'Tis the season...

`Tis the season for retractions, back pedalling and “what-we-really-means” in the automotive industry.

Too much eggnog, or the stress of last-minute Christmas shopping seems to have led to a flurry of recent about-faces:

Take for example Porsche’s `green’ Cayenne...

The Flip:

These days, if an automaker wants to make a green statement with the press, it does so at the resurgent Los Angeles auto show.

Which is what Porsche did at this year’s show, announcing the gas-electric hybrid version of its Cayenne SUV.

With “hybrid” scrawled down its rocker panels, the Porsche of hybrid SUVs claimed a 120 km/h top speed on battery power alone.

Michael H. Leiters, head of Porsche’s hybrid program, said his company is trying to shake its anti-green image.

“If everyone is saying you are not environmentally friendly, that is not good.” adding that hybrids are the solution.

The Flop:

If you were ready to place an order for your planet-saving Porsche, hold onto your wallet.

This week, Automotive News is reporting Porsche isn’t quite sure when buyers will get a chance to test Porsche’s green SUV.

A Porsche manager said there is still no decision on the planned introduction date.

“I’m sure we’ll only introduce the new system with the start of the next SUV generation in 2010."

The possibility of a Porsche hybrid in North America is "also apparently smaller than initially thought.”


... or GM’s Lutz reconsideration ...

The Flip:

Last week, in an interview with The Associated Press, Bob Lutz, General Motors’ vice-chair of Global Product Development, said he wanted to retire from GM after the company brings its plug-in electric Chevrolet Volt to market, possibly sometime in 2010.

"You never know about your health. You never know about the needs of the corporation," said Lutz.

Fair enough.

Over the course of a four-decade career, the 75-year-old Lutz has been around the automotive block a few times with Chrysler, Ford, BMW and GM Europe.

Since rejoining The General in 2001, Lutz has been the main force behind the “product first” shift within GM that has led to some of the company’s best cars ever, like the new Chevrolet Malibu, and Cadillac CTS and the strategy to make Saturn the North American outpost for European Opel products.

The Flop:

Was GM reminded it doesn’t have anyone to fill Lutz’s shoes?

What about the jittery nerves of stockholders envisioning a GM without Lutz?

Whatever. The very next day Lutz came out with a lesson on semantics.

"Unfortunately, this was misinterpreted as a statement that I would retire at the end of 2010. While this remains a possibility, it is not ’a plan’! We’ll just take it a year at a time!"

... and finally, Volvo’s on again, off again XC90 ...

The Flip:

This week Auto Motor and Sport Sweden reported that the the new U.S. fuel bill is threatening the future of Volvo’s XC90 SUV.

The new regulation would see the first round of increased fuel economy standards imposed for the 2011 model year, setting automakers on a path to reach the 35 mpg standard a decade later. It’s a challenge, as is the European Union’s lower carbon emissions regs coming in 2012.

Volvo has no production-ready fuel-saving technologies like a gasoline-electric hybrid or start/stop functionality. And SUV sales are declining in general.

So it would make sense that a brand like Volvo, with a high percentage of tree-hugging customers, would work on more environmentally friendly (ie, smaller) vehicles.

The Flop:

The XC90 lives!

Volvo quickly made a statement that a face-lifted XC90 is in the works for and an XC90 replacement has not been cancelled.

What the Ford-owned brand didn’t announce was how its large utility vehicle would meet forthcoming fuel economy and carbon emissions regs.

Of course, this comes from the same company that last year retracted an employee’s statement admitting that the new S80 would replace the S60.

And how’s that new S60 coming along, Volvo?

- John LeBlanc, Publisher