مجله خودرو ام وی ام

The period of 2008 to 2009 was rough for Detroit’s Big 3 automakers. While Ford technically never filed for bankruptcy — though it did receive some of those sweet bailout funds — GM and Chrysler did. GM seemed to have it the worst, as the automaker had to get rid of four of its divisions to get its head above water. But how did GM choose those four divisions? A recent interview with former GM executive Bob Lutz shed some light on the automakers’ thinking at the time.

Motor1 recently chatted with Lutz about what inspired GM to kill off Saab, Saturn, Pontiac, and Hummer instead of, say, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac. Lutz detailed all the arguments and all the logistics that went into the death of each brand.

On Pontiac, Lutz says that he fought for the brand, but the higher ups just weren’t having it.

I dug my heels in. But their hearing aids were turned off, they said, ‘It’s a lousy brand, it’s been unprofitable for years.’ I pointed to all the signs of brand health; Youthful buyer enthusiasm for the brand, etc. I just wasn’t able to put it over the goal line. So unfortunately it died. I still consider that to be borderline a tragedy.

With Saab, Lutz said he had been trying to convince his bosses to do away with the brand for years, but things kept getting drawn out. He calls the brand “goofy.”

I had been trying to convince my boss at GM for years we should get rid of Saab, and it was always wait until next year, wait until the next year, wait until next year—and next year never came. It was a goofy brand that was off the mainstream, and every time it was made more mainstream, we didn’t sell any. And when it was goofy, which the automotive press loved, there were only 100,000 people in the whole freakin’ world that wanted one.

His comments on Saturn are interesting in that he admits that Saturn had no reason to exist anymore, especially with Chevy around. This is true, since the brands constantly stepped on each others’ toes. The Chevy Malibu Hybrid and Saturn Aura Green Line were essentially the same car with a $745 price difference between them, for instance.

Saturn I was glad to be rid of. There was no longer any reason for the Saturn brand. Chevrolet was just as good and just as reliable. And all of the dealer networks had learned in the meantime that you don’t screw the customer if you want to stay in business. The reason Saturn was formed kind of went away. Saturn was another mouth that we had to feed with limited capital. So okay, Saturn can go.

On Hummer, Lutz says they should have done with the brand what GM is doing now: Make it a part of GMC. Spinning Hummer into its own brand meant that they had to give it a lineup of vehicles it didn’t really need.

We could not save Hummer, which was a mistake going in. Hummer never should have been a brand, it should have been a vehicle in the GMC lineup. It should have been Hummer by GMC, and that way you could have added one to the GMC dealer body, and when that one was worn out, you could replace it. But the minute we made Hummer a separate franchise we had to feed it with a full lineup of vehicles. We had the H1, which never sold in any significant number. The H3 did well. The H2, which was Wrangler and Bronco-sized, it would have been a smash hit. But I had to admit Hummer the brand was a mistake going in.

Lutz even spoke about how both Buick and GMC were considered for the chopping block. For Buick, he says the Obama Administration and the bankruptcy attorneys all wanted GM to be cut down to just Chevy and Cadillac, with Buick getting the axe. The brand stuck around because of its popularity in China.

Chapter 11 intervened and the Obama-appointed, all-New York finance guys—who didn’t have a clue about the automobile industry—said, ‘General Motors is going to be Chevrolet and Cadillac only.’ We argued and said we’ve got to keep Buick because if you drop Buick in the US, it’s going to die in China, and it’s one of the leading brands in China. So don’t do that. So we were able to save Buick.

GMC was nearly cut because it was deemed too similar to Chevy. The brand’s profitability however changed minds.

GMC they wanted to drop because it was a version of Chevrolet. And we showed them the profitability of the GMC brand and the GMC brand health. Many people would not own any other GM brand, they had a very high opinion and owned a GMC sport utility or truck.

It’s interesting getting an inside perspective on why these brands were cut. Had things gone just a bit differently, GM might be a completely different company than what it is today.

جاده‌های آمریکا در طول همه‌گیری خالی شدند، اما داده‌های اخیر از وزارت حمل و نقل آمریکا نشان می دهد که در اواخر سال 2023، تقریباً با همان نرخی که قبل از کووید-19 داشتیم، به بزرگراه ها و جاده های فرعی برخورد کردیم. نقطه خاطرنشان کرد که درایوهای ایالات متحده در دسامبر 2023 5.7 میلیارد مایل بیشتر از پایان سال قبل ثبت کردند که با افزایش 2.2 درصدی، در مجموع 263.7 میلیارد مایل به دلیل بازگشت عادات رانندگی آمریکا به حالت عادی بود.

بر اساس گزارش وزارت حمل و نقل، روند حجم ترافیک، رانندگان ایالات متحده با تقسیم به نوع جاده، 82.9 میلیارد مایل در جاده‌های روستایی و 180.8 میلیارد مایل در جاده‌ها و خیابان‌های شهری، با جاده‌های روستایی از جمله بین ایالتی و سایر شریان‌ها به دست آوردند. مجموع سفرهای جاده ای در سال گذشته به 3263.7 میلیارد مایل رسید که به آمریکایی ها کمک کرد تا عنوان دیوانه ترین افراد روی زمین را حفظ کنند.

این اعداد کشور را به اوج مسافت پیموده شده در پایان سال 2019 بازگرداند، پس از افت قابل توجهی بین سال‌های 2020 و 2021، زمانی که مایل‌ها به کمتر از 2850 میلیارد رسید. ماه های پیک رانندگی در سه سال گذشته نسبتا ثابت مانده است، با یک جهش قابل توجه بین آوریل و مه، و به دنبال آن کاهش تدریجی با گذشت تابستان.

در حالی که رانندگان بسیار کمتری در طول همه‌گیری وجود داشت، جاده‌های ما خطرناک‌تر شدند زیرا مردم با سرعت زیاد و حواس‌پرتی رانندگی از ترافیک کم استفاده کردند. مرگ و میرها در سال 2020 به بیش از 39000 نفر رسید که بالاترین رقم از سال 2007 است و در سال 2021 به تقریباً 43000 افزایش یافت. مرگ و میرها اندکی کاهش یافت و به حدود 42500 نفر در سال 2022 رسید و در سال 2023 کاهش بیشتری یافت و به یک عدد رسید. IIHS-برآورد 40990 در سال 2023.

این شورای ملی ایمنی گزارش داد که مرگ و میرها در سال 2024 کاهش بیشتری داشته است، به طوری که تعداد تلفات در هر 100 میلیون مایل وسیله نقلیه در چند ماه اول سال نسبت به سال 2023 کاهش داشته است. چندین ایالت شاهد کاهش بیش از 25 درصدی مرگ و میر ناشی از وسایل نقلیه موتوری تا فوریه 2023 بوده اند. امسال، بنابراین امیدواریم این روند تا پایان سال 2024 ادامه یابد.

لندروور دیفندر 2025 با برخی به روز رسانی های جزئی وارد سال مدل جدید خود می شود که قابل توجه ترین آنها صندلی های کاپیتان جدید ارائه شده بر روی 130 سه ردیفه است.

به جای یک نیمکت در ردیف دوم به عنوان تنها گزینه، اکنون می توانید بسته صندلی کاپیتان را در پیکربندی انتخاب کنید که ظرفیت کل صندلی ها را به جای هشت به هفت کاهش می دهد. صندلی‌های جدید و مجلل کاپیتانی هم گرم‌شونده و هم خنک‌کننده هستند، دارای تکیه‌گاه‌های بازو در هر دو طرف، مجهز به تکیه‌گاه‌های بالدار هستند و فضای بین آن‌ها را برای عبور راحت‌تر به ردیف سوم باز می‌کنند. یک جفت جا لیوانی درست در پشت کنسول وسط جلو، جایگزین دسته تاشو / جا لیوانی از صندلی میانی نیمکت نیز می شود.

فراتر از چیدمان صندلی‌های جدید در 130، لندرور می‌گوید که فرآیند مشخصات را با انتقال تعدادی از گزینه‌های فردی به بسته‌های از پیش تعیین‌شده برای کاهش پیچیدگی سفارش، ساده‌تر کرده است. لندرور قبلاً در سال‌های مدل قبلی «بسته‌های» زیادی در دسترس داشت، اما این شرکت می‌گوید در حال غواصی عمیق‌تر در این استراتژی برای سال 2025 است.

در اینجا خبری از آن نیست، اما لندرور امروز یک نسخه Sedona از Defender 110 خود را در اروپا با نمای خارجی منحصر به فرد Sedona Red و لهجه های خاص در سراسر خودرو معرفی کرد. به نظر فوق العاده می رسد (در عکس مستقیماً در بالا مشاهده می شود)، اما باز هم، لندرور به در دسترس بودن مدل ویژه ایالات متحده اشاره نکرده است.

قیمت مجموعه دیفندر 2025 نیز از امروز منتشر شده است و شاهد افزایش قیمت 90 دو در با 500 دلار به 58375 دلار هستیم. 110 از 62275 دلار (افزایش 200 دلار) و 130 از 71175 دلار (600 دلار افزایش) شروع می شود. لندرور می‌گوید مدل‌های 2025 در اواخر تابستان امسال وارد نمایندگی‌ها می‌شوند.

ویدیو مرتبط:

The Defender enters the 2025 model year with few changes, though there are items that enhance the vehicle’s luxury, and others that should make things easier at ordering time.

The new model year brings the availability of packages that group many popular individual options. Among the new packs are some that enhance the driving qualities, others that improve capability in cold weather or when towing, and a few that increase comfort.

Examples include an Off-Road Pack that includes an electronic active differential, roof racks, all-terrain tires, and a wade sensing feature. This can then be joined by an Advanced Off-Road Pack that adds air suspension, off-road driving modes, and more.

For the interior, there are packs like the Comfort and Convenience Pack which adds ambient lighting, a premium Meridian audio system, and a front console refrigerator. A Premium Upgrade Interior Pack adds extra leather trim and 14-way heated and cooled front seats with memory function.

2025 Land Rover Defender

Buyers of the stretched Defender 130 will be able to opt for captain’s chairs for the first time, which will make accessing the third row easier. The captain’s chairs feature heating and cooling functions, as well as individual armrests.

The Defender can also be ordered with a matte-finish protective film.

For buyers seeking more performance, JLR will reveal the new Defender Octa grade on July 3. This will be a hardcore offering powered by a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 likely spitting out over 600 hp.

The 2025 Defender is priced from $58,375 for the two-door Defender 90, from $62,275 for the four-door Defender 110, and from $71,175 for the stretched Defender 130. All figures include a $1,475 destination charge.