asianlegend

Thank you very much to all who participated in the "What's new for 2003 in the automotive industry?" quiz that I had presented to many of you. I've had 80 responses in less than 2 weeks. Some felt it to be a challenging quiz and only 2 users tried it twice and of course obviously scored 10 out of 10 on the 2nd of the 2 quizzes for whatever reason. But, others felt there were some trick questions... my response is ... read the question and see what it's asking and read the title of the quiz name, that'll explain them all...

The 3 MOST MISSED QUESTIONS: Q9; Q4; Q3.

The 3 EASIEST QUESTIONS: Q10; Q2; Q1.

HIGHEST SCORE: 10 out of 10 - 2 PEOPLE [on 1st try]
LOWEST SCORE: 1 out of 10 - 1 PERSON
AVERAGE SCORE: 7.6 out of 10 - out of 80 Responses

Q1) Audi has finally brought the Audi RS6 to the United States, it is perhaps the one of the most expenses, but equally one of the fastest vehicles for its size. Because the RS6 will equally be a duplicate model to another model already existing in the United States, which one of the following models will be discontinued and is similar to the RS6?

A1) S6. The A6 is almost the same size as the RS6, but it is a more subtle version of the 6-series, so more than likely they will keep that. The S8 brother is the A8, which is Audi's premiere large vehicle and direct competitor to BMW's 7-series. The S4 leans more toward a compact sized vehicle that is more of a sibling to the A4 and Audi's M3 competitor.

Q2) General Motors is infamous with its many labels of car manufacturers which all exist under the General Motors family. Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile are just a few of General Motors brands. Many of GM's Sport Utility Vehicles often share the same under pinnings but with different bodies. The Buick Rainier, the Isuzu scender, and the GMC Envoy, share its underpinnings with what other American GM SUV?

A2) Chevrolet Trailblazer. The Pontiac Aztek is a Chevrolet Blazer sized vehicle that was meant to attract a younger crowd of buyers. The Aztek's main feature is its conversion to an in-car camping unit. The Hummer H2 is GM's monster vehicle in a sense, it is too large and would more than likely share its underpinnings with the Suburban than the Trailblazer. The Cadillac Escalade ESV is not to be confused by the Escalade SUV. The ESV is the upscale version of the Chevrolet Avalanche ... u know the one that will change for a $1.

Q3) Nissan is perhaps bringing the most sought-after vehicle, the 350z to the market since it was defunct due to mainly in my opinion, a too high tariff tax causing Nissan to drop the car from the US Market. 0-60 in 5.4 secs w/ a 287hp 3.5l V-6 and costing at a surprisingly low base price of $27,000. This 3.5-Liter V-6 concept is being placed across the majority of Nissan's cars and trucks. Which of the following model does NOT share this same 3.5l V-6 displacement with the 350z?

A3) Xterra. The Xterra maximum engine displacement is a 3.3l Supercharged 210hp motor which is shared with Nissan's Frontier Pickup. The Altima has a 240hp 3.5l. The G35 should've been obvious by its model name and has a 260hp 3.5l. The Murano, a Toyota Highlander competitor is new for 2003, so it wouldn't surprise me if you missed it. But, the question focused on the engine itself and if you knew, it has a 245hp 3.5l.

Q4) The Chevrolet Corvette is the prized American jewel that has kept its name and its status from the beginning of its inception back in the 50s. The only other vehicle to do a similar thing is the Ford Mustang. The Chevrolet Corvette's Z-06 engine will be used in a vehicle maker who is planning to bring to the US a $214,000 supercar in early 2003 called the MT900. This MT900 will make 425hp and become a street legal endurance racer. Who is the automotive manufacturer behind the MT900?

A4) Mosler. Panoz is a Georgia automaker who only features one model, the Esperante which uses Ford's SVT 390HP V-8 motor. Lotus makes the elusive, yet highly expensive, and rare Espirit and the only other vehicle due for 2004 is the return of the Elise. Lamborghini never has named any of their vehicles with 2 letters and a few digits, they always have a very elegant model name... and besides, why would Lamborghini use a Chevrolet motor? Then, I'd ask you, what's the point of buying a Lamborghini, when u can buy a Corvette for $240,000 cheaper?

Q5) This vehicle will be selling approximately 400 vehicles per year and will be costing around $300,000 each. It is the most luxurious vehicle being powered by a twin-turbocharged V-12 engine and it will feature two model lines, the 57 (standard size) and the 62 (long-wheel base size). This new vehicle will have a new manufactured by name called the Maybach. Which automotive manufacturer is behind the brains of the Maybach?

A5) DaimlerChrysler. GM is large, but no where near large to afford making vehicles for around $300,000. Besides, would you buy a $300,000 GM? Rolls Royce would seem like a good choice, but the only vehicle that seems like a spinoff of a Rolls Royce is Bentley, other than that, Rolls Royce hasn't made any new brands in a long time. BMW seems a logical choice too, but I have yet to see a $125,000 BMW, unlike their competitor Benz, which has $100,000+ vehicles. But, BMW already has the Mini, what more does it need?

Q6) Korean car manufacturers came at full blast offering a set of very valued low priced vehicles at the expense of long-term reliability. The first of these manufacturers was Hyundai. Recently, Korean manufacturers have come a long way in quality and design, but still have some time before it can be called one of the elite manufacturers in level of quality. This year, one of those Korean manufacturer is no longer producing vehicles in the United States. Which of the following is not here for 2003?

A6) Daewoo. Suzuki is the smallest Japanese automaker to import vehicles in the US. Kia was at a bankrupt stage last year, but Hyundai bought them out, but kept the name. It's sort of like a GM, but on a much smaller scale. Hyundai the manufacturer that warrants its vehicles for 10 Years/100,000 Miles is no where near being dead.

Q7) A trend, which I think was started by the American Vehicle industry (don't quote me on that) began first by introducing the Pontiac Aztek, a square and oddly shaped SUV with its main feature being that you could convert the trunk into a camping tent. Japanese manufacturers are beginning to see the need to make specialty vehicles geared at impressing the younger crowd. 1st it was Nissan with it's Xterra, now Honda is getting into it. Toyota is bringing models in under what auto brand name?

A7) Scion. Toyota intends in bringing in 2 models. I believe Scion will also have its own dealerships or be sold through Toyota, but with the Scion badge. Lexus has no intention of sellings vehicles. There is no need for it to appeal to the young generation like that, that's what Toyota is for. The Element is Honda's version of Scion bbX.

Q8) Big engine (>= 8 cylinders) supercars were made infamous primarily by European Auto Manufacturers and by some domestic Auto Manufacturers. Which of the following manufacturers will now bring a big engine supercar coming with a new model in the Fall of 2003 being powered by a 6.0l V-10 making more than 550 hp and expecting to have a top speed of 200 mph?

A8) Porsche. Mini? Hence the name, it would be enough for one to think twice. Lotus has barely enough money to bring the Elise back into the US and is only making 130-150 Espirit's this year and this year will be the last year the Espirit is made. Lamborghini would be a logical choice, but it has always brought a big engine supercar. The keyword is "now bring" ... thus Porsche is the only one who is "now bring[ing]" a big engine supercar to the US.

Q9) A coupe is a primarily classified as a 2-door car. A sedan is primarily classified as a 4-door car. In either case, the doors are hinged at the bottom of the 'A' pillar and on the 'B' pillar, if it is a 4-door car. Which of the following automobile manufacturers will be the first to introduce a 4-door car with rear hinged doors at the bottom of the 'C' pillar, have them on both the driver's and passenger's side, and bring it to the US market?

A9) Saturn. Dodge, has this same feature, but it's not a sedan. It's only available on their Dakota pickups as a 3-door model. Toyota has this feature too. But, only on their trucks. Even though it's available on their Tahoma and Tundra, there's no such EPA classification as a 4-door Sedan Truck. Mercedes does have this feature, however, the key set of words here is "and bring it to the US market"... of which Benz ha s yet to do. The Ion is Saturn's first 4-door coupe.

Q10) The engine has always been a straight simple design. The most common of those concepts is the 'V' concept, where usually an even number of cylinders is sat on either side of the 'V'. Then there's the Inline design, where one cylinder follows the other. Sometimes there's the flat design, typically an 'H' design. Now comes a new design, the 'W', which this automobile manufacturer calls the W-Acht for the 8 cylinder model. Which auto manufacturer is selling the 'W' concept in their vehicles?

A10) Volkswagen. They are the first to put 2 4-Cylinders or 2-6 Cylinders to create a W-configuration, with a W-8 and W-12, respectively. BMW is famous for their inline-6s and they also use the V-design. Mercedes Benz has stuck mostly with Vs and few inline designs for their smaller engines. Rolls Royce only makes large motors and thus must stick with a V-configuration.

ANY QUESTIONS?

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| rick |

-- Ex-Legend owner by force --
My Clear By Day, Legal By Night was lost on March 14, 2003.