(BroBible.com)
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Unsexy Is Sexy Is The Auto World
NYIAS: Contrary To The Axiom, Boring, Not Sexy, Is What Sells
So when Masahiro Moro, President and CEO of Mazda North American Operations, calmly stood next to his gorgeous new creation last week, with little fanfare or adulation, and said these words in while standing front of a black wall, accompanied only by the silence of the room, I believe he did it purposefully. Here’s what he said:
“Other companies have become quite successful by not caring if their cars are boring or not.”
Mic drop. And you know what? Moro-san is absolutely right.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a good supercar story as much as the next guy. However, times have changed. The young people of today have a decidedly #feelthebern nature to them. They’re offended by mere chalk drawings. This is a generation that no longer aspires to wealth — they despise it (that is, until they acquire some of their own in the future). They don’t dream of owning a Ferrari, they dream of keeping people from being able to afford one. And as America chooses its path toward two extreme sides of the same coin in the upcoming election, one can’t help but think that the supercar will continue to lose relevance. Either increased wealth inequality will make the supercar a target for the new Bolsheviks, or a villainous upper class will be made to pay for their sins by relinquishing their possessions.
But until then, it cannot be denied that the mid-sized sedans and smallish CUVs continue to dominate the marketplace. And the brands that lead the way? Toyota and Honda? They don’t even have flashy, expensive halo cars. You can talk all you want about Acura and Lexus, but you’ve gotta drive a hundred miles or more to see a Lexus store in the majority of flyover-country states. You’ll never see an NSX on a dealer lot, unless the dealer principal himself buys one. No, it’s the Camry, Accord, Corolla, RAV4, Civic, and CR-V that rule the day.
(TheTruthAboutCars.com)
So when Masahiro Moro, President and CEO of Mazda North American Operations, calmly stood next to his gorgeous new creation last week, with little fanfare or adulation, and said these words in while standing front of a black wall, accompanied only by the silence of the room, I believe he did it purposefully. Here’s what he said:
“Other companies have become quite successful by not caring if their cars are boring or not.”
Mic drop. And you know what? Moro-san is absolutely right.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a good supercar story as much as the next guy. However, times have changed. The young people of today have a decidedly #feelthebern nature to them. They’re offended by mere chalk drawings. This is a generation that no longer aspires to wealth — they despise it (that is, until they acquire some of their own in the future). They don’t dream of owning a Ferrari, they dream of keeping people from being able to afford one. And as America chooses its path toward two extreme sides of the same coin in the upcoming election, one can’t help but think that the supercar will continue to lose relevance. Either increased wealth inequality will make the supercar a target for the new Bolsheviks, or a villainous upper class will be made to pay for their sins by relinquishing their possessions.
But until then, it cannot be denied that the mid-sized sedans and smallish CUVs continue to dominate the marketplace. And the brands that lead the way? Toyota and Honda? They don’t even have flashy, expensive halo cars. You can talk all you want about Acura and Lexus, but you’ve gotta drive a hundred miles or more to see a Lexus store in the majority of flyover-country states. You’ll never see an NSX on a dealer lot, unless the dealer principal himself buys one. No, it’s the Camry, Accord, Corolla, RAV4, Civic, and CR-V that rule the day.
(TheTruthAboutCars.com)
The Horespower Wars Of The Late 90's/Early 2000's Was The Golden Age
How long will the 'golden age' of performance last?
High-powered sports and luxury cars were everywhere at the New York Auto Show, prompting the obvious question for enthusiasts: How long will this golden age of performance last?
Industry leaders have some time before regulations elevate the Corporate Average Fuel Economy level in 2025. Even then, they expect cars rippling with power to survive in some form.
"Is it the end of an era," I don't think so," said Ola Källenius, Daimler AG board member for Mercedes-Benz cars marketing and sales. "That performance element of individual mobility I don't think will ever go away."
Källenius, who oversaw the company's AMG division from 2010-2013, expects it to continue to grow. Last year, AMG sold a record 68,875 units around the world, an increase of 44.6 percent over 2014, with strong growth in the US, China, and Germany.
Still, there's always the potential for gas to spike, and pending fuel economy regulations are looming. That could lead AMG to add electrification to its products, Källenius said, pointing to the electric SLS as a test case.
Chevy is also thinking ahead, said Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Camaro. He wouldn't bite when asked about electrification for the Camaro (he did say "never say never"), but admitted in 2025 "it's going to be pretty tough to sell V8s."
For now, things are rosy for muscle cars, and Chevy confidently showcased the 640-hp Camaro ZL1 in coupe and convertible form in New York. "I think that this is truly the golden age of performance," Oppenheiser said.
It's hard to disagree.
(AutoBlog.com)
High-powered sports and luxury cars were everywhere at the New York Auto Show, prompting the obvious question for enthusiasts: How long will this golden age of performance last?
Industry leaders have some time before regulations elevate the Corporate Average Fuel Economy level in 2025. Even then, they expect cars rippling with power to survive in some form.
"Is it the end of an era," I don't think so," said Ola Källenius, Daimler AG board member for Mercedes-Benz cars marketing and sales. "That performance element of individual mobility I don't think will ever go away."
Källenius, who oversaw the company's AMG division from 2010-2013, expects it to continue to grow. Last year, AMG sold a record 68,875 units around the world, an increase of 44.6 percent over 2014, with strong growth in the US, China, and Germany.
Still, there's always the potential for gas to spike, and pending fuel economy regulations are looming. That could lead AMG to add electrification to its products, Källenius said, pointing to the electric SLS as a test case.
Chevy is also thinking ahead, said Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Camaro. He wouldn't bite when asked about electrification for the Camaro (he did say "never say never"), but admitted in 2025 "it's going to be pretty tough to sell V8s."
For now, things are rosy for muscle cars, and Chevy confidently showcased the 640-hp Camaro ZL1 in coupe and convertible form in New York. "I think that this is truly the golden age of performance," Oppenheiser said.
It's hard to disagree.
(AutoBlog.com)
This Is Not Good News, But There's An Interesting Reason For It
Roscoe's Chicken N' Waffles Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
It's mostly due to one giant discrimination lawsuit
Looks like it could be trouble for iconic Southern California brand Roscoe’s Chicken ’N Waffles. According to a CBS Los Angeles report last night, the company has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move aimed at consolidating its debts to hopefully stave off a full-on shutter down the line.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy is most often associated with large companies that have become saddled with an outsized amount of debt with relation to their profits, and that certainly seems to be the case here. Roscoe’s has more than half a dozen locations across the region, but owes money to vendors and other companies that it’s become unable to pay while still operating normally.
The biggest name on the list of pursuers? One Daniel Beasley, who successfully sued Roscoe’s last fall for discrimination, winning over $1 million in his claim that an all-Latino management treated him unfairly in order to favor other Latino workers. The family behind Roscoe’s declined to comment at that time on the case, and hasn’t so far said anything regarding the Chapter 11 court filing, either. For now, it’s business as usual at your local Roscoe’s Chicken ’N Waffles, but in the future, if this bankruptcy stuff doesn’t get resolved amicably, that could very well change.
(LA.Eater.com)
It's mostly due to one giant discrimination lawsuit
Looks like it could be trouble for iconic Southern California brand Roscoe’s Chicken ’N Waffles. According to a CBS Los Angeles report last night, the company has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move aimed at consolidating its debts to hopefully stave off a full-on shutter down the line.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy is most often associated with large companies that have become saddled with an outsized amount of debt with relation to their profits, and that certainly seems to be the case here. Roscoe’s has more than half a dozen locations across the region, but owes money to vendors and other companies that it’s become unable to pay while still operating normally.
The biggest name on the list of pursuers? One Daniel Beasley, who successfully sued Roscoe’s last fall for discrimination, winning over $1 million in his claim that an all-Latino management treated him unfairly in order to favor other Latino workers. The family behind Roscoe’s declined to comment at that time on the case, and hasn’t so far said anything regarding the Chapter 11 court filing, either. For now, it’s business as usual at your local Roscoe’s Chicken ’N Waffles, but in the future, if this bankruptcy stuff doesn’t get resolved amicably, that could very well change.
(LA.Eater.com)
Haters Gonna Hate - Los Angeles Edition
The 10 Sickest Burns About Los Angeles
5) Christopher Hitchens:
"It’s mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they’ll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them aren’t even young and beautiful now."
Complete list (LAWeekly.com)
5) Christopher Hitchens:
"It’s mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they’ll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them aren’t even young and beautiful now."
Complete list (LAWeekly.com)
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