I’m still picking up from the "cutting room floor" vehicles that did not make the cut back in 2017 for the sake of our ninth anniversary. This is really an exercise that tests my memory, as well as giving a look back at vehicles that have stood the test of time over a decade ago.
By the mid-2000s, Ford reached a point where they had to do something about their mid-sized sedan offering. With a lineage that included the Tempo and the Contour (the American version of the Mondeo), Ford needed something that fit perfectly between the Focus and the Taurus.
Prior to April of 2011, I tried my hand on automotive vehicle reviewing by talking about the cars I rented. They helped me understand what these vehicles were all about. I paid attention to their positive and negative attributes very closely. The result was informed opinions with the approach of living with each of these vehicles day in and day out.
Tweet All Photos by Randy Stern Not to brag or anything, but some of us have lived long enough to remember certain vehicles in our lives that have been long forgotten by everyone else. Many vehicles have seen their last days, but their most loyal owners…and some desperate consumers…have kept the flames alive past their …
Tweet Over the years in my professional life, I have bore witness to a few exciting new things. These are otherwise known as "unveilings." These are big auto show moments – sometimes not at auto shows, but mostly they are. They gather the media around in hopes of pulling off a surprise. These days of …
Next year will mark ten years since I covered my first auto show. No, seriously…
It is a momentous occasion since working press at an auto show has evolved from covering what's new on the scene as a place
Yet, sometime within the last month or so, someone on Twitter called press days at an auto show as sort of a "circle jerk." I get his frustration, as covering the industry certainly has changed over time. Traditional media has been threatened by the likes of myself…and we're being threatened by outlets that can distill the news even quicker.
Still, there is room at the table for all of us – and we're networking with each other all the time. In fact, the industry and the press are interconnected in ways unimaginable when it was strictly the traditional media covering the industry.
In retort to that Tweet that called auto show press days a "circle jerk," I still believe that we need a day to meet with our industry counterparts, enjoy the excitement of vehicle launches and provide varying perspectives on the industry back to you – the readership.
Since the first major USA show is coming up at the Los Angeles Convention Center; this actually calls for a Five Faves post! This posting revolves a single question: What five vehicles made my auto show press coverage experience worth the effort?
That would mean logging back top the 2002 Chicago Auto Show – the one I covered with Midwest Ursine/Tillery Publications along with current Windy City Banner publisher Tom Wray.
I did come up with five vehicles over the past ten years. Here they are…
I found that by making a comparison would put me in a precarious situation. This always results in leaving something significant out of the mix. It is not certain whether I was able to pull it off in my Capstone back in grad school. Considering the grade I received, I may have done the trick.