truth about domestics

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, was on Dave Letterman last night talking about the Tesla Roadster and their new Tesla Model S. Let me just get this out of the way: what a bunch of idiots! Musk and Letterman!

They went to great lengths discussing the Tesla Roadster and how awesome it is. Then, Musk had the pleasure of ripping on GM for destroying the EV1 cars after the program was canceled: “…when was the last time you heard anyone doing a candle-light vigil for the destruction of any product, let alone a General Motors product.”

Eventually they went on to discuss GM’s Chevy Volt. Letterman tore it apart for having a range of only 40 miles. The problem is that not once did he mention the range-extender feature of the car, nor did Musk have the courtesy to correct him.

Musk did mention once that the Tesla Roadster costs 100K; but I guess since letterman has enough cash to buy one outright, he didn’t bother to put 2 + 2 together and realize that Tesla is NOT producing cars for the average person.

I respect Tesla’s initiative, and the fact that it’s based out of the United States. But now knowing that the company (Musk is at the top after all) has absolutely no class, I will stray away from their cars…oh wait, they only have one limited production roadster to show for their effort; there is nothing to even consider!

Oh, and where did the geniuses at Tesla come up with the name “Model S?” I think they can only dream of the Model S being as revolutionary as the Model T was. Show some respect.

Watch the video for your own take on these fools.

According to numerous news outlets, Chrysler is heading to bankruptcy. The reports say that negotiations between the treasury department and a small number of creditors broke down.

Take this with a grain of salt, since the media headlines seem to change every second. If this is true though, I hope almost everything has been figured out in terms of agreements between Chrysler, Fiat, the UAW, treasury department, bondholders, etc., allowing for a (relatively) quick chapter 11 filing.

Read more at CNBC.

Toyota rust issue (WCVB Team 5)

Team 5 WCVB news in Boston has been investigating whether certain Toyota Tundra and Tacoma models were inadequately protected from rust, causing dozens of owners to report that their vehicles have become undriveable due to corrosion damage.  Some owners claim rust got so bad on frame rails that they could push their fingers through the metal, and in some cases, even reported chunks of metal falling off the vehicles in a car wash.  For the full story, head on over to Team 5.

Pontiac G8 Sema concept (GM)

General Motors has just announced a few days ago that the Pontiac brand will be “phased out by the end of 2010.”  GM will then focus it’s survival/restructuring efforts around the core of Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.  Frankly I’m very sad to see Pontiac go just when it was starting to get some really great products in it’s showrooms.  The Solstice and G8 are top notch, however their success was limited and often overshadowed by the lack-luster G3 and G5.  I just don’t understand why GM would kill a brand that has unique models and keep a brand like GMC which has only re-badged Chevrolet models?  Whatever, I don’t make the decisions, I just report on them.  For more, including an official press release, head on over to Autoblog.

Fiat Bravo (Fiat)

Chrysler has until midnight tonight (I think) to put together a merger with Fiat in order to avoid bankruptcy.  The key to this merger is that Chrysler will gain instant access to a large fleet of small vehicles, thus helping to fill a fairly large gap in Chrysler’s lineup.  Well apparently now The Wall Street Journalhas it that Chrysler is planning several models to be based off Fiat platforms but with unique sheet metal.  I for one am hoping that a deal goes through, because otherwise, it would most likely spell the end of Chrysler for good.

Super-awesome-madness Honda Civic!

More proof that the Detroit 3 automakers are not the only ones loosing money: Honda reported a $1.92 billion loss for its fiscal fourth quarter ending in March. Honda sales dropped 42% to $18.4 billion from $31.6 billion. This is also Honda’s first quarterly loss in 15 years. On the heels of this news is word that Toyota will also be posting a loss for the same period.

For its last fiscal quarter, Ford reported a loss of $1.43 billion; which now all of a sudden doesn’t look so bad. Sounds like Ford is on its way to becoming a leaner and more efficient automotive company; good job Ford, and keep it up!

For more information, read the full article at The Wall Street Journal.

2010 Chevrolet Corvette (GM - Autoblog)

So, the news is finally out on the release of the 2010 Corvette including the return of the Grand Sport package.  While a lot of the changes seem minimal, they will make a great package even better.  Touches like every color available on every model, and a new launch control on all manual models.  Unlike certain Nissan cars, this launch control won’t void your warranty!  For the full details, as well as tons of pictures and several videos of the new cars, head on over to Autoblog.

Check out CorvetteGuys.com and their large selection of Corvette Apparel.

2010 Ford Fusion hybrid (Ford)

Thanks to one of TAD’s friends, Mark, we have this article on the Ford Fusion hybrid.  Ford put together a team of drivers to see just how far a Fusion hybrid can go on a single tank of gas.  Drivers included NASCAR star Carl Edwards, high-mileage star Wayne Gerdes, and several Ford engineers.  The team drove for more than 69 continuous hours before finally rolling to a stop with the odometer reading 1,445.7 miles.  This brought the team to an average of 81.5 mpg, which is a new world record for gasoline-powered, mid-size sedans.  For the full story, head on over to PRNewsWire.

Chevy Volt mule (Autoblog)

So…Alex and I weren’t exactly invited to the first drive of the Chevy Volt powertrain mules…big deal.  Whatever the reason (I’m sure our invite was lost in the mail) Autoblog was on hand and took tons of pictures and even has a video of the events.  Their review of both the Chevy Cruze (the body the mules wore) and the Chevy Volt powertrain underneath was very positive.  For the full story, head on over to Autoblog.

Ford reported its first quarter results today before market open, and the results look good, relatively speaking. Ford reported a $1.43 billion loss or 60 cents per share; analysts were expecting a loss of $1.23 per share. Additionally, Ford ended March with $21.3 billion in cash, which is also good news.

Looks like Ford’s turnaround efforts are on the right track. With great new products, efficiency and quality improvements, and hopefully an upturn in the economy, Ford will be on its way to becoming profitable.

Oh, and Ford stock is above 5 bucks today! It was $1.02 at its low in November of last year.

Read the full article at CNBC.