove down a stretch of airstrip with former Saab president Bob
Sinclair in vintage 1960s models. How many former presidents come out of retirement to support their former brand? He drove with the wild abandon of a 25-year old, recounting dozens of Saab stories. I later interviewed him at length in a piece. Mr. Sinclair died last year and I regret that I didn’t get to write more about him, though he took the time to tell me his story in detail about bringing Saab to the American public, and the strides Saab dealers made in the US.
And then there was the beloved and late Saab pr man Jan-Willem Vester, who would start press releases with these sort of lines,”It is not in Swedish nature to pound oneself on the chest – but truth be told, the Saab Turbo X packs quite a bit of significance in one vehicle.” Vester was a proper Dutchman, who was loyal to Saab through and through. I’d like to think he’d be pleased to see the Dutch at the helm of the sturdy Saab ship.
For the moment some aspect of Saab feels safe, I feel better about ruminating about what a solid core I believe that Saab has, and the vehicles that reflect that persona. I think Spyker could restore Saab. I hope to be at the 70th anniversary of Saab in Trollhatten, with a stopover in Amsterdam.
I can see Canada. When I land in Detroit, I never feel like I’m home until I drive to the edge of the Detroit River and look out on the horizon. It feels so close that if I shout with all my might, someone across the border may hear me. But the closeness is an illusion, much separates the two sides of the water’s edge.
The international border is the least of Detroit’s news, but there’s something inspiring about living on the edge of the country; its a place of beginnings and endings, of bridges and tunnels.
I can see Canada, because I’m at General Motors world headquarters, looking ahead to 2010 – a new era in automotive thinking. GM will launch the Chevy Volt, and that’s much of what I’m here to learn about, how the nuts and bolts of the Volt will jolt the marketplace with plug-in technology, figuratively and metaphorically. I’ll also learn about the roll Buick, GMC and OnStar will take in the company’s future.
I’m here to visit Ford Motor Company and to get updated on the implementation of green initiatives, and to take a peek at the new Ford Mustang, a pony car after my own heart.
I started my day 600 miles away, but it could have been a million. I ducked in an express train to 59th St, in the holiday hustle and bustle of New York City, toasting the end of 2009 with Mercedes-Benz president, pr and media at Ed’s Chowder House. I quibbled over infrastructure and executive decisions, and reflected a bit on the E-class, too.
But now, I’m here, back in Detroit, my beginnings. Where I learned to write. about music. about cars. about people.
I’m hear to listen, to car executives, to the musicians I seek out for a dose of Detroitism and to the people I care about, who draw me here, no matter how far I wander.
It’s a busy time for most everybody, a flurry of activity capping off a year of wild unpredictability. From my vantage point of the moment, here, in the Renaissance Center, bracing for the unknown roads ahead, there is no map. No magic GPS. No sign. Just observation, experience, and a bit of pioneering.
Tonight, I can see Canada. It’s quiet and thoughtful, here at the end and beginning.
The news of Saturn’s collapse hit a cautious Detroit with another blow. Yet again, here was another kick in the head, a chance for people to sneer at the business of a incompetent domestic automaker. The wolves licked their teeth,a and the violins quartet played on. While analysts bemoan what’s seen as a broken machine, it’s perplexing that it really comes down to right and wrong, which in the current state of the world is plain phewy. Each and every automaker feels the pain of sales, and are coping with the fall out of a toppled economy. Saturn was cut when an ailing GM just couldn’t follow through on the investment. Unfortunately, long-term product planning is not an option for Detroit as the pressure continues. Here lies what will be the real demise of business in Detroit — good cars and solid customer bases are not built over night.
Saturn, by industry standards, is a young marque birthed to be something different in the General Motors stable. In fact, Saturn cut a new mold for GM, breaking away from traditional dealer networks with an entirely different approach to customer service. With it’s young guns and under-par sales it was an easy slash, but as per usual when it comes to the car game — numbers can be elusive. Once again the shareholder game and stiff suits prevail.
I begin to pay close attention to Saturn five years ago when former Jane Magazine car writer Annemarie Conte raved to me about a personalized Saturn experience. Here was a brand making a concerted effort to reach out to women, to educate and inform. It was then that I started to pay closer attention to products and hence there was Saturn’s crowning glory — the Saturn Sky, a zippy head turner with a reasonable $17k-ish pricetag. While the Vue scored high marks, the Sky was the candy.
Saturn chose it’s audience wisely — the brand reached plenty of shoppers with it’s big backing of Project Runway, with Saturn working closely with designer and their own bloggers. What no one says is that Saturn was a brand for women, and no one wants to acknowledge the power and sway of women owners. But women take time to woo. Once you have ‘em, they’ll probably stand by you. Saturn lost out because it needed more time to work it’s magic. While I have no numbers to cite, I would estimate that Saturn helped reintroduce customers to GM who had long ago fled for foreign pastures, and I wager a lot of those customers were women.
Yet, no automaker will come out and say they make cars for women. That’s usually the kiss of death, for all sorts of mixed up gender assumptions, but Saturn subtly had the right elements to establish a long-term loyal customer base that make up over 50% of car buying and 80% of purchase decision — good safe cars, a green track record, reasonable prices and service, service, service.
If Pontiac was to go out with a bang on the eve of their demise from the GM landscape, then the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP was the golden child that was just a tad too late. The minute I sat in this thing, it demanded it be driven, and drive it I did. It read to me as in, “I’m taking you out for a spin, Human!”
The interior was crazy comfortable and firm. The leather seats were set to make you feel planted for all the torque in store right in front of you with tasteful and young design on their backs and headrest. The leather steering wheel was formed semi elliptical style for a firm grip by the hand. The six speed shifter was short for quick throws between the cogs and had a vintage Hurst shifter feel to it. Blaupunkt stereo system was endless in sound and quality. The knobs were fairly easy to see and grab at while even shifting the manual transmission. LOL.
The real stereo surround sound didn’t miss a beat though was the exhaust note exiting out of the dual stainless tipped tips out back. It was pure Muscle car music to the keen ear. Just a little wide on the go pedal announced your presence and maybe no horn needed to make heed.
AC system was north pole cold to the max. The Brembo brakes and the sport suspension hip bones on all fours were stern enough to bring the blitz of the 6.2 L to a screech with out looking like a geek. Even a bad driver would look good in a whoa situation.
This 6.2L Sequential fuel injected mill gave any one driving it bragging rights as it could rev rather crisp and steady, yet not fast to reach the red line like a solid cammed motor. Strangely enough, there was no red line indicator on the tach or rev limiter installed. Was this a green light to go red? Fast? It was FAST as in Fast Achieving Street Tyranny.
The limited slip differential with its unknown gear ratio ( Because car companies dare not to tell those numbers anymore) planted the rubber well and gave the 19″ wheels the old school wide track feel that made the Pontiacs of yore so world famous. Last but not least was the body shell, or lack of it. The dual hood nostrils were cool but the rest needed some CPR in muscle car appeal. Give it some curves while keeping it boxy as well via a good two door design platform and you’ve got a GTO meets GXP meets Firebird meets Super Duty winner all the way to the podium.
Much respects to the Poncho tribe as you have made quite some noise from 1964 till now. Rest in Peace till you are resurrected again. Hire me as the visual consultant and we will rule the streets and hearts once again baby.
If all goes according to plan, we as Americans, are making an investment. We are making an investment in the future of the American car, the global vehicle.
If all goes according to plan, GM will be put back together again in a structure more efficient than the former bloated structure.
If all goes Chrysler will make bella cars for small-car seeking American drivers, the way Fiat does across Europe.
If all goes according to plan, we are moving toward an energy efficient future.
If all goes according to plan, the dealers, suppliers, executives, UAW plant workers, retirees and contractors who’ve are in financial straits, will find new avenues for survival.
At least, that’s what the plan calls for. What remains to be seen is how this plan will play out on everyday lives, how unforeseen events will affect this game, how people will pick up the pieces, and how Americans are going to buy and sell cars to make all of this rebuilding possible. Or as Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm put it today, “We’re starting to hit rock bottom. We know there is an end to this.” We have the plan, now the end of the story remains to be written.
General Motors has approved production of the stunning Cadillac Converj, its extended-range electric-powered coupe based on the Chevrolet Volt’s Voltec architecture. GM brass wants the car on the road by 2011, making it a 2012 model. The Converj is going to feature a 16 kW lithium ion battery that will propel it for 40 miles and a 1.4 liter four cylinder engine to recharge whenever needed.
via flylfy [click to continue…]
While much of the focus of the car crises of late has been on the domestic auto industry, the reverberations are felt around the world. The auto industry in Sweden is a crucial part of the country’s backbone. I saw this affinity for auto culture firsthand, traveling to Trollhatten for Saab’s 60th anniversary in 2007. Thousands of Saab fanatics braved unseasonably steamy long summer days and nights to revel in the history. It was a sight to behold indeed — a sea of Saabs and their loyal owners — and a reflection of how culture is reflected through the lens of manufacturing. [click to continue…]
Pessimism. Yawn symphony — we’re tired of it. Yes, things are tough out there. But, we’ve got to keep going. One day people will need to buy new cars and we’ll bet they’ll be looking for new things that they actually might like — a spring cleaning of sorts. The 2009 Nissan Maxima reeks of spring-like sensations.
Here’s another instance where I was reminded that I could change my mind about a perception of an average commuter car with some quality wheel time. From the exterior glances at auto shows, I barely gave it a second look. I was PG and oblivious during the launch last year. Excuses, excuses. “Who needs another generic, foreign-made sedan in the driveway?” I quipped. Okay, I’ll admit it, I didn’t want to give the Maxima chance. Well shame on me and all the blah-sayers out there, because the 2009 Nissan Maxima is not that car. Here is a sleeper, an ace in the pocket, if you will. Maxima is an upside car, that’s not too ostentatious for the times. This discreet, sunny-side of the street whip is a tender suggestion that brighter days are to come in Car Land, because here’s what it doesn’t have: No descriptive high-end badging, nor is it a gas guzzler eating only premium, no mammoth proportions and it’s a better can than it used to be.
Maxima passed what we call the New York City Street Savvy Test — prompting pedestrians to gasp and say, “What car is that?” Frankly, I was surprised at their response, until I rexamined it with a fresh eye. The design says classy, in the way an Oldsmobile used to before it was, well, the old people mobile. It’s sleeker sister brand Infiniti has been giving it some tips, but Maxima is content where it is — a big fish in the mid-level range sea.
We drove the Maxima in the frigid February cold, through slippery Brooklyn streets, and found ride and handling capable under the thrust of 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine. Front-wheel drive is offset by CVT — one of the cooler acronyms in car speak that stands for continuously variable transmission — technology also used by Audi, General Motors and Honda. CVT is essentially a more efficient way for the transmission to change gears. You can research the more technical aspects here,
While all-wheel drive is the buzz this engineering allow for a respectable 19/26 mpg fuel economy, a good number considering the car’s overall brawniness (3,500 lbs). It’s driver-friendly with smooth moves from low speeds to high.
Our resident 8 year old riding specialist agrees that the backseat was cozy with the option to control climate and sound at his fingerptips. (I’m realizing that kids of all ages love buttons.) And for the parental types out there, the car seat fit snugly in the passenger seat and still allowed for legroom for an adult passenger. (See measurements here, never one for numbers, personally.)
Maxima is in it’s seventh generation with history dating back to 1982. This round it faces stiff competition from Hyundai Genesis, the all star of the moment. Other contenders include the Acura TL, Honda Accord and Lexus ES350. If you’re a Nissan fan, check in with us next week, we drive the Altima Hybrid for kicks.
To Max out, check out Scott Burgess’s take on the Maxima from the Detroit News. from
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