Articles

  • Outsiders Perspective: 2015 Geneva International Motor Show (Part One)

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    There’s no way of going around it. This year’s Geneva motor show has been absolutely packed with cool and impressive things. From concepts that we’ll know we won’t get but are cool anyway to supercars and down to the cars the people actually buy; I’ll have to split this article in two parts just from…

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  • Outsiders Perspective: Who is killing the Chevrolet SS?

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    Pop quiz time. No, this is not one of this nightmares when you’re sent back to High School. What’s the most surefire way to have a car leave no impact whatsoever? Is it by making a horrible car? Not really, because we can all remember the Vega, the Pinto, the Yugo, and the usual cornucopia…

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  • Outsiders Perspective: What's So Grand About You?

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    Ladies and Gentlemen, what you see above these words is the current Hyundai I10. A small hatchback that’s not sold in the United States because nobody in their right mind would buy one Stateside. As usual for a modern Hyundai it’s very well screwed together, very economical, and not terribly exciting to drive. It’s at least competent…

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  • Outsiders Perspetive: 2015 Chicago Auto Show

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    The slogan of the 2015 Chicago Auto Show is “The Nation’s Largest Auto Show”. That’s funny, last I checked New York was in the same nation as Chicago. [Ed. Note – Chicago is the largest by way of public attendance. Chicago folks love their auto show.] Nevertheless, the Chicago Auto Show or CAS as nobody calls…

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  • The Tata Nano Debacle

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    After much pomp and fanfare about it being the cheapest car in the world and saving thousands of motorists from having to drive around in deathtraps or “even worse”, motorcycles, the Tata Nano was released to a collective *sigh* from the people that should’ve been rioting to have one. With a new generation (supposedly) coming…

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  • What’s Aspirational for You?

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    Today I break new ground in the world of automotive journalism. Today, I make fun of yuppies. Yuppies that have no idea about what they buy other than the fact that every single one of their mates owns one.

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  • Outsiders Perspective: The Chevrolet Classic Was Not Just a Rebadged MalibuUnfortunately

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    In 1992, some months before I was born, General Motors launched the brand new Opel Corsa B. A thoroughly modern design for a supermini, it replaced the eighties-tastic Corsa A (known as the Vauxhall Nova in the UK) and was a surprisingly competent vehicle from a company that was throwing dud after dud for ages.…

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  • An Outsiders Perspective: 2015 North American International Auto Show

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    I went to an auto show once. It was held on the parking lot of a hotel and didn’t have a single concept car or preproduction model. There were no new vehicles released and nobody was ringing to get your attention over to their own stand. There were however a lot of people very interested in…

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  • No, You Would Not Buy the Volkswagen Amarok Either

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    I did a figurative spit take when I saw that Hyundai had gone totally bonkers at the NAIAS and launched a Ute concept. Of course, I knew the chances of such a vehicle entering production are about the same as the chances of Rolex announcing that they’ll make an economy line of digital watches. Still it’s a…

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  • Where Diesel Makes Sense

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    A lot of baguettes were dropped in France a couple of weeks ago when the state decided that diesel, previously the apple in the eye for France, would now be an outlaw because it’s harmful for the environment. In America, diesel is a niche market at best and you have to drive a lot of…

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