Variance

Well! I shall say good day to you, sir!

You know there's a problem when Mercedes calls something unreliable.

-Variance August 3, 2007 Due to there being nothing new to write about, this month there won't be a Registry Rundown. This tends to happen as we gathered from the last edition. Hopefully, there will be something for the September edition. Thanks for understanding.

Ninety-Eight, sorry to hear about your horrible experience and thanks for your concern/warning. Don't worry though, I'm not considering this just to get a casual piece of ass. I want something much more meaningful than that. I wish I was one of those guys that can be just out an about and all of a sudden meet their dream girl sitting at a coffee shop or something.

Short of it: Bored, pining for significant other, little luck finding someone myself, thinking of trying online personal sites. Any experience?

-Variance July 5, 2007 Welcome to C&G’s Registry Rundown, a monthly (at least it’s supposed to be...) Feature Article rife with information and speculation. Here, yours truly will be reporting on the goings on within the records of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, bringing you the newest trademark applications made by auto manufacturers. Newly filed applications, ones published for opposition, finalized/fully registered and killed trademarks will all be covered. Here’s a quick explanation of each level of trademark registry, from the least to most likely to be seen used on a production product or concept car: Dead: This is the official USPTO term for a trademark that will not go through (or any further through) the registration process. Trademarks can die because an automaker gives up and/or just decides not to use it or because the trademark is opposed by another party. It is unlikely these will see use on any final product. Filed: These are applications that have just been filed with the USPTO and have otherwise not been published for opposition (the next step in the registry process). Most filed trademarks stay at this level and are sometimes made just so other companies cannot use them. What this means is just because an automaker has filed a trademark does not mean they will necessarily use it. Published for Opposition: This is the next step in the registry process in which the applicant makes the trademark available for other companies to object to or, oppose. There is a published of opposition date given (the date I’ll be providing). If no one opposes within 30 days or opposition of the trademark fails, the application goes to the final stage of the registration process. Publishing an application for opposition speaks well to an applicant’s intent of using the name or symbol. Registered: Applications/names here have been finalized and approved for a manufacturer to do with as they will. These are the trademarks you will most likely see publicly used. This month I’ll be doing a spring rewind for the things I missed in previous months along with the new entries for the current month. April: There’s only one filing for what would’ve been part of the RR for April and that’s the Ford E-100 (3/22). Maybe changing the name of the European Ford Transit being bought stateside? May: Nothing. June: DaimlerChrysler (back when it still was DaimlerChrysler) filed Eco-Start (5/11) with the PTO. Must be something to make starting the engine of their coming hybrid cars sound more “green”. Ford seems to have a whole bunch of “Grabber” (5/8) stuff in the works since they filed that name for a numerous amount of vehicle accessories. Honda seems interested in bringing one of their overseas offerings to America: the HR-V (5/1). The HR-V is the name of a now discontinued mini-SUV sold in Japan. It has now been replaced by the Crossroad which you may recall as being the Autoblog mystery vehicle spotted in America some months back. July: Toyota, continuing their tradition of using European-style names as possible future vehicle names has filed Vaquero (6/25) which is Spanish for ‘Cowboy”. All I have to say is if Toyota ever comes out with a truck with a name that means “cowboy” attached to it, they will officially be trying way too hard. Lincoln, Lincoln, I’ve been thinking: what the hell have you been drinking? What the f*** guys, MKTouring (6/21)? Out your ears are your brains pouring? Korean automaker Hyundai is apparently going to take some versatile steps with its Entourage minivan with the seating nomenclature “Flexclass” (6/19) in the files. Three guesses who is considering naming one of their future vehicles “Liberator” (6/28). Oh, Chrysler...you and your lust for testosterone-filled, macho-sounding, hyper-patriotic names. The whole of spring was a complete dud for this section. BMW had the only two publishings for opposition for the past four months. The first was F3 (6/19). The “F” prefix denotes BMW’s upcoming series of luxury people-carriers (think Mercedes R-Class). The second PO is “Reperfection”, which if I had to guess, is a tagline for CPO BMWs. Totally lacking obnoxiousness, isn’t it? As it turns out, the automakers didn’t become any less lazy than they were four months ago when it comes to this section. Nothing new to report. Looking back, it doesn’t seem like we missed much, Nevertheless, I’ll do my damnedest to make time to bring you the next installment of the Registry Rundown in a timely manner. Thanks for reading.

I'm sorry, what?

Official Pics: VW Tiguan After teasing a few weeks ago with photos of the new Tiguan undergoing final testing in Africa, sans badges, Volkswagen has now given us official photos of the production model. The world at large will get to see the new crossover in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but in the meantime you can enjoy a high-res gallery right here. Autoblog

If you seriously think calling someone any of those is as bad as referring to anyone using an ethnic/racial slur, you have serious problems. And that's all I'm going to say about this because subjects like this always piss me off. Just a suggestion: To keep threads from degenerating like this use the "report" button or PM a mod to let them handle it. [End of tangent.]

The iPhone is ridiculously overpriced, IMO.

Motor Trend: Infiniti G37 vs. BMW 335i The king is dead. NICO Forums

Toyota slows delevopment process to preserve reputation Worried about slipping quality, Toyota is slowing down its product development. Toyota Motor Corp. will build more prototype vehicles, hire more engineers and spend more money in an effort to ensure that quality doesn't slip. The company also will take more time between project approval and production of the first salable vehicle. For several years, Toyota has taken pride in reducing vehicle development time and adopting time-saving innovations such as virtual prototypes. But those measures have lowered the quality of Toyota vehicles, engineers and executives acknowledge. "We were missing our internal targets," said Bob Carter, Toyota Division general manager. "We need to push that quality envelope." Autoweek

Spied: 2009 Honda Ridgeline Honda's Ridgeline pickup truck is due for an update, and spy photos prove that an overhaul is on the way. A new front-end design consists of a new grille and a revised front bumper, which looks similar to an early prototype of the next-generation Honda Pilot. Edmunds

Spied: 2008 Porsche Boxster MCE More images of the 2008 Porsche Boxster have turned up, this time with the car undergoing performance testing at Germany’s Nurburgring track. Like the facelifted 911, which is due to hit the market by the end of the year, Porsche’s new Boxster is only expected to get a few minor changes to its exterior. New additions to the ’08 model include a revised front bumper with LED daytime running lights and more circular air intakes. The headlights too, which feature some camouflaging tape, are also likely to come in for a change, as will the rear bumper. The final change is the new taillights, which also gets the LED treatment. Click ahead to see more images of the new Boxster from our friends at AutoGespot. No word on any power upgrades for the new model, but expect a minor jump in power and possibly some revisions to the transmission lineup. Next in line for an update is the hard-top Cayman, which will most likely receive the same styling enhancements as the new Boxster. Motor Authority

Reviews: 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe Combining speed, handling prowess and a well-appointed luxury interior, the 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe is likely to win even more fans than it already has. Edmunds --- In the end, the G37 is still a fun-to-drive coupe with some attitude: it’s just that what’s there has been toned down quite a bit from the last model. While that’s bad for us hard-core enthusiasts, the extra refinement is a big improvement for those who have to live with the car everyday, whether sitting in traffic or cruising on the freeway. It’s not the quirky, jittery, manic machine the G35 was, but the Force is definitely with the G37. Car and Driver