Suzuki Splash: One Byproduct of Suzuki/GM Coupling

Reading like a reenactment of German and Japanese diplomacy during WWII, Volkswagen continues to consolidate its status as the world’s most dominant automaker with discussions of acquiring a stake in Suzuki while the Japanese automaker relaxes ties with former affiliate GM.

2009 Honda Insight

According to the Wall Street Journal, based on the rate at which it is currently selling, Honda is happily bracing themselves and shareholders for huge sales figures of their Insight Hybrid in the coming year. In the U.S. alone, this may amount to between 50,000 and 60,000 new Insights sold this year alone.

Ford hasn’t always been the bold leader of sound automotive judgement that it is today. Though in fairness, most of the god-awful Mustangs listed below were the result of fuel shortages and government regulations, and actually many were sales successes initially. Taking a more zen-like approach let’s remember that without evil or ugliness in the world, true beauty and goodness may not exist either. Nevertheless, to quote Sealab’s Dr. Quinn, “Mistakes were made.” Mistakes indeed. As promised, in Part 2 of a look back at some of the best and worst Mustangs, here are five versions of the ‘Stag that we wish never existed. And actually when WAS the last time you saw a Mustang II on the road?

Audi Implementing New Technologies

Audi is the latest automaker to announce its adoption of technology that could improve fuel efficiency of as much as 20%.  Like Mazda, Audi is addressing one of the most wasteful areas of gas consumption in cars; idling.

House committee chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., wants congress to enact a mileage-based tax on cars and trucks and believes the technology exists to get the program up and running in approximately 2 years. The income generated from the mileage-based tax system would be used to maintain and upgrade the country’s highway infrastructure. In Minnesota, Oberstar’s home state, road construction programs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used to create jobs and help shake the state out of this depression.

The method of taxing people based on how far they drive is tied to GPS systems to be fitted into our vehicles. I imagine, if this should pass to law, all new cars sold in the United States would be required by law to have these GPS devices installed, and any other vehicle would likely be fitted with the device during state inspections. Likely there would also be some sort of “grandfather” clause for older vehicles whose worth might be less than that of the GPS device.

Cars that break the 200 mph mark or cost seven figures can be jaw-dropping to both the eye and pocket book, but for most normal folks, a balance of utility and fun must be struck.  Below is a collection of vehicles that prove practicality and performance are not necessarily mutually exclusive concepts.

America’s Only CNG Vehicle: Honda Civic GX

Confirming many allegations, both here on Ridelust and elsewhere in the industry that Honda has engaged in a series of intentional acts to withhold or stall its compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle program, the company has now put into bankruptcy its CNG refueling company, Fuelmaker.
 

Detroit Electric E46 model

A company with roots in electric car manufacturing going back to 1907, Detroit Electric, announced last week that it was hooking up with Malaysia’s largest auto manufacturer, Proton, to produce a sedan to directly compete against Tesla’s Model S.  Although a steady stream of new Electric Vehicle (EV) announcements is hardly unusual these days, Detroit Electric’s venture may have two factors helping it to succeed.  A reasonable price tag and conservative, mainstream styling.

File this under: “It Was Bound To Happen Eventually.”

According to recent reports, panicked consumers who hastily flocked to smart car dealerships in an attempt to escape crushing fuel prices are beginning to come to their senses. With gas hovering back around the manageable $2 mark, there’s no longer any socially acceptable reason to be seen driving a smart car. As aesthetically appealing and crush-proof as a can of tuna fish, sales of the $12,000, 8′ x 8″ smart car spiked last summer when gas prices rose to nearly $5 a gallon. Now, however, many consumers have realized that a combined fuel-consumption average of 36 mpg is not an acceptable excuse for driving perhaps one of the gayest vehicles ever to be engineered in modern history. Thanks to smart’s progressive system that relies almost entirely on individual online ordering as well as the company’s policy to refund 100% of the $99 initial down payment, many customers have simply abandoned their smart plans and left dealers with a significant overstock.

Big Brother is watching you, or he will be, at least.

On Capitol Hill, members of Congress are throwing support behind a new piece of legislation that will swap the gasoline tax for a mileage tax, allowing the government to tax drivers based on the number of miles they drive rather than the amount of fuel they consume. According to proponents of the plan, the demand for higher fuel-efficiency and the sudden influx of hybrid cars are in danger of stymying the flow of revenue reaped from the gasoline tax. Specifically, Congress is concerned that the nation’s bridges and roads will fall into a state of neglect without the gasoline tax to fund new projects. Fearing that the jobs of countless municipal workers standing around smoking Marlboro’s and jabber-jawing might be in jeopardy, Congress has proposed levying a mileage tax to ensure a “more reliable source” of funding. The devil, however, is in the details.