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Detroit, 12:20 PM
Sun Nov 8
7 posts in the last 24 hours
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12/05/08
Uhh, that's gonna help fuel efficiency how?
I guess chauffeurs are paid to sit in a car burning fuel in order to run the heat/ac moving or not.
How long was that meeting?
Aren't there actual parking spots where they could have gone to a coffee shop or something?
Perhaps the execs thought all the extra "planning ahead" theatre meant they imagined a quick approval by congress and a short meeting from which they could make a quick escape to an airport not so close to DC that the media would notice.
12/05/08
Does it start the gas motor as soon as you hit the climate control? I think that may be the biggest hurdle for the electric car. No wonder GM had to add the engine back in. Guys in suits and expensive haircuts will not ride in a car without creature comforts.
My non-ac pontiac has vent windows - remember those?
They must cause all kinds of aero drag but the lack of weight makes up for it.
12/06/08
Electric compressors are possible, see. They make them, like, for buildings, and stuff.
12/05/08
"How does the Aspen Hybrid stack up against the Escape Hybrid? It gets worse gas mileage, it uses mediocre hybrid technology developed in conjunction with GM and is built into a car that's proven to be wildly unpopular."
This is an automotive blog, right? So you're aware that the Escape and the Aspen are vehicles in two completely different size classes? The Escape hybrid weighs about 3200 pounds vs. 6000 for the Aspen, yet delivers only about 10mpg better.
The Escape is a compact SUV. The Aspen is a mid-to-large sized SUV, with a third row, that can seat 7. Try cramming 7 of your buddies into the Escape and see how much fun that road trip that ends up being.
You also omitted the third company that was involved in developing the two-mode system, namely, BMW.
The two-mode system was designed specifically for larger vehicles, as opposed to most hybrid systems, which start with relatively small vehicles and add batteries that take up space. The two-mode system uses a combination of electric motors and fixed gears that automatically choose the optimum ratios for the driving situation, can run on pure electric for up to 40 miles, and can be bypassed for hauling or towing, and takes up roughly the same amount of space as the automatic transmission it replaces.
And yes, the Aspen has been killed off, but the two-mode system could easily find its way into other large Chrysler vehicles like the Dodge Ram or Durango. The fact that there weren't a lot of buyers that wanted a luxury SUV from Chrysler doesn't mean the two mode system is a stinker.
So whats with the hatin' on Chrysler?
12/05/08
And the latest iteration of the Durango is also wildly unpopular, or was. It was killed along with the Aspen.
The criticism of the two-mode system may have been uncalled for; it does its job well. Its only problem really is that it does exactly the same job as Toyota's (now also Ford's and Nissan's) hybrid system, except it's considerably more complex.
12/05/08
Then exactly who the hell is building all these small, fuel-efficient cars I see? And they're all moving down the road, so I know there's actual people driving them.
It seems to me that, even if the foreign builders do have a big advantage on the wages issue, they have the nasty added cost of shipping their wares from overseas (not always, some have domestic plants). They're eating our lunch, but only because we keep handing it to them.
I support the bailout because it's needed - at this moment, part of the crisis is not the automakers faults, what with the mortgage market meltdown. They're caught in the crossfire. But as to the rest of it, a serious change in internal philosophy is needed. No more whining that the other builders have an unfair advantage, they have subsidized contracts, yadda yadda yadda. Screw that.
We have smart people who can build great cars, economical cars, useful cars. Quit selling us distractions we don't need, power we can't use, silly toys that break. Quit letting the committees make the decisions and build the cars.
12/05/08
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12/05/08
I strongly disagree your highness. Nope, It's not mediocre dude. It's definitely one of the most innovative hybrid ideas in production right now.
The Problem: WRONG fucking vehicle! A dodge Aspen is the wrong car to plunk it into....
12/05/08
Semantics? Maybe.
12/05/08
Rebadged Volare, whoa-oh!
12/05/08
Also, what's the deal with the Volt and Aspen's inability to park correctly?
12/05/08
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12/05/08
Sort of shows which of the 3 has a handle on the market right now.
12/05/08
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12/05/08
Well, they don't have anything else, I suppose.
12/05/08
"It doesn't get good MPG...but watch this..."
Just then, he turns on the Star Spangled Banner, power brakes the car to 4000rpm, then AWD launches those SOB's like a roller coaster.
USA!
12/05/08
He should have showed up in a Viper and done the old Carroll Shelby trick - make 'em put a $100 bill on the dash, then tell them "if you can grab it when I mash the gas, you can keep it, but if not, its mine".
Then just do that 200,000 times and they'd have their money!
12/05/08