BLOG: Mark Rechtin
The 102 mpg Honda Civic
Posted 7:59 am U.S. ET, May 24
LOS ANGELES -- Every automaker is hyping fuel economy numbers on their electric or hybrid vehicles, some more fast and loose than others.
So I figure I have some leeway when I say I got 102 miles per gallon from a 2012 Honda Civic.
Before you fire up your snarky e-mail blasts, let me explain the math, and hope ...
Continue reading "The 102 mpg Honda Civic" » May 24, 2012 7:59 am U.S. ET
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GM didn’t get how Facebook works
Posted 10:30 am U.S. ET, May 22Much as General Motors would like you to think its decision to walk away from Facebook is about the failure of clickable banner ads, it isn’t. GM’s failure is all about the banality of its paid content.
Basically, paid content involves paying a Web site to promote your message through a wider distribution network than would ordinarily v ...
Continue reading "GM didn’t get how Facebook works" » May 22, 2012 10:30 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Fisker fires back, rebuts expert's theory on garage blaze
Posted 4:59 pm U.S. ET, May 12So what caused the Sugar Land, Texas, garage fire this week that destroyed a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid and two other cars?
The local fire inspector told Autoweek that the fire started in the Karma, but said he didn't know the exact cause. On Thursday, EV expert Jon Bereisa suggested to me that the Karma's cramped engine-bay packaging cou ...
Continue reading "Fisker fires back, rebuts expert's theory on garage blaze" » May 12, 2012 4:59 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Expert: Fisker Karma's engine packaging, not batteries, likely caused fire
Posted 9:58 pm U.S. ET, May 10LOS ANGELES -- A garage fire last week in suburban Houston has been linked to a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, but the company quickly noted that the battery remained intact and unplugged -- and did not appear to be the cause.
But if not the battery, then what?
More likely, poor packaging in the engine compartment and exhaust routing generated excess heat. When combined with a ...
Continue reading "Expert: Fisker Karma's engine packaging, not batteries, likely caused fire" » May 10, 2012 9:58 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
A macho minivan? At Home Depot, there’s no question
Posted 10:08 am U.S. ET, April 3Minivans have a bad rap. I am out to change that, starting now.
I hereby swear that the Nissan Quest is one bad-ass mother-hauler.
You probably think that I’ve been snorting Desitin. But I can tell you that my crumb-cruncher collector was the envy of the Home Depot parking lot.
< ...
Continue reading "A macho minivan? At Home Depot, there’s no question" » Apr 3, 2012 10:08 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Could high gasoline prices cost Obama the presidency?
Posted 3:06 pm U.S. ET, March 28LOS ANGELES -- The price of gasoline again has replaced the price of milk as the American household's touchstone of how far its spending dollar goes.
And there is an interesting -- though perhaps coincidental -- connection between rapidly rising gasoline prices and presidential election year results.
Continue reading "Could high gasoline prices cost Obama the presidency?" » Mar 28, 2012 3:06 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
GM’s tone-deaf jargon
Posted 12:25 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 4LAS VEGAS -- General Motors needs to put its marketing jargon in the 1990s parking lot where it belongs.
I refer to the descriptive used by GM execs in discussing how the automaker’s brands need to stay in their respective “swim lanes.”
The phrase was first used by newly installed chief market ...
Continue reading "GM’s tone-deaf jargon" » Feb 4, 2012 12:25 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Import brands should chill out over Obama snub
Posted 1:36 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 3Import-brand automakers should not take the apparent snub by President Barack Obama at the Washington D.C. auto show too seriously.
This is, after all, the leader of the free world. That he even has time to visit an auto show is incredible, given the fragile status of the economy and the tense, rapidly-changing situation in the Middle East.
...
Continue reading "Import brands should chill out over Obama snub" » Feb 3, 2012 1:36 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Why we need to save the CD players!
Posted 9:36 am U.S. ET, Jan. 20LOS ANGELES -- You can have my compact disc player when you pry it out of my car’s cold, dead center console.
There has been a recent stretch of news about the pending demise of the CD player in vehicles. The Consumer Electronics Show was all about streaming audio and Internet radio. And General Motors has announced the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic R ...
Continue reading "Why we need to save the CD players!" » Jan 20, 2012 9:36 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Tesla's Musk to jittery Wall Street: Remain Calm!
Posted 4:08 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 17LOS ANGELES -- There's a famous scene at the end of Animal House, where Kevin Bacon's lone ROTC cadet tries to calm a rioting crowd by saying, "Remain calm, all is well."
Of course, no one listens, and Bacon's voice rises in pitch until he is screaming, "All is well!" He then gets trampled into the sidewalk.
Su ...
Continue reading "Tesla's Musk to jittery Wall Street: Remain Calm!" » Jan 17, 2012 4:08 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Tweet about Toyota, get cash back
Posted 3:40 pm U.S. ET, Dec. 12LOS ANGELES -- Toyota has made no secret about wanting to close out a rough 2011 on a high note. Now the brand has launched a viral cash-incentive program for folks who use Twitter as a social media communications tool.
It's another way the automaker is trying to jump-start sales after a year hampered by the Japanese earthquake and Thai flooding. T ...
Continue reading "Tweet about Toyota, get cash back" » Dec 12, 2011 3:40 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
