tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62547212011-11-28T02:12:34.995-08:00AutoguyThis is a blog about cars, and one guy's thoughts on them. I am an American living in Dubai for the moment writing about cars....email me at ricktodd1@yahoo.com...All websites linked on this site, are the property of that site, unless otherwise statedRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.comBlogger2611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1161774571847583342006-10-25T03:58:00.000-07:002006-10-25T04:09:37.266-07:00Ecological Devastation and Me Or swimming in an oil spillI am at the forefront of the ecological devastation of the world because of fossil fuels and I only realized it today. The religious holiday of Eid has passed, and my company gave me three days off. For those in the West who don't know, Eid marks the end of the month long fasting period of Ramadan, where in Muslim countries it is illegal Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1157277578689012662006-09-03T02:50:00.000-07:002006-09-03T02:59:39.263-07:00My car has been repairedFor about a couple weeks now, I have been back driving. Total cost to repair the damage: 350 dirhams (95 dollars). My insurance company will cover any damage up to 5000 dirhams worth (1359 dollars) for each claim, and all I have to pay is the 350 dirham cover. That's dramatically cheaper than anywhere in the developed world.What's the catch? For a door ding like the Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1155120812197923622006-08-09T03:49:00.000-07:002006-08-09T03:54:03.256-07:00Uh-ohI less than 4 weeks of ownership, I have already damaged my car. I bumped into a pole while reparking the car and following the orders of a worker who was trying to direct me against incoming traffic. The damage is on one door, and on a rear panel above one of the rear wheels. The damage is all on the same side.I waited with my roommate over two hours in 45 degree heat waiting for the Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1153835254707834162006-07-25T06:31:00.000-07:002006-07-25T06:47:35.120-07:00I am MobileA few days ago, I purchased a brand new 2006 (as opposed to a 2007) Opel Astra. A few days ago, I purchased a car from General Motors.I like this car.Kind of a shocker right? An American buying American? Well it's not really an American car. It uses a lot of American parts, but final assembly is in Belgium, and a lot of the engineering and design came from Germany. But Opel has Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1152074891387401992006-07-04T21:36:00.000-07:002006-07-04T21:48:35.173-07:00GM and Renault and NissanI was planning on doing a series on what people drive in Dubai, and their place in the city's caste system, but because of this enormous piece of news, I must make a comment.As most of you know by now, Renault/Nissan and the infamous Carlos Ghosn (le Cost Cutter as he is known in France) has begun talks to purchase a stake in General Motors. Kirk Kerkorian, the Las VegasRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1150796931398992102006-06-20T02:33:00.000-07:002006-06-20T02:48:51.543-07:001.6 litre or 2.0I have all but given up purchasing a used car. Now my goal is to buy an Opel Astra, perhaps one of the few quality small cars GM produces. This car intrigues because of the fact that it is not sold in the US (but will be soon as a Saturn), and because it is generally considered a high quality German engineered machine. Even though it is produced under the enormous American Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1150619380208202122006-06-18T01:18:00.000-07:002006-06-18T01:29:41.120-07:00Buying a Car is HellThe search for a used car has probably met an end as I simply cannot find a quality used car in this country that I trust or like. I have test driven five vehicles, and I feel the used car dealers in this country are not reputable, or charge outrageous prices. My company allows me to get a huge deal on GM cars, and I think I am going to go with a new Opel Astra. I have yet Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1148822798334409362006-05-28T06:20:00.000-07:002006-05-28T06:26:38.943-07:00What about Rover?As a sufferer of attention deficit disorder, I routinely change my mind when confronted with new stimulus. Today that stimulus came in the form of an advertisement in Dubai's Gulf News classifieds, with a notice for a 2004 Rover 75 for sale at a little less than 50 thousand dirhams (13,615 dollars). It has a low mileage as well. The Rover 75 is a beautiful car, filled with Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1148394397019429572006-05-23T07:23:00.000-07:002006-05-23T07:26:37.813-07:00Another Possible CarI'm developing a hankering for the Peugeot 306, though a part of me says no. The Peugeot is available very cheaply here, and there are quite a few of them. It also fulfills my crazy requirement that the car I drive not be available in America. However the car seems very plebian. The interior is high quality, but it feels a little too middle class European socialist, devoidRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1148215300009271192006-05-21T05:21:00.000-07:002006-05-21T05:41:40.676-07:00I Need a Car or I will DieTaking a cab in this city is quite easy. There are an abundance of them. Getting to your destination without trouble is another matter entirely. Cab drivers aren't the most professional, and I have had to deal with at least two who did not know where either my hotel was or where Dubai Media City was. Dubai Media City is one of the biggest landmarks in the city, and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1148211858896352642006-05-21T04:32:00.000-07:002006-05-21T04:44:19.196-07:00Seatbelts OptionalThe driving habits of the developing world can be summed up in one word: "interesting". I have not yet bought a car, and I routinely share cab rides with my colleagues back and forth to the hotel my company has put me up in for temporary accomodation until I rent a place. Many of my colleagues find it interesting that I wear a seatbelt while in the back seat.In the UAE it is Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1147509119324687012006-05-13T01:28:00.000-07:002006-05-13T01:32:02.726-07:00Something I NoticedOne thing I can't get over, is that even with oil being as cheap as it is in this country, the cars are still slightly smaller than in the US. There are still many European hatchbacks, very few pickup trucks, and all the taxis are FWD Toyota Camrys, not RWD Ford Crown Victorias. While there is an incredible amount of building going on in this country, builders still prefer Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1147352311628857902006-05-11T05:36:00.000-07:002006-05-11T05:58:31.866-07:00Welcome to Car ValhallaWell please forgive me for the lack of updates but I hope you can understand that I have just moved to another country, and the rigours of setting myself up have taken up all my time. I am now writing this blog from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The British readers of this blog are intimately familiar with this city, and might even know someone here. There are over Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1144356243955469742006-04-06T13:43:00.000-07:002006-04-06T13:44:04.463-07:00Auto Company Primer: Running a Car Manufacturer in the 21st Century:In my arrogance based on voracious reading/viewing of car related material over the past decade (car magazines, news articles, Top Gear episodes) I'm going to set forth some rules I think are important for a car company to follow for success in this changing world of ours.1. Embrace Small Cars: In a world with ever increasing Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1141936505106891192006-03-09T12:20:00.000-08:002006-03-09T12:35:05.420-08:00Should governments intervene in their auto industries?It's a question that recently faced Great Britain with MG-Rover, the last mass market British automaker, and the US faces with General Motors and Ford. Should a government support and foster its automakers or allow them to compete freely in the market? George Bush has stated rather unequivocally that he has no intention of giving federal Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1139328767782605982006-02-07T07:59:00.000-08:002006-02-07T08:12:48.363-08:00The Car Mags Get it WrongVirtually every car magazine stateside has done a comparo with the new Mazda MX-5 (Miata) and the Pontiac Solstice. And in virtually every comparo, the Mazda wins. The journalists will take the two cars out on tracks, accelerate them to their max, run them through slalom courses, basically all the things that most consumers will never do to their cars, but that their Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1139096289071128262006-02-04T15:34:00.000-08:002006-02-04T16:01:45.340-08:00Two Not So Good IdeasThis:And this:Are not the best ideas for their respective marques. Why? In the first case, the newest XK for the Jaguar brand is simply ugly. In the history of Jaguar, I am at pains to find an example in that brand's esteemed history as to when they have produced an ugly vehicle. This might be their first. But the XK is not the answer to Jaguar's unending woes. Jaguar Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1137773491603364952006-01-20T08:11:00.000-08:002006-01-20T08:11:31.976-08:00Understanding Auto ShowsRecently we have seen the Los Angeles and Detroit Auto shows come and go. What can be drawn from these press party PR galas? I think a lot.If a car brand has only concepts showing, and no new models, you can expect their sales to decrease for the following year. Chevrolet had no new models for the Detroit show, but they did have a new concept. I expect Chevrolet's Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1137699710596122132006-01-19T11:08:00.000-08:002006-01-19T11:41:50.993-08:00The Japanese: Predictions for 2006Toyota: As an American living in Europe, I am not used to seeing a powerful company like Toyota be an also-ran to not one, but many other companies. Quite simply Toyotas are not the best selling vehicles in the UK or Europe. They are respected and have a good reputation, but Europeans consider them boring. However, I think Toyota is bound for yet another greatRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1135773271586765742005-12-28T04:27:00.000-08:002005-12-29T05:06:21.703-08:00More Predictions for 2006: The EuropeansFrom what I've garnered through years of reading Automotive News Europe, and finally moving over here, I see Europe as a very crowded and super competitive market for the car. Most cars are very small, which means smaller profit margins for manufacturers. The prices to run and maintain an automobile are also outrageous. Many Europeans do not know how to Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1135624367813684132005-12-26T11:12:00.000-08:002005-12-26T11:12:47.873-08:00Predictions for 2006I've decided to be ahead of the curve and make my predictions for the 2006 calendar year for which car companies are going to do well, and which ones aren't. I think making predictions for the upcoming year is relatively easy, any time period beyond that becomes very difficult. Some might disagree with these predictions but they are based on what the companies have announcedRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1134830823034934912005-12-17T06:34:00.000-08:002005-12-17T06:47:03.333-08:00Young American in Europe Wants to Buy a CarI'm not actually in the market for a car (yet), but like anyone fascinated by the subject of cars, I continuously dream about what my first car would be once I get the chance to purchase one. I have some requirements:1. The car must not be sold in the United States. I don't want a car I can get back home. In fact I want a car I can't get back home. Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1133992131119120542005-12-07T13:48:00.000-08:002005-12-07T13:48:51.376-08:00Toyota: Paper TigerThe great supposed "threat" to the Big 3, at least in the media's eyes, is Toyota. To them Toyota is the perfect representative of the Japanese perfect car. It is a car that is utterly reliable, non-polluting, and inoffensive. It is something though that does not exist.Toyota is a company with many weaknesses. It is only their fantastic performance in America that masks Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1133189395577473492005-11-28T06:42:00.000-08:002005-11-28T06:49:56.583-08:00Why the Large SUV Strategy is FlawedA company that shall remain nameless (cough GM cough) has put a lot of hope on renewed versions of their upcoming large and full size SUVs and pickups. This strategy is flawed. Why? Large SUVs sell only in an economic climate where fuel is cheap and abundant. The economy being strong helps as well. Unfortunately this type of environment will never occur Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1132848568686777302005-11-24T07:57:00.000-08:002005-11-24T08:09:29.126-08:00The Japanese in EuropeAs a foreigner living in London, I notice things that a native born person probably wouldn't. For instance there are an enormous number of Japanese tourists in this city. Japanese are very sophisticated dressers and almost never travel alone. The Japanese in their 20s dress in various wild punk outfits, many of the men have dyed hair that is spiked. In general they look Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1132084112324696612005-11-15T11:28:00.000-08:002005-11-15T11:48:32.410-08:00Is it the End for GM?Forbes has some interesting analysis about GM and why they feel (or at least the author of the piece feels) that GM will not go bankrupt. I think the piece is well written and well thought out. I agree entirely with all the points except one. The author feels that GM would merge with another company if bankruptcy were near like Chrysler did. I do not believe this could Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1130857195079836552005-11-01T06:55:00.000-08:002005-11-01T06:59:55.093-08:00How To Save GM--Ego EditionI just figured out how to save General Motors after chugging several cups of tea today and getting chest pains because of it.Chevrolet--FWD cars, merge the Impala and the Malibu into one model. Corvette is an exception.Buick--Fullsize FWD cars, share platforms with ChevroletPontiac--RWD cars, share platforms with HoldenCadillac--RWD cars, share platforms with Pontiac, Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1130701196885835912005-10-30T11:22:00.000-08:002005-10-30T11:39:56.966-08:00Energy Alternatives: Pros and ConsBelow is a list of the possible energy alternatives for cars, and what the various pros and cons are related to them. It's a very rough list so feel free to comment upon it and I will adjust and edit as the week goes by: 1. Battery powered. Pros: power comes from power plants not necessarily gasoline. Reduces importation of foreign oil. Technology is Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1130073196558747182005-10-23T06:01:00.000-07:002005-10-23T06:13:17.890-07:00America into Europe: The TransformationOne of my big surprises moving to London has been the size of the cars. Instead of there being an enormous amount of micro cars with two cylinder engines running about, most cars are about the size of a VW Golf or Ford Focus, and this being in a crowded metropolitan area rather than a suburb. They're really not that much smaller than America if you take Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1129482012475733892005-10-16T09:51:00.000-07:002005-10-16T10:00:13.860-07:00Brenda Priddy: CharlatanWhat the hell is that? The picture to the left is some sort of SUV, what it is specifically I have no idea. Allegedly it is the upcoming Dodge Caliber.Brenda Priddy and a few others all around the world love to sell these photographs to magazines, and then expect us to drool over them. But what are they? They are heavily camoflauged prototypes of soon to be made cars.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1128884895550928382005-10-09T11:59:00.000-07:002005-10-09T12:08:15.556-07:00The American Auto Industry: Near Collapse?Delphi is bankrupt and thousands will be out of work soon. Pundits in the auto world are already predicting the death of the entire American auto industry as a result. I think that that is certainly a possibility, but I doubt it will happen. Why?1. Bankruptcy does not mean the end of Delphi. It just means Delphi will return in a different form with aRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1128414697953967902005-10-04T01:30:00.000-07:002005-10-04T01:31:37.953-07:00RegistrationYou'll need to register to comment on my blog from now on because some sort of robot demon spammer has been commenting like crazy and I've had to eliminate him. Sorry for the inconvenience.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1128282685648444602005-10-02T12:38:00.000-07:002005-10-02T12:51:25.656-07:00If I get DeportedIf I get deported for some reason from the UK, my work visa is revoked, I get into a fight at a bar, I get profiled as an extremist, I plan on going to Dubai. The above picture is of a Chevrolet Lumina SS. Now to most Americans a Chevrolet Lumina is a mediocre FWD sedan built by GM in the 1990s. The Chevrolet Lumina SS is actually the Holden Commodore rebadged for the Middle Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1128176545618550602005-10-01T07:10:00.000-07:002005-10-01T07:22:27.430-07:00Jeremy Clarkson and Top GearI am stealing this subject from Auto Prophet but since I now live in Britain I thought that an entry about the show Top Gear and how Brits view cars in general might be interesting.Top Gear is probably one of the most popular, if not the most popular show in the UK. Pretty amazing right? A show about cars is the highest rated show. It comes on at the coveted 8pm Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1128175237357393002005-10-01T06:30:00.000-07:002005-10-01T07:00:39.990-07:00Busy WeekIt's been a busy week for me, starting a new job (finally) and getting acclimated to the British working environment. It's quite interesting and a contrast to the American work experience of endless hours of labor while looking over your shoulder for the possible pink slip followed by loss of health insurance and life as a beggar. Or at least I've made it that way in my mind. A brief Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1127682282086259662005-09-25T13:48:00.000-07:002005-09-25T14:04:42.096-07:00It Boggles the MindWith oil prices rising higher and higher, I can't believe in the vast majority of the mainstream press articles that I've read, and the comments from individuals is the steadfast belief that oil prices will eventually come down. They will not come down over the longterm because there is no more oil left in the world for them to use. I think a lot of people who have Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1127329406780198652005-09-21T11:52:00.000-07:002005-09-21T12:03:27.030-07:00Can we have an Oil-less Society?Quite simply no. Oil is used to make plastic, tires, roads, pesticides, and fertilizer. The good news is that we are not running out of oil. We are running out of cheap oil. We will need oil for the forseeable future, what societies need to do is remove oil usage from our trucks and cars, and possibly our planes and ships. It can be done with current levels ofRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1127257477508604192005-09-20T16:04:00.000-07:002005-09-20T16:04:37.513-07:00A New Look at the Car in EuropeI wrote a few days ago about a trip I took to the town of Cambridge, north of London, home of the esteemed University of Cambridge. I experienced small town gridlock traffic coming from parents dropping their children off at school, or commuting to the town center to their jobs. There was a great deal of bicycle usage and walking, but still there were a lot of Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1127121605340107052005-09-19T02:09:00.000-07:002005-09-19T02:20:05.756-07:00Quick CutsAutomotive News has some good articles this week concerning the state of the industry. Remember, these articles require subscription. I will highlight quotes from them though:American market turning into European market--GM Vice Chairman Robert Lutz says higher fuel prices, if sustained, inevitably would push Americans toward smaller cars. "If U.S. fuel prices start equaling fuel Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1126822726433286922005-09-15T15:07:00.000-07:002005-09-15T15:18:46.440-07:00My Life is Now CompleteI had a ride in a Rover 75 this morning while (or whilst?) on a trip to Cambridge. It was blue/grey colored with a petrol v6. Cambridge is a beautiful small city north of London with a population of around 100 thousand. One of my goals in life is to buy a Rover 75, either used, or perhaps in Chinese guise. It really is a great looking car, the size is just right, only Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1126541337777627912005-09-12T09:08:00.000-07:002005-09-12T09:08:57.786-07:00Where are the Girls?One thing I've noticed as a somewhat large difference between American and European autoshows, is the fact that European autoshows have the cars introduced by women in skirts and high heels, while American car shows either have the women dressed in pants, or no women at all and the car is introduced by pyrotechnics or a robot.Quite frankly I think Americans should adopt the Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1126284272681847332005-09-09T09:32:00.000-07:002005-09-09T09:44:32.686-07:00Living without a CarThis blog has become very peculiar in that it is about cars, and I no longer use a car. Because I have moved to London and am just starting out in my career, I can neither afford one, nor see the use of one. If I were to buy a vehicle for transportation, it would most likely be a motorcycle or scooter at this point.This is the first time in four years that I have not had my Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1126270556749400602005-09-09T05:54:00.000-07:002005-09-09T05:55:56.756-07:00Quick Note:Can anyone explain to me why the new 2006 Cadillac DTS is priced exactly the same as the current Cadillac STS, yet the only difference is that one is FWD, and the other is RWD. Why doesn't Cadillac have a 7-series fighter?Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1126033920816671112005-09-06T11:45:00.000-07:002005-09-06T12:12:00.856-07:00European vs. American brand views:Automotive News has a great article concerning brand viewpoints, or rather how the average person views a brand. They specifically concentrate on those brands that are "premium". The article unfortunately is only availabe to subscribers and can be found here. Below is an attempt at a chart comparing the views of what is premium in America verses what is Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1125924361637119612005-09-05T05:32:00.000-07:002005-09-05T05:46:01.853-07:00Hurricane Katrina, and the AftermathPart of living in the world of peak oil means that any disaster, revolution, war, any event that can even briefly affect the price of oil, if it occurs, the price will skyrocket and in the short term dramatically hurt the American economy.The New Orleans disaster could not have come at a worse time. With a significant percentage of our oil being drilled and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1125502758923922182005-08-31T08:27:00.000-07:002005-08-31T08:39:19.263-07:00GM's SUV StrategyI've written previously that GM's strategy of racing to redo their large SUVs in the midst of a gas crisis is the height of insanity. It seems that only now with the average price of gasoline reaching three dollars a gallon across the country, are they realizing their mistake. Originally they believed that the reason their large SUV sales were plummeting was because the designsRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1125413742571201562005-08-30T07:46:00.000-07:002005-08-30T07:57:10.263-07:00Watching from AbroadI was too sick to go the Carnival, but from what I've heard from others it was a disappointment. The heat and the crowds would have undoubtedly sent me to the hospital, where since I am not part of the European health scheme I would have been charged untold thousands of pounds.The biggest news on the automotive front is the Frankfurt car show, but as an American, like most ofRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1125278020985478592005-08-28T18:06:00.000-07:002005-08-28T18:13:40.990-07:00Under the WeatherI have a little bit of a head cold and will not be posting anything for the next couple of days. I'm trying to rest so that I will hopefully be healthy enough to attend Carneval over here, a rip-off of the Brazilian version, but growing steadily in popularity. It is a three day weekend right now, and tomorrow is supposed to be the "adult" day of carnival. Nipples ahoy!Many of Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1125009752847798082005-08-25T15:28:00.000-07:002005-08-25T15:42:32.853-07:00And Yet More on GasCNN/Money has a fluff piece on gas prices and their effects. What caught my eye was the fact that people are not necessarily changing their vehicles, they are changing their lives instead. That is disastrous for an economy. One of the big indicators at the health of an economy, especially America's, is how retailers are doing. As the behemoth WalMart absorbs every shop in Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1124828964376185572005-08-23T13:16:00.000-07:002005-08-23T13:32:02.273-07:00More on oilThe US government has decided to ease CAFE onto the auto industry according to this article, no doubt due to some crafty lobbying by the manufacturers. The market itself will probably have some say about that as well, and might even force automakers to all be well above the average because of high oil prices and consumers' inability to afford to fill up their cars. What's interestingRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1124563509311687462005-08-20T11:24:00.000-07:002005-08-20T11:45:09.320-07:00The High Price of GasolineThe gas crisis predicted by many has arrived, as well as a great transformation in American society. News stories about the high cost of gasoline are abundant in newspapers, with the Detroit Free Press having one every day. Here's a quote from one such Free Press article found here:"I love my truck," Coates, a tow-truck driver, says of his 2004 Ford F-150, "but I've Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1124372914006875822005-08-18T06:31:00.000-07:002005-08-18T06:48:34.013-07:00Interview with Marc Baxter: Part IIFirst of all, my apologies in not writing this up sooner. I can make a plethora of excuses all more lame than the last, but I will refrain from doing so. Onward with the interview.As I stated in part I one of this interview, Mr. Baxter works for BMW/MINI UK and is head of "Competitive Intelligence". How did he arrive at this position? Literally from the Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1124123856959421852005-08-15T09:24:00.000-07:002005-08-15T09:37:36.966-07:00Julie Roehm: Master of the MarketI'm not usually a fan of the belief that a good marketing job can sell any product. I think if a product is good, the buyers will come. Usually. I think that if a good product has a bad ad campaign, the buyers will still come. Come to think of it, have you ever heard of a best-selling product not having a good ad campaign? It sort of seems like the two go Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1123929823325964152005-08-13T03:32:00.000-07:002005-08-13T03:43:43.370-07:00Don't Give Up on Electric Cars YetThat's the opinion of some scientists anyway according to this Autoweek article. I've said this before, but I think electric cars have a real future in Europe, where commuting distances tend to be shorter, as well as trips for errands. The small size of cars here and the lighter loads they carry are perfect for current battery technology. I don't think Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1123755230109272572005-08-11T03:01:00.000-07:002005-08-11T03:13:50.116-07:00Interview with Marc Baxter: Part IAs I promised in previous postings, I would attempt to interview people working in the British auto industry. My first interview is with Marc Baxter of BMW/Mini UK. His position with the company is that of head of "Competitive Intelligence". It's a department I'm sure all car companies have, just not necessarily under that name. His department analyzes rivalsRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1123499715153701222005-08-08T04:08:00.000-07:002005-08-08T04:15:16.213-07:00The Diesel SUV is HereThe Jeep Liberty Diesel is selling at a rate more than double than expected. DaimlerChrysler is accomplishing this without selling one of these in five states including New York and California because of emissions restrictions. Can you imagine how many diesel Libertys would be sold if they could sell in all parts of America AND if they actually made a rebodied Liberty as aRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1123429373823934002005-08-07T08:40:00.000-07:002005-08-07T08:42:53.830-07:00Risk in Foreign LandsMichael Dunne of the Detroit News has a great article on the risks of dealing with companies in China. They aggressively steal competitors blueprints, and seeking any recourse in Chinese courts is virtually impossible. Economists today love to harp on the success of the Chinese economy. They forget to mention that China is also an incredibly corrupt nation that lacks many Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1123349349669981142005-08-06T10:19:00.000-07:002005-08-06T10:29:09.676-07:00Photos of BritainAnd some strange cars:Blurry Ford Ka, the smallest car Ford makes in Europe.A blurry older Vauxhall Corsa.A Peugeot 307. I'm kinda partial to this car. Peugeot and Renault make good popular products over here.My dump. Bigger update in the next couple of days.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1122986076779897902005-08-02T05:28:00.000-07:002005-08-02T05:34:36.786-07:00Denouncing the DealersOne of the blowbacks from employee pricing for the Big 3 has been further ostracization of dealers. It's probably the biggest reason why employee level discounts are not a good idea. According to Automotive News here (sub. required), dealers are ticked. Why is this bad? Because many dealerships if not most dealerships are not one brand sellers anymore. They usually haveRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1122920921328739242005-08-01T11:15:00.000-07:002005-08-01T11:31:13.056-07:00Retraction on Honda CriticismI previously said I was skeptical of the new Civic. No longer. It looks great, though this is the Euro version. I'm sure the American version will be similar, but there will be considerable de-contenting. I suppose I shouldn't care at this point since I'm living in Europe, but it's interesting to see the differences between European versions of cars and American Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1122743697066050412005-07-30T10:05:00.000-07:002005-07-30T10:14:57.073-07:00Travel Warning for Americans AbroadDo not say you like George Bush. I repeat, do not say you like George Bush. He is universally hated abroad, and some believe he might be the anti-christ. I despise him so I fit in well here.I have moved into my new flat, and am free from the pestilence of hostels. I've met a lot of foreigners in London, in fact most of the people I have met and had Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1122639964346810432005-07-29T05:22:00.000-07:002005-07-29T05:26:04.350-07:00Alarum, New Blog, Alarum!Auto IT blog is really interesting in that it is written by a Briton living in the UK who works in the auto industry and also does IT for them. This is of great importance to anyone who wishes to learn about the auto industry because virtually every car has a mini computer within it to control all kinds of things from bluetooth to climate control to ABS. I will be Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1122638954812271982005-07-29T05:04:00.000-07:002005-07-29T05:09:14.820-07:00Requests?Anyone have any requests for me while I'm in Britain? I'm going to be photographing strange cars once I move to my new abode out of the hostel. I've found that real photos instead of doctored studio ones give a person a really good idea about what t expect out of a vehicle. I'm really impressed by the way Peugeots look, as well as Alfa Romeos, though I haven't seen too many of the Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1122485218311135852005-07-27T10:16:00.000-07:002005-07-27T10:26:58.320-07:00Enjoying FlintI read on message forums, and on other blogs incredible distaste for Jerry Flint, automotive writer at large, but I really think that he's on the right track sometimes. He also relies mostly on his own intellect and a total lack of research to write his columns, much like most blogwriters. The one difference is that he is paid for his work, while the rest of us wish we were paid.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1122318938761435912005-07-25T12:06:00.000-07:002005-07-25T12:15:38.763-07:00Totally unnecessary and Extraneous Photos from the Tour De FranceTaken by me yesterday in Paris. Lance is one of those blurs I think.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1122318236635017032005-07-25T11:46:00.000-07:002005-07-25T12:03:56.643-07:00Weaning a Population off of OilThat's a photo of the Eurostar, or more popularly known as the "Chunnel". The photo is from yours truly just before I got on. It was my first time taking a so-called "bullet train", or a train that went over 100 miles per hour. While traveling the sensation is not one of high speed, with only the occasional ear popping to tell you that you are dropping in Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1122293928335294052005-07-25T05:17:00.000-07:002005-07-25T05:18:48.343-07:00Photo IssueI'm trying to upload photos from my digital camera, but I never installed the drivers. If anyone knows where to get drivers for a DSC S40 Sony Cyber-shot, I'd be very thankful. Some of the photos are from the end of the Tour De France if anyone's interested. I would post them all here. It's not exactly car related, but what the hell.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1121953988509102062005-07-21T06:43:00.000-07:002005-07-21T06:53:08.516-07:00I Have ArrivedI have arrived in the UK. Right now I'm staying at a hostel in Central London. As I write this, several bombs have gone off mere blocks away from where I am staying. The bombings actually occurred as I was walking back to my hostel. I had no idea they had occurred and was caught up in a huge wave of human traffic coming out of the Tube (what they call the subway). I was Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1121793365402827092005-07-19T10:04:00.000-07:002005-07-19T10:16:05.410-07:00Leaving for LondonI've mentioned it before, but the day has finally come. I'm moving to England! I'm excited, I have a student graduate work visa in hand, and I hope to parlay that into an indefinite work visa of some sort. I've never really done anything like this before, the most daring thing I've done to date is move across the country to Boston for college for four years. Or maybe it was Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1121725533507506042005-07-18T15:23:00.000-07:002005-07-18T15:25:33.513-07:00Uh-oh...maybe Ethanol doesn't workRead here.Those are some pretty high-falutin schools saying ethanol is not an adequate replacement for oil because of the amount of oil needed to produce ethanol. The article doesn't say whether the study takes into account ethanol run trucks and tractors to transport and cultivate the ethanol, or sticks with gasoline powered trucks and tractors. If the study Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1121668288226034382005-07-17T23:28:00.000-07:002005-07-17T23:31:28.226-07:00New LinkI never added this person's blog to my list to the right. Automuse is written by a female attorney who is interested in cars. I too have a law degree, but have decided at least for the time being not to practice law, and try to work in the auto industry in some non-legal capacity. Her blog I believe is a bit more popular than mine, so adding her link is at this point merely courtesy Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1121667926952737142005-07-17T23:12:00.000-07:002005-07-17T23:25:26.960-07:00Situation Analysis: Gasoline is 4 dollars per gallon in the USLet's imagine that gas goes to four bucks on average a gallon in this country. What then? That's a little less than double what is now. Several things would occur. There would be a massize movement of lease escapes from SUV owners. If the price of gasoline gradually rises, it would be a gradual escape, if it rises exponentially, Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1121573349992356082005-07-16T20:46:00.000-07:002005-07-16T21:09:10.000-07:00The Fall of Detroit?Continuing on with a theme of unmitigated negativity I read an interesting article concerning the current status of auto manufacturing in this country. Evidentally Canada now out produces the US in manufacturing cars. Why exactly? What does Canada have that we don't? For one they have government backed health care. I don't care what side of the aisle you are on in terms Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1121465248085884052005-07-15T15:01:00.000-07:002005-07-15T15:07:28.090-07:00A Brief Quote Concerning DoomsdayThe Car Connection has a brief mention of future gas prices for America. I can't find a link so here is the quote in its entirety:Higher Gas Prices Here for the Year Gas prices will stay at current levels through September and may even go higher, with no drop in sight through the end of the year, according to the government's Energy Information Administration. Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1121323368733634372005-07-13T23:29:00.000-07:002005-07-13T23:42:48.740-07:00Urea or Myea? It's an absolutely stupid and corny title, but it was all I could think of on the spur of the moment. The picture here is of urea in a powder form. Urea when mixed with diesel exhaust breaks it down into nitrogen and water. Several manufacturers wish to implement their diesel exhaust pipes with urea sprays. This will in turn enable diesel engines to meet the exhaust emission Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1121207600567524372005-07-12T15:18:00.000-07:002005-07-12T15:33:20.576-07:00Flawed Logic and Gas PricesAs the price of gas rises inexorably and creates a ripple effect in the price of goods and transport, one key issue has become the price of used vehicles. Used trucks and SUVs' values have plummeted while the value of used small cars has skyrocketed according to the Detroit News. Owners of SUVs and large trucks are also selling their vehicles as fast as possible, Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1120963180024720962005-07-09T19:31:00.000-07:002005-07-09T19:39:40.030-07:00The Downside to DiscountsNow that every American manufacturer is giving consumers the employee discount, it stands to reason that someone would write disparagingly of this strategy. And they did. I'm on the fence when it comes to this strategy myself. On the one hand it sells cars that normally wouldn't sell or at least wouldn't sell as fast. On the other hand it raises some issues:1. It Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1120762385211047122005-07-07T11:32:00.000-07:002005-07-07T11:53:05.246-07:00Learning to Drive StickLike most Americans, I have spent the vast majority of my driving experience with automatic transmissions. I never really wanted it this way, but because I've had to share my car with other members of my family, I've had to contend with their as well as my inability to drive stick shift. Recently, I've become determined to learn to drive stick for a couple of reasons. Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1120541649759118652005-07-04T22:22:00.000-07:002005-07-04T22:34:09.766-07:00Quick NoteIf they were to give a Times Car Company of the Year Award, that is an award to the car company that has been in the media spotlight the most this year, GM would be the hands down winner. The latest GM front page splash? Employee Discounts and the wild success they have been. Truck sales have seen a 75 percent rise, but car sales only 3 percent. I'm firmly of the opinion that this Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1120239631813477952005-07-01T10:39:00.000-07:002005-07-01T10:45:24.076-07:00Update on EthanolLooking at the ethanol industry's website here, they say that ethanol produces more energy than goes into it. I don't know if this is true or not, or just propaganda. Hopefully it is true because we need to wean ourselves off oil, and this seems like such an easy way to do it. And for those hybrid cheerleaders, we could still use hybrids to add even more mileage to vehicles. Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1120239210909773422005-07-01T10:26:00.000-07:002005-07-01T10:33:30.916-07:00Ethanol is Already HereLike I said in a post just a few days ago, ethanol is already here. And it's cheaper than gasoline. A regular reader, Rob, points out that there are studies that show that ethanol takes in more energy to make it (gasoline), than it puts out. Nowhere in the Detroit News article that I link to does it say whether this is so. The ethanol "flex fuel" that is currently on Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1120107758830370942005-06-29T21:53:00.000-07:002005-06-29T22:02:38.836-07:00Initial Response to the New CivicWhich can be seen here. This image is owned by Brenda Priddy, AND NOT ME. I am merely linking it. I think the design of this Civic is akin to the design of the current generation Accord. It's not offensive, but it's not anything else either. The Civic is an enormous part of Honda. I expect there to be a little more daring, especially with this market segmentRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1119935274256033682005-06-27T21:43:00.000-07:002005-06-28T06:44:32.393-07:00Yes Retro Does WorkJerry Flint, car pundit extraordinaire, argues in this column that retro does not work for car companies. His argument is fundamentally flawed, but for reasons most might not suspect.I've said it several times on this blog. The European and American manufacturers have an enormous advantage over their Asian competitors. They have a design heritage to draw from. Asian car Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1119558163125518052005-06-23T13:03:00.000-07:002005-06-23T21:59:53.730-07:00My Prediction for the Fuel of the Future: EthanolYes some commentators predicted I would pick ethanol, no doubt helped by my hint dropping. Ethanol is wildly inferior to gasoline, I will admit that. However, many may not realize that we are already using. Fuel blends with ethanol are available at gas stations everywhere. In California, you HAVE to have ethanol mixed fuel. Society has Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1119392084542474982005-06-21T15:12:00.000-07:002005-06-21T15:14:44.546-07:00Quick Comment on CommentsI've been getting a lot of great comments lately. Keep it up. I looked at one of my responses down below and felt my tone was a little too negative. The argument for hybrids is a good one. I am certainly in a small minority of people who believe in increasing fuel prices and against the applicability of hybrids. When I have time I will spell out my theory on what Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1119331550118918572005-06-20T22:11:00.000-07:002005-06-20T22:25:50.123-07:00Jaguar's RealignmentI've neglected to add my two cents to the Premiere Automotive Group's decision to realign Jaguar as a niche player. (subscription) I think it's a great move. If they can parlay that status into making competitors for Porsche, or just making sedans that are really daring and don't try to clone BMWs, they'll do fine. At the end of the day it really is more about profit than Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1118948338408090342005-06-16T11:45:00.000-07:002005-06-16T12:05:04.683-07:00Growing Doubts on HybridsI've been thinking hybrids over the last few weeks and I'm beginning to wonder if they are the intermediate solution to impending fuel shortages. I think that low sulfur gasoline and diesel combined with efficient engines from automakers to run those low sulfur fuels is the solution. Hybrids are not. Let me list some of the weaknesses of hybrids:1. They do not get the Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1118861186591132222005-06-15T11:40:00.000-07:002005-06-15T11:46:26.596-07:00Or Maybe Not...A loyal reader sent me an email with a link to a Washington Post editoral about GM. It's very well written and hopefully isn't correct about the future because the writer believes that this new wave of products just isn't going to cut. She bases her opinion on the fact that every last new wave of products didn't cut it either, and the chief problem with GM is a corporate culture Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1118770702173519312005-06-14T10:32:00.000-07:002005-06-14T10:38:22.180-07:00GM Might Just Be Getting ItThe Car Connection has an article with several quotes from Bob Lutz and others at GM that tell us they believe product shall be the new king. One quote caught my eye:"We see a huge opportunity here for us to capture the essence of the American automobile in its glory days. The Japanese can't follow us there any more than they could follow Harley-Davidson. We believe Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1118692437406930022005-06-13T12:50:00.000-07:002005-06-13T12:53:57.410-07:00Bill Ford, Regular JoeFord stopped in at one of his plants in a surprise visit. It's good to see someone at least try to be one with the labor. I think Ford has done that marvelously. In this day and age where companies that build cars are worth billions and billions of dollars, to see a family owned company, and to see the head of that family act like he cares about the company, is reassuringRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1118383592616582982005-06-09T22:59:00.000-07:002005-06-09T23:06:32.623-07:00Unleash the DaewooA brief little article from Autoweek details how GM is doing extremely well with its purchase of Daewoo, as opposed to its purchase of FIAT which was disastrous. Daewoo has given Chevrolet new platforms and abilities to make cheap reliable transportation. A GM official is even quoted as saying GM now has their own Hyundai.Well then let's see it. So far GM has given us the Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1118373495124528022005-06-09T20:08:00.000-07:002005-06-09T20:18:15.130-07:00Volkswagen: Let go of the LuxuryVolkswagen's sales in the US have not been the strongest as of late. Why? Is it a poor series of new products? Have they been slumping across the world? No to both questions. Volkswagen's leadership in America has released to its US dealers versions of its new Jetta filled with options, and not priced competitively. Consequently, VW's American arm, and its Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1118079257800467462005-06-06T10:27:00.000-07:002005-06-06T10:34:17.806-07:00Corporate Pork I SupportAn article in the Detroit News tells us that in the current energy bill making its way through the House, there is a provision that allows "[automakers] to take credit for producing vehicles that run on ethanol even if owners are using regular gas." This will raise the average fuel mileage of an automaker's fleet, which allows the automaker to avoid fines that they incur Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1117771331386763392005-06-02T20:36:00.000-07:002005-06-02T21:02:11.393-07:00Coolness and the CarThe Toronto Globe and Mail writes about the idea of "coolness" and how the Big 3 just don't get it. From a language perspective, the word "cool" has been so overused and become so vague and vacuous that it has almost no meaning. I suppose "cool" means, from a product perspective, a vehicle that young people, or the mass media deem as a "must-have". The article points this Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1117651639836797522005-06-01T11:46:00.000-07:002005-06-01T11:47:19.836-07:00Comments are BackI don't know how they disappeared, but I edited the blogger template and they should be returned. Comment to your heart's content.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1117650168636531642005-06-01T11:05:00.000-07:002005-06-01T11:22:48.640-07:00Doing SUVs Right: The Hummer H3The Detroit News has an article about the new Hummer H3 and wonders whether or not the 220 HP I-5 engine will be enough for consumers. My argument in support of the SUV is that here is a great looking vehicle, with a stellar interior getting 20 MPG. This vehicle will be one to watch. It's an SUV that gets decent mileage, but as the article above warns, is very Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1117322791181763532005-05-28T16:00:00.000-07:002005-05-28T16:26:31.200-07:00Growing Doubt on HybridsAn article from Autoweek concerning direct injection engines got me thinking. Direct injection engines are gasoline engines that through a complex process I do not completely understand, are able to take low sulfur gasoline, and get mileage comparable to a diesel car. Direct injection engines are now only available, or will soon be available, in Europe. For America, Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1117236197605094712005-05-27T16:08:00.000-07:002005-05-27T16:24:23.616-07:00Great Interview with Ford COO Jim PadillaAutonews and Autoweek have a rather good and informing interview about the state of the Ford Motor Company with Jim Padilla, COO. As my obsession with the interplay between increasing oil prices in America and automakers grows, I've highlighted that part of this interview that covered the subject below, with Padilla's words in italics, and the Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1116783365260387772005-05-22T10:28:00.000-07:002005-05-24T10:40:26.173-07:00Lexus and Japan in EuropeAutonews (reg. required) has an article about Lexus's travails in Europe. It's interesting. Lexus is seen by many if not all reliability surveys as the most reliable brand in existence. Lexus offers adequate handling and power compared with rivals BMW and Mercedes, adequate accessories, and superior reliability. Sales are increasing, but in general the whole Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254721.post-1116533091252548182005-05-19T12:49:00.000-07:002005-05-19T13:04:51.256-07:00The Man with the PlanThis is very big news. The Detroit News is reporting what GM's future focus will be, specifically the plan to get them out of the spot they're in at the moment. It's a plan that sounds good and it's unfortunate that it didn't come sooner. So much of GM's problems stem from disorganization of models, something I and many other pundits have been complaining about for Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02289293470050484888noreply@blogger.com1