Flint On Automakers

[ANTAUS]

LINK-TCc

[RichardJensen]

Flint justifying Flint is more like it.

 

And I'm sorry, but there is NO EXCUSE for the inattention to the craft of writing that pervades many automotive writers and business reporters covering the industry. (cough: David Kiley cough)

[2b2]

"Flint... Must Be Reading BON"

 

 

my reaction before reading his "column"

What? Did he kill himself?

 

after reading it

Nope. Just still brain-dead.

[one2gamble]

including Lexus and Scion)

 

 

and why dont I think the Ford numbers include anything but Ford branded cars and at most Ford Linc Merc.

[grbeck]

Mr. Flint may be old, he may miss the mark sometimes, but he hit the nail on the head with these two paragraphs:

 

Why have they done so well here? I believe it is that the managements of the foreign companies generally are led by people who know something about cars. Often they are engineers. But whatever they studied in school, they understand the products and the business. Even more important, they seem to have a single goal: To build the best cars.

 

That hasn't been true at General Motors or Ford. At GM it's hard to find an engineer or car expert near the top, at least until Robert Lutz was hired as vice chairman. The leaders seem to be financial men who believe that costs are the number-one priority, not building the best vehicles. Certainly costs are important but the result has left GM years late, years late, in new engine and transmission developments, with the company still putting four-speed automatics in luxury cars (like the Cadillac DTS) when the competition is putting seven- and eight-speed transmissions in its luxury cars.

 

Bingo!

[mustang84isu]

Pretty hilarious how he used the WRONG stats while throwing GM at the bottom of the chart.

 

Jerry, just retire already!

Edited August 14, 2006 by mustang84isu

[RichardJensen]

Pretty hilarious how he used the WRONG stats while throwing GM at the bottom of the chart.

 

Jerry, just retire already!

He was talking cars, not cars & trucks, I think.

[mkoesel]

Doesn't this quote:

 

"Frankly, like the ordinary American, the car writers probably give the foreign vehicles the benefit of a doubt because they've had such good records. Thus Toyota has had some recalls lately, but they get a pass because they've been so good in the past."

 

Essentially capture the opposing argument? I mean, he basically acknowledges here that there is a bias. So I have to wonder why he bothered with the rest of the article. As far as I can tell, no one is saying that the press is completely at fault. Yet his diatribe seems to be in direct response to such a hypothetical person.

[RichardJensen]

In this post-Woodward and Bernstein era, is ANYONE supposed to get the benefit of a doubt?

[grbeck]

While Mr. Flint's article touches on all forms of media coverage, looking at road tests of vehicles in the monthly car magazines, I'd say that, if anything, they tend to soft-pedal criticism of cars, particularly American ones, unless they are really awful (Car & Driver letting the Saturn Ion have it, for example).

 

If you doubt that, read the articles in the British enthusiast magazines. The reviewers are often quite brutal in their assessment of vehicles.

Edited August 14, 2006 by grbeck

[retro-man]

The last issue of Motor Trend was fairly gushing over the Fusion and Mustang - and on the high end, the rags have always been pretty good about pointing out that the Corvette kicks Teutonic butt.

 

The fact is that most of Detroit's "bread and butter" products: Impala, latter day Tauruses (Tauri?), almost anything from Pontiac or Buick.... are the mechanical equivalent of a good String Bean casserole. Everybody's dumpy old Aunt makes one. Sure, there's some nutrition along with the fat, and it doesn't taste all that bad. Pretty good, actually. But no matter how many crunchy onion rings you sprinkle on top, it will never, ever be exciting. Strip mall Teriyaki or Supermarket Sushi aren't exactly haute cuisine either, but at least I'm not bored shitless with them yet. (Sorry for the rambling food analogy.) If telling that story like it is makes the press biased, then I guess I'm biased too.

[Michael Reynolds]

Doesn't this quote:

 

"Frankly, like the ordinary American, the car writers probably give the foreign vehicles the benefit of a doubt because they've had such good records. Thus Toyota has had some recalls lately, but they get a pass because they've been so good in the past."

 

Essentially capture the opposing argument? I mean, he basically acknowledges here that there is a bias. So I have to wonder why he bothered with the rest of the article. As far as I can tell, no one is saying that the press is completely at fault. Yet his diatribe seems to be in direct response to such a hypothetical person.

 

My sentiments exactly. One of the primary reasons why I refuse to acknowledge anything he comments on.

[Mark B. Morrow]

Does anyone actually have an eight speed in a car in Cadillac's class?

[ANTAUS]

I believe the only 8 speed is in the new Lexus LS460 that will debut in a few months, so he's jumping the gun a bit. Under that, you have 7 speeds at MBenz.

 

And again, Cadillac doesn't have a flagship that can be taken seriously. SO I see his point...but thats still being worked on.

[Edstock]

7, 8 speeds — the point of diminishing returns, given the additional complexity, especially when the torque-curves of the engines that drive them are considered, when compared to a 6-speed.