Cheers and Jeers for 2018

[bobo]

Cheers and Gears has a policy of no political talk on the boards, but it's impossible to do the traditional review of the year's significant events without mentioning some of the actions of the federal government that so permeate the news and our lives.  Those who get their delicate sensibilities easily offended are urged to skip this post and go elsewhere, such as link.  That said, here are some of the things that happened in our country:

The deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history occurred in Parkland, Florida in February.  Teenagers became vocal activists, in stark contrast to timid politicians, and reignited the gun control debate.

“America’s Dad” Bill Cosby was sentenced to 3 to 10 years for sexual assault in September.  That same month the confirmation hearings for Judge and beer-lover Brett Kavanaugh furthered the national discourse on sexual assault.

The mid-term elections in November resulted in 40 House seats turning from red to blue and ending one-party rule that had no checks and balances to the executive branch of government.  The occupant of the White House is incapable of speaking the truth but instead speaks what he wants to be the truth.  The actions of the self-proclaimed stable genius seem to be designed only to further his political base or to punish his perceived enemies.  Advice is not taken from experts in the field but instead by morning talk show hosts and radio personalities.  The lack of response to the October brutal killing of U.S. resident and Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi ordered by the Saudi crown prince known as MBS showed that moral authority has been abdicated and replaced by the bottom line and dictator envy.  Immigrant children of families fleeing hostile regimes were separated from their parents and placed in chain-link cages in detention centers.  The ongoing Robert Mueller investigation into Russia hung over the entire administration and netted more than 30 indictments or guilty pleas.  At the end of the year, one third of the federal government was shut down over funding the southern border wall.

The Camp Fire in California leveled the town of Paradise in November and killed more than 80 people.  It was the worst U.S. wildfire in the last 100 years.  California’s Governor Brown proclaimed that massive fires were the new abnormal as wildfires ravaged all parts of the state after years of drought.

Brick and mortar retail continued to take a beating.  Toys R Us, under the crushing debt of a leveraged buyout, shut down in June..  Sears declared bankruptcy in October and was on the verge of liquidation by year end.

Prominent passings included Arizona Senator John McCain, 41st President George H.W. and former First Lady Barbara Bush, actor Burt Reynolds, physicist Stephen Hawking, singer Aretha Franklin, actress and director Penny Marshall, Microsoft’s Paul Allen, evangelist Billy Graham, writer Tom Wolfe, and playwright Neil Simon. 

In the automotive world, Ford announced in April that it was killing off traditional cars other than the Mustang and a Focus Active model that was later canceled because of tariffs.

The range of electric vehicles continued to increase from having denser cells in batteries and more cost-effective battery production, but no breakthrough battery technology, such as solid-state batteries, has yet been introduced.  Jaguar introduced the relatively inefficient I-Pace, EV, and many more luxury EVs from the likes of Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz will be coming to market soon.

The Faraday Future EV, which was expected to cost close to $300,000 and be built at a former Pirelli tire factory in Central California, appeared to be dead after a major backer in China who had pledged $2 billion pulled back.  However, at the end of the year it was back alive after a settlement was made with that investor.

The march towards fully autonomous vehicles continues, with Tesla claiming that the technology is ready for Teslas less than two years old.  Waymo introduced driverless ride-hailing in Arizona with modified Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids.  In March Waymo had announced purchasing 20,000 Jaguar I-Paces by 2022 for driverless ride-hailing.

In November, the Chevy Volt was killed with the federal tax credit becoming halved with GM meeting the milestone of selling 200,000 EVs.  The Volt was a groundbreaking vehicle that did not meet sales projections, and the current generation was cramped and not what SUV-buying masses wanted.  Unfortunately the rumored crossover successor does not appear it will become a reality. The large Chevrolet Impala, Buick Lacrosse, and Cadillac XTS and CT6 were also killed.  The not quite a flagship CT6 was competent and attractive but never caught on with consumers.  The groundbreaking Super Cruise will live on in other vehicles though.  With these vehicles being canceled, GM is closing five factories in Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, and Canada.

In December, Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Renault and Nissan who saved Nissan, was jailed for financial misconduct on allegations that he was enriching himself through accounting fraud.  His family feels that there was scheme to remove Ghosn because of his desire to merge Renault and Nissan, a move that is unpopular with some in Japan.

On a personal note, I still have not been spending much time on the boards because life has kept me busy in other directions.  My personal transport mode of choice remains my human-powered road bike, and my household still has two fully electric vehicles, though one will soon be departing at end of lease.  That car will be sorely missed even though it is considered a compliance car to meet California’s EV mandate.  It was one of the best vehicles I have ever owned, and I plan to have a write-up here in a couple of months.

And finally, here are some of the automotive highs and lows of the past year in the 17th Annual Edition of Cheers and Jeers:

Cheers to Elon Musk, despite his erratic behavior, including smoking pot during a radio interview, insinuating that a rescuer of the flooded Thai caves was a child molester, and claiming that he had the means to take Tesla private, and thus raising the stock price but resulting in a $20 million fine, for Best Save by being able to deliver Tesla Model 3 vehicles as promised and keeping the company solvent.  What helped was putting together an assembly line in a tent in the parking lot.  Elon Musk also started building a network of tunnels in Los Angeles by his tunneling company known as The Boring Company as a way to avoid surface congestion.

Cheers to Ford for Best Revival by bringing back the Ranger after an absence of 8 years.  Full-size pickups have gotten too big and expensive, and mid-size trucks hit the sweet spot for many buyers.  The Ranger will come only with a turbo 4 when it goes on sale early in the year, which may limit its appeal.  It will soon be followed by a reborn Bronco.

Cheers to GMC for the Best Innovation, the MultiPro tailgate on the new Sierra.  The ingenious bed extender and built-in step is elegant in its operation.

Jeers to GM for Worst Eco Move by having worse fuel economy in several variations of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra despite a weight loss of up to 450 pounds in the brand new trucks.  Even the first 4-cylinder in a full-size pickup, quite the bold move, has lower MPG than its predecessor V-6..

Cheers to Lincoln for Best Resoluteness by remaining relevant building on the success of the Navigator with the new Aviator, rechristened Nautilus, and suicide-doored version of the slow-selling Continental.  Once thought to be relegated to second-tier luxury car status, there is no sign of slowing down.  With the Ford Division purging of almost all cars, it is unknown what will happen to the Lincoln MKZ and Continental sedans, but it would not be surprising to see them go.

Jeers to Worst Styling Sin for any vehicle with a so-called floating roof with a partially blackened rear pillar. Some of the worst offenders are the 2020 Kia Soul and the GMC Terrain, which has a tiny window between the C and D pillars to prioritize style over functional visibility.  Almost as bad are all the oversized front grilles filled with solid black plastic, which demonstrate a lack of styling imagination.  The most distinctive parts of vehicles are now often the lighting.

Cheers to Hyundai and Kia for making the Best Affordable EVs with more than 250 miles of range.  The Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro EV, and Kia Soul EV will sell for around $30,000 after the $7,500 federal tax credit.

Jeers to Nissan for the long-range Leaf E-Plus being a No Show at the Los Angeles Auto Show as had been planned.  It has been speculated that the vehicle was pulled because of the Carlos Ghosn situation, but Nissan is letting itself be overshadowed by other EVs, and the lack of liquid-cooling for the current Leaf remains a concern for the longevity of the batteries.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!
 

Edited January 2, 2019 by bobo

[Drew Dowdell]

Thank you @bobo. Happy New Year to you too!

[G. David Felt]

Awesome review @bobo

Thank you for such an outstanding review of the year and nailing it so well.

Happy New Year!

[ocnblu]

Well, someone's triggered.  Too bad.  LOL. I disagree with the statement that it was "impossible" NOT to break the longstanding politics rule.  But then, we're not in Kansas anymore.  Is this you on your bike? 

[G. David Felt]

4 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Well, someone's triggered.  Too bad.  LOL. I disagree with the statement that it was "impossible" NOT to break the longstanding politics rule.  But then, we're not in Kansas anymore.  Is this you on your bike? 

Why you making fun of your mom? ?‍♂️

[daves87rs]

It’s hard for anything not to be driven into politics anymore, sadly. IT has divided our membership over the years, ands separated us from our common love of cars. It is a battle that has had me retiring from some of my fave car sites over the last few years........who knows-maybe I am just living in the past.....

It has been quite the interesting news year for car related stuff though?

And of course, thank you again Bobo! 

And have a great year to all my friends and members here...

 

And for old time’s sake

+1 

 

 

 

 

 

[balthazar]

It’s hard for anything not to be driven into politics anymore, sadly. IT has divided our membership over the years, ands separated us from our common love of cars. It is a battle...

In my observations, a primary cog in that degeneration is the ever-increasing refusal of moderation of opinion. People no longer listen or consider other opinions; they run into the room already screaming, convinced the other is evil incarnate. A middle ground is a 1000 miles between 2 opposing opinions anymore. Can it ever get better? I don't expect it to.