you tell 'em, Cox(smith)

Mike Cox is a politician. hes also a smart guy. hes also a guy i have voted against and in many ways am not a fan of. which may just go to show how much Michigan is united behind the Big Three. a couple weeks ago when i was at home every one there realized how devastating the fallout would be if the domestic auto industry collapsed. probably because they have a front row seat or are actually participating. well Mike Cox has authored a little opinion piece that the Post published today. you can feel the contempt. the frustration leaps off of the page and spits in your face. well, the Senate's face. it just goes to show you how much this really means when a politician holding one of the highest offices in Michigan goes out of his way to give the finger to the US Senate just so that they might see the light. so that they might see that the US auto industry is making the best cars out there. the nation may not think much of Detroit and Michigan, but i do. and i think much more highly of Mike Cox after reading this.

freakin sweet!!!

remember the Ford Ranchero and Chevy El Camino? of course you do. style like that is not easily forgotten. and Pontiac is answering the call of goof-balls, red necks, and quirky gearheads alike with a car/truck of their own based on the G8 model that will in all likelihood have better performance that the current line of GM small trucks. it probably wont be too bad on gas either with the strides Gm has made with their small blocks. the only question is if their are enough wacky people out there to make this once popular design profitable.

personally, i like it. i one of the wacky ones who likes El Caminos. but in reality, i dont know that i would buy one. a new one anyway. i dont think i could justify what im guessing will be a roughly $30,000 new price for this. maybe $8,000 for a 2 year old, tho.

Freep.

detroit diesel

really the lack there of. for some reason the big 3 are struggling with bringing passenger diesels to the market, relegating them to trucks and heavy vehicles. diesel vehicles are a huge portion of the European car market. granted, diesel prices are a bit lower in Europe than in North America, but the benefits are easy to see, even at 10% up charge from the old world.

VW has diesel engines in Jettas and Rabbits that get 40+ mpg. 'nuf said. not to mention the longer life of diesel power plants, the crazy high resale of diesels, and now the ability to meet emisions standards without a huge cost. i wanted one when i bought my new car, but even VW didnt have any available in my price range. and the domestic brands claim there isnt a market.

the market doesnt exist because you dont sell any. the only thing with a US badge you can get with a diesel is a truck. all this while they market and sell diesels like gasoline engines on the other side of the Atlantic. GM is going to bring its Opel Astra to the US under the Saturn badge, which is a great move, and may allow GM to compete more effectively against a number of popular small cars from foreign auto makers, a market in which GM is barely a presence in North America. the stupid thing is that they are not bringing with it the popular turbo diesel option. on that puts out equivalent horse power(~150), more torque, and nearly twice the fuel economy as its gasoline counterpart.

some claim that diesel is dirty, but with emissions standards inexpensively within reach, thats just nonsense. some say that they are loud, but any VW diesel owner can tell you thats not an issue with passenger vehicles. sure, they sound different, but not any louder. the only other barrier that the new world faces is population centers in colder climates that can be rough on diesels, making it difficult to start them. but guess what, people have been driving diesel trucks for decades in the north, and it takes a fairly inexpensive block heater to make it completely viable in any climate.

the only legitimate challenge that i see is that many urban gas stations dont have a diesel pump. but most stations near freeways have them, plus with 40+mpg economy, who needs to worry about passing a couple of stations by before filling up

ill leave the puns to the News.