MAKE BIG AUTO BUCKS WITHOUT SELLING CARS
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES can give rise to curious marketing anomalies. For instance, it’s possible within the auto industry to make big bucks without selling cars. This reminds me of an adage … Continue reading
ARE HYBRIDS PASSÉ?
HYBRIDS OFFER fuel economy better than 40 mpg, but apparently only a few buyers care. “Have hybrid cars hit their peak?” asks Automotive News correspondent Mark Rechtin in the June … Continue reading
KEI CARS VERSUS JAPAN’S ECONOMIC MANEUVERING
IN AN odd bit of regulational maneuvering, the Japanese government—possibly abetted by its larger automakers—is discouraging sales of its most economical automobiles, the kei class. The kei car, 軽自動車, literally … Continue reading
CARBON FIBER TIDBITS
CARBON FIBER’S time has come. This is not only in aerospace and high-end sports like Formula 1, but in automotive uses where material costs are typically figured in pennies rather … Continue reading
THE SANDS OF TIME—AND OF CARGO
EUROPE AND the U.S. have different standards for measuring cargo capacity of cars and trucks. Ram (what old-timers think of as Dodge Truck) recently corrected overly optimistic claims in the … Continue reading
MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS TURBO
ALL THE teams are using new engines in Formula 1 this season, turbocharged direct-injected 1.6-liter V-6s. But innovative packaging of familiar technology is putting the Mercedes AMG Petronas team at … Continue reading
PORSCHE 919 HYBRID
THE MOST interesting car being unveiled at the 84th Geneva Motor Show, March 6 to 16, 2014, is the Porsche 919 Hybrid. This LMP1-H entry for the 2014 Le Mans … Continue reading
HURRAH FOR AUTO ENGINEERS!
AUTOMOBILE BUYERS want it all—and enthusiasts want even more. Performance galore, gizmos galore, glitz galore. And then there are conflicting government regulations requiring added safety features combined with increasingly stringent … Continue reading
THE CARS OF J MAYS
YOU REALIZE the passage of time when someone you remember as a promising kid now announces his retirement. And so it is with J Mays, 59, chief designer at Ford … Continue reading
WHEN IS A CHICKEN NOT A CHICKEN?
FORD MIGHT have thought U.S. Customs forgot about the “chicken tax”—but, if so, Ford was wrong. I hadn’t thought of the chicken tax in years, but I refreshed my memory … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 