Fuel Economy is Key to the Automobile’s Future

There’s a great new commercial, called ‘Imported from Detroit,’ that debuted at the Super Bowl. It’s about re-birth of one of the toughest cities in America. It’s about American innovation. It’s about American automakers leading, not following. It’s an inspiring piece of advertisement.

And thanks to tougher pollution and fuel economy standards, American automakers are not just making world beating, competitive products, they are doing fuel economy. And they are doing it well: Ford and GM have cars that get 40 mpg and are on the cutting edge on electric vehicles. And just in time. With gasoline prices pushing $4/gallon, consumers are flocking to fuel-efficient cars, shunning SUVs, and snatching up hybrids.

High, volatile oil prices killed Detroit’s market share during the previous three oil shocks during the 70’s, 80’s, and in 2008. Detroit has learned a hard lesson. Fuel efficiency is not a virtue; it’s a matter of survival.

Thanks to California, the 2007 Congress, the Supreme Court, President Bush, and President Obama, we have tougher pollution and fuel economy standards in place. And because of their leadership, Detroit is poised to lead, not follow, the world’s auto industry.

The biggest winners from stronger pollution and fuel economy standards? Perhaps ironically, Detroit. GM and Ford not only have more competitive small cars, but hot-selling crossovers such as the Chevrolet Equinox and Ford Edge, and cutting edge electric vehicles like the GM Volt and the Ford Focus EV.

The job is not finished, of course. California and President Obama have the opportunity to ensure Detroit remains on its path to rebirth by partnering on the next round of the National Program. Tough, but achievable, pollution and fuel economy standards that deliver 60 mpg by 2025 are what’s necessary to ensure Detroit is an innovator and global leader on clean cars.

60 mpg. Do it to for national security. Do it to lead the world. Do it for our future.

BMW GINA

The GINA Light Visionary Model is a fabric-skinned shape-shifting sports car concept built by BMW. GINA stands for "Geometry and functions In 'N' Adaptations". It was designed by a team led by BMW’s head of design, Chris Bangle, who says GINA allowed his team to "challenge existing principles and conventional processes." Other designers include Anders Warming.
The construction began in 2001.

pontiac g8

According to Edmunds Inside Line, Pontiac has decided to dump their Holden Commodore-based G8 after only a ultra-limited run. If they’re right, then I’m flabbergasted. The G8 was Pontiac’s most exciting car in years, it’s on track to win the 2009 North American Car of the Year award for god’s sake. If they’re really flushing it, that just proves that the American auto industry deserves to be in the shite position it’s in right now.

Along with the elimination of the Solstice, that leaves nothing but FWD cars in Pontiac’s line-up, which is a sad state of affairs for a formerly great brand. So what happens now? I wager Pontiac will be non-existent in 5-7 years. The G8 was the savior of Pontiac, and dumping it will spell their doom. Mark my words. See you back here in 7 years.

Check out some pictures of the G8 after the jump, get a good look while it’s st

The Pontiac G8 is a rear-wheel drive sedan that was produced by Holden, the Australian General Motors (GM) subsidiary. The G8, a rebadged Holden Commodore, was released in early 2008 for the 2008 model year in the United States, and in 2008 for the 2009 model year in Canada. Production stopped in mid-2009, following the GM decision to suspend the Pontiac brand. While available, the G8 took the place in the Pontiac lineup of both the Pontiac Bonneville, which ceased production after the 2005 model year, and the Pontiac Grand Prix, which ceased production after the 2008 model year. The G8 was Pontiac's first full-size car since the Bonneville and the GTO coupe last sold in 2006.

By December 2008, the rear-drive G8 had not become the expected sales replacement for the previous front-drive models, with 11,000 unsold G8s in the inventory and just 13,000 sold. During the 2009 global economic downturn, market prices had dropped by $3000–5000 below GM's sticker price for the car. By July 2009, there were only 5,000 unsold G8s in inventory, with almost 30,700 sold.

With the imminent demise of the Pontiac brand, a result of GM's Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the 2009 model year marks the end of all Pontiacs, including the G8. However, in July 2009, Bob Lutz made an off-hand comment during a press review that the G8 would be revived as the Chevrolet Caprice. Subsequently, Lutz retracted this statement, citing market conditions.

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