Monthly Archives: April 2015
2015 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn EcoDiesel – You Can Have Power and Efficiency | Sam’s Thoughts2015 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn EcoDiesel – You Can Have Power and Efficiency
Even in our increasingly globalized automotive landscape, one segment has remained most uniquely American – the full-size pickup truck. For decades, the big pickup remained hidebound, devoid of technical or design innovation. In the absence of notable competition, Ford’s F-series led the way in sales, followed by GM with Dodge in a far distant third. But then 20 years ago, tired of being the third-wheel to its cross-town rivals, Chrysler under the leadership of one Bob Lutz, decided to shake things up and the truck market has never been the same. Trucks like the 2015 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn EcoDiesel are a prime example of the goodness that can come from real competitive pressure.
My old friend +
My old friend +Tommy Simon? is back on camera having traded in his lab coat for a rain coat
Last year +Ford Motor Company grabbed all the attention for using aluminum in the new F-150, but they aren't alone in lightweighting
At least four new cars coming from +General Motors this year feature substantial weight reductions.
As automakers scramble to stay on track to meet the 54.5 mpg corporate average fuel economy mandate by 2025, weight reduction is expected to be one of the key pathways to hitting that target. Durin…
It's been 101 years since Cadillac introduced the first mass-produced V8 engine
With the introduction of the new CT6 sedan later this year powered by four and six cylinder engines and the plug-in hybrids, the age of the +Cadillac V8 is drawing to a close.
Update: Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen let me know that they do in fact have a new high-performance V8 in development, but four-cylinder, V6 and hybrid powertrains will make up the bulk of volumes going forward.
Twenty years ago, the thought of building a flagship Cadillac sedan without a V8 engine under the hood would have been virtually unthinkable. Nonetheless, in the coming months, the all-new Cadillac…
Despite the slow sales, I hope +
Despite the slow sales, I hope +Chevrolet carries on the Cruze diesel in the next generation model
“It’s a real shame that the @chevrolet cruze is the only diesel powered car you can get from a Detroit automaker”
Despite the fact that there won't be a second generation Cadillac ELR, GM's luxury brand isn't quite ready to give up on the current model
For the 2016 model year, +Cadillac is giving the +Chevrolet Volt-based extended range EV coupe some updates and $9,000 price cut that will hopefully spur some sales. Despite it's stunning looks, the excessively high price and so-so performance of the ELR have severely hampered sales. A revised sport mode enables more of a hybrid style of control with the engine and electric drive to provide more power and cut the 0-60 time by 1.5 seconds to 6.4 seconds.
Ever since the the Volt launched in late 2010 followed a few years later by the ELR, the powertrain control has consisted of four modes. When the battery has sufficient charge, the car runs electrically using either one or both motors depending on the speed. Once the battery runs down, at speeds up to about 70 mph, the engine would start up to maintain the battery charge while the main electric motor provided drive. At higher speeds, some torque from the engine would also be blended in along with the second motor. This whole setup provided greater efficiency at high speeds.
The sport mode now enables that blended driving control at lower speeds for more aggressive acceleration. We'll see if this is enough to spur sales until the ELR is discontinued entirely.
These indirect corporate subsidies massively inflate the apparent amount spent on "entitlements"
If politicians really gave a damn about helping people move up the economic ladder, they would significantly bump the minimum wage instead of whining about cutting these programs.
Originally shared by +Jim Fawcette
Public Assistance Actually a Massive Taxpayer Subsidy for Too Big Conglomerates
We're seen this argument applied to select firms such as Walmart and MacDonald's, but new studies look at the bigger picture. State and federal government spend $150 Billion on antipoverty programs, much of which goes to working families, not the idle indolent. Texas, land of small government and independence, has more working poor on aid than any other state. A staggering 67% of aid in Texas goes to working families paid too little to live on.
Study PDF at:
http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/pdf/2015/the-high-public-cost-of-low-wages.pdf
NYT.com: "“The low-wage business model practiced by many of the largest and most profitable employers in the country not only leaves many working families unable to afford the basics, but also imposes significant costs on the public as a whole,” Sarah Leberstein, a senior staff lawyer with the National Employment Law Project, testified recently before Connecticut lawmakers." {article at embed}
WaPo: "This picture casts the culprit in a different light: Taxpayers are spending a lot of money subsidizing not people who won't work, but industries that don't pay their workers a living wage. Through these four programs alone, federal and state governments spend about $150 billion a year aiding working families, according to the analysis (the authors define people who are working here as those who worked at least 10 hours a week, at least half the year)."
A University of California study finds that taxpayer money is effectively subsidizing employers who pay at or around the minimum wage.
With continuing debacles like this, explain to me why we should even consider…
With continuing debacles like this, explain to me why we should even consider giving more money to the military?
The Navy’s USS America, the first of her class, was controversially optimized to handle the F-35, leaving out the multi-purpose well deck traditionally found on ‘Gator Navy’ flattops. Now, just months after her commissioning, she already needs 40 weeks of upgrades just to handle the very aircraft she was designed for.
Vehicle-to-external communications could be ubiquitous by 2025
Vehicle-to-external communications could be ubiquitous by 2025
Coming Soon to Cars: Safety Alerts via On-Board DSRC Radios