Precast: V12 Diesel Audi, Hornet No VeeDub, Baby Junketeers
I suppose I should get myself into a lather about the fact that GM has lured collegiate journalists to Las Vegas for some major junket action. As listeners to this podcast will discover, I just can't get it up, self-righteous indignation-wise. First, my main beef with junkets is non-disclosure (e.g. The Car Connection's report on the new Jeep Wrangler from Zambia arriving without a tip-of-the-hat to DCX PR). Second, there's no blanket ban on junketeering hereabouts. Third, who says college kids can be co-opted so easily? Biz class airline seats, a nice room on The Strip, free booze, a stake at the tables, a spin on Autotainment– Entourage-watching gen Zeta will take it all in their post-modern stride. Besides, when you don't have a job to protect or a family to support, why not bite the hand that feeds? In fact, if one of these college car hacks would like to describe their GM-sponsored Vegas vacation, I'd be delighted to provide the e-space, subject to the usual editing process and length restrictions. Which reminds me: I'm almost ready to announce the next TTAC writing contest. The last one was The Truth About Muscle Cars . The next one will be… watch this space (and no, that's not the title of the essay).
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Why can't it be longer than 10 minutes?
Why GM would think college students would want to go to Las Vegas might be part of their - GM's - problem. Most college students I meet would rather go to Ozzfest. Of course, admittedly, it would be hard to tie a vehicle launch to that - well maybe the Smart car for 2007 might work. As for "biting the hand that feeds," any manufacturer who expects only superlatives after flying and feeding the journos - and some do - need to understand that journos work for their readers. I think that with the auto industry budgets going the way they are, the junkets might be receding. But then, other than a 2007 GM truck launch about 150 miles south of where I live (just a walk-around, no chance to even drive it, I haven't been asked to a launch ever since I asked a Honda PR guy, at a launch in December 2004 of the Accord hybrid, what he thought of Brock Yates' accusation that hybrids were inheritly dangerous for Emergency Medical Technicians and could become what he termed "rolling electric chairs." Sorry Honda, didn't mean to be so cheeky!
"qfrog: Who is going to buy a 500hp 700lb ft Q7? I’m just not seeing it." who would buy a porsche cayenne? who would buy a H2? there is a market for this simply because its rediculous. im sure ill be seeing flocks of these on the 1o1 come this time next year
Just a suggestion, but it seems if you are so intent on keeping these podcasts to 10 minutes, you could save some (about 15 seconds) time by dropping the greeting at the beginning... Noone is served by hearing that everything is fantastic/great/fine/whatever at Jalopnik.com/ttac.com. If you wanted to actually speak about one or both of the sites in some fashion, that'd be ok, but it seems a bit tedious to start each podcast with a basically meaningless excahange that takes so much time. I would suggest starting this way: "I'm speaking with Mr. Spinelli from Jalopnik.com... Mr. Spinelli, the Audi Q7 is the most hideous beast ever ..."