Last Sunday as part of the opening festivities for the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Toyota unveiled their new FT-EV concept car, scheduled for release in 2012.

I like the idea behind it (“green and lean”) but couldn’t Toyota come up with a design that doesn’t look like something out of “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”? I keep expecting a Oompa Loompa to pop out from under the hood of this thing. If Scooby Doo and Shaggy lost their van, they would probably drive something like this, if the Great Dane could fit in it. No gear head worth his weight in engine grease would be seen dead driving this thing. It looks like grandma’s golf cart and even she might find it a little too cutesy.

continue reading "Toyota Unveils New FT-EV at Detroit Auto Show"

It seems that the hopes of GM, via Pontiac, to resurrect and modernize the El Camino aren’t going to happen any time soon. Pontiac PR man Jim Hopson confirms that the planned for 2010 Pontiac G8 ST, as the new “El Camino” was to be called, has been killed. The company delivered the news to dealers last week.

GM put the decision squarely at the feet of the recent economic and auto sales downturn in general, along with GM’s less than stellar financial shape, specifically. At the same time, rumors were swirling that any and all programs slated to be released after the middle of 2009 are “under review”. Sure, that seems like a natural outgrowth of the times, but it still has to give gearheads pause.

continue reading "Pontiac G8 ST Killed"