Standardize Electric Car Batteries so that Drivers can quickly exchange Battery Units at Charging Stations rather than charge a Car's Own Batteries

Are we missing something?

The main problem with electric cars is the rather ridiculous state of affairs that each car has its "own" set of batteries which have to be recharged at charging stations over a considerable period of time, which greatly limits the mobility of electric cars - and greatly impedes their sale.

The solution is simple. Perhaps others have already suggested this solution, but in this case, this is our idea.

There is no reason for drivers to have to recharge "their" batteries. Rather, what needs to be done is to standardize electric car batteries so that the entire battery unit can simply be replaced at charging stations in a matter of minutes, just like filling the gas tank. When car buyers see that electric cars then have practically no mileage limitations, sales of electric cars will skyrocket.

Crossposted to LawPundit.

Who Killed the Electric Car?

This posting is a logical sequel to our LawPundit posting on Unnecessary Patent Encumbrance of Large Automotive NiMH Batteries : What is Required are Draconian Penalties for the Greedy Patent Holders.

As written at the Wikipedia:

Who Killed the Electric Car? is a 2006 documentary film that explores the creation, limited commercialization, and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the General Motors EV1 of the 1990s. The film explores the roles of automobile manufacturers, the oil industry, the US government, the Californian government, batteries, hydrogen vehicles, and consumers in limiting the development and adoption of this technology.

It was released on DVD to the home video market on November 14, 2006 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment....

The movie deals with the history of the electric car, its development and commercialization, mostly focusing on the General Motors EV1, which was made available for lease in Southern California, after the California Air Resources Board passed the ZEV mandate in 1990, as well as the implications of the events depicted for air pollution, environmentalism, Middle East politics, and global warming.

The film details the California Air Resources Board's reversal of the mandate after suits from automobile manufacturers, the oil industry, and the George W. Bush administration. It points out that Bush's chief influences, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, and Andrew Card, are all former executives and board members of oil and auto companies. They were eliminated from the GM Line in 1999.

A large part of the film accounts for GM's efforts to demonstrate to California that there was no demand for their product, and then to take back every EV1 and dispose of them. A few were disabled and given to museums and universities, but almost all were found to have been crushed; GM never responded to the EV drivers' offer to pay the residual lease value ($1.8 million was offered for the remaining 78 cars in Burbank before they were crushed). Several activists are shown being arrested in the protest that attempted to block the GM car carriers taking the remaining EV1s off to be crushed.

The film explores some of the reasons that the auto and oil industries worked to kill off the electric car. Wally Rippel is shown explaining that the oil companies were afraid of losing out on trillions in potential profit from their transportation fuel monopoly over the coming decades, while the auto companies were afraid of losses over the next six months of EV production. Others explained the killing differently. GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss argued it was lack of consumer interest due to the maximum range of 80–100 miles per charge, and the relatively high price.

The film also showed the failed attempts by electric car enthusiasts trying to combat the cancellation of EV1 and the surviving vehicles. Towards the end of the film, a deactivated EV1 car #99 was found in the garage of Petersen Automotive Museum, with its former owner invited for a visit.

The film also explores the future of automobile technologies including a deeply critical look at hydrogen vehicles and an upbeat discussion of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technologies, with examples such as Tesla Roadster. The end of the film mentioned the upcoming sequel titled Revenge of the Electric Car."

Read the rest of the Wikipedia article here.

Mirrored from LawPundit.

Unnecessary Patent Encumbrance of Large Automotive NiMH Batteries : What is Required are Draconian Penalties for the Greedy Patent Holders

One of the areas of environmental protection and improved energy development which are being unnecessarily held back by overly broad patent protection is the development and sale of large automotive NiMH Batteries.

We have been researching the puzzling snail's pace of production of hybrid and electrical vehicles and ran across the Wikipedia article Patent encumbrance of large automotive NiMH batteries.

In days such as ours when major carmakers such as General Motors and Chrysler have filed bankruptcy and when the spectre of recession and depression are on our doorstep because of the stupidity and greed of monopolistic patent holders and private enterprise companies, the entire legal system - and by this we mean legislators in Congress and in State and local governments, officials in government agencies, and judges and lawyers in the judicial system, must start to become aware of the totally unnecessary harm that overly broad patents are doing to the economy by thwarting absolutely necessary developments in the energy sector.

The example of large automative NiMH batteries is a case in point where draconian examples should be made.

If it is true, as stated in that Wikipedia article, that companies to whom patent monopolies have been granted by foolish patent laws are refusing to sell large automative NiMH batteries to smaller companies and developers - thus greatly harming the progress of energy innovation in the electrical sector, then the owners and directors of such companies and the patent owners of the technology involved should all be put in jail for causing substantial and avoidable harm to the public weal. I would put a government task force on this project with the goal of revoking whatever patents in this area can be revoked and a special prosecutor should be put on the tails of those responsible for this debacle.

Mirrored from LawPundit.

Update to Previous CarTrawler Posting

We just updated our previous posting with this update.

UPDATE (June 4, 2009)

I received a full apology by phone today from CarTrawler for the car rental booking circumstances previously described in this blog posting, together with sincere assurance that the matter would be righted. As I was told, nearly everything that could go wrong, had gone wrong. A full refund was offered.

In addition - and among other things - CarTrawler indicated that its customer service would be improved to eliminate what were described as regrettable but unintentional - and correctable - technological mistakes, especially as regards improved company response to justified customer complaints and concerns. Moreover, the misleading excess insurance issue is to be corrected.

Additional suggestions for improvement were made.

If all of that occurs, CarTrawler will be back on the right track to becoming an honest and reliable booking partner for low-priced car rental.

CarTrawler : An Alleged Car Rental Service to AVOID : CarTrawler is NOT a Full Car Rental Company and Potentially a Scam Costing YOUR money : Updated!

UPDATE (June 4, 2009)

I received a full apology by phone today from CarTrawler for the car rental booking circumstances previously described in this blog posting, together with sincere assurance that the matter would be righted. As I was told, nearly everything that could go wrong, had gone wrong. A full refund was offered.

In addition - and among other things - CarTrawler indicated that its customer service would be improved to eliminate what were described as regrettable but unintentional - and correctable - technological mistakes, especially as regards improved company response to justified customer complaints and concerns. Moreover, the misleading excess insurance issue is to be corrected.

Additional suggestions for improvement were made.

If all of that occurs, CarTrawler will be back on the right track to becoming an honest and reliable booking partner for low-priced car rental.

__________________________

ORIGINAL but now UPDATED Posting (see above)
__________________________


I made the great mistake recently of following a CarTrawler.com (Dublin) online link at the RyanAir (Dublin) website after booking a flight and hotel through the reputable and otherwise excellent cheap flyer RyanAir. I also booked a hotel through a RyanAir link - with very good success at a reduced price - and then tried to rent a car at a flight destination airport, thinking that it would also be a good deal and not questioning its reliability since the link appeared on the RyanAir website. That was a mistake.

As we have discovered since then, CarTrawler is NOT a RyanAir affiliate and NOT a good deal. Do yourself a favor and AVOID CARTRAWLER like the plague. CarTrawler may cost you money and you may still get no rental car.

We have informed Ryan Air, the Irish Department of Justice and the Irish police, the Garda Siochana, about our case. Here is our experience.

CarTrawler is NOT a real car rental company - but this is not clear to the potential customer from CarTrawler's website pages. Rather, CarTrawler is a "booking engine", apparently owned by ETrawler which is apparently owned by Argus Automobiles of Dublin. This booking engine is used at its online website pages and those of its affiliates (ETrawler has over 40 website domains under various car rental names) and it uses virtually the same manner of advertising presentation as real car rental companies. It advertises rental cars with photos and specifications at what appear to be very affordable prices, but these are not THEIR cars. Look out.

After getting a car booking from an online customer, CarTrawler contacts "real" car rental companies and tries to obtain the booked car for the customer at the booked date and location - and of course at even cheaper conditions so that they can make a profit at the booked low price. If CarTrawler can not find a real car rental company willing to rent a booked car satisfying the low-priced conditions CarTrawler has advertised, the potential customer - as in our case - has a serious problem.

Here is what happened to us.

1. ALERT:Your credit card is IMMEDIATELY debited at the time of the initial "booking" even though this booking is not considered "binding" by CarTrawler, see point 2 below. To our mind, this is already fraudulent. Your credit card is debited even if the actual car rental date is far in the future. This is totally contrary to the usual and expected practice at established "real" car rental companies who actually have cars to rent and who debit the credit card after rental of the car.

CarTrawler DOES NOT inform the customer clearly online about this debit practice beforehand. You have to read the fine print of their "booking conditions" and virtually no one does that and that is what such companies capitalize on to defraud their customers. We were certainly unaware of the practice at the time of our booking. Had we known of this debit practice, we would have left CarTrawler pages immediately. We in fact thought that CarTrawler was a real car rental company, given its online presentation. In our view that particular CarTrawler online presentation constitutes intentional "common law" fraud on the normal user.

One might in fact ask, how is it possible - legally - to debit a car rental in advance if the very car to be rented - at what may be an unknown price - is still being sought at the real car rental companies?

2. ALERT: If CarTrawler does not find the car that THEY advertised to the customer online at the advertised low "come-on" price at the date and location the customer wanted - as in our case, where we had booked a low-priced automatic shift - CarTrawler simply VOIDS the booking unilaterally. CarTrawler informs the customer that they do not regard the booking to be contractually binding until THEY accept it, that is, until they find the car as booked. You think you have booked a car - but you have not. To us, that is FRAUD and a view of contract that we do not find supported in contract law.

3. ALERT: You are - after the voiding of your booking - kept waiting for an allegedly "new booking" - and, we presume - more expensive booking - which may never occur. Here is what CarTrawler wrote to us one day after our booking and more than THREE WEEKS prior to the date for which we had booked a car:

"Thank you for your recent car rental request.

Unfortunately the vehicle you requested is not available with the selected supplier. We are however trying to place your request with an alternative supplier.

As your first choice is not available, the rental cost and vehicle type may vary from your original request . As availability reduces and popular locations sell out, we will offer you the best options available in the market. You will receive a new booking reference number shortly. Please disregard the old one as it is now void.

http://www.cartrawler.com/res/cancel.php

Thanks and Regards,

Contact Centre Team
CarTrawler
Tel: +353 (0)1 499 9600
Fax: +353 (0)1 499 9661
Email: mailto: reserve@cartrawler.com
Website: http://www.cartrawler.com"

CarTrawler did not contact us again (in spite of our emails and ultimate phone call to them) - until FOUR WEEKS later, i.e. after the date on which we needed a rental car. Imagine then our surprise - several days after the CarTrawler voiding of our booking - to see that CarTrawler had already debited the non-existent rental car to our credit card account on the same day that they voided our booking! CarTrawler now had our money and we had no car.

4. All the while, by the way, CarTrawler is collecting interest on the car rental amount - i.e. on YOUR money - which has been debited to the customer's credit card in advance of any actual car rental. If CarTrawler voids the customer's booking and no "new" booking - as suggested or not to the customer by CarTrawler - is agreed to by the customer, it is then up to the customer to try to get their money back. Good luck.

We managed to get the money booked back to our credit card account at our bank - but only after more than two weeks, and only because we took the costly time to inform our credit card company of the fraud and demanded an immediate reversal of the credit card debit for a car rental which never took place.

But just think that if CarTrawler does this to thousands of customers, they are making very good money on the interest payments on YOUR money alone, without ever delivering a booked rental car at all. And what number of customers, through lack of time or insufficient knowledge, are unable to recoup their money at all?

5. THE EXCESS INSURANCE SCAM. Furthermore, if the customer makes the mistake of selecting the option of "excess insurance" (i.e. choosing to eliminate the car rental insurance deductible) at the time of their initial booking process, the customer surely thinks that this is part of their initial and single car rental booking, but - this is not so at all. CarTrawler treats the X that the customer puts in front of "excess insurance" option as a separate contract with a London outfit called Insurance4carhire.com, a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Ltd., whose main business is - you guessed it - the car rental excess insurance business.

The underwriter for Insurance4carhire in the past has been AIG, which recently had to be bailed out in the United States by the Federal Reserve to avoid creation of a global credit crisis. The non-profit FBIC ranks AIG eighth of all "bad-faith insurers" in its review of nearly 4,000 insurance companies. We do not know if that relationship with AIG has been retained down to the present time, but a clear picture begins to form of what is going on here.

Of course, as one might expect from the previous discussion, Insurance4carhire.com ALSO debits the customer's credit card IMMEDIATELY at the time of initial car rental booking, far in advance of any actual car hire.

Consider that debited money as gone. Here is why.

If CarTrawler VOIDS the initial booking, Insurance4carhire.com, their insurance consort, still pockets the excess insurance premium since the excess insurance sold - this is all fixed in the fine print - is an insurance coverage of the "policy holder" and not of the specific "rental vehicle" for the period of time of the initial car booking. Here is what they write at their website:

"We insure the Policy Holder, not the rental vehicle. Excess is a voluntary insurance. Decline the car rental company’s Excess cover at the counter when you collect the car. If the car is damaged or stolen, the car rental company will charge your credit card for the Excess amount and you then claim for reimbursement on your Policy."

As a result, even if CarTrawler voids a car booking - as in our case - there is still good money being earned via the excess insurance option. The excess insurance sold in this manner is difficult to recoup because it is not sold for a specific car vehicle but rather for a given person for a specific period of time.

Hence, after CarTrawler has voided a customer's car rental booking, that customer is still stuck with the excess insurance, in spite of the fact that he no longer has any car rental at CarTrawler at all. You can not easily claim the insurance payment back, since it is contracted to you as a person, and not for your car. We view that manner of insurance to be clear common law fraud. The customer is being clearly misled and others are pocketing "free money".

If that customer happens to rent a car from a real car rental company for the period provided in the excess insurance policy, the customer allegedly retains the excess insurance coverage.

But note this: if that rental car is - for example - stolen or damaged during the period of excess insurance, the conditions of contract of Insurance4carhire.com provide that the customer first has to pay the deductible to the actual car rental company and only THEN try to recoup that amount from Insurance4carhire.com. Good luck.

It might be interesting for those law officials in the UK and Ireland responsible for investigating fraud to examine whether any money has EVER been paid under this fraudulently-appearing insurance.

In our law school days we used to equate this kind of misleading interlocking business scam with a "criminal conspiracy", but perhaps the laws of Ireland and the UK accept this kind of business thievery as legal today. Who knows.

Just imagine this process being repeated thousands of times per year and you have a money-making "golden goose" that is laying golden eggs around the clock without actually ever renting out a single rental car, but rather merely profiting through the process of offering cars at very low prices to the public - prices which may or may not actually be realizable.

Money is earned not only if a car is actually delivered to the customer as booked, but money is also earned if NO car is or can be actually delivered to the customer for the advertised and booked price. We have even read that customers have been charged for cancelling a booking which CarTrawler does not even regard as a binding "booking" on its side of the contract.

It is a great racket for those who are profiting by it, and surely misleadingly fraudulent, at least from our understanding of the common law. And we have not heard the end of this case yet. Upon returning from overseas where we rented a vehicle at the airport from Hertz for a lower price than offered to us initially by CarTrawler, we found the following email from CarTrawler in our mailbox, as if they had never received our phone call or our emails to them:

"Our bank has informed us that you are disputing your car rental....

Can you provide us with information as to why this is being disputed?
Your information would be greatly appreciated so we can improve our service.

Thanks and Regards,

The CarTrawler Team

Tel: +353 1 4999600
Fax: +353 01 4999661
Email: creditcardquery@cartrawler.com
Website: http://www.cartrawler.com"

Take a look at the CarTrawler "booking conditions" here. Those absurd conditions will keep anyone who reads them from ever booking a rental car through CarTrawler or any of the affiliates or companies which use its "booking engine". Those conditions are designed to hoodwink the customer. Clear common law fraud.

Frankly, law enforcement agencies in Ireland and the United Kingdom should get to work to remove these kinds of fraudulently misleading companies from the Internet.

We are not the only ones to register Complaints about CarTrawler. Take a look at:

TripAdvisor
ConsumerAffairs.com
ReviewCentre.com

The blog Bleep.ie even received a "takedown" notice because of its publication of criticism of CarTrawler in a comment. The blog owner, Tom Raftery, in Sevilla, Spain, is thus far resisting this chilling action and if there were a blogging award for a Freedom of Speech Champion this year, Tom would be our selection.

Bloggers unite! If you or anyone you know have had any problems with CarTrawler or any of the affiliated companies of ETrawler or Argus, make sure that bloggers they know put the stories up on the Internet. We have the power to get rid of these kinds of companies.

Top 2008 Car Picks for the Boss, the Family, Work, Play, and Environment

Do you drive a "value-packed car"? Is it time for a change to a new vehicle? Calculate the residual value here. How about the resale value? Here is a list from Forbes of the Top Ten High Resale Value Vehicles in the USA:

"Top 10 High Resale Value Vehicles

1. Mini Cooper
   
2. Honda Accord
   
3. Toyota Avalon
   
4. Porsche 911 Carrera
   
5. Acura TL
   
6. Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
   
7. Honda Odyssey
   
8. Land Rover Range Rover Sport
   
9. Toyota Sequoia
   
10. Toyota Tundra

"
When is the last time you looked at a Mini Cooper seriously? Here is one that "Runs on Irregular". "Meet the MINI Clubman".

Car.com has an interesting selection of the top cars for 2008, depending on your wallet, professional position and personal needs, providing top picks for the boss, the family, work, hauling, play, and environment. Take a look.

What follow are some of our own comments to the 2008 motor vehicles, comments which do not necessarily match the opinions found in Cars.com or elsewhere. We examine the cars and also the advertising for various car models. Advertising reflects automobile company marketing strategies, which may or may not be in tune with the actual trends.

The Toyota Camry Mystery Shows us the Future of the Carmaking Industry

The Toyota Camry is the best-selling car in the USA as Toyota in 2007 drew even with General Motors as the world's largest carmaker. Still, the Camry is not even offered on the market in Europe, where it was withdrawn by Toyota in 2004 due to poor sales. It is not likely to return. This fact shows how different the US and European automobile markets are - yet.

In Europe, where soaring gas (petrol) prices and extremely heavy taxes of all kinds have nearly made the driving of normal-size cars a luxury, there is no question that "small is beautiful". It can be regarded as the sentiment of consumers who have changed their car-buying preferences to keep their hard-earned money out of the hands of rapacious oil cartels or equally ravenous governments. In addition, everyone talks environment but the customer talks pocketbook.

Car sales in Europe in the year 2007 tell a compelling story as almost all of the cars in the top ten sales category are small cars:

1. Peugeot 207 (437,505, +105.5%)
2. Volkswagen Golf (435,055, +4.5%)
3. Ford Focus (406,557, -7.5%)
4. Opel/Vauxhall Corsa (402,173, +41.7%)
5. Opel/Vauxhall Astra (402,044, -7.9%)
6. Renault Clio (382,041, -11.5%)
7. Fiat Punto (377,989, -5.9%)
8. Ford Fiesta (300,566, +0.6%)
9. Volkswagen Passat (300,566, -9.4%)
10. BMW 3 Series (295,312, +2%)

Notice how the Japanese cars have fallen out of this list as Japanese car prices have approached or even surpassed normal European car company price levels, removing the competitive lower price USP that Japanese cars used to enjoy in Europe. No longer.

Top ten car sale lists differ greatly from nation to nation in Europe. In Germany, not only did people buy smaller cars in 2007, but they bought 10% fewer cars:

"Data of new passenger car registrations in Germany in 2007 released by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt confirmed that Europe’s largest automobile market shrunk by 9.2% (almost 320,000 cars). The total number of cars sold in Germany during 2007 was 3,148,163 – the worst performance since the reunification of Germany in 1990....

Sales Statistics for the 20 Best Selling Cars in Germany in 2007:

"Car Model … No of Cars Sold in 2007 … % Change from 2006 Sales

1. VW Golf/Jetta … 214,368 … -9.5
2. VW Passat … 105,308 … -15.5
3. BMW 3-Series … 100,559 … -13.1
4. Audi A4 … 84,092 … -12.8
5. Opel Astra … 83,048 … -23.3
6. Opel Corsa … 79,098 … 29.7
7. Mercedes C-Class… 78,254 … 25.4
8. VW Polo … 76,683 … -10.5
9. VW Touran … 73,081 … -12.4
10. Audi A3 … 70,517 … -8.5
11. Mercedes A-Class … 62,193 … -12.8
12. Ford Focus … 57,546 … -20.2
13. Mercedes E-Class … 56,695 … -0.2
14. Audi A6 … 55,361 … -14.4
15. BMW 1-Series … 55,105 … -2.1
16. Mercedes B-Class … 51,484 … -18.7
17. Ford Fiesta … 50,807 … -13.0
18. Skoda Fabia … 50,328 … -7.9
19. BMW 5-Series … 50,024 … -1.6
20. Skoda Octavia … 47,711 … -15.9"

There is not a single Japanese car in the top 20 list. The trend to smaller cars is shown by the fact that only two car models in Germany in the top 20 had more sales in 2007 than in 2006: the Mercedes C Class and the Opel Corsa (=Vauxhall), as Mercedes drivers shifted toward the smaller C model and as Opel Astra drivers shifted toward the smaller Corsa.

In the USA, car buyers are still bucking the trend toward smaller cars - but we have most certainly seen the peak of the gas-guzzling SUV craze. As written at the Milwaukee JS Online:

"What's clear is that 2007 ended up with 16.1 million new cars and light trucks sold, off 2.5% from 2006 in the worst year since 1998. What's unclear is what lies ahead."

How about fuel-cell vehicles? which still look a long way off to this observer.

As reported in the Milwaukee JS Online article cited above, the top-selling cars in the USA in 2007 according to Ward's AutoInfoBank were: (we have added the links)

"CAR
1. Toyota Camry, 418,631
2. Honda Accord, 392,231
3. Toyota Corolla/Matrix, 371,390

TRUCK
1. Ford F Series pickup, 690,589
2. Chevrolet Silverado, 618,257
3. Dodge Ram pickup, 358,295"

The Toyota Camry - see also Cars.com where it is the top pick for "Green" drivers - seeks its customers with the slogan "Commonly chosen. Uncommonly engineered." thus tapping the technical side of the broad middle-class market that forms its customer base. It will be interesting to see how the new Toyota Camry Hybrid will fare this year in America as it competes with e.g. the 2008 Saturn Aura Hybrid (similar to Opel, Vauxhall), the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and the 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid.

Take a look at the comparison of hybrid cars here. And what about regular models?

The Honda Accord has a commercial to the music of "Hold on Tight to Your Dream" with the slogan "Beyond the Road." also in the variation "Built for the Road and Everything Beyond It". Of course, the dream of unfettered driving is now increasingly facing the harsh realities of dwindling and more expensive fuel resources and an emission-overburdened environment.

In 1997 the Toyota Corolla became the world's best-selling automobile model and the Matrix is the popular sporty version of the Toyota Corolla sold in North America. The current slogan is "You're in the driver's seat." That definitely looks like a subliminal hint.

The American penchant for buying "haulers" is not widespread in Europe, but the Americans do know how to market their product in the USA as the Ford F Series pickup is sold under the well-crafted sales slogan: "Hauls more. Tows more. Built for more." which coincides with many of the main reasons that customers buy this truck. The Chevrolet Silverado is sold "politically correct" under the slogan "Our country. Our truck." The Dodge ram pickup is being sold via the traditional-sounding Chrysler message "Count on it. Impressive HEMI power, towing capacity and durability".

German "Boss Cars"

In Germany, the boss still drives a Mercedes, although, in America, if he has a chauffeur, it is most likely to be a Lincoln Town Car, America's most chauffered car

Mercedes-Benz has great cars, but there is no clean line in current Mercedes marketing. The Mercedes international page has one slogan which reads "We are writing history, why not write with us?" Mercedes-Benz top management has lost sight of the fact that they are selling cars and not history books.

The Lincoln Town Car is being marketed under the slogan "Signature of Success". That looks like a good approach to that market segment. Where do I sign?

Scandinavian Swedish Cars vs. e.g. the Ford Mustang Bullitt

We are still waiting for Saab to put the fabulous Aero X in front of our doorstep - and - no, the alleged Aero X implementations in the 9-3 series just do not have the same flair because they have been watered down to common tastes. You might as well be driving a Ford, and, indeed, the Ford Mustang (see the Bullitt) has far more pizazz than the Saab 9-3 models. The 9-3 series still looks like it was designed as nothing special, whereas the Aero X looks like it was designed by jet pilots for some future world. Only when the Scandinavians apply the same design skills to their standard assembly line cars (and this includes the boxy Volvo cars) that they apply to their top-rated furniture at places like IKEA will they ever have best-sellers.

Volvo is advertising its cars as "Life is better lived together" which seems a bit removed from the automobile world. Does a slogan like that SELL cars. We doubt it. Compare that automible-strange slogan to the similar but far more fitting Ingvar Kamprad's IKEA slogan "Affordable Solutions for Better Living". The latter is super-marketing.

Saab is advertising its cars as "entering new territory" (which ?) and "enjoy more power with a cleaner conscience" - selling cars by the guilt trip? Not convincing.

The Ford Mustang marketing by contrast asks its potential customer: "Pulse not Racing yet?" Driving as exhilaration. No wonder this car is so popular. Steve McQueen returns. Really, if we can't get the Aero X, Ford might want to park one of these Bullitts in front of our door. Sadly, they are only manufacturing 7000 of them and none are destined for Europe or elsewhere, as far as we can tell, so if you want to have one, you may also have to buy a house in the USA or Canada as well, which are the only places the Bullitt is to be sold.

One car we ourselves might solidly considering buying is the rotary engine Mazda RX-8 "The Sportscar That Never Met Its Match" which urges us to "Drive the Revolution". At least, the bourgeoisie are not likely to be driving this car, described to perfection as follows:

"The Mazda RX-8 boldly rejects convention. Like a breath of fresh air, it has brought original thinking into the world of sports coupés. Blending revolutionary 4-door versatility with sleek, aerodynamic styling, this is a beautifully thought-out sports car, designed completely without compromise."

The RX-8 Kuro in Germany has a BOSE sound system. Magnificent.
Really, Mazda can put an RX-8 in front of our door at any time. Any color, Anubis Black, Tornado Red, or Mephisto Grey.

In another price league, you might try to configure your own Maserati Quattroporte or join Ferrari World, where we tend toward the Scaglietti, in red of course. The ultimate is probably the Bugatti Veyron, configurable, but not cheap.

Beyond that, it's jets.

Autodesk and Russ Wicks - Worlds Fastest Stock Car

We happened to run across this page looking at some fast cars:
Russ Wicks Official Web Page - Autodesk Worlds Fastest Stock Car
237 mph is fast.

SAAB AERO X Website

See the official Saab Aero X Website for this spectactularly designed concept car.

Saab Aero X Concept

ViaMichelin in Saab Aero X Concept: the fusion of automobile and aeronautics! reviews this fantastic futuristic machine. Where can we order one?

Free Subscription to Winding Road Magazine for Car Drivers

The new issue 8.5 of the magazine for car drivers, Winding Road, is out. You can get a free subscription to Winding Road at that website. The magazine has excellent photography and commentary on automobiles. The just published issue features the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (Twin-Turbo, V8, 514 HP) and has articles on the American Driver, the Geneva Auto Show, and spy shots of car designs forthcoming in the next years.

The most interesting car at the Geneva Auto Show was the Saab AERO X, which stole the spotlight from bigger names such as Ferrari and Lamborghini.

The Volvo YCC - A Car Designed by Women for Women

The Volvo YCC - A Car Designed by Women for Women

Have you seen this? The Volvo YCC? See The Car Connection [ The Web's Automotive Authority ].

We predict that when this car comes onto the market - if it beats the competition to the commercial stage - it will be the most phenominally successful automible product introduction since Ford started selling the Model T.

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM - The Best Car in the World

The Best "Road" Machines - ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM - NEW

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM

We have dubbed the Maybach the world's best automobile. But is there also room for a "best car in the world".

The Rolls-Royce Phantom has a 453 horsepower (British hp) engine under the hood and still manifests the timeless classical elegance which has always given the Rolls a special mystique in automobile manufacture.

Nice reviews are found at:
MotorTrend.com
Car and Driver
Edmunds.com

Will we ever buy this Rolls?
Probably not.
Why buy it when you already have it.

MAYBACH - The World's Best Automobile

The Best "Road" Machines - Maybach

MAYBACH - NEW

The Maybach is the new super-luxury line of automobiles, made by DaimlerChrysler, makers of Mercedes.
The Maybach website page shows - in our opinion - how cars can be presented on the internet in state-of-the-art web technology - comprehensive, elegant, astounding.

Make sure to turn "on" the symphony button when viewing this incredible automobile, which sets some new standards in automobile manufacture. The Maybach is available as the Maybach 57 (5.7 meters) and the Maybach 62 (6.2 meters).

Is there any doubt that this is the best car in the world? - none.

Even the use of the website will take you to a new level - turn on your brain to use the controls. You have to think.

Nice reviews are found at:
Forbes
Robb Report

Will we ever drive this car?
Probably not.
But our chauffeur will.

ASTON MARTIN V12 VANQUISH

The Best "Road" Machines - Aston-Martin V12 Vanquish - NEW

ASTON MARTIN V12 VANQUISH

The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish is a two door coupe with 2+0 or 2+2 seating and 460 horsepower (British hp) under the hood, with a top speed of 190 miles per hour.

Nice reviews are found at:
Classic British Cars
astonmartins.com (not the official site)
Automotive.com

For Aston Martin fans we might note that
The Aston Martin DB7 Zagato is
sold out - all 99 cars are spoken for.

Have we driven this car?
No.
But we know someone who does.

BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT

The Best "Road" Machines - Bentley Continental GT - NEW

BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT

The Bentley Continental GT is a luxury two-door sedan with a twin-turbo-W12 from Volkswagen under the hood sporting 550 horsepower (British hp).
It combines sporty features with a heavier English sedan style. It is a marvelous coach for the upper crust and for anyone who wants to combine sheer brute elegance with a sporting style.

Nice reviews of this wonderful car are found at
The New York Times
Road&Track Online
Forbes

Will we ever drive this car?
Yes.
When?
When we visit the Queen.