bobo

2023 could not end soon enough. It seemed like people were freaking out about AI or trying to freak out others about AI. While the U.S. experienced low unemployment and falling inflation, American politics is almost beyond repair, with a dysfunctional do-nothing Congress and an ethically challenged Supreme Court. The previous occupant of the White House was charged with 91 felony counts. In the UK Charles III and Camilla were crowned king and queen. The submersible OceanGate Titan imploded in the sightseeing tour to the Titanic. The Ukraine war has no end in sight, with about a half million deaths so far, the majority being Russian troops. Hamas attacked Israel in October, and the subsequent war in Gaza has resulted in over 20,000 civilian deaths. Extreme weather is now the norm, with record high temperatures in much of the southern parts of the U.S., record rainfall in California, and wildfires in Maui. It was yet again the hottest year on record. Prominent passings included former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, California Senator Dianne Feinstein, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, actors Matthew Perry and Paul Reubens, talk show host Jerry Springer, game show host Bob Barker, and singers Tony Bennett, Sinead O'Connor, Lisa Marie Presley, and Tina Turner. Tesla was in the news a lot, beginning the year with big price reductions on all their cars, essentially undoing all the price increases after the beginning of the pandemic and causing an industry-wide shock wave. In May, Ford announced they were adopting Tesla’s NACS charging port for more reliable charging, followed soon by GM, and then all the other automakers fell in line. At the end of August, the refreshed Model 3 was announced and put in production in China, but North America is still waiting for it. Cybertruck deliveries began at the end of November, with the pickup using 48 volts instead of the industry standard 12 volts to decrease the mass of wiring. The truck also uses steer-by-wire. In non-Tesla automotive news, GM struggled to scale up production of vehicles on the Ultium platform, while simultaneously winding down production of the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV, which had their best sales year ever. Cadillac announced the oversized Escalade IQ, compact Optiq, and three-row Vistiq as they transition to an all-EV lineup. The UAW went on strike for six weeks beginning in September. UAW workers will be getting some big pay increases, and even non-UAW shops have increased their salaries. GM and Ford retreated slightly on their EV production goals because of concerns of lagging demand. An updated version of the best-selling car in the U.S., the Toyota Camry, was unveiled in November, with a release date in the spring. While Chinese automakers are rivaling Tesla in sales in their home market, and their technology and styling are on the leading edge, tariffs are keeping them from the U.S. for now. Canceled vehicles include the Audi R8 and TT, Chevy Bolt EV, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, and the compact Jeep Cherokee. Temporarily gone are the Chevy Bolt EUV, which will be back in a couple of years with a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) Ultium battery pack, and the Chevrolet Camaro, Nissan Maxima, and Dodge Charger, to be reborn eventually as EVs. Here’s the 22nd annual edition of Cheers and Jeers for the best and worst things automotive in 2023: Cheers to Volvo for the Best New EV with the compact EX30, providing an attractive, practical EV that splits the difference in size between the Bolt EV and EUV, and has crazy fast acceleration for the dual motor version. Not everyone needs a gargantuan SUV as a daily driver, and this car should be able to meet the needs of a lot of people and use less resources doing it. Honorable mention goes to the Kia EV9 if you need a gargantuan three-row SUV. It has reasonable pricing, good looks, and all the right technology. It's the modern EV Telluride except in name. Cheers to Honda for the Best Concept with the Prelude. Styling is a little too much like the new Toyota Prius, and the hybrid powertrain will probably be borrowed from the Civic or Accord and doesn’t sound very exciting, but the big deal is that it is a rare coupe in a market that overwhelmingly favors SUVs. The Prelude could also be the reason why there are no coupe variants of the current Civic and Integra. The concept, which is not confirmed for release in North America, did not show a moonroof or sunroof, which has been part of the Prelude formula, but perhaps that will change for production. Jeers to Chevrolet for the Worst New Vehicle Introduction with the Blazer EV. In general, the Blazer has gotten good reviews despite costing as much as the Cadillac Lyriq. However, it’s gotten some really bad press from two outfits doing long-term tests, due to software issues. GM placed a stop-sale on the vehicles until a fix is made. There has also been a lot of wailing about GM dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto going forward on EVs. Honda and Acura will be including those features on their versions of the Ultium crossovers and may gain some sales because of that. Dishonorable mention goes to the VinFast VF8, which has the worst reviews of any new vehicle in recent memory, with the vehicles feeling more like prototypes than production vehicles. The Vietnamese automaker is having a rough start, and the high prices and mediocre range make it a tough sell, but it’s too early to count them out as there is a huge conglomerate backing them. Cheers to Stellantis for the Best Truck Introduction with the Dodge Ramcharger to provide a practical option for pickup truck owners who tow. Because towing causes the range to drop in half, the V6 range extender is a workable solution until EV range can be increased. Having both EV and ICE propulsion does not make sense for most passenger vehicles, as plug-in hybrids, but it does make sense for a truck that will be doing a lot of work. Cheers to GM for having the Best New Cheap Cars with the Chevy Trax and Buick Envista. These front-wheel drive only fraternal twins with crossover-ish styling are the best values out there for basic transportation, and they don't look cheap. Jeers to Subaru for Most Disappointing Refresh with the updated Forester. It tries too hard to be stylish, but the Forester was always a functional box. What it needed and did not get was more power. Jeers to Toyota Motor Credit for being the Worst Fraudsters by preventing customers from canceling bundled products like Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) when not needed or including them on contracts without telling the customers. They lied to their customers and falsely told consumer reporting companies that customers missed payment. They are required to pay $60 million in fines and compensation. Car dealerships and their financiers already have a bad rap without resorting to actual illegal activity. Hope everyone has a safe and prosperous New Year, and best wishes to trinacriabob on his new adventures and life in the Old World.

Bringing the Bolt back is great news. The Equinox EV is 2 feet longer, and not everyone wants a larger crossover. The Ultium tech should be addressing the only major issue on the Bolt, and that is the slow fast-charging speed. While the max charging speed is about 55 kW, it also tapers off quickly. It's unknown whether the Bolt will live on in EV or EUV form or both. I would prefer the original EV body to make it an honest hatch, and the EV weighs less than the EUV because it uses several aluminum body panels versus the all-steel EUV. However, the EUV is the much better-selling body style and has more modern detailing.

Thanks you, gents, and happy birthday to my birthmates.

Nice! Congratulations, Moltar. Plenty of room to expand or collect things if needed. I don't know how y'all deal with the snow and cold.

Clean styling to the extreme of perhaps becoming the most blandly styled vehicle, but I like that there are minimal trendy styling cliches. I think the earlier concepts were more attractive. I like that it has lidar. They will probably get the yoke to work properly, but there seem to be better solutions for visibility of the instrument panel.

2022 is another year from which everyone is ready to move on. The world continued to recover from the impacts of COVID and is learning to live with the variants. Mass shootings unfortunately remain common, though this past year had particularly shocking events at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas and an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado. Inflation was rampant, with high gas prices due to the conflict in Ukraine affecting the cost of almost everything. Putin's misguided war in Ukraine has cost tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of lives of both military and civilians. Cryptocurrencies crashed, and home mortgage interest rates doubled as the Fed tried to control inflation. Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court. The political red wave that was predicted in the fall elections from the adverse economic news did not materialize, seemingly because of abhorrently poor candidate quality and youth turnout from backlash to the abortion ruling. In popular culture, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscar’s. Ye, aka Kanye West, spewed antisemitic remarks and was dropped from major business partners. The Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial mercifully came to an end after two months. Prominent deaths included Bob Saget, Mikhail Gorbachev, Naomi Judd, Queen Elizabeth II, Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn, Angela Lansbury, Kirstie Alley, Olivia Newton-John, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, and at the end of the year, Pele, Barbara Walters, and Pope Benedict XVI. In automotive news, the push for electrification is unrelenting. The Inflation Reduction Act brought revised tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles, restoring credits to purchasers of GM and Tesla EVs, but it came with confusing new restrictions based on location of assembly and source of battery mineral content. At the beginning of 2022, Chevrolet revealed the Silverado EV. Cadillac started deliveries of the Lyriq crossover in August as the brand started the transition to an EV-only lineup. Corvette is to become a sub-brand in two years with a sedan and SUV, and there are rumors of a Camaro EV sub-brand as well. Electra is becoming the EV sub-brand for Buick. Updating logos continued to be a thing for automakers. Buick unveiled a new logo that ditched the familiar circle to help signify the new direction of electrification. Audi flattened the ringed logo, as is the current trend. Citroen and Lancia also have updated logos. Dodge announced the end of production for the current Charger and Challenger models but revealed an EV Charger concept car with fake engine sounds. Toyota introduced a new generation of Prius to a gushing press. It has more power, bigger wheels, and most importantly better looks, but less interior room, less cargo capacity, and worse aerodynamics than the outgoing model. Dealerships still had low inventory amid the supply chain constraints, and added dealer mark-up or exorbitantly priced add-ons persisted. GM lost sales leadership to Toyota in 2021 amid supply chain issues but is poised to regain the title in 2022. EV startups like Canoo and Faraday Future struggled to reach production. Canoo is testing vehicles with Walmart in Texas, and vehicle deliveries are expected in a few months, about the same time Faraday supposedly will start delivering vehicles assembled in California. The Fiskar Ocean is about 9 months from starting deliveries. Lucid has struggled to produce the high-end Air sedans. Departing vehicles include the Kia Stinger, Acura NSX, and Ford GT, as well as the Hyundai Accent, Ionic Hybrid, Ionic Hybrid Plug-In, and Veloster N. Here is the 21st annual edition of Cheers and Jeers for some of the best and worst of all things automotive in the past year: Cheers to the Best Scoop on the hybrid and AWD 2024 Corvette E-Ray found by Corvette sleuths on Chevy’s website. The visualizer gave a glimpse at the new colors and body-color trim. Cheers to Cadillac for the Boldest Move by introducing the handbuilt $300,000 Celestiq. It’s a statement of confidence but is also risky because Cadillac does not have a good track record with low-volume boutique models. The styling is polarizing, but it will debut the new Ultra Cruise with lidar. Cheers to the Best Vehicle Introduction, the Hyundai Ionic 6. It’s not exactly pretty, but it does have a best-in-class 0.21 drag coefficient, Hyundai’s excellent EV propulsion, and it’s a car. Honorable Mention goes to the BMW I4, based on the 4-Series 4-door Gran Coupes, resulting in an ICE-looking EV for those who may not want to stand out, BMW has their wild-looking iX, but the I4 and forthcoming I7 will appeal to those who want to blend in. It goes without saying Jeers to the hideous grills. Jeers to Toyota for the Worst Vehicle Introduction with the ungainly Crown. It replaced the Avalon as their new flagship and has a storied name, but it’s unclear who would want to buy such a thing. Jeers to the Biggest Troll Man-Child, Elon Musk. The Twitter takeover has been nothing short of disastrous, and alienating the greenie and techie base of Tesla vehicles is a questionable marketing strategy. Tesla had to resort to ever-sweetening deals, up to $7,500 and free Supercharger miles for some models, to move vehicles at the end of the year, though some drop in demand is likely from the tax credits resuming in January. The value of Tesla stock dropped by two thirds in the year, and Musk saw his personal fortune drop by $200 billion. The years late Cybertruck is still undergoing engineering and the new Roadster is nowhere to be found. Jeers to Toyota for Failed ZEV Leadership, having placed all their ZEV marbles on hydrogen but seeing consumers gravitate towards battery EVs. Hydrogen continues to have potential in certain segments like trucking. For their one BEV offering, Toyota tried to buy back all the bZ4X crossovers due to the wheels coming off, and they have had to revamp their EV strategy to catch up. For the New Year, wishing all your EV and ICE dreams come true. Hope you all have a safe, prosperous, and Happy New Year!

This is well-executed. I have one of those $100 deposits on a Cybertruck, but I would also consider getting this if there is a reasonably priced model between the WT and the RST. I love the features from the Avalanche returning.

It was another unforgettable year that we would like to forget. It started with an assault on democracy in the nation’s Capitol by deluded and enabled followers of the previous occupant of the White House. A new President was sworn in with the first female and person of color as Vice President. In May the U.S. started the quick removal of troops from Afghanistan, which was the longest war in U.S. history, at 20 years. The immediate takeover of the country by the Taliban showed that the Afghan National Army was incapable and probably would never have been capable to keep the government in power. In June, 98 lives were lost in the coastal town of Surfside, Florida, when a poorly maintained 12-story condominium building collapsed. Politics were ugly throughout the year, whether dealing with voting rights, abortion, COVID-19, or infrastructure, and flying the skies proved not to be friendly. Inflation was a hot topic with rising costs for food, housing, automobiles, gasoline, and just about everything else, though wage gains also helped at the lower end. Service jobs went unfilled as many people, particularly those at the older range, chose to leave the workforce. By the end of the year, another 400,000 Americans would lose their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many of those preventable had they not succumbed to disinformation. The highly contagious Omicron variant spread like wildfire at the end of the year and once again put strain on healthcare professionals. Prominent passings include Secretaries of State Colin Powell and George Schultz, Senator Bob Dole, publisher Larry Flynt, rapper DMX, and racers Al Unser Sr., Bobby Unser, and Bob Bondurant. There was also Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, radio host Rush Limbaugh, baseball great Hank Aaron, TV and radio host Larry King, Dodgers General Manager Tommy Lasorda, and NFL broadcaster John Madden. Four actors from the classic sitcom Mary Tyler Moore passed away: Cloris Leachman, Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod, and Betty White. In automotive news, the supply chain and chip shortage affected automobile deliveries. With decreased inventory, dealerships jacked up prices above MSRP and stocked their parking lots with late model used cars. Numerous automakers announced the phaseout of internal combustion engines in the 2030s, with some already stopping development of the engines. Rather than cupholders or horsepower, the latest metrics seem to be the total number of diagonal inches of display and number and type of USB ports. There are many upstarts from both within the U.S. or overseas wanting to take on the legacy automakers with new EV offerings. GM started the year by unveiling a new logo to signify its transition to electric vehicles. The logo was designed in-house and was given lukewarm reviews, with the dated gradient in particular receiving criticism. In general, automakers have been transitioning to flatter, more minimalist logos, with Volvo and Cadillac also unveiling updated logos later in the year. GM introduced the Chevrolet Bolt EUV to great fanfare in February, with the most significant additions over the slightly smaller regular Bolt EV being an available sunroof and SuperCruise. However, sales would later be halted as all Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV models ever produced were recalled to replace defective battery modules but got LG to foot the majority of the bill. Production of the vehicles remain on hold to allocate the battery modules for recalled vehicles. In March, Volkswagen started deliveries of the electric ID4 with hopes that Dieselgate would forever fade into the past. Also in March Jeep unveiled the big body-on-frame Wagoneer, with a big price, to take on the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. Ford unveiled the F-150 Lightning in May to great acclaim, having long range, normal looks, and a useful frunk. Tesla started deliveries of the 1020-hp Model S Plaid in June. Nissan unveiled the new retro Z in New York in August to generally rave reviews. In September, Mercedes introduced the blandly styled EQS, and Rivian started delivering the R1T electric pickup. Lucid began deliveries of the lidar-equipped Air in October. By the end of the year, GM delivered the first GMC Hummer EV pickups, a 9,000 pound behemoth. Over the year, Tesla raised prices of the Model 3 and Y by about $7,000 and $9,000, respectively, likely due a combination of increased demand, higher production costs from the supply chain issues, and anticipation of newly available rebates, yet to occur, from the stalled Build Back Better bill. Tesla moved their Headquarters from California’s Silicon Valley to Texas next to a new factory that will soon be up and running. Tesla briefly reached a $1 trillion dollar valuation, making it about 6 times more valuable than GM and 5 times more than Ford. Elon Musk was named Person of the Year by Time Magazine and is the wealthiest person in the world. The Tesla Cybertruck was delayed another year. Canceled vehicles included the Toyota Avalon, BMW i3, Lotus Elise, Toyota Land Cruiser (in the U.S.), Volkswagen Passat, and Mazda 6, which may return. Without further adieu, here’s the 20th Annual Edition of Cheers and Jeers: Cheers to Ford for Best New Vehicle with the practical and attainable Ford Maverick. With a projected 42 mpg EPA City rating for the hybrid powertrain and starting price below $20,000, it’s a brilliant follow-up to last year’s Ford Bronco. Not everyone needs a $50,000 full-size pickup. Cheers to Genesis for Best Save for saving the life of Tiger Woods when he seemingly dozed off and crashed a GV80 into a tree in a L.A. suburb in February. The event brought non-stop cable news coverage and gave visibility to the obscure Genesis brand. Normally a car crash is a bad look, but lesser vehicles would likely have resulted in much more serious injuries or death, and the IIHS gave the GV80 a Top Safety Pick + rating just weeks after Tiger’s crash. Jeers to Volkswagen for Worst Marketing Move with their botched April Fool’s joke that the company was going to be renamed “Voltswagen.” They insisted it was not an April Fool’s joke, and they came across as liars, which hurt their credibility when they are trying to move on from the deceit of Dieselgate. Cheers to Volkswagen subsidiary Audi for Best Marketing Move by gifting a Q3 to a contestant on “Wheel of Fortune” who failed to win a Q3 due to an obscure and subjective technicality. It generated goodwill and became a feel-good story during the holiday season, with the bonus of making Pat Sajak look bad. Cheers to Acura for Best Nameplate Revival with the Integra returning in 2022. The styling certainly could have been better than the mini-TLX looks up front, mashup of the Toyota Supra and old Genesis Coupe in the rear, and overall Civic profile. Previous Integras hid the Civic roots better, but at least the Integra appears to be getting good mechanical pieces. Jeers to Toyota for Worst New Nameplate with bZ4X for the electric crossover. bZ standards for beyond zero and will be a sub-brand of zero-emission vehicles. Subaru’s version of the vehicle received a much better name, Solterra. Jeers to Tesla for Worst New-Car Feature with the yoke-style steering wheel, which provides no advantages to a normal steering wheel other than improved visibility of the instrument panel, and makes driving at low speed more difficult. Toyota solved that problem on the pending bZ4X by providing electronic steer-by-wire with nonlinear assist. Jeers to GM for Most Frivolous Lawsuit for suing Ford over use of the name Blue Cruise. There was a settlement, details unknown other than Ford will continue using the name. Jeers to Toyota for Worst Grille on the Toyota Tundra. Ugly grills are normally reserved for Lexus and BMW, but Toyota tried to fit the biggest grille on the Tundra as possible because grille size of course is commensurate with toughness and capability. Jeers to Mazda for Most Disappointing New EV, the MX-30 with a paltry range of 100 miles. The range is slightly better than the defunct Honda Clarity Electric, which was introduced for the 2017 model year and had a woeful range of 89 miles . The MX-30 doesn't get many miles from the 35.5 kW battery, which indicates not having a very efficient powertrain. The range may have been acceptable 10 years ago, but certainly not now. Here's hoping for better times, and wishing you all a healthy, safe, prosperous, and Happy New Year!

Last week I saw a Lincoln Mark V with a personalized plate with something like "79 MARK V." It appeared in excellent condition. Nice to see something of that vintage still on the road.

I didn't dig the looks initially, but it's growing on me. Priced right, it can be a serious contender.

Nobody wants to relive 2020, which was full of pain, death, financial ruin, and overall misery, but here’s a quick summary of what happened. It started with impeachment proceedings and the shocking death of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash in the fog. In March it was clear that the COVID-19 virus had taken a foothold in the U.S., and teleworking, distance learning, and Zoom started to become part of everyday life, and going to movies, gyms, traveling, and eating out largely became things of the past. In April, the Centers of Disease Control recommended everyone to wear masks in public, but they became a symbol of a culture war rather than protection during a public health crisis in which a highly contagious virus would eventually infect 20 million Americans and kill 1 of every 1000 Americans over the course of the year. Health care workers became the new national heroes, but their pleas to refrain from travel and gatherings too often went unheeded. People bought bicycles in droves to get exercise and adopted pets for companionship. In May, the Central Park “Karen” called the cops on a Black birdwatcher, and George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis officer who had a knee on his neck for over 8 minutes. It became a flash point for protests against police brutality and reignited a racial reckoning. Later in the month, Space-X launched the first manned mission from U.S. soil in 9 years with a rocket to the International Space Station. By the fall, the largest wildfires in recorded history occurred on the West Coast. In September, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. A nominating ceremony for her successor, Amy Coney Barrett, was held eight days later in the White House Rose Garden, in what would become one of many superspreader events that would engulf the inner circle of the inhabitant of the White House. The East Coast suffered through the largest number of named storms since recording began in 1851. November brought the election, in which the sitting President was soundly rejected, but that individual would not concede but instead would attempt a thus far unsuccessful legal and political coup. . By the end of the year, about 350,000 Americans succumbed to the novel coronavirus, but the two approved vaccines had a slow rollout. The stock market hit an all-time high despite crashing in March. Additional prominent passings include Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, Regis Philbin, Chadwick Boseman, Alex Trebek, Eddie Van Halen, Sean Connery, Little Richard, and Kenny Rogers. In the automobile world, car sales took a huge dive, but pickup trucks held steady. Car shows were canceled. Much of the news involved electrification. GM announced the Ultium EV platform and partnership with Honda that shares the platform and Super Cruise technology. GM showed the Cadillac Lyriq concept and a simulated GMC Hummer EV and started taking reservations for the Hummer. Contactless deliveries of the Tesla Model 3 began in March. Lucid announced prices of $75k to $170k for the LIDAR-equipped Air, which has a range of up to 517 miles. The Volkswagen ID.4 crossover, with a 250 mile range, was revealed with a delayed delivery date in March, 2021 At the end of the year, Ford started making deliveries of the Mustang Mach-E. Supply-chain issues disrupted manufacturing, and many new vehicle programs were delayed, such as the planned refreshes for the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt and Traverse and updated interior for the Silverado. For vehicles with internal combustion engines, Nissan showed the heavily revised Z. Subaru revealed the updated BRZ. Mercedes-Benz debuted the 7th generation S-Class, which has a starting price of $111k.. Departing vehicles include the Chevrolet Impala and Sonic, Cadillac CT6, Ford Fusion, Lincoln Continental and MKZ, Honda Fit, Lexus GS, and Dodge Grand Caravan, though the Grand Caravan lives on in Canada as a Chrysler as a twin to the Chrysler Voyager sold in the U.S.. I was hardly on the C&G boards the past year, but it’s nice to see the familiar names still here. I got a Chevy Bolt EV early in the year, but it hasn’t seen many miles due to my working at home. Without further adieu, here are some of the best and worst automotive things from the past year in the 19th annual edition of Cheers and Jeers: Cheers to Ford for the Best Vehicle Introduction with the brilliantly executed Ford Bronco. This gives the Jeep Wrangler some serious competition. Cheers to FCA for Best New Truck with the Ram 1500 TRX, with the heart of the Hellcat, for taking on and surpassing the Ford Raptor. Jeers to FCA for Worst Fuel Economy for any light vehicle that is not a Bugatti or Lamborghini, with the Ram 1500 TRX at 10 mpg city, 14 mpg highway, and 12 mpg combined. In comparison, the 2020 Ford Raptor achieved 15 mpg city, 18 mpg highway, and 16 mpg combined. Cheers to Buick for Best Concept Car Name in the revived Electra on the Ultium EV platform. As for the concept car itself, it’s modern but could pass off as a Mazda. Jeers to BMW for Worst Styling for their new monstrous grills. BMW has managed to make their vehicles from the Bangle era appear attractive by comparison. The grills on the M3 and M4 are horrid, but placing such a large grill on an EV like the iX is beyond ridiculous. The angry beaver faces of the Bimmers also evoke the Bugs Bunny face of the late and unlamented Pontiac G6 GTP, but the Pontiac is arguably prettier. Jeers to GM and Nikola for the Worst Partnership, which originally had GM engineering and manufacturing the Nikoa Badger pickup, supplying Hydrotec fuel cell technology to Nikola for commercial semi-trucks, and taking an equity stake in Nikola. Fraud allegations against Nikola were lodged by a short-seller a few days after the MOU was signed. The Chairman of Nikola resigned, and the partnership was reworked with the Badger killed and GM not taking an equity stake in Nikola. Cheers to Rivian for Best EV Truck Concept to date, though production is still a half year away. It appears to be the best of a bunch of electric pickups to be introduced in the next year or two. These include the Tesla Cybertruck, Bollinger B2, GMC Hummer EV, stillborn Nikola Badger, and still mysterious Ford F150 Electric and Chevrolet EV truck. In 2019 Rivian announced a deal to supply Amazon with 100,000 electric delivery vans, and they showed a prototype in October. Jeers to GM and Nissan for Undistinguished Leadership by pandering to whatever administration is in charge by first supporting the outgoing administration’s proposal to roll back fuel-efficiency standards and withdrawal of California’s Clean Air Act waiver to set its own standards, and then changing their positions after the November election. Still supporting the rollback are FCA, Hyundai/Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Toyota. Cheers to California Governor Gavin Newsom for Distinguished Leadership for issuing an executive order requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in California to be zero emission vehicles by 2035. The executive order has no teeth at this time but provides direction for implementing agencies. This announcement was made in front of a backdrop of a Honda Clarity, Audi e-tron, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Tesla Model 3. Notably absent was any vehicle from a manufacturer that supports withdrawal of California’s Clean Air Act waiver. The California state government refuses to purchase vehicles from those manufacturers for its government fleet. Before it was discontinued, the Chevy Volt was the go-to vehicle, along with some Toyota Priuses and Nissan Leafs. Here’s hoping for a better 2021 for everybody, and hope you get well soon, Drew. Wishing you all an especially safe, healthy, and Happy New Year!

We’ve survived 2019 and are a year away from a new decade. Here are a few things that happened in the past year: Elon Musk was in the news a lot as he revealed the Mad Max-inspired Tesla Cybertruck to gasps, started to dig a tunnel beneath Las Vegas, opened a factory in China to build Model 3s, and was found not to have defamed a British cave explorer by calling him a "pedo guy" when he was insulted. To the dismay of short-sellers, Tesla’s stock price recently hit an all-time high. In the world of politics, the Mueller report was released with lots of anticipation but not much else. The sitting President became the fourth impeached, for abuse of power and obstruction over the Ukraine scandal, though the impeachment remains in limbo over rules of the Senate trial. The Boeing 737 Max aircraft was grounded after another crash in March, and Boeing’s CEO was ousted. The historic Notre Dame Cathedral suffered a devastating fire during renovations, and its survivability remains in doubt. Vaping is rampant among teens and resulted in several deaths. Anti-government protests in Hong Kong concerning extradition continue, as do raging wildfires in the Amazon rainforest and Australian bush. Prominent passings included designer Karl Lagerfeld, actor Luke Perry, baseball great Frank Robinson, socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, architect I.M. Pei, Chrysler savior Lee Iacocca, businessman and presidential candidate Ross Perot (who sold Electronic Data Systems to GM for $2.5 billion), retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, and shock jock Don Imus. The big news in the automotive world was the introduction of the C8 Corvette with a mid-engine layout, long the dream of Corvette engineers. The biggest surprise was perhaps its low $60,000 base price. GM filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, claiming that their negotiations, which allegedly involved bribes to former UAW leaders, resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars of increased pay and benefits. PSA Group, manufacturer of Peugeots and Citroens, and which acquired Opel and Vauxhall from GM in 2017, is working on a merger with FCA. The resultant company would retain 13 automobile brands and be the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in the world, behind VW Group, Toyota, and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Peugeot still has plans to return to the U.S. to satisfy the demand from the handful of people who miss their 405s, 504s, 505s, and 604s. Buick announced that they were retiring the Regal and Regal TourX after the 2020 model year, which will leave them with an all-crossover lineup. Buick said that they are just giving buyers what they want, as 90% of their sales were crossovers. In 1998, Buick’s tagline was “Isn’t it time for a real car” when they didn’t have any crossovers or SUVs in their lineup. Departing vehicles included the Audi TT, Buick Lacrosse and Cascada, Chevrolet Cruze, Fiat 500 and 500e, Ford Flex, Toyota Prius C, and Volkswagen Beetle. I was barely on the C&G boards in the last year and can’t comment much on what’s been going on in the forums, but here are some of the best and worst things in the automotive world for the 18th annual edition of Cheers and Jeers: Cheers to Chevrolet for introducing the Best New Car in the mid-engine Corvette. The styling is a little disappointing with the sedan-like cluttered rear end, but the platform will allow it to have an electrified and all-wheel drive future with fearsome performance. Cheers to Cadillac for Best Reversal by bringing back real model names, at least on the electrified models. This announcement occurred a couple of years after Lincoln also decided to bring back names. Cadillac had some decent alphanumerics with the CTS, STS, and SRX, among others, but decided to lose whatever brand equity there was to the apparently short-lived CT and XT badging created under previous Chief Johan de Nysschen. Cadillac has many storied names that deserve to come back, but they also have had some great concept names. Jeers to Cadillac for Most Pointless Badging with torque numbers in Newton-meters rounded to the closest 50. Ideally, the only thing that people should know of Cadillac power and torque is that it is ample and the numbers should be irrelevant. Cheers to Ford for Best New EV, the forthcoming Mustang Mach-E. While the naming is highly controversial, the vehicle itself has the right form and styling to be successful if Ford can deliver on this aspirational vehicle. By comparison, GM seems to be faltering a bit on the EV front, with the Bolt largely unchanged except for a small bump in range since it was introduced for the 2017 model year. The many promised new EVs have yet to show up in the U.S. In January GM President Mark Reuss said that Cadillac would take the lead in electrification efforts and that it would be the final effort to turn the brand around, which places an air of desperation around the brand. Jeers to Porsche for having the Least Efficient EV in the much ballyhooed Taycan. The EPA range for the large 93.6 kWh battery is only 201 miles. By comparison, a Tesla Model S with Ludicrous mode and a 100 kWh battery has a 345 mile range, and the non-Ludicrous model has a 370 mile range. Audi and Jaguar are also having difficulties with efficiency, and this shows how far ahead Tesla is. Cheers to Subaru for the Most Impressive Sales Record for the 93 months of consecutive year-over-year sales gains, which finally came to an end in October, but which is probably just a temporary blip amidst a strong vehicle lineup. Jeers to GM, FCA, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Hyundai and Kia for Worst Eco Move by siding with the current federal administration in denying California from setting its own emission standards. By being able to regulate its emissions, California has been able to clean up the previously smoggy skyline, and this move would increase fuel consumption and harm air quality. Cheers to California Governor Gavin Newsom for doing what car buyers do, make a judgment on the vehicles they buy, by choosing not to purchase sedans from the aforementioned automakers. The State of California is also requiring that sedans owned by the state government to be electrified. Ford may be the largest beneficiary, at least until the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Energi go out of production in a year or two. Jeers to the Federal Communications Commission for Worst Safety Move by proposing that a portion of the 5.9 GHz spectrum that was intended for automobile safety instead be used for wifi. Their reasoning is that there has been limited progress for usage of the spectrum for Dedicated Short-Range Communications (the outgoing CTS being the first and only production vehicle to install it) for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications amid competing DSRC and 5G LTE technologies and the lack of a federal mandate. However, nearly 37,000 people are killed in traffic crashes every year on public roads in the U.S., and technology using the spectrum has the potential of saving thousands of lives every year. Limiting the usable spectrum may limit the safety opportunities. Hope everyone has a safe, prosperous, and Happy New Year!

Finally, some good news out of Cadillac. The current batch of alphanumeric names is probably the worst in the business now that Lincoln abandoned theirs. EV is the future, BEV or otherwise. Our household is on our second EV, and next year we'll get our third. We're never going back to ICE.

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!

Well, that was a fast year. Here are some of the things that happened in 2017: A new American President was sworn into office and found to be a truth-challenged, serial golfing narcissist whose primary goal appeared to be undoing all the achievements of his predecessor. His own crowning achievement was a windfall of wealth to corporate America and its officers at the expense of the lower and middle classes, future generations, and blue states. A series of hurricanes swept through the Gulf of Mexico and ravaged Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico, resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars in damages. The country's deadliest mass shooting occurred in Las Vegas at the Route 91 Festival from a madman in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Last year's abundant rainfall in California gave way to some of the worst wildfires in California history that wiped out communities. In Hollywood and Washington D.C. the “#MeToo” movement gave power to sexual assault victims and toppled entertainment and political titans. The fidget spinner fad peaked. Prominent passings in the entertainment industry included Mary Tyler Moore, Sean Cassidy, Adam West, Roger Moore, Tom Petty, and Chuck Berry. In the automotive world, passenger sedans continued to fall out of favor, with the future of the Chevy Impala and Ford Fusion in doubt. Cadillac will be consolidating several sedans under a single nameplate. New versions of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord were introduced. The march towards fully autonomous vehicles continued, and Uber inked a deal with Volvo for fully autonomous vehicles. Vehicles that went away include the Viper, Buick Verano, Hyundai Azera, Honda Accord Coupe, Nissan Juke, and Volkswagen Touareg. GM rid itself of Opel to the PSA Group, which decided it overpaid and wants half its money back because of vehicle emissions and what they deemed to be the lack of a credible plan to get the fleet to conformity. In the aftermath of Dieselgate, Volkswagen is going all-in with electric vehicles. China, France, and the U.K. look to ban new vehicles with internal combustion engines in about 20 years, and California considers the same. GM, Volvo, Toyota and others announced major electrification efforts for their fleets within five years. I was barely on the C&G boards the past year because of job and family, and my interest in personal transportation has shifted to human-powered two-wheeled devices and EVs (my household has two). I have cobbled together the 16th Anniversary Edition of Cheers and Jeers, but I'm unfortunately unable to note whatever drama has been happening in the forums since I wasn't here enough to experience it. Here are some automotive highlights and lowlights: Cheers to Lincoln for Best Move by bringing back real names. The MKX is being reborn as the Nautilus with its refresh as Lincoln goes with a nautical theme. If only Cadillac would rid itself of the awful CT and XT naming convention. Cheers to Tesla for Best Car Reveal by surprising everyone and bringing out a new Roadster from the back of the Semi after revealing that. The Semi is also significant for its moderate $150k cost and up to 500 mile range if they can deliver. Jeers to Tesla for the slow roll-out of the Model 3, which was not ready for prime time and beset by welding issues. Cheers to Mazda for Best New Engine Technology with their Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition gas engine that is projected to have 30% better fuel economy when introduced in the 2020 Mazda3. Cheers to Chevy for the Best Truck Reveal in the surprising introduction of the new 2019 Silverado at the Chevy truck centennial celebration at the Texas Motor Speedway. Cheers to FCA for increasing sales of the aging Ram, even surpassing the Silverado for a few months. Ford, with the new Super Duty trucks, increased domestic truck sales the most and outsells Silverado and GMC Sierra combined. Cheers to Kia for Best New Sedan for the Stinger. Who would have imagined that once-lowly Kia would sell a RWD or AWD car that is competitive with the BMW 3 Series? It helps to have talent that was at Audi and BMW. Jeers to Honda for Most Disappointing New EV for the class-lagging Clarity with only 89 miles of range. Only the Fiat 500e and smart fortwo electric have lower ranges now that the Mitsubishi i-MIEV and Mercedes B250e are no longer sold in the US. The Plug In Hybrid and Fuel Cell versions of the Clarity are decent though. Wishing all a safe, prosperous, and Happy New Year!