Random Thoughts Thread

[trinacriabob]

Very sad and weird that William Hurt died in the last few days.  He was only 71.  I have not seen too many of his movies, but he was perfectly cast as Ned Racine, the small coastal town Florida lawyer, in "Body Heat."  What a movie.  Highly recommended.

 

[Robert Hall]

26 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Very sad and weird that William Hurt died in the last few days.  He was only 71.  I have not seen too many of his movies, but he was perfectly cast as Ned Racine, the small coastal town Florida lawyer, in "Body Heat."  What a movie.  Highly recommended.

Yeah, great role...I liked him in 'Accidental Tourist' and 'Broadcast News' also.  A recent small part in the show 'Goliath' was very good also.   Another good small role in a movie was in 'A History of Violence'.  

[trinacriabob]

Happi Pi Day, folks.

I guess we have this (3.14) because we can't have E-Day (2.78).

But my main question here is whether any restaurant chains* are giving out any free pie today?

*Village Inn locations typically have Free Pie Wednesday year round and, in Florida, one might just happen onto key lime pie as a choice!

[G. David Felt]

Pi day came and went and no Pi in my household. Bummer.

On other news, seems we get to see all the details and pricing for the new Escalade V. I am thinking easy start at $125,000 and up to $150,000 at least if not more.

 

[balthazar]

On 3/12/2022 at 7:17 PM, riviera74 said:

100% EV car sales in eight years?  Unless ICE autos are traded in for EVs en masse, I doubt they will come close to reaching their goals. 

They won't; it's Big Gov't. ?

Of course, the suggested future "bans" are sales of brand new vehicles - IC vehicles on the used market are unaffected. And there's 275 million of those.  Because IF (hypothetically) ALL IC vehicles were to be 'banned' - their value would plummet to zero overnight... and probably 99% of consumers use their existing vehicle as a trade / private sale toward its replacement.

Obviously, that scenario is totally unworkable.  You cannot take the 2nd largest financial investment in most households and render it valueless.

[G. David Felt]

On 3/12/2022 at 4:17 PM, riviera74 said:

100% EV car sales in eight years?  Unless ICE autos are traded in for EVs en masse, I doubt they will come close to reaching their goals.  I could see Washington state require state government agencies go full EV, but the private sector will not move as fast.  EVs are (for the most part) still expensive, especially compared to buying a decent used car with relatively low miles.

Yea, clearly you missed the part that is about 100% new auto sales. ICE will still be around in mass, but new auto sales will be EV only starting in 2030 here in Washington State.

[balthazar]

Maybe... 

[G. David Felt]

Interesting, seems more states that rely on power from dams on the Colorado river might have brown outs this summer due to the drop in water levels.

Lake Powell hits historic low, raising hydropower concerns (msn.com)

[Robert Hall]

34 minutes ago, David said:

Interesting, seems more states that rely on power from dams on the Colorado river might have brown outs this summer due to the drop in water levels.

Lake Powell hits historic low, raising hydropower concerns (msn.com)

The future doesn't look good for the desert void...hotter and dryer, less water available...4.5 million people in the middle of the Sonoran Desert isn't sustainable...  glad I'm gone from that hellhole...

[surreal1272]

44 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

The future doesn't look good for the desert void...hotter and dryer, less water available...4.5 million people in the middle of the Sonoran Desert isn't sustainable...  glad I'm gone from that hellhole...

Same.

[G. David Felt]

@Robert Hall @surreal1272 The amazing part is that like the Southeast, the Southwest is growing as boomers and near retirement people move there for the warmer weather.

I happily let those folks move there and I stay here. Love my rain and Mountain Snow!

[surreal1272]

21 minutes ago, David said:

@Robert Hall @surreal1272 The amazing part is that like the Southeast, the Southwest is growing as boomers and near retirement people move there for the warmer weather.

I happily let those folks move there and I stay here. Love my rain and Mountain Snow!

And here's what those numbers don't take into account regarding area like Phoenix metro. Six months out of the year, there are an additional 500K to 1 million "snowbirds" from all over staying in that area, creating even more strain on depleted water resources. It is baffling the level of growth mismanagement that has been allowed to happen there. Glad to be done with it.

[G. David Felt]

Saw this today in the Safeway parking lot as they show the cost of an equal amount of electricity to a gallon of gas.

[regfootball]

This looks like my TourX on steroids

I wish they made a new version of my buick built on the CT6 chassis (larger than the Regal) and with the styling pumped up and aggressive like this Audi  looks sweet

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39450788/audi-a6-avant-etron-concept-revealed/?utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=socialflowFBCD&utm_source=facebook&src=socialflowFBCAD&fbclid=IwAR2Myv7dnQpSr_GvTVJg-pFKrEom9yM91ttNK3loaZbVKdFXSbFNCnrLh5k

Edited March 16, 2022 by regfootball

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, regfootball said:

This looks like my TourX on steroids

I wish they made a new version of my buick built on the CT6 chassis (larger than the Regal) and with the styling pumped up and aggressive like this Audi  looks sweet

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39450788/audi-a6-avant-etron-concept-revealed/?utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=socialflowFBCD&utm_source=facebook&src=socialflowFBCAD&fbclid=IwAR2Myv7dnQpSr_GvTVJg-pFKrEom9yM91ttNK3loaZbVKdFXSbFNCnrLh5k

WOW, they were on top of this EV Concept as it was just released on the Audi Global Press Release site, even has a 3/17/2022 release date since it is still the 16th here.

The storage champ - Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept | Audi MediaCenter (audi-mediacenter.com)

This has the same standard 800V Charging system that GM is using on the Hummer, Porsche is using on their EVs as you get up to 300 km (186) miles of charge in 10 minutes.

Official Press Release PDF file. MI_Audi_A6_Avant_e-tron_concept_EN.pdf

This is where I do not get Mercedes, the EQS is supposed to be their top of the line and yet it only has a 150 kW charging system, so slow boat to recharge land. I understand VW using less expensive charging controller and gear so you have the lower charge rate, but when you pay the money MB charges for the EQS, they have set it up to fail from the style to the lack of leading edge tech.

Agree with you @regfootball This is a WINNER in my book.

Range up to 435 miles, 6.9 seconds to 62 mph, 469 hp, 590 lb-ft of torque, wow, aerodynamics of only .22, class leading minimal air drag.

This has style in a way that Mercedes has FAILED as well as BMW to deliver on.

Album of Images

Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept | Audi MediaCenter (audi-mediacenter.com)

 

[trinacriabob]

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day, which is hours away.  I don't have a drop of Irish blood, but I like my ethnic festivals.  Wear something green.  Eat well from among their traditional offerings.  Maybe it'll be your lucky day, be it sudden wealth, better health, or, yes, even getting lucky, if that is what you are fancying at this juncture.  Haha.

I will be heading to a lunch buffet that will feature some traditional Irish dishes in the line up.  And I'm good with that.  Cheers to all.

[G. David Felt]

As I had posted in the past about Ford moving to a Build to order process in China and that I could see it doing it globally. It seems that reduced options and yes more build to order is the future.

Ford F-Series May Drop Cab Configurations Under New Plan (fordauthority.com)

Seems Dealer inventory is continuing to drop as Ford had only 40-day inventory on dealer lots at the end of 2021 compared to the industry average of 35 days. While they had more than many rivals, it has stayed at that pace.

Ford New Vehicle Inventory Expanded In December, Beating Most Rivals (fordauthority.com)

Average transaction prices continue to go up, Ford hit a new record with $48K.

Ford Average Transaction Prices Now Up To Record $48K Per Vehicle (fordauthority.com)

Interesting read on how Ford is telling the Dealers they will have to specialize and choose what they want.

Ford Dealers Will Be Asked To Specialize As Part Of Reorganization (fordauthority.com)

Seems Fixed pricing based on the changes with the reorganization could be the standard in the future as Ford looks to beat Tesla.

[trinacriabob]

There is an article that includes Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, the current governor of N.Y., on my homepage.  And today is Saint Patrick's Day.

I thought I'd share.  This woman is like a poster child for the classic, almost stereotypical Irish countenance.  You can almost visualize her speaking to you in a brogue.

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

There is an article that includes Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, the current governor of N.Y., on my homepage.  And today is Saint Patrick's Day.

I thought I'd share.  This woman is like a poster child for the classic, almost stereotypical Irish countenance.  You can almost visualize her speaking to you in a brogue.

Being NY, I can see her having a Bronx accent rather than an Irish one. Course that Head of Hair is a tall tell sign of her heritage.

[riviera74]

10 hours ago, David said:

As I had posted in the past about Ford moving to a Build to order process in China and that I could see it doing it globally. It seems that reduced options and yes more build to order is the future.

Ford F-Series May Drop Cab Configurations Under New Plan (fordauthority.com)

Seems Dealer inventory is continuing to drop as Ford had only 40-day inventory on dealer lots at the end of 2021 compared to the industry average of 35 days. While they had more than many rivals, it has stayed at that pace.

Ford New Vehicle Inventory Expanded In December, Beating Most Rivals (fordauthority.com)

Average transaction prices continue to go up, Ford hit a new record with $48K.

Ford Average Transaction Prices Now Up To Record $48K Per Vehicle (fordauthority.com)

Interesting read on how Ford is telling the Dealers they will have to specialize and choose what they want.

Ford Dealers Will Be Asked To Specialize As Part Of Reorganization (fordauthority.com)

Seems Fixed pricing based on the changes with the reorganization could be the standard in the future as Ford looks to beat Tesla.

FIAT Chrysler products are still sitting on the lot these days.  I wonder how Stellantis will solve this problem.

[G. David Felt]

53 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

FIAT Chrysler products are still sitting on the lot these days.  I wonder how Stellantis will solve this problem.

Fiat in particular was a mistake to bring back to the US, a very niche product that I do not see ever really taking off here even with the big surge in gas prices.

Alfa was a personal live in the past project of the late CEO and the brand should have been left dead as it robbed billions from the US brands just to resurrect that POS of a product line. Those billions should have gone into the US brands from which they were generated, and they would be better today.

Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler and Ram due to part shortages, I think this will slowly work itself out unless what is sitting there is just not desirable by the buyers and then they need to throw cash on the hood to get them moved. 

I think Stellantis will have a bigger issue with the Fiat/Alfa mess as the few niche buyers they had I feel are people that wish they lived in Europe or living in their past travels to Europe. Again, the quality and size of those auto's does not fit here in America.

My take on it.

[G. David Felt]

Seems Volvo is tying up with Starbucks to have Volvo branded DC fast chargers installed at Starbuck locations on specific routes across the U.S.

First is the road from Denver, Colorado to Seattle Washington. Chargers will be installed every 100 miles to ensure that all EVs can get a charge anywhere.

Volvo Cars explores electric vehicle charging network at U.S. Starbucks stores - Volvo Car USA Newsroom

[riviera74]

8 hours ago, David said:

Fiat in particular was a mistake to bring back to the US, a very niche product that I do not see ever really taking off here even with the big surge in gas prices.

Alfa was a personal live in the past project of the late CEO and the brand should have been left dead as it robbed billions from the US brands just to resurrect that POS of a product line. Those billions should have gone into the US brands from which they were generated, and they would be better today.

Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler and Ram due to part shortages, I think this will slowly work itself out unless what is sitting there is just not desirable by the buyers and then they need to throw cash on the hood to get them moved. 

I think Stellantis will have a bigger issue with the Fiat/Alfa mess as the few niche buyers they had I feel are people that wish they lived in Europe or living in their past travels to Europe. Again, the quality and size of those auto's does not fit here in America.

My take on it.

I agree with you on FIAT and Alfa Romeo.  Neither of them should have been brought to the USA in the first place, but Sergio answers to Italians on the boot, not shareholders.  Stellantis should ditch FIAT and Alfa Romeo as soon as possible.  Why?  Simple: Stellantis is NOT VW, nor should they aspire to be VW.  Don't believe me?  Ask Ford and their plans to become another GM in the 1950s with the Continental and especially the Edsel.

[G. David Felt]

14 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

I agree with you on FIAT and Alfa Romeo.  Neither of them should have been brought to the USA in the first place, but Sergio answers to Italians on the boot, not shareholders.  Stellantis should ditch FIAT and Alfa Romeo as soon as possible.  Why?  Simple: Stellantis is NOT VW, nor should they aspire to be VW.  Don't believe me?  Ask Ford and their plans to become another GM in the 1950s with the Continental and especially the Edsel.

Agree, Stellantis needs to ditch some of the dead weight models that clearly will never be profitable Global Models.

[balthazar]

Amazing highway MPG out of GM's 3.0L TD : 

[G. David Felt]

3 hours ago, balthazar said:

Amazing highway MPG out of GM's 3.0L TD : 

Great that it has such good gas mileage, but one still has to wonder about the offset due to the particulate matter and Nitrogen Oxide emission that is produced by diesel at the tailpipe that has been contributed to lung issues. ?

[balthazar]

Chevy LCF (Low Cab Forward) - a medium-duty semi-cab over that some folk re-work into a pickup. Lil pug doggie ~ 

[G. David Felt]

3 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Chevy LCF (Low Cab Forward) - a medium-duty semi-cab over that some folk re-work into a pickup. Lil pug doggie ~ 

Yes a little pug doggie that needs some refresh work. Yes I know you like this rusted look, but I would love to have it like new in a repaint.

[balthazar]

I like both looks.

Sometimes, it just makes more fiscal sense to get the mechanicals correct and leave the rest as is. 

[trinacriabob]

On 3/17/2022 at 1:19 PM, David said:

 

This can only be Palm Springs.  Look at the backdrop.  I'm not surprised Starbucks is on this ... partnering to recharge EVs for customers who are patronizing their coffeehouses.  The word "partner" and "partnering" are very New Millennium, though I doubt the EV charging station's graphics will greet you with something along the lines of, "Howdy, partner."

10 hours ago, balthazar said:

Amazing highway MPG out of GM's 3.0L TD : 

"Bako to Bend" ... that could be a novel.  I really like this gauge grouping found on current GM vehicles that are wide enough to accommodate it in their dashboards.  But, yes, this level of MPG is good.

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

caption says that its a new ambulance for 1961 and mayor Jean Drapeau was present to accept delivery. 

Edited March 20, 2022 by oldshurst442

[trinacriabob]

On 3/19/2022 at 8:28 AM, balthazar said:

Is this a real T-Bird model, a kit, or something else?  Weird, but very cool.

Here's something truly random.  I'm reading up on Valencia, Spain and its tourist attractions.  Here is a photo from a day trip to some canyon nearby that has hot springs ... and maybe hydroelectric power.  One tourist decided to have fun with this.

It's definitely safer than lighting a fart.

[balthazar]

38 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Is this a real T-Bird model, a kit, or something else?  Weird, but very cool.

‘63 Chrysler Turbine, 55 built, 10 still exist.

[trinacriabob]

I almost forgot.  Today is Nowruz ... the Persian celebration of new year.  Happy Nowruz.

I'm all over this (food)!

[balthazar]

'55 Pontiac Safari ~ 

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[G. David Felt]

Ford is filling in executive positions for Ford Blue.

Kiersten Robinson Selected for Ford Blue Operating Position; Jennifer Waldo, Christopher Smith Join as New Ford Leaders | Ford Media Center

• Robinson, Ford’s top HR executive, tapped for key global role leading Ford Blue’s Family Vehicles division, as well as the company’s businesses in Mexico and Canada
• Waldo joining from Apple as chief people and employee experiences officer to foster high-performance culture, scale talent and organizational capability in technology, innovation
• Smith to lead Government Affairs team, drawing on vast public-, private-sector expertise in energy policy to help Ford’s transition to electric vehicles and net-zero carbon footprint

Seems Ford is setting themselves up for some major long-term growth. Very excited for them. They have a respectable CEO finally that knows how to build teams and empower the employees to go the distance. Good time to invest and watch Ford IMHO.

[G. David Felt]

Good Read, very interesting and worth it IMHO.

Opinion: The 2022 GMC Hummer EV does not tread lightly, but it's an agent of change (greencarreports.com)

[balthazar]

When cars did the work trucks do now : 

[G. David Felt]

 

[balthazar]

[G. David Felt]

13 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Cool to see how far we have come in technology and build process.

[balthazar]

Same basic concept : steel structural perimeter frame underneath.
Lightning is totally the same approach, HummerEV is more of a 'unibody' but still encompasses a structural perimeter base. 

[G. David Felt]

9 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Same basic concept : steel structural perimeter frame underneath.
Lightning is totally the same approach, HummerEV is more of a 'unibody' but still encompasses a structural perimeter base. 

Yes if you want to stay that basic and not acknowledge how we have gone from a u channel frame to box frame as a start, then the changes in suspension, connections, drive by wire over physical cables, etc. 

Better material, better manufacturing process, better welding process, assembly process, etc.

Just a very obvious notice is the rivets used on that old frame assembly compared to what they do today. Big Changes as Engineering has gotten better.

[balthazar]

Photoshop ~

Edited March 24, 2022 by balthazar

[G. David Felt]

Seems RAM is getting a baby brother finally again.

OFFICIAL: Ram 1500 Getting A Baby Brother | CarBuzz

Seems Honda is ahead of schedule as they showed off their final Civic ICE model for Europe and announced 3 new EVs that will be available for sale in Europe starting 2023.

HONDA MEETS ‘ELECTRIC VISION’ 2022 TARGET AND ANNOUNCES THREE ALL-NEW ELECTRIFIED MODELS (hondanews.eu)