Autoblog

How a hostage negotiator buys a car

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 08:57:00 EST

Planet Money on National Public Radio takes an aerial view of the government's "fiscal cliff" brouhaha via three different negotiating techniques - the issue isn't what each side is trying to get, but how each side might try to get it. The two hosts outline three different ways to persuade, and then use ordinary examples to demonstrate how we use the same techniques for quotidian affairs that Congress will use to decide the next phase of the nation's financial future.

There's "The Nibble," "Expanding the Pie" and "Disarming Empathy." The everyday example for the last is a former FBI hostage negotiator buying a new SUV, his explanation being "Get the other side to bargain against themselves... but you have to be nice about it." It's not for everyone, though - he called it "Master's level kidnap bargaining."

Have a listen to the show below to polish your persuasive technique, Mr. FBI begins at 8:25.

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How a hostage negotiator buys a car originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Dec 2012 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GMO crops so tough that farmers are turning to Kevlar tractor tires

Chris Tutor — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Etc., Technology, Work

Farming is one of the most difficult ways to earn a living. You'd think that with all the innovations mankind has developed over the centuries, we could make farmers' lives easier. But as it turns out, sometimes miracles of modern science make things tougher. Literally.

Take genetically modified organisms (GMO) for instance. For now, let's ignore the controversy over its safety, usefulness and ethical issues. The main issue for those guys actually growing and harvesting the stuff is much more practical. As it turns out, corn modified to stand tall and tough against pests is also wreaking havoc on tractor tires.

Mark Newhall of Farm Show Magazine tells American Public Media's Marketplace that after the stalks are cut during harvest, the leftover stubs are like "having a field of little spears."

So instead of tractor tires lasting the usual five to six years, they're getting chewed up after just one or two years. One tractor tire can cost thousands of dollars, and some tractors have as many as eight tires.

How does a modern farmer fight back against a genetically modified enemy intent on destroying the very thing his business rides on? The same way our military defends against its enemies: Kevlar. While these augmented tractor tires can't be cheap, they should at least outlast their thin-skinned counterparts.

The use of Kevlar in tires might seem extravagant, but in fact it's very appropriate. The material was invented in 1964 by DuPont during its search for a strong, lightweight material for, you guessed it, tires.

Take a listen to Marketplace's story with the player below.

GMO crops so tough that farmers are turning to Kevlar tractor tires originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want people to obey the speed limit? Pay them.

Chris Tutor — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:28:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Earnings/Financials

Parents know that sometimes the chance for reward is a more powerful child obedience method than the threat of penalty. "Clean your room or your grounded" can be less effective than, "Clean your room and we'll go get ice cream."

A recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study shows that when the stick is combined with the carrot, drivers behave much better. The study placed GPS trackers to measure speed in eight cars loaned to 50 different drivers for a week each. The drivers were told that, at the end of their week, if they kept their speed within the posted limits, they would be paid $25 each. Every time a driver went over the speed limit by five to eight mph, he would lose three cents. If the driver's speed exceeded nine or more ticks above the posted limit, he lost six cents.

If the drivers were caught speeding by the cops they got speeding tickets as usual.

Each time the car's ignition was switched off, drivers got a report showing how much their lead feet had reduced their rewards.

The results were promising, with one driver saying he had made a game out of trying to keep his $25. NHTSA officials involved in the study say insurance companies might be very interested in implementing the program for their customers.

"We found that the incentive system was incredibly effective in getting drivers to reduce their speeding," Ian Reagan, a traffic safety researcher at NHTSA tells NPR. "Egregious speed limit violations were almost eliminated - that's driving nine or more [miles per hour] over the speed limit."

Want people to obey the speed limit? Pay them. originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPR's Planet Money claims the fate of the U.S. auto industry rests on the success of... Lincoln?

John Neff — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Ford, Lincoln

To claim the fate of the U.S. auto industry rests on the success or failure of Lincoln is about as bold a statement as one can make, but that's how far NPR program Planet Money goes in its latest episode (scroll down to listen). The gist of host Alex Blumberg and contributor Sonari Glinton's argument is that a successful luxury brand brings in more profit per unit sold, creates domestic manufacturing jobs and generates innovative technology that eventually trickles down an automaker's entire lineup. All those things contribute to the overall health of an automaker, and if Lincoln (and Cadillac for that matter) were successful competing against the world's top luxury brands, then Ford - and by extension the U.S. auto industry - would be in much better shape.

To make this point, the two hosts draw an analogy between Lincoln and Audi, the latter of which has risen on a wave of methodically executed success for over a decade to become a global leader in automotive luxury with the youngest clientele in the business. To achieve this success, Glinton argues that Audi followed the following three-step plan.

Step 1: Become known.
Step 2: Totally separate yourself from the parent company.
Step 3: Make a really cool car.

There's no argument that Audi has done these things and that they've contributed to the brand's success, but Glint goes on to explain how Lincoln is trying to walk the same path to similar success. To become better known, it will soon launch a new marketing campaign to replace the one starring Roger Sterling from Mad Men. To separate itself from Ford, Lincoln has created its own design center a few miles down the road. And as for the really cool car, that would be the new MKZ. From listening to the episode, one doesn't get the sense that even Blumberg or Glint believes Lincoln will achieve what Audi has for parent company Volkswagen, but they seem to put a lot at stake if it doesn't.

And that's where we differ with Planet Money. While there are countless positives that would result from Lincoln becoming a world-class luxury carmaker, Ford has survived and even thrived in recent years despite not being able to improve the marque's fortunes with consumers. Even if this latest attempt doesn't get Lincoln a mention in Jay-Z's next single (acknowledgment by the rap community appears to be the clearest indicator of luxury brand's success), past experience tells us that Ford - and Lincoln - will just keep trying.

Continue reading NPR's Planet Money claims the fate of the U.S. auto industry rests on the success of... Lincoln?

NPR's Planet Money claims the fate of the U.S. auto industry rests on the success of... Lincoln? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPR's Click and Clack calling it quits on Car Talk this fall

Jeff Sabatini — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:54:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities, Humor

NPR announced today that Car Talk, its beloved radio call-in show, will cease recording new episodes in the fall. Brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi are retiring from the show, and while NPR will continue broadcasting "new" Car Talk episodes, they will be created from archived material. NPR says Tom, 74, and Ray, 63, will continue to write a weekly column and post to their website and Facebook.

Eric Nuzum, Vice President for NPR Programming, said in a statement, "We're certainly disappointed that they're not going to do this forever."

As we all are. It's hard to believe that there was a time before Car Talk. The show has been on the air for 35 years, 25 of them nationally distributed on NPR affiliates. For this 39-year-old writer, its appearance on my local public radio station perfectly coincided with that point in adolescence when cars became an obsession. In that pre-Internet era, Car Talk was about the only place outside of an actual mechanic's garage that a newly minted auto enthusiast could hear people talking about wrenching and gearhead stuff.

I have not listened to every show since that time, but I have never tired of the guessing game I play when each caller dials in with car trouble. Of course, as the years went on, the brothers spent less time talking about auto mechanics and more on humor and the relationships of their callers, but at its core, Car Talk was always focused on cars and the love/hate relationships they inspire.

The brothers' differential diagnosis was especially intriguing to me early in the show's run, as I probably learned half of what I know about auto repair by listening. That aspect of the show also provided my wife with one of her best opportunities to pull one over on me. Unbeknownst to me, she had listened to an earlier broadcast of the show on a different NPR affiliate than the one that I normally tune in to. So when I began debating with myself out loud about what might be wrong with the first caller's vehicle, she hinted at a solution that hadn't occurred to me, one that the brothers arrived at a few minutes later. Then she did it again, and again, and I became flabbergasted at how my wife - who had never so much as changed her own oil - could have gleaned so much automotive knowledge. When I pressed her, she explained, laughing at my gullibility.

Click and Clack, enjoy your retirement - you will both be dearly missed.

Continue reading NPR's Click and Clack calling it quits on Car Talk this fall

NPR's Click and Clack calling it quits on Car Talk this fall originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM leads worst performing auto stocks of 2011

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: GM, Earnings/Financials

In spite of General Motors standing poised to retake the top sales spot, Chevrolet perhaps breaking its all-time sales record, and an anticipated Buick and two new Cadillac models coming, GM's stock price got beat like a goat in 2011. On January 2, 2011 the stock traded at $37.06, on January 2, 2012, it hovered a few dimes above $20, making GM the worst-performing auto-industry stock of 2011: with a 46.1-percent drop, it edged out Cooper Tire (-41.7), TRW Automotive (-40) and Ford (-37.3).

The Motley Fool suggests the decline could be due to the Treasury's ownership of hundreds of millions of shares, keeping investors wary about buying. Europe is also considered a sore spot, with GM's operations on The Continent still in the red and there being no clear plan to turn that around (particularly with the Euro threatening to implode).

However, there is most likely more to it than that: many investors likely remaining unsure about company fundamentals, and they are likely concerned that GM (like Ford) is rated just below investment-grade by Moody's rating service, which keeps some large institutional investors out of the pool. The good news for 2012: The General' stock is trading at five times less than earnings and the outlook from all observers is uniformly positive.

GM leads worst performing auto stocks of 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Cuba's cadre of classic American cars in danger?

Jeff Glucker — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Etc.

Cuba has an interesting law when it comes to the purchasing and sale of automobiles. While European and Asian cars can be imported, only vehicles built before 1959 (the year of the Cuban Revolution) are allowed to trade hands on the open market.

This means that Cuba's automotive landscape is filled with an excess of classic American iron. It's a post-war plethora of beautiful automobiles in varying states of repair. This could all be changing, however, because the island nation is talking about reforming some of the laws that have been on the books for decades.

If Cubans are allowed to purchase modern vehicles, does that mean an end to the classics, which have come to serve as iconic fixtures of this communist Caribbean country? Not right away, according to a report by NPR. The classic cars are a treasured part of Cuba's history, and folks feel that they will be sticking around even after modern vehicles begin to arrive. Only time will tell.

[Source: NPR via The Truth About Cars | Image: FDITG/Flickr CC 2.0]

Report: Cuba's cadre of classic American cars in danger? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Weiner stands up for Car Talk during congressional hearings on NPR funding

Chris Shunk — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Videos, Earnings/Financials

Congress' Anthony Weiner on Car Talk - Click above to watch the video after the jump

U.S. congressman Anthony Weiner has had more than his fair share of rants during his time in the House of Representatives. And let's face it, the man seems to really enjoy grandstanding and shouting - or perhaps he just suffers from voice immodulation.

At a recent hearing concerning the de-funding of National Public Radio, the Democrat from New York took to the podium packing some serious decibels. The congressman didn't show up for rant duty empty-handed, either, carrying a poster of NPR Car Talk hosts Click and Clack. In his own unique tongue-in-cheek fashion, the New York congressman takes the stance that the longtime gearhead show is worthy of government funding. Hit the jump to watch the impassioned clip. Hat tip to Marcus!

[Source: YouTube via Capital Tonight]

Continue reading Video: Weiner stands up for Car Talk during congressional hearings on NPR funding

Video: Weiner stands up for Car Talk during congressional hearings on NPR funding originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This American Life tells the NUMMI story

Dan Roth — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:40:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Toyota

One of the highest-rated shows on National Public Radio is This American Life, which does deep-dives into weekly themes, exploring subject matter from different angles while always leaving the listener enriched. This past Sunday, the show spent an hour going over the Toyota/General Motors joint venture in California, the NUMMI facility that will be shutting down this week.

On the eve of its closure, TAL takes a look back at what brought about the joint venture in the first place. Things were bad at the former Fremont GM plant, so bad that the company closed the factory. Shortly after the closure, GM and Toyota decided to learn from each other and implemented the Toyota production system in a U.S. plant for the first time.

Ira Glass and Frank Langfitt turn the lens of radio upon the outcome of that move, and what it meant for the workers and industry at large. Head on over to This American Life to download the show. That is, if TAL's not already on your required listening list. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: This American Life | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

This American Life tells the NUMMI story originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPR's Jason Beaubien drives across Cuba

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Etc.

As you're probably aware, we've imposed some pretty heavy trade embargoes against Cuba since just after Fidel Castro deposed Fulgencio Batista, and we've encouraged our friends to do likewise. As a result, there's a dearth of post-1960 cars running around the island nation. Pistonheads have long viewed Cuba with some interest, figuring that once Fidel and his brother Raul go bye-bye, the now closed, Communist nation will open its doors and sell ~~some of~~ all of the 1950s "Yank Tanks" that have been so meticulously maintained in a rust free environment for so long. Remember that before the revolucion, Cuba was the biggest importer of automobiles in all of Latin America.

However, like much about Cuba, the notion of pristine 1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs not only lining the streets of Havana but being ripe for the picking is more fantasy than reality. National Public Radio's Jason Beaubien recently traveled to Cuba (reporters are generally not as not bound by travel restrictions) to catch Raul Castro's July 26 speech commemorating the failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953. Beaubien's plan was to fly into Havana, then simply catch a flight or a train east to the Holguin province, home of the Castro brothers. Only trouble was, no hay flights, no hay trains. Eventually, Beaubien arranged to rent a Samsung sedan with the trunk taped shut for $100/day and just drive across the Autopista Nacional, Cuba's main highway.

Along the way, Beaubien discovers roads so empty that farmers use them to dry crops. He's also shocked at the $4 a gallon gasoline. Not horrible by our standards, but absolutely insane in a nation where the official salary is $20 per month. They also meet a man who, "dreams of emigrating to the Dominican Republic where he's heard he could earn 70 U.S. cents an hour." All the while, the road is blanketed by signs reading, "Continuaa Su Obra." Literally, "Continue Your Work." Definitely worth a read or listen.

[Source: National Public Radio | Image: Jason Beaubien/NPR]

NPR's Jason Beaubien drives across Cuba originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coming soon to a TV near you: Click and Clack

Dan Roth — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:36:00 EST

Filed under: Maintenance, Etc., Safety

Tom and Ray Magliozzi might be the first to admit that most people on the radio have faces that suit the medium, to put it delicately. There's no place to hide when you make the jump to television, but the Tappet brothers have avoided that with their new animated sitcom PBS will be rolling out next summer. The show is not yet named; a contest soliciting names from fans of the pair's radio show will be announced soon. Plots will center around the oft-discussed hijinks that the brothers snort and chortle over between calls. The fictional Car Talk Plaza, located in Cambridge Massachusetts' Harvard Square, will be coming to life, and the cast is fleshed out with a variety of supporting characters, most of which seem to be based on real individuals, or composites of several people.

For all their self-deprecating humor, Car Talk is one of the most popular shows on NPR, and their producer, Doug Berman, is on board for the TV series as well. The Magliozzi's animated series will be the first primetime animated show aimed at a general audience for PBS. There's a talented team behind the show, and it may even bring new eyeballs to sometimes fusty PBS. In addition to the show, there's a partnership with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators in which the animated stars deliver safe driving messages to drivers while they suffer in line at DMVs, as well as on educational materials and on the web. We wonder if that effort will be called "Don't Drive Like My Brother."

Coming soon to a TV near you: Click and Clack originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPR's Car Talk podcast added to iTunes Music Store

Dan Roth — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 11:02:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Etc.

Car Talk is celebrating 20 years on NPR, and the self-effacing, often goofy show is now available in iTunes. It's exciting to "play along" and see if you come up with the same answer as brothers Tom and Ray, an now you can do that at your leisure. We have our local NPR station's schedule memorized, but sometimes it's just not possible to catch the show when it airs; throwing a tantrum won't always get you your way. The show certainly has its detractors, and some of the content can tend toward softballs, but the Magliozzis have built vast appeal and recognition, not to mention a little merchandise empire. If you want to hear hearty guffaws and try to solve the puzzler on your time, check out the Car Talk website, or iTunes and subscribe to the feed.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

NPR's Car Talk podcast added to iTunes Music Store originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jun 2007 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wait, wait. Bob Lutz said what?

Chris Tutor — Mon, 21 May 2007 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM

National Public Radio has a quirky quiz show called "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." GM Vice chair Bob Lutz was a guest on Saturday's show. And he said something interesting... in the spirit of the show, we're not going to tell you. Instead you have three choices:

A. His own personal transportation will be the next car featured on "Pimp My Ride"
B. He secretly likes the break room at Chrysler more than GM's
C. He ranks the soon-to-be Volt over the legendary Viper he helped create. Not only does he like it better, it's his dream car.

According to Lutz's blog, the show was "an absolute hoot to do."

Give it a listen for yourself here.

Thanks, Christina, for the tip!

Wait, wait. Bob Lutz said what? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 May 2007 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did a GM PR rep offer money to the media in exchange for kind words?

Eric Bryant — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 15:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Earnings/Financials

Thursday, former secretary of labor and current NPR Marketplace contributor Robert Reich claimed in an American Prospect Online article that he had been approached by a General Motors' public relations representative with a monetary offering, in exchange for the financial pundit's endorsement of GM's employee buyout plan. Richard Strauss, head of Strauss Radio Strategies (the PR firm in question), denies Reich's claim, referring to it as "an honest misunderstanding". Read into those last three words what you will; some would say that translates into "my lawyer thinks there's nothing here that will hold up in court".

As it relates to the buyout offer itself, Reich doesn't seem quite sure what to think of it, other than that it's probably a good deal for the workers who accept it if indeed GM goes bankrupt (the ol' a-bird-in-the-hand-beats-two-in-the-bush thing, basically).

[Sources: American Prospect, Detroit News]

Did a GM PR rep offer money to the media in exchange for kind words? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 Apr 2006 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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