smarter traveling, driving and spending
Auto manufacturers are hedging their bets by launching car sharing companies around the world. It’s a good way to protect against new car sales that are up one month and down another, protectionist trade barriers, and the fickle habits of millennials. In survey after survey, they’ve indicated they would rather share than own. All car
Read more
Every auto show features a concept car or several. Concept cars are important, because they give us a sneak peak at the car company’s design and technology direction, and the reaction of the media and the public can determine whether the concept gets put into overdrive, or parked in the garage and forgotten. Here’s what
Read more
Which 2010 or 2011 model gets your vote of the most desirable vehicle of the year? The best green car? There are three important awards being announced at the press preview days of the important 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show next week. First, is the title of Automobile of the Year, awarded by Automobile Magazine. The
Read more
Germany is justifiably famous for its great beer and wine festivals, which start in late summer or early fall and focus on regional wines, beers, and culinary specialties. The most famous is the Munich Oktoberfest, the world’s oldest and largest beer festival , which celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2010. Festival dates this year are
Read more
The 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is the 60th anniversary of what has become the most famous and most prestigious vintage and antique car show in the United States, perhaps even the world. The Pebble Beach Concours is this weekend, August 13-15, attracting thousands of classic car fans to Monterey and Carmel, California, to see
Read more
What’s your dream car for a summer road trip? Mine would be a fast, sexy roadster, preferably a convertible, preferably a two-seater, probably in red, with enough trunk space for a weekend bag for each of us. The 2011 Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 V10 tops the list, according to the August issue of the Robb Report.
Read more
Car sales are a great indicator of the state of the economy. when car sales are down, so is the economy. In April 2010, car sales were up 20% over April 2009. That’s a good sign that the economy is turning around. Of course, some brands did better than others. Nissan had the largest increase
Read more
Who says Germans don’t have a sense of humor? Audi ads on the XLIV Super Bowl are a funny serious look at saving fuel and saving our natural resources. Green police go after the bag guys — the ones who use styrofoam cups and paper plates, and the ones who do not drive fuel efficient
Read more
The Audi brand is in the fast-lane, for sure. Audi models have been sweeping awards at recent auto shows. Let’s start with the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, now underway. The all-new 2011 Audi A8 luxury performance sedan took top honors in the prestigious EyesOn Design awards, which recognizes — you guessed it — design. The A8 is a
Read more
BMW is unveiling a fully-electric compact coupe at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2010. The concept BMW 1-Series prototype is called the Concept ActiveE. The BMW 1-Series electric concept will have lithium ion batteries, and the packs are placed in the spot a conventional drive train would be in a conventional gas or diesel BMW. Here’s a teaser video:
Read more