VOTY '12: Shortlisted
Tweet Photo by Randy Stern The data has been crunched. The panel of jurors has spoken. Out of 39 vehicles considered for the Victory & Reseda 2012 Vehicle of The Year, the following ten have made the Short List:
Tag: Kia
The Power To…
We feel the need to ensure that we can hedge our gas pump budget by owning vehicles with batteries on board in hopes of using them when needed. Slow city traffic, assisted starts from idle and even defrosting the car on a cold morning gives the battery-powered motor inside our hybrid a chance for us to snub our noses at the oil companies.
Commentary: Kia's New Flagship Has a Name…No, Seriously…
Tweet Photo courtesy of Kia Motors, Inc. A Q-what?!? When Kia presented their rear-drive flagship sedan, questions began as to where exactly the sportier half of its partnership with Hyundai was going. Called the K9, one could hear jokes that would not sit well with pet lovers and animal rights activists. K9 is part of …
Five Favorites from a Very Busy Period in This Work and Art
Once there were five…then I forgot.
It’s been a while since I did a Five Favorites piece. They usually involve a theme and five items related to that theme. Sometimes, it’s a personal experience that dictates these five items. Sometimes, it’s other factors that parse out the list. Either way, you get five stories from one idea – novel, isn't it?
A thought popped in my head: I've been asked a lot about the vehicles I've driven since the beginning of March. Two particular questions come up: "Which would I buy?"< ?i> and "Which one would you buy?"
Spunky, Darty and Swift
This is one of the scenarios being bantered about by oil speculators since before the end of 2011. These speculators forecasted the rise of fuel pump prices to top the $5.00 mark for unleaded nationwide by the peak summer driving season. For a lot of motorists, this is not going to be fun.
Geneva 2012: "What, Us Worry?"
Tweet Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz USA Not all auto shows this year will be cause for celebration. As Palexpo opens up for the annual auto show in Geneva, a pall of uncertainly looms across Europe. Debt crises, currency concerns, political gamesmanship and higher than allowable unemployment are not making things easier across the Atlantic. Some …
Chicago 2012: What's New at McCormick Place
Chicago Auto Show is still considered one of the major exhibitions of the automobile in the USA. Being one of the "majors" on the USA auto show circuit, manufacturers are given the opportunity to debut brand new or revised models to their lineups. Chicago continues to provide this opportunity for the automotive world to see what’s new and different for the upcoming model year.
In recent times, manufacturers are no longer tied to the auto shows to create debut events. Also, the number of opportunities for these debuts are being consolidated or reduced for various different reasons. At one time, the Chicago Auto Show organizers were planning to consolidate their press conference schedule into one day. Luckily, they did not do so this year. Who is to say whether they will do this in the future?
Still, there are some debuts to be discussed. Here’s the best ones that showed up at McCormick Place…
Which Ones Sold How Many in 2011?
The annual sales figures are in! I could recount which vehicles were the best sellers in the nation, but I’d rather concentrate on how last year’s main vehicle review subjects fared in 2011. Also, I try to analyze how each vehicle could fare in the coming year.
My Favorite Captive Imports
At a time when the call was to tune down the horsepower and prepare for an oil crisis, a recession and a never ending war overseas, domestic automakers figured it was high time to build another round of compact cars. By going smaller, there were two routes to take: Build them domestically or import them from a global partner somewhere. Three out of the four North American automakers chose the latter.
Five Favorites: What To Get Someone Turning 50…
TweetToday is a very special occasion in the Stern family: My brother Matthew turns 50 today. It is an important age in a person's life. For the AARP, it means cultivating memberships. In the Human Resource department, it puts them on alert as to how long said employee has to go with them. Some retailers …