Recent Comments:
Six cities busted for shortening yellow light {Autoblog}
Apr 14th 2008 9:59AM As a resident of Tennessee, I'm not surprized that 2 cities in this state made the government's of those that shortened the duration of the yellow lights at traffic signals. Memphis should also be there, but wasn't I'm guessing because we don't have a preponderance of traffic cameras...yet. Driving around Memphis I typically notice that the length of the yellow light varies from being long enough to allow just 1 or 2 cars through safely, to being long enough to allow 3.
I can umderstand that traffic would make it necessary to vary the duration of the green lights, but the duration of the yellow light should be consistent EVERYWHERE in the U.S.A.
Beijing '08 Preview: 2009 Hyundai Elantra to debut with new face {Autoblog}
Apr 10th 2008 4:55PM The previous generation of Elantra was/is a decent driver..even if it wasn't considered to be outstandingly beautiful (but then, neither was most of it's competition). This generation of Elantra is pretty decent looking (as is it's competition) but now, it doesn't drive as well. Like the bigger Honda Accord, the Elantra has gotten soft and Buick-like.
I might have bought the old Elantra, but with the new one......looks aren't everything, Hyundai.
House hears bill to establish minimum sound levels for vehicles {Autoblog}
Apr 10th 2008 4:46PM Let's get THE answers for everything from the government. First, folks complained that cars, trucks, and especially motorcycles were too LOUD. So manufacturer's went to some pains to make their respective vehicles quieter. Now, a few people are complaining that a few cars (how many hybrid vehicles are currently on the road?) are too quiet.
BTW, NO this isn't more important than roof crush standards, as a previous poster implied. Last time I checked, rollovers occur more often than NEAR MISSES between hybrid vehicles and pedestrians.
If the government really wants to do something about vehicle noise levels, I suggest making it a misdemeanor to blast rap music from a vehicle within the city limits of all U.S. cities.
Dodge's Journey will make all your dreams come true {Autoblog}
Apr 9th 2008 1:06PM After looking at the gallery photos of the interior/dashboard, I now know where the folks who "styled" the '08 Focus dashboard are now employed. IMHO, the interior COULD look decent in a solid color...like charcoal, but the two-tone treatment (at least as pictured here) really kills this car, um...truck? CROSSOVER?
Suzuki boss steps down due to poor sales in U.S. {Autoblog}
Apr 1st 2008 11:57AM Wow, imagine how many unemployed CEO types the U.S. auto industry would have if the folks at the top of GM and Ford behaved like this guy? No excuses, real or fictional, just "I didn't make my numbers, therefore I must resign (in shame)".
Carmakers reducing options, saving money {Autoblog}
Apr 1st 2008 12:21AM Ford "claims" thousands of possible build combinations with the Focus...I somewhat doubt that as I've tried to build a Focus (and a few other Fords) to my taste and ALWAYS got stymied by Ford's insistence that I MUST take option "B" to get option "A". Example? Want tilt/cruise, you must take SYNC on the mid model Focus.
BTW Ford, to reduce the number of variations, Honda no longer sells a Civic with crank windows and OPTIONAL ABS. Ford has cut the base price of it's cars by keeping ABS optional...along with traction control, and by foolishly making the lowest level of Focus with crank windows.
Companies would do me a favor, I don't know about anyone else, if they stopped offering multiple shades of grey/silver paint, and black paint. The Focus has 2 shades of blue paint, 2 or 3 shades of silver/grey yet most of the cars have one available color of interior.
Time for an update of the Automotive Family Tree {Autoblog}
Mar 30th 2008 7:20AM "...GM takes up most of the space on the chart, dwarfing Toyota"
Do you suppose this is the case because:
1.) GM has been building cars for a longer period of time, and building them in more countries, than Toyota?
2.) GM and its subsidiaries/affliates have no qualms about doing joint ventures with other companies...even competitors?
3.) Both 1 and 2 ?
The only things GM and Toyota have (had?) in common? Both often build very conservative cars for the mass market and both are very top heavy with management.
Beijing '08 Preview: Roewe 550 sedan spied at commercial shoot {Autoblog}
Mar 27th 2008 12:59PM "....undersized, oddly-shaped headlights", a criticism that could be leveled at several cars on the world's roads. The only truly "odd" thing about the headlights, that I can see, is that they don't quite match up to the grille. It looks like someone styled the headlights, and they had no clue as to what the grille's dimensions were going to be.
If I remember right, the Rover 55 was about the size of a 4th gen Accord (90 to 93 in the U.S.) or else the size of a mid '90s Civic. As a "do-over" not too bad an effort, but not that great either.
GM making sure Camaro accessories are ready {Autoblog}
Mar 27th 2008 10:31AM With today's cars leaving the factories with so much in the way of "options" now being standard equipment I'm glad to see that GM has decided to "endorse" some of the useless crap formerly available only from the aftermarket. How soon before we see those naked lady mudflaps with a GM part number?
Ford Australia denies American RWD platform development {Autoblog}
Mar 26th 2008 7:26PM It's unfortunate, but Ford U.S. has had (and apparently STILL has) a bad case of NIH....not invented here. I thought this was left behind in the late '80s, but it is rearing it's ugly head again. Come on Ford U.S. you let Japan and Sweden design the small and mid-size cars...is it really that hard to let Ford AU do a (as in 1) RWD platform? Maybe if there had been some sharing before this we would have had a "kick ass" T-Bird and/or Mustang.
