Media

Between The Lines: MT’s Angus MacKenzie’s on GM’s Sinking Stock Price

By Edward Niedermeyer
March 18, 2008 -

Angus MacKenzie did everything but call TTAC by name in his essay GM Shares Tumble. So What? Yes, the Motor Trend scribe can “almost hear the Detroit death-watchers rubbing their hands with glee” at the news of GM's stock hitting two-year lows. It's true. Every time GM's share price dips, we light giant cigars, twirl our collective mustache and laugh maniacally. That Mr. MacKenzie sees critical coverage of the auto industry as journalistic schadenfreude goes some ways towards explaining Motor Trend’s increasingly toothless car reviews. But how can MacKenzie, an experienced car hack, justify pinning Detroit’s woes on anyone other than, well, Detroit? Hey, a man’s gotta eat.

Between The Lines: MT’s Angus MacKenzie’s on GM’s Sinking Stock Price editorial continued »

Posted in Between the Lines | Editorials | Media | 53 comments

The Tragic Demise of Greek Buff Books

By Alex Kambas
March 4, 2008 -

I once read that a successful PR department is one that has managed to make the press an extension of its own. As bad as this idea may sound for an independent-minded consumer, I couldn’t help thinking that it now works the other way around. With the Internet obliterating buff books’ editorial relevance, many magazines have shifted their sales focus from their readers, the traditional customers, to the PR departments of the companies whose ad bucks support their survival. In this respect Greek car magazines are hugely successful.

The Tragic Demise of Greek Buff Books editorial continued »

Posted in Editorials | Media | 20 comments

Billy C’s 2008 Detroit Auto Show Round-up

By William C Montgomery
January 17, 2008 -

The press preview for the 2008 North American International Auto Show is finally over. TTAC’s Texas twosome--myself and Sajeev Mehta-- did our level best to catch the major reveals, grill some suits and get a feel for the temper of the times. On the plane back to the Lone Star State, I collected my thoughts on the show’s winners and losers. Were the carmakers fiddling while Rome burns, or preparing to rise Phoenix-like from the ashes ahead?

Billy C’s 2008 Detroit Auto Show Round-up editorial continued »

Posted in Editorials | Industry | Media | 39 comments

Detroit’s International Award of the Year Awards

By William C Montgomery
January 13, 2008 -

I’m not big on ceremony. Throw in a couple of blowhard politicians, a bevy of self-congratulatory industry execs and a swarm of self-important journalist jackals; and meetings like the 12th Annual International Car of the Year Awards are like kryptonite to my modest superpowers. The invitation from the friendly folks at Road and Travel Magazine read, “Regrets not Required.” In my case, regret was inevitable. Still, I donned a monkey suit and took one for the team with as much enthusiasm as I approached my first doctor’s visit after my fortieth birthday. Fortunately my doctor was quick and his gentle finger was warm, so that experience was not as bad as I had grimly anticipated. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the green-themed ICOTY award pageant.

Detroit’s International Award of the Year Awards editorial continued »

Posted in Editorials | Media | Sales and Marketing | 22 comments

The Truth About The Truth About Cars’ Bias

By Chris Hofflin
November 26, 2007 -

My name is Chris. I’m a car review addict. I spend an inordinate amount of my time and energy reading car reviews. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of online and print dealers dedicated to the not-so-obscure art of describing an automobile. With such a superabundance of automotive editorial, why do I have such a hard time reconciling professional reviews with my own test driving experience? Are car reviewers— TTAC’s included—blinded by bias?

The Truth About The Truth About Cars’ Bias editorial continued »

Posted in Editorials | Media | 88 comments

The Truth About The Green Car of the Year

By Adrian Imonti
November 16, 2007 -

There’s something deliciously ironic about slogging through one of LA’s infamous rush hours to attend a “green” cars award ceremony. The multi-lane Harbor Freeway plays host to a long slow dance of cars and semis, tailpipes steadily churning out brownish plumes into a blue sky. The dominant hue is not green but red: the omnipresent brake lights mocking California’s long-abandoned promises of fast, efficient personal travel. It’s almost enough to persuade a driver to ride the bus. Like me, most just crank on caffeine and escape boredom via the stereo, instead.

The Truth About The Green Car of the Year editorial continued »

Posted in Editorials | Green | Media | 85 comments

Why NYT Scribe Tom Friedman is Wrong. Again.

By Robert Farago
November 10, 2007 -

Once again, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman has addressed automotive issues. This time, Friedman weighs-in on the ultra-cheap car being posited for the rapidly-growing Indian market. The gist of Friedman’s proposal: tax the stuffing out of the cheap car and put the money into mass-transit. Like most of Friedman’s auto-related rants, this one combines a handful of valid points, a couple of keen observations, a soupcon of knee-jerk utopianism and enough muddled thinking to make it impossible to support his views.

Why NYT Scribe Tom Friedman is Wrong. Again. editorial continued »

Posted in Editorials | Green | Media | 85 comments

Car and Driver RIP

By P.J. McCombs
September 25, 2007 -

When I first picked up Car and Driver’s (C&D) fateful December 2006 issue, I was convinced that the splashy, graphics-heavy revamp sounded the death knell for my favorite buff book. But the resulting reader backlash was so loud I felt sure Ann Arbor’s finest would be scared straight. A plaintive apology followed the editor’s arrogant dismissal of the reader revolt. C&D seemed poised for a revival. Nope. The October 2007 issue isn’t just the lowest point in the mag’s inexorable descent; it’s a dive below the limits of acceptability.

Car and Driver RIP editorial continued »

Posted in Editorials | Media | 50 comments

The Truth About the Press’ Anti-Car Global Warming Jihad

By William C Montgomery
June 8, 2007 -

The political right likes to claim that the mainstream press has a liberal bias. These self-appointed media watchdogs see a cadre of left-leaning fascists looking to manipulate popular opinion, to infringe on individual freedom by stripping law-abiding citizens of their God given right to own guns, smoke, pray in public, eat supersized fatty foods and drive gas-guzzling CO2--belching behemoths. In truth, the American press isn’t red, blue, pink or green. It’s yellow.

The Truth About the Press’ Anti-Car Global Warming Jihad editorial continued »

Posted in Editorials | Media | 218 comments

Car And Driver, Road & Track, Motor Trend, Automobile: America’s Buff Books Laid Low

By Robert Farago
March 1, 2007 -

Whenever a new medium appears, it frees the old one to reinvent itself. When TV arrived, radio dropped soap operas, fragmented its audience and developed new formats (e.g. talk radio). Now that the internet’s here, magazines are free to evolve. Only someone forgot to tell the magazines. Take Car and Driver (C&D) and Road & Track (R&T). Someone should. With sinking circulation and disappearing ad dollars, the car mags (and their buff book brethren) are up against the wall. Rather than pursue creative reinvention, their owners have embarked on a by-now-familiar strategy: whoring themselves.  

Car And Driver, Road & Track, Motor Trend, Automobile: America’s Buff Books Laid Low editorial continued »

Posted in Editorials | Media | 72 comments