All Entries in the "Auto News" Category
Chevy Temporarily Stops Building The Volt, And That Should Surprise No One
I’m a fan of electric car technology. I’d like to see every car on the road be 100% electric, because every car would be charged with electricity generated at American power plants that are fueled by American coal and natural gas (and maybe even wind and solar energy, as the technology matures). An all electric vehicle fleet would be awesome because it would put oil-rich dictators out of business and keep billions of dollars spent on foreign oil at home.
However, I’m a realist – I don’t think anyone should buy an electric car until they deliver the same type of performance we can get from a gas engine or gas-electric hybird…which is why I’m not a fan of the Chevy Volt. Coincidentally, this is also why Chevy recently announced that they were temporarily suspending Volt production.
Toyota Gives Kids Against Hunger a Free Tundra
In yet another example of Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program, the Kids Against Hunger of Northwest Oklahoma charity received a Toyota Tundra double cab, 4×4 pickup. They had been borrowing vehicles.
Below is a video about the program.
City, County of Toyota Truck Plant Don’t Own Toyota Trucks
In the d’oh moment of the week category, we have the city of San Antonio,Texas and Bexar County, Texas who have hundreds of full-size trucks in their fleet, but none of them are Toyotas. Why is this odd? This area is home to Toyota Tundra and Tacoma production plant.
The San Antonio, Texas Toyota Manufacturing Plant is a large driver in the local economy employing about 2,300 people. Seems from this picture, the plant is a large piece of the economy.
Why Large Pickup Trucks Dominate the North American Truck Market
There is a curious phenomenon in the U.S. new vehicle market: large pickup trucks are dominant while smaller trucks continue to lanquish. In an era of elevated fuel prices this fact seems at odds with consumer buying habits. However, on closer inspection there are several factors that explain why consumers continue to prefer big over small even as fuel prices continue to rise.
Despite sales success, Ford has discontinued the Ranger. The reason? Big trucks sell much, much better. Image courtesy Ford Motor Company.
Should Electric Car Owners Pay A Special Usage Fee?
Drivers have received a lot of incentives to make the switch to electric, but the free ride may come to an end soon. The problem lies in the way that most states and local municipalities raise funds for transit projects. Every time you fill your gas tank, a certain percentage of that sale goes directly to state or local coffers. The move speaks to the need of creating more fairness between different vehicle owners.
Electric vehicle owners might have to pay a new tax to help pay for the infrastructure they use. Will this new tax level the playing ground between different types of vehicle owners?
