Posted by Janaki on
March 31, 2009
So Long Chrysler, Hello Fiat (Obama-Induced Merger)
Shortly after yesterday’s big announcements, Chrysler and Fiat announced that they had come to a tentative deal regarding their merger. US President Obama’s administration has stated that the merger is a necessary condition for further bailout money to be granted to them.
Does this make it a done deal? Not so fast. Follow the jump for more.
Posted by Peter on
March 31, 2009
Canadian Government Follows US Lead, Rejects GM/Chrysler Viability Plan
Follow the Leader, according to Wikipedia, is a children’s game that has everyone line up behind the Leader and mimic his or her actions. This is basically like Simon Says except without the talking. People who fail to follow the Leader’s actions are “out” until there is only one person left; that person then becomes the Leader for the next round.
This may seem like just another kid’s game, but unlike Duck-Duck-Goose, it teaches kids an important lesson in assimilation and acceptance. Although they most certainly don’t realize it at the time, children who play Follow the Leader learn to mimic one another – a useful skill in adult social situations but a dangerous one for nurturing independent thought.
Why am I going off on a tangent about games that kids play? Because our Prime Minister Stephen Harper evidently excelled at these games as a boy and we are now observing the consequences. In this auto industry bailout “game”, US President Barack Obama is the Leader and Stephen Harper is one of the Followers. I have no doubt that Mr. Harper will outlast the other followers of Mr. Obama; Harper wants is that badly. But so what? What are the consequences of having a Prime Minister whose CV consists of children’s games?
Posted by Janaki on
March 31, 2009
Walkaway + Hyundai: Tapping Into New Car Buyer Uncertainty
Surely you’ve heard of Hyundai’s Assurance program by now. There’s no other auto manufacturer that’s currently running a program like it, and it shows—Subaru’s got its personality, sure, but which other auto manufacturer is actually managing to turn a profit in our current economy? It’s Hyundai. But what’s behind the program?
To find out more, follow the jump.
Posted by Kevin on
March 30, 2009
It DOES exist… (Acura Crossover Coupe)
Earlier this month we told you about the BMW X6-fighter from Acura caught cold weather testing in Winnipeg. Back then, there was no confirmation that an X6-fighter from Honda’s premium division even existed.
Despite photographic evidence, turns out we weren’t all hallucinating, this vehicle does exist and Acura has announced its name. As stupid as most cars names are, alphanumeric names are just as bad and Acura’s newest spawn is no exception.
Find out its name after the jump.
Posted by Peter on
March 30, 2009
It’s Time To Step Down: GM’s Wagoner and PSA’s Streiff Fired
Rick Wagoner has been at the helm of General Motors since the dawn of time the 21st century. In that period, he has plundered the company’s stock to near-worthless levels, slashed thousands of jobs, lost tens of billions, and left the company begging to American and Canadian taxpayers. To call his tenure at GM a failure would be a gross understatement. Interestingly, GM’s board of directors has stood behind Wagoner and supported his decisions for more than eight years, no matter how short-sighted or destructive those decisions were. This effectively negated anything to do with accountabililty at GM, which actually goes a long way towards explaining the company’s culture.
Now, it has taken an outsider, in the form of President Barack Obama’s Auto Task Force, to change the old old guard with a new old guard. Wagoner’s replacement? After the jump.
Posted by Janaki on
March 30, 2009
F1 News: Australian Grand Prix 2009: Melbourne
You may think you know how the opening Grand Prix of the Formula One season ended, but in actual fact, you might not know it at all. Watching the race itself (though it was quite an exciting race) is only half the story.
If you’d like to know more, follow the jump.
Posted by Stan on
March 29, 2009
Brawn, Button, Barrichello – Brilliant!!!
The Formula 1 season is now underway and, if the race this weekend in Melbourne is any indication, we are in for an exciting year. For Ross Brawn and the ex-Honda squad, now known as Brawn GP, it could not have started any better. Jenson Button was never challenged and teammate, Rubens Barrichello, managed to get himself into and out of trouble all afternoon, securing an amazing 1-2 finish for Brawn GP at the Australian Grand Prix.
More after the jump.
Posted by Jonathan on
March 29, 2009
How Hard Can It Be? 1980-ish BMW 528i
Here at CarEnvy we have incinerated considerable resources examining the human condition. We do this to better serve our readership through understanding and then acceptance, rather than mockery and physical abuse. Through exhaustive research we have discovered, among other character flaws, the basic problem with most people is that they lack vision.
Vision is the ability to see beyond the constraints of the unfinished or difficult right in front of you. Vision allows a person to grasp a nebulous concept and foresee what will be rather than what is. Vision is what people like Bob Lutz and Steve Jobs and Jack Welch have in spades, and what people like George W. Bush do not.
Which rounds around to this episode of How Hard Can It Be, which is like a high school science fair except with vehicular effluence instead of beakers and fire. Today we are focusing on the birth of a legend, the BMW 5-series.
Posted by Janaki on
March 27, 2009
Video: The London Grand Prix
It’s the start of the 2009 F1 Championship in Melbourne this weekend, so to celebrate, why not ponder what an F1 street race in London would be like with Gareth Jones on Speed? 
Also, this serves as a formal reminder to set your DVRs and VCRs for the start of what promises to be an exciting F1 season. At CarEnvy, you see, we’re all about public service. 
Posted by Peter on
March 27, 2009
Tesla S Electric Sedan Revealed!
It’s finally here. The pictures, that is, not the car. You’ll have to wait until Q3 2011 to get one of these in your garage. And that’s only if Tesla gets government funding and a good chunk of deposits. So how much vaporware electric sedan do you get for USD$49,900?
