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Updated Test Drive:
2012 Fiat 500 Cabrio
At the 2012 North American International Auto Show (Detroit):
Acura shows three models, including new ILX sedan ... Cadillac reveals ATS compact sedan ... Ford has 2013 Fusion .. Volvo features XC60 plug-in hybrid ... Audi displays new Q3 Vail ... Lexus has LF-LC concept ... Volkswagen presents E-Bugster electric concept and Jetta Hybrid ... Mini Roadster debuts ... Nissan brings Pathfinder Concept ... Hyundai introduces Veloster Turbo ... Dodge reveals 2013 Dart ... Toyota brings NS4 hybrd ... Buick unveils Encore ... Honda unveils Accord Coupe Concept ... and much more
Green Scene
New: See our Hybrid/Electric Buying Guide at autoMedia.com
How has 2010's horrific BP oil spill affected gasoline prices and availability? The answer appears to be: not much. As soon as gasoline prices started to stabilize, after peaking in 2008-09, car-shoppers began drifting back to big cars and trucks, showing scant concern about fuel-efficiency. Price fluctuations during 2011 had a modest, likely short-lived, impact. Isn't it finally time to think seriously about reducing oil use - and to do something about it?
• Test Drives: 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI... 2011 Lexus CT 200h ... 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid ... 2011 Chevrolet Volt
• Quick Electric Drives: Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Mini E
• Preview Drive: 2011 Nissan Leaf electric
• Green Car Tour (diesel)
• Preview Drive: 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid coupe
• Preview Drive: 2011 smart fortwo electric drive (EV)
• Fuel-efficiency takes many forms
• 2010 Hybrid Reviews: Ford Fusion Hybrid ... Honda Insight ... Toyota Prius ... Lexus HS 250h
See our reviews of the Mitsubishi i electric and other alt-fuel vehicles at autoMedia.com
News Headlines
in the auto world
• Auto-loan delinquencies falling: American Bankers Association (1/5)
• Detroit's auto show opens to public on January 14, 2012 (12/18)
• Federal government wants to ban use of electronic devices by drivers (12/13)
• Dodge to revive old Dart nameplate on new 2013 compact sedan (12/6)
• Ford's Focus Electric gets $40,000 sticker price (11/3)
• Chrysler to add eight-speed automatic transmission (9/1)
• Frankfurt (Germany) Motor Show to open in mid-September (8/31)
• Volkswagen's 2012 lineup includes redesigned Beetle, new turbo Jetta GLI (8/22)
• Honda to open new subcompact-car plant near Celaya, Mexico, in 2014 (8/16)
• AAA survey: One in four Americans unable to pay for major car repair (8/7)
• GM reports $2.5 billion second-quarter profit, almost doubling first-quarter figure (8/4)
• Chevrolet will offer diesel-engine Cruze in 2013 (7/22)
• Chevrolet turns to two-tier wage structure in new Sonic plant (7/18)
2011 Los Angeles International Auto Show
More than 20 world premieres and 30 North American debuts took place in November:
Honda debuted redesigned CR-V and Fit EV ... Morgan promoted British-built ThreeWheeler sports car ... Audi showed trio of "S" editions ... Mercedes-Benz introduced C63 AMG C-Class Coupe Black Series ... Volkswagen showed Beetle R Concept ... Fiat 500 Abarth appeared ... Mazda launched CX-5 ... Chevrolet showed Spark minicar and Camaro ZL1 ... Infiniti JX three-row crossover bowed ... Hyundai introduced redesigned Azera ... Porsche brought latest 911.
Tirekicking Today editor Jim Flammang, a veteran independent auto journalist, contributes product reviews and feature articles to such publications as autoMedia.com and Kelley Blue Book. He has written extensively for a variety of major outlets, including J.D. Power, cars.com, and the Chicago Tribune. Flammang is a member of the Freelancers Union, as well as the International Motor Press Association and Midwest Automotive Media Association (past president). The author of more than two dozen books also contributes to Consumer Guide publications, Ward's Dealer Business, and the Auto News Blog at autoMedia.com.
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Toil & Trouble
Tirekicking Today has been developing a new section on work, labor, and consumer concerns. Toil & Trouble builds upon the uncommon views in Work Hurts, one of our Books in Progress. In addition to notable news items related to work and labor, this section will feature critical essays and editorials.
"Occupy" Movement
Is Here To Stay
• Own Nothing, Owe Nothing: it can be done (1/25)
• 10 Ways to Keep Occupy Movement Alive (1/20)
Labor Headlines:
• Pew Research Center poll: 77 percent of respondents think too much power is in the hands of rich people and large corporations (1/25)
• Victory for Consumers: President Obama appoints Richard Cordray to head new consumer protection agency (1/5)
• Top Gear TV star Jeremy Clarkson says striking public-service workers in Britain should be "executed in front of their families" (11/30)
• 99-percent protest spreads to 190 U.S. cities ... related protests worldwide in 951 cities, 82 countries (10/15)
• "Occupy Wall Street" movement, dubbed "We Are the 99 Percent," continues to expand (10/7)
• Auto workers protest at Detroit's auto show
• Surprise! Some of us like to pay taxes
• Reject! For some applicants, job search is futile exercise
• Overview: All too often, Toil Is Trouble
• Where do workers stand now, financially?
• Needed Now: Jobs, Not Careers
• New Ways To Look at Work
• Solidarity Forever? Are unions still needed?
• Quit calling us consumers!
• Let's break the chain of consumer debt
• Prioritize! Living with Less and Liking It
• Editorial - Needed Now: Health Care Reform
Special Reports:
Highlights: Automotive Economic Forecast and Financial Forum
• Highlights: 2010 Labor Notes Conference
Coming Soon:
• Lineup! CEOs need to justify gargantuan incomes
• Job Search shouldn't be a career in itself
• Traditional worklives no longer work
• No more bosses
• UAW: Culprit or victim?
"No man is good enough to be another man's master."
George Bernard Shaw,
in Major Barbara
True Travel
During 2011, Tirekicking Today is adding Travel stories. Geared toward travelers on a budget, who prefer a suitcase to a backpack, our articles look at such issues as picking sensible hotels and the easiest ways to book trips. We'll emphasize blending into the community rather than spending time among folks from back home.
• El Cortez Hotel Gives Taste of Old Las Vegas
• Low-Budget Lodging in Mexico
• Today's TSA: Smile and Punishment at the security lane
• Historic Hotels Don't Have to Break Your Budget
• What's Wrong With High-end Hotels?
• Even expert travelers can make mistakes
• Online Booking Saves Time, Money, Stress
• Is Mexican Travel Finished?
• Looking Back: Train Travel in Mexico
• Cheap Hotels: Horror or Delight?
City Views:
• Carnival in Veracruz, Mexico ... plus unique Carnival fiesta of indigenous Mayans
• Mexico City hasn't lost its charms
• San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
• 2011 San Cristobal update
• Tokyo; Barcelona; Palma (Mallorca); Paris; Bruges, Belgium; Luxembourg City; Puebla, Mexico
• U.S. cities: New York. San Francisco, Miami, Seattle, Las Vegas
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UPDATED: January 25, 2012
Tirekicking Today: Not just about cars anymore
Online since 1995, Tirekicking Today has presented a fresh and distinctive approach to the automotive world, including: Preview Drives of selected coming-soon models; Test Drives of current vehicles; feature stories of interest to car buyers and owners; plus commentary with a distinct and tangy twist. Now, as 2012 begins, much of the auto business remains close to crisis mode - despite rising sales. Media outlets such as Tirekicking Today have been affected adversely. Automakers host fewer new-model media programs. Invitation lists to those that occur - especially from GM, Chrysler, Ford, and Toyota - have shrunk sharply. Availability of test vehicles has diminished. Growing numbers of bloggers and pseudo-journalists vie for attention alongside those, like ourselves, who have covered the auto business for many years.
Although our coverage of new cars will continue, timely reviews of certain automakers' vehicles are increasingly impossible to provide. Therefore, we expect to publish more editorials and feature stories, and fewer reviews. Turning aside from cars, Tirekicking Today is expanding coverage of consumer concerns and work/labor issues and travel (See Toil & Trouble and True Travel, in box at right.
Please check our numerous vehicle reviews and features at autoMedia.com, including the Used Car and Hybrid/Electric Buying Guides, plus regular contributions to their Auto News Blog.
Tirekicking Today editor Jim Flammang contributes regular commentary to the Auto News Blog at autoMedia.com
New:
What's New for the 2012 model year (updated 9/17/11)
See our Used Car Buying Guide at autoMedia.com
See our Hybrid/Electric Buying Guide at autoMedia.com
Highlights: 2011 New York Auto Show
Excerpt - 2011 Update: San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
Early in 2010, we were so taken with this easygoing colonial city in a two-week stay, that we came back again in 2011 for more than four weeks. Not much is different from our year-ago report. A few restaurants have disappeared, and others have sprouted. One of the two movie theaters - small ones that project older DVDs on a screen - moved to a new, more convenient location. A conventional cineplex has opened, but we haven't seen it as yet because it's a bit of a distance from the historic center. That's where we spend nearly all of our time.
Zocalos (main squares) in most Mexican cities and towns are lovely places, and the one in San Cristobal is among the most compelling. Surprisingly comfortable iron benches are spread around the square, inviting passersby to stop for a few minutes, or even a few hours. Most of the time, music is playing: recorded songs in the daytime, and live music at night. Evening musicians play on the upper level of the central bandstand (downstairs is a small cafe). Now and then, a separate set of musicians or performers sets up at the edge of the Zocalo, but nobody seems to mind the conflict between sounds....
Click for complete San Cristobal story ... See more Excerpts
Books in Progress
Editor Jim Flammang, the author of more than two dozen books (including six for children), is at work on several more. Each title views its subject from a similarly uncommon and lighthearted - yet serious - perspective. Outlines and excerpts may be seen by clicking on each title.
• Steering Toward Oblivion is a caustically critical but humorous observation of the car culture and auto business.
• Work Hurts questions the conventional wisdom on work and careers.
• Hotel Life, subtitled "Living small in an age of large," assesses the satisfactions of simpler living and minimal consumption.
• Absurdities: Lapses in logic and reason (coming soon) is a collection of stinging essays that gaze with disbelief at various aspects of modern life.
• Mr. Maurice knows it all ... and tells you so (coming soon): Observations on society and major issues of the day from a stuffed pig who just happens to know everything.
• Fiction by Flammang (coming soon): short stories, plus essays on a variety of topics.
Publishers Invited: Outlines and excerpts for three of the above books now are available online. Each will be updated and expanded in July, and details on additional books will be posted at that time. For further information, contact us at JF@tirekick.com.
Look for Jim Flammang's latest 2012 reviews at autoMedia.com: Mazda3, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Veloster, Mitsubishi i electric, Kia Rio, Volkswagen Beetle, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Nissan Versa, Audi A7, Hyundai Accent and Genesis R-Spec, Ford Mustang Boss 302
• 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• 2012 Honda Civic
• 2012 Acura TL
• 2012 Fiat 500 microcar
• 2011 Nissan Quest
• 2011 Acura TSX wagon
• 2011 Nissan Leaf electric
• 2011 Kia Optima
• 2011 Volvo S60
• 2011 Nissan Juke
• 2011 Honda Odyssey
• 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
• 2011 Volkswagen Jetta
• 2011 Scion tC sport coupe
• 2011 Ford Fiesta
• 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
• 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid
• 2011 smart fortwo EV
• 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet
• 2011 Kia Sorento
• 2010 Acura ZDX
• 2010 GMC Terrain
• 2010 Cadillac SRX
• 2009-10 Audi Q5
• 2010 Acura Trio
• 2010 Subaru Outback
• 2010 Ford Flex EcoBoost
• 2010 Subaru Legacy
• 2010 Lexus HS 250h (hybrid)
• 2010 Ford Taurus
• 2010 Ford Taurus SHO
• 2010 Kia Forte
• 2010 Lexus IS convertible
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• 2010 Toyota Prius
• 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
• 2010 Kia Soul
• 2010 Volvo XC60
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK
• • All Preview Drives
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• 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK350
• 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI
• 2012 Fiat 500 Cabrio (updated 9/17/11)
• 2012 Honda Civic
• 2012 Ford Focus
• 2012 Mazda5
• 2011 Scion xB
• 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
• 2011 Ford F-150 pickup
• 2011 Dodge Durango
• 2011 Lexus CT 200h
• 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
• 2011 Chrysler 200
• 2011 Ford Explorer
• 2011 Chevrolet Volt
• 2011 Cadillac CTS-V wagon
• 2011 Jaguar XJ
• 2011 Hyundai Equus
• 2011 Subaru Tribeca
• Electric Drives: Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Mini E
• 2011 Mazda2
• 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
• 2010 Infiniti G37 convertible
• 2010 BMW M3 sedan
• 2010 Cadillac Escalade ESV
• 2010 Aston Martin Rapide
• 2010 Chevrolet Corvette
• 2010 Lincoln MKT
• 2010 Mazda6
• 2010 Lincoln MKZ
• 2010 Suzuki Kizashi
• 2010 Honda CR-V
• 2010 Buick LaCrosse
• 2010 Cadillac CTS wagon
• 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
• 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
• 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
• 2010 Lexus RX 350
• 2010 Mazda3 hatchback
• 2010 Ford Transit Connect
• 2010 Honda Insight
• • All Vehicle Reviews
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• Who do car-shoppers trust for information?
• Idiots Rule: Social media shouldn't dictate product plans
• Are auto ads changing tune?
• Where are the "Detroit 3" headed now?
• Red Light Cameras can snare safe drivers
• Archive for All Editorials
• New automotive Editorials are being developed and will be posted soon.
Meanwhile, please go to autoMedia.com to see editor Jim Flammang's continuous series of blog posts - mainly commentary on a broad variety of auto-related issues - at Auto News Blog. Latest topics range from automaker market share, red-light cameras and safety recalls, to EV charging stations, alternative powertrains and romance in the car.
Automotive Literature
for Sale:
Large stock of books, magazines, photos, press kits, memorabilia, and more. Mostly from 1985-2010, but some items date back as far as the 1920s. Just let us know what you need, via e-mail to: JF@tirekick.com.
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Highlights: November 2010 used car conferences
• 2010 CPO (certified pre-owned) Forum
• 2010 National Remarketing Conference
Highlights: 2009 National Remarketing Conference
Market Trends ... CPO ... Valuations ... Used Car Trends ... POADA
Tirekicking Today will be attending the 2011 National Remarketing Conference and CPO Forum in Las Vegas, during the week of November 14-18. Full reports will be available soon.
• Numbers Count in Used Car Search
• KBB Explains Consumer Surveys
Please watch for helpful new Consumer Advice. Meanwhile, look for Jim Flammang's consumer-focused articles and Auto News Blog items at autoMedia.com.
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Coming Soon:
• Preview Drives: 2012 Hyundai Genesis, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Nissan Versa, Volkswagen Beetle, Hyundai Veloster, Honda CR-V
• Test Drives: 2011 Hyundai Elantra, Infiniti EX35, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
• Auto History: When Rationing Came
Chicago Auto Show opened February 11: Acura, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ram, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Suzuki hosted news conferences for media
The Dunning-Kruger effect:
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge."
Charles Darwin
"He that has to obey the will of another is a slave."
Samuel Fielding (1886)
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All editorials, reviews and articles are available for reprinting.
Editors are invited to contact us for rates and full details.
TIREKICKING TODAY began in 1993 as a monthly print publication. Created by widely-known automotive writer/editor James M. Flammang and associate editor Marianne E. Flammang, it went on the Internet in 1995. TIREKICKING TODAY gives consumers, enthusiasts, and industry leaders an abundant supply of valuable automotive information.
New-vehicle reviews, editorial commentary, and feature articles are added regularly.
©All contents copyright 1997-2012 by Tirekicking Today.
Material may not be reused in any way without express permission from Tirekicking Today.
For information on reprinting
and syndication rights,
please contact us at JF@tirekick.com.
If you
would like a response to a question or comment, please provide your e-mail address.
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