Jalopnik 
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Detroit, 12:43 PM
Sat Nov 7
15 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/06/09
We're so very sorry. We had no idea that letting him win that publicity 'race' could lead to this.
Your embarrassed American Jalopnik cousins #boblutz
11/06/09
[www.vw.co.za] #vwgolf
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
Small, light, roomy as hell, and ultra simple. The diesel version, while painfully slow and loud, came with its own built-in smokescreen capability and got like 50 MPG. Plus, it needed no anti-theft system. Who'd bother...and you'd be able to catch 'em on foot.
Nowadays, 2,000 lbs. is just the add-on crap in a small car.
"But where are my 43 air bags and my dual 9" DVD monitors?"
Sigh. #vwgolf
11/06/09
11/06/09
I hope the last ones are all GTi-s #vwgolf
11/06/09
11/06/09
I wonder what the differences are between these and the ones that rolled out of the factory in PA back in the day. (aside from the whole steering wheel thing) #vwgolf
11/06/09
@Tiberiuswise: Notice how the grille is slightly leaned back from vertical on the pictured car, like on the Mark II Golf. All original Mk. I Golfs/Rabbits had strictly vertical grilles. The US-made version got rectangular headlights, wraparound front signal lights, wide taillights, and an interior that was color-coordinated to hell and back. #vwgolf
11/06/09
11/06/09
Also, the wheels look pushed out a little on the black one in the post. I'm tempted to think some suspension and other engineering refinements were made. #vwgolf
11/06/09
@Tiberiuswise: I'm sure that there were some minor engineering changes for US production. Also, the wraparound turn signals and wide taillights were only on the 1981 and later cars. The '79-'80 Rabbits had more Euro-like front end and rear lights, though still with rectangular headlights. #vwgolf
11/05/09
The fact is avg MPG went up 9.2 mpg per transaction.
8200 F-150 "swaps" vs 700,000+ transactions.
100,000 more cars bought than trucks (which included light CUVs like Escape).
The AP should print a retraction and apologize for sensationalizing something that was mentioned from the earliest reporting of the program. #cashforclunkers
11/05/09
And people's fake concern about the pollution from all that manufacturing is unwarranted. 11 tons CO2 to manufacture a car vs. avoiding 19 lbs CO2 for every gallon not burned saves tons of CO2 overall. To increase the fuel economy of the US fleet you have to swap old cars for new, unless you're proposing engine swaps, EV conversions, and adding lightness. #cashforclunkers
11/06/09
Just because the average fuel economy went up doesn't mean that it's all good. I'm not just talking about saving the penguins and tree hugging. I'm talking about my money that went to other people and I got zero benefit because I own a car that wasn't "clunkery" enough.
We have no idea how these cars will be used. Daily drivers, secondary cars, bought it just to have? People could drag whatever they wanted in irregardless of whether they drove it. They could be driving a 30+MPG appliance (Corolla) daily, but traded in an old Cadillic Fleetwood that used to be their grandpa's for another 30+MPG appliance. The government just threw our money out the window.
In my father-in-law's case there is a net loss in CO2 emissions. He traded in a full size pickup that hadn't run in 2 years and was barely worth scrap metal cost. Now that he has a new shiny pickup, he drives it constantly and stopped driving his car, which gets 50% better MPG.
11/06/09
11/05/09
Largesse! Praise be to the Emperor for our slightly more fuel efficient vehicles! #cashforclunkers
11/05/09
So that, and an unnatural blip in car sales, is what your $3 billion bought you. #cashforclunkers
11/05/09
11/05/09
The Elantra is perfect for NYC. Don't care about the car, don't care about the dings. Still don't want. #cashforclunkers
11/05/09
So a working truck was traded for a better mileage working truck, what's the big deal? I mean you can be opposed to the program for all sorts of reasons, this one doesn't seem like the most important one.
#industrynews
11/05/09
The article says that 1.87 million tons of CO2 will be saved yearly (sounds more impressive than it is). Could someone find out approximately how much CO2 is released by building the 677,081 new vehicles involved? Then we'll find out if any possible reduction was worth $3 billion, or if they could have been better spent elsewhere. #cashforclunkers
11/05/09
11/03/09