Sleuth: The Week of July 27

Hot off the press!

Nissan readies hybrid gas/electric sports car: There are several gas/electric hybrid choices on the market, but how many manufacturers are doing a hybrid sports car? Any? Just look to Nissan. The word is that this wee beastie will be built on a front-wheel-drive platform (not rear-drive, as rumored). Nissan will try to position it as a smaller version of the 350Z. The Japanese automaker will bring the new car to market by 2010 and the engine is expected to be a 1.5-liter four-cylinder coupled to an electric motor and a six-speed manual gearbox with paddle shifters and no clutch pedal. The base model is expected to cost about $20,000 and fuel mileage is expected to be better than 40 miles per gallon.

Mercedes-Benz follows BMW’s turbo lead: With its biggest German rival warming up to the idea of turbocharging in a big way, Mercedes-Benz is poised to embrace the technology across its entire line, just as BMW does. Even the next-generation A- and B-Class will get a turbo engine. It’s all part of MB’s attempt to make smaller engines more fun. As a result, Mercedes will spend an astonishing 14 billion euro (US $20 million) in the next two years in an attempt to go from zero to hero in fuel-efficient cars. Look for hydrogen power, turbochargers and all kinds of stuff in the not-too-distant future.

Infiniti revamps G sedan lineup: After a long delay, Infiniti will finally commit to the European market, but that’s great news for us here as well. The Sleuth has it on good word that some of Infiniti’s changes to the G sedan will appear in the Japanese automaker’s 2009 North American lineup. The biggest change will be the switch to a 3.7-liter V6 from the current 3.5-liter unit. The 3.7 is already available in the two-door G coupe. Infiniti has yet to release the new engine’s output, but the Sleuth hear that the powerplant will kick out 320-plus horsepower. Buyers will also have the option to route that power through a new seven-speed automatic gearbox. Other improvements include new 18-inch wheels, new exterior mirrors, two new paint colors and the Scratch Shield paint (first introduced on the EX wagon) that can actually “heal” marks over time.

Pontiac to downsize its own G: It might have been on its way to regaining the title of General Motors’ performance division when it launched rear-drive G8, but the brand will go in the other direction by offering a new model for the 2009 model year — dubbed the G3 — that will be based on the Chevrolet Aveo. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the G3 for sale in the United States (it’s currently sold in Mexico and is already marketed as the Wave in Canada). The move is intended to round out GM’s Buick-Pontiac-GMC channel, but there are rumblings that the sub-compact might dilute Pontiac’s newfound performance image. The G3 will be powered by the same 1.6-liter powerplant found in the Aveo and will be available as a four-door sedan or a four-door hatchback.

VW to show new roadster: Visitors to the Los Angeles, Calif., auto show this November will get a first-hand look at VW-badged two-seat, mid-engine coupe and roadster models. At least that’s the promise of VW Chairman Martin Winterkorn. If public reaction is positive, the car could hit the streets as early as 2011. The man in charge of the styling of the sports car will be none other than Audi’s Walter da Silva, who penned the new Audi A5 (Audi and VW are related). The lightweight car is intended to compete with the Lotus Elise, but at a lower price. It will be powered by choice of four-cylinder engines set in a Porsche Boxster-like layout behind the passenger compartment. A gasoline 1.4-liter turbo engine making 168 horsepower and a new 1.6-liter diesel with 125 ponies are rumored to be under consideration. Either engine will put down its power to the rear wheels via a seven-speed manual transmission that shifts without a clutch. An Audi version is also likely, as is a Porsche derivative.

Market indicators

Overall minivan sales: Uh-oh, there is now another victim in the gas-price saga: minivans. Honda has been one of the few automakers to actually post sales gains in the new $4-a-gallon world, but the Japanese automaker announced that it plans to cut Odyssey minivan production this year. “Honda is not immune to the shift in the market,” company spokesman David Lida told industry trade paper Automotive News. “We don’t want inventories to get too high.” Honda joins a few other automakers with minivans, including Chrysler and Nissan.

The Big Three on the outside looking in: The really good times appear to be over for the Detroit Three when it comes to big trucks and profits from big trucks. So, to generate more cash from its small-car program, General Motors will likely raise prices on its offerings, but the automaker has a relatively tiny share of the small-car segment in North America and might not be able to do so. According to trade paper Automotive News, GM has a whopping 50 percent share of the sport ute market, but only a 13 percent stake in the small-car market . . . with demand for sport utes waning. Therefore it’s going to be difficult to convince the market to pay more for a vehicle lineup that buyers are generally less familiar with and perhaps less interested in. Meanwhile, Ford is trying to quickly become a small-car company and has plans to bring over small cars from Europe while Chrysler doesn’t yet seem to know what direction it’s heading in since it only has the Caliber and there’s no sign of any new fuel-efficient models in the near future.