Williams Auto Group

Electricity and Muscle

Here's a link to an article in at SFGate.com on this years Detroit Auto Show, which opens today.  Two prominent, if contradictory, trends this year are electric/hybrid vehicles and muscle cars.  Pictured above is a Toyota FT-CH hybrid subcompact concept vehicle.  (Click the pic to read the article).  Toyota this year will look to extend its dominance of the hybrid vehicle market through the extension of the Prius nameplate.  Detroit also marks the first appearance of the Nissan Leaf in an auto show - Nissan's plug-in electric car which has been the subject of much anticipation.  And many other global manufacturers plan to show new hybrid or all-electric vehicles at this year's show.

The other hot segment?  Muscle cars!  Yes, those high-performance street racers are selling well, showing that lots of folks don't mind getting a little spendy for the buzz of good old-fashioned automotive power.  There's some high octane enjoyment for ya!

More Smiles Per Mile?

Europe to Institute Draft!

Are you one of those people who has trouble reading in the car?  Do you get a little queasy from the motion, or is it because the steering wheel keeps knocking the book out of your hands?

No, this is not an admonition against distracted driving, which is, of course, a real problem these days, as evidenced by hands-free phones and lots of new no-texting-while-driving laws.  Rather, let us introduce you to the concept of the Road Train.

First, meet Sartre.  No, not existentialist philosopher/author Jean-Paul Sartre.  No, this Sartre seems even stranger, and refers to Safe Road Trains for the Environment.  It is a Euro-concept designed to increase highway fuel economy by taking advantage of the lower wind-resistance formed when lines of vehicles travel in tandem.  In this arrangement, a lead vehicle will be followed down the highway by a line of vehicles organized in a tightly-grouped, aerodynamic caravan. (We NASCAR fans know this aerodynamic property as drafting!) The kicker is that the caravan of vehicles will be controlled by the lead vehicle, leaving the occupants free to read, eat, sleep, but presumably not talk on the phone or text anyone, since that will still be against the law.  It will also, we imagine, either spell the end of road rage or increase it to a new level, featuring massive road train vs. road train donnybrooks.  Look for at least a ten year turn-around time on this one.