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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/27/2019 in all areas

  1. Looking good. So glad Lincoln is using names again. Hint hint Cadillac...
    4 points
  2. well yes... but it was in reference to Lincoln using nautical and aeronautical terms for its naming scheme.
    3 points
  3. Somebody get ocnblu to read this. This might calm him down.
    3 points
  4. As the '19 Ram is rated to tow up to 35,000 lbs, it'll be really interesting to see what Tesla (eventually) puts out.
    3 points
  5. Hey BARRA... I want to know RIGHT NOW why the USA doesn't get this truck and Mexico DOES! Regular cab short bed Sierra, plus it is in mid-level trim!
    2 points
  6. FCA does not want or need a partner right now. The American arm is in good shape, but they wont let go of the European arm. Why take on more burden with junk European cars and lousy European management?
    2 points
  7. I still wonder how those COE jeeps got any traction to the rear wheels with accessories mounted on the front.
    2 points
  8. I paid for my computer games with a job at Egghead Software... yes, I really was (am) an Egghead.
    2 points
  9. I vote Fiat, Alfa, Lancia. Combine Renault and Nissan into a simple rebadge brand (based off Renaults). Nissan can use rebodied Rams for the truck and SUVs. Keep the Z and the GTR. Dunno what to do with Mitsubishi... it doesn't do well in the US but it sells in emerging markets. Maybe convert it to Datsun and kill it in the US.
    2 points
  10. There's also the issue of oil prices dropping ahead of another recession that will keep ICE competitive longer.
    2 points
  11. It will, naturally. It's just that a RWD profile tends to look more premium.
    2 points
  12. '60 BelviDearGodThoseFins ~
    2 points
  13. Brake pads don't take any special tools. I've done my own as well. I guess I should say I've done my parents' vehicles with my dad as I've never owned a vehicle long enough to have to change the brakes, lol. Pretty much nothing can be turned now. Rotors have become cheap enough and thin enough because of weight that you just replace them.
    2 points
  14. It's raise and bonus time at work... got a sweet one this year.
    2 points
  15. Market forecasts of the future is a fragile thing, yet LMC Automotive has a strong reputation as a consulting firm looking at the global markets. The daily announcements of electric-car churn, major production investments, battery supply, etc. is cause for people to want to take a reality check of the projections by various OEM producers to individual government pronouncements. US projection is that fossil fuel light-duty autos will still be 69% or 7 out of 10 autos on the road in 2030. According to the LMC Automotive research report, 2018 saw that globally light vehicles running on fossil fuels were 95%. This is expected to drop to 92% by the end of 2019 yet a slowing of the change over from ICE to BEV is expected over the next decade. LMC is expecting a contraction of just 3 to 4 percent annually. This respected report is showing that more than half of the global vehicle demand will still have tailpipes and fuel tanks. So let’s take a look at some of the facts starting with the country India where in 2017 it stated that they would be fully electric by 2030. Yet LMC own research points to India being only 3% electric by 2030. On the other end of the spectrum, we have China where LMC expects the country to have a majority of light autos be electric. LMC expects fossil fuel light autos to make up only 48% of the market by 2030 in China, BEV's will be 52%. This is backed up by many other analysts that point to the massive growth of EV's in the next decade that eventually will taper off as costs stop falling for battery production and EV charging infrastructure. Electric cars are expected to be 55% of the global market by 2040 according to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance. One reason for slowing is the acknowledgment that not all markets will have the electrical infrastructure to support BEV auto's when many in countries like Africa do not even have electricity at their home. Looking at the three major automotive markets of China, India and the US, LMC points to the differences in how the change will happen. China will use the carrot and stick approach pushed by the political elite to ensure the New Energy Vehicles (NEV) come to market. Automakers are getting subsidies to manufacture these NEVs and receive strict penalties if they fail to meet the government goals. Here is where demand for ICE autos will fall off the fastest. In the US, demand is expected to be gradual with growth being slowed by the oil industry that has every reason to keep the price of gas low. This is also being tempered by the popular rise of the pickup truck and SUV sales that will keep BEVs in check till these full-size autos are offered in pure electric mode. Then we have India, per the LMC report where government ministers made global headlines in 2017 with their ambitious target to electrify the whole country by 2030 retiring all ICE autos. Including all types of transportation, 2, 3- and 4-wheel vehicles, the India government has since set a target of 30% BEVs by 2030 which LMC believes is unachievable. Despite having adjusted goals, the India government has approved a 3-year $100 billion program to promote electric vehicle adoption. Even with this big push, LMC sees India with a 97% ICE market share in 2030. Based on LMC's own 3-4% ICE decline annually, where ICE made 95% of global sales in 2018, expected to be 92% in 2030 ICE globally is still expected to make up 62% of global market if the 3% a year drop stays constant, yet numerous external factors will also affect this globally. Yet to make this change happen, one critical area is needed to grow. Batteries are the new OIL of the 21st century. Bloomberg expects $548 billion in investments by 2050 in the battery production industry as costs fall, homes and businesses push for a more reliable clean energy source. Battery prices per kilowatt-hour are expected to be below $70, down 67% from today’s cost. Annual batteries to be commissioned by 2050 is expected to exceed 1,288 gigawatts of power. To quote the Bloomberg story: “It’s a matter of ‘when and how’ and not ‘if’ wind, solar and battery technologies will disrupt electricity delivery all over the world,” Seb Henbest, lead author the report, said in an interview.
    1 point
  16. There are industrial cutbacks all over. China economy is slowing, automakers are pulling back manufacturing all over the place... expect more stories on that front.
    1 point
  17. it's not for them anyway.... my first thought was...
    1 point
  18. Aviator came first. Navigator came first. Nautilus came first. This is going to be out before the new Escape.
    1 point
  19. Spotted @Robert Hall in Columbus today. He's nutz.
    1 point
  20. The ghost of? Carlos Ghosn? Or do you mean Sergio Marchionne? Anyway, I see what you mean by it because Sergio wanted to merge desperately and yeah, several brands need to be killed off. Merger or not, several brands need to go as of now actually.
    1 point
  21. Yup. I forgot about that one. Good song like the others. I wanna make a correction with the timeline I gave. 'Twas the Spring of '86, not '85 my little story. Anyway. Thank-you for actually reading (and appreciating?) my nonsense. LOL.
    1 point
  22. Yes. Winter tires are better than all seasons. I agree. But in slippery conditions...nothing saves you. Slowing down does though... All I need is FWD and Im good. Now that Im used to winter tires, I DO prefer winters over all seasons, but a good all season tire that is NEW with FWD and I could manage all right. Like I said...slowing down is key to not losing control of your car. When the conditions are such that 50km/h (30mph) and your car gets squiggly with all seasons on, a winter tired FWD car could maybe go 35mph, to get to that squiggly state, but...when its time to stop, NOW!...welll...you aint stopping NOW whether you got winters or all seasons...and sure your stopping distances maybe a tad shorter with winters on...the thing is you need to stop NOW! But you aint gonnna stop... Slowing down is the key...regardless what kind of tire you got on. AWD/4 wheel drive just helps with not getting stuck in snow if there was a huge snowfall and you are parked. Or you wanna go through huge snowbanks because the snow plow did not plow yet. Again, you got a car that has a high enough ground clearance, and the road does not have ice underneath, not a low sports car, but a NORMAL car, RWD or FWD car , preferably a FWD car, one could go through uncleared roads easily enough and there is no need for AWD... I find that traction control, when it does not have a snow feature, hinders forward movement in snow, because sometimes, the driving wheels NEED to spin on snow and ice to move. OK...this is where AWD DOES come in handy. But its handy, not necessary... I got an AWD TL. Its great in the winter especially with winter tires on. But my wifes FWD Fusion with winters on does a great job too. The only thing I do not like about the Fusion for winter is that the Fusion seems to have a lower ground clearance than I used to for a family sedan and for winter driving in Montreal. Just to say, that they gave my wife a Ford Edge with a 3.5 under the hood. AWD. The Fusion needs rotors. Funny that the conversation is about rotors, but yeah, the Fusion needs rotors at 35 000 miles. I find that strange...
    1 point
  23. I ran across an FB post the other day on the Jeep FC...they were sold in the US from '56-65, then Willys sold or licensed the tooling to Mahindra, where they were built for several decades in India, including a passenger van and minibus version...
    1 point
  24. It's taking longer than I thought to get here, but yes. I expected it by the fall of 2018. There are plenty of indicators that something is brewing, but unemployment remains low for now without an increase in real wages, which is a good thing economically. Eventually, it's just a cycle and it will come time for a recession to hit. Either way, it won't be as bad as the last one we were in.
    1 point
  25. Yes, I do! I know @Drew Dowdell and I have both seen things in the financial / investing markets that raise concern for another recession that is long overdue.
    1 point
  26. I didn't say otherwise. ICE is the more financially competitive option as long as gas prices stay low. Battery prices would have to fall that much further just to keep up.
    1 point
  27. I figure if I get 4 years out of brakes these days (rotors+pads) based on current traffic and mileage I'm content. It took a few years to settle on a shop I trust in this neighbourhood for maintenance, worth it since I can just walk there or home when dropping the car off.
    1 point
  28. As long as it has an AWD option, it will take care of the 99.9% that care less about the FWD/RWD Debate.
    1 point
  29. I think it has a great looking profile. Even though we know it's not RWD, it looks like it could be.
    1 point
  30. Bet the Agnelli Family is more interested in getting cash out of their controlling stake and moving on in various directions. Just makes sense that usually next generation family is not always interested in past family investments.
    1 point
  31. When I had my '06 C350 I asked about having the rotors turned and O'reillys said most modern rotors are made thin enough that there's no point in having them turned for $20 when new rotors are only $40 or so.
    1 point
  32. Seems geely has bought them from Diamler as it was loosing 500 to 700 million a year. Mercedes To Sell Half Of Smart Car Subsidiary To Geely, Financial Times Says http://flip.it/8rqhkX
    1 point
  33. You could add “Sara” to that as well...
    1 point
  34. HAHA, here in PA, the law states... simply remove summer air and replace with winter air. No need to switch the en tire
    1 point
  35. That is so true of them here. They are more than willing to ******* tell you!
    1 point
  36. 1 point
  37. "How do you know someone is vegan? Don't worry, they'll ***** tell you"
    1 point
  38. I forgot this one. It was about a week ago. I saw a 1994/5/6 Thunderbird coupe in the dark metallic green. It was badged with a V8. This meant it had the 4.6 SOHC V8. The best part is that it had the contraption sitting on top of the roof that said it was being used as a delivery car for Jimmy John's! I remember that these cars were sold loaded with the power options included and were sensibly priced - about $16K to $18K back in the '90s. Basically it was like this, but with the small V8 badge, though not in as good shape: I was once given one of these Thunderbird coupes out West as a rental car and took it over the border to Vancouver. I was fairly impressed with how quiet it was and how it had enough power. Not too thirsty at highway speeds. Little did I know this would become an heirloom engine that would power both the Grand Marquis and many Lincolns.
    1 point
  39. I6 is better than V6.... especially for longevity
    1 point
  40. I remember coding on my Pet and saving it all to cassette. I do have to admit, while I never dealt with punch cards and the nightmare if you dropped them of getting them back in order. My first coding was on an HP server that used a Ribbon punch programming methode. It was crazy how big a reel one could get depending on how you coded your program.
    1 point
  41. Equally as happy, just had my one on one with the boss and now I am on par for the industry position I am in. Part of how Dell does things over EMC where EMC paid lower but gave a bigger bonus. Dell pays on industry par but with a little smaller bonus. Yet having a biweekly bigger paycheck is nice.
    1 point
  42. Was it ever really alive to begin with? Those cars took “POS” to a whole other level.
    1 point
  43. yeah, I only use Top tier... and that usually means Costco. I'm rolling in an Escalade rental this week.... making it tough not to want one.
    1 point
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