Archive for the ‘Gas Issues’ Category
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
The theory with a cash-for-clunkers program is that reduces air pollution by getting older vehicles off the road and helps the economy by allowing people to buy newer, more fuel-efficient vehicles from North American car companies.
Posted in Financing, Gas Issues, Incentives, Marketing, Program For Change | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
The cars that so many experts were telling the car companies to make more of are now sitting around on new car lots everywhere, mostly because they make less fiscal sense than ever with gasoline prices so low. Even with various discounts currently on offer, it's very hard to recover ...
Posted in Advertising, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Gas Issues, Green, Incentives, Is There A Lesson Here?, Pricing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, February 6th, 2009
If you're in the market for a pickup truck this year, you need to know that Ford has upgraded the smaller of its two models -- the Ranger -- with some interesting safety features. There are side airbags and, most importantly, an electronic system that reduces the chance the truck ...
Posted in Accidents, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Product News, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
Higher fuel economy and lower emissions sounds like a great idea, but there are things at play that will make them harder to achieve than Obama understands, or so says this Boston writer.
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
An electric vehicle with a range of only 30 miles may not seem like much, but it's probably enough to get most people going for a day. That means these upcoming Fords can be recharged at night or while you're at work and keep you off gasoline most of the ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Product News | No Comments »
Saturday, January 31st, 2009
It's still in the discussion phase, but there are people in DC who think it might make sense to support those people who want to get out of a gas-guzzler for something smaller and more fuel-efficient.
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Incentives, Program For Change, Save Money | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
This should be an important consideration if you're trying to save money on fuel by going to a smaller vehicle. It means you're putting yourself at greater risk and not saving any money.
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Insurance, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
The key point here is that unless you really want to drive a sedan that's smaller than a Chevrolet Malibu or a Toyota Camry, you won't like what the new vehicle situation will be like when the national fleet fuel economy average meets those new standards.
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Monday, January 19th, 2009
Not only is it possible that a really old car can get better fuel economy than a new one (usually because it doesn't have airbags and other safety technology that adds weight), but not buying a new one can have other environmental benefits as well. At least that's what this ...
Posted in Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Safety, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, January 17th, 2009
Not as small as a Smart but smaller than a Rabbit, this four-door model will probably deliver better fuel economy than both of those model and many others, and for less money. Whether it will appeal to enough North Americans to make it viable remains to be seen, particularly since ...
Posted in Gas Issues, Marketing, Pricing, Product News, Safety, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
We can't vouch for the stability of the company itself or the quality of its products or any of those other sensible consumer things, but we do think it's worth pointing out that a firm called Road New England (which is in Florida) is creating motorcycles and motorcycle accessories for ...
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Product News, Program For Change | No Comments »
Thursday, January 8th, 2009
The 2010 Buick LaCrosse debuts at the Detroit auto show next week, and it's the intention of the GM division to recast the brand in a more upscale and premium light. The primary charms of LaCrosse include its exterior and interior styling, extra-useful personal technologies, and -- of course -- ...
Posted in Design, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Marketing, Product News, Technology | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 8th, 2009
Detroit Free Press auto critic Mark Phelan says new sedans from Ford and Mercury have leapt to the top of the hybrid car sweepstakes.
Posted in Buying Tips, Design, Driving Matters, Gadgets, Gas Issues, Green, Marketing, Product News, Program For Change | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
If you can get past the media hysteria and the Hollywood glitz of stars in the Toyota Pious, it's pretty easy to see that a hybrid vehicle makes very little sense for most people. That's probably why sales are down and will probably keep going that way.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Pricing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
The short answer is it's better for the environment (and your finances) if you keep an old car on the road as long as you can (particularly if you keep it tuned), but if you're looking for an in-depth examination of the subject you can find it here.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Financing, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
There are also several interesting and useful new devices to put into your car at the giant Consumer Electronics Show, and this year's upcoming show is no exception. Entertainment is still a priority (TV in the car is getting easier), as is navigational aid, but there are also some attempts ...
Posted in Advice, Gadgets, Gas Issues, Parts, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, January 5th, 2009
For one reason and another, the hybrid version of the Chevrolet Malibu family sedan (named North American Car of the Year last January) does a fine job of doing what hybrids are supposed to do, but it doesn't get too much attention. So here's an effort to change that.
Posted in Advice, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, January 5th, 2009
Crossovers are the rage in many areas today, and no company has as complete a line of offerings as General Motors, from Chevrolet Traverse all the way up to the Cadillac SRX now. These vehicles are essentially a replacement for the minivan and the large SUV, with slightly less functionality ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Marketing, Product News, Safety, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, January 2nd, 2009
Hopefully this reality will penetrate the skulls of all those people who claim the Detroit car companies would be okay today if they'd abandoned trucks and SUVs years ago and built hybrids and small cars instead, but we don't hold out much hope for that. They've proven to be immune ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Save Money, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Friday, January 2nd, 2009
The primary charm of this entry is a few minutes with the kind of English that only the Japanese are able to create (the headlines of this entry is a clue), but it's also instructive when you think about the size of this seven-passenger van -- it's nearly three inches ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Children, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Safety, Warnings | No Comments »
Sunday, December 28th, 2008
It's the opinion of one man who regularly says some of the stupidest things in the world about the auto industry, but this NY Times columnist probably speaks for a lot of the people getting ready to take control of the US government.
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change | No Comments »
Friday, December 26th, 2008
Outside of North America it's a common thing for the car companies to drape their products with beautiful young women in short skirts, slit skirts, tight skirts, low-cut gowns, diaphanous dresses and whatever catches the hetero-male eye. There is nothing wrong with this, according to this guy, if it helps to keep ...
Posted in Gas Issues, Marketing, Program For Change | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
Starting with its biggest event of the year (the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in early January), the car industry will make every effort possible to promote the concept of cars with high fuel economy. So that will mean hybrids, the occasional electric vehicle, and more pedestrian technologies ...
Posted in Gas Issues, Green, Marketing, Product News, Sales, Save Money | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
This is a very impressive rating, if you're willing to drive the car slowly and carefully enough to give it a chance to earn that kind of mileage. Even that's still not likely to help you recover the extra cost of the hybrid, but it will make your loss a ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Pricing, Product News, Program For Change, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Monday, December 22nd, 2008
GM will reveal three new vehicles at January's Detroit auto show, but the most important for most consumers is the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, an eight-seat vehicle that should earn 30 mpg status on the highway.
Posted in Gas Issues, Product News, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Sunday, December 21st, 2008
People who buy a hybrid and keep driving the way they did in a regular car are usually disappointed that the fuel economy gains aren't that great. To get the best out of a hybrid's ability to stretch a gallon of gas, the driver must seriously adjust her techniques.
Posted in Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Save Money, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Saturday, December 20th, 2008
Reasons for the slump in second-hand cars are pretty involved, but it all boils down to a feeling that car buyers of all kinds are simply taking a time-out to see what happens in the coming months.
Posted in Buying Tips, Financing, Gas Issues, Marketing, Sales | No Comments »
Friday, December 19th, 2008
The truth about electric vehicles that anyone with a calculator and an open mind could always see is but is not politically correct is starting to force its way out -- that building and operating electric vehicles makes virtually no economic sense, for the company or the consumer. You won't ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Technology, Warnings | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 8th, 2008
When the poster child for fuel economy can't find enough buyers, you have to figure the slowdown in the auto market involves more than just vehicles that devour gas.
Posted in Gas Issues, Incentives, Marketing, Program For Change, Sales, Save Money | No Comments »
Monday, December 1st, 2008
By Susan Winlaw
In the process of creating new models, car companies regularly "clinic" them with groups of average buyers, and this process often involves showing them with different brand badges.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Our View, Pricing, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Various car companies are promising to have EVs on the road in a couple of years, but they'll still come with very limited range and long recharge times. Pricing should also be a problem as well, but they don't burn any gas if that's critical for you.
Posted in Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Green, Marketing, Product News, Program For Change | No Comments »
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Car companies from all around the world are rethinking their plans for greener vehicles in the light of the ongoing collapse of new vehicle sales. Without the cash from those sales, they can't afford to research and develop more fuel-efficient technology.
Posted in Design, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Various changes in the world cause one couple to consider and reject the big vehicle they had planned to buy, and now they're reconsidering their entire way of life.
Posted in Buying Tips, Children, Dealerships, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Save Money | No Comments »
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
A young writer who is too familiar with the misconceptions her fellow Americans have about Detroit-based cars writes to set the record straight.
Posted in Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Program For Change, Warnings | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008
The iconic brand that Ford almost killed in the 1990s is now going strong, attracting those folks who are looking to display a little spunk in their daily commute. But you know times are tough out there when the PR folks make a big deal of a Mustang's fuel economy.
Posted in Gas Issues, Marketing, Product News | No Comments »
