Globe Drive

After posting awful third-quarter results – sales were off 21 per cent and profit dropped 84 per cent – Harley-Davidson said it will end production of its Buell line of sport bikes by the end of this month, and try to sell the MV Augusta European sport bike brand that it acquired just last summer.

While MV Augustas were never officially sold in Canada, Buells were available from Harley-Davidson dealers across the country; they will continue to be until the bikes and accessories are sold off. Buell owners will still be able to service their bikes under warranty at H-D dealers, and parts will be made available for the bikes for the foreseeable future as well.

The move marks the end of an increasingly respected American challenger to the dominance of the Japanese Big Four bike makers in the North American sport and naked bike markets.

An emotional Erik Buell addressed fans and owners of the firm's products in a video message on the Buell site (www.buell.com), clearly distraught at the decision to end the company that he formed after leaving Harley 26 years ago.

A Buell biker in front of a Harley-Davidson dealer in downtown Rome October 16, 2009. Max Rossi/Reuters

In 1993, Harley came to him and proposed an association that eventually ended in Harley taking full ownership of the Buell brand, expanding its product lineup and sales exponentially. Erik Buell was also able to persuade Harley to take Buell racing against the powerhouses of the bike world in the AMA Daytona SportBike series.

This culminated in Buell winning the series championship last month, the first time an American motorcycle company has won a major bike championship in almost four decades.

Erik Buell admitted just last month in an interview with Globe Auto's Michael Vaughan that his push to go racing caused considerable friction with Harley management. After Buell production was suspended for two months earlier this year due to dwindling sales, Harley's managers obviously thought the costs of running the racing effort and brand had grown untenable in the current economic climate.

“Buell has introduced many innovative advancements in motorcycle design and technology over the years and MV Agusta is known in Europe for its premium, high-performance sport motorcycles,” Keith Wandell, CEO of Harley-Davidson, said in a company statement. “However, our strategy to focus on the Harley-Davidson brand reflects the fact that we believe our investments in that brand are a better utilization of overall company resources.”

Buell has produced 135,000 motorcycles in its 23 years of existence, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Harley's in 1998. An FAQ section on the Buell website says that no Buell bikes are slated to become Harley-Davidsons – as if the heavy, pricey and fiercely traditional cruiser bike brand would even contemplate such heresy – although the section does state that some technology from the Buell brand may yet make it onto a Harley yet.

Chrysler plans SEMA concepts

It's rare for any manufacturer to go into any autumn season without at least one all-new or redesigned product to showcase, but that's the grim position Chrysler finds itself in as the traditional new-model season starts this year.

While Sergio Marchionne and Fiat brass have said Chrysler will not reveal new product plans until November, the company says it will have some new so-called “image” vehicles created by its parts division at the aftermarket SEMA show.

The Jeep Lower Forty concept was originally shown to off-road diehards in April at the annual Jeep Safari, this year held in the Moab desert in Utah.

At first glance it just looks like a two-door Wrangler with monster tires. But look closely, and you'll see that various body panels needed severe chopping to accommodate those tires, and the widened fender flares lie four inches higher than normal.

So why not just fit a lift kit to raise up the entire body and accommodate those knobby monster tires? The Mopar aftermarket team that designed it and the other concepts wanted to keep the centre of gravity at the same height as the stock Wrangler, while providing extra ground clearance and a 5.7-litre Hemi V8. The laudable goal was to avoid the on-road tippiness that comes with taller vehicles and softer suspension set-ups.

The looks are also upgraded with a windshield that's three inches shorter, and a bit more aerodynamic with an increased 10 degrees of rake, and a carbon fibre hood, as well as the massive 40-inch tires on 20-inch rims.

The rear-mounted spare has been moved to the cargo room floor, with the rear door now replaced with a pickup-like dropdown tailgate.

Mopar's other Jeep SEMA image vehicle – the aftermarket division's equivalent to a “concept” vehicle, because you can't buy either one – looks more like a Land Rover than a Jeep. The Wrangler Overland idea is to provide its driver with a mobile camping site, using a four-door Wrangler Unlimited and adding a roof-mounted tent and awning, with space inside increased by the removal of the rear seats. A retractable ladder helps one up into the tent, while a desert and trail-busting winch, snorkel, tires and a lift kit are also part of the deal.

Dodge's sports-car SEMA entry consists of the Challenger 1320, which is based on the currently available but race-only Drag Pak option, while adding just enough gear to make it street legal. It uses a 556-hp crate V8, with dual side exhausts and street legal Mickey Thompson drag radials.

A special luxury-oriented Dodge Ram Bianco concept will also make an appearance, outfitted with a carpet bed rug, hard tonneau cover and Mopar 22-inch wheels.

Tougher standards coming for child seats

Canada will lead the way in child seat safety standards when it implements a new law that will make Canada's standards the toughest in the world, federal transport minister John Baird announced recently.

The new rules will require seat manufacturers to test their products with a regular three-point safety belt, the announcement said, a shocking indication that not all seat makers are currently required to do so.

An official consultation period on the proposed upgrades to the safety tests will end by Nov. 25.

Ontario Safety League officer Brian Patterson told CTV News manufacturers could have changes made by the end of the year, calling the changes “an evolution in the right direction.”