There was no shortage of honest-to-goodness hard-working automotive journalists and bloggers of every stripe and size at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) press preview days in Detroit this week … and then there was yours truly, all part of the crazy mix.
Never mind the never-touched-a-wrench ne’re-do-wells. A fundamental shift has taken place. You know blogging has hit the big time when conventional media sits up and takes notice …especially the television news operations in major metropolitan areas, like Toledo, Ohio.
I met Barrett shortly after setting up my camera gear setup stage right in Cobo Arena for the Ford press conference. Hours later, Barrett caught me when I had packed everything up and was headed out for the day. He asked if I would do a piece on camera for his audience and I happily obliged.
From the looks of the mob of reporters and cameras, one might have thought that a pop culture icon had descended upon the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) floor.
But it was not a Grammy-winning diva or Hollywood actress flocked by paparazzi … it was a man in the running for the Motor City’s least favorite Washington politician, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee.
After exiting from a proverbial back room, Corker made his rounds of the NAIAS show floor, starting with the GM booth, where he received a car-by-car briefing on the latest designs and technology from the largest of the Detroit Three.
On Sunday evening, I had the good fortune to have dinner with Ford’s CEO, Alan Mulally and a number of Ford executives. I was the lone wolf mad dog blogger at the table, surrounded by conventional journalists from America and the UK. Needless to say, I was nervous as could be, not having previously met a single person in the room. I compensated by throwing down three pineapple vodka infusions – the house specialty at the Capital Grille in Troy, Michigan (and for good reason, I must say) – in rapid succession while twittering and waiting at the bar.
All in my best attempt to summon inspiration from the late great Hunter S. Thompson.
As the outsider not knowing a soul, I felt a bit uneasy as I eased into my spot at the corner of the table. I was only guy not wearing a tie (although I did have a proper navy jacket). My non-corporate arrangement of facial hair du jour couldn’t have helped. Continue reading →
Much was made of the remarkable popularity of the MINI E electric car around the time of the LA Auto Show. Numerous news outlets repeated the line that “10,000 drivers have already applied to lease the cars, at $850 a month.” (hybridcars.com). Now it appears, with the recession barreling along, that the interested throng has been whittled down a bit.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG will lease 250 of its new Mini Es in Southern California and 200 in metropolitan New York and New Jersey by March. Applicants, who will pay $850 a month for the zero-emissions car for one year, are outnumbering the models available by 4-to-1, according to the Munich-based carmaker.
2,000, 10,000, or 25,000? Just before the LA Show, Motor Trend remarked:
10,000 people have forwarded their email addresses to BMW, hoping to become customers. BMW expects 25,000 applicants by the time the list closes and BMW chooses its 500 U.S. guinea pigs.
I went through the initial MINI E lease application process back in mid-November … never got a peep back from MINI regarding the status of my application. Not one word … not even a thank you for the application. Did they not like my choice theoretical cross-country co-pilots? Did I fail the test? Perhaps because I participate in too many social media outlets and MINI considered me to be a loose cannon?
I’m more than a little irked, because I was – and still am – willing to put up $850 a month to participate in the experiment. While the company had taken a drubbing in many online forums for the cost of the lease, I had justified the expense and was ready to go forward.
MPG-o-Matic Ford Flex Review Summary: The 2009 Ford Flex nearly defies description. As a brilliant alternative to SUVs and minivans, the Flex represents a rebirth of the great American station wagon with the comforts of a spacious limousine.
Available in both all-wheel- (AWD) and front-wheel-drive (FWD) configurations, the Ford Flex breaks new ground in the seven-seat people mover category. It’s not an SUV, it’s not a minivan, and it’s not like any crossover you’ve ever seen before.
While the Ford Flex competes with a range of seven-seat crossovers and SUVs, there’s nothing currently on the market that provides direct competition. With the Flex, Ford has created an entirely new segment. Continue reading →
MPG-o-Matic Ford Flex Review Summary: The 2009 Ford Flex nearly defies description. As a brilliant alternative to SUVs and minivans, the Flex represents a rebirth of the great American station wagon with the comforts of a spacious limousine.