mustang84isu

As my sister would say, it's "cute." Personally, I'd take a sledgehammer to those bug-eyed headlights if I was forced to drive one. Cars like the Fit are why I hate most subcompacts.

Good thing they spent $1.6 billion on that Texas plant. Looks like all that extra capacity was needed after all!

This is the same Volkswagen that was talking about potentially pulling out of the US market a few months ago due to downward spiraling sales.

I think out of the Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro, the Camaro is the most cartoony of the three. All the GM fans talk about how the Mustang is too retro, but proportionally it was done much better than the other two. Don't get me wrong, I like both the Challenger and Camaro, but both cars are too big and "overstylized" is a good term to describe them. The pointy nose, concave rear, and big hips on the Camaro are too much. The Mustang is more restrained, which will wear better over time.

I like it, but one thing that bugs me (and I have noticed it on a lot of cars these days) are how tall they are. I think the new Camaro would look 100% better if it wasn't so upright / tall. If you put this up next to, say, a 1982 Camaro, I bet it would dwarf it in both height and length. These cars aren't supposed to be practical...cut down on the weight by getting rid of the rediculous dimensions. When I first heard that the Zeta platform is basically getting axed, I was dismayed...but if Alpha manages to make a smaller Camaro without being compact like a Solstice or Sky, I'm all for it. Zeta is way too large for this car.

Don't forget the Chevy Cobalt / Pontiac G5. GM fans let out a big collective sigh when that one was announced after GM had been promising for so long about "no more rebadges!"

I wonder if all their planes will be stripper LE models in Boring Beige. The skies suddenly became a shade of vanilla. And yes, Toyota is the new GM.

Give me a break. Have you forgotten about the Cadillac CTS already? People are switching over because finally it's an American luxury car that can compete and doesn't come with the snob price tag. Of course, you must have a little crystal ball that can see Lincoln's product lineup 10 years in advance...better take your word for it! Lincoln is DOOMED! And the Linc LS a "shitbox?" Well, at least it wasn't a Lexus.

Appears I hit a nerve? You're damn right the naysayers have no imagination. Mercury's sales decline has been solely due to Ford's lack of investment in the brand since the late 90s. There are many angles they could approach, such as technology, hybrids, styling, sportiness...yet Ford has merely done minor cosmetic enhancements that appeal to a niche segment. For the short term, that is fine; for the long term, Ford should be putting a plan in place to move Lincoln upmarket with BMW, Benz, Cadillac, etc. and have Mercury target the entry-level segment that Acura, (soon) Buick, and others have taken. Even in the 90s when there wasn't much differentiation, Mercury had a fairly broad spread of product (Topaz/Tracer, Sable, Grand Marquis, Villager, Cougar, Mountaineer, Mystique, etc)...of course sales have declined with Ford whittling down the lineup and not replacing it with new product. Just like Oldsmobile, killing Mercury is a short-sighted strategy that will hurt Ford more than it will help. It may take 5-10 years to get Mercury where it should be, but everything has to start somewhere. The difference between you and me is that you are only seeing it in the short-term; those same boneheaded short-sighted moves are why Ford is in such trouble today.

If Ford was just back to Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, I wouldn't mind it. Those have always been the core brands and as Lincoln gains more cred, it can be pushed upmarket giving more room for Mercury. The people that constantly insist Mercury should be killed have no imagination; there is a huge urban middle-upper income market that Mercury could tap into, but Ford is currently focused on Ford and Lincoln. Fords should always be affordable, Mercurys should always be stylish (perhaps the innovation brand as well), and Lincolns should always be luxurious. I see no reason why all three can't exist.

You bring up some good points. As long as Gore gets to shuttle around the country in cozy Learjets, the starvation in Africa or the genocide in Sudan can take a backseat. Maybe he should be giving that money he spends on his lectures to someone halfway around the world who could really use it. One thing to remember is that technology has always saved us in the past. When people of Europe were starving in the 14th century, someone figured out the concept of crop rotation and ways to produce higher yields. When a situation becomes dire enough, we have had a tendency to overcome it through technological innovation. People stuck in this "doomsday" mindset will truly drive us into chaos one day; reactionary measures are usually inefficient and ineffective. CAFE is one of these absurd, reactionary measures; rather than attempting to work with the auto industry, you have states like California and others trying to push a patchwork system of different CAFE laws that will damage an industry that is dependent on having set standards. The reason the U.S. succeeded in the early 20th century was due to the unified vision of many and the optimism that we can solve any problem. Now we are a country full of pessimists that are divided between red and blue states. It's quite sad really.

But the thing is, this is nothing new. Climatic shifts have caused the ice caps to melt and freeze over time. The Vikings were able to sail to America because the Medieval Warm Period broke up the ice in the North Sea. Then we went back to a mini ice age in the 17th century. Obviously there weren't any Expeditions or Hummers around at the time to blame on that. It's all speculation; no one has any hard evidence that what is happening today is being caused by man. A vocal minority feel the need to frighten everyone so that they gain more support to push their agendas. Until someone provides hard evidence, I will continue to be a skeptic. The debate is not over. By the way, I'm not a Republican, nor do I listen to Rush (unless it's the band).

I feel sorry for anyone that has fallen for the global warming propaganda. The whole thing has been manipulated by politicians and scientists with an agenda, and plenty of people and industries are making money off this scam. As soon as the elections are over, watch the 'global warming crisis' take the back-burner. I'm not against the environment or sustainability, but I am against the lack of common sense and poorly-conceived approaches we are taking such as CAFE. The earth will continue to experience climatic cycles like it has since the dawn of time. The U.S. will continue its streak of self-contempt and regulation-happy policies to beat down industries like the auto sector as countries like China and India grow uninhibited and take the economic position we once held. The rise and fall of empires...another cycle.

Be my guest :shades: Sienna lemons - Toyota is once again afraid of hurting their reputation so they are offering "warranty enhancements" for these 600,000 Siennas rather than issuing a recall like everyone else. 14 people hurt. http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyota-to-fix-...a-minivans.html Kluger (Highlander) rollover (description of what was in the February 2008 edition of Wheels magazine [around page 79]) http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...showtopic=22189

Let's talk about today, not the 1990s. It seems like Ford and Toyota have reversed roles. Ford is now building cars and trucks that are getting good marks and positive reviews while Toyota is building stuff that magazines are deriding and people are beginning to question...all at a time when they are making massive profits. I mean, connecting the dots can't be any more simple. I think it really says something about Ford when they can build world-class product like the Edge on a shoestring budget, yet Toyota's infinitely deep wallet puts out garbage like the Tundra which failed to capture anyone's imagination except bargain hunters lured in by $8000 incentives. Ford and GM are getting their act together while Toyota continues to nickel and dime their reputation away. Toyota's sales in North America have been cooling off and efforts like the Venza and A-Bat show they have no imigination when it comes to design. It's only a matter of time before the Toyota "mystique" wears off and they suddenly have no reputation to milk more sales with.

Clearly Toyota doesn't give a rat's ass about it's product any longer and is cutting costs wherever it can so that it makes a nice big fat profit. How else could they be putting out absolute garbage like the Tundra (or the Sienna that needs a second "warranty enhancement" for 600,000 vehicles to fix a bad welds in the liftgate that has caused 14 injuries). Christ, electronic stability control failed on a Highlander being tested for a magazine causing the WHEELS to pop off and leading to a rollover. Karma is coming to bite Toyota...badly. Only suckers blindly root for their incompetence.

Give it a more formal roofline and I'll give it a thumbs up.

The C6 Corvette would have made a much better KITT, IMO. I'm a Mustang guy first and foremost, but KITT and Mustang (too retro) just don't work as well as the futuristic '82 Trans Am did.

I find it amazing that there are actually Toyota fans out there (well, fans of the current cars at least...I could see fans of the older Supras and Celicas, etc). I mean, Toyota is THE grandpa brand on the market right now. Avalon buyers average 61 years old for Christ's sake. Camry buyers aren't much better. The Corolla is a cheap piece of shit that Toyota hasn't updated in ages and only sells for gas mileage. The Scions are bargain basement crap that attract old people and monkeythis.com advertising. Excluding the IS, Lexus is full of wallowing sport sedan wannabes that have been ripping off BMW and Mercedes-Benz designs since 1989. You find the same cheap buttons and switchgear in Scions as you do Lexuses. And the Prius is the ultimate nerd-mobile for people that must wear their egos for all the world to see.

Here in the middle of truck country (Iowa), I can safely say I can count all the Ridgelines I have seen in the last year on one hand. Tundras aren't that common either...and I have a 70 mile round trip commute every day between two urban areas with a lot of farmland in between.

These are the types of commercials Lincoln used to make in the 90s...glad to see them return. They're much more sophisticated than the old "dream" commercials, and actually make Lincoln look like a full-fledged luxury brand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwnp5DyTkPI

This is news? Toyota has been outselling Ford for a while now...nobody cares. Toyota makes bland and ugly looking cars that wallow over the road. They appeal to the masses and old people who don't enjoy driving cars, they just want A to B transportation. Never mind that the recent spate of recalls are making all kinds of people question if quality is truly number one at Toyota any longer. Let Toyota have it. You can be number one and still produce mediocre vehicles (see: old GM).

Oh boy, it has a midgate...you mean like GM came out with...5 years ago?? Nice rip-off of the Dodge crosshair grille...clearly Toyota is out of ideas. Somebody hit it with a-BAT before it spreads!

The problems inherent at JLR are far deeper than you like to admit. Despite some recent profits, they have been long-term money pits for Ford, and they are niche markets that Ford doesn't need to be spending tons of development dollars on. Volvo is a much more mainstream brand. Mercury does not take much money in development costs compared to Jag and Land Rover, which is why Ford hasn't axed it...plus it brings in conquest sales from Toyota, etc. Sales are up at Mercury as well. For all the money Ford has thrown at Jag / LR, they haven't received much of anything in return. I like both Jag and Land Rover, but they are purchased assets that eat up too much money which could otherwise go toward the core, mainstream brands (Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Volvo). Same thing with Aston Martin...great brand but not a good match with Ford.