Tag: VehicleVoice

GM pulls the trigger on killing Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy, as well as that footnote in history, the Saab 9-7X.

This week, I sat down for the sales conference calls from Ford and Chrysler. How are things, you ask, or don’t, as the case may be? Well, they’re both down about 35 percent. On the bright side, no one cried on the phone.

“Run for your lives! The economy’s collapsing!”

Buick Lucerne Super receives glowing review from VehicleVoice staff.

I almost have to feel sorry for the “new” Ford Taurus. It’s actually a really innovative, clever, and compelling sedan, but it’s clad in a wrapper that’s so dull and forgettable that I actually had to sit and think hard to remember my drive experience with the car so that I would have something meaningful to say for this story!

The 2008 Ford Taurus. What, did you forget it exists?
Considering just how dreary it looks, the car has a pretty interesting and convoluted pedigree. Let’s start with the Taurus nameplate. Introduced for the 1986 model year, the original Taurus was nothing short of revolutionary. Its radical styling was unlike anything ever seen on American roads, yet the beauty and cohesiveness of its design and proportions made it a must-have all across the country. It soon went on to become America’s best selling car. [...]

Is there no end to the bad news this year? Mortgage crisis. Sky-high fuel prices. Financial institutions dropping like flies. A steadily warming planet. And of course, rapidly declining auto sales. The last time things were this bad, disco was in, aesthetics and design were taking a huge leap backwards, and we were all driving ugly, emasculated, smog-controlled cars that were a sad echo of the fast and passionately styled cars of just a few short years past. Yes people, I’m talking about the 1970s, an era that Jalopnik.com, one of our favorite fellow automotive blogs, refers to as the Malaise Era.

Is this what we’re doomed to?

Another week, another Road Noise brainstorming session with my friend who doesn’t even own a car.
“I was thinking of doing something about how much my nephew loves his little toy cars,” I IM’d my Cars-Are-a-Blight-On-the-Landscape collaborator.
His reply follows, verbatim:
Oh man, I LOVED toy cars as a kid, especially the micro-machine ones you could open and put other EVEN TINIER cars into! And those ones that came with a little credit card shaped bit of plastic that you could unfold and make a little landscape for your car to drive around on!
Toy cars it is, then.


You go, girl!

Another week, another Road Noise brainstorming session with my friend who doesn’t even own a car.
“I was thinking of doing something about how much my nephew loves his little toy cars,” I IM’d my Cars-Are-a-Blight-On-the-Landscape collaborator.
His reply follows, verbatim:
Oh man, I LOVED toy cars as a kid, especially the micro-machine ones you could open and put other EVEN TINIER cars into! And those ones that came with a little credit card shaped bit of plastic that you could unfold and make a little landscape for your car to drive around on!
Toy cars it is, then.


You go, girl!

Wanna see the most ‘80s short film EVER? Depending on your affection or distaste for the decade of white suits, popped collars, saxophone solos, keyboard riffs, high waistlines, and Aquanet, you might find the following the best…or worst…six minutes of your life.

This little movie could be solely responsible for the creating the image of Saab drivers in the ‘80s as pompous, self-absorbed jerks (who might be overcompensating to make up for certain insecurities). But hey, it was the ‘80s, and we could afford to dream big. Who wouldn’t want to simply snap their fingers to not only make their dreams come true, but also get rid of people you don’t like (to quote the movie), or make it big with hot blonde Swedish models?

From the first rumblings of the 1-Series coupe destined for the States, I waited impatiently. Saw it at the auto shows, and wanted it to look great on the road. VehicleVoice brought you the first photos last June and an update in October and again in March. Finally, we drive it.

But I can’t fall in love with the real 1-Series look, like I did the latest Z4 coupe and Porsche’s Cayman. Still, a small BMW coupe, from a company that consistently delivers great driving dynamics, usable and plentiful power, and stern BMW interior in a size that seemed tailored just for me! How could I not be anxious? And do I care if it’s a little clumsy outside?

The reality finally hit our press pool a few weeks ago. And just how did the [...]

Chrysler today announced plans to jumping into the electric car market with both feet by offering up three high-voltage prototypes to reporters and a promise to put about 100 electric vehicles on the road in 2009. We’ve been waiting to get a sense of what the company’s ENVI group is up to, and now we know.
One of the three concept vehicles, the all-electric Dodge EV, is sure to generate some buzz (Is it a Tesla for the common people?) for its fierce looks and eco-friendly, refuel-it-from-the-wall-socket appeal.
With that in mind, it could be easy to miss the hybrid-on-steroids potential of the Jeep and Chrysler EVs — a Jeep Wrangler and a Chrysler Town & Country fitted with battery and range-extending engine setup (similar in concept to GM’s Volt) that Chrysler claims will allow them run for 40 miles without touching a drop of gas.
Read the full report from Chrysler [...]