It started when I drove my first Toyota Prius ten years ago at a Farmer’s Market on Madison's Capitol Square. What surprised me about that Prius was how it drove like a normal small sedan, despite a few sonic differences. There was some initial resistance based on some quirkiness in the styling inside and out along with the concern about battery life and overall reliability of the system.
Every college town – big and small – face the same onslaught of students coming back from the summer to resume academic life again. The future of our country bound for a college across town or on the other side of the country with their cars filled to the gills with everything for their dormitory or apartment. The parents tag along with a case of tissues hidden amongst the rest of their child's stuff.
Driving that Celica did confirm one thing: How much I loved them! That began when they first came out – a Japanese reinterpretation of the original Ford Mustang. Still, the small coupe left an indelible impression at various points in my life. There was a story my mom told how I was brought into the main office of my elementary school to be asked by my principal what car he should buy. Inadvertently, I said the Celica. He bought one and kept it for well over a decade. That was in 1971.
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 …
If marketing drives a consumer decision, can there be anything else to convince a cultural group to be loyal to a particular brand?
If money talks, then why are some people refuse to allow around nine percent of the American population to say anything? Or, simply, be themselves?
To celebrate the end of this journey, I felt somewhat compelled to finish this off in style. But, how? Certainly the only way I know to finishing anything off in style is with an automobile. The plan was simple: Arrive at the Capstone relaxed (but, nervous), ready to tackle on the day (but, wondering what I was missing in the paper or the presentation script) and hope I don’t screw up.
TweetThis auto show season was the absolute best in my writing career. It yielded more than I had expected, which is always a good thing. To wrap up both the Chicago and Twin Cities shows, I went through my notes to parse out what I would consider the best vehicles I have seen and experienced …
TweetBefore the 2008 election, there were calls to get more fuel-efficient vehicles on the road. How slowly we heeded that call… However, the price of fuel has been climbing since before the end of 2010. Now, it has reached its highest price since 2008 (and still climbing). This has caused some concern across the automotive …
TweetCovering an auto show is hard work. You attend press conferences, angle for the best shots possible, mentally prepare your questions and take time to render photos and do the write-ups. This year, I added social media elements to augment the coverage giving interested parties a sort-of live view of the goings on during Press …