Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Inside Line attempts to name 100 Worst Cars of All Time]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/14/inside-line-attempts-to-name-100-worst-cars-of-all-time/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/14/inside-line-attempts-to-name-100-worst-cars-of-all-time/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/14/inside-line-attempts-to-name-100-worst-cars-of-all-time/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Inside Line is at it again, this time with a list of the 100 worst cars ever made. While we were pretty pleased with the website's choices for its 100 best earlier this year, this one is somewhat less satisfying, which is to be expected.

Calling out the bad eggs is indeed trickier and more fraught with potential missteps than merely committing sins of omission. So yes, we've got our beef with a few of the cars listed. The General Motors EV1 at #92? That's like calling out Gottleib Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach for not building a flying car. The Porsche 914 at #45? Hardly. If you want to pick on a Porsche, why not the 924? Speaking of which, putting the BMW Isetta on the list (#3) is like bullying a kindergartener. And don't even get us started on the inclusion of the Ariel Atom, at #94 or any other number.

Despite our quibbling, the list is a lot of fun - and sure to bring back "fond" memories for those who've had the misfortune of owning Iron Duke-powered GM products or tried to convince others that a Renault Fuego qualifies as a sports car. After devouring all 100 entries, we can say with certainty that there are far more "worthy" of inclusion here, and encourage you to name names in the comments.

And before anyone gets upset that our lede photo spills the beans on the "winner," ask yourself, is there any other vehicle that could possibly top such a list?

Inside Line attempts to name 100 Worst Cars of All Time originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>100 worst cars of all time914ariel atomaztekbmwbmw isettaedmunds inside lineev1inside lineisettapontiacpontiac aztekporscheporsche 914worst carsWed, 14 Dec 2011 11:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20127123/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/12/14/inside-line-attempts-to-name-100-worst-cars-of-all-time/20127123/article-detail.xml 20127123 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/12/x04pnaz001_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/12/x04pnaz001.jpg <![CDATA[Bob Stempel, former GM CEO, dead at age 77]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/10/bob-stempel-former-gm-ceo-dead-at-age-77/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/10/bob-stempel-former-gm-ceo-dead-at-age-77/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/10/bob-stempel-former-gm-ceo-dead-at-age-77/#commentsFiled under:

Robert Stempel, former GM CEOThe Detroit Free Press is reporting that former General Motors CEO Robert C. Stempel has passed away in Florida at the age of 77. The chief executive began his career at GM as an engineer in 1958, but worked his way up to several high-ranking jobs by the 1970s. After running Pontiac, Opel and the Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac group, Stempel was named CEO in 1990. His time as CEO was a short one due in part to a loss of $7 billion in 1991. The tumultuous time included 12 plant closures and the loss of 74,000 jobs, which lead to a boardroom revolt.

The former CEO was also a gifted engineer, leading the development of the catalytic converter. Stempel also used his engineering prowess to help push for the EV1 electric car, and after his time at GM he continued to work on other green technologies including solar power. GM has issued a statement thanking Stempel for his service at the automaker, calling him "a very popular chairman with employees."

Bob Stempel, former GM CEO, dead at age 77 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bob stempelev1general motorsgmrobert stempelstempelTue, 10 May 2011 09:27:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19936329/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/05/10/bob-stempel-former-gm-ceo-dead-at-age-77/19936329/article-detail.xml 19936329 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/05/robert-stempel-suit-and-tie_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/05/robert-stempel-suit-and-tie.jpg <![CDATA[Revenge of the Electric Car coming to a theater near you... sometime]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/31/revenge-of-the-electric-car-coming-to-a-theater-near-you-some/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/31/revenge-of-the-electric-car-coming-to-a-theater-near-you-some/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/31/revenge-of-the-electric-car-coming-to-a-theater-near-you-some/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Chris Paine filming Revenge of the Electric Car

Remember the documentary "Who killed the Electric Car?" Director Chris Paine created the film in 2005 and 2006 to bemoan the decision of some automakers to kill off their electric car programs. It's now five years later and Paine and company are back with a vengeance videotaping "Revenge of the Electric Car."

In the original film, General Motors was reviled for its decision to deep-six the innovative EV1 all-electric two-seat car. But thanks to the impending production of the Chevrolet Volt, GM is now considered one of the reasons that the EV is on the comeback trail. Paine and his crew were allowed access to The General's Detroit Hamtramck plant to witness - with cameras rolling - the assembly production of pre-production Volt number 100. And to think that five years ago Rick Wagner and his crew would have been more likely to lend a size 14 boot to Paine's rear end than allow him to film inside one of the company's most important plants. My how times have changed.

There is no solid timetable for the release of "Revenge of the Electric Car" right now, but the documentary will likely align very well with the release of the Volt and Nissan Leaf, which are followed by an electric Focus not long after.

[Source: Revenge of the Electric Car]

Revenge of the Electric Car coming to a theater near you... sometime originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A decade ago General Motors put one of the coolest cars of all time on the road, the EV1. While there were a number of hard-core EV enthusiasts who became passionately committed to the car, it never caught on with the masses. But that was then and this is now. GM should seriously consider putting the EV1 back into production.

John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers. Follow the jump to continue reading this week's editorial.

Continue reading Hey GM, Bring Back the EV1 - Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

Hey GM, Bring Back the EV1 - Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>autolineautoline detroitautoline on autoblogautoline-detroitautolinedetroitAutolineOnAutoblogev1gm ev1GmEv1john mcelroyJohnMcelroyFri, 27 Jun 2008 14:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1238991/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/06/27/autoline-on-autoblog-with-john-mcelroy/1238991/article-detail.xml 1238991 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/06/john-media-photo-3-opta_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/06/john-media-photo-3-opta.jpg <![CDATA[Toyota exec defends GM in case of who killed the electric car]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/20/toyota-exec-defends-gm-in-case-of-who-killed-the-electric-car/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/20/toyota-exec-defends-gm-in-case-of-who-killed-the-electric-car/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/20/toyota-exec-defends-gm-in-case-of-who-killed-the-electric-car/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Many people who have seen the controversial documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? have noticed the conspicuous absence of Toyota in the crosshairs of director Chris Paine's magnum opus about failed EVs in the marketplace. Toyota was leasing the RAV4-EV, a version of the RAV4 cute ute converter to run on batteries, at the same time General Motors was offering the EV1. Detroit Free Press columnist Mark Phelan was told by Ernest Bastien, Toyota's VP of Vehicle Operations, that the movie, "was terribly one-sided." The Toyota exec went on to say, "It was not balanced at all."

Paine freely admits the movie lets Toyota off the hook, mainly because GM was a much higher profile target. There are other reasons, as well, including the fact that GM had invested much more money in developing the EV1 from the ground up, whereas Toyota merely converted its standard RAV4. For its part, GM makes itself such a willing target, too. In one instance, the filmmakers captured protestors being hosed outside of GM offices when the sprinkler system turned on. GM claims it was on a timer, but Paine disaggrees. Toyota, meanwhile, greeted protestors outside its offices with bottled water and keychains.

The story here, however, is that GM's main market rival is coming to its defense on the matter, and supporting the General's assertion that there was no market demand for EVs at the time, and that's what ultimately killed the electric car. In essence, Toyota has stepped up as a character witness for GM in the case. Does it sway Paine and his supporters? Not so much. EV advocates still claim neither company properly marketed the vehicles, and in Toyota's case, the hyped-up Prius hybrid was clearly the company's priority over the RAV4-EV.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Toyota exec defends GM in case of who killed the electric car originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Dec 2006 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I didn't go see the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? when it was originally released in theaters on June 28th. For whatever reason, many of you may not have either. So I'm happy to report that the film is available to watch in its entirety (and in good quality) right here on the site thanks to Google Video. It seems to have been uploaded by Truth911.com at some point (don't know when), what by all measures appears to be a conspiracy theorist site. But I'm less interested in the site that did this than in the movie itself, which I just watched in full for the first time.

My thoughts about the electric car and the pursuit of alternative fuels and power sources has certainly changed after watching the film, though I'm reticent to say the documentary presented a fair argument for its conclusions. Like many modern documentaries, the film relies heavily on emotion and the pulling of heart strings while at the same time presenting some misleading claims as facts. Check out this article by Karl Brauer, editor of Edmunds.com, to see these claims presented as they should've been. However, the film did leave me with a sense that a) regardless of its motives, GM missed an opportunity to parlay its investment in the EV1 project into further research and development on new battery technologies or at least hybrid drivetrains that could present electric propulsion in a package more acceptable to the mainstream consumer, and b) that hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are currently benefiting from a big PR push right now that doesn't guarantee in 20 years that they'll be able to offer better performance and range than a pure electric vehicle, especially considering how fast batteries are advancing thanks to other industries that heavily rely on the technology (i.e. the personal computer industry).

One particular point I liked in favor of EVs was the lack of infrastructure they require. The idea of not having to visit a gas station every week or so because the energy my vehicle requires can be delivered to my garage across powerlines is certainly appealing, and lack of a delivery infrastructure is one of the major impediments facing not only hydrogen, but also other alternative fuels like E85 ethanol.

Anyways, I highly recommend you watch the film, if not just to have it under your belt and to be able to say you saw it. Feel free to discuss its finer points in the comments after you're done, but keep it intelligent and on point.

Also, here are just a few great related posts from AutoblogGreen about the film and issues surrounding it that have been published since its release in theaters.

Now Showing on Autoblog: Who Killed the Electric Car? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Oct 2006 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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