Holden GTO Or a Pontiac Monaro?

As a usual Saturday goes, if i'm not going to work, I involuntary make my rounds through some of Naperville's best car dealerships, more commonly known as dealerships... there will be more humor than just that coming up shortly. I am usually hunting out the latest model to review, possibly test drive something, or find something that I never expected to see and oodle over it all day.

A future classic muscle from down under is the Holden Monaro, Australia's version of of our short lived 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO.

2004-2006 Pontiac GTO

2006 Holden Monaro

At Naperville Auto & Cycle Sales, I spotted this GTO with the Holden badge on the back, but not the front, which was clearly the Pontiac...

The GTO in question

A Holden badge that can easily be bought through eBay

This was a change of pace, exciting to see a Holden badge in America, I have loved Holden since 2008, and 2010 when I went to New South Wales Australia.

Its been a very popular trend to buy cars and switch the badgeing and passing it off as something not available in America.

There is a facility in Denver,CO, called Left Hand Utes where they legally buy the parts for Holden Commodores and Utes and swap the parts of Pontiac GTO's and G8's to make US registered Australian master pieces.

Some shots of the back of the properly badged models for reference:

Pontiac GTO

Holden Monaro

Longer and Brighter is Better:Part II

A day later, and more casual driving got me thinking of more cars that fit in with the redder crowd of four wheelers.

Lets just jump right in... we know what we're talking about.

As the current Dodge line-up, when Swedish maker Saab was one its last leg with U.S. sales, the final production models had to be the most futuristic Saab any car enthusiast has ever seen.

The bar was thin, grey/clear plastic, and red LED tubes on both sides of the car.

2010-(us)2012 Saab 9-5

(US)2012 Saab 9-5 Sport Combi

(us)2011-2012 Saab 9-7X

A more personal favorite of mine in this case, are the Oldsmobile Aurora and Lincoln Mark 8.

1995-1999 Oldsmobile Aurora

1992-1998 Lincoln Mark 8

To carry on Lincolns award winning design of cars, back then and now, most of these models hold the characteristic of a red stripe on the back of the car.

2009-... Lincoln MKT

2015 Lincoln MKC

2015 Lincoln Navigator

2007-2010 Lincoln MKX

2013-... Lincoln MKZ

As the new Lincoln MKC arrives this summer, parent Ford's Edge concept will come to market to match the design as in 2007 with then launched Edge/MKX SUV's.

2015 Ford Edge concept

The Honda Odyssey minor tweaks for 2014 come with the advantage of making this post... guess why? 

2014 Honda Odyssey 

More, as I can imagine, is still to come in part III.

Seeing Double

I was browsing through Google searches of Saturn cars and thinking in 5 more years, no one will know the name Saturn, what it is or what the yell is the logo supposed to be... I clearly see its the planet Saturn's rings, but it remains controversial if that's really it.

Point is, I passed over a picture of a 2006 Saturn Vue Red Line, and first thing that came to mind was... it looks like a Porsche.

How can a Saturn look like a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, yet the front end shares shares striking similarities on ventilation:

Although the front look the same, the rears, as many SUV's are just plain with the name and license plate indentation .

Longer and Brighter the Better.

Over the last 30 years, right around the start of 1970, the rear end of the car was and still is considered a very important part of the vehicle, you can sit on the truck, put stuff in the truck, advertise beliefs and jokes through the use of bumper stickers and show other drivers who you are.

 The taillights of are crucial in both the design of the car and the laws that go with what is acceptable and against the law in the driving world, at least in North America.

Popular car-enthusiast site Jalopniks editors have discussed the variations of taillights, who does it better and what designs work vs. old or now unconventional ways to show drivers behind you your stopping.

Anyways, in the more recent models, car manufacturers have been utilizing the wasted space in the rear, and are putting what I call " bar tail lights" in place of little "stud " lights.

Perfect example of "stud" brake lights, nothing against the Lotus Elise, just the tiny size of the lights.

As cars are becoming more advanced to benefit humans need to pass a task off the something that can do it for them, cars, like people, are imitating the better one the be like that one.

I really like the "bar tail lights", from the middle 80's to 2015 concepts, the car looks more complete, and overall better with a stream of red LED tapered around the rear apposed to two segregated orange and red  boxes on opposite sides of the truck lock.

Here is the un-complete list of cars that fit my interest in long, LED, sexy, futuristic break lights.

(Again, the years of these cars range from the 70's to concept cars of tomorrow.)

Over that last few years or so, Chrysler Group has made dodge a sleek, exciting brand for all consumers, and a unified brand indeed, each vehicle rear is designed to look the same, which in this case is a great thing, and inspired me to write this article.

Here are the dodge vehicles that sport the nature of this article:

2010-14 Dodge Charger

2013-... Dodge Durango

2010-14 Dodge Challenger

2013-... Dodge Dart

Then there are more luxurious, prestigious cars that fit the category of uniform tail lights:

2015 Acura NSX

2014 Mercedes-Benz Coupe SUV concept

2015 Porsche 911 (Targa)

2016 Porsche Panamera GTS

The new 2015 Audi A3 Quattro has that neatest advancement to Porsche designed rear spoiler that automatically lifts at a certain speed, now many manufacturers are using the technology, yet Audi has automatic flashing censer lights when braking at high speeds.

Article from Jalopnik:
http://jalopnik.com/the-audi-a3-clubsport-quattro-has-this-ginormous-air-br-1583209945

When I claimed some cars from the 70s and 80s also have these kind of lights I so desperately love, its is also the Uncompleted list, and I have been writing this on and off for over and hour, so what else I come across will be covered in part 2.

Older models include:

1993-(05) Alfa Romeo GTV/Spider

Rear of  1990 Buick Skylark

1986-91 Buick Skylark

Ford Recalls Over 1.3 Million cars.

Ford announced today that it is recalling over 1.3 million SUV's and cars in North America to fix power steering, rusting floor panels and floor mat problems.

The recalls come as only as a precaution as automobile safety is being watched closely by Congress.

The Justice Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating General Motors delayed recall of small cars for ignition switch problems.

Also, Justice recently made Toyota pay a 1.2 million penalty for hiding information from government safety regulators.

In the largest of the Ford recalls, the company also is calling 915,000 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariners to fix a problem with a torque sensor within the steering column. 

The problem could cause loss of power-assisted steering, making the SUV's more difficult to control and increasing the risk of a crash.

The company recommends one of three fixes: 

replacing the sensor, updating software or replacing the steering column.

 The recall affects model year 2008 through 2011 vehicles built between Aug. 18, 2006 and Sept. 11, 2010.

Another recall covers 196,000 Ford Explorer SUV's from the 2011 through 2013 model years. An electrical problem in a steering gear can knock out power steering. Dealers will either update software or replace the steering gear.

Ford also issued two additional recalls Thursday:

Over 196,600 Taurus sedans from the 2010 through 2014 model years. They can rust around the license plate light, which can cause a short circuit and fire. The cars were sold in 20 states and Washington, D.C., where salt is used to clear roads of snow and ice.

82,500 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and Lincoln MKZ cars from the 2006 through 2011 model years. Floor mats in some cars could come in contact with the gas pedal if improperly installed. Dealers will replace the mats.

This is all lead on because of GM's neglect in answering to their own problems sooner, now the government is practically issuing all automotive manufacturers to send cars back and retest their ability to keep customers safe and continue to buy.

Manufacturers are more willing to issue a recall at this point because their sheer number in recent months has become a sort of background white noise for consumers.

General Motors Recalls 2014-15 Trucks & SUV's.

General Motors announced on Friday that it is recalling about Five-hundred pickup trucks and SUV's are being recalled to fix a potential problem with an airbag sensor.

The 2014 and 2015 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL models may have a potentially faulty supplier part in the sensing and diagnostic module, which controls the vehicle air bags.

A total of 500 vehicles, but it is not known how many vehicles are in customers’ hands or dealers’ lots so far.

 Already General Motors has halted the shipment of 3,500 vehicles to dealers while it investigates.

General Motors is not sure when the problem will be resolved, but vehicles in dealer inventory will be repaired before they are delivered to customers.

General Motors sent a bulletin to Cadillac dealers yesterday indicating that parts recently sent to fix an airbag defect for 2015 Escalades may have been defective themselves.

The improper fix was the result of last week’s recall of 1,402 Escalades due to a problem where the passenger airbag may not deploy completely in an accident. 

GM also has warned customers to not let anyone ride in the passenger seat before the vehicle has been serviced.

General Motors has instructed dealers to cross-check serial numbers on parts they have already received against a list of “suspect” numbers.
Part of the instrument panel must be removed to check the part’s serial number to determine if it is the suspect item.

If you are keeping score, this is GM's 7th recall this week and 30th since Jan. 1.

The 2014 recalls so far cover about 13.79 million vehicles in the U.S.

The company said that the 500 trucks, which it has determined have not yet been shipped from their plants or are still on dealer lots, cannot be sold until the repairs are made.

GM's issued so-called "stop-sale" order applies only to this specific group of vehicles and that no other similar vehicles are affected.

General Motors Recalls 218,000 Chevy Aveos.

If you thought the trouble finally stopped, your wrong, today General Motors is adding 218,000 subcompact cars to its growing list of recalled vehicles.

The new recall covers certain Chevrolet Aveo cars from the 2004 through 2008 model years.

 GM says the daytime running light module in the dashboard center stack can overheat, melt and cause fires.

The recall posted Wednesday on a U.S. government website is GM's 30th report so far this year. It brings the total number of vehicles recalled by the company since January to 13.8 million, breaking its own annual record.

Recall documents didn't say if the problem has caused any fires or injuries and GM says it will  provide a plan to fix the problem as soon as possible.

The high number of recalls is fallout from a deadly ignition switch problem that is responsible for at least 13 deaths.

General Motors Recalls Another 2.4 Millions Cars!

The automaker recalled another 2.4 million U.S. cars and trucks Tuesday, including 1.3 million popular late-model crossover vehicles, and 1.1 million older cars.

The crossover SUVs being recalled -- Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook -- have a problem that can cause the front seat belt to separate from the car during a crash. GM said it is a serious enough problem that it is ordering dealers not to sell new or used models of the vehicles until repairs are made. The model years involved are 2009 to 2014.

GM was hit with a $35 million fine Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for a delay in reporting problems with a faulty ignition switch tied to at least 13 deaths. GM engineers knew of the switch problem as early as 2004, but the company did not start recalling the cars until February this year.

General Motors Continues With More Recalls!

Today, General Motors adds more cars to their heavily growing list, with another 2.7 million being recalled for reported minor defects in wiring, braking, and windshield wiper fluid hoses.

GM recalled over 11.1 million vehicles so far this year, and has only sold 904,000 new vehicles as both of these numbers are bound to get worse. The latest opinion is that the cadillac ELR is the new official biggest car flop as the predicted sales and production numbers both as well, come in way lower than expected.




As the latest recall news goes:

These are remarkably broad and it captures some of the company’s most celebrated models. Sure, GM is mostly welcoming back into the shop 2004 to 2012 Chevrolet Malibu's.

Also, they are recalling 19,225 of its current Cadillac CTS sedans, Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year,” as well as some 500 contemporary Silverado and Sierra pickups and 112,000 Corvettes from 2005 to 2007.

Some 2015 models chassis rods can come loose, resulting in an automatic crash, none have been reported yet as most of the potential models haven't left dealer lots yet.

Even though many of the potential defects seem valid and dangerous, GM is apparently erring well to the side of caution with its sweeping response. 

Take the purported issue on the Cadillac's: GM says the windshield wipers could stop working after a jump-start and when they are gummed up by ice and snow—that seems like a fairly specific set of conditions. 

The Corvettes, meanwhile, may have an issue with their low-beam headlights.

Highlights:

General Motors recalls 2.7 million cars, including Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura midsize cars. 

General Motors has now recalled 11 million vehicles this year and may break its 2004 US record of 11.8 million recalls.

General Motors Recalling over 60000 Saturn Aura's

General Motors Company is recalling 59,628 Saturn Aura mid-sized cars in the United States and Canada because the automatic transmission shifters may fail, according to documents filed with U.S. safety regulators.

GM is aware that 28 crashes and four injuries occurred because of this, but no deaths were reported relating to the issue over the last seven years.

The No. 1 U.S. automaker is recalling certain 2007 and 2008 model Aura cars equipped with four-speed transmissions because the transmission shift cable could break, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which the car could shift itself when driver does not want the car change driving position, thus causing an accident, or death.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles 5-year plan explained

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, which will become the Holdings company for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles after fiat spA bought 100% of Chrysler Group LLC on January 29, 2014. Today, Chrysler Group LLC held a 12 hour press conference at there Auburn Hills, MI headquarters on their intentions for the next half a decade.

Here is everything that they proposed at the meeting that will happen in the next 5 years.

not named small Jeep SUV

Jeep Renegade in 2015/2016 that will replace the current Jeep Compass and Patriot.

Talk of a Luxury 7-passenger Grand Wagoneer in 2017/2018.

Next generation Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler in 2017.

Refresh the Jeep Renegade, Cherokee and tweak Grand Cherokee in 2017.

Chrysler will produce a Town & Country plug-in hybrid minivan in 2016.

Chrysler 100 (Lancia Ypsilon) in 2016.

A full size crossover to compete with the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano in 2017.

Also a plug-in hybrid version will be made of said crossover SUV.

Chrysler 300 SRT is dead.

Fully redesigned 300 in 2017.

Discontinuing Grand Caravan.

Discontinuing Avenger.

Both cars are too strongly related  to Chrysler counterparts.

SRT brand and will once again be mirly a name of Dodges most powerful vehicle, the Dodge SRT (Viper).

Redesigned Charger and Challenger performance cars in 2015.

Redesigned Dodge Dart and Journey in 2016.

Fiat Diablo based Ram Promaster City in 2015

Dodge Dart SRT  in 2016, resurrected Neon SRT4.

A new subcompact hatchback in the works.

Alfa Romeo is back to the States for real, NO fool'in!

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider launch.

Total of 8 possible US models in by 2018.

Fiat 500X Crossover in 2015.

Maserati SUV called the Levate.

Alfieri coupe and Cabrio sports car.

.