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2005 L.A. Auto Show

Below is an enthusiast article written by the automotive experts at European Car. The New Year in Southern California is marked by two routine events: The parties and the L.A. Auto Show. Sometimes the two roll right into each other. Normally, L.A. is not the premier show for manufacturers to make product debuts, but because of the sheer size and influence of the automotive market

2006 Volkswagen Passat Costs of Ownership

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IntelliChoice Value Rating

The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.

One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.

What is a good car value?

A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.

But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?

For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.

This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)

Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.

Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.

So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.

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Article From European Car Magazine

2005 L.A. Auto Show - Auto Show Coverage

Recapping the show / Article provided by: European Car Magazine

The New Year in Southern California is marked by two routine events: The parties and the L.A. Auto Show. Sometimes the two roll right into each other. Normally, L.A. is not the premier show for manufacturers to make product debuts, but because of the sheer size and influence of the automotive market in this region, we're starting to see a lot of first looks aimed at snaring some of the public's hard earned cash and earning brand recognition.

The theme for 2005 was "Design Los Angeles." Almost every major auto manufacturer has a design house in the Southern California area to take advantage of the trend-setting atmosphere. Along with the Art Center College of Design, all these establishments hold huge sway over L.A.'s car culture and vice versa. Eleven design teams representing each manufacturer's design house entered a concept for its vision of the Ultimate L.A. Machine.

This year saw yet another flurry of alternative powered concepts and production vehicles as more and more manufacturers seek to appease the minority buyer. Most are concepts used to show the public the companies that don't offer alternative fuel vehicles have the technical expertise to build non-Otto-cycle-powered vehicles. The importance of power was not lost either as several top of the line and specialty models were also introduced.

Audi's new four-door A3 was a big attraction, along with the facelifted A4 and S4. The A3 will be powered by Audi's new 2.0-liter turbocharged Fuel Straight Injection (FSI) engine slated to replace the current 1.8T. A 3.2-liter DSG variant will also be available. The 2005 A4 features a 97% design makeover and will be powered by the new 2.0-liter turbocharged and 3.2-liter FSI engines. The S4 retains its 4.2-liter V8.

Volkswagen was busy with the debut of the new Mk V Jetta, a radical departure from the Volkswagen norm. Though not outstanding in appearance, the new Jetta features an independent rear suspension and a 2.5-liter five-cylinder gasoline engine developed specifically for the North American market. Later models will also use a 2.0-liter turbocharged powerplant.

Bentley Motors unveiled the Arnage Drophead Coup as successor to the Azure. In continuation of the Bentley convertible heritage, the new Drophead seats four adults in complete open-air comfort and features a fully automatic top that completely retracts in 25 seconds. This car shares platforms with the Arnage sedan and is powered by the same 6.75-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing 450 bhp and 645 lb-ft torque.

Porsche's display, which occupied a room to itself, was busy with L.A.'s first look at the new Boxster. Typical of the Stuttgart engineering philosophy, this car is a refinement of the old 986 Boxster with slightly more power and better aerodynamics and overall balance.

BMW brought out its H2R record setting hydrogen concept, which is powered by a 285 bhp 760i-derived 6.0-liter V12. This car holds the record for zero to 100 kph acceleration and the top speed record for a hydrogen-propelled vehicle. On the commercial side, the M3 Competition Package was unveiled for North America. This car is retuned for the most aggressive driver, with upgraded wheels, brakes, suspension, steering and Dynamic Stability Control.

Ferrari boasted more California style with the surprise unveiling of the Superamerica, a 575M Maranello-based convertible concept designed specifically for the U.S. market, featuring a patented folding hard top. This is the first time electrochromic technology is employed on a production car, allowing the transparent roof to be dynamically tinted as well as being retractable. Five hundred fifty-nine units will be available for sale.

Topping off the horsepower wars, Mercedes-Benz presented several new AMG models, including the new CLS 55. The sleek four-door coupe is powered by the same supercharged 5.5-liter V8 found in the E 55. The AMG-powered SLK and E 55 were also present.