Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Autos archive for Jan. 1, 2009

THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009

Government Money Electrifies Carmakers

The government is dishing out funding for battery-powered vehicles and carmakers are jockeying for a slice of the electric cheese. Way back on the campaign trail, President Obama voiced his desire to convert the White House vehicle fleet to battery power within the year, and…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009

Future Transportation (Baby Steps)

There is a definite compressed sense of time in the auto industry right now. A year’s worth of activity now needs to be crammed into a matter of months as carmakers scramble to innovate the vehicles of future and survive in the process. But let’s…

Continue reading this post »

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2009

Girl Cars

Girl cars. Strong enough for a man, but specially designed for a woman, these are the vehicles that inarguably represent a serious gender divide on the roadways. The following is a list of the most predominant girl cars the world has ever known. For any…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2009


WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009

Jeep J8 replicas soon available

Unbeknownst to this Jeep lover, Chrysler LLC began producing a military-spec Jeep Wrangler called the J8 for use by the Egyptian military in 2007. Now, American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) will be making a limited number of AEV J8 MILSPEC Jeeps for sale in the United…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2009

Concept minivans are not the answer

We would all like to see Ford and the other two-thirds of the big three bounce back, but it’s hard to reserve the hope that it will happen any time soon with ridiculous concepts like Ford’s new, “Transit Connect Family One Concept." If the name…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2009

The worst day of Rick Wagoner's life

What does it feel like to be asked by the leader of the free world to step down from the most prestigious position in the U.S. auto industry after your leadership has left your company in shambles? Ask Rick Wagoner, it happened to him. In…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2009

 (Courtesy photo)

Little Red Jeep

Instead of Ritalin, my parents bought me my first car at the age of five: A 1990 Jeep power wheel. Cherry red, two gears (fast AND slow), a roll bar that stopped just below my head and a storage compartment nestled beneath the Trans-am inspired…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009

Mixed Memories of Driver's Training

My nephew is beginning his driver’s training this month and I couldn’t help but begin to reflect on what an odd and wonderful experience it was when I had to do it. There probably hasn’t ever been a normal driver’s training instructor, so it was…

Continue reading this post »

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009

World's First Underwater Car, seriously

Leave it to the Swiss, they’ve designed a zero emissions electric car inspired by a James Bond movie that can drive above and below water. “The ‘sQuba’ lets me be one with the elements and lets me immerse myself in a new and fascinating world…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2009

Buried in a '67 Chevy, by request

Albert Dancy Jr. of Sutton, West Virginia upped the ante for Chevy guys the world over when he was buried in the bed of his 1967 Chevrolet pickup, with his Old Timer pocketknife and Remington .243-caliber deer rifle. If the burial wasn’t culturally sound enough…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2009

Cheerios Lego Racer!

It’s a cumbersome chore to create weekly ultra-informed blogs that attempt to stay on the cutting edge of automotive news. My hat goes off to anyone who can do it, but sometimes I feel like I try to make mine too, "smart." So eat this:…

Continue reading this post »

SATURDAY, FEB. 28, 2009

THURSDAY, FEB. 26, 2009

Clean-diesel cars on the rise, without Detroit

Foreign automakers are preparing to launch a wave of clean-diesel cars in the United States and Detroit doesn’t seem to have a response. “This is the perfect storm for clean diesel-powered cars," says Allen Schaeffer, executive director of Diesel Technology Forum,"Diesel engines are a proven…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, FEB. 24, 2009

Prius Cup: Amazingly boring

Have you heard the one about the Prius Cup? Yeah, the one where a bunch of Toyota dealerships enter their Prius’ in low-speed races to see who can suckle the best gas mileage out of their car? Actually, the Prius Cup is no joke. Japanese…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, FEB. 23, 2009

GetCarsWrap.com arouses concern

GetCarsWrap.com is shady, like the well-dressed guy on the street who jitters up to you asking for a dollar to buy a beer, but it’s fairly obvious he’s trying to work up a wad to score some crack. At the website a “one-time” fee of…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, FEB. 19, 2009

Shelby's 208 mph Electric Car

The World’s fastest production car is going Green at 208 mph. Shelby SuperCars (SSC), has outfitted their Ultimate Aero, a gas powered car that currently holds the Guinness World Record for “World’s Fastest Production Car” at 256.18 mph with an All-Electric Scalable Powertrain (AESP). The…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, FEB. 17, 2009

RIP International CXT

After a long battle with the ailments of the American economy the world’s largest production pickup, the International CXT is said to be dead. “Shame on International for making this thing,” said Daniel Becker, director of the Sierra Club’s global warming and energy program, “this…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, FEB. 12, 2009

TUESDAY, FEB. 10, 2009

Black box for teen drivers

Nothing says safety like installing a black box on the dashboard of your kid’s car. It’s called Tiwi, an enduring sign of parental distrust made especially for the young person entering the first formative years of their driving experience. Tiwi comes equipped with GPS capable…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, FEB. 3, 2009

Humvee to be replaced

Since replacing the Jeep in 1984, the Humvee has been modified to fill tactical roles for which it was never designed to undertake, perhaps most notably as a transport capable of protecting American troops from attack in the Middle East. According to statistics from the…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, JAN. 29, 2009

The Homer

The world is full of back seat drivers of nearly every orientation. As Detroit flounders about searching for a way to meet the obvious needs of American drivers (low cost, high mileage cars) taking the time to criticize their apparent ineptitude is both fun and…

Continue reading this post »

Autos

The latest news, reviews and commentary about cars, trucks, and more, automotive technology and car culture



Blog Archives

Dec. 2009 Nov. 2009 Oct. 2009 Sept. 2009
Aug. 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009
April 2009 March 2009 Feb. 2009 Jan. 2009