Auto Ramblings – Page 16 – Traffic for you mind

February 1, 2008February 1, 2008

Super Ads at the Super Bowl XVII

By Lloyd Frazier

Let’s face it. Once again, this season’s football finale will most likely be anti-climactic. The real action happens during the playoff games and there were some very good teams this year. We all suspect the New England Patriot’s will run away with this game. Maybe not in the first half, but definitely by the end of the 3rd quarter. There is another kind of "Super" event that happens during the 3+ hour extravaganza – televised advertisements. Go Daddy really pushes the envelop and it will really be interesting to see what the sports car driver aka Go Daddy girl, Danica Patrick, will be exposing this year. Danica is hot! Last year, Ford was pushing the Ford Escape Hybrid with their green spokesperson…er…spokesfrog, Kermit. GM caused a stir with the constipated, politically correct crowd after the airing of their commercial where a robot throws itself off a bridge. Seems the ads take on more press time after the game then the game itself. Although, the "equipment failure" debacle at half-time where Janet Jackson shows some skin overshadowed everything a couple of seasons ago. Maybe Janet was finally proving she was not Michael in drag. Yes, Virginia, they really are two separate persons. What a let down. Super Bowl ads are not so much about selling as they are about planting a seed in your mind to get you to remember that brand. The advertisements are meant to be as outlandish as possible to impress their brand deep into your memory. How many times have you reminisced about past super bowl ads when watching the game?

This year, Audi is coming back for the first time since 1991. They have a very ambitious plan to sell over 1 million vehicles worldwide in 2008. Audi is going to be pitching their badass R8 sports car using actor Alex Rocco in a "Godfather" theme ad. Hyundai will be attempting to shed their budget label with their new Genesis luxury model. The other usual characters like Ford, GM and Toyota will be making an appearance with their wares as well. The biggest challenge will be overcoming the clever beer commercials. They always make the biggest impression and are talked about around the office water cooler on Monday morning. Will we actually remember the car and truck ads by the end of the game?

All in all, the Super Bowl is always the great American tradition that it has always been for 41+ years. Have fun this Sunday!

January 26, 2008January 26, 2008

GM Partners With Coskata To Turn Garbage Into Gas

By Lloyd Frazier

If you can’t get better mileage from your current model lineup, then make the fuel they use less expensive. GM has partnered with Coskata to make the fuel their cars and trucks use more affordable for the American consumer. Coskata has developed a three-step process for turning waste materials such as wood, old tires, and even solid waste from garbage dumps into to usable ethanol fuel for under a buck a gallon. That is half the cost of producing a gallon of gasoline. This means half the price at the pump. Today that would translate to around $1.50 per gallon. Just think about this for a moment. Remember all the hoopla about the U.S. being overrun with garbage not to many years ago. Now it seems, this garbage turns out to be very useful. The guilt of disposing of your everyday household waste is gone. Now it can end up in someone’s gas tank to get them to work or go on a family outing. Plus, Coskata’s process uses less than a gallon of water to produce one gallon of fuel. Most of the current processes for making ethanol takes three or more gallons to make one gallon of ethanol. Kind of brings back memories of Christopher Lloyd’s character, Doc Brown, putting garbage in the fuel tank of his Delorean time machine in ‘Back To The Future.’

There are more than 3 million E85 capable GM vehicles on the road today, with more to come. GM is already promising all their new Hummer vehicles will be E85 capable in future model years. This strategy could bring back customers that have started to abandon large trucks and SUV’s. GM can also use the technology to make their manufacturing plants more environmentally friendly by being able to re-use waste and non-recyclable parts for fuel generation. Coskata will have a processing plant churning out 50 to 100 million gallons of ethanol by 2011.

So, does this mean that the tree-hugging, Gore worshipping, pine cone eating crowd will back off from a major U.S. manufacturer? Or, will they still decry that our evil American corporations still need to do more for the environment? The major problem with their arguments are that they fail to realize that it took awhile to get where we are now. We aren’t going to remedy our “evil ways” overnight. Granted it took some government intervention with tougher CAFE standards and a new Bush bio-energy bill to to get the barge moving. When it is all said and done, the average consumer still holds the trump card in all of this. The almighty consumer wallet speaks volumes when it comes to how manufacturers decide what to produce and market. If GM can pull off this strategy with Coskata, they are right back in the game with their profitable large vehicle lineup. Between cheap ethanol, better battery technology, and perfected hydrogen technology, personal transportation will not have to take a back seat to stinky buses, crowded trains, and the Gore patrol.

And that’s that!

January 21, 2008January 24, 2008

Sportsmobile – Not Your Standard RV – Part4

by Dave Boyer

Welcome.

In the previous posts, I went over what I was looking for in an off road camper van. I discussed making the commitment to purchase a vehicle, and a few details on ordering my 4×4. When I first decided on a Sportsmobile, I was looking at spending no more than 90K, give or take a thousand. Whether a curse or blessing, buying a Sportsmobile can be a fluid adventure while dealing with all the options and what these �extras??? end up costing you. When you�re being bombarded with so many features to choose from, without some insight or previous experience, it can become a difficult task to figure out what you really want or actually need. In turn it affects your pocketbook. How you configure your rig can become an extension of one�s self. This made it a little difficult for me because I ordered things that I wanted but could have lived without. In my �newbie??? world, the Sportsmobile site led me to thinking I could drive one off the lot for about 85K. Well I was looking at the wrong picture. I wanted that big gnarly rig the web site shows climbing over canyon walls.

(Picture from the Sportsmobile.com web site)

85,000 bucks? Maybe, but forget a large portion of all the extra goodies I saw on many of the vans in production. Now before going on further, I should also mention one alternative that I haven�t touched on. There might be great deals on some pre-owned vans out there, I can�t leave that out. Sportsmobile itself has a used vehicle section on their web site (see Links, below) as well as the Yahoo SMB forum group.

LINKS:

*Sportsmobile.com

*Sportsmobile Forum Group

*Yahoo Sportsmobile Forum

*NY Times Used Sportsmobile review

Buying a used vehicle might be right up your alley. From what I read in NY Times article (see link, above), a used vehicle was a good choice. The purchase of a vehicle that is pre-fabricated or used is fine for many RV buyers, but it seems most SMB owners prefer to set it up their way.

Well, after another visit to Fresno, things in my world started to change a bit. Looking at what others were putting on their rigs skewed me toward adding items. I sat at home looking over all the options, adding it up and then deleting stuff to make my target price. As I started checking out the archives on the Sportsmobile owners group, more and more optional equipment was ending up on my order sheet. I came to the conclusion that 90K wouldn�t cut it to purchase my 4X4 vehicle. I did the math and figured I could afford more. Priorities are important especially if you have a family, but if you can afford a slightly higher payment, think about it. My boss at work made a comment that stuck with me, �if you are going to spend 100K on a vehicle, why not spend an extra 10 or 15 thousand and get what you want???. Although there is no reason to get a divorce over an RV, he knew I wasn�t paying cash and his statement started to make sense to me. Order it the way you want. Besides, it would make for a better resale when time came to let it go. OK� that made a good argument at the time. So I compared what different loan rates would be and soon talked myself in to a slightly higher payment. My vehicle looks good and more important, I didn�t have to sacrifice any of the items that deal with the off road performance. I get complements daily when I�m on the road, but at times it can actually become a pain in the butt. I have had guys on top of, and under the vehicle without my permission which is somewhat upsetting. A comment from one lady made me laugh, �Looks like solid testosterone.” Some people even give me dirty looks thinking I�m some sort of an uppity jerk or maybe they have issues with 4×4 vehicles in general. These vans don�t look like fuel saving eco vehicles, that�s for sure. The worst look was by two guys pointing at the van while at a stop sign. Paying attention to my van and not the road, they pulled out and T-boned a Chevy Tahoe that was traveling at high speed on the highway. I almost ended up in that wreck myself.

As I stated earlier, there are a bunch of preferences that many folks (me included) could live without, but I deleted a few items that I shouldn�t have. As I stated in part one of this article, sometimes options you think you don�t need come back and haunt you later. This leaves you wondering �why didn�t I order that.” Of course, it can go the other way too, �that was a mistake, what was I thinking!” But even though my vehicle was different than many rolling off the line in Fresno, I got what I wanted for the most part. I will say that a large chunk of money came out of my pocket to make the van look the way I wanted. In the up coming posts, I will discuss in depth how my order ended up. I will also go over some of the additional changes that have been made to date. This will be the most highly opinionated portion of this entire article. The �option adding game??? hasn�t stopped yet, and I wonder if it ever will, but I enjoy my rig and welcome every outing. I must say that a lot of people buying a Sportsmobile don�t feel they need some of the expensive changes such as the bumpers, locking differentials or a winch. That�s a reasonable decision and OK with me. It will save money and maybe they don�t like or need these features. I have met several folks that feel 2 wheel drive is enough. So be it. Order it the way you want. I refuse to put down what others order. Degrading someone�s idea or making a statement like �that�s ugly??? or �what possessed you to buy that??? is just rude! You should be proud of your rig and others should respect this. On the other hand you might be sorry if you don�t do a lot of research. Get on line and ask. If you see an owner at the factory with a van that looks like something you would like to own, ask them. Just don�t use what you see or read as the only template deciding on your vehicle. Give some thought about ordering it the way you want.

January 13, 2008

Sexy, Cool Trucks Unveiled at the Detroit International Car Show

kBy Lloyd Frazier

Like it or not, Americans are crazy about their trucks. Light-duty trucks have been the mainstay for domestic manufacturers for the last couple of decades. They are very profitable and have been best sellers for Ford, GM, and Dodge. GM rolled out the newly redesigned Chevy Silverado for 2007. Toyota completely took the country by storm when it released the Tundra for the 2007 model year…and it is assembled deep in the heart Texas. For 2009, Ford and Dodge have redesigns as well. The new Ford F150 is refinement deluxe. A beautiful specimen to behold indeed. Ford has outshone GM and Chrysler in the light-duty truck sales arena for the last 31 years. Now they have upped the ante again with more towing and payload capacity. Some other cool refinements include a capless fuel system. No more leaving your gas cap behind or scratching the paint. Box side steps are available so that you can step up to the side of the cargo bed. A tailgate step helps when stepping up into the bed. Tailgate assist is now standard on the Styleside model. Ford has stiffened and lightened the frame. Taking a move from GM’s playbook, Ford now offers a flexible fuel 5.4L V8. A six-speed transmission is now available to boost fuel economy. Ford 4X4 models include electronic locking differentials for the first time for better traction control. Seven different models along with a plethora of choices makes the all new Ford F150 stand out from the crowd again. The restyled exterior with the trade mark 3 bar grille is a big improvement over the model it replaces. Good job Ford.

The new 2009 Dodge is no patsy. In my opinion, this new Dodge Ram is probably the best looking truck that Chrysler has ever put together. I hope to see this one at the Denver Auto Show. This is an all new design with a much cleaner, sleeker look than the model it will replace. Don’t get me wrong, the outgoing model is a decent looking truck. But, Chrysler really put together something nice when it designed this toned down exterior. It is said to have class leading aerodynamics. The trademark big grille is tilted slightly forward and slightly smaller. The tailgate is flared and the dual exhaust placement is excellent. The dual exhaust exits from round notches in the rear bumper. This gives a very clean, high performance look to the rear of the truck. As Chrysler has promised, interiors of all their vehicles are getting much more attention. No more cheap plastic ice chest look and feel. That was one of the draw backs of most all of Chrysler’s products. This new Dodge Ram gets better plastics with a more refined soft touch. Improved leather seats and improved center console finish this Ram off nicely. A redesigned suspension, improvements to the popular 5.7L Hemi, and stiffened chassis round out the changes. Not to be outdone by Ford, Dodge has put together a very unique feature called the RamBox. This option is available on the Crew Cab models. The RamBox is a storage bin that runs the full length of the cargo bed, one on each side and the width of the wheel wells. The storage bins contain 8.6 cubic feet of space, are lighted, lockable, and can be drained of water. These weatherproof bins can hold a lot of beer, a set of golf clubs or whatever. Perfect for the football fan that wants to have a tail gate party. This leaves plenty of room for the 4′ wide sheet of plywood or plaster board. Why didn’t someone figure this out a long time ago. It is always awkward loading things around the wheel well. This puts good use to wasted space, in my opinion. Well done Chrysler!

This kind of ingenuity has come at a time when gas prices have spiked to all time highs. Even with the little bit of gas mileage improvements in these new trucks, it may be too little, too late. Truck sales have begun to slide. Families are flocking to CUV’s and smaller cars to hedge their gas dollars. With all of the car-like amenities that the newer trucks now provide, they still come at the price of lower gas mileage. The American love affair for light-duty trucks may be waning for good. Trucks may permanently be relegated to work status. Especially with the new CAFE mandates kicking in in 2020. Is that enough time for manufacturers to innovate a high mileage light-duty truck and keep the American love affair alive?

Exciting times, indeed….

January 6, 2008January 6, 2008

New Malibu Exceeding Sales Targets

By Lloyd Frazier

Well, it looks like GM has a big hit on their hands with the new, mid-size segment, 2008 Malibu. The Malibu’s price point, handling , eye-catching but subdued exterior, and vastly improved interior design and quality has awoken the ‘sleeper’. The ‘sleeper’ being the American middle class. For the last couple of decades, Americans have chosen to plunk down cash for Toyota’s and Honda’s in the mid-size segment. Chevrolet has always held a special place in America’s heart since the first one rolled off the assembly line in 1912. The Chevrolet brand is what really saved William Durant’s GM empire. It has become the working man’s brand ever since.

Until the new Malibu rolled into dealer lots, in the car segment, Corvette was the only current shining star for Chevrolet. Oh, sure, they have a terrific new Silverado to brag about. But truck sales have waned due to sustained higher fuel prices. The Impala is a decent car but it just doesn’t set the world on fire with its plain Jane looks and so-so equipment list. The big question remains. Can Malibu outsell Camry? Ever since 1997, Camry has been inching up the sales ladder and has never looked back. Toyota has long been perceived as the king of quality and reliability. The resale value speaks for itself. The Malibu still has to prove it can match the Camry in those areas. But, as you may remember, Consumer Reports removed the Camry from its top selling list recently due to quality issues. Now is the perfect time for GM to strike back. It has plunked 150 million bucks into advertising the new Malibu. The savvy American consumer is starting to take another look at GM again. GM is making ‘best of’ lists with the Cadillac CTS, Chevy Silverado, and Buick Enclave. A mid-size car with middle class appeal is just what GM needs to round the list. The 2008 Malibu is a solidly built car at a reasonable price. Is it too little, too late? If the current sales figures are any indication of the future for this new ‘Bu’, GM may be giving the Toyota Camry a run for its money. Only time will tell.