Autoblog

NYT columnist calls on Steve Jobs to fix Detroit

Chris Tutor — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Chrysler, Ford, GM, Volkswagen

In 2001, General Motors needed a revival and Bob Lutz was anointed The One. It was widely accepted that if anyone could breathe life into a struggling car company, it was him.

Fast-forward seven years, and GM is in the midst of a possible government bailout while its stock price sinks faster than a HUMMER's gas gauge on the freeway. It would seem that Maximum Bob's legendary straight-talking reputation for taking no prisoners and slicing through corporate red tape hasn't produced the results his supporters expected.

So if Bob Lutz can't save Detroit, who can? Steve Jobs, that's who. At least that's what Pulitzer Prize-winning Thomas Friedman says in his New York Times column. While some might be averse to the company, its products and/or its leader, Apple has made a ton of money while re-defining the computer, music and mobile phone industries. Isn't innovation what Detroit needs most?

What Friedman proposes is asking Steve Jobs to perform a "national service" for his country by taking reigns of one of Detroit's automakers for a year. The columnist has so much faith in the visionary talents of Jobs, he believes we'll all be lined up for a chance to buy a shiny new Chevrolet iCar. Or a JeepPro. Or a Mercury Lisa.

But we've heard in the past that Apple's CEO has been working for the other teams, so maybe Steve Wozniak could find some time in his schedule.

[Source: The New York Times via MacDailyNews]

NYT columnist calls on Steve Jobs to fix Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is this the iCar? Nah, couldn't be

John Neff — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Gadgets, Volkswagen

Last August speculation begin to swirl about a joint collaboration between Apple and Volkswagen to produce the unofficially named iCar. All the rumors were based on a report by a German publication that claimed Apple CEO Steve Jobs had met with Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn. Volkwagen confirmed the meeting, but provided no specific details about what was discussed. Topics could have ranged from Apple assisting the German automaker with the user interface of its new touchscreens, as Engadget had discovered that the VW had used a touchscreen UI very similar to Apple's Cover Flow UI in its up! concepts, to a full blown collaboratively developed car, aka the iCar. As is often the case with Apple rumors, the iCar was likely more a product of what people wished for rather than what the facts suggested. The newest issue of Autobild, however, features a never-before-seen VW concept joined on the cover by an iPhone. Is this the iCar? Who knows. It will likely pop up at some point during the next auto show season and all questions will be answered, but the Apple rumor machine will likely provide us with some outrageous explanations in the meantime.

[Source: Carscoop]

Is this the iCar? Nah, couldn't be originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jaguar design chief says XF is Apple flavored

Chris Tutor — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 12:33:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Jaguar

"We have been working with Apple on control interfaces."

That's a direct quote from, not Martin Winterkorn at Volkswagen, but Ian Callum, the design director for Jaguar, as quoted by CAR magazine. Callum says Jaguar's new XF's start button "starts to pulsate" when the driver gets into the car. Once running, the car's hidden air vents "rise up" and the JaguarDrive Selector pops up from the console. Actual buttons are kept to a min.

Sounds all very high-tech and somewhat Apple-like. The pulsating start button is very reminiscent of Apple computers' power indicator lights.

So now we have Apple confirmed to be working with Jaguar and rumored to be working with Volkswagen and Mercedes. Another item of interest we came across in researching this post is a Macrumors story which says it heard about the CAR interview with Callum from Macrumors reader -- get this -- Chris Bangle. Could it be? Nah.

Thanks for the tip, Chris!

[Source: CAR Magazine via Macrumors]

Jaguar design chief says XF is Apple flavored originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple, Volkswagen creating the iCar?

Chris Tutor — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:28:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Volkswagen

For years, an Apple-designed car has been both the butt of jokes and the dream of many an Apple fanboy. Could a fashionably cool car from Cupertino be on the horizon? German publication Sueddeutsche reports that Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn has been talking to Apple's CEO Steve Jobs about something, though exactly what isn't totally clear.

If you're a follower of Apple product development, you know rumors and speculation can run absurdly wild years before the company unveils anything official. Combine that fact with Google's ability to translate German (Google says Martin winter grain is the head of VW, for example) and the two might have only gotten together for a rousing game of Donkey Kong on Jobs' iPhone.

[Sources: Sueddeutsche via MacDailyNews, Financial Times Deutschland via EE Times, and Snopes]

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Apple, Volkswagen creating the iCar? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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