This week, the idea of Brazil’s cars being “unsafe” due to inferior construction has been gaining a lot of currency on the blogosphere after the Associated Press published a report on this topic. Very few outlets have anyone posted in Brazil to do any deeper digging, but TTAC does. Unfortunately, our man Marcelo de Vasconcellos is currently in exams right now (good luck, Senhor!) and was unable to write up an article refuting these claims. Still, Marcelo took the time out to talk to TTAC about the problems behind the article.
Category: New Cars
Car and Driver scribe (and TTAC alum) Justin Berkowitz has penned an amazing feature about the U.S. Government’s campaign against grey market Land Rover Defenders.
Bad news on the subprime front, as credit rating agency Experian reports a rise in delinquencies and repossessions for auto loans in Q1 2013.

Melinda Zabritski offered a rather dubious explanation for the nearly 17 percent rise in repos (as well as the 1.3 percent uptick in 30 day delinquencies and 12.4 percent rise in 60-day delinquencies) Read More >
Beleaguered EV start-up Better Place faced yet another blow this week, as Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn declared that rapid-charging, not swappable batteries, will be the predominant charging technology for EVs.
Pop quiz:
- What segment sells in strong volumes in America?
- What segment is considered poison by American consumers?
- Why is Mitsubishi neglecting a popular segment while focusing on an unpopular one?
I recently made a troubling discovery. Samsung, noted manufacturer of telephones the size of a license plate, is now producing a refrigerator with Twitter. Let me repeat that for those of you who merely skim my articles (Hi, mom!). Samsung manufacturers a refrigerator with Twitter.
Cadillac may be gunning too hard for Germany’s domain of rear-drive sports sedans, but one area where The Standard of the World won’t be gunning for them is in the volume race. GM CFO Dan Ammann told Automotive News that unlike BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, ”We’re not going to be in every single segment that they’re in”.
TTAC’s favorite beige appliance, the Toyota Corolla, is due for a redesign this year, and powertrain details are starting to leak out. For TTAC readers, there’s nothing but bad news.
Weaker than expected growth in the United States has led Carlos Ghosn to issue an even more ambitious goal; double Nissan’s sales by 2017.
BRIC nation plutocrats, start saving your rubles and rupees. Lamborghini’s vulgar Urus SUV is set to bow in 2017, according to a report by Car and Driver, giving the new global elite a successor to the iconic LM002.
Despite sales of the Fiat 500 picking up, Fiat dealers are getting antsy for new product, with some showrooms struggling to turn a profit based on sales of the subcompact alone.






































Recent Comments
stuki - If any car benefits from an 8 speed, it’s an on/off road going one (and towing one). You want silly low 1st for...
Derek Kreindler - No, it’s much jerkier, not nearly as smooth.
mcs - Sometimes, the “I have enough money to flush it down the toilet” purchase is used to send a message to individuals that were jerks to...
stuki - I guess people and opinions are different. I liked the review more than the car.. One of the best attempts at “make sure every single...
RobertRyan - @doctor olds “Mulally’s job is not to make cars, but to make money! ‘ Seeing Ford is losing money hand over fist in Europe and due to...
Summicron - I felt much better when he took it away from you.
RobertRyan - @doctor olds Nice try, but it all works if you have a “level playing field”. Otherwise you are taking a knife to a gunfight, especially if...
RobertRyan - @doctor olds, Ever heard of Sweden?. a little country of 8 million people who have a very tiny scale, VERY High Wages and a reasonably high currency....
genuineleather - The XJ seems to be the car that autojournos always reccomend but nobody actually buys. Those that do invariably stick a leaper on the hood, though.
bigtruckseriesreview @ Youtube - How about my stance? www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_IjFX p0zQc&feature=share&li st=PLABD89CC489E3FAF5 .308 is no joke. You should see me...