The Chair of the National Automotive Dealers Association, Annette Sykora, sought to distance her fellow dealers from the less likable elements of the industry (OEM CEOs, Gettelfinger) who preceded her in testimony before the House Financial Services Committee today. Calling dealers “the face of the industry,” Sykora advocated for what she termed “the unique role […]
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Wheels of Terror is one of the best worst movies ever made– especially if you restrict your choices to the “killer car” genre. Sure, Christine is a classic. Those of us who’ve darkened the door of a body shop (Abandon All Deductibles Ye Who Enter Here) can never forget watching the world’s first self-healing bodywork. Speaking of which, Steven King’s directorial debut, Maximum Overdrive (not to be confused with Peter North’s Maximum Thrust series), must be believed to be seen. But Wheels of Terror features the skinniest wheels I’ve ever seen on an automobile. (If you want some real donuts of doom, check out the donk scene.) No, that’s not it. A drifting school bus? Yes, but no; that’s not it either. Ah yes, the best car-off-a-cliff scene in cinematic history. I mention this because Justin and I have been busy with the cataclysmic visual metaphors lately: train wrecks, perfect storms, cliff divers, etc. Suffice it to say, there will be plenty more carnage before this downturn is done, so we’ll be cruising the nets for appropriate imagery for some time. If you could surf and listen, and provide some link suggestions here, we’d be most appreciative. Thanks!
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The West Virginia Legislative Auditor announced yesterday that a performance review of the West Virginia State Police found significant evidence that the agency imposes traffic ticket quotas to boost the number of citations issued. Nearly a third of all troopers involved in patrol duties statewide told the auditors that troopers are punished if they failed to generate a specified number of citations each month. In Troop 4, one of the six surveyed, 55 percent of the law enforcement officers admitted that they were under a ticket quota. The auditor confirmed this admission with documents, including a September 12, 2005 memo from Troop 4 commanders that ordered supervisors to impose a quota.
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On April 1st, 2008 significant modifications to road safety regulations in the Canadian provinces of QuĂ©bec and Nova Scotia went into effect. CTV.ca reports that handheld cellular phones are now verboten while at the wheel, though hands free devices are still tolerated. Nova Scotia will begin ticketing the offense immediately, while QuĂ©bec has allowed for a three-month grace periods in which offenders will only receive stern warnings and moralizing sermons. The first offense in Nova Scotia will cost $165, while costing $80-$110 and three demerit points in QuĂ©bec. Still not satisfied, road safety advocate Jean-Marie de Koeninck argues that “[h]ands-free is just as dangerous. (But) by forbidding the hand-held it does send a signal that there is a problem with the cellphone, there’s a problem with concentration”. Meanwhile, the same traffic safety bill in QuĂ©bec also doubled all speeding fines , with new suspension of license provisions for those caught traveling at 40 km/h over the limit in under-60 zones, 50 km/h in 60-90 over zones, and 60 km/h over in 100+ zones. All in the name of safety, presumably.
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First there were rumors of “tortilla riots” in Mexico. Then, as the price of corn-based feed skyrocketed, meat and egg prices rose. As hops farmers switched to corn, beer prices followed suit. And now MSNBC reports the booming corn-for-ethanol market is expanding the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. As farmers plant more corn and use more nitrogen-based fertilizer, they’re increasing the amount of run-off that ends up in the Gulf via the Mississippi River. The nitrogen surge is leading to heavy algae growth, which depletes the water of oxygen (as it dies and decays), which suffocates shrimp, crabs, oysters and other sea life. Environmentalists say if something isn’t done, the ethanol industry’s knock-on effects threatents the Gulf’s entire ecosystem and the livelihood of thousands of fishermen along the coast. Not to mention the escalating price of shrimp gumbo and oyster po’boys.
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In other Hammond news, he’s on the front cover of this week’s Radio Times, with Gene Hunt, talking about what they’re both doing together for Children in Need.
Hunt’s apparently handing Hammond the keys to that awesome Audi Quattro, which will certainly be worth watching on Friday November 14, BBC One from 7pm.
Talking of the Radio Times, check out this behind the scenes gallery with the Stig
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HuffPost item
19th November 2008 10:25
There’s a good point made below by Pieter van Rosmalen about the impact of exchange rates on published profitability figures. What exactly is the underlying picture at GM in Europe? Hmm. I guess that could cut the other way in other examples where profits are exaggerated. One for the accuntants.
A blogger at the Huffington Post, Diane Tucker, has been in touch to refer me to an interview with Peter DeLorenzo (the sometimes provocative and very readable Auto Extremist blogger). It’s quite a neat summary of the (for want of a better term) pro-Detroit line.
Journalist to GOP: You’re 100 Percent Wrong About U.S. Automakers
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Via
Gulf Daily News
2030 vision for a brave new Bahrain
A BRAVE new Bahrain is being mapped out under revolutionary economic and social reforms unveiled yesterday.
Massively improved standards of living, radically reformed government, widespread privatisation, better education and health services and an enhanced quality of life are pledged in the blueprint Economic Vision 2030.
The roughly 4,500-word mission statement to transform the nation, drawn up by the Economic Development Board, was launched at a ceremony yesterday attended by His Majesty King Hamad, Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and EDB chairman Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Deputy Premier Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa and other top officials and dignitaries.
Economic Vision 2030 outlines the future path for the development of Bahrain’s economy and society, says the EDB, which created it in consultation with the government and private sectors, political leaders and international bodies.
“At the heart of the Economic Vision lie the aspirations for our economy, government and society in accordance with the guiding principles of sustainability, competitiveness and, fairness,” it says.
The aim is to transform Bahrain into a meritocracy, in which hard work reaps rewards, in an economy led by the private sector.
“We aspire to shift from an economy built on oil wealth to a productive, globally competitive economy, shaped by the government and driven by a pioneering private sector - an economy that raises a broad middle class of Bahrainis who enjoy good living standards through increased productivity and high-wage jobs,” says the document.
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When discussing the topic of government bailing out struggling American automakers, the mind turns naturally to Chrysler. After all, the smallest of the Big Three famously received $1.5 billion from the government in loan guarantees in 1979. Powered by Lee Iacocca’s charisma, a solid if unspectacular small car platform (the ubiquitous K-car), and brisk sales from its innovative minivan, Chrysler managed to survive and even thrive in the 1990s.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Chrysler tinkered with the K-car platform and the equally ubiquitous 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine like a small child tinkers with Legos–crafting endless combinations of disparate creations from essentially the same set of parts. As with the kid with the Legos, some of the results were wonderful–and some weren’t. But only one was truly beautiful–the LeBaron.
I can hear the snickering already, so let me clarify–after all, as Oldsmobile did with “Cutlass,” Chrysler throws the LeBaron moniker around with wild abandon. I’m not talking about the Dodge Diplomat clone (though that’s a pretty wagon), the Dodge Aries clone, or the Dodge Lancer sports sedan clone (certainly a future Car Lust in its own right). No, I’m talking about the Chrysler-specific personal luxury coupe that debuted in 1987 and broke new ground with its smooth, stylish lines.
Now the snickers are turning into belly laughs–that’s fine, laugh it up. Those of us with more refined tastes will be cruising around in our LeBarons.
My 11-year-old eyes thought the LeBaron was the prettiest car around in 1987, and not even the cynicism of age has dispelled that impression. The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was the definitive personal luxury coupe of the mid-1980s, and it looked like the clear throwback to the 1970s that it was. The LeBaron’s trim, curvaceous body and lack of ostentatious ornamentation–especially in silver–made the Monte Carlo look terribly dowdy.
The feline form was European in its svelte shape; but the hidden headlights, curvaceous rocker panels, and toothy grille were clearly American without resorting to cliche. Add to this the availability of a stunning convertible edition–a rarity in the 1980s–and the LeBaron really stood out. This might be damning with faint praise, but the LeBaron was much more classy and elegant than its more expensive quasi-Italian cousin, the Chrysler-Maserati TC.
Performance wasn’t bad either. The smooth Mitsubishi V-6 was available, but I would have opted for the potent if unrefined 2.2-liter turbo. With about 175 horsepower on tap, the LeBaron had more than enough punch to keep the wind whistling through your hair. It wasn’t quite a budget Mercedes-Benz 560SL in either performance or build quality, but the LeBaron was a very classy cruiser for the price.
Unfortunately, these haven’t really aged well. As with most of the K-car derivatives, I haven’t seen a really nice LeBaron in years. The styling that was so ground-breaking in 1987 began to look more anonymous as more and more cars aped its lines; and the car turned ugly in 1993 when exposed headlamps replaced the hidden headlights.
Unlike most of my car lusts, I’m not sure I’d want to actually own a 20-year-old LeBaron convertible. The whole experience is just far too likely to sour me on the car. No, instead I’ll simply gaze at the ones I see with fondness and regret.
The commercial below is yet another Chrysler commercial that says little or nothing about the car itself. Though with James Earl Jones lending the ad a little of his freight car load of growly gravitas, I almost don’t care. It all comes together with this tagline: “LeBarons are beauty with a passion for driving.”
Better even is the Spanish-language ad below the English one. It includes many of the great cliches of the time, including the oversized sunglasses (0:07), the booting-up electronic dashboard (0:08), a fantastic shot of the electronic dashboard reflected in the oversized sunglasses (0:09), purposeful grasping of a shift knob (0:14), a little bit of air (0:21), and a dramatic reveal of the once-hidden headlights (0:25). Plus, the non-US cars were called Chrysler Phantoms. That’s an awesome name.
The top image is courtesy of Flickr user BoLdOx, the second image is from 99HeyJude, and the third is from How Stuff Works. It is a bit odd that one of the images comes from a user with a Flickr handle named after a Beatles song; while the commercial below is serenaded by a cover of a Beatles song. Coincidence? Yes, absolutely.
–Chris H.
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WASHINGTON — Despite dramatic pleas for help from the heads of Detroit’s Big Three automakers on Tuesday, the federal government appears hesitant to rescue the beleaguered Motor City. It is uncertain whether the domestic automakers can hold out until January when a new Democratic administration takes over the White House.
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