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^^^^ Amen to all that. It is too bad that there are those who fear and resist technological change as much as they do (for their own reasons).

Reality is indeed complex. There are many facets to reality. Different types of people, in different parts of the world have a different type of reality. I understand this and accept it too. I have a problem ONLY when one individual thinks that there is only one reality and THAT reality is the only reality we should adapt to. And I know that this is a two-way street as THAT person WILL think EXACTLY like I AM THINKING, that I am trying to push MY reality unto HIS... Back to EV infrastructure: Nope...not a thing. False claim. Not reality. ESPECIALLY going forward. Technology IS moving forward with this so charging times WILL go down. But even as is, NOT. A. PROBLEM. For daily driving needs. For long distance traveling. Again. Its ONLY a problem when you resist change. People that have bought EVs, dont see that as a problem. And you know what? I gassed up yesterday. JUST before going to my daughter's softball practice. I was running on fumes. I wanted to full up to the brim. On a usual fill up from completely empty to fully full, it does take a good 5-6 minutes just at the pump...well, the pump yesterday was slow as phoque for whatever reason, and it took LITERALLY 12 minutes JUST for me to put gas IN the car. THAT is ALMOST EV charging times right there. And I had to stand there like an idiot with my hand on the pistol. EV chargers...you just place it there and leave it there... Oh...I had the wife's Fusion, and the Ford has no gas cap for me to do the little gas cap trick to stick it under the handle so I could smoke a cigarette while the car fills up...(yes...Ive seen this before in the 1980s when smoking was rampant and safety was of little concern regarding fire hazard around gas stations...) ??? Portability??? Electrons move very easily. Even the suns rays could be transformed into fuel...actually, we as humans get fuel with the sun's rays... Maybe you mean charger stations? THIS is why GM is investing in a charger network system. Tesla keeps on growing theirs. THIS is also the reason why they continue to bleed money. Nobody acknowledges this fact, but they keep poor billions in expanding their charging network system. Its an asset that is very very valuable... Again...false reality on your part. That is a problem with ICE as well. Prices keep going up in price for those. EVs as compared to ICE is sure higher for EVs. Yeah...and? Reality is that housing is expensive. HEALTY FOOD CHOICES are expensive. Good quality clothes that last more than two wash loads are expensive. GASOLINE is expensive. Maybe in YOUR reality it aint. In mine it is. And as is for the most of the world. Electricity though, in my reality is cheap cheap cheap and clean clean clean clean so for me, in the next generation of EVs, the higher cost of EVs over ICE will be offset by a huuuuuge margin with maintenance and gasoline purchases...especially when MY government is gonna help out with electric vehicles and electricity as fuel for housing (heating and cooling) and all that. Not just for private usage, but for public service buildings and vehicles such as metros, buses, garbage trucks, postal vehicles etc... All that will fuel our economy as hydro-electric power is almost our only source for electricity (we do have wind mills to assist) and there has been no coal powered stations for the last 50-75-80 years, and our only nuclear plant was decommissioned and dismantled 3-4-5 years ago.) So...different reality for you and I... EVs ARE profitable... Tesla is not...NOT because EVs are not profitable...Tesla has other issues... For GM...well, as good as the Volt and Bolt have been technologically, GM's half assed attempts to sell EVs and to manufacturer them...THEIR resistance to EVs in the past have kept EVs non-profitable for them. But now...they are going full tilt EV...and they think that they could make a buck or two with EVs... Again...reality has MANY facets...it depends what reality you choose to believe in... Only with folk much like yourself. Resistant to change and happy to be ignorant about the whole thing. Nobody, other than Tesla and Toyota, has created the right packaged EV just yet. Nobody, other than Tesla has created a visually beautiful EVs yet either. The Prius family of EVs are ugly as phoque. The Bolt is too small and too phoquen ugly. Tesla cars, while not Harley Earl/Bill Mitchel/Virgil Exner/Pininfarina/Henrik Fisker (irony that I mention Fisker as he had a slight influence on the Model S and the Model S was a good looking car 6 years ago) masterpieces, Tesla cars DO invoke passion with their car design language... Tesla has sold half a million cars to date. And still selling, although sales have dipped, so have other manufacturer's sales. But 500 000 Tesla cars sold. 500 000 THIS figure alone has made the rest of the industry to say...WTF??? Again...different reality you choose to believe in. You could tell me that EVs are nothing but barely 2% of all vehicle sales...which is one reality...but I choose to see 500 000 units sold... And..as it seems, so does GM, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, VW and all others... Yes... but IF it crashes... Also...Tesla is bleeding billions because they are expanding their network... VW has a war chest of billions. GM does not. So...smart thinking for GM. But again, your perception of reality is different than mine. Who is right? I dunno...but GM and others are going full tilt with EVs. Crash and burn? You think GM will let that possible reality BECOME reality? Like in baseball or sports in general. Numbers, statistics and analytics have taken over. The poor teams adopted this, to better compete with the rich teams. The rich teams laughed at this idea. It worked. The rich teams used this to vastly improve on their chances. Poor teams still such, but not as much, but the rich teams still win....but numbers, statistics and analytics are part of reality in sports. EVs...are gonna be part of our reality. Too much money from governments, car companies are invested in this going forward. It will NOT fail as THIS is the reality governments want, and car manufacturers are accepting, complying and ultimately ONLY going to offer EVs for purchase. Phasing out ICE slowly, but surely. Like digital and high definition TV. Like how oil from whale blubber lead to oil and electricity to fuel our appliance and heating needs.

Encore Embiggen Edition

It looks like a Volvo XC40 or that little Hyundai, I am over the "floating roof" already. Otherwise it looks fine, looks like a Blazer/Camaro for less money, looks much better than a Traxx. To me "Trailblazer" is better than "Blazer" so I don't know why they wasted the Trailblazer name here. Probably should have called this the Tracker.

Well your head was already in the sand regarding actual facts so your body might as well join the party.

Broken door handles aside, the W-Body coupes were good cars. I do miss my Cutlass Convertible sometimes.

And then there is the moral cost of ICE. I am unwilling to put American service men and women in Harms way for cheap oil.

Even today there are people that resist most modern technology including ICE---the Amish. They live in the past and are ignored. Other luddites can join them.

Still see a fair number of first-gen FWD Impalas on the road. Saw one yesterday... still going, clapped out mess that it was. Armchair reactionaries can say what they will, the GM W-body served millions for many years without asking much in return.

Tesla's supercharging network is an asset that Tesla possesses that appears to be overlooked. Tesla's network is an advantage that Tesla has over all other manufacturer's EV sales. That network system is a big part of Tesla's prestige. When VW and now GM matches Tesla's charging network in term of size and accessibility, that might just eat in to Tesla's appeal just a tad and maybe reverse Tesla's God-like aura they have.... Its in GM's best interest to build up a and beef up the charging network system if they want to succeed in selling EVs to the masses.

Going to my daughter's softball practice this evening. '69 Cutlass convertible. White. It looked like a red or burgundy interior. Great shape. I was on a two lane small winding road while he was coming on the opposite side. I saw him a mile away. I knew it was a '69 Cutlass as soon as I saw it on the horizon. Gave him a thumbs up from a looooong distance, the phoquer either didnt see me (how could you not see me? Two lane road, one going one way and the other going the other way...) Or he decided to ignore me....either way...asshat!

EVs are coming... EVs ARE the future whether we want to accept that reality or not.

I love the look of this and the Blazer. I agree not the best names but it is 2019! Do we know if there will be a new Trax/Tracker coming along too? Thx

The question I would ask is.... what would such a merger bring to either company. Ford would get cash and access to platforms and GM would get... what? F-150? No, I see a VW-Ford pair up as much more likely than Ford-GM. With Ford-VW, they have complimentary lineups. VW still has car platforms that can be used. Ford has truck and (better) SUV platforms. The only place they really overlap is a couple of SUVs and the commercial van segment. Lincoln and Audi could even co-exist peacefully as two very different takes on luxury. Ford-PSA is another, though less desirable, option. It would allow Ford and PSA to consolidate EU operations. It would give PSA access to the US market, and the two of them could take on China together. Maybe even throw a few sedan models back in the Ford brand portfolio. But no, not Ford - GM.

That's the dash I had in mine. While it looked fine, the plastic was very brittle and things easily fell apart. I like the '95 because the interior is a bit more sturdy if slightly plainer.

I think Nissan (and Toyota) should give up on full size trucks and concentrate on what made them popular in the past... mini trucks. It is intriguing to think of a Ram midsize with Pentastar or the new inline 6 in a Nissan-shared midsize though.

Coincidentally I got passed yesterday evening (in my buggy) by a white, late model W-body Cutlass Supreme coupe. Humming along at about 75.

I didn't like the newer interiors. I preferred the original. Because it resembled the classic Cutlass interiors also...I preferred the fact that those interiors were also optioned with the digital readout. 1970 1980s G-Body Olds Cutlass W-Body Cutlass Supreme And digital version Minus the digital screen where a that is clearly a modern upgrade where a plethora of buttons used to be.

OOoooo and it's a 3.4 DOHC in a '95. That's the perfect combo! Has the better interior and the last year for the 3.4 Twin-cam. You temptress you!

All it takes to kill any kind of momentum that is generated by durability ads, is for somebody to do a political style attack ad.

Very few people can process this.

Reality is complex.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a26524237/2020-toyota-corolla-sedan-drive/ enough praise I guess so they keep getting more of toyota’s Ad money

How is setting up a nationwide infrastructure for the future (as well as coinciding with their EV plans between now and 2023) a “failure”? Somehow I’m guessing 100+ years ago, you would have branded the mass expansion of fossil fuel stations across the country as a “failure” as well.

I give these some Love that many hate! ?

So, after a while, I gave up on Opera again. But Chrome and Firefox were still giving me trouble. I don't want to reformat my computer just because Chrome is acting buggy, so I tried out Edge. It's *gasP* finally good..... really good! One thing I notice about it is that my laptop runs a lot cooler than when running Chrome. I can tell because I can't even hear the cooling fan anymore when I'm surfing.

Especially if you are running vSphere or any other suite of software from VMware.

Having to turn off hyperthreading on older servers really reduces the life of the machines.

Tracker would have been a far better name for this CUV but with the name “Trax” already taken, it may create some confusion for some folks. Still better than “Trailblazer”.

as long as they can produce chips that don't later have to be patched to disable a significant amount of their firepower, I'm sold.

Those are gorgeous too. I dont get why the automotive world wanted bigger horsepower figures on that model. It was a cruiser. Not meant to be a bruiser. I guess the world then was thirsty for horsepower and torque. But clearly didnt want Camaro or Trans Ams.... I get the concern for the lack of V8 and horsepower for the Plymouth Prowler, I just didnt understand it when some folk whined about that too for the Thunderbird.

Fiat + Nissan Can you imagine the bland and shtty vehicles to come from that corporation?

Not quite yet ready for one just yet. It will be a 442 clone. Either a 1969 Hurst/Olds Clone or 1970 442 clone. Or it will be a numbers matching 1970 442 W30. If it will be a clone, it will NOT have an Olds 455 under the hood. But a modern powerplant. But it will not be a ubiquitous LS/LT engine swap. It will be a custom engine job. kinda like a SD 455 cubic inch Trans Am depot engine based on the GM's LT engine series. Or a Hellephant 426 cubic inch engine based on Mopar's Hellcat/Demon/Redeye Hemi. Yes...if I was ready NOW, and I had the necessary 100 000 dollar plus budget for buying a number's matching 442 or building a quality show room clone 442, Id SERIOUSLY consider putting a 426 inch Hellephant engine in it. Or even the Red Eye version Hemi. YES! Id MOPAR my Oldsmobile!!! And yes! Id consider putting "426" on the front of the car instead of "442" and Id consider doing hockey stick graphics like the Hemi cars of old, instead of the Oldsmobile Hurst graphics, which kinda look like MOPAR hockey stick graphics AND...Id have a logo that says HEMI/OLDS instead of HURST/OLDS on the side front fenders... Yes...I dream a lot...but THAT is what keeps my dreams alive for owning a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass one day. Id even consider making the Cutlass an EV 442 clone...as of now...using Tesla Model S or Model 3 skate platform and putting the Cutlass body shell over the Tesla skate platform some how... Id NEVER spend 100 000 dollars on a car. But if my other retirement plans do not go through, this option is open for me. If the other plans go through, then maybe Ill never own a 1970s Cutlass. If Im lucky enough to have my cake and eat it too, then Ill get to live my life with my wife in paradise and not worry about money at all when we are both old and grey, and my kids are living their lives without having to worry about money, and I still get to have my dream car.... If none of my plans go through...at least Ive had a nice dream to dream about all these years of hard work... But...in the meantime. We save money for the future. My future, my wife's future and my kid's future and we see what happens...

Ah, well more fast chargers will be a good thing.... but I don't know that Tesla is compatible with other brand fast chargers without a special adapter.

Of course, there never has been a $35k Model 3--that was mythical hype...in the US hasn't the cheapest Model 3 been more like $50k?

How did the 25% import tariff suddenly jump to 100%?? ah- you were joking generally with specific numbers...

We can but there are too many palms that need greasing by that the oil industry to make that happen. Oil is politics sadly. And I am with you on the EV front. It’s coming whether the dinosaurs want to accept it or not.

Politics not always make economical sense. I believe I have read that US can do completely without oil from Middle East. In any case, as I said before, I am all for EVs. With better infrastructure more people will consider EV.

This post I will upvote by a thousand...or a million. Well written.

Seems Tesla original founder is back at it to create solid state AI /ML battery packs for the EV industry. Tesla founder launches new electric car battery startup and there’s a twist http://flip.it/bWjvCN

Based on all the interviews with Marry Barra and her focus on EV's is to keep things static with tweak updates till the EV products hit the showroom. Very clear that their focus is on AWD / RWD / FWD EVs I think. https://thenewswheel.com/gm-predicts-ev-profitability-will-happen-within-the-next-decade/

I assume they stick w/ V6s as those can be shared w/ FWD transverse engine models like the Highlander, Avalon, ES, etc..

It is in YOUR FAILURE to accept change of Habits. You so want static life that you FAIL to see progress. The early 1900's was not Electrics time due to the lack of proper battery storage. We have that now and constant improvements, so changing the habit to plug in at night so you start each day off full on a 300 mile battery pack is just a change of habit without the petro smell, toxic absorption into the hands, under ground storage, distribution, etc. While I also see their approach to shield themselves from the cost and always potential immediate loss of money as a public trading company where you have to bow to the shareholders, this is smart business sense. As the XFC charging infrastructure grows and as we move away from the Li Ion batteries to Solid State such as Toshiba is building and is going into Nissan and Mitsubishi auto's, we will see this change over much faster than you or others will expect. Most woman and a large amount of men would love to not have to go to the gas station or deal with the maintenance of the current Auto's that go on sale. This is why the 100,000 mile tune up and service became the new norm. Electrics with their minimal service will change this again for humans that do not want to be bothered with service of the ICE variety.

Did you unsheath your sword and avenge his transgression?

Edmund's has the 2019 rated at 6.5 out of 10. Top Gear has it rated at 6 out of 10. LOTS of room to improve, it seems.

GM had an ignition leak? How does that work? Where's Dwight, we need a class in leaking ignitions!

HA! - found this, pretty interesting : https://jalopnik.com/mercedes-benz-forced-to-stop-saying-the-sprinter-van-wa-1833923936

You can save those for the "unpopular opinion about a popular car" thread that I'll start next week. ?

The first digit in the VIN indicates the vehicle’s country of origin, or final point of assembly

Tundra powertrains were born in the same day as dirt. They need to do something to to make their truck competitive and this seems like a good first step. What makes no sense to me is Toyota can win any spending battle they want with Ford and yet they let the F150 walk all over them.