The Truth About Cars

1998 General Motors EV-1 Review

Michael Posner — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:27:41 +0000

Ten years ago, my local electric company invited me to participate in a two-week test of the then-new General Motors EV-1 electric car. After some detailed vetting, including a ten page questionnaire and a long focus group (with the de rigueur one-way mirror), I was selected to receive an electric-powered GM two-seater. For those of you who wonder who killed the electric car, it was me.

Question of the Day: What’s Your Favorite Piece of New Tech?

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:07:06 +0000

OK, OK. I get it. Cars need less tech 'cause they're too heavy and gas and the polar bears and all that. BUT I saw something today that (kinda) changed my mind. Driving around Hollywood in an Infiniti FX50, my friend went to parallel park the sharp-looking beast. He shifts it into reverse and besides the de rigeur backup camera, the screen also showed a picture of the FX from above with video images of all four sides. No joke, I could see not only the curb, but the white markings painted on the street to indicate a spot. I kept looking and staring and asked, "Is that a satellite image?" I got laughed at. My poor little brain just couldn't handle the fact that four separate cameras were transmitting info back into the vehicle. But, they were. Brilliant. How many times have you smashed a tire or wheel or worse while backing into a spot? If you're me, many times. Conclusion, I love it. What's your favorite new piece of tech?

New BMW 7-Series Revealed

Justin Berkowitz — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:32:32 +0000

Without much fanfare, BMW has debuted its redesigned 7-Series sedan. A supposed riff on the svelte CS Concept, the new 7 is certainly less chunky than its 2002 - 2008 predecessor. While the outgoing generation (that's E65 or E66 to BMW folks) broke the styling mold, the 2009 model is no ground-breaker. To these jaundiced eyes, it looks a lot like the current gen Lexus LS with a BMW front-end grafted on. The letter-box pipes are a particularly shameless cop from the El Finesse folk. As far as mills are concerned, it's a safe bet that the X6's twin-turbocharged V8 will nestle under-hood. BMW will no doubt bless 7-loving Euro-folk with the 335i and 535's twin-turbo inline six and a particulate of diesels. The 7's interior is all-new. While the cabin's a step up from the last gen, again, it's nowhere near as rad as it forebearer. That said, the new version adds BMW's gimmicky space shuttle (RTFM) gear lever and MMI's the iDrive (if you know what that means, get a life). The new 7-Series sedan will, of course, handle impeccably, cost a bomb and intimidate the bourgeoisie. Mission accomplished?

Pixamo Gallery

Daily Podcast: Channel Your Inner Elvis

Robert Farago — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:15:29 +0000

By 1968, Elvis' career was over. The King had squandered his cultural capital on an endless series of hokey flicks with soundtracks so forgettable I've forgotten them. Although the movies all made money and spawned the word "inelvitable" (the appearance of the Jordanaires whenever Elvis started to sing), they turned him into an roller rink singer. But in '68, Elvis' got his shit together (i.e. used sleeping pills to lose weight) and taped a Christmas TV show for NBC. In what came to be known as "The '68 Comeback Special," Elvis sang a finale written for him the night before the recording. The King grabbed a crappy microphone, reached deep inside his soul and belted-out "If I Can Dream" as if his life depended on it. Which, in some ways, it did. Elvis proved that F. Scott Fitzgerald was wrong: there is a second act in American lives. I like to think that one of the buff books (or American automakers) will stare oblivion in the face and channel their inner Elvis. They'll return to the spirit of the "good old days." But then I can't watch my favorite band, Little Feat, perform anymore. Sometimes it's best to move over for someone else. So if anyone wants to publish a TTAC magazine, let me know.

Ford to Revive SVO Mustang

Paul Niedermeyer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:35:44 +0000

Just a week ago, we called on Ford to revive the SVO Mustang. And now, a "reliable source" has told Garage 419 that Ford is considering a revival of a Mustang SVO. OK, not the actual Fox-body ‘Stang of the eighties. But the same idea translated for today. We're talking about a 300hp EcoBoost four cylinder engine mated to a six-speed stick; a combination that could shave as much as five hundred pounds off a current GT. Much of that diet would come off the front end, improving front/rear weight balance and handling. How about an IRS back there while we're at it? No? Damn. Anyway, the new SVO's EPA numbers could easily beat the GT by some 25 percent or more. Just the ticket for the times: a good-handling ‘Stang with wallet-friendly mileage. Dropping oil prices helped kill the last SVO; sounds like the obverse is true now. Weird.

GM’s Not Beat Yet; Launches Disinformation Campaign

Robert Farago — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:18:52 +0000

Scanning the blogs as we do, Frank and I often sense the cold dead hand of automotive PR. Predictable patterns emerge. For example, GM saves bad news for Friday and launches "good" news (new products, restructuring, etc.) ahead of bad (sales figures, losses). This time, unusually, we've detected GM PR man Steve Harris' spinmeisterwerk post-trauma (Black Hole Tuesday). Unless... Anyway, not to diss disinformation, but Harris' handiwork arrives in the form of "here's one [high mileage car] we prepared earlier." Bloomberg doesn't even bother trotting-out the proverbial "unnamed sources" in its lead, preferring to stick with the "m" word. "General Motors Corp., which popularized the 7,800-pound Hummer, may [emphasis added] begin selling a mini-car more than a foot shorter than anything else it markets in the U.S. to win back buyers deterred by record fuel prices." Sure. We believe that. But here's the real story: "GM has reassigned engineers to many of the projects, according to the people familiar with the planning. The company is taking them from SUV and truck programs suspended while awaiting the return of customers. Now, these people said, GM sees no point in waiting." In other words, it's chaos as usual behind the scenes at GM-- aside from the PR department.

CNNMoney: What NOT to Say to a Car Salesman

Frank Williams — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:42:54 +0000

In today's depressed market, everyone has advice on how to buy or sell a car. This time it's CNNMoney with "6 things never to tell a car salesman." First, never say "I love, love, love this car." That's like chumming the waters before you jump in the shark tank. Next, never say "I need to get a car by tomorrow." That's like chumming the waters before you jump in the shark tank. Don't tell the sales pro "I need a monthly payment of..." That's like chumming the waters before you jump in the shark tank. Also, the salesman doesn't need to know "My trade-in's outside." And if you're thinking about leasing don't admit "I don't know anything about leasing." And even if you're the dweeb on the freecreditreport.com commercials, don't let them know you think "My credit's a little spotty." That's like... I think you get the picture (and it is the last one in the series). The bottom line: do your homework before you step inside ~~the seventh circle of Hell~~ a car dealership. In case you didn't know.

Autoblog Disses ToMoCo for Suggesting Driving Less

Robert Farago — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:17:00 +0000

As Autoblog (AB) didn't see fit to pick-up the gauntlet thrown down by TTAC on the Top Gear drink driving story, we'll blog one of theirs. And hey, wouldn't you know it? AB finally finds their inner snark and wastes it on an entirely sensible post on Toyota's Open Road blog. ToMoCo offers the above advise, including get on your bike (mate) and skip the drive-thru (unless you have a Toyota hybrid, of course). To which AB scribe Chris Shunk replies: "Automakers understand that the buying public is struggling with high gas prices, and the entire industry is working on new technologies to ease our financial burden. Unfortunately, new fuel efficient products are going to take a while to develop on a large scale, so for now we're just going to have to grin and bear it. That is unless you want to follow the wisdom of Toyota, which has dug deep into its core of corporate genius to give the car-driving public this little tidbit of advice: drive less. Wow, the solution was right under our noses the whole time, and we just didn't figure it out." Silly you.

SUV = Simply Unwanted Vehicle

Frank Williams — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:46:46 +0000

The Washington Post's Annys Shin [via The News Tribune] wins the prize for the best parsing of the initials SUV: Simply Unwanted Vehicles. True dat. Full-sized SUV prices have dropped 24 percent since last year; used Chevy Suburbans have devalued as much as $8k in the past six months. With that in mind, SmartMoney has five ways to help panic-stricken owners unload their automotive albatross. First, "be your own salesperson." Since dealerships don't want SUVs and can't sell what they have, seems sensible enough. Next, "price it right." Just make sure you use chalk or pencil; values are still dropping like a stone thrown in a deep dark well. Then "advertise online." Don't worry about the fact that AutoTrader.com's SUV ads have jumped 18 percent. You should also "provide plenty of details." If you're selling something no one wants, drowning them in minutiae just might work. Finally, "build credibility" with prospective buyers by providing maintenance records (provided you had the foresight to keep them) and a Carfax report (provided you aren't selling a rebuilt wreck). Whatever you do, maintain a positive attitude. Make the [theoretical] buyer believe he really wants to assume your liability-- in the same way a cheerleader tries to get the crowd on their feet when their team is down by 45 points in the fourth quarter. Hence the picture.

MLE = “Major Liquidity Event”

Robert Farago — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:19:19 +0000

I would have gone with Major Investor Liquidity Fuck-Up. But I suppose MILF's already taken. Anyway, The Detroit Free Press is waking-up and smelling the coffee, and JPMorgan (the investment bank, not the Gong Show judge) is brewing-up some sobering news. "Analysts at JPMorgan painted a bleak picture for Detroit’s automakers today, suggesting General Motors Corp. might need to raise $10 billion, Ford Motor Co. could be forced to sell Volvo and Chrysler LLC may have few if any options by late next year." Few options as in "The company could face a 'major liquidity event' by the second half of 2009 — and its options for raising capital are limited." Is a MLE the same as Chapter 11? While we await clarification from TTAC's Best and Brightest, I reckon JP's timeline is a bit optimistic. Their overall outlook, however, isn't. "The analysts note that a bankruptcy filing at any major U.S. automaker would be catastrophic for the broader industry, resulting in widely lower vehicle prices and dealing a severe setback to auto parts suppliers." (It's that middle bit that's got Toyota worried.) Oh wait! Maybe not "They sharply widened their loss estimates for both Ford and GM for the next two years, but still expect both companies to return to profitability by 2010." Gotta love that year!

General Motors Death Watch 184: Resignation

Robert Farago — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:36:03 +0000

Rick Wagoner is a lame duck. No matter how you look at it, it's clear that the failing, flailing CEO must go. Next week, The General's Board of Bystanders will meet to "discuss" the crisis. GM's dividend will disappear, triggering fresh anxiety (and some atta boys) from the financial markets and the media. The Bystanders should push Rick out of the RenCen penthouse, to glide to Aruba on his golden parachute. But they won't. They can't. Wagoner walking would be the final straw: an admission that GM's forked. And before he goes, Wagoner's got one more job to do...

Which Auto Team to Cheer? Home or Visitors? How About Both!

Frank Williams — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:38:04 +0000

Far be it from me to overuse a metaphor, but you know things are bad for the home team when the head cheerleader starts following the other team's plays. Right in the heart of UAW-land, Detroit News' Auto Editor Manny Lopez [reads TTAC] and mulls over the question of what constitutes an "American" car. His answer will probably piss off the Level Field Institute: as long as it's built in America with American parts, it doesn't really matter where the parent company resides. Waxing philosophical, he asks "what's more American: a Dodge Caravan built in Canada with fewer American parts or a Toyota Sienna chock full of Red, White and Blue components and built in Indiana [Ed. By non-union labor]?" Continuing along the same lines, Manny also wants to know if it's "more important to have the dollars flow back to Detroit, Dearborn or Auburn Hills or to employ American workers?" He'd better be careful or the home team fans may demand he turn in his pom-poms.

The Return of the Double Nickel?

Frank Williams — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:44:42 +0000

Want to save the equivalent of 30 cents a gallon on gas? The Detroit News says anyone can realize those savings if they just drive five miles per hour slower than usual. In fact, Department of Energy researcher David Greene estimates you could save $12 by driving 10 mph slower on a 500-mile trip. The tradeoff: it would add one hour to the trip (that you'll never get back). Don't get too overly zealous with your penny-pinching, though. The AAA warns that driving slower than 55 when the rest of the traffic is zooming past at 70 - 75 is "a recipe for a potential crash." Drivers in some states won't have to worry about that, though-- Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont are in various stages of considering bills to lower the speed limits on highways, in some cases to 55 mph. We're monitoring sales of CB radios...

GM’s Cheerleaders Put Down Their Pom-Poms

Frank Williams — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:42:27 +0000

"We continue to question whether GM will be able to sustain eight different brands and over 13,000 franchises with less than 20 percent market share." TTAC? Nope. Deutsche Bank analyst Rod Lache, as quoted by the Detroit News. GM's stock fell below $10 a share yesterday, and the prognosis isn't good for the company whose stock has fallen by more than 70 percent in the past year. Even Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy, described by his peers as "last guy defending the [GM] bunker," said he expected GM's stock to fall to $7 and forecast "significant losses" for GM this year and next. When even the cheerleaders start predicting a losing season, the team doesn't stand much of a chance. It looks like GM could use a new coaching staff, and fast.

CAW’s Basil “Buzz” Hargrove Gets Canadian Gong

Samir Syed — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:21:59 +0000

Amidst all the buzz surrounding controversial abortion activist Dr. Henry Morgantaler's elevation to the Order of Canada, you may have missed the fact that the same honour has been bestowed on long-time Canadian labour leader Basil Hargrove, or 'Buzz' as we know him 'round here. The Order of Canada is Canada's highest civilian honour. The National Post reports that Buzz was given the award for "his contributions as a labour leader who is respected on both sides of the bargaining table, and for his advocacy for equality and human rights in Canada and abroad." Though many will argue Buzz was intensely active in keeping Canadian labour costs artificially high, and thus, shares some responsibility for the current decline of Ontario's automotive sector, Buzz's long and illustrious careers remains one of great renown. From his humble beginnings as a Chrysler line worker, to his soldiering for the then-CAW leader Bob White in the 80s, to obtaining his own mandates as leader since 1992, Buzz was instrumental in every major CAW negotiation for the last twenty years. History will judge Hargrove harshly, though, for the closure of GM-Oshawa and the decline in the CAW's bargaining power during his reign.