Recent Comments:
Production of Tata Nano could be delayed due to land dispute {Autoblog}
May 13th 2008 7:42PM The blog is about the Auto Industry. Like it or not the Nano is quite likely going to be a revolutionary vehicle for the whole industry. At such a low price in key emerging markets in Asia at the right time this vehicle could quite possibly become the best selling vehicle ever.
Chrysler kills rebadge of Dodge Journey to work on small car {Autoblog}
May 13th 2008 3:28PM I have to agree having sat inside a few. I was impressed with the Dodge Journey overall especially the competitive price but the quality of the interior materials was disappointing and for me would be a deal breaker. For the price point it is still good value but it would have taken more than a new badge to move it upmarket.
Looks like 2010 is going to be Chrysler's make it or break it year. They appear to be putting all the eggs into that basket and hoping for another company saving new product. I really hope the current management pulls it off.
Tweaked 2009 Ford Focus Coupe debuts {Autoblog}
May 13th 2008 12:08PM As opposed to which Automaker? We were in the market for a small vehicle recently and ESC was something we were looking for. The Focus apparently had ESC at one point but not enough people wanted to pay for it so they made the dumb move of dropping it. Toyota doesn't offer ESC on it's entry level model (Yaris) and you have to buy the top line XRS Corolla to get it. Only the SRT4 model of the Dodge Caliber get's it standard and last I checked you couldn't get it on the Aveo or the Cobalt and it was an expensive option only available on the topline Suzuki SX4. Even Honda who has been pushing their "Safety for Everyone" doesn't allow you to get ESC on their entry level model (Fit). Considering the fact that these vehicles are pretty much all equiped with ABS adding ESC to them isn't a big deal for the automakers. So Ford is not the only one who is late to the party with this feature on their entry level model. They are all going to have to get it in the next couple of years(for the US market anyway).
Enter the Rumormill: Ford considering F-100 small pickup {Autoblog}
May 12th 2008 1:37PM Sounds more like a F-149.5
Based on that size it is likely to just steal sales from the F-150. People are looking for a truck that get's decent fuel economy and this doesn't sound like it.
Toyota responds to Ford's new initial quality ads {Autoblog}
May 12th 2008 12:57PM It is called comparing Apples to Oranges. If you are willing to keep paying your mechanic you can keep pretty much anything on the road forever. What pulls cars off the road is when the cost of fixing it becomes more than the cost of replacing it. That is going to happen a hell of a lot sooner with an old Tempo or Taurus that you paid $500 for than it is with a Lexus. Luxury cars in general tend to stay on the roads much longer. There are certainly enough old Jags out there and nobody would suggest for a moment they were reliable vehicles.
I don't get where all the hate comes from? Everyone knows the domestics were not on top of their game in the 80-90's (the same can be said of the Japanese cars of the 60-70's and early 80's). They are picking up their game now so get over it. Competition is good for us drivers. I would hate to live in a world where the only thing I could buy was a beige coloured Toyota. With the domestics picking up their game we are going to have more real choices on what to buy and Toyota and Honda might have to actually invest some money in making cars that are fun to drive and have style not just reliability going for them. Competition means everyone builds better cars and we get more choices. So open your eyes and take a look at what is out there now. Just because your 15 year old winter beater Chev is crap doesn't mean the new Malibu is.
The fact that Toyota responded to the ad at all and tried to discredit inital quality shows they now they are in for some real competition.
You know what they say: Court orders Volvo to pay man with big feet {Autoblog}
May 7th 2008 9:22PM Take a pill. Wtf is it with all the politics on here today. The closer we get to the Yank election season the closer everyone's head get's to exploding. It gives me a headache.
I consider myself a liberal and I don't believe in this type of crap either and really don't need anyone to tell me what I do or don't believe in as a liberal.
When you buy a vehicle it is up to you the purchaser to ensure that it meets your needs before you sign. If I had really big feet I think that is something I would check on before I bought a vehicle. What ever happened to common sense?
Ford holds Taurus SHO focus group in Chicago... what does it mean??? {Autoblog}
May 7th 2008 8:54PM You have seen the Taurus right? That is one big car. It would eat a 4 cylinder engine for breakfast. There is a reason why car makers don't put 4 cylinder engines in Minivans anymore. The strain murders the engines and in real world conditions a 4 Cylinder engine straining to pull too much weight saves you little or no gas over a 6.
If they build a new SHO it will be AWD and and Twinforce (Eco whatever) V6. No way a low volume seller like the SHO is going to have the kind of sales to pay off development costs for going RWD.
There is some irony to all the people saying they can't make a SHO out of the current Taurus. Sounds a lot like the comments people made about the original SHO that Ford couldn't make a sports sedan out of the old Taurus. They can and if they do it will have the same halo effect on the new Taurus that the old SHO gave the old Taurus.
Obama picks worst car ever to come out of Motown {Autoblog}
May 7th 2008 12:02PM First off can you folks cut the American Politics. This is a car site. I don't get how you folks always seem to be on the verge of civil war whenever you have to pick a new leader. There are enough sites on the internet where you can tear each other apart. I really don't want to read about it here.
I would pick the first generation Cadillac Cimarron.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Cimarron
The year was 1981 and GM was taking a shot at FWD with their new J bodies. Unfortunately it would take them years to get FWD right and their customers would pay the cost in constant repairs. Build quality was at an all time low and the early J bodies punished anyone brave enough to buy. So why not take some of those Cavaliers and dress them up as Cadillacs and sell them for double the price. A Caddy with an Inline 4 and a 4 speed manual or 3 speed auto. It was the biggest badge engineering crime ever committed on the car buying public.
Chrysler criticized for $2.99 gas, Suzuki jumps on bandwagon {Autoblog}
May 6th 2008 7:12PM $2.99 gas is a neat gimick that might actually work. Numbers wise it probably wont cost them anything near what rebates cost and they are getting a ton of press out of it. When you consider here in Canada they are throwing up to $11,500 in "price adjustments" on the hood before you even start to negotiate $2.99 gas becomes a bargain for them. They have people talking so the promotion is already a sucess. I would expect more automakers to copy this idea.
VW Group's next small-car platform to get AWD across the board {Autoblog}
May 6th 2008 5:01PM Looks like a mad Snoopy.
