truth about domestics

Cadillac has just released pricing for it’s all new 2010 SRX crossover.  The SRX will hit showrooms later this summer with a base price of $34,155.  Featuring a fuel efficient and powerful 3.0 liter direct injected V6, high tech features, versatility and visual appeal, the new SRX looks like it is poised to take a bite out of the competition.

Also announced was the release later this summer of the 2010 CTS Sport Wagon.  Even though I am not a fan of wagons myself, the CTS Sport Wagon is one heck of a sharp looking car.  For more details, and GM’s official press release, head on over to Autoblog.

The plan states that Chrysler is looking for money from the U.S. Department of Energy to speed up the development of plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles.  The plan calls for Chrysler and the DoE to each pay half of $448 million dollars for a new electrification technology and manufacturing center somewhere in Michigan.  The plant would have the capacity to produce 20,000 vehicles a year. 

For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

Bob Lutz was on David Letterman’s show last week and he told it like it is in regards to the Chevy Volt. And he did it all without slandering Tesla Motors (the same cannot be said for Elon Musk at what he said about GM; see original post). Take a look at the video of Lutz on Letterman.

Alec Baldwin should be punched in the face. Back in 2000 he was bitching up a storm about George Bush running for office, saying that if Bush was re-elected, he’d move to Canada.  Well good ole’ G.W. was elected for a second term, and Alec Baldwin still lives in Cali (the largest source of C02 pollution in the United States coming from transportation). He is just another in a long string of celebrities who thinks they know what the hell they’re talking about, when really, he’s just another stupid actor who should learn when to shut his big mouth.

So now Mr. Baldwin has decided to write a letter in the Huffington Post. Huffington? Seriously? In his letter, which I’m sure was written in crayon, Baldwin goes on to say that we should pull the plug on the Detroit three because they have fallen behind in fuel economy.
Are you kidding me? Where does this moron get his information from? He’s obviously referring to the big trucks and SUVs that ONLY the American companies make right? Oh shit, that’s not true…not to mention the fact that the American trucks and SUVs get better fuel economy than the foreign automakers’ offerings!
Then Alec goes on to mention that his next car (replacing his current Prius) will be a hybrid from a Japanese automaker that is built in the American south. That only leaves one car, the Toyota Camry hybrid. Good for you Alec Baldwin, for being yet another uninformed a-hole, spewing your anti-American garbage for all to see. Why would you buy the Camry hybrid if you hate the American companies for being “behind” on fuel economy? The 2010 FORD FUSION HYBRID gets 41 mpg in the city, 8 miles per gallon BETTER than the Camry hybrid. It also beats it in highway mpg too. This to me seems to say that Toyota is in fact the one who’s behind on fuel economy, and by 8 miles per gallon! That’s a huge difference, but apparently not enough for Mr. Baldwin.

For more, including his original article, head over to Autoblog.

Jalopnik has had a first drive in the Chevy Volt mules and they have come to the conclusion that, at least on the powertrain side, GM has hit it’s target dead on.  The Volt is being designed so as to feel as much like a regular car as possible.  This obviously has been a huge challenge since the car is almost nothing like a regular car in terms of it’s propulsion system.  For the full review, head on over to Jalopnik.

The Mercury Sable, basically a slightly fancier version of the Ford Taurus, will officially end production (again) this Thursday at the Chicago Assembly Plant where they’re both built, alongside the Lincoln MKS.  The Sable has been a fairly slow seller, so it’s really not a surprise that Ford has decided to kill it off.  In another bit of news that no one will really be too hurt about, there is currently no replacement scheduled for the Sable, as Ford chose to spend that money on making the Taurus a truly world class vehicle.  For more, head on over to Autoblog.

Chrysler is planning to send certificates worth $1,000 towards the purchase of a new vehicle to current Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep owners.  This effort is designed to boost sales from the reported nine million or so current Chrysler owners.  For more, head on over to the Wall Street Journal.

Sure, nearly $50k for a Lincoln might make you stop and say, “What the f**k?” but hang on now.  This is no ordinary Lincoln.  This is a segment leading seller, the MKS, now with Ford’s new 3.5L EcoBoost twin-turbo direct-gas injected V6.  This potent and compact mill creates 355 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque (available from 1,500 rpm to 5,250 rpm!)  This engine is slated to produce V8 like power (or better in some cases) while still returning V6 like fuel economy.

On top of this high tech powertrain, the 2010 MKS with EcoBoost will arrive with standard 19-inch alloys, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive high-intensity discharge headlamps with automatic high-beams, ambient lighting, and a power rear sunshade.  The usual Ford technology such as SYNC will also be standard.  For the full details, head on over to Autoblog.

This news came out yesterday, but it was depressing, so I decided to hold off until today.  Chrysler has announced that 789 of it’s dealers will be closed, representing a 25% decrease in it’s network.  This leaves 2,392 dealers left to carry on with “business as usual.”  For the full list of dealers scheduled to close, as well as Chrysler’s press release, head on over to Autoblog.

I wish all of the reportedly 40,000+ people and their families who will be affected by these closures the best of luck in the future.  That number works out to roughly 50 jobs lost per dealer closing, meaning that if things don’t improve and the remainder of Chrysler’s dealers close up shop, another 120,000 or so jobs will be lost across the nation.  Hopefully Chrysler will survive bankruptcy to prevent further job losses.

The lucky guys over at Jalopnik have just been given the opportunity for a first drive in the 2010 Lincoln MKT.  While the styling of this vehicle will certainly be the topic of debate for months to come, the real winner here is the EcoBoost, twin-turbo gas-direct injected 3.5L V6.  The EcoBoost V6 offers the power of a V8 engine, but the fuel economy of a V6.  In the review they had periods where they were averaging 24 mpg in a 5,000 lb vehicle that has 355 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque.