G. David Felt

Wife bought the hair cutting kit from Costco 20 years ago as she hated the local barbers and hair saloon on how they would cut my hair after I told them what I want. She has done this now since then and a few kits we have gone through from Costco for cutting hair. I now have a couple of water jugs filled with quarters as every time, once every 5 to 6 weeks, I then put a roll of quarters in the jug for the haircut. Our Bali travel fund once we get through this Pandemic. Was supposed to be last December for our 30th wedding anniversary, but Covid stopped that, so we will go once we are comfortable with travel. I love my close commute for haircuts, work and having lunch with the wife. A nice walk from the office to the kitchen or garage depending on what is going on.

Hello Biff, when did you ever ask for a direct comparison of Apple to Apple. You stated: Then you went into models, the statement is clear, no off road SUVs. WRONG AGAIN BIFF! Plus where is Mercedes Best or Nothing Truck, off-road Truck??????? RIGHT............................... NOTHING!

GM makes the Tahoe and Suburban Z71. That is a pretty strong off road SUV! You can also get the off-road High-Country package on the Traverse in AWD. The Blazer comes with 5 different drive modes, get AWD and you get additional includes Off-road, sand, snow, mud. These are the same by the equal GMC labels also. So how do you say they have zero off road SUV?

I agree with you that it is not weird and quirky, but as @surreal1272 stated boring or for me TOTALLY FORGETABLE! Mercedes seems to be building true appliance autos that one will forget as they do not stand out and that could be the biggest failure of Mercedes BEV strategy. While not a fan of the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid, you do not forget them, and they are easily identifiable. Mercedes has moved into the generic realm so bad that they are totally forgettable as most people will not be able to define them from one another. IMHO

Excellent video on the EVs coming in 2022 and I have to say Mercedes FAILS with the UGLY EQB that has no style and fails, so much better is the BMW even with the ugly kidney grill. Others look way better than the germans too.

Interesting comparison of the New Silverado EV to the past Avalanche.

Some of the first posts of the truck by other media outlets. After looking at this with a close up of the dash, this is the BEST Looking Silverado in a long time to me IMHO. The Dash I am loving. Edmonds did a decent comparison of the Silverado EV to F-150 Lighting.

@Drew Dowdell Congratulations, seems the first edition first year of production sold out in 12 minutes. New GM Electric Silverado Sells Out in 12 Minutes - Bloomberg Interview of Mary Barra with Bloomberg where she states this. Silverado EV (chevrolet.com) More images, videos and details on this site now.

I get that an 8ft bed is needed in some areas of commercial, but I honestly question the need for 8ft beds by all commercial customers. As one that lives close to our massive lite rail construction and seeing 100's of the white Skanska construction Chevrolet trucks and yes, they all have 8ft beds and yet the MAJORITY of them rarely have anything in them. Welcome to Skanska | www.skanska.com In fact the bulk of them have a 2ft by bed width tool box and usually some diesel fuel tank in the back leaving only about 4ft of space and still nothing really in them as they drive around the massive construction site along I5 here. They are also all crewcab trucks that are usually more filled with people than hauling stuff, as such, I am willing to bet GM did their research in talking to the commercial sector in this decision to only have a 5 1/2 foot bed. Ford also does not have an 8ft bed and yet the first 1 1/2 years of commercial production are sold out and they increased production for 2022 from the original 75,000 units to 150,000 units so I do not see an 8ft bed option not there at the start as a block to selling the trucks to the commercial sector. I bet by 2025 as a 2026 model year, we will see bed options show up. Already Rivian has test mules of their truck with an 8ft bed.

Yes, for those states where you have idiots in office that have resisted change, this will hurt more than help the poor to low income. In places where states have embraced the change to no tail pipe emissions, charging on the street is plentiful. Per this web site (Seattle, Washington EV Charging Stations Info | ChargeHub), Seattle has 724 public charging stations and requires all condo and apartment buildings to have charging spots that allow the owners to charge and then move their auto to their assigned parking place. If it is a historical apartment place, the city has made sure there are public charging spots close by allowing the apartment occupants to charge before moving their auto to another parking place. Yet let's be honest, many who choose to live in congested downtown cities do not have auto's as they use the local public transit or other services.

Electric charging is 6 cents per kW of power versus Diesel at $3.87 per gallon. Knowing that @balthazar I think said he was getting about 24 miles per gallon, diesel cost for 300 miles would be $48.375 per fill up. Battery charges up from zero to full in F-150 Lighting pickup 125 kW battery pack standard or extended 170 kW battery pack: 125 kW = $7.50 170 kW = $10.20 Either way, I come out way ahead on fueling cost on an Electric truck over Diesel and I can do it from home starting out every day with a full battery pack, no need to run to the gas station.

WRONG WRONG WRONG, Just look at the FACTS! Tesla is #1 Globally for EV sales, FORD is #2 North America for EV sales and I expect that to change as Ford starts selling the Mach-e, Transit-e and F-150 Lighting globally by the end of 2022. Yet here are the facts per the monitoring web site: EV-Volumes - The Electric Vehicle World Sales Database QUOTE: Tesla leads global EV sales with 386 000 units (all BEV) delivered during H1, followed by the Volkswagen Group with 332 000 units, thereof 172 700 BEVs and 159 400 PHEVs. GM comes in 3rd with 227 000 units (221k were BEV), including over 180k of Mini-EVs from their SGMW joint venture in China. NO WHERE is Mercedes-Benz mentioned, they are not even a blimp on the statistics which speaks VOLUMES about their BEV strategy. If you look at just Europe, Mercedes has FAILED as #1 is Tesla, #2 is BMW and #3 is Renault. Seems your love of a singular German Company is they are failing to show up to compete. The Global Electric Vehicle Market In 2022 – Virta This pretty much shows where Mercedes is leading and that is in PHEV, not BEV. They only lead GM due to their PHEV sales. GLOBAL EV SALES DATA | WORLD EV SALES HISTORY | WattEV2Buy Everywhere I look, Mercedes is nowhere near the top in leading the auto industry. global EV sales Archives | CleanTechnica

I get the point and yes right now ICE will still be around in vast numbers, but as we near 2030 to 2035 which most OEM auto companies have given as a changeover target to BEV only products, I think this will happen and most people will embrace it. ICE used will still be around and I suspect the CPO market will get hot for those that resist change.

Mary Posted a Bullet point list of her KeyNote address on LinkedIn. (9) A Bold and Purposeful Showing at CES | LinkedIn

FORD Motor Company was hitting on all cylinders and battery packs as they ended 2021 on a high note. Best-Selling Automaker in Q4 2021 #2 in electric vehicle sales for 2021 F-Series Best-Selling Truck for 45th year in a Row and Best-Selling Vehicle for 40th year straight SUVs grew market share from 7.3% in 2020 to 12.3% in 2021 BEV sales grew 121.1% for total sales and 137.8% in retail sales for 2021 over 2020. Due to becoming #2 in BEV sales, FORD has again RAMPED UP production and will now product 150,000 F150 Lightning pickups in 2021 and over 200,000 for 2023 with expected global production of 600,000 by 2024 annually. Full manufacturing images of the production line of the F150 Lighting can be viewed here: Full Speed Ahead: Ford Planning to Nearly Double All-Electric F-150 Lightning Production to 150,000 Units Annually; First Wave of Reservation Holders Invited to Order Ford released today two new videos of the F150 Lighting and the pre-production assembly line. 2022-Ford-F-150-Lightning-B-Roll.mp4 Ford-Rouge-Electric-Vehicle-Center-Broll.mp4 Ford Best-Selling Automaker in Q4; Becomes No. 2 for Electric Vehicle Sales for 2021; F-Series Best-Selling Truck for 45th Year In Row and Best-Selling Vehicle for 40th straight year; SUV Share Expands | Ford Media Center Full Speed Ahead: Ford Planning to Nearly Double All-Electric F-150 Lightning Production to 150,000 Units Annually; First Wave of Reservation Holders Invited to Order | Ford Media Center December 2021 Press Release (ford.com) View full article

ONY has introduced the world to their vision of battery electric vehicles and with it a new division being the "Sony Mobility Inc." which will explore the entry into the EV market. The VISION_S 01 a 4-door sedan and the VISION_S 02 SUV with up to 7 passenger seating has been designed to accommodate a variety of lifestyles in a society that values an increasing diversified way of life. These AWD BEVs look to expand on the quality of lifestyle that humans live. Sony Mobility Inc. will use the best of AI and robotics technologies to deliver a harmonious evolution of mobility that allows humans and robots to achieve the safest and most enjoyable life filled with emotion and contribution to society according to the Sony Press release. These new BEVs start off with Safety as the key to mobility. Sony aims to provide greater safety and comfort to all through a series of sensor and communication technologies that will deliver a world's best Level 2+ advanced driver assistance systems on public roads. This package of sensors gives a 360-degree real time support system by recognizing and analyzing the surrounding environment using CMOS image sensors and LiDAR sensors for a three-dimensional space assessment for the driver. Safety is joined by a 5G communication system that allows the auto to be connected to the cloud allowing a superior driver experience with a complete customizable setup for each driver as the ultimate adaptability. Families will love the Entertainment aspect as the VISION_S BEVs will have in-vehicle entertainment, gamming capabilities that can connect to your PlayStation at home or streaming play via the cloud. This comes with a 360 Reality Audio immersive sound system One can expand their interest by checking out the VISION_S web site here: Sony Group Portal - VISION-S The VISION_S sedan and SUV have been tested on Japan and Germany Roads for Level 2+ autonomous driving as well as compatibility with charging and durability of the auto in a wide range of extreme weather from heat to cold, dry to wet conditions. The auto's will come initially in 4 colors, Placid White, Blaze Red, Tidal Silver and Core Black. For those that wonder if SONY is serious about entering the BEV business, they have mules already testing in Frankfurt to ensure their vehicles can hang with the best. Specifications for the VISION_S 02 SUV are as follows: Length 192.7in Height 65.0in Width 76.0in Wheelbase 119.3in Ground Clearance 6.2 inch Tire size 255 / 50R20 [Front] 275 / 45R20 [Rear] Passengers 4 / 7 Weight 5,467lbs Power 200kW x 2 [ Front / Rear ] Vmax More than 112mph Axle system Double wishbone front & rear suspension Air spring system Drive All-Wheel Drive You can view more images, videos and details on the SUV here: Sony Group Portal - VISION-S | VEHICLE The VISION_S 01 Sedan has the following Specifications: Length 192.7in Height 57.1in Width 74.8in Wheelbase 119.3in Ground Clearance 4.7in - 5.3in Tire size 245 / 40R21 [Front] 275 / 35R21 [Rear] Passengers 4 Weight 5,180lbs Power 200kW x 2 [Front / Rear] Acceleration 4.8s 0-62mph Vmax 149mph Axle system Double wishbone front & rear suspension Air spring system Drive All-Wheel Drive The platform is a SONY designed skateboard EV platform that allows far superior interior room thanks to the design that includes an ultra thin battery pack. This platform is designed from concept to support sedans, SUVs and MPVs using a top-class automobile safety design that uses active and passive safety features as well as the Software designed E/E Architecture 5G network connectivity system. More details for the nerds out there can be read here: Sony Group Portal - VISION-S | PLATFORM Sony Group Portal - VISION-S Sony Group Portal - VISION-S Exhibiting at CES 2022, Entering a New Phase View full article

Seems some battery companies are focused on offering a superior battery pack for Tesla owners and as such, the following company Our Next Energy (ONE) company has a battery pack that gives the Tesla S a 752 mile range.

Yes agree, this is a great start for a solid entry level EV. I posted about it here:

GM CEO and Keynote presenter Mary Barra outlined the wave of change that is coming as society moves towards mass adoption of electric vehicles and how GM has transitioned from a basic automaker to a platform innovator, providing key Electric technology across a wide platform of uses more than just automobiles. Per GMs global chief marketing officer, Deborah Wahl, and I quote: “Technology driven by purpose will change the world,” “GM is redefining how people and goods are moved. Our commitment to a vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion has positioned us to lead. As we implement our growth strategy, we have an opportunity and, frankly, an obligation to create a better future for generations to come. That’s the Ultium Effect.” One can check out GMs Exhibit Zero here: Countdown Until GM Exhibit Zero: A Virtual Experience Marry discussed how the "Ultium Effect" has allowed GM to take from idea to production in what has been considered some of the fastest changes in the auto industry. This Ultium Effect underpins the GMC Hummer EV Truck and Brightdrop EV600 both in delivery to customers now as production ramps up. This Ultium platform will also underpin the soon to be released Cadillac LYRIQ, Chevrolet Silverado and Equinox EVs. Mary also shared the Conceptual Future of Cadillac that covers from the Innerspace, a two-passenger autonomous auto, to their Social Space a take on autonomous luxury van and the Personal Space, a single passenger hover craft that gets you above the ground congestion. Full inside and outside images can be viewed here for all of the Cadillac Concept Portfolio: Cadillac Pressroom - United States - Photos Cadillac-Introduces-InnerSpace-Autonomous-Concept.mp4 Yet while the Keynote touched on many things from SuperCruise to GMs global plans for auto's around the world was a focus on Chevrolet BEV portfolio for everyone. By 2025 the estimate is to have the following: Silverado EV Equinox EV Blazer EV These are in addition to the Bolt EV and EUV The Silverado EV is a reimagined full-size pickup developed on the Ultium Platform in a First edition launch version RST featuring the following: 400-mile range battery pack 350kW fast charging standard 664 hp / 780 lb-ft of torque for the RST model with a 0 to 60 of 4.5 seconds 10,000 pounds maximum trailering, 1,300 lbs of payload with Tow/Haul mode with integrated trailering brake control and hitch guidance 10.2 kW of offboard power Four-wheel steering Fixed glass roof Multi-Flex Midgate Load floor of up to 10ft 10 inches when combined using the Multi-Flex Midgate 17-inch Diagonal LCD freeform infotainment screen Over air updates and latest software features as they are released from GM Trailering capable SuperCruise Independent front and rear suspension with automatic adaptive air suspension allowing the vehicle to be raised or lowered up to 2 inches. One of the cool parts that many Cheverolet customers loved about the legacy Avalanche truck is the return of a mid-gate that has been updated to match the needs of the 21st century. This along with a more enhanced flexible rear seat. Chevrolet is focusing on building best in class interior into their BEVs. Over all this is a truck designed from the ground up to lead the BEV revolution. More images can be viewed at the following media web site: Chevrolet Pressroom - United States - Images One of the most wondered thoughts was how Chevrolet would respond to the huge FRUNK that Ford introduced with their F150 Lighting and to that GMs answer is as follows: While no sizing has been released yet, the press release did say this about the frunk: The eTrunk – a lockable, weatherproof compartment in the front of the vehicle – provides enough space to fit a large hard side suitcase and a multitude of accessory options for both fleet and retail customers to load gear based on the unique needs of the customer. Silverado-EV-BROLL.mp4 Pricing is another area that many have wondered about and while the First Edition RST Silverado EV truck will debut loaded at an MSRP of $105,000, Chevrolet will offer a complete portfolio of trucks with the Base WT or Work Truck starting at $39,900 + DFC or destination Freight Charge of $1,695. Customers will then find a complete portfolio of Trail Boss, Z71, LT, LTE and more with starting price points of $50,000, $60,000, $70,000, $80,000 and $90,000 allowing customers to choose the truck to meet their capability and pricing needs. Videos released while animations show the planned options for the WT truck. SilveradoEV-WT-Exterior-24.mp4 Full images and additional options for the WT truck can be viewed here: Chevrolet Pressroom - United States - Images Many here on Cheers and Gears has stated that these high-priced trucks ignore the folks that cannot afford high 5 to 6 figure autos and GM answer is the Equinox EV. Arriving Fall 2023 with a starting MSRP of $30,000, the Equinox will be available from the start in both a fleet and retail version that include the LT and RS trims based on the Ultium Platform providing an affordable EV option to the global customer. More details will come out closer to launch. GM at CES 2022: Experience The Ultium Effect Cadillac Introduces InnerSpace Autonomous Concept at CES 2022 The Pickup Reimagined: Introducing the 2024 All-Electric Chevrolet Silverado Chevrolet Previews Equinox EV View full article

Hell Boy

That is the problem, they have them in ads in the papers and on the web at times, when you arrive to look at the auto, they show you one with an AMV sticker on it. Yes, you have pointed out all types of various ways to wiggle out of honoring their advertisement, but that is the problem of connecting what they put on TV, Newspapers and web to what you experience on the dealer lot. I am not going to spend time cutting and pasting what I have seen, but this AMV sticker is a grey area that dealerships are abusing. At this point then Dealership Franchises do not need to exist based on your statement as the dealer should be able to buy autos from any OEM auto company and price it how they see fit. If they are a licensed franchise that is selling only what Ford or GM, etc. states they are selling at that price, they should then be honoring the MSRP and selling it that way. This grey area is what has caused hatred by so many out there and will be the death eventually of the dealerships as we move forward in the 21st century IMHO.

First off, plenty of Dealers use the OEM to advertise the cars showing MSRP. Upon visiting said dealerships, you see the AMV stickers which push it above the advertised MSRP. That to me is a bait and switch. Who Cares if the OEM has a $20K markup! They advertise the auto at a MSRP price and that is what people think of paying when they buy. The OEMs are not advertising their cost on said auto, but an MSRP, so whatever profit they mark their products up to sell is their choice, this being no different than what you charge a customer for a project they are having you bid on as they want a final price, not a MSRP plus Adjusted Market Value mark up. EVERYONE, understands that you will have to pay sales tax, licensing fees, filing fees, etc. as every state has their own way of processing the final sales as well as any additional services or dealer offered packages at the time of buying. I was very clear on the Bait and Switch with the following statement: The focus is on the Bait and Switch of the Franchises adding no value with a second sticker that is higher priced.