• Jalopnik
  • spy-photos
  • jalopnik-reviews
  • Profile logout login

#industry

Jalopnik

Share Cancel
   
Upload an image | Add an image URL
×

logging in
  • FAQ. Include # before tag:
  • #tips,
  • #spyphotos,
  • etc.

Detroit, 4:41 AM
Wed Nov 11
30 posts in the last 24 hours

Contact

Tip your editors:
tips@jalopnik.com

Editor-in-Chief:
Ray Wert | Email | AIM

Road Test Editor:
Wes Siler | Email

Weekend Editor:
Murilee Martin | Email

Associate Editor - Houston:
Matt Hardigree

Associate Editor - Detroit:
Ben Wojdyla

Editor-at-Large:
Mike Spinelli

Contributors:
Mark Arnold
John Krewson | Email
Andy Didorosi

Follow Jalopnik on:
Facebook
Twitter

SUBSCRIBE TO Jalopnik RSS

New: Breaking news and daily top stories via email
1753 Subscribers
Jalopnik
  • posts about #industry more →

    Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives

    V-Vehicle: New Auto Company Buys Louisiana GM Plant To Build Cars

    Audi Intelligent Emotion Design Project Looks To Future

    REPORT: Saab Exploring Independence From GM

    GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ

    Ford "Nanny Key" For Teen Drivers Limits Vehicle Speed, Radio Volume

    Ford Loses Less Money Than Otherwise Could Have!

    Bruce as Economic Motivator

    SVT to Pull Lazarus Manuever?

    Kiss and Say Sayonara: GM, Toyota Tech Alliance to End
  • Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.
    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Shawn Brennan Shawn Brennan
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    From the responces I have seen so far, not many of you know what your talking about. All joking aside, the MINI is a great car. It comes down to the car being too advanced for the "average" american. If the controls are not placed in the usual GM spot, then the average americans mind goes blank. Mind you, the warranty that is offered is best in class. Safety ratings are best in class. Sales are best in class. This is a unique car that draws a certain crowd. Why do you think other companies are re-thinking their ways to compete with MINI? This is a BMW product. The company is only growing. The overall performance is awesome too!
     Reply
    Shawn Brennan was starred Shawn Brennan was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    06/23/09

    @Shawn Brennan: Nice to meet you. I don't reckon you'll be around too long, so I'll just say buh-bye now to save time.
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of Mad_Science Mad_Science
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    Adorably imperfect is more palatable when you're not paying $27-35k for a car.
     Reply
    Mad_Science was starred Mad_Science was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    06/23/09

    @Mad_Science: Yeah, if you're paying 35k for a spouse, you should expect perfection.
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of smalleyxb122 smalleyxb122
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    You may not like the car, but once you've signed the paperwork, it'll cost you way more to get rid of it than to just deal with a few relatively minor problems. Sometimes "good enough" is just that.
     Reply
    smalleyxb122 was starred smalleyxb122 was unstarred
    Image of combat chuck combat chuck
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    It's been said before, and I'm gonna sound like a crotchety old man here, but CNBC has way too much stuff on the screen. It's like I'm watching the news on the floor of the NYSE. At one point during that interview, I had trouble finding Mini McHipster Glasses (or whatever his name is) because of all the line graphs popping up.

    /get off my lawn
     Reply
    combat chuck was starred combat chuck was unstarred
    Image of Boosted Lego Wagon Boosted Lego Wagon
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    Meanwhile, Mazda USA VP stated: "Our cars are playful, fun, and very easy to enjoy. Like your mom."
     Reply
    Boosted Lego Wagon was starred Boosted Lego Wagon was unstarred
    Image of Flagrant German Fanboy Flagrant German Fanboy
    06/23/09

    @boosted-lego-wagon -> now boosted to 350hp: GM also replied in kind, with "... Yeah! Ours are like your Creepy Uncle! Ugly on the outside, even worse on the inside, tries to hard to attract a youthful audience, and surviving on paychecks from the government!"
     Reply
    Flagrant German Fanboy was starred Flagrant German Fanboy was unstarred
    Image of combat chuck combat chuck
    06/23/09

    @Flagrant German Fanboy: Nicely done.
     Reply
    combat chuck was starred combat chuck was unstarred
    Image of Flathead Smith Flathead Smith
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    Ever heard that song by Tammy Wynette called D-I-V-O-R-C-E?
     Reply
    Flathead Smith was starred Flathead Smith was unstarred
    Image of Alfisted Alfisted
    06/23/09

    @Flathead Smith: Stand by your mini?
     Reply
    Alfisted was starred Alfisted was unstarred
    Image of Flathead Smith Flathead Smith
    06/23/09

    @Alfisted:I guess D-I-V-O-R-C-E and Stand by Your Man were at different ends of the marriage scale, but according to the Mini VP many folks are indeed singing, Stand by Your Mini.
     Reply
    Flathead Smith was starred Flathead Smith was unstarred
    Image of John Krewson John Krewson
    06/23/09

    @Flathead Smith: No, they weren't really at different ends of the scale. At the end of D-I-V-O- etc. they decide to stay together because of the kids, which as everyone knows is just about as brilliant as standing by your man when he's a prickasaurus.
     Reply
    John Krewson was starred John Krewson was unstarred
    Image of theeastbaykid theeastbaykid
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    Adorably unreliable is so 1960s, and so Fiat 850. This is the 21st century for goodness sake.
     Reply
    theeastbaykid was starred theeastbaykid was unstarred
    Image of Boosted Lego Wagon Boosted Lego Wagon
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    Overly Perky Salesrep: "Hi There! Welcome to MINI! How are you?!"


    BLW: "Uh.. Hi. Yeah, this MINI you sold me: There's some problems."


    OPS: "Oh? What seems to be the problem?"


    BLW: "Well, it erm... I can't open the hood anymore."


    OPS: "What do you mean."


    BLW: "It's...the hood is always locked. Plus it won't let me go over 55mph anymore."


    OPS: "Well, that's..."


    BLW: "And another thing, why does the Navi only go to the mall?"


    OPS: "Uh sir, there's no need to shout."


    BLW: "And what's with this bill for 'caliper pedicure' and 'grille Botox'?? Seriously!"


    OPS: "S-s-s-stop-sh-sh-sh-shaking me!!"


    BLW: "Listen bub, take the damn keys back! I'm heading down the road to Subaru for a car that still gets dirty."

     Reply
    Boosted Lego Wagon was starred Boosted Lego Wagon was unstarred
    Image of Leeeeena the Jalopchick Leeeeena the Jalopchick
    06/23/09

    @boosted-lego-wagon -> now boosted to 350hp: That was one of the clearest mental movies I've had in a while, and perfect for the situation. Thanks!
     Reply
    Leeeeena the Jalopchick was starred Leeeeena the Jalopchick was unstarred
    Image of pj134 pj134
    06/23/09

    @boosted-lego-wagon -> now boosted to 350hp: Damnit, that's the COTD.


    I'll never get one :/

     Reply
    pj134 was starred pj134 was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    06/23/09

    @boosted-lego-wagon -> now boosted to 350hp: Awesome.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    06/23/09

    @ambidextrous pj134: I hope I get the soundtrack.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of Flathead Smith Flathead Smith
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    What is he talking about? I have a hard time believing people take a car back to the dealer because they don't know how to use the "controls". Do the "controls" break off in your hand when you use them, what is wrong with the "controls"?
     Reply
    Flathead Smith was starred Flathead Smith was unstarred
    Image of Maymar Maymar
    06/23/09

    @Flathead Smith: You'd be surprised how few people are aware of the acronym RTFM.


    Seriously, it goes as far as a Ontario Toyota Dealers commerical talking about some lady bringing her Sienna in because the power doors weren't working, and the advisor pressed some button to activate them. I also remember someone bringing their Aveo into the dealer where I worked because they were having trouble starting it. It turns out, they were giving it a little gas as if it were carbuated, and were flooding the engine.

     Reply
    Maymar was starred Maymar was unstarred
    Image of dmdukejr dmdukejr
    06/23/09

    @My A Arm: How, exactly, do you flood a fuel injected engine?
     Reply
    dmdukejr was starred dmdukejr was unstarred
    Image of Maymar Maymar
    06/23/09

    @dmdukejr: I don't know, this is what the service advisor told me.


    @tekamul: There's that too, I'm just pointing out just how ignorant people can be with their cars.

     Reply
    Maymar was starred Maymar was unstarred
    Image of GreenN_Gold GreenN_Gold
    06/23/09

    @My A Arm: You would be shocked how many passengers in my car can't figure out how to roll down the windows. You see, they're not power, they're manual. And then when I point out the neat little dealie-bob that rolls down the window, they usually still look confused for a moment. I've even had a passenger change their mind, and decide not to open the window, after realizing they weren't power operated.
     Reply
    GreenN_Gold was starred GreenN_Gold was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    06/23/09

    @GreenN_Gold: You got to be kidding me.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of clinto clinto
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    1. I really want a Cooper S.

    2. Please cross post this on Jezebel.


    Carry on.

     Reply
    clinto was starred clinto was unstarred
    Image of Jo Schmo Jo Schmo
    06/23/09

    @clinto: Seconded. Thank you
     Reply
    Jo Schmo was starred Jo Schmo was unstarred
    Image of .357 .357
    06/23/09

    @Jo $chmo: I'm banned there... And in 9 US States!
     Reply
    .357 was starred .357 was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    06/23/09

    @clinto: Definitely cross-post this.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of pj134 pj134
    06/23/09

    @clinto: Jezebel huh? Isn't that the website that teaches nice young ladies how to be complete and utter bitches?
     Reply
    pj134 was starred pj134 was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    06/23/09

    @ambidextrous pj134: Yup, apparently its reputation precedes it.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of Maymar Maymar
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    So, wait, a MINI's a blast on the test-drive, but that stops after you buy it? It gains 200lbs? An Austin Maxi shows up in your garage and starts berating you? If you sell it, it takes half your stuff?
     Reply
    Maymar was starred Maymar was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    06/23/09

    @My A Arm: Well said.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    I don't know about adorably imperfect. People can only take so much.


    That's not the point though. The Mini owners might be able to put up with it, but it is the snickering behind their backs that will eventually wear them down. For example, if everybody was constantly bad-mouthing your wife- you would get upset. It would come down to either having a discussion with your wife to ascertain the truth or leaving her.

     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of TimTim TimTim
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    Seriously? That's why I love cars, if there's something that isn't quite right with one I can ditch it for hotter, better performing, model. Besides, this analogy doesn't really speak to the Mini target demographic... or hasn't anyone told them that they're the new bitch basket?
     Reply
    TimTim was starred TimTim was unstarred
    Image of Leeeeena the Jalopchick Leeeeena the Jalopchick
    06/23/09

    @TimTim: Heart-click for making me spew pico de gallo all over my computer with a euphemism.


    For you grammar Nazis out there, I know euphemisms are generally a more appealing or politically correct term for something rather unpleasant. I think TimTim's use still fits those terms.

     Reply
    Leeeeena the Jalopchick was starred Leeeeena the Jalopchick was unstarred
    Image of .357 .357
    06/23/09

    In reply to Mini USA VP: Our Cars Are Like Adorably Imperfect Wives
    Buying a MINI=Marrying a German/British midget.
     Reply
    .357 was starred .357 was unstarred
    Image of PowerTryp, Starless wonder. PowerTryp, Starless wonder.
    06/23/09

    @Ambiguously Unfunny Serial Killer: Which just like a Cooper S could be something suprisingly fun (if you're into that kind of thing).
     Reply
    PowerTryp, Starless wonder. was starred PowerTryp, Starless wonder. was unstarred
    Image of .357 .357
    06/23/09

    @PowerTryp: I'm not judging you, man.
     Reply
    .357 was starred .357 was unstarred
    Image of Alfisted Alfisted
    06/23/09

    @PowerTryp: Denny Crane!
     Reply
    Alfisted was starred Alfisted was unstarred
    Image of Leeeeena the Jalopchick Leeeeena the Jalopchick
    06/23/09

    @Ambiguously Unfunny Serial Killer: You're not? Fine, I'll do it.


    @PowerTryp: Kidding, man! I knew there was a very good reason I heart-clicked you right when you first showed up.

     Reply
    Leeeeena the Jalopchick was starred Leeeeena the Jalopchick was unstarred
    Image of .357 .357
    06/23/09

    @Leeeeena, a Jalopchick: You're mean....
     Reply
    .357 was starred .357 was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    06/23/09

    @Alfisted: I'm Denny Crane!


    What's wrong with a sleepover?

     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of Paul Y. don't drive too fast. Paul Y. don't drive too fast.
    06/23/09

    @Ambiguously Unfunny Serial Killer: So, tiny, drunk, and smells like organ meats?
     Reply
    Paul Y. don't drive too fast. was starred Paul Y. don't drive too fast. was unstarred
    Image of GasGuzzler GasGuzzler
    06/17/09

    In reply to V-Vehicle: New Auto Company Buys Louisiana GM Plant To Build Cars
    T. Boone is really starting to piss me off with all his environmentalist garbage.


    Why can't he just stick to oil as his names suggests?

     Reply
    GasGuzzler was starred GasGuzzler was unstarred
    Image of something_unique_and_descriptive something_unique_and_descriptive
    06/17/09

    @GasGuzzler: Oh, he is. $20 says the environmentally friendly cars are going to run on natural gas, natural gas one of his companies is a major supplier of.
     Reply
    something_unique_and_descriptive was starred something_unique_and_descriptive was unstarred
    Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

Login

Enter your username and password.

Please enter a username.
Please enter your password.
logging in
Login via Facebook | Sign Up | Forgot Password?

Reset Password

Please enter your email address to have your password reset.

Please enter your email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
requesting password reset

Register

Registering will give you a user profile and the ability to add other users as friends. To become a commenter, however, you need to audition.

Want to know more? Consult the Comment FAQ and legal terms.

Please enter a username.
Please enter a password.
Please confirm your password.
Passwords are not identical.
Please enter a valid email address.
registration sent, waiting for reply

Submit Your Comment

You don't need to login to comment. Just enter your email address below.

See how your address will be displayed in the Comment FAQ.

Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
logging in

Login with your Facebook or Jalopnik account.

Sign up here.



  • Archives
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Legal
  • Help
  • Report a Bug
  • FAQ
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.