Auto News for Monday June 27th, 2011
Nevada Allowing Driverless Cars
Something about this decision makes me think it’s targeted at Las Vegas. Last week, Nevada lawmakers passed a bill allowing driverless cars in the state. Nevada is the first state to legally throw confidence behind droned automobiles, though California’s already logged 140,000 test miles with the vehicles. The initiative makes sense for Vegas; adding another “less” to the soulless and mindless that often make their way through the city.
The link also explains Europe’s Safe Road Trains for the Environment project, which is an effort to create “car platoons” where drivers hook vehicles up electronically to each other, and the first car in line is in charge of the platoon (get it? Charge! Cause, ya know, it’s electric!). Quite the existential endeavor, as it allows “drivers” to relax and pay attention to whatever they feel like pontificating on. The acronym used, SARTRE, is appropriately European and just a bit nauseating. Not all that dissimilar to the pun used above, sans Europeaness.
Auto News for Tuesday June 28th, 2011
Auto Industry Efforts to Confuse and Annoy Prove Successful
Reliable adages such as “less is more” resonate in the automobile industry. The J.D. Power & Associates annual U.S. Initial Quality Study found 2011 model’s had 10% more problems on average than 2010’s, mostly due to technological “improvements” like the MyFord Touch.
To be fair, the auto industry is in a contradictory position. We’re spending more time in cars because we’re driving more, so it’s a natural progression to attempt to improve the in-car experience, particularly in high-traffic cities when a lot of people want to be occupied at every possible moment with something other than traffic. Then the MyFord Touch gets people in a huff because they get all confused, and the next thing you know a car’s into the guardrail on the freeway causing extra rubbernecking and some more traffic, causing other people to go to their Touch, et cetera, et cetera.
There really is no perfect solution to this problem for people in cars beca…but maybe there is! Driverless cars and SARTRE! Leaving open the possibility for anything you can think of in cars. Which will probably be complaining about the new MyFord Touch or how crappy someone’s smartphone is or why the 4G connection is so terrible.
Issa no win situation.
Auto News for Wednesday June 29th, 2011
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Take Issue with the E.P.A. for Assuming Consumers Are Literate
The E.P.A. unveiled the new label for E15 gasoline today (gas that contains between 10 and 15 percent ethanol):
Then the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) complained, saying that the E.P.A.’s label “cannot assure that misfueling will not occur”. Well, no, of course it can’t. No warning “label” has the ability to prevent people from acting out of intention or stupidity. And no self-respecting consumer is going to claim that the fuel label wasn’t foreboding enough in its warnings. But there are plenty of sue-happy folks out there. Unfortunately it’s not impossible for a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all the lazy and aloof people who accidentally put the E15 gasoline in their cars when it’s clearly stated on the label that it’s both prohibited by law and not for autos from before 2001 to make its way through our judicial system.
So, thank you Gloria Bergquist, the eminent vice president of communications for the AAM, for undermining our collective intelligence and trying to add another bureaucratic layer to help us not think at all. Ms. Bergquist said the absence of a message directing consumers to their owner manuals is a “significant and unfortunate omission”.
As significant and unfortunate as your underwhelmed opinion of consumers? This is an embarrassing stance to take, Ms. Bergquist.
Auto News for Thursday June 30th, 2011
Stall Recalls
In a quick turn from the previous comment, Toyota is recalling 82,000 hybrid S.U.Vs; 45,500 Highlanders and 36,700 Lexus RX-400hs from 2006-07 are part of the voluntary recall. Transistors inside the hybrid’s inverters can overheat, bringing that whole motha engine d o w n down down down to a stall, eliminating movement and prompting much driver head scratching.
At least there’s no haggling here about consumer rights. Manufacturers have five days to inform the NHTSB of its recall plan or face civil penalties. Which are valid here because these issues are out of the consumer’s control, and differ wildly from Ms. Bergquist’s quips.
