Autoblog

This quarter, the Volkswagen Rabbit knocks the Toyota Yaris out of the top spot on Gaywheels.com's list of top-researched cars. The Yaris, which had hung on to the numero uno spot for the last twelve months, dropped to third place as the VeeDub managed to snag the second spot as well with the hardtop-convertible Eos, which is also a chick car. Making their first appearances on the list are the Volvo C30 at number nine and the Mazda 3 at the tenth spot.

Interestingly, Joe LaMuraglia from Gaywheels.com points out, "60% of the vehicles on the most-researched list are hatchbacks and four of those six have a MSRP starting at under $16K." You'll also see that the entire list, which is available after the jump, is populated with gas-sippers.

Note too that each vehicle on the Most-Researched list is offered by a gay-friendly brand -- based on corporate policies for offering domestic-partner benefits to employees in the U.S.

Comments, as always, are welcome. Please remember to keep 'em clean.

[Source: Gaywheels.com]

Gaywheels.com was started in 2005 and has since become a unique resource for GLBT auto enthusiasts and consumers. In addition to providing original content like interviews with gay members of the industry and, of course, vehicle reviews, the site maintains a list of gay-friendly automakers which provide domestic partner benefits to employees.

The newest member? BMW. While the automaker's MINI and Rolls-Royce divisions were already accounted for, the parent was omitted because of it maintained unfriendly policies at a US facility . That's over now. Beginning January 1, 2008, BMW joined the club when it officially began granting partner benefits to employees at its South Carolina assembly plant. BMW's inclusion on the gay-friendly list brings the total count of marques to 35, leaving out only 1. As a benefit of making the list, gaywheels.com will now endorse the German automaker.

[Source: Gaywheels.com]

One of the new commercials in Chrsyler’s marketing blitz for the Caliber includes a scene in which a diminutive fairy casts her wand about cute-ifying objects in a city. At one point she waves her wand at a tough guy walking his dog and he becomes a “cute” guy complete with white shorts, a yellow polo on four tiny pups on pink leashes.

Sounds tame enough, but the leader of a prominent gay rights group in Detroit remarked in a newspaper “this guy looks pretty gay to me.” Jason Vines, Chrysler’s head of communications, hasn’t taken kindly to the remark stating: “If I had said that, there would be demonstrations outside our headquarters and then… I’d be fired.” Vines goes on to say that the remark made by the gay rights leader seems to only reinforce a stereotype of homosexuals that implies guys who look tough, wear work boots and jeans and walk large dogs can’t be gay.

*Sigh.*  Can’t we all just get along?

[Source: Chrysler]