Daily Podcast: MI MIA

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

So here I am, grimacing as I down the backwash of my umpteenth Diet Coke, trying to stay on top of the automotive news flowing through the blogosphere, knowing that I've got to edit Brock Yates column, upload Jonny's STI review and tweak Glenn's blogposts. Wondering when the Hell I'll write a GM Deathwatch. And it doesn't look like I'll EVER attend to all the e-housekeeping BS and clear either of my inboxes. All of which worries my OCD like one of those stupid pop songs. And yet, while I struggle with information overload, Manny Lopez, the heretofore unknown (at least to me) Automotive Editor of The Detroit News, decides to devote an entire column to the death of the muscle car. Hang on; didn't Scott Burgess columnize on that very same subject, what, three days ago? Although Lopze tips his editorial hat to Burgess, the suit says nothing new on the subject– and says it less well. My theory: the death of the muscle car has become something of a touchstone for Motown's macho men. If you want to be a real "car guy," you have to beat your breast about the trend away from hairy-chested V8 machines. Well screw that. As Jonny Lieberman demonstrates in this podcast, there's nothing wrong with loving both "fire breathing" rear wheel-drive iron and way cool fuel miserly city cars. The fact that two car reporters for the city's newspaper of record don't "get it" tells you a lot about that town's culture– and its future.

[Justin Berkowitz is MIA. No doubt he will surface eventually.]

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

More by Robert Farago

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 5 comments
  • Kurt B Kurt B on Feb 14, 2008

    "Escape Pod"... classic

  • John R John R on Feb 15, 2008

    Hey! I like Asimo!...and the Toyota knockoff that plays the violin (that one actually looks sinister). Then that's probably because I grew up watching Transformers (Michael Bay's making another 2 hour long GM ad? NOOOOO!!!!) and Japanese anime. Anyhow, I have to agree 100% about going nuclear. I love the idea of electric vehicles, but if you're getting your energy from a coal plant, what's the point?

  • KixStart KixStart on Feb 15, 2008

    It's not a given that we must go nuclear. Take a look at this: A Solar Grand Plan Yes, it costs some money. Over 20 years, it would want about the military budget for a single year. Or about one and a half years' worth of what we ship out to pay for imported oil. --- There will probably be an alt-energy bubble but Wall Street overvaluing things is a cyclic bit of insanity that's mostly a Wall Street problem. Look at the dot-com bubble... ridiculous overvaluation of tech stocks and then a price crash. However, at the industry level, people kept spending money on dot-com projects (our spending increased steadily through that time). The amount of economic activity involved has kept on growing. Most of the businesses I deal with have a strong Web presence. Alt energy will probably go the same way; there will be ridiculous pricing of some stocks but people will keep installing SPV, windmills, solar heating and the like. The pull from consumers is there. Look at SPV; we actually export something like 2/3 of the SPV we make. There's increased interest at the US consumer level and likely price drops ahead. More SPV will probably be wanted. The fundamentals won't change because a few investors bought in at the wrong price. Another benefit to an expanding alt energy sector is that lots of jobs will be created; both in manufacturing and in installation. And installation has the potential to be lots of good local jobs and many new small businesses. I expect the barriers to entry are fairly low (unlike, say, auto manufacturing, where even a joke vehicle, like the Tesla, will absorb tens, hundreds of millions in case from the unwary).

  • Blautens Blautens on Feb 15, 2008

    Is Mr. Lieberman really an enigma because he likes such diverse cars? I hope not - I'm with him on this - I love cars. The thing is, I love ALL cars. I see the goodness in every car, even malaise era Granadas, Lido K-Cars, and the like. Oh, I see all of their shortcomings, but like a mother, I still see past them and love them all...

Next