Blake Noble

bobo's pics remind me that I'm going to have to set aside a little bit of time this February for the Louisville Auto Show.

The woman above, although the same of course applies to J-Lo. Don't care about the bad ads, I just care about dat bad ass. Hopefully she's keeping regular business hours after leaving Fiat then. I'll show her things about f@#king inappropriately she couldn't even dream of.

How do you want to be fed? Would you rather I put your kibble in a bowl or just dump it out in the floor at your feet?

I don't know how to describe how angry I became when I had to watch this ad (the batteries in my remote had died and, by the time I had decided to change the channels myself, it was already too late). Personally, I didn't want to be reminded of Black Friday. I didn't want to be reminded that Thanksgiving has become nothing more than a national holiday where people don't so much as cherish the opportunity to spend the day with their family and loved ones and instead just eat massive quantities of food so that they can muster up the strength to wait in line in front of a department store where they'll ultimately be trampled to death to buy some piece of $h! low-quality good they'll still have to pay an asinine amount of money for. On top of that, I didn't want to be reminded of "Friday" (the song, not the day of the week in general). So thank you, Kohl's, for taking a horrible internet meme and making an outright inhumane television commercial out of it. For all that this 30-second canoe ride on the $h! River implies, I hope that, if there is a God Almighty, the Occupy movement grows so damn huge it makes this Black Friday redder than the ass on a baboon. Burn in Hell Kohl's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGiQzPi0f_E

Ohhh ... trust me, I'll go there and I'll totally trash her like she trashed Fiat's U.S. relaunching. I will say, though, she'll have to put out better for me than she did for Fiat.

She can feel free to pursue me anytime.

Perhaps in the same sense the Cube looks like an xB. The Groove is a boxy design. So is the xB. But that's where the similarities really end. The xB looks puffy and fat. The xB also has a nondescript front fascia with a nasty overbite. The only notable quality about the xB is that it's a box on wheels. You don't notice anything else. The Groove, though was taut and muscular. In profile views, there's a forward-learning quality about it which makes it look like it's ready to lunge at any second. The front fascia was bold as well and the headlamps managed to not look like they belonged on some sort of Japanese animated creature. The wheels are pushed to as far to the corners of the car as they possibly can be. Sure, it was a bit blocky, but I think that was a by-product of the design exercise and not the basis for it. Real world photos of the Groove tell the full story, front cover to back.

As I said in Camino's "... didn't happen" thread, the best small car design that never was probably is the Chevy Groove concept. It conveys a muscular, masculine sense of purpose that no other small car that I can think of has. It's a very butch and athletic design for a subcompact hatchback, but it isn't butch to the point where you begin to mistake it for a cheesy small crossover. Why GM decided to produce the Beat concept as the Spark is beyond me.

I'm not a fan of subcompact cars, but the Chevy Groove concept was one of the very few I didn't mind. There's a masculine, muscular quality about it which has eluded most, if not all, subcompacts. It also conveys that sense without looking like a wannabe SUV.

Uhhhh ... since when are Toyotas stylish? I'd rather have a normal-looking car with a diesel.

Lincoln News: Next-gen MKZ teased at LA Auto Show? by black-knight, C&G Editor/Reporter 20th November, 2011 This year at the LA Auto Show, Lincoln pulled the wraps off of the updated MKS and MKT. Although the two updated Lincolns may have been met with some lukewarm reception, they did showcase some elements of the new design language that will be seen on future cars from Ford's luxury brand. If you need further confirmation that Lincoln is serious about the design direction they're taking, look no further than the teaser above of what appears to be the nose of the 2013 MKZ. The teaser was shown projected on the backdrop of the stage where Lincoln unveiled the 2013 MKS, during the speech given by Lincoln designer Max Wolff regarding Lincoln's rejuvenated design DNA and what they had in store for the immediate future. If what we're seeing is indeed the nose of the upcoming MKZ, then indeed there are some interesting details and surface treatments to be found (take a moment to dig through the pixels). It seems that any shred of the old waterfall grille Lincoln had tried to hold on to on previous cars (including the updated MKS and MKT) has also been completely done away with. Instead, the new MKZ will have horizontal bars in its grille that, combined with the varying surfaces, give the impression of wings. The outline of the grille itself is also a nice evolution of the ones found on current Lincolns. Rumor has it that the 2013 MKZ may just be a real winner for Lincoln in the looks department. Although I personally wouldn't confirm that based on a five-second teaser shot, I do have reason to think that could very well be the case after the smoke clears. Ford knows that, in order to make Lincoln truly relevant again, they have to really kick things up and a bold new design language could be the very first step. We'll see how it plays out during the very early stages of the 2012 auto show circuit. You can watch the 2013 MKS reveal video below. The teaser is around the 2:38 to 2:41 mark. Sources: Autoblog and BlueOvalForums

GM Truck News: Chevy could ditch Colorado name in U.S. by black-knight, C&G Editor/Reporter 20th November, 2011 If you're a fan of small pickup trucks, then you may already know that GM has confirmed the current Colorado pickup will be replaced with a brand new, world-wide model for 2013. However, it seems that, although the truck will be known as the Colorado in the global market at large, the truck may assume a new identity in the United States. At least, that's what Wards Auto is reporting. In an article Wards published on the 17th, here's what they had to say: "The new pickup is known as the Colorado overseas, but the name may not carry over to the U.S., even though the truck it replaces here shares the same moniker." Such news is interesting to say the least and somewhat understandable. While the current Colorado may be a fairly handsome, if not aging, pickup truck on the outside, it's been plagued by a chintzy interior and, after you pile on some creature comforts and a V8 engine, an ill-proportioned price tag. If the current Colorado's flaws could equal negative baggage it could also hinder sales of the new model when it gets here. Additionally, Wards managed to have some one-on-one time with GM North American Vice President Mark Reuss at the Los Angeles Auto Show. During the course of their conversation, Reuss said that low-frills and inexpensive operating costs over a 10 year period would be key focus points for the new truck in America instead of offering a lifestyle vehicle as Toyota has with the Tacoma. Reuss said, "[Toyota] did well with a very light-duty truck that was more sport, accessory, and lifestyle oriented, which is fine. There’s still a great market for that, but I don’t think that’s the end-all as we look at the operating costs, fuel and regulatory environment." To read more of what Reuss had to say about the upcoming Colorado to Wards Auto (including the possibility of a GMC version) click here.

Gothic, huh? Hmmm ... now that you mention it, I can see that face holding a pitchfork and wearing bibbed overalls. sorry, i tried to shake a joke out there ... i'll let norm macdonald make those jokes from now on ...

Ignore the big, dumb Hot Wheels car and look at what's on the wall behind it. Make it a touch less thick in the middle and that's what I'm hoping will be in store for the Alpha Camaro.

Here you go (and note I had the percentage too low) : >>"...for the large majority of new car buyers it would appear that it doesn’t matter which wheels are doing the driving..."<< Whoa ... I'm going to put the brakes on this one, right now. Let me put this bluntly: that's not evidence that I would profile an entire audience of car buyers with. Am I going to sit here and dispute that a BMW CEO said that the results from a corporately sponsored survey for 1-Series buyers showed that most people who buy a BMW 1-Series are completely oblivious as to what wheels make their car go forward and sometimes backward? Not at all. I can believe with confidence it's a fact. However, in the context of the article you linked to, the phrase you quoted is little more than one part opinion, one part ignorance, one part exaggeration, and one part hyperbole. It's far from a concrete fact, to say the least. Actually, when you begin to do a little peeling away, it's a textbook example of bad journalism. If you read the exact same news story over at Motor Trend or World Car Fans, you don't see them lumping other luxury car buyers (and all other new car buyers, for that matter) in with 1-Series buyers in their respective articles. Motor Authority was the only outlet to make that statement. Hmmm ... hear that? That's the sound of something spinning, and it's not the wheels on a 1-Series BMW either. So, to be blunt once again and to get back to the main issue at hand, you simply cannot profile an entire group of buyers with one very isolated example of data like that. That's one car from one automaker who, as of this very day in 2011, builds 15 different cars not including the 1'er, Mini's model range, a couple of Rolls Royces, and some motorcycles. So how about guys who bought a 3'er or a 5'er? Those are also BMWs. Were those buyers just as oblivious as the buyers of the 1'er? Reaching further, how about folks who went out and bought an E-Class? How about all of those rich dudes who fell in love with a CTS? How about that billionaire who blew a wad of dough on a Bentley? That data you provided me is far from being that encompassing, sorry, and if that's what this whole notion around here that "luxury/new car buyers are too damn dumb to tell what wheels drive their car" started from ... well, you all had best regroup and think of another approach to support your argument. By the way, sorry if I came off harsh.

I'm not much for the way the articles are scattered after the first three recent ones, but it's pretty nice otherwise. The only other suggestion I can make is to maybe make the font sizes a touch larger, provided the article system isn't completely bound to what's posted in the forums.

You know what? I want to see the definitive proof that all of these luxury car buyers don't know what wheels drive their car. Sure, people who buy cars like this have money to burn, but my gut tells me that they would much rather burn it with fine aged liquor than Ronsonol. The XTS showcar, for that matter, was a far cleaner and much more handsome design than what GM is going to build for production.

I'm with TJ on the Jag C-X. As for the 2013 Mustang, I just don't like the front fascia in GT trim. To be honest, looking at the front of it dead-on, I keep thinking about the Mustang II.

Well, as of right now, the petition still has 16,343 signatures to go in about two weeks time. Again, spread the word. Since this has gotten out through various channels on the 'net, including here, it's gained roughly 4,500 signatures in two days. At that rate, the remaining signatures should be there come next month. I know I want to bring one of these over here so that I can do naughty things with it: Same for one of these:

Excellent then.

Well ... how about it? Or is there something else in store for the main page?

The Banshee is probably one of my favorite concept cars of all time. I don't know if it's worth $750,000 though, despite the fact it's one of the largest pieces of unknown automotive history. Reflecting on things, the Solstice really was the continuation of the essence of this car.

An answer to a question no one was asking. Was Renee Zellweger the inspiration for the front clip?

I still hate the exterior of the car. GM shown they could've done better. The interior is quite nice, however. I can understand the changes there versus the "concept" car. Somehow the center IP vents faintly remind me of those I've seen in various vintage GM cars (the first cars I thought of were '80s Fleetwood Broughams).

Double that. I've been checking on this thread and I can't really say anything more other than what's already been said. It's good to hear that he's making good progress.