Housekeeping: TTAC Changes Name

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Things in the automotive industry are in constant flux, and as the industry goes, so must we.

While the coronavirus pandemic has the industry temporarily paused, along with the rest of the world, there will, sooner or later, be a resumption of production and vehicle sales. And since we’re in tune with the pulse of the industry, we’ve decided we need to change our name. We’re doing so now, so that we can suck up the sweet, sweet Google juice as bored shoppers search for the car they plan to buy as soon as the shelter-in-place orders lift.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce The Truth About Crossovers.

That’s right. With a market that’s rapidly shifting away from sedans, sports cars, and wagons, it seems odd that we’d be called The Truth About Cars when no one is buying any. And saying “crossovers” instead of SUVs or trucks (the only other thing people buy) allows us to keep the “C” in the name, thus saving pennies on graphic designers and keeping our SEO intact.

I know y’all love to come here to read about Accords and Camrys and Mustangs, but those cars? Relics of the past! Everyone now drives an anonymous blob with ride height and names that evoke off-road adventures that the owners will never, ever experience. Sure, they’re just tall wagons, but don’t tell Karen from down the street that.

I mean, even the Mustang is going crossover. The incoming Mustang Mach-E may not have all that much ground clearance, and it’s really just an EV hatchback using the Mustang name in order to get consumers to pay attention to it, but if you ask Ford, it’s a crossover.

Hell, Tesla is even driving its Model Y through shallow puddles, because it’s a crossover!

So in a world gone crossover, it’s only time that we catch up to the trends. Sure, TTAC is known as being as a thorn in the side of the automotive establishment (thornier at some times more so than others), but even we have to ride the tide of the mainstream on some level.

Breathe it in, get used to it … we are now The Truth About Crossovers. We’ll update you in the following days about changes to the URL so you can bookmark us properly and keep your RSS feeds up to date.

Yes, I know this is hard news to swallow for some of you. You might think I’m joking. Maybe you should check the date of this post ;)

Editor’s note: I had some apprehension writing a joke post with all the grim news brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. We had an internal discussion and decided that with everything going on, the world needs some comedy, or at least poor attempts at comedy, during this awful time. Besides, we’re not a brand trying to sell you something via a cynical marketing ploy – we’re just idiots who write about cars.

Hopefully you got a chuckle out of this.

[Image: General Motors]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

Comments
Join the conversation
5 of 34 comments
  • Arthur Dailey Arthur Dailey on Apr 01, 2020

    My unicorn would be either a low mileage, rust free, one owner, dealer maintained, made in Oshawa 3800 Buick. Failing that an 'affordable' Avalon with similar attributes.

    • See 1 previous
    • Art Vandelay Art Vandelay on Apr 01, 2020

      @Art Vandelay Honestly if it all goes to crap and I had to sell off my cars, this would be on my list. I wouldn't even realize I was poor in those big plush seats.

  • Inside Looking Out Inside Looking Out on Apr 01, 2020

    Every April 1st you threaten to change the name. Why is that? Just do it we are not afraid.

    • Lie2me Lie2me on Apr 02, 2020

      NO! No more changes, I need stability in my life right now... ... and some toilet paper ;-)

  • SCE to AUX All that lift makes for an easy rollover of your $70k truck.
  • SCE to AUX My son cross-shopped the RAV4 and Model Y, then bought the Y. To their surprise, they hated the RAV4.
  • SCE to AUX I'm already driving the cheap EV (19 Ioniq EV).$30k MSRP in late 2018, $23k after subsidy at lease (no tax hassle)$549/year insurance$40 in electricity to drive 1000 miles/month66k miles, no range lossAffordable 16" tiresVirtually no maintenance expensesHyundai (for example) has dramatically cut prices on their EVs, so you can get a 361-mile Ioniq 6 in the high 30s right now.But ask me if I'd go to the Subaru brand if one was affordable, and the answer is no.
  • David Murilee Martin, These Toyota Vans were absolute garbage. As the labor even basic service cost 400% as much as servicing a VW Vanagon or American minivan. A skilled Toyota tech would take about 2.5 hours just to change the air cleaner. Also they also broke often, as they overheated and warped the engine and boiled the automatic transmission...
  • Marcr My wife and I mostly work from home (or use public transit), the kid is grown, and we no longer do road trips of more than 150 miles or so. Our one car mostly gets used for local errands and the occasional airport pickup. The first non-Tesla, non-Mini, non-Fiat, non-Kia/Hyundai, non-GM (I do have my biases) small fun-to-drive hatchback EV with 200+ mile range, instrument display behind the wheel where it belongs and actual knobs for oft-used functions for under $35K will get our money. What we really want is a proper 21st century equivalent of the original Honda Civic. The Volvo EX30 is close and may end up being the compromise choice.
Next