Auto Sleuth

No logo for Hyundai: While most luxury cars are proudly adorned with the automaker’s logo on the grille or hood, Hyundai will take a different approach when it rolls out its Genesis luxury car in a year and not include one. Hyundai showed versions with and without the logo at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich, in January and the non-logo version scored better. So, that one wins. Hyundai believes that most people associate the Hyundai nameplate with economy cars, so it appears as though the company is putting some distance between itself and a car it wants to build. The Sleuth wonders how leaving off the logo will bolster Hyundai’s image.

Yet another new star rising at Jaguar: Lucky, lucky to be a Jaguar dealer in Europe these days. The Sleuth’s moles report that Jag recently previewed its 2011 XJ replacement to its retail network there. The hope is to keep enthusiasm high as Jag goes through the seemingly imminent sale to India-based automaker Tata Motors. The new car, codenamed X351, is said to be similar to the Aston Martin Rapide in size and design. Larger than the Mercedes CLS (perhaps its nearest competitor), the new Jag will have a sloping roofline and very sleek exterior. Expect unique lines for the new model, an all-aluminum chassis (a trademark of the current XJ) and a complete departure for the interior. A concept will likely be shown next year with the final model hitting North American dealerships by 2010.

VW’s new bus looks familiar, but that’s OK: Remember the Eurovan? It wasn’t the most memorable Volkswagen van ever built and it certainly wasn’t the Microbus of the 1960s. When it rolls off the assembly line this summer, the Routan will mark the return of a VW van, although it rides on the same platform as Chrysler’s minivan (it’s built in Windsor, Canada, right next to the Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Caravan) and has a unique interior and a style all its own. But the Sleuth hears the vehicle is only a temporary measure as VW officials will go in a completely new direction with the next van now that new management is in place at company headquarters in Germany. The interim deal with Chrysler was done to put a minivan on dealer lots as soon as possible, which certainly runs counter to trends in that category: other manufacturers, including Ford and General Motors have been getting out of the minivan game.

Despite being owned by Honda, Acura has no plans for gas/electric hybrids. Maybe diesels: Although chief upscale rival Lexus is creating hybrid gas/electric models at a breakneck pace, Honda’s upscale division, Acura, isn’t. Company Vice President Dick Colliver told Edmunds.com his company thinks hybrid powertrains are more suited to smaller vehicles. And since Acura has no plans to produce small cars . . . Instead, the company is considering offering 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel on some of its new models. Meanwhile, parent Honda is developing a global gas/electric hybrid powertrain for Honda-brand vehicles. Honda was one of the first manufacturers to mass produce a hybrid vehicle, it’s two-door Insight model that was new for the 2001 model year.

Would a high-end sports car signal a new beginning for Buick?: Parent General Motors is revving up a plan to give Buick its own ultra sports car, the Sleuth hears. It’s only in the concept phase, although it will be a rear-wheel-drive vehicle based on the GM products built at the automaker’s facilities in Australia. GM decision makers are said to be considering the car for early 2010 or 2011 with a decision coming in the next six months. The concern, obviously, is overlap with Cadillac, which is why the new Buick might be unveiled as a coupe-convertible. It’s interesting, but does it really fit with Buick, or does this signal some really big changes coming for this GM division?

Market indicators

Hybrid gas/electric sport utes: Ford, Toyota, Lexus and General Motors began the trend a few years ago by putting gas/electric hybrid powerplants into some of their large sport utility vehicles. Well, the wave is swelling and it’s spreading throughout some entire car lineups. The Sleuth hears that when Infiniti launches its new FX 55 — a new and larger version of its current FX 35 tall wagon — it will come with a V8 that will also be helped with an electric motor (which makes a hybrid). With emissions standards a concern and fuel prices driving family economics around the bend, offering hybrid power makes luxury vehicles and their perceived excess seem more socially responsible. Following Infiniti’s move, look for Nissan (which owns Infiniti) to also spread hybrids through its lineup.

Slimming down model lines: When General Motors Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz made his famous speech a few years ago about Pontiac and Buick being “damaged brands,” it was the signal that the automaker was going to slim down its product lineup. And, a few years later, Pontiac and Buick are more tightly defined. Get ready for Chrysler to do the same. Word out of Detroit is that, in addition to the five models Chrysler will drop within the next two years, more product consolidation is on the way. Expect the Jeep Compass, Dodge Avenger and Jeep Liberty to come under scrutiny as the automaker looks to halve its product lineup and become a much leaner company. If it’s not obvious yet, Chrysler seems to be heading toward a dealer structure where all its models would be sold under one roof and not just Chrysler-Jeep or Chrysler-Dodge.