Robipedia

At a time when new car sales are as high as they have been in some time, Chevy dealers are resisting GM’s determination to foist the electric vehicle on a car buying public that clearly doesn’t want it. I wonder if all of the Volts have been sold to quasi-government organizations? The only Volt I have seen in person apparently belongs to TVA, as it sits in the Summer Place parking garage most days, connected to its charging station.

Major S.A. dealership suddenly shuts down|WOAI: San Antonio News.

This is evidently one of the Dodge dealers that the Obama administration allowed to stay open, while it forced others to close. This is the direct result of politicians making political decisions to reward friends and favored constituencies, and to punish perceived enemies.

Transportation: California’s high-speed train wreck – latimes.com.

An artist's rendering of the proposed San Jose stop on the $43-billion high-speed rail line. (California High-Speed Rail Authority / Bloomberg)

The Los Angeles Times supports the concept of high-speed rail in California, only taking apparent issue with the politics of this proposal. The problem with this stance is, everything about high-speed rail in the United States is political. If high-speed passenger rail was economically viable, then existing commercial railroads would invest in it. Freight rail is poised for spectacular growth, because unlike passenger rail, there is a market for freight rail. Railroads in the U.S. have invested money in technology and equipment in anticipation of increased volume. Conversely, there is not enough demand, either now or in the foreseeable future, to make high-speed rail profitable. Even as gasoline prices continue to climb, Americans still prefer driving their cars to taking the train.

High-speed passenger rail has the potential to reduce carbon emissions and petroleum use, but in order to do so, it must present a pratical alternative to travel by car. As of now, it is still not seen that way by most Americans. Ironically, freight rail offers a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions right now, via increased use of intermodal transit.

This is what you do when you want to get somewhere. From the Daily Caller article:

Amtrak Acela

The Non-Conspiracy | RedState.

I have been saying the same thing about the Obama adminstration for some time now.

1967 Corvette Stingray

Of all the classic American performance cars I have lusted after in my life, this one stands out. I remember seeing a new ’67 Corvette Stingray when I was about 6 or 7 years old. The impression it made then has never left me. This example appears to be a very faithful restoration of the top of line model for that year, the 427/435 horsepower big block convertible with the three 2 barrel carburetor setup known as the Tri-Power option.

I think this car represents the peak of the American muscle car phenomenon, because it is one of the last, best examples of all out performance, before safety and pollution controls, rising gasoline and insurance costs, and popular sentiment conspired to emasculate these vehicles. The hood scoop and power bulge are not just for looks- you would not be able to close the stock hood over the huge powerplant. Even at idle, the exhaust has a serious tone, and at full throttle, the sidepipes make a bellowing racket just inches from the occupant’s ears. And above all else, it is beautiful. The 427 Shelby Cobra might (or might not) outrun this ‘Vette, but the Harley Earl design of the mid-year Stingray is much more stylish and attractive.

427/435 horsepower big block

Corvette purists often say that the big block cars don’t handle as well as the 327 versions, but that is beside the point. This car was meant to fight the horsepower wars and win. The competition was fierce, from street Hemi Mopars and 427 Fords, as well as other GM offerings such as the Pontiac GTO and Olds 442. The 427 Stingray could outrun these muscle cars in a straight line, and would leave them way behind when the roads turned twisty.

The fact that cars like this one sell for $200K + says that the styling and engineering that went into them has stood the test of time. Even though modern performance cars such as the 2011 Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger are much more refined, there will never be another car like the 67 big block Stingray.

Of course Obama’s EPA is moving unilaterally to regulate greenhouse gases. The midterms clearly showed the will of the people- no more onerous regulation in pursuit of nebulous environmental goals. But Obama and his eager bureaucrats know better.From the article:Two days after the midterm elections, Obama served notice that he would look for ways to control global warming pollution other than Congress placing a ceiling on it. “Cap-and-trade was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way,” he said. “I’m going to be looking for other means to address this problem.”

Just as the federal government overreacted to the Gulf Coast oil spill with restrictions on offshore oil drilling, the EPA intends to continue its jihad against capitalism with new limits on greenhouse gases. When this President refers to “skinning the cat”, it’s very clear that American industry and American consumers are the ones getting skinned.

Data shows 61% drop in Wyo energy leasing | Wyoming Business Report.

Oil well near Shell, Wyoming

Please follow the link and read the report. Do not believe this administration when they tell you their goal is energy independence. Not only are they wasting incredible sums of tax money on “green energy” boondoggles, but at the same time they are discouraging domestic energy development. This is something to keep in mind as gasoline prices once again approach $3 per gallon. In 1981, Ronald Reagan removed obstacles to domestic oil and gas production such as windfall profits taxes. The result was lower prices for gasoilne for the next several years, which helped to fuel (pun intended) the longest, strongest economic recovery in American history. The Obama administration seems determined to do just the opposite, by pursuing policies that ensure higher energy prices for Americans. Their advocacy for uneconomical green schemes coupled with their aversion to domestic energy exploration seem destined to lead to higher prices, and perhaps even shortages of gasoline and diesel fuel. Barack Obama has recently been compared to Jimmy Carter in many unflattering ways. He should begin now to prevent the reappearance of the gas lines and closed stations that helped to doom Carter’s reelection effort of 1980.

gas line in Maryland, 1979

Obama Bolsters U.S. Hybrid Automobile Sales in Waning Consumer Market – Bloomberg. There are several sound reasons why consumers are not buying hybrids:

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Why does the Obama administration hate cars? Is this antagonism toward personal vehicles just another attempt to turn America into Europe, where tiny cars clog tiny streets, and gasoline costs much more than it does in the U.S.? Or is it a case of “smart cars for thee, but not for me”, where only the ruling class will get to keep their motorcades of a dozen armor-plated Chevrolet Suburbans?

The car you want

Last month, the EPA proposed a change to the decades-old fuel mileage stickers found on all new cars. One of the ideas being subjected to public comment is a rating statement which gives actual letter grades to various types of cars, based on their estimated MPG and also their exhaust emissions. Pure electric cars would get an “A” grade, while hybrids or flex fuel vehicles would get a “B”. Full-size SUV’s and high-horsepower performance cars get a “D”.

While it is very nice of the government to offer helpful suggestions of what type of car is best to buy, the car-shopping public has already voted with its wallet. The gargantuan Ford Expedition and luxurious Lincoln Navigator saw huge sales increases in an otherwise dismal August auto sales report (WardAuto.com, September 1, 2010). Also, the top two best-selling vehicles in America continued to be full-size pickup trucks from Ford and Chevrolet (The Wall Street Journal, September 22, 2010).

The car they want you to have

Meanwhile, on the hypocrite front, word came from Detroit that the Reverend Jesse Jackson had his super-sized Cadillac Escalade stolen and stripped- while he was attending a green jobs seminar! As someone once said, you can’t make this stuff up. It’s just like when Al Gore has to cancel a global warming speech due to a snowstorm.

Finally, we learned from Obama’s erstwhile car czar Steven Rattner that the President, frustrated with the effort to bailout GM and Chrysler (and the UAW), allegedly said, “why can’t they just make a Corolla?” Um, Mr. President, GM did build a Corolla- it was called the Chevrolet Nova in the 1980’s, and it was built at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California. The plant was a joint venture between GM and Toyota that operated for over 20 years, until first GM and then Toyota pulled out this year.

There are many reasons why “they” can’t build a small car to compete with Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and others. Inflated union wages are one, but mostly, it is over-regulation of the marketplace that prevents U.S. manufacturers from profitably building and selling subcompacts. One would think that the head of the most “progressive” (regulation-happy) administration in history would know about that, and thus would not have to ask the question.

The Corolla that Chevy built