Three-hundred dollars Canadian is not a lot of money for a car that functions. But it buys you—well, the Canadian government—a lot of greenwashing. OK, some. “Retire Your Ride” pays the three bills for any currently registered Canadian car produced before 1996, “the year the government introduced more stringent emissions standards.” Canadian Driver dutifully reports, “These pre-1996 models produce about 19 times more air pollutants than newer cars and trucks.” Wow! Nineteen times! The Clean Air Foundation is in charge of sending any one of five million-ish eligible cars to the crusher, in exchange for CA$300 or discounts on public transit passes, bicycles or memberships in car sharing companies. As my father said to me on many memorable (if imminently lamentable) occasions, “How much is this boondoggle going to cost me?” This one, me, nothing. Canadian taxpayers, CA$92m. Canadian Driver saves the withering analysis for the end of their article, but it’s worth the wait…

(Read More…)

As a man with his finger on the pulse of the autoblogosphere, I can report that there’s a groundswell of critical coverage of The Big 2.8’s credibility. TTAC is no longer a lone voice. Questions are being asked. Issues raised. One of the most critical: why can’t Chrysler, GM and Ford just ditch their unwanted brands? Answer: state-by-state dealer franchise laws that heavily favor the dealers– thanks to their political clout. The Big 2.8 can’t live with ’em, they can’t afford to live without ’em. The Colorado Statesman’s Jerry Kopel does some deep diving into this devilish dilemma and provides some important insights on this life-or-death, well, C11 anyway, issue.

Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston crashed her Jaguar back in the 00’s. Since then, Jennifer has kept the PC flame alive with her Toyota Prius. Courtney Cox crashed a white Bimmer in Hawaii, but she’s normally seen driving a Range Rover (even if she isn’t sure which one’s hers). Sarah Jessica Parker got to keep her clothes from Sex and the City; here’s hoping Ms. Cox added an Audi R8 to her Dirt contract. Lisa Kudrow snagged a car out of her deal with Lexus’ internet-only L Studio. Matt LeBlanc races for fun, and fessed-up about running a Porsche Turbo on Conan O’Brien. Well, not on him… Matthew Perry also crashed a BMW, but moved on to a Porsche Cabriolet. David Schwimmer’s first car was a 1976 Chevy Monte Carlo. Pause. He also dated Minnie Driver. Pause. And that’s enough for the guy who went from being a poster child for sarcasm to the whiniest man on planet Earth. Now, ALL of them can get do the right thing for American manufacturing (whatever that is) AND get a discount on a GM product simply by finding a “friend” who works for the company. For people who pay people to get rid of stalkers, how hard can that be? And you can get the same deal too! Not on stalkers but GM products! GM’s announcement to its employees after the jump.

(Read More…)