The Truth About Cars

Porsche Looks Eastwards For Growth

Bertel Schmitt — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:56:35 +0000

Even in the darkest days of double nickel, the U.S. of A. had been Porsche’s largest market. In Zuffenhausen, they had tried to get to the bottom of a phenomenon that defied German logic: Why buy a Porsche if you can only crawl along at 55 mph? Ever so thankful for the unexpected sales, Porsche [...]

As Google Evacuates China, SAIC Launches Google Android Powered Car

Bertel Schmitt — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:57:43 +0000

Talk about unfortunate timing of a product launch: Just as Google is getting ready to pack up and leave China, SAIC is making last preparations to launch their Google Android powered homegrown luxo-barge Roewe 350 at Beijing’s Auto Show (April 25 -May 2, 2010, I’ll be there.) The Rover Roewe will be added to the [...]

Toyota Loses Critical Prius Court Case

Bertel Schmitt — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:13:08 +0000

“If we lose that case, we will lose heavily” said Toyota in Delhi’s High Court. The judges had no sympathy for Toyota’s pleadings. Their decision might impact seriously on Toyota’s plans to market the Prius in 40 countries worldwide. As if Toyota doesn’t have enough problems with recalls and class action suits, now this: The Delhi [...]

BMW Does The Unthinkable: They Go Forward

Cammy Corrigan — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:09:17 +0000

The NYTimes reports that Norbert Reithofer, CEO of BMW AG, is thinking the unthinkable. Dr Reithofer said at a shareholders’ meeting in Munich: “We are exploring the possibility of developing a joint architecture for the front and four-wheel drive systems of these cars,” WHAT?! An FWD BMW? An act against nature. Say it isn’t so! He [...]

March Sales: Party Like It’s 2005?

Cammy Corrigan — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:58:08 +0000

Peter Schiff (the man who saw the financial meltdown coming from a mile away) continually asserts that financial stimulus isn’t cure, it prolongs or postpones the problem. Any hardcore free capitalist will find it hard to disagree with Mr Schiff. There is no governmental stimulus such as in Europe. There is plenty of stimulus [...]

Curbside Classic: 1964 Mongomery Wards 3hp Lawn Mower – Or Why I’ll Never Buy A New Mower

Paul Niedermeyer — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:18:37 +0000

After a record mild winter, the grass is calf-high, and its time to bring out my fine vintage mowers from the shed. I don’t know about you, but lawnmowers were a critical childhood gateway to satisfy my childhood lust for cars and internal combustion devices. My first mowing job came at the age of eight, [...]

Thetruthaboutcars.com Celebrates Spring Equinox

Bertel Schmitt — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:18:35 +0000

March 20, 2010. Spring Equinox. Spring has sprung. How could Thetruthaboutcars.com celebrate the first day of spring 2010 better than with a concise pictorial history of springs? Apart from tires and seats (which typically have their own springs, the seats, not the tires) the car’s suspension is what protects your (personal) rear end and spine from [...]

Will No One Rid Me Of These Troublesome Baby Boomers?

Edward Niedermeyer — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:09:23 +0000

Statistically speaking, it’s a little early to be ragging on the baby boomers. In addition to numerical advantages, the boomers also haven’t slipped fully into retirement, meaning mainstream culture will be stuck for a little longer in the era of unrepentantly rosy nostalgia. And though the pasturing of America’s second-greatest-by-default generation will be ruinous for [...]

The Best Of TTAC: Autobiography 4 – Life’s Intimate Mysteries Unveiled

Paul Niedermeyer — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:08:53 +0000

As a boy in the pre-internet early sixties, I became obsessed with unveiling the secrets of that inexplicably alluring object of male interest. I had a general notion of what transpired within: the rhythmic in and out motions, the frenzy of moving members, the rapid inhalations, the (hopefully) synchronized explosions, and in their wake, the [...]

The MetaCars Week In Review

Justin Berkowitz — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:27:04 +0000

Palin To Toyota: Just Resign From Making Cars Former Alaska Governer Sarah Palin has a message for Toyota: “The best thing they can do at this point is resign from manufacturing cars,” she said in a statement posted on her refrigerator. These statements were later echoed in a speech. “If there’s anything I’ve learned,” Palin told a [...]

What’s Wrong With This Picture: Maximum Legacy Edition

Edward Niedermeyer — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:13:52 +0000

Bob Lutz and Bob Eaton bask in the glow of niche appeal, circa 1997 [via The NY Times' eulogy for Bob Lutz]. But don’t put MaxBob in a box: “People who characterize me as a mindless muscle-car, cubic-inches fanatic don’t know my background,” he said. “I’ve always had a great fondness for relatively small and underpowered [...]

Quote Of The Day: I Break For Bar Exams

Bertel Schmitt — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:08:45 +0000

“Leading San Francisco product liability attorney, Mary Alexander states if you or a loved one has been injured or killed due to stuck accelerator pedals, break issues, or steering problems prompted by a defective Toyota vehicle, you may have a product liability claim that would entitle you to compensation for your injuries and damages.” From a [...]

Sand Storm Brings Beijing Traffic To Grinding Halt

Bertel Schmitt — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:25:51 +0000

This morning, Beijing woke up in a massive yellow cloud. Motorists found their cars covered by thick layers of yellow grit. Air filters were quickly overwhelmed. What happened? A huge sand storm had transported tons of sand from the Gobi desert and dumped it on China’s capital. According to China Daily, the “Beijing weather bureau [...]

Japanese Auto Makers: Let’s Make A Deal!

Bertel Schmitt — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:13:23 +0000

Lavish cash on the hood of Japanese cars may help their U.S. sales (or soften the fall in Toyota’s case). The largess also “will put pressure on earnings,” says The Nikkei [sub]. Toyota, Nissan, Honda raised sales incentives in February to an average of 2,221 dollars per vehicle, up 11 percent from January. Honda was doling out [...]

Bend Over: PSA To Change Name

Bertel Schmitt — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:19:52 +0000

PSA, Europe’s second largest car maker after Volkswagen (14.9 percent and 20.8 percent market share respectively in February 2010, as per ACEA) considers changing their name, says Bloomberg. There are several choices on the table, the front-runner appears to be … PSA. PSA spokesman Pierre-Olivier Salmon confirmed to Bloomberg: “A change to the company name is [...]

Curbside Classic Outtake: Art Cars (Don’t) Suck

Paul Niedermeyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:17:53 +0000

Creativity means to explore new avenues of expression. In the thirties, forties and fifties, old cars were the clay that inspired new forms of creativity for the hot rodders and customizers. By its nature, creative expression was always changing, and 1953’s hot ticket was stale bread by 1958. The sixties were the blowout, led by [...]

Begun, The Bike-Car Wars Have

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:44:05 +0000

The DOT policy is to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycling facilities into transportation projects. Every transportation agency, including DOT, has the responsibility to improve conditions and opportunities for walking and bicycling and to integrate walking and bicycling into their transportation systems. Because of the numerous individual and community benefits that walking and bicycling [...]

Quote Of The Day: The State Of Hummer Edition

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:18:47 +0000

If we have something to be talking about positively with Hummer, believe me we’d be talking about it GM International’s Tim Lee in the WSJ, commenting on earlier rumors that post-Tengzhong offers for HUMMER were being entertained.

NUMMI Workers OK Severance Deal

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:52:16 +0000

Workers at the former Toyota-GM joint venture NUMMI have approved a severance offer from Toyota. Union officials won’t reveal the exact amount involved, and while the Detroit Free Press reports that workers will make a “minimum” of $21,175, the San Jose Mercury says the deal “gives an average severance package of $54,000.” Could it be [...]

February Sales Snapshot: Truck Month Headed For A Letdown?

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:21:25 +0000

If there are two words that can’t be left out of any discussion of 2010 auto sales numbers, they are “incentives” and “fleet.” With a fleet sales binge well underway, and Toyota recall-triggered incentive wars raging with no end in sight, the spring Truck month rituals have been bounteous. And with sales of full-sized trucks [...]

Curbside Classic: Sunbeam Tiger – The Other Cobra

Paul Niedermeyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:31:39 +0000

The legend of how Carroll Shelby was inspired by Ford’s very compact new V8 to create the Cobra by stuffing it into an elderly and underpowered little British roadster is well known. The fact that it had a copycat is not quite so legendary. That probably has everything to do with the choice of the [...]

What’s Wrong With This Picture: Tuning Hits Bottom At Bodensee Edition

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:08:30 +0000

What was once merely a tastelessly expensive and unnecessary car has been transformed by tuners into a full-fledged affront to nature at the 2010 Bodensee Tuning World show [via Autobild].

Saab Puts $4k-$8k Incentives On 2009 Models

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:26:56 +0000

In addition to lowering prices on 2010 models, Saab is introducing $4k-$8k incentives on 2009 models, according to bankrate.com. Will that be enough to make the company’s goal of 100k sales? With only 500 2009 models available in the US, and 2009 sales of 39k units globally last year, the answer is almost certainly a [...]

Will Virginia Tech Make The Blind To Drive?

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:06:11 +0000

“What are you, blind?” It’s got to be one of the motorist’s most-used phrases, but it’s also clearly a rhetorical one. Of all the hardships that come with visual impairment, the inability to drive is surely one of the most frustrating, especially in car-centric cultures like the US. Nearly a decade ago the National Federation [...]

Review: Lincoln MKS Ecoboost Take Two

Michael Karesh — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:42:56 +0000

If Lincoln were a person, it would have been committed to a psych ward years ago. Battered by corporate politics, economic cycles, and a desire to both retain traditional customers and conquest new ones, the brand has lacked a coherent identity for over a quarter-century. There have been times when each of its models was [...]