Accelerate Mpls

Mark this down next to Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and the rest of the fallen brands (Oldsmobile and a long list we will not go over). Today Ford announced that Mercury is dead. They will wind down by the end of the fourth quarter this year. Remember how Mercury was going to bring back the Tracer based off the new 2012 Ford Focus? Yea that is not going to happen. More attention will be focused on Lincoln and that division will get seven all new or severely refreshed cars. Ecoboost will spread throughout the Lincoln lineup including the next generation Navigator. That essentially just confirmed there will be a next generation Navigator. Ford went on to say that Lincoln will become a technology powerhouse, with more features and better fuel economy than the competition. It also confirmed that a C segment car based off the 2012 Focus will come to Lincoln now. I actually believe that something can be made of Lincoln is Ford really works at it. Ford will have to either really do something and put its weight behind Lincoln like they say, or else it too will probably have to be on the chopping block at some point. Time will tell.

Episode 23 starts by discussing what CAFE standards are and also what the next generation standards will be along with when they are going into affect.  Moving into the garage we talk about the GMC Acadia I was in for the past week along with the Chevrolet Traverse Colin was in.  We then move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• Death of Hummer
• Honda Ridgeline May Not Return
• Infiniti G to get four-cylinder Mercedes engine/ 2011 Audi Q7 gets three new V6s

We then proceed to the clip of the week segment.  This week we featured an ad telling Canadians to stop urinating on the planet. (Link)

Next came our main topic which was discussing CAFE standards and solutions to meet those standards.  We mainly talk about different materials used in building cars currently and possibly in the future.

Last we discuss the past week on our respective blogs, Cheers and Gears,  AutoBird Blog and Accelerate Mpls.  The week in review included- my editorial on the Koreans Are Coming, and the first Mpls Cars & Cafe of the season.  Cheers and Gears had a post on the 2016 CAFE standards.  Colin had posts about Canadian sales numbers and a post about Engineering Speed by the one and only William Maley.

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Episode 20 starts by introducing this weeks guest, the one and only Jeff Glucker joining us from The Hooniverse.  Jeff kicked us off by telling us a little about himself and how The Hooniverse came to be.  I had nothing in the garage this week but Jeff has a Buick Enclave and we discuss that.  We then move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• Chrysler Starts Production of New-Age V6
• Ford Motor Co. is bringing wondrous tales along with trucks to little-used theaters in rural Argentina
• Corvette Central: Revamped C7, radical mid-engined C8 in GM’s plans
• GM Temporarily Restarts Saturn, Hummer Production

We then proceed to the clip of the week segment.  This week we featured a Tennessee Man who attempts rock slide ramp, fails

We continued with our newer section called tweetmeme.  This week we focused on Ray Wert vs. Jason Calacanis.

Next came our main topics.  This week the topics included the most recent Toyota Prius issues and the performance specs of the upcoming McLaren MP4-12C.

Last but certainly not least, we discuss the past week on both of our respective blogs, AutoBird Blog and AccelerateMpls.  The week in review included- Cop Car Wars and my 2010 Chevrolet Traverse review, along with the post on Colin’s blog about the Truth In Advertising.

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Episode 17 starts by introducing this weeks guest Erich Merkle joining us from Autoconomy.  Erich joins us in the second half of the podcast for the main topics of the week.  I then discuss the four door long box Ram 2500 with a cummins diesel engine that I drove during the past week.  What an experience.  We move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• Cadillac to Create ‘Luxury World’ in New Ad‘ Campaign
• Hyundai to recall 2011 Sonata because of door glitch

We tried out a new section this week called tweetmeme.  This week we focused on the demise of Hummer and peoples reactions on Twitter.  Zeroing in on how people reacted both initially and after the news sank in.

We then proceed to the clip of the week segment.  This week we featured a newer Subaru ad about being pet approved – Parallel Parking

Next came our main topics at which point Erich joined us.  This week those topics included Toyoda going to Washington and the Toyota hearings, Hummers current situation, the upcoming New York Auto Show, and we touch on the future of the industry and Chrysler.

Last but certainly not least, we discuss the past week on both of our respective blogs, AutoBird Blog and AccelerateMpls.  The week in review included- my video interview with Hagen Durant and my first drive video of the ZR1, along with Colin’s gas prices post.

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Episode 9 starts by discussing the past week on both of our respective blogs, AutoBird Blog and AccelerateMpls. The first topic was the Cadillac SRX that I drove this past week. The rest of our conversation focused on the year in review. Everything from the sad stuff to the funny stuff, nothing was left out. Things mentioned included the best/worst automotive brand of the year, best/worst nameplate of the year, the Ram brand, losing Saturn, Saab, Pontiac, Hummer, and much much more. We look forward to episode 10 in 2010!