New York Times dooms Nissan Altima Coupe before it goes on sale originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 May 2007 21:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You gotta have harp: A musician looks for the perfect hauler originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Oct 2006 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Thomas Friedman recently disqualified himself for any future runs at heading up the General Motors fan club, but now he's going to host a new Discovery Times documentary called "Addicted to Oil". The topics that will be discussed during this documentary, such as the "true" price of gasoline (Friedman doesn't feel that the cost of securing oil or cleaning up the environment is reflected in what we pay at the pump) and the role of petrodollars in the War on Terror, are likely old hat for anyone who's been keeping up on the debate over the last few years. However, we suspect that there might be a few eyes opened among the general TV-watching audience, at least to the extent that this audience watches the Discovery Channel.

Friedman boasts that green energy technology will be the growth industry of the 21st century, and he says the real question is whether America will lead the way, or if a new economic leader will be born elsewhere in the world.

Interestingly enough, Friedman states that he has nothing against SUVs, and he seems to agree with GM's claim that the automaker makes a lot of large SUVs (such as the Hummer H2) because they sell well. That free-market explanation is a somewhat different take than what has been presented on the pages of the New York Times recently.

[Source: The Discovery Times]

Discovery Times to air "Addicted to Oil" documentary originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

General Motors and Thomas "The Mustache of Wisdom" Friedman already went one round last week when the New York Time writer's strongly worded column triggered a rebuttal on GM's Fastlane Blog, but this particular maelstrom is too good to end there. The story now picks up at the General's FYI Blog, where we get to read about the automaker's trials and tribulations at getting a "letter to the editor" published in the Old Grey Lady.

GM originally submitted a 500-word response to Friedman's 800-word column, but the Times requested that it be limited to 175 words. Further negotiations resulted in a 200-word limit, but then the Times objected to GM's use of the word "rubbish" when describing Friedman's rant, stating that "it's not the tone we use in Letters". GM finally requested that its letter not be run in an excessively edited state, obviously feeling a bit miffed at the lack of an opportunity to address someone who equated the company to "a crack dealer" for offering incentives on its SUVs while ignoring the same actions by other automakers.

GM does commit a bit of a 'net faux pas by publishing its e-mail communications with the Times, but at least it's an amusing read [PDF warning].

[Source: GM FYI Blog; HT: Kaus Files]

GM vs. the NY Times - Part II originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Jun 2006 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.