Recent Comments:
Spy Shots: Chevy Cruze shows off its interior {Autoblog}
Aug 3rd 2008 1:26PM "I have a feeling the Chevy version's interior will not look like that cause of the cost of materials + other excuses from GM"
That's what they said about the new Malibu, and it turned out the conventional wisdom was wrong there. The 'bu features excellent materials that are the best I've seen in a Chevy - high quality plastics and soft touch dash. Not quite camcord standard yet; there's a couple of spots where GM cheaped out, but they're out of the way and the overall environment is inviting and confidence-inspiring. The whole setup is really VERY close in quality to the likes of Honda and Toyota.
That being the case, I can't help but worry that you might be right. I know the USDM Cruze will be built in the USA, so parts/materials sourcing should be roughly the same as for the Malibu, but as bad as GM has been about cost-cutting their cars, their compact offerings have always suffered the most - they've historically been so substandard it's embarrassing. This really could go either way.
2009 Mazda3 four-door to be unveiled in LA {Autoblog}
Aug 1st 2008 4:53PM Bull's eye.
Spot on assessment of the current Mazda3 and it's likely successor. Great post.
The Clone Wars: Chinese copy banned from Europe {Autoblog}
Jul 25th 2008 6:00PM "I guess these will still be sold in China in great numbers?"
You can bet on it. China is capitalist friendly insofar as elements of it work to their benefit. Their current system is not sustainable, but they're gonna try to the bitter end, what with change being so slow and painful and all that.
At this rate, they oughta rename the country to "Zerox"
New KITT Attack Mode revealed at Comic Con {Autoblog}
Jul 25th 2008 5:26PM You know it's coming. Hide the children.
Insignia will come to U.S. as a Saturn, with new sheetmetal, interior {Autoblog}
Jul 23rd 2008 5:35PM Technically, we didn't get the Vectra as is.. the interior for the Aura is U.S. spec only. Never really been feeling it; a little too oldsmobile for my taste. I like the Opel interiors, even if the ergonomics are little off. Sit in an Astra or a Vue and compare to the Aura and Outlook and you're likely to see what I mean. Even so, it's a small adjustment really, and I don't think it's enough to justify changing the whole thing. People are OK with it on VWs and other euro cars, so I don't understand why GM is fretting so much over this.
Someone needs to explain to GM (and Ford! jeez!!) what the market means when it states collectively "Bring this over." Maybe it's just me, but last time I checked, it didn't mean "stall and drag your feet so you can bring it over with your bland tweaks overriding the good sense of balance and taste imparted by the European designers you hired to do the job correctly in the first place."
Seriously GM.. if we didn't like it, we wouldn't ask for it.
Mercury rising: Thursday announcement expected to lay out Euro-infused future {Autoblog}
Jul 22nd 2008 3:30PM I'm not so sure about that. GM tried this with Saturn and they seem to be getting very mixed results. I too used to think that Mercury should be Ford's answer to Saturn ("The Euro Outlet" if you will) but after thinking about it in historical context for Mercury vs Saturn, and watching closely how it's worked so far for GM, I can say that GM has a reasonable chance here, Ford does not.
Mercury essentially appeals to the same crowd as Buick, so you can imagine how tough it would be to make "Buick" cool when you consider the very heavy stigma attached to the elderly brand (read: Mercury). At least Saturn USED to be cool once, so giving it a second chance isn't the same drastic leap of faith as far as the buying public is concerned, which is probably the only real reason GM is seeing any good results at all with the Saturn/Opel alignment and cross-development model.
No.. the answer is to kill Mercury and modernize Ford with the euro models. The public will buy into it because Ford has already been making a credible -- if insufficient thus far -- effort to get with the program. The brand carries a more youthful and respected image (I know.. but compared to Mercury) and is a lot more salvageable when you consider it's easier to get more people in a Ford dealership than is the case with Mercury. An entire generation has grown up not knowing Mercury has a storied history. (What's a Cougar?) But that same generation knows about iconic products like the Mustang and F-150, plus the Edge and Fusion show that at least Ford is doing something worthwhile. But nobody ever hears about Mercury. Maybe nobody should.
Spy Shots: 2009 Acura TL in the buff {Autoblog}
Jul 21st 2008 9:52PM "Just kidding. The grill is fugly, though. :)" - Torrent
Seriously. You know it's gotta be bad if the dead panel on the C pillar of Mazda's new 6 is downright artistic harmony by comparison.
...
"Dear Acura,
We get it. Stop blinding us with the damned grill already.
Thanks. That would be great.
Love,
Helen Keller
PS, ..::. .::. :... ... .:.: :::.. :::.: you butt monkeys!"
Lutz: No Beat for the U.S., smaller CUVs on the way, Insignia stalled {Autoblog}
Jul 15th 2008 3:03PM I was laughing so hard this put tears in my eyes.
Then I realized not all those tears were funny.
I'm starting to think "wait for the next generation" is the automotive equivalent to the "we have solvency" line coming out of now defunct banks like Countrywide and IndyMac.
GM's turn around is starting to look like Ford's way backward.
2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8s still available {Autoblog}
Jul 15th 2008 11:20AM "Sometimes you just have to step down a few notches to talk in a way the small minded will understand."
No kidding. Us IT geeks call that "Backwards Compatible" - seems the only way to get through today's thick skulls.
Low-rolling resistance tires going mainstream {Autoblog}
Jul 14th 2008 7:42PM Cut that out with reading the fine print and stuff. You're not supposed to be informed.. you're supposed to be a lemming who does whatever he's told to reduce his carbon footprint. And the auto industry wants to help you do that.
This is about marketing higher MPG numbers so you won't feel as bad about killing the planet. All other concerns are secondary.
