Author Archive: George Peterson

General Motors' June 1 bankruptcy declaration was quickly followed by the announced sale of Hummer to China's Sichuan Tengzhou Industrial Machinery Corporation (June 2) and Saturn to Roger Penske's Penske Automotive Group (June 5).

The idea of the small supersedan is nothing new, but as of late we’ve been seeing lots of contenders throwing their hats into the ring. It is generally accepted that BMW started it all with the M3 back in the 1980s, quickly followed by the Mercedes-Benz with the 190E 2.3-16. Audi played too with its own unique twist in the form of the AWD rally-inspired S2 (or, some might argue, some of the hotter Ur-Quattro models that preceded it). For quite some time, this space was the domain of the Germans, and each successive generation of Teutonic supersedan kept getting faster, better handling, and more desirable.

Over the last decade or so, we’ve seen quite a few retro-styled vehicles come into the marketplace. Most of them have been inspired by icons from the 50s and 60s. And why not? These were happy times for many, and the cultural icons from those days are still looked upon with great fondness.
There seems to be far less nostalgia for the 1970s, though. It was a time that represented challenges for many Americans. Unstable energy costs, mass unemployment, and economic turmoil meant tough times for many. Chrysler needed a bailout from the government to survive. Um, wait a minute, am I talking about the 70s or right now?

Over the last decade or so, we’ve seen quite a few retro-styled vehicles come into the marketplace. Most of them have been inspired by icons from the 50s and 60s. And why not? These were happy times for many, and the cultural icons from those days are still looked upon with great fondness.
There seems to be far less nostalgia for the 1970s, though. It was a time that represented challenges for many Americans. Unstable energy costs, mass unemployment, and economic turmoil meant tough times for many. Chrysler needed a bailout from the government to survive. Um, wait a minute, am I talking about the 70s or right now?

Toyota's 2009 Sienna wins the 2009 AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Minivan.

Toyota's 2009 Sienna wins the 2009 AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Minivan.

Kia's 2009 Sportage wins AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Compact CUV

Kia's 2009 Sportage wins AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Compact CUV

Volkswagen's new 2009 Tiguan takes top score and earns AutoPacific's 2009 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Mid-Size CUV.

Volkswagen's new 2009 Tiguan takes top score and earns AutoPacific's 2009 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Mid-Size CUV.