Driven: Chrysler Ypsilon

First the corporate message. These are the thoughts of Saad Chehab, president and CEO of the company, who I sat next to at dinner on Tuesday night. “Chrysler is an American brand and people have an affinity with that here, like Apple and Nike. If I was to think about all the mistakes that have been made [in Chrysler and Lancia’s history], the inappropriate cars, the inconsistencies, I’d get nothing done. I can’t help that and we have nothing to be ashamed of today. We have to reach out and think about what makes a Chrysler. Walter P Chrysler was always the middle finger to brands like Lincoln and Cadillac. He wanted to do it better and cheaper, and had a history of thinking outside the box. We have the capability to build great and high quality cars.” All well and good, and sales aspirations for the Ypsilon supermini are ultra-low, only 4,000 cars next year. Ford sells that many Fiestas every fortnight. I’m sure the brand’s 50 dealers – plus 20 new ones next year – can achieve that. But the car is a bit of a disappointment. It’s just not premium enough, its exterior looks aren’t conventionally handsome and the instrument layout (above) is a bit of a mess. And why on earth does the digital temperature read-out noticeably flicker when the standard-fit stop-start system re-engages the powertrain? That can’t be right. I tried two versions of the 900cc TwinAir and they both did it.

Nearly 20 years on, Lancia is back... (sort of)

Brand image isn’t everything, but it’s not far off. Lancia quit the UK in the early Nineties with not much of one left. Unreliability and rust were its biggest problems, coupled with dealers who didn’t seem to give a monkey’s. But this week marks the UK media launch of the Lancia Ypsilon (above), except it’s wearing a different badge on the front grille. Since Fiat Group rescued Chrysler from admin – so it now owns that brand plus Jeep and Dodge – the car is being sold here through showrooms that shift Grand Voyager MPVs and, well, that’s about it. I’ve never driven a Lancia and I have to say this is a launch I’ve been looking forward to for a while. What I’m most fascinated by is the business case; the Ypsilon is a premium supermini, territory occupied very successfully by the Audi A1, the entire MINI range and, to a certain extent, Fiat’s own 500. They’re cars that sell based on brand image, and neither Chrysler or Lancia, nor the unknown Ypsilon moniker, have much of that in the UK. I’ll admit I’m sceptical – and from chatting to colleagues I know I’m not alone – but will be going along Tuesday/Wednesday with an open mind. Find out my thoughts later in the week.

MINI on the move again?

Writing this from an Austrian hotel room, where I've been driving the new MINI Coupe (not in the hotel room, obviously). At dinner last night I was chatting to senior executives from the company about future plans. The Paceman concept, a sort of Countryman coupe, has been given the green light for production and the brand will launch in the potentially huge market of India in 2013. MINI seems unable to do anything wrong; the Coupe we drove yesterday is another great little car, a two-seater with a surprisingly big if slightly odd-shaped boot to add a dash of practicality. But what about extending the brand in new directions? MINI showed some scooters a couple of years ago so could there be a two-wheeler on the way. I'm told not. Top brass say the core competence is cars and it will always be that way.

Smart wheels... literally

Fascinating chat on the Peugeot stand last week with its design boss Gilles Vidal about the use of active aerodynamics. The stunning HX1 people carrier concept had some genuine innovations on it, including the six seats which slide into the back of each other like spoons, allowing maximum use of cabin space. But I was most interested in the wheels, which as you can see from the picture above, feature fold-out blades. At speed they automatically deploy to create a flat wheel surface to improve airflow. There are three rear spoilers which move away from the boot top to do the same thing, and even the headlamps have an active element to reduce vortices. Vidal told me: “Active elements such as a rear spoiler have traditionally been about generating more downforce, but now we are moving to a time when it’s more about aerodynamic efficiency. For example, we all know that a tapering rear end of the car is good for that, but it’s not always good for the aesthetic. So we design the car as we want, but when you move in it, elements of it move too.” He was honest enough to say this is long way from a production possibility, not through design and engineering competence but from a development cost perspective. Clever stuff, though.

Car of the show

Highlight of the Frankfurt Motor Show for me were the Land Rover Defender concepts. Just reading the opening few lines of the press pack on the stand confirmed this car has the potential to take the rugged 4x4 deep into the 21st century.The car features Terrain-i scanning tech to warns of hidden obstacles ahead and can even suggest alternative routes. The excellently named Wade Aid uses sonar to assess water depth and suggests the optimum speed to get through safely. A dashboard button can activate integrated tyre spikes for ice routes, and the permanent 4x4 system can be turned off with Driveline Disconnect that physically decouples the rear axle when so much grip isn’t needed. Fantastic. I love it all.

It's Frankfurt time again

Writing this from the departure lounge at Heathrow, heading off to the Frankfurt Motor Show. Pretty much everyone I can see around me is someone I know, either journalist, PR or car company executive. It’s hard to convey the size of this event, which starts with press days tomorrow and Wednesday. It alternates every year with Paris, so the travelling circus of motoring media only goes to Frankfurt every other year. But it’s always one no one really looks forward to, from a logistical perspective anyway. That’s because it’s an exercise in German willy-waving – my stand’s bigger than yours – and trying to navigate your way around in a hurry, as we always are, is a nightmare. The upside is the vast amount of new product and concepts that will be on show. Will post some stuff later in the week.

The boy who cried wolf

Dot-matix signs over motorway carriageways are an excellent invention. They can warn you of accidents ahead, future events that might cause traffic problems and a host of other stuff. But their effectiveness – and drivers taking them seriously – relies on accuracy. How many times have all of us seen them giving duff information? On the M25 last Sunday night near Heathrow they repeatedly warned of fog. There was none and little chance of any. It was laughable. Then two days later, on the same stretch but in the opposite direction, they were doing the exact same thing. Again, no chance of fog. Not fives miles later they suggested there was a queue ahead and changed the limit to 40mph. We all dutifully slowed down expecting to find a problem. Yet again there was nothing. They’re the classic example of the boy who cried wolf. It’s no wonder drivers ignore them and don’t stick to the variable speed limits.

Loving the NILS concept

Is this the future of urban transport? I hope so because it looks fantastic. VW’s single-seater EV concept will be unveiled at next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Called NILS, it has a range of 40 miles and a top speed of 80mph, which mean it will easily cover the daily return journey of almost three-quarters of Berlin and Munich commuters. Technically, it’s the same as a Formula 1 race car, with the driver in the middle, the engine in back and free-standing outboard wheels. It tips the scales at just 460kg. I can’t help thinking this is the sort of pioneering vehicle that could have been wearing a Smart badge, had Daimler not got confused and tried to go mainstream with a four-door reskinned Mitsubishi Colt.On an almost totally unrelated note, news of a excellent initiative. The people who were sacked from the military last week through no fault of their own are being encouraged to seek work in the low-carbon vehicle industry. Forces’ careers advisors and Cenex, the UK’s Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technologies, reckon ex-Service personnel have the kind of advanced engineering skills and experience now being sought in hi-tech EV manufacturing. Top idea.

New safety concerns for Toyota?

Texting while driving has led people to prison because they’ve not been paying attention to the road ahead and caused an accident. On many cars, if your phone is bluetooth-paired, you can read an incoming message on the dashboard screen. Mercedes’ COMAND system has offered this function for years. But to date no new car has permitted you to reply, for what Mercedes called “obvious reasons” when I spoke to them about it. In short, it doesn’t think it’s safe. But all that is about to change, and the car in question isn’t some high-end model from a German brand. It’s the new Toyota Yaris. Driving it yesterday, it has a multimedia system called Touch & Go and you can reply to texts. You can either input the characters individually or use templates that you have set up earlier, eg, “I’m driving now, will reply later”. What came as a surprise to me is that the Yaris allows you to do this while the car is moving. Interesting to see how that plays out. Not convinced it’s a good thing.