Latest auto news, reviews, editorials, and podcasts

At Least the Luggage Is OK

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 2nd, 2009

Posted in News Blog | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | 15 comments

Ask the Best and Brightest: What Should John Wolfe Name His Dallas Car Talk (oops) Radio Show?

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Although there’s nothing routine about him, John Wolfe is a stand up guy. A regular here at TTAC. A shining example of our Best and Brightest. While I’m trying to keep the word “fire” as far away from this sentence as possible, I think we can all admit that even the most insightful commentator hereabouts occasionally draws a blank. So it’s no surprise that this appeal to his fellow carmudgeons across the e-transom, of which I share with you. ’Cause I remember, when-a-we-used-to-sit; in an impound lot in Trenton. Etc.

My radio show is fixing to morph into a three-hour Saturday morning program on CBS radio in Dallas. We’re still keeping the small town affiliate network, but big D is the obvious focal point considering the entire listenership population of my current 6 affiliates totals 10% of the population of the new affiliate. I have the concept down pat in my mind, but I need a name. Something punchy, cocky, demands attention. Currently there are two Saturday morning talkers in the DFW market “Wheels with Ed Wallace” and “The Car Guy” (Jerry Reynolds auto advise show). [Being a modest, low-key kinda guy] I really like the name “King of Cars.” However, that idea came from a popular show on A&E TV [about a scumbag four-square wielding Chrysler dealer]. Any ideas?

Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 10 comments

Hyundai Advances Clunker Cash to Dealers

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 2nd, 2009

Hyundai has been a big winner in the European cash-for-clunker sweepstakes, and they’re preparing their US dealers for another boom. Bloomberg reports that Hyundai is advancing cash to dealers to “cover new-vehicle credits for consumers until the federal government completes rules for the program later this month and begins paying dealers.” And despite NHTSA warnings that “If a dealer chooses to structure a transaction before the final rule is issued, they will bear the risks associated with later demonstrating that the transaction meets all of the specifications of the final rule,” deals are already being done. A Virginia dealership has already sold the first vehicle under Hyundai’s offer, replacing a 1995 Ford Explorer with an Elantra Touring. With a $15,000 fine threatened for deals that don’t comply with the program’s final rules, this is being done without the approval of the National Automobile Dealers Association.

Posted in New Cars | News Blog | Sales | 11 comments

Supply Chain Blues

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 2nd, 2009

Consumers have a hard enough time keeping all the brands and nameplates in the US market straight; trying to keep track of the myriad suppliers that make up the bulk of the industry is nearly impossible. Even here on TTAC, our well-informed commentariat often throws up its hands at the first sign of supplier coverage. But the fortunes of suppliers to US auto firms have been fading for years now, as Detroit’s misery slides downhill through the various tiers of suppliers. And despite repeated calls for a supplier bailout (and their use as OEM bailout bait), aid has been either misappropriated or rejected. And the bankruptcies show no signs of slowing.

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Posted in Bailout Watch | Media | News Blog | Suppliers | no comments

Babe. Machine guns. Explosives. Old Car. TV Segment. Do the Math.

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Posted in News Blog | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | 22 comments

How Safe Is Safe Enough?

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 2nd, 2009

There are some seriously mixed messages coming out of the NHTSA today, which perfectly illustrate what I like to call the tyranny of safety. On the one hand, the NHTSA announced today that overall traffic fatalities dropped by nearly ten percent in 2008, hitting the lowest levels per vehicle mile traveled since 1961. Estimates for the first quarter of 2009 show the high-single digit downward trend continuing into this year. In 2008, the NHTSA logged 1.27 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Which, based on the number of cars and the shoddy quality of driving one encounters in this country (sorry, it’s true), is a remarkable statistic. But, for safety nuts like SecTrans Ray LaHood, it’s not enough. “While the number of highway deaths in America has decreased, we still have a long way to go,” he tells his press release. And how are we going to go about protecting Americans from the lowest fatality rates since JFK was elected and the Beatles were still playing the Cavern? Gizmos, baby, gizmos.

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Posted in News Blog | Safety | 53 comments

Chris’ Car Crests 100k!

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Posted in News Blog | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | 24 comments

China World’s Largest Car Market in First Half of 2009

By Bertel Schmitt
July 2nd, 2009

The way it looks, China will severely trounce the USA as the world’s largest auto market in 2009. From January to June, Americans bought 4.8m units, a drop of 35.1 percent. China had sold more a month earlier.

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Posted in China | News Blog | 20 comments

Daily Podcast: Converjence

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 2nd, 2009

Because it wants to, Buick is headed upmarket. Because it has to, Cadillac is headed downmarket. Who wins? Not GM. An Epsilon II, FWD/AWD Cadillac isn’t going to have the phrase “standard of the world” tripping off anyone’s tongue. And since GM exists at the pleasure of the politicians, it doesn’t seem likely that Cadillac will ever get around to making the huge investments in opulence that it would need to regain its former glory. And besides an aging CTS and a “2005 called and wants its SUV back” Escalade, what is Cadillac again? Some days it’s a good day to die. Some days it’s a good day to record a podcast.

Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | 17 comments

TTAC lives @ http://twitter.com/ttac

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Just a quick reminder that TTAC is on Twitter. I’ve neglected the service for a while, but not anymore. I’m tweeting every new post with a blast of prose poetry and a shortened url, so you can wonder WTF I’m on about and click through. Of course, we’re still available as an RSS feed. Our iTunes feed is back; but you’ll have to subscribe again to get automatic updates. (Apple Music Store > search “truth about cars” > subscribe ) Meanwhile, Ye Olde New Content Notification Alerts—the steam-driven heads-up email system for new reviews and rants—is dead. When our main man Marshall tried to resurrect the plug-in, it unplugged the entire site. The good news: VerticalScope has scheduled TTAC for a site redesign in the dog days of August. Like any good carmaker, we’ll make sure the new site offers The Best and Brightest more and better features without overcomplicating basic functionality. Until then, as always, thanks for putting food on our table.

Posted in Media | News Blog | 6 comments

Toyota Holds On Hard to Its Hybrid Head-Start

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 2nd, 2009

As evolutionary as the changes to Toyota’s third-generation Prius may seem on the surface, beneath the familiar sheetmetal lurks enough new technology to justify over 1,000 new patents. The Wall Street Journal reports that through three generations of the Prius, Toyota has generated over 2,000 patents on hybrid technology, half stemming from the latest generation alone. Toyota’s hybrid patent filing nearly doubles the number filed by Honda, its closest hybrid competitor. And the WSJ casts this “thicket of patents” as Toyota tightening its stranglehold on the hybrid market.

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Posted in Hybrid | Law and Order | News Blog | 6 comments

Ask the Best and Brightest: What 2nd Car for $5K?

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Sent to us by ivyinvestor:

My wife and I currently have a 2006 Acura TSX, auto. We need another car, but our budget is $5000, tops, as we don’t want a payment. We’ve never considered a used car for any purchase, and although I know the various means we could use to go about checking it out, I develop neverending lists of queries about every aspect of the car in question to the point that some sellers stop answering. After all, the depreciation’s been factored in, but what about maintenance, treatment, and care? I know not all the questions can be answered, but we still want something bred from reliable, if not “amazing to drive”, roots. In the Boston area, it seems our best options are 1998-2002 Civics, maybe some older Accords, and a few Mazdas, all with 125,000+ miles. Does this appear to be in the right ballpark? Reliability is important, as is fun, though we realize the latter might need to be sacrificed in this price range. (Recent example: 2000 Civic EX coupe, standard, 155k miles, timing belt at 100k, brakes at 130k, probably needs rear tires, original clutch: $3800, local.)

Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 65 comments

Cadillac Plug-In Hybrid?

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Derm 81 sent us this report:

I took this shot from the GM Tech Center the other day. I couldn’t get more than one photo because the engineer got pissed that I was snapping pictures. It is a Cadillac with right hand steering. What was odd was that it had several “ports” which looked like extra gas tank openings, which were in the same location as the plug/outlet on the the Volt. You can see the reflection of my goofy-assed PT on the Caddy.You cant see it in the picture BUT there was this huge “unit” or black box on the back seat. Didn’t look as if there even was a rear seat bench. Battery pack? Standard testing device?

Posted in New Cars | News Blog | 14 comments

Review: 2009 Nissan Frontier 4×2 Crew Cab SE

By Frank Williams
July 2nd, 2009

Once upon a time, way back in 1959, a company called Datsun imported a funny-looking pickup truck with a small bed and tiny engine, giving birth to the compact pickup market in the U.S. After a slow start, the market grew, as did the competition. The 70’s brought onslaughts from Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and even VW. After the dust settled, the small truck market in the U.S. belongs basically to the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy/GMC Colorado/Canyon (for now, anyway) and Nissan Forester---the direct descendant of the Datsun that started it all. Fifty years later, what hath Nissan wrought?

Review: 2009 Nissan Frontier 4×2 Crew Cab SE continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Nissan Frontier 4×2 Crew Cab SE

Posted in Car Reviews | Nissan | 30 comments

Hammer Time: Gunfight at the Cheapskate Corral

By Steven Lang
July 2nd, 2009

A 2008 Suzuki Forenza. After reading the owner reviews, it pained me to even think about buying the car. I found a 2008 S model on eBay for $6700 (incl. bogus fees). Only 7500 miles? What a deal! But for whom? Since this car was sub-par for a multitude of ‘too cheap for their own good’ owners, I deep-sixed it. That left on eBay a Kia Rio LX, a Chevy Aveo LT, a Ford Focus SE (with about 15k more miles), and the ringer: a 2008 Toyota Yaris. Prices/mileage were $7100/16k, $8000/21k, $8500/33k and, ahem, $10,700 with 12k. All automatics. All with power windows/locks. None with sunroofs or any other high end stuff. Just good solid A to B transportation with a lot of good owner feedback. On second thought, screw it. I don’t believe a tightwad would be happy with real world fuel economy in the mid-20s so I’m nixing the Aveo. Begone! As for the other three . . .

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Posted in High Finance | News Blog | 23 comments