The “idiots gone wild” of adding every possible electronics to cars, while ignoring handling, and actual “driveability” has folks, especially Americans, buying rolling “smart phones” rather than “cars”. Interesting, that for DECADES the most failure prone component of automobiles has always been the “electronics”. (Especially that “Prince of Darkness”, Lucas!)
Battery improvements have made hybrids, and even electric drive systems practicable, yes, there are still “bugs” to work out. The REAL problem is that as engineers give “drivers” fewer and fewer things to actually THINK ABOUT, driver skills are declining, and after years of improvements, real safety is taking a reversal. While fatalities are down, accidents are actually UP!
Oh, and BTW, thanks to that “horrible” Obama policy, General Motors is once again the #1 auto manufacturer, instead of closed in bankruptcy, as MItt, and conswervatives would have it.
I had a Chevy Cruze as a rental car. I liked it. They do “work.” Something as complex as a modern auto can have a design flaw. The important thing is that GM is taking care of it.-—
Who else remembers the Ford Pinto model that caught fire or exploded when rear-ended? A $10 part would have prevented that, but Ford saved that $10 on each one they made and sold. Too bad for the folks burned in their Pinto.
rockngolfer almost 12 years ago
Meanwhile twice as many Toyotas had fires in their doors, where is that cartoon?
Dtroutma almost 12 years ago
The “idiots gone wild” of adding every possible electronics to cars, while ignoring handling, and actual “driveability” has folks, especially Americans, buying rolling “smart phones” rather than “cars”. Interesting, that for DECADES the most failure prone component of automobiles has always been the “electronics”. (Especially that “Prince of Darkness”, Lucas!)
Battery improvements have made hybrids, and even electric drive systems practicable, yes, there are still “bugs” to work out. The REAL problem is that as engineers give “drivers” fewer and fewer things to actually THINK ABOUT, driver skills are declining, and after years of improvements, real safety is taking a reversal. While fatalities are down, accidents are actually UP!
Oh, and BTW, thanks to that “horrible” Obama policy, General Motors is once again the #1 auto manufacturer, instead of closed in bankruptcy, as MItt, and conswervatives would have it.
cjr53 almost 12 years ago
I had a Chevy Cruze as a rental car. I liked it. They do “work.” Something as complex as a modern auto can have a design flaw. The important thing is that GM is taking care of it.-—
Who else remembers the Ford Pinto model that caught fire or exploded when rear-ended? A $10 part would have prevented that, but Ford saved that $10 on each one they made and sold. Too bad for the folks burned in their Pinto.