The short answer is many folks buy not what they need but what they THINK they want.  Why else do people who haul nothing more than a couple people buy a $70k truck.  Used to be that only the weekend Harley folks were this far into cosplay, but not anymore. Just LOOK at the number of can loans that contain amounts and…

Really nice riding skills evident here. The Honda kind of shrugs this off and even more amazingly is a DCT equipped example. Notice the absence of clutching, the rider is solely “”Button shifting” the bike. 

Well,l I believe it’s a combination of factors. Trends often start on the coasts, but big business, without firm management that believes in the value of everyone, is a cancer enroaching upon our whole society.

I’ve worked as a unionized nurse and as a nurse manager dealing with unions, so I’ve actually lived both sides. I don’t pretend to know ALL the answers but I have seen and lived a lot. As a worker you are almost always better served by being in a union.

If we go back to the early years of the automobile almost ALL cars were tall like cross overs. But dare to look beneath at the average sale prices and you will find that the higher prices likely sealed the deal for Ford. Detroit auto execs, with some wonderful exceptions, typically don’t look very far down the road-…

Except..... Compare the cost to purchase, let alone MAINTAIN an F150 with a Camry, let alone the OPERATIONAL costs. Fuel is going to cost a minimum of four times as much, if not more.

The undealt with elephant in the room is the increasing unafforadability of new vehicles, something Ford killing off the car model is addressing by ADDING cost.  Vehicles are becoming increasingly unaffordable, unless people lease or sign a car loan almost as long as a home mortgage. How SHOULD Ford, and other…

Yeah, a question only grown ups can understand.  Actually, this is kind of GMs replacement for their minis isn’t it?

Bingo!

You’re right! When GM killed Pontiac they were actually outselling Buick in the USA, but they sold a lot in China.  Still, one wonders what would have happened had they kept Pontiac in America, and Buick in China. In any event, you get a gold star.

Yes, and if you park it properly you could have a “Roomz with a view”

Sure, you don’t mind riding two hours for something that would have taken you fifteen minutes by ugly mobile do you? Gives you plenty of time to look at the attractive inside of a modern day bus, in fact several, since you will likely have to transfer.  Let us know how that is working out for you.

Ok, do it. Let us know how it works out for you!!

Does it come from the factory with built in head gasket issues?

Very cool deep dive into electric vehicle architecture and technology.  I’ve seen this firms work, but this is a really great video that shows a LOT in a little time. Hey, you guys could be rivals to “Engineering explained!”  WELL DONE!

Ford has a golden opportunity here. With the market shift to all things truck/crossover they can cause a paradigm shift in the marketplace. I remember the incredible excitement of the original mustang, and while time has marched on Ford just MIGHT catch GM snoozing again. The Blazer is somewhat bland looking and…

Cadillac needs a “Dr Evil” edition where they do a surcharge of “One Gazillion dollars.”

Except the cars do sell. It’s not like they are losing money on them. WE bailed GM out with our tax dollars and they are now very profitable. So, when GM has a chance they screw the people over and shut down plants that make lower price products to emphasize high profit trucks and crossovers. IT’s called short…

Yes, Dodge really had the nicest interiors of all the trucks at NIAIS.

Great point indeed, GM trucks may be “Cheap to build” but next to the competition they FEEL cheaper made.  That and the loss of efficiency is a bowl of bad when things get tight. And with record auto loan levels I have to wonder if this is a crisis in the making that will be exacerbated with by Barra’s decision to…