How Touchscreens Ruined Luxury Cars
By Eric Peters, NMA Member and Syndicated Columnist Why would anyone spend twice as much (or more) on a car if the car that costs half as much (or less) has pretty much everything the car that costs twice as much (or more) has? Consider — among other things — the ubiquity of the LCD […]
New Truck Review: 2024 Ford Lightning
By Eric Peters, NMA Member and Syndicated Columnist Ford has been having some trouble persuading people who want to buy a truck to buy an electric truck. While sales of the F-150 have remained as healthy as ever (the F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in North America) sales of the battery-powered version of the same […]
CYBERTRUCK DEBUTS TO CHEERS & BOOS
By Lauren Fix It’s two years later than intended, but Tesla made its first deliveries of the Cybertruck to retail customers yesterday. Public reaction ranged from cheers to boos. Some people loved it, while most can’t get past the radical styling. Like Ford’s Lightning and Chevy’s Silverado EV, pricing for the Cybertruck is coming in […]
Another Target Missed
By Eric Peters, NMA Member and Syndicated Columnist You may recall when GM promised the battery-powered iteration of its Equinox crossover would have a starting price “around $30,000” when it became available for the ’24 model year. How’s around $50,000 grab you? Once again, the “target” has been missed — as if Stevie Wonder were […]
New Car Review: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
By Eric Peters, NMA Member and Syndicated Columnist Last year — which is still actually this model year — Subaru’s Crosstrek was pretty much the only small crossover that still came standard with a manual transmission. Or even offered one. Next model year — which is still this calendar year — the Crosstrek joins the […]
The Battle Begins: Car Dealers Challenge Biden’s Electric Vehicle Mandate
By Lauren Fix A coalition of almost 4,000 auto dealers nationwide sent an open letter to President Biden, calling on him to “tap the brakes” on his administration’s aggressive electric vehicle (EV) push. The coalition — which includes dealers located in all 50 states and who collectively sell every major car brand are taking aim […]
The Costs of the Mafia
By Eric Peters, NMA Member and Syndicated Columnist Why is it a bad idea to force people to buy car insurance — leaving aside the forcing them to buy it? Well, because it enables the insurance mafia — how else to describe a business that uses threats of retaliation if you don’t agree to pay […]
New Car Review: 2024 Mazda3
By Eric Peters, NMA Member and Syndicated Columnist The Mazda3 offers something that’s become uncommon . . . Variety. It does not come just one way — with just one engine. Or just one transmission (invariably an automatic) as many of its small-car rivals do. It’s also like one other car — the Miata — […]
National Transportation Safety Board Calls For Speed-Limiting in Cars
By Lauren Fix We have played this game before. And we have won. Now it’s time to play it once more and we need your support! The NTSB urged 17 automakers to install intelligent speed-assistance technology in all new vehicles that, at a minimum, warns a driver when the vehicle is speeding. The National Transportation […]
The Mobility Show
By Eric Peters, NMA Member and Syndicated Columnist There used to be car shows — annual events at which the car manufacturers would show off their latest designs, to whet the appetite of car buyers. How about a mobility show, instead? That’s what the Tokyo Motor Show — which until now was like the Detroit […]