Separated at birth? Ford Verve/Chevy WTCC & Beat

Ford took the wraps off an "exciting" design study called the Verve. Although it's a nice looking car, I think I've seen it elsewhere. Perhaps last year as a Chevy?

Listed left to right: Ford Verve - Mid 2007 / Chevy WTCC - 2006 / Chevy Beat Early 2007

This was funny. Then it became very sad.

TopGear is a wonderful British automotive show that tests cars, and has fun doing it. Save for their typical attitude that "all that is not British is crap" approach, it is very enjoyable. One feature I rather enjoy is their TopGear Challenge. Basically, they but a cheap car (think $1000 or so), and then have to complete a race with some quirky challenge thrown in. It's not so much a race as it is a competitive Sunday drive. Most of the cars they buy are barely road worthy.

In this specimen, they took three typical American cars, an IROC Camaro, a Dodge pickup, and a Cadillac. The challenge was to drive across Alabama. Easy enough. The quirky part was that they had to do it without getting shot or pulled over. Easy enough, still. Each opponent was asked to paint an offending phrase on the other opponent's car. Well, that proved to be the problem. The Cadillac had "Hillary for President" and "NASCAR SUCKS" written on it. The Camaro had "Country Western is Rubbish" written on it. The pickup had "Man Love Rules" written on it. They may be offensive to some, but as I watched the video, I saw the ugly side of humanity (not necessarily America) rise up. The trip was uneventful on the highway, save for a few dirty looks, "the fingers," and some horn honking. It was when the stopped off for some "petrol" that things got ugly...

The station manager comes out with a raised voice making some unkind remarks. The hosts explain a little bit of what was going on. If that weren't tasteless enough, she hollers out, "I'm calling the boys!" A few minutes later a truck pulls up and these hooligans jump out and start throwing rocks at these guys. Earlier in the program, they made a comment about how the order of importance in America is George Bush, God, and Country &Western. The problem is he seems to be on the right path, at least with this group of people he came across. The problem is, if these people really were after God's heart, they could have tried to reach out to these "lost souls." They could have found out what their stories were. They could have offered them a helping hand.

The point is, that the act was seen, judgement was passed, and the sentence was almost carried out. I know I'm going a bit deep, after all, the same thing could happen in any part of the globe, which TopGear so conveniently left out. There is a parallel to our own hearts though that we should always be on guard against. So often, I have found myself judging others before I knew anything about them. Could you imagine what would happen if God, or Jesus, saw us doing something wrong in his eyes, and he just started pelting us with stones? Or worse? Fortunately, we have the love and compassion of Christ, so that we may be forgiven, corrected, and allowed to enter the kingdom in heaven.

So next time you see a car driving down the road, with offending phrases painted on it, or see a somebody doing "wrong," stop and think about what is going on. If you are in a position to help, offer assistance. If you are really bothered, say a little prayer for them. And for goodness sake, look for the film crew on the other side of the road!

A sign of the times

Our town is growning rapidly, very rapidly. I have already complained about all the construction. Now, due to more development, they are taking down the second billboard I ever designed. This is coming into town, on the eastbound side of the road. Our lease is up soon, but the land owner will not renew the contract with Lamar Outdoor anyway. I thought I'd get a quick pic before they tore it down. Sorry for the shoddy quality. I'll get a better pic later. I hope I can before they start taking it apart.

Who owns who...

Although a bit dated, I find this chart better sums up the ever changing automotive landscape. It is not simply one against the other. Many times companies are very interrelated. Take for example, the old Honda Passport SUV. Built by Isuzu, powered by GM, and branded as a Honda, hmmmm. Or, how about GM owns 10% of Fiat which owns 56% of Ferrari? Interesting, huh? Follow the link below to see the graph. Keep in mind Chrysler is up for sell, which could change the map as well.

whoownswho

And so it begins

Finally got our car bought yesterday. This has been the most drawn out tiring thing I have done in a long time. For those of you that don't know, we had an accident just before Christmas. We lost our cat Turbo, in a freak accident involving Sara's car, a '99 Grand Prix. It was really hard on both of us, as Turbo was very much a part of the family. After the car was cleaned the car up and repaired a few nit-picky things. We then put our car on consignment and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

We finally sold it about three or four weeks ago. In the process of selling it we traded for a little Honda. It was a good car, but didn't get us any closer to our ultimate goal of getting Sara her new car. We polished it up, put it out on the lot, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I finally got it sold and the CV joints went out as I was showing it. So I replaced those and did several hundred dollars worth of work to it to get it right. I thought there for a short time, I might actually be able to eek out a profit to put towards our new car. Nope. Every penny I would have made on the car went towards different repairs needed. The car was basically in great shape. I just didn't want a customer to be upset if something broke. I'm picky like that.

There is more (a lot more) to it, but long story made short. I finally picked up Sara's new car. A black '04 Grand Prix. I had the windows tinted Thursday night, had exhaust tips put on it today, and have wheels coming for it next week. Overall, I think the car will look pretty good. When we started the paperwork on it, it looked like a rental car. Now it is already starting to look like something I won't mind making my payments on for the next couple of years. Besides, when it come time to turn it, the better it looks, the quicker I should be able to sell it. It worked with my last one. And he is one very happy owner.

This my inspiration. We'll see how close I actually get.

My kind of USB drive

This is the kind of Tech that can change the world. Well, maybe not. It would be cool to drive a little car around your desk on slow days by using your cell phone.

Pointless Gadgets: Cell phone controlled toy auto flash drive

When a group of people, such as the Asians, have practically invented/manufactured everything else in the world, why not mass produce a completely pointless but none the less amusing design someone probably sketched on a dinner napkin. Marsilli has created this mobile phone controlled toy car that has a little usb port where the exhaust pipe should be. When you place it on the board you can control where it drives with your cell phone. We assume there must be some sort of infrared controlling this device. The board reminds me of a 1980’s board game like “Operation”. But in this case if your little toy usb car crashes into another one your cell phone bursts into flames. Posted by Dani Via: Engadget

CARSCOOP

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Finally, someone is paying attention....

I never thought I'd see this, but it is something that can make my day a little bit brighter. It appears that the more fundamentalist eco-movement is finally starting to pass on the kool-aid. As good as Toyota is, not all their cars emit sunshine and happy feelings through their exhaust pipes. Nor does GM emit only turmoil and smog...

Toyota, the longtime darling of the environmental movement, takes flak for the attention paid to its new Tundra fullsize pickup at the North American International Auto Show here.The campaign, backed by groups such as the Rainforest Action Network, cannot afford to “give Toyota a free pass,” a spokeswoman says.Campaign organizers commend Toyota for its track record of addressing fuel economy. They also laud GM for expanding its plans for hybrid-electric vehicles.

Green Groups Target Toyota Tundra

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Anybody want a Honda?

Well, we finally sold the 'ole Grand Prix. The problem is that we are now the owners of a gently loved Honda Accord. We can't buy the pre-owned Grand Prix on the lot until we get this Honda sold. If ANYBODY knows anyone that could use a cheap car, let me know. I've got to move this thing, so I can get Sara in something to drive. I can email details.

Who killed the electric car? The Consumer did.

In a telling article Toyota as well as the director of the film came to the defense of GM. The fact of the matter is that not enough buyers cared enough for the program that it withered on the vine nearly eight years before it was really considered a real automotive exodus out of big oil. GM had made some missteps at that time, however, GM was also being ran by people that didn't know the car business. At all. GM was picked because it was an easy target. What really gets me is the fact that people will lambaste a company like this and cause ill will toward them and us, ultimately, as dealers, when it was an uninterested public to blame. When the larger mass of people want to buy something, they want to pay for something that fills their wants. That includes power, convenience, and some form of indulgence. An electric car doesn't fill many of those voids. Hence the ultimate death of the project. Electric cars are the future, but we need battery storage technology to improve, dramatically. I'm more interested in who will reinvent the electric car, not who killed it.

From the article at Detroit Free Press:

"The movie 'Who Killed the Electric Car?' was terribly one-sided," Ernest Bastien, Toyota Motor Sales vice president for vehicle operations, said intensely. "It was not balanced at all."

We were talking in Charlotte, N.C., a couple of weeks ago. I was there to drive Toyota's new 2007 Tundra pickup, and the change in topic was completely unexpected.

If it's not surprising enough to hear Toyota defending GM, try this on for size: The film's director pretty much agrees.

"We let Toyota off the hook for how they subverted the program" to sell electric cars because GM had a higher profile, director Chris Paine told me over the phone Sunday."

Continued at Link

On a side note, those celebrities that claim "total greeness," should reevaluate their fuel usage.

Article: TMZ.com

Terrific Torrent

I recently had to give up my 2006 GMC Sierra due to mileage. For those of you that don't know me, I drive demos, and thus have to trade cars often, every 5000 miles or so. About two weeks ago I took delivery of a 2007 Pontiac Torrent. It was a very stripped base model. The only options I had ordered on it were cruise control and a rear multifunction panel. All I can say is "WOW." If this is the direction of the new GM, we have a bright future indeed. I have grow acustom to driving vehicles that have a long list of optional equipment. Almost everything that used to be optional now comes standard. A decent CD stereo, power door lock, power windows, etc. Just about every niceity one could need is standard, except cruise and floor mats. The smooth V6 churns out plenty of power and does so quietly. The only noticible exhaust noise comes from the rear under harder acceleration, which Pontiac has always allowed. Part of their "Fuel for the Soul" aura. 3.5 litres of unbridled fury is not exactly how I would describe it, but it does run very well. The epa city estimates were very close, in the 18-ish range. I did not do any highway driving, because I was waiting for the Torrent I just started driving the weekend. It is a deep dark black version with the PCM preferred package, sunroof and 17 inch wheels. The preferred pakage afforrds you the luxury of remote start, deep tinted windows, a Pioneer audio system, cruise, and much more. Overall this package is very feature rich. The only complaint is that the taller tires have effected gas mileage, but very little. The ride is also a bit firmer. The sound sytem is actually much better than the outgoing model. Pontiac, as well as the rest of GM, are switching to a family of radios called "blacktie." They go with anything, get it? I really am glad though, because it is a very feature packed, intuitive, innovative radio. It also features a jack in the front that you can connect your portable music devices to. Instead of having to burn a bunch of CDs to listen to. The size, features, and price are right on target. I hope to be able to afford one of these for my wife soon. We both agree this is the perfect vehicle for a family on the move.

New for Pontiac this year, you can modify one of your own. Go on over to Pontiac.com/torrent and spec out one for yourself.

This review was not the most fluid of those out there, but I hope to start reviewing each of the cars I drive. GM has been a big part of my family for over thirty years, and this is important to me to show people just how proud I am of some of the things GM is doing now. They occasionally stub their toe now and then, but overall I think they are on the right track.