Girl on Cars

Breaking up is hard to do. Especially when it costs some $34 billion. The German-based parent company of Mercedes-Benz has cut its losses and is moving on with a new name: Daimler AG.

The new nomenclature isn't at all that surprising. It follows suit with its German competitors, BMW AG and Audi AG. Daimler's car division, previously the Mercedes Car Group, will be renamed Mercedes-Benz Cars. It will include the Mercedes, Maybach, and Smart brands.

The origins of the German car company date back to 1885, when Carl Friedrich Benz received a patent for his car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen. Five years later, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. In 1926, that company merged with rival Benz & Cie, forming Daimler-Benz AG. Fast-forward to 1998, when Daimler bought Chrysler Corp. for approximately $40 billion, and later sold 80.1 percent of the failing division off to a private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, for a mere $6 billion.

Critics of the new name say, given all that history, "Benz" should be included in the name of the parent company. According to a Reuters report, descendants of Benz lobbied at a meeting of more than 6,000 shareholders to keep the founder's name alive. The Benz name in the car division was included, in part, to appease outspoken shareholders and family members.

Love him or hate him, Bob Lutz is somewhat of a celebrity in the automotive world. From GM to BMW to Ford and back again, Lutz has seen firsthand the growth, as well as the trials and tribulations, of the automotive industry over a span of more than four decades. Oh, and in his early days, he flew fighter planes in the Marine Corps.

When I told some of my colleagues I was invited along with a small group of bloggers to have dinner with "Maximum" Bob, some beamed in envy, others snarled in skepticism. After all, GM has had its share of bad publicity over the years. But Bob and company claim those days are over. General Motors is hoping to please the entire customer spectrum, from eco-minded conservationists to speed-loving gearheads.

On the "green" side of the scale, GM seems to realize what alternative-fuel experts have been saying for a long time: No single fuel can fully replace our dependency on petroleum-based oil. Fuel diversification--using different ways to power the various cars on the road--eases both ecological and economic strain on our resources. During the first half of our meeting, GM carted us over to Universal Studios and outlined some of the technologies they're either testing or currently employing:

Hybrid systems. GM is introducing two types of hybrid powertrains: a two-mode hybrid system that will soon be available on the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon (as discussed in a previous post) and a "mild" hybrid system that will be incorporated into smaller cars like the Chevy Malibu. And yes, it looks like that two-mode hybrid Escalade will make its way onto the market in the next year or so.

Flex fuel. Several vehicles, including trucks and SUVs, have been modified to run on up to 85 percent ethanol (E85). Although not yet widely available to the public, GM uses lots of these cars internally; they're often transport vehicles during promotions and press events. Of course, vehicle availability is only part of the equation, as E85 fueling stations are hard to come by in many areas. California, for example, only has four E85 pump locations in the entire state.

Hydrogen fuel cells. Real-world testing will soon begin on fuel cell-powered Chevrolet Equinoxes in Los Angeles and New York. It will be the largest market test ever of electric vehicles powered by hydrogen. Cars will be driven by consumers, although no specific details are available yet.

Electric cars. The all-electric Chevy Volt concept was unveiled at the Detroit auto show in January of this year. The Volt uses lithium-ion batteries, which are less toxic than nickel-metal hydride. GM folks say they're getting closer to a production car, but, they say, the battery technology still needs to get better before these cars hit dealerships.

On the other end of the spectrum, Lutz admits there's a horsepower race going on between car manufacturers. He says, for example, that a new version of the Corvette will most likely be faster and more powerful than the C6 and Z06 models on the market today. And although such muscle cars might seem the antithesis to gas-saving Saturns, Bob said not to rule out the possibility of any fuel-saving technologies on those vehicles in the future, either, should regulations so require. Electric-powered 500 hp sports car, anyone?

Formula 1 has long been considered the pinnacle of automotive and motorsport technology. Many advancements on road cars, including paddle shifters, traction control and improved tire technology, have come out of the development of these engineering marvels.

Sir Stirling Moss, who drove in 66 Grand Prix races between 1955 and 1961, was an honorary judge at this year's Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach. While he was carefully studying the lines and mechanics of this year's competitors, we had a chance to ask Moss, now 77, a few questions about his role in racing and how today's cars have changed.

For one, the sheer number of races in a season was far greater when Sir Moss was racing. In the 1955 season, there were 7 races that counted toward the world championship title, and 16 non-championship races. In Moss' final year, there were 8 championship and 36 non-championship races. Today, F1 drivers only have to compete in 17 races per season.

"Back then we had many more races a year," Moss said. "And we still had time to chase pretty girls."

Current Formula 1 cars are some of the fastest in the world. The 2.4 liter, naturally-aspirated V8 engines are mandated to rev at 19,000 rpm (although they're capable of more) and can reach speeds of nearly 220 miles per hour. But being on the forefront of technology doesn't come cheap. Today's teams spend between $57 million and nearly $420 million on the sport annually.

So what does Moss think of these contemporary carbon-fiber speed demons?

"I think they're just staggering," Sir Moss said. "In the old days, you'd just buckle yourself in. It's quite different now."

Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard was in Los Angeles today to give members of the Motor Press Guild the story behind the making of its cars. For the past couple of years, the Bay Area-based company has gotten oodles of press coverage, much of it on the merits of its technology. But until this afternoon I wasn't entirely convinced. First, some background:

A year ago, I stood on Peter Hay hill at the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach with a rather prominent car designer. Not too far in the distance, hordes of spectators gathered around a pair of sleek, sporty little roadsters.

As a gearhead, tech enthusiast, and former Silicon Valley resident, I'd already heard the buzz about the $100k electric sports car built on a Lotus Elise chassis. But it was the first time I'd seen the car in person, and I wasn't the only one who was staring. Those cars, parked in the lush grass near the Lodge, were stealing the show from much more powerful automotive heavyweights. Sure, the cars looked good. But could the company last? I'd seen too many dot-com sob stories in the 1990s to believe in fairy tales.

I asked the aforementioned designer what he thought of it all. He shrugged his shoulders and said he was sure some people would buy the roadster, but at the end of the day, electric cars were not practical, long-term solutions. Besides, he added, all those batteries would go into a landfill at some point, trading one environmental problem for another.

In the months that followed, I kept an eye on the media circus surrounding the small automotive startup, but remained skeptical about Tesla's ability to change the world.

Boy, was I wrong.

Here are some things I learned about the Tesla Roadster today:

• The car, while based on the Lotus Elise, was almost entirely redesigned for Tesla. Only the front end of the Elise chassis was kept in the retooling. So my racing buddies and I apologize for snickering when the car won the Gold International Design Excellence Award. Although, to be fair, the designer is Barney Hatt, principal designer for the Lotus Design Studio, so Lotus should still share some credit.
• The door sill in the Tesla Roadster was lowered considerably from that of the Elise, to make the car easier to get in and out of. To compensate for the height difference, the side rails had to be made much stiffer and stronger. Even though Tesla's version has lost that sitting-in-the-bathtub feeling, it's still fun to watch tall, middle-aged men struggle to extract themselves, one leg at a time, from the tiny cockpit. (Here's a hint, guys: Swing both of your legs over the sill at the same time, then push yourself out. I gave someone a demonstration in the parking lot after the meeting.)
• The Tesla has custom headlights. They're really expensive.
• The lithium ion battery pack used in the roadster is estimated to have a lifespan of about 100,000 miles. Not only that, Tesla has partnered with a recycling company that will shred and re-appropriate those battery components when they've given up the ghost. Eberhard also explained that a liquid cooling pack in the car keeps the batteries at room temperature for maximum performance (unlike the average laptop battery that only lasts a couple of years, thanks to its proximity to a scorching hot processor).
• The Tesla Roadster redlines at 13,500 RPM. Dyno testing took the engine up to 18,000 RPM. That's almost on par with Formula One cars. Bernie Ecclestone, are you paying attention?

So, I realize this stuff is hardly breaking news. With Tesla securing $45 million in Series D funding back in May, it's obvious that the Important People already had faith in this fledgling venture. I was just late to the party. I was quite pleased to discover that Tesla really is doing its best to make a positive contribution within the automotive industry.

One major problem still exists, however: How I'm going to afford one.

A small group of automotive journalists gathered recently in Southern California to watch an unusual sight: A fully functional Volkswagen Touareg that could be controlled without anyone in the driver's seat.

The custom-made SUV was part of a special showcase hosted by Volkswagen, where a select few got a glimpse at some of the stunt driving skills used in the making of The Bourne Ultimatum, the third and newest installment of the Bourne films. The movie's stunt team developed a special cockpit attached to the top of the Touareg, complete with a seat, steering wheel, and pedals that allowed the driver to control the car from the roof. With the stunt driver "hidden" on top, camera crews had the freedom to shoot the actor in the driver's seat from any angle without obstruction.

Each of us got a chance to ride along on a choreographed chase in the driver's seat of the custom-made Touareg, dubbed a Remote Driven Vehicle (RDV) by its creators. The car had to be put in gear from the inside, but once the RDV was in drive, we passengers were completely at the mercy of the madman--er--professional up above. It was exciting (and a little disconcerting) to watch the driver's steering wheel turn by itself as we chased a nimble GTI though a series of narrow, makeshift alleyways of cardboard boxes.

The sound of screeching tires echoed loudly as the cars maneuvered through the obstacle course. Run after run, each passenger was subjected to sudden swerves and near head-on collisions. All emerged unscathed, save for some sweaty palms and pounding hearts (and maybe a few sore bellies from laughing so hard). A couple of crashed cars from the making of the film were also on display.

After the RDV demonstration, we got personalized instruction from the professional drivers on how to do a variety of car-control moves, including J-turns, reverse 180s, and power sliding into a parallel parking spot. Needless to say, a lot of cones were killed in the process.

Watch official video of the RDV and other behind-the-scenes action from The Bourne Ultimatum here.

Welcome to Girl on Cars, a new destination for tech-savvy motoring enthusiasts. Here you'll find information (and lots of opinion) on a variety of automotive-related topics, including new car models, aftermarket accessories, design trends, fuel efficiency, and racing.

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