http://www.thecarconnection.com/blogs Blogs and News -- Stay in touch with what's happening in the world of cars with TheCarConnection.com's blogs, by editors Marty Padgett and Paul Eisenstein. Sun, 12 Oct 2008 02:12:38 -0400 Lifestyle/Fashion http://www.thecarconnection.com/images/website/tcc-feed.jpg http://www.thecarconnection.com/blogs http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/gm-chrysler-talking-about-merger/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/gm-chrysler-talking-about-merger/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta General Motors and Chrysler have held discussions over the past month to merge the two companies, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported late Friday evening. The Journal says the deal would likely involve a swap of Chrysler assets held by Cerberus Capital Management, for the remainder of GM's finance arm GMAC that Cerberus ..]]> Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:20:20 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/car-publications/honda-to-resurrect-s2000as-the-s3000/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/car-publications/honda-to-resurrect-s2000as-the-s3000/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta Auto enthusiasts the world over still lament the demise of the Honda (Acura) NSX. And legions of import tuners are still tweaking and lowering their second-gen CRXs, another Honda that was embraced by enthusiasts and promptly left a huge void when it departed in the early 1990s. Enter the rumored S3000, which is part secretive ..]]> Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:21:35 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/petroleum-free-prep-for-atlanta-la-trek/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/petroleum-free-prep-for-atlanta-la-trek/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta A few weeks ago, I told you about my plans to turn my vintage (that's what we call old and in need of help) Benz diesel into a vegan--an organically powered machine that'll run on oily Chick-Fil-A leftovers (or Chinese, or McDonald's, whatever) and do it with a sweet-smelling exhaust. But before I leave on my cross-country ..]]> Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:05:00 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/ford-cfo-leclair-retires/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/ford-cfo-leclair-retires/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta Ford Motor Company's chief financial officer, Don Leclair, is retiring as the automaker faces the bleakest times since at least the late 1970s. Leclair worked for the second-largest domestic automaker for 32 years, joining in 1976. He has served as the CFO since 2003. Leclair, 56, has the unusual distinction of being replaced by ..]]> Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:45:11 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/bmw-bringing-mini-ev-7-series-hybrid-diesels-to-la-auto-show/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/bmw-bringing-mini-ev-7-series-hybrid-diesels-to-la-auto-show/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta BMW confirms it will be showing off a new all-electric MINI Cooper at the L.A. Auto Show in November. At the worldwide launch of the 2009 BMW 7-Series, company officials said that the new version of the hip hot hatch will show up at the Los Angeles Show in advance of a plan to ship 500 to 550 copies over here, for testing ..]]> Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:35:49 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/audi-a4-gets-5-stars-in-nhtsas-new-car-assessment-program/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/audi-a4-gets-5-stars-in-nhtsas-new-car-assessment-program/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta In addition to boasting better weight distribution, improved handling, a sexy new skin, and more interior room, Audi's new-for-'09 A4 just garnered top 5-star crash and rollover ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA awarded the A4 5-stars in its NCAP, or New Car Assessment Program. NCAP tests ..]]> Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:35:15 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2011/mazda-mx-5-redux/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2011/mazda-mx-5-redux/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta The purveyor of zoom-zoom is taking notes from famed the famed founder of Lotus, Colin Chapman, who famously claimed that weight is the enemy of performance. Never a porky car, the MX-5/Miata has nonetheless grown in size and weight as buyers and the industry have demanded more safety, more equipment, and greater ..]]> Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:07:05 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/survivor-detroit-will-anyone-make-it/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/survivor-detroit-will-anyone-make-it/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta Just when we thought the grim times in Detroit couldn't darken any more, Thursday happened. GM and Ford stocks fell to dramatic, swooning lows right along with the Dow, freefalling into the 8,600 range for the first time in five years. GM shares are sitting at levels not seen since the Korean War. Ford is essentially a penny stock. Inside ..]]> Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:37:10 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/that-sucking-sound-its-car-sales-for-a-while-jd-power-says/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2008/that-sucking-sound-its-car-sales-for-a-while-jd-power-says/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta Twitching in sympathetic agony with the Dow Jones Industrial, auto sales estimates for the remainder of 2008 and 2009 just keep getting uglier. J.D. Power and Associates recently rang in with a projected 13.6 million total new light-vehicle sales at the close of '08, representing a 16% drop from 2007's 16.1 million units. Of ..]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:53:18 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/advertisingmarketing/e7-police-cruiser-unveiled-october-14/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/advertisingmarketing/e7-police-cruiser-unveiled-october-14/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta Your City's Finest will be driving around in stealthy, biodiesel-burning, custom-tailored RoboCop mean machines if Carbon Motors has anything to say about the future of Police service vehicles. Carbon is critical of current police cars that it feels are little more than cobbled-together civilian sedans full of safety and ..]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:57:43 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/audi-q7-tops-strategic-visions-smartgreen-index/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/audi-q7-tops-strategic-visions-smartgreen-index/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta Based on responses from 44,230 buyers of '08-'09 SUVs, Audi's Q7 takes top honors in perceived quality, overall value, and environmental impact. Those three criteria have been rolled into a yardstick called the SmartGreen Index (SGI), newly introduced by San Diego marketing research firm Strategic Vision. More than just ..]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:12:15 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/hyundai-massages-lambda-v-6-for-09-genesis-coupe/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/hyundai-massages-lambda-v-6-for-09-genesis-coupe/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta For sporting duty in its upcoming '09 Genesis Coupe, Hyundai has made internal and external changes to its 3.8-liter Lambda V-6 reports World Car Fans. Dubbed the RS edition, power output is barely changed, but packaging efficiency is increased to fit under the Coupe's lower hood and mechanical changes should further improve ..]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:27:50 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/gms-onstar-debuts-stolen-vehicle-slowdown/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2009/gms-onstar-debuts-stolen-vehicle-slowdown/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta Beware auto thieves - you might want to think twice before lifting that '09 Caddy CTS. Or at least hire a 13-year-old computer hacker to ride along with. Today, GM's OnStar announces Stolen Vehicle Slowdown on '09 OnStar-equipped vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada, and we can only imagine thieves' panic as the go-pedal stops ..]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:51:20 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2010/spy-shots-2010-nissan-370z/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2010/spy-shots-2010-nissan-370z/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta Nissan's revamped 370Z has just shown up in Germany, perhaps in preparation for some testing on the Nürburgring. Despite the black paint and the heavy rains, the Z's new shape is clearly apparent here. The Maxima-inspired boomerang headlight design appears to be in play, and a similar treatment has been given to the Z-car's ..]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:32:34 -0400 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2010/2010-mazda3-revealed/ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/blogs/marty_blog/2010/2010-mazda3-revealed/?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta&utm_campaign=Yahoo%2BBuzz%2BBeta The first official photos of the 2010 Mazda3 just hit the Web, along with a brief press release. The first big news? Top versions get a new 2.5-liter engine, up from today's 2.3-liter engine. The new Mazda3 will make its debut at the Los Angeles auto show next month. Stay tuned for more info--and in the meantime, here's the ..]]> Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:26:54 -0400