I'm no longer going to express any shock that my island city continues to provide a seemingly inexhaustible supply of street-parked vintage cars and trucks; we got to 150 Down On The Street posts late last year, we're up to 200 as of today, and I've got enough photos in the can to get us to 250, no sweat.  read more »

It was perhaps inevitable that once we had two legitimate and well-financed electric car companies, we would have allegations of back-stabbing and industrial espionage as they race to produce the first high-end hybrid electric sedan. Tesla Motors says it has...


Chuck Squatriglia

Even though we got a sneak peak at it during the Showlopnik coverage, Ford has officially dropped the pics for it's Transit Connect on us. Now, it doesn't look a heck of a lot different then the Euro model, but there are some differences. True, it will be built in the same plant and Turkey, and it will still be based on a front wheel drive four cylinder platform, there will not be a diesel version available - yet. Indeed, Ford will be bringing only a four pot gasser to the US market and mating it to a four speed auto. Though at a press event, they didn't deny there was a possibility of an oil burner if the market demands it.  read more »

When commenter of the super-stars, Startlton_Heston, offered up some photos from the Lee Johnson Chevrolet 75th Anniversary Car Show we assumed there would be a dozen or so photos to throw into a gallery. Little did we know, although we probably should have assumed, Mr. Heston was insane enough (in the best way) to send us more than one hundred lovingly taken photos detailing 69 years of Chevy metal. Being Seattle, the VCCA meet was a little rainy. A report from the Omega Man as well as some more photos below the jump.  read more »

WASHINGTON -- The insurance industry named dozens of new cars and trucks, led by Ford Motor Co. and its Volvo subsidiary, to its annual list of the safest vehicles Tuesday, helped by the increased use of anti-rollover technology.

Ford and Volvo had 16 vehicles in the 2009 model year on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's list of the safest new cars, followed by Honda Motor Co. with 13 vehicles.

Seventy-two cars, trucks and SUVs received the top safety pick designation for 2009, more than double the number of vehicles in the 2008 model year and three times the number in 2007.

"The sheer number of this year's winners indicates that automakers have made huge strides to improve crash protection," said Institute president Adrian Lund.  read more »

The 2008 LA Auto Show starting tonight will see the debut of the new 2010 Ford Mustang we revealed first in full for you last night — nearly 44 years after the original 1964 model made its debut on the show circuit. The Mustang's not only the original pony car, it's the only one to continuously sell for all 44 of those years. With such an established history, and with the new Challenger and Camaro nipping at its tail, we were skeptical of a redesign we were told was more an "evolution" rather than "revolution." We'd also been told not to expect any seriously new powertrain options for the 2010 model year. Despite those nagging concerns, what we've found may surprise even us.  read more »

We'd heard earlier this month GM was considering the possibility of cutting a brand — and Pontiac and GMC were the two we were told had the greatest possibility of seeing their head hit the chopping block. While apparently that's still being debated, the GM forum fan-boys over at GMInsideNews have come across news that two planned products in the GMC portfolio of platform prostitutes — the next GMC Acadia and a possible Acadia SUT — may be asked to leave the bunny ranch.  read more »

Aside from a sexy prototype and a few photos, no one's seen much of the plug-in hybrid Fisker Automotive is working on, but with powertrain testing reportedly underway and an infusion of cash just around the corner, the company already...


Chuck Squatriglia

We fired up the email this morning, per our usual, only to read lots of people asking why we hadnt posted about Toyota overtaking Ford for the No. 2 automaker in the U.S in 2007. Frankly, we had thought that had already happened. Just kidding. Still, we didnt digest all the numbers until now and there are some interesting things to note. Toyota Division Toyota-branded vehicles only; no Lexus or Scion sold 2,291,648 total vehicles in 2007, the companys best number ever. Ford Division Ford-branded vehicles only; no Lincoln or Mercury sold 2,101,244 total vehicles, down 13.6 % from 2006s figure of 2,433,086. Conclusion 1: Yes, Toyota is now the No. 1 nameplate. GM as a company is still really No. 1, but its Chevrolet nameplate is the No. 2 brand now, with 2,265,641 vehicles sold in 2007. Thats down 6.2% from 2,415,428 in 2006. GM as a company including Cadillac, Hummer, and so on is still tops with 3,833,611, versus Toyota Motor Company at 2,620,825 and Ford Motor Company at 2,572,599. The new Chrysler group Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep was down 3% to 2,076,650. Conclusion 2: The Ford brand didnt do that poorly if you take into account old models that were discontinued in 2007. The Freestar minivan alone accounted for a loss of 47,735 vehicles in 2007 sales. It will be replaced by the Flex crossover in 2009.  The Ford Five Hundred accounted for a loss of roughly 17,040 vehicles, when you account for its discontinuation and the addition of the new Taurus, which replaced it a few months later. The Freestyle accounted for a loss of 16,492 during its few months out of commission before the Taurus X replaced it. The gas-guzzling Excursions minimal sales of 965 surely wont be missed. The total of those discontinued vehicle sales is 82,232, which you could subtract from the 190,404 shortfall vs. Toyota, a number large enough to make an obvious dent. Thats not Fords only problem, though. Conclusion 3: Big sellers for Ford saw big declines and most are in need of replacing or updating. The F Series alone was down 105,450 in 2007. Thats a huge number and would help bridge that gap with Toyota (which added an all-new Tundra last year, by the way). The Mustang, Econoline and Ranger also saw significant losses in 2007. Conclusion 4: Lincoln sales are gaining, but Mercury sales are dropping, and Ford needs to address Mercurys failure soon. There are no new Mercury models in the pipeline at all. And with most Lincoln and Mercury dealers already consolidating with Ford stores, theres no need for two upmarket nameplates. The Silver Lining: Ford will introduce an all-new F-150 in two weeks at the Detroit auto show. Even in a declining segment that should boost sales a bit. Also, the Mustang will get an update in 2009. In 2008 the Flex crossover will go on sale, potentially offsetting the loss of the Freestar. The last all-new Ford crossover, the Edge, has done extremely well for the company. Its 130,125 in sales in 2007, its first year, easily offset the 41,412 drop in Explorer sales to 137,817 in 2007. Ford also says it cut down fleet sales which dont turn as much profit by 18% in 2007. What does all this mean?  read more »