The Continental: A Huge Price Drop on the Z, Fisker’s Plans, and an Eternal Favorite

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. The Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86 twins—the latter sold as the Scion FR-S in the U.S.—are shaking up the automotive world. The Toyota is selling from €30,450 in Europe, the Subaru begins at €29,500. Now Nissan is reacting by lowering the price of the slightly facelifted 370Z from €38,750 to €32,900. It might not sound like a big deal, but the Z suddenly is well within reach of those customers looking at the new Subaru/Toyota, and now costs less than the last-gen 350Z did at launch. That older Z retailed for €33,850 when it was introduced in Germany in 2003. Some might call the price cut a move of desperation, but Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan Europe's general manager for the 370Z, chooses to portray it as an act of altruism: "While other carmakers would likely have used the opportunity to raise prices, Nissan is preserving the character of the 370Z as an affordable sports car and making it available to an even larger circle of customers," he volunteers. VW's Crossover Commercial Vehicle Volkswagen is expanding its lineup of crossovers with a high-riding derivative of the Caddy light commercial vehicle. Called the Cross Caddy, the new crossover comes with a choice of nine engines and available all-wheel drive, which requires either the 110- or 140-hp diesel engine. The Caddy is a nice enough commercial vehicle and a favorite among cost-conscious families. It's also preferred by traffic police, who use its tinted tailgate windows to hide their radar equipment; this also means it is unloved by professional speeders. It's Not the Cars? Europeans are subjected to constant lectures about the merits of public transportation and how using it is supposedly in the interest of saving the environment. Now the "Deutsche Umwelthilfe," a questionable, aggressively anti-automobile NGO, is unexpectedly sharing some less-than-rosy truths about public transportation. According to a recent study, 60 percent of communal buses do not have an effective particulate filter and only 14 percent are equipped with a NOX catalyser. The bus operators, often public corporations, cite high costs as reason for the tardiness in upgrading their fleet. Oh, really? Car owners certainly feel their pain. What Fisker's New owners Might Get I recently spent some time with Fisker co-founder Berthold Koehler and the now departed founder Henrik Fisker. They revealed a few new details regarding the Atlantic mid-size sedan and announced at least two further models down the road. The Atlantic is supposed to command roughly half of the flagship Karma's price, amounting to around $50,000–$60,000. Like its big brother, the Atlantic is intended to be an electric car with a range-extending gasoline engine—and therefore far better suited to cover long distances than a full electric, such as the Tesla Model S. Not willing to give an exact date, the Fisker gents said the Atlantic would be launched "as soon as [the company] can." As things stand now—and they can change any time as the company could continue under new ownership—the production Atlantic is designed to accept a BMW-supplied gasoline range-extender engine. It will come with a transparent solar roof and full LED headlights will be standard, according to Koehler. The diminutive center TFT screen will grow, and the conventional instrumentation of the Atlantic concept will also likely make way for a second TFT unit. Koehler said that the Surf, a station-wagon version of the Karma previewed at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show, would be offered to customers as an essentially hand-built conversion. Meanwhile, the Sunset, a folding-hard top Karma derivative with a shorter wheelbase, is officially dead. In fact, Koehler promised further models to be launched after the Atlantic comes to market. Beyond the Atlantic, he plans for a smaller and less expensive model, as well as a crossover utility vehicle. Fisker's roster of suppliers, which includes Finnish coachbuilder Valmet and German engineering company ESG, can only hope that any of these plans materialize. They will certainly be up for review if and after Fisker receives a cash infusion from a new investor. Instrumented Test: 2012 Fisker Karma EcoChic Instrumented Test: 2013 Nissan Sentra SL 1.8 Instrumented Test: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG An Eternal Favorite The 2013 Geneva auto show has just closed its doors, and the occasion is a great opportunity to remember a personal favorite of mine, the Mercedes-Benz W113 "Pagoda." Launched exactly fifty years ago in Geneva, the design of the classic car—the work of Karl Wilfert and Paul Bracq—was ahead of its time with a wide track and wide and low proportions. The "Pagoda" hardtop roof was chosen for safety reasons and carried over to its successor, the W107; it gave the W113 a distinct look and character. My personal memories include many hours of blissful motoring in my godfather's 280SL, which he purchased new and kept for over forty years. (We reviewed a 1971 model a few years ago.) It was tuned to produce well beyond 200 horsepower—on its third engine—and eventually racked up over 300,000 miles. It kept its value so well that I could not afford to take over the car when he passed it on to new, happy owners. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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