Car tech blog

In an interview yesterday, Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn reported that talks with General Motors were “positive”.

The Ford Nucleon was a concept car developed, but never built, by Ford Motor Co. Revealed to the world in the 1950s, the Nucleon was the ultimate in fuel-efficient, environmentally-friendly vehicles since it was powered by a nuclear reactor.

If you own a late-model GM car or truck, you’ve no doubt seen it: the OnStar button either on the dashboard or rearview mirror. GM aggressively markets this feature as a safety and convenience feature. You’re locked out of your car, call OnStar. You want reservations to your favorite restaurant, call OnStar. You’re in an accident, and need to contact police or ambulance, OnStar will automatically trigger in the event of an airbag deployment, and check and see if everything’s OK. All noble and noteworthy safety and convenience features.

Leave it to the proverbial new guy to come in and make bold pronouncements and claim “things are going to be different this time.” Such was the case when Volkswagen’s new CEO and DCX alum Wolfgang Bernhard, took the helm. With VW dogged by chronic poor quality, Bernhard made the comment that he wanted to match Toyota for vehicle quality.

You know something can go wrong at any point with any modified vehicle. You know it, but don’t really believe it until something happens. You see others on the side of the road and think, “Sucks bro!” Well, sometimes you are that stranded somone….

The California Air Resources Board (best known by its catchy acronym C.A.R.B.) has been regarded by many enthusiasts as the bane of their existence. After all, what good could come of a group of environmental activist liberal bureaucrats cloistered in an ivory tower in Sacramento?

I want to preface this rant by saying that I am a non-smoker, and am no fan of cigarettes, or Big Tobacco in general. But as a firm believer in individual rights, I have to draw the line somewhere. A bill (AB 379) has been introduced in the California State Assembly to ban parents or other adults from smoking in cars with children.

According to HUMMER’s new strategy, the H3 is a great vehicle because of its smaller size, better maneuverability, and fuel mileage. So where does leave all their customers who bought the H1 and H2 because of its gargantuan proportions?

LOS ANGELES, August 2006 –Subaru Rally USA driver Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom took the gold medal in the inaugural X Games Rally event held August 2-5, clinching a sweep of the podium by Subaru rally cars. Pastrana edged out a win over rally legend and former Subaru World Rally Champion Colin McCrae.

Let me tell you something: there’s no such thing as a one-day truck show.