Back in the late 90’s, the VW Bug was the queen of cute and the dominant purveyor of ‘retro’ car design.

You couldn’t get away from the painfully hip commercials. The fake yellow flower with the vase. The adorable exterior that seemed to attract women better than a Prada purse giveway.

Then something happened. The designers and engineers of ‘Das Bug’ met a penny pinching force of nature called José Ignacio (“Inaki”) López de Arriortúa. A former head of purchasing for GM. Inaki decided to drive down costs at VW using the same strategies (and sources) he used at GM.

13 years and $1915 later… I get to invest in what can only be called a ‘VW money pit’.

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Although it might not be evident from my review of the T5, I really, really want to like the Volvo S60. Why? Because unlike the Audi and BMW with which it’s intended to compete, it’s not the obvious choice. We cognoscenti live to unearth hidden gems, great cars of which the general public is unaware. […]

You didn’t start seeing Subarus in large numbers in North America until the third-gen Leone showed up. Even so, most of these quarter-century-old veterans are gone now, even in regions they once dominated (e.g. New England, Colorado). I found this more-80s-than-Wang Chung example in a Denver self-service yard a few weeks back, and I had no choice but to document this soon-to-be-rare piece of Subaru history. (Read More…)

The Scion (nee Toyota) IQ may be a very small car, but we’ve treated it like big news here. Alex Dykes took an an early look a few months ago. Michael Karesh turned his lens on the IQ in a Take Two. So far, we’ve been cautiously optimistic. Why review it again? Simple. The IQ […]

Continuing our whirlwind trip around the globe, we have last stopped in Sweden, Canada, Romania and South Africa. This week I’ve decided I would be creative and take you to the last country on the alphabetical list: Zimbabwe!

If like last week in South Africa, lions, rhinos and zebras are still not your thing, well you’ve got an issue on your hands because there are still a lot of these in Zimbabwe… But hey, that’s ok, because I have prepared 159 additional countries for you to visit in my blog, so don’t be shy and click away!

Now Zimbabwe is in a very particular situation as far as its new car market is concerned… (Read More…)

GM stopped production of the Cruze today at its Lordstown, Ohio, factory at around 1 p.m. EST, Reuters reports. Production is stopped due to an unspecified “supplier issue.” Says Reuters:

“GM spokesman Chris Lee declined to describe the nature of the supplier issue, saying only that the No. 1 U.S. automaker was looking to restart production as swiftly as possible.”

The Freep did read in the Youngstown Vindicator that the problem relates to “material provided by a supplier … that could impact customer satisfaction with our products.”

Yesterday was a very tumultuous day in a tumultuous year at Saab. As it has become customary, the hectic became strongest when money was due. On Monday, payroll and social security taxes had to be paid in Sweden, and the government wants to see cash, not idle promises. That’s what created rumors of bankruptcy. It also caused Martin Larsson to step down from the board, in an apparent attempt to avoid liability.

Later in the day, the red knight from China rode to the rescue:  The mysterious €3.3 million are now allegedly on their way from China, honestly now. Sweden’s Dagens Industri heard “from an industry source” that  the money is now coming, to be used to pay the taxes. According to DI, “The money from Youngman had already been paid on Friday, but was stuck in the Chinese banking system and was therefore delayed.”

We had told you that you better have all your paperwork ready to expedite a bank wire from China. (Read More…)

Mackenzie writes:

Hello, my name is Mackenzie. I am a 16 year old girl looking to buy her first car. I am looking at Jeep Cherokees (NOT Grand Cherokees). I am trying to find a decent manual transmission one, but I can’t seem to locate any within a reasonable distance from me (Eastern Virginia). My dad says I should look for a 1999-2001 Cherokee, but the few that I have found that are stick shift usually have pretty high mileage or are out of my budget. As car experts, would you guys recommend an older (94-98ish) Cherokee or a newer one with higher mileage? I keep hearing that American-made cars are not as hardy as foreign-made cars, and that over 180,000 miles for a Cherokee is a no-go. My parents have agreed to pay half of the car, but with what I am finding, it’s still going to be a lot of money to pay. At first I was looking at $3500 tops, but I’m thinking I will have to raise that. Any help or advice yall have on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

 

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The Volt’s battery woes are having an effect on its European sibling. Automotive News [sub] reports that Opel/Vauxhall will delay delivery of the Volt’s sister-model Ampera, while investigations by U.S. authorities into battery fires following government crash tests of the Volt continue. An Opel spokesman told AN: (Read More…)

Eric writes:

I have a 2000 Maxima with about 155k on the clock.  I purchased this car in Los Angeles and since 2005, it’s lived in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  The main issue is that I can tell the transmission is starting to get a bit soft on the 1-2 upshift, specifically once it starts getting cold out.  I presume the primary reason for this is the abuse it’s suffered at my hands.  As it was a California car, it has no traction control and though I love it nine months of the year, it is utterly helpless in the snow—snow tires didn’t seem to help tremendously.  I’ve had to rock myself out a number of times and I presume the trans has gotten overheated at least once.  I’ve been good about changing the fluid (drain and fill 3x, filter too) about once a year but I think I’m near the end on this trans.

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Some cars that show up in junkyards were moving under their own power just days before their final tow-truck ride… and others spent decades in a field somewhere, waiting for the price of scrap steel to make hauling-away worthwhile. This Colt, which I found close to the ’83 Cordia in a California self-serve yard, is the latter type. (Read More…)

Swedens’ Dagens Industri has it from “several independent sources” that Victor Muller is ready to throw in the towel, and that Saab-owner Swedish Automobile NV will declare bankruptcy this afternoon at the court in Vänersborg. Dagens Industri has not reached Muller. (Read More…)

Fuelled by Nissan’s decision to move the HQ of it’s Infiniti brand to Hong Kong, rumors of an impending  Chinese production of the upscale marque would not end. In November, while not denying the story out of hand, spokespeople in Yokohama indicated that announcements of Chinese production of Nissan’s luxury brand were premature. Today, China Daily has an interesting twist on the story:  A trucks-for-luxury cars swap. (Read More…)

China has big plans for the electrification of its cars. After spending a whole day at Beijing’s airport a week ago, waiting for the smog (not the “fog” as it was officially called) to clear, all I can say: “Get on with it.” (Unless the electrification results in more smoke-belching coal-fired powerplants.)  Better Place, the company that wants to swap the battery in your EV in the same time it would take to pour gas in your car, always wanted to have a piece of the Chinese action. Now, at least there is a first step into China.  Today, China’s Southern Power Grid (CSG) and Better Place opened their “Switchable Electric Car Experience Center” in China’s southern city of Guangzhou.

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Now we know why the Chinese government discouraged Tenzhong from buying Hummer: Waste of money. Chinese can build Hummers themselves. For $650. The man in the picture is living proof. (Read More…)