Steve Parker Motoring / The Car Nut

WENDELL SCOTT SHOULD BE IN NASCAR HALL OF FAME

Fortune 500 and other major international corporations spend hundreds of millions --- of our dollars --- on NASCAR

NASCAR has a fabulous chance to grab some positive, international public attention as insiders and fans vote on the first five members of the sport's new Hall of Fame, but, as they've done before, the powers-that-be have blown it.

Five top vote-getters of 25 nominated drivers, owners and wrenches will be honored in the sport's multi-zillion dollar Hall of Fame being built in Charlotte, NC. See the nominated group and find out more about the Hall of Fame by clicking anywhere on this line.

NASCAR's first and best-known Black race-winner, Wendell Scott, isn't among those eligible for the Hall. He didn't even make the top 25; voters for the final five couldn't pick Wendell Scott if they wanted to.

And ... some cynics (and probably realists) ask ... who can blame NASCAR for the "omission"?
Wendell Scott in 1977

The sport's TV ratings and attendance have dropped as its popularity has reached a plateau, coincidentally much like the Republican Party's, with its major base of support in the nation's southeast and those fans being overwhelming male and White. Why risk the enmity of some of those fans, it's probably asked by the sport's leadership and top sponsors, by nominating Scott for that first Hall of Fame group?

Scott was the first African-American to compete regularly in and certainly the only one to win a NASCAR Grand National race, now known as Sprint Cup, the sport's top national series. And this was in the American south of the 1960s, not the 21st century.

Scott's life story was portrayed in the 1977 film Greased Lightning, the driver played by Richard Pryor.
NASCAR Hall of Fame is being built in Charlotte, NC

Weekend radio shows - NASCAR's racism rears head ... again; Clunker program over

Join us LIVE Saturday and Sunday at 5pm Pacific time on www.TalkRadioOne.com for our exclusive LIVE motoring and motorsports talk shows!

Steve Parker's The Car Nut Show
Saturday starting at 5pm Pacific
www.TalkRadioOne.com

The Clunker Program is officially over some but local dealers are continuing the plan with their own rules --- Steve covers what you need to know about these new systems to save money! And when will the car-makers themselves start their own 'cash-for-guzzler' plans to keep sales strong? What happens to car sales now that 'clunkers' are just that once again --- clunkers? And Steve gives his "Sixty-Second Road Tests" of some of the many 2009 and 2010 cars he's driven recently. Plus all your calls!

Be sure to join-in the conversation: The call-in number is: 213-341-4353.

Steve Parker's World Racing Roundup
Sunday starting at 5pm
www.TalkRadioOne.com

Wendell Scott, NASCAR's first well-known African-American racer, has been left-out of the first group of five 'NASCAR Legends' slated for inclusion in the NASCAR Hall of Fame due to open soon in Charlotte, NC. ... Does this only add to the perception that at heart NASCAR remains a racist, sexist sport? Richard Pryor played Scott in the 1977 feature film "Greased Lighting." Danica Patrick says she's staying in IndyCar and Formula 1 is truly offering some of the most competitive and exciting racing in the world. Award-winning radio and TV motorsports host and ex-IndyCar racer Kurt Hansen joins us as he does every month-or-so to talk racin'. Plus your calls and emails!

The call-in number is: 213-341-4353. Podcasts of the shows are available one hour after the live shows' conclusions. That's this Saturday and Sunday at 5pm USA Pacific time on www.TalkRadioOne.com

Follow Steve Parker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/autojourno

Be careful! "Clunker" program over, but private versions sprout

Karl Benz's 1886 Motorwagen was the first auto to receive a government patent and is considered the first real "car;" unfortunately, it didn't qualify for the recent clunker program

Washington's CARS Program (the clunker law) is officially over, after moving somewhere between 700,0000 and 750,000 new cars and trucks off showroom floors.

Considering your point-of-view, the program has been either a wild success or just another step on the way towards Obama Socialism (when will your neighborhood's Clunker Panel show up at your front door and demand you get rid of your old car and buy a new one, and with the law on their side, too?).

But something we predicted here weeks ago seems to be coming true: on their own, dealers are offering their own versions of the clunker program. I saw one TV ad yesterday in southern California for a local dealership offering up to $2,500 for a traded-in "clunker" (here's a pertinent story we found: http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=120481).

The parameters for these private programs will certainly be different from the federal program, so check carefully before getting involved in any deal you may not fully understand. These programs won't be based on a 136-page law, as was CARS, but a much more casual way for buyers to feel better about their purchase.

As of today (Thursday), no car-maker has yet jumped into the "private clunker" pool, but it won't be a surprise when it happens (and we say it will).

And any dealer or car-maker considering starting their own clunker operation must make their mind up to do so fast ... the public has a way of forgetting what happened yesterday, much less last week, and jumping-in now will allow the dealer or manufacturer to take advantage of the great momentum the fed program has created.

There's no argument about this: CARS brought millions of people into dealerships who wouldn't otherwise have been considering a new-car buy, and, consumer confidence has taken a jump in the past month, something analysts credit to the program putting a lot of us in the mood to buy.

Chevy's 230mpg Volt --- What do YOU think?

Volt's first public showing two years ago in Detroit

By now we've all heard the news from GM --- the claim that the Chevrolet Volt extended-range hybrid will get as many as 230 miles per gallon in city use.

It's an exciting and bold claim, but the question is: What do you think will be the reality for Volt?

It's due for-sale at the end of 2010 and most analysts are saying the price will be near $40,000 (and no one at GM is denying that).

Volt's mpg ratings are a bit backwards from what we're used to; in-town mileage is much better than highway, because the first 40 miles in-town can be run on the lithium ion battery alone, no gasoline necessary. On the highway, Volt will make use of its gasoline engine to keep the battery charged, so mileage will be worse than in-town, but still impressively in the triple-digits, says GM.
Chevy's Volt as seen today at 230mpg announcement in near-production trim

Using EPA numbers, Nissan's Leaf EV (profiled in an earlier blog post), also due out late 2010, will achieve the equivalent of over 350 mpg, all the time. But of course it has to be stopped and recharged, while Volt, which can also be plugged-in for recharging, will use its gasoline engine to keep the battery 'up' while on the road.

One other thing I found a bit 'backwards' --- GM making the Volt announcement today, the same day some 250 GM dealers in California started selling cars on eBay. I thought the two stories should have had more space between them to get the most public attention. Maybe Bob Lutz should have had a little marketing input to GM's announcement plans today.
Volt at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show --- this prototype looked a lot different from what we saw today

But let's get right to it: What about the Volt? Will you be in the market for one? If so, why, and if not, why not?

Believe me --- top people from GM will be reading your comments.

Follow Steve Parker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/autojourno

 

Exclusive - Right wing "Big Lie" about clunker law exposed!

One of the major arguments against the clunker law comes from car collectors, restorers and enthusiasts who claim that the law takes potentially millions of perfectly good replacement parts off the road, and off of cars and trucks, forever.

Turns out, just as the claims that President Obama was born in Kenya and national health care boards will decide whether the old and sick can live or die, this isn't true.

With much of the more vocal opposition to the clunker law coming from southern Republican members of Congress with import car plants in their states and pro-business/anti-union Chamber of Commerce-type groups, whoever would imagine lies would be told about yet another Obama Administration initiative?

While interviewing Bailey Wood of the National Automobile Dealers Association for my TalkRadioOne.com radio show, The Car Nut (get the podcast anytime at www.TalkRadioOne.com) he casually mentioned, as if this were something everyone knew, that many parts of the clunkers ostensibly headed for the crusher could be parted-out and sold, including most all of the vehicle except for the engine block and drivetrain.

He also said that Texas has its own state-sponsored clunker laws in major metro areas, while both Texas senators voted against the federal law, but that's yet another story ...

So let's go to the 136-page law itself, "DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 49 CFR Parts 512 and 599, [ Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0120 ], RIN 2127-AK53, Requirements and Procedures for Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program," to see what the rule really says (it's available as a .pdf file at www.cars.gov; click on the "Official Information" tab at the top of the page then "Download the Law").

Here are some excerpts:

"The CARS Act specifies that while many parts of the trade-in vehicle
are permitted to be removed and sold, in the end the residual vehicle, including the engine block, must be crushed or shredded."

"The dealer must agree to transfer the trade-in vehicle to a disposal facility that will crush or shred it so that it will never be returned to the road, although parts of the vehicle, other than the engine block and drive train (unless the drive train is sold in separate parts), may
be sold."

"The CARS Act contains an explicit Congressional instruction to take measures to prevent fraud and the statute's clear environmental objective is to ensure that the fuel inefficient parts of the vehicle are never again used on the highway. Taking the above considerations into account, including the Secretary's authority to prescribe the manner in
which the trade-in vehicle, including its engine block, is transferred to a disposal facility, the agency has determined that the prudent course of action, consistent with Congressional concerns about crushing or shredding, resale and fraud, is to require permanent disablement of the trade-in vehicle's engine block as a part of the qualifying
transaction under this program."

Senate roll call on 'cash for clunkers'

Associated Press

Here's the 60-37 roll call Thursday by which the Senate agreed to a $2 billion extension of the "cash for clunkers" program. Voting yes were 51 Democrats, 7 Republicans and 2 independents. Voting no were 4 Democrats and 33 Republicans.

ALABAMA

Sessions (R), No; Shelby (R), No.

ALASKA

Begich (D), Yes; Murkowski (R), No.

ARIZONA

Kyl (R), No; McCain (R), No.

ARKANSAS

Lincoln (D), Yes; Pryor (D), Yes.

CALIFORNIA

Boxer (D), Yes; Feinstein (D), Yes.

COLORADO

Bennet (D), Yes; Udall (D), Yes.

CONNECTICUT

Dodd (D), Yes; Lieberman (I), Yes.

DELAWARE

Carper (D), Yes; Kaufman (D), Yes.

FLORIDA

Martinez (R), No; Nelson (D), Yes.

GEORGIA

Chambliss (R), No; Isakson (R), No.

HAWAII

Akaka (D), Yes; Inouye (D), Yes.

IDAHO

Crapo (R), No; Risch (R), No.

ILLINOIS

Burris (D), Yes; Durbin (D), Yes.

INDIANA

Bayh (D), Yes; Lugar (R), No.

IOWA

Grassley (R), No; Harkin (D), Yes.

KANSAS

Brownback (R), Yes; Roberts (R), No.

KENTUCKY

Bunning (R), No; McConnell (R), No.

LOUISIANA

Landrieu (D), Yes; Vitter (R), No.

MAINE

Collins (R), Yes; Snowe (R), Yes.

MARYLAND

Cardin (D), Yes; Mikulski (D), Not Voting.

MASSACHUSETTS

Kennedy (D), Not Voting; Kerry (D), Yes.

MICHIGAN

Levin (D), Yes; Stabenow (D), Yes.

MINNESOTA

Franken (D), Yes; Klobuchar (D), Yes.

MISSISSIPPI

Cochran (R), No; Wicker (R), No.

BULLETIN - It's back on! Senate approves $2 billion more for 'Clunkers'

5:32pm Pacific - From the National Automobile Dealers Association:

Car shoppers and dealers across the country breathed a sigh of relief today when the Senate approved a House measure adding $2 billion to the wildly successful "cash for clunkers" initiative. The additional funds will allow dealers to continue offering consumers up to a $4,500 incentive to trade-in an older gas-guzzler for a new, more fuel-efficient car or truck.

Late last week, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) advised the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that the program's funding was running dangerously low because of glitches in the government computer program which caused an overwhelming backlog of transactions.

"Cash for clunkers is a resounding success," said John McEleney, NADA chairman and a multi-franchise dealer in Iowa. "With the additional $2 billion, even more clunkers will be taken off the road and replaced with more fuel-efficient vehicles. Extending the 'clunkers' program benefits the environment and the economy. It's the best kind of stimulus."

A NADA survey also revealed an environmental benefit: consumers were purchasing or leasing vehicles eligible for the higher $4,500 credit (a 10 mpg improvement over the trade-in) by a two-to-one margin over the $3,500 credit (a four mpg increase over the trade-in).

Also, the additional $2 billion funding for the "clunkers" program substantially reduces the risk that dealers will not be reimbursed for deals already completed.

(Hear Bailey Wood of NADA on my radio show Saturday, 5pm Pacific time, www.TalkRadioOne.com --- and be sure to call-in with your questions and comments, yea or nay!).

Follow Steve Parker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/autojourno

 

This weekend on radio: Clunker law, Nissan Leaf EV, F1 and good ol' boy racin'!

Join us LIVE Saturday and Sunday at 5pm Pacific time on www.TalkRadioOne.com for our exclusive LIVE motoring and motorsports talk shows!

Steve Parker's The Car Nut Show
Saturday starting at 5pm Pacific

Bailey Wood of the National Automobile Dealers Association, naturally one of the prime movers behind the Clunker Program, is our guest. We'll get the latest on Friday's US Senate vote to fund and extend the program, go over the program's details to understand how it works and what to expect at the dealer, and cover the objections some have to the program. And Steve gives his "Sixty-Second Road Tests" of some of the many 2009 and 2010 cars he's driven recently ... and a report on the Nissan Leaf EV, introduced this week in Japan and due for-sale worldwide in late 2010. Plus all your calls!

Be sure to join-in the conversation: The call-in number is: 213-341-4353.

Steve Parker's World Racing Roundup
Sunday starting at 5pm

Award-winning radio and TV motorsports host Kurt Hansen joins us as he does every month-or-so to talk racin' ... he knows whereof he speaks! The Indy Racing League held a race last weekend and the Penske and Ganassi teams did NOT finish 1-2-3! And that's big news! Are technical and aerodynamic changes and additions the IRL has made to the race cars and their engines working in favor of the fans by making for better, closer racing? NASCAR begins to seriously address all those fans coming to races dressed as empty seats and Ron Hornaday keeps setting records in the truck series. Michael Schumacher readies for his return to Formula 1, filling-in for the injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa beginning this month at the European Grand Prix ... plus your calls and emails!
Ron Hornaday in front of a NASCAR truck race earlier this year, his normal habitat

The call-in number is: 213-341-4353. Podcasts of the shows are available one hour after the live shows' conclusions. That's this Saturday and Sunday at 5pm USA Pacific time on www.TalkRadioOne.com!

Follow Steve Parker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/autojourno

 

NISSAN LEAF EV BACK STORY - ONE MAN'S VISION NOW REALITY

Nissan's Leaf EV in profile ... it's due for sale worldwide in 2010

Yesterday we caught a glimpse of transportation's future. And you can bet that today the oil companies are somewhat nervous.

Nissan introduced their close-to-production Leaf electric vehicle at their new headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, just south of Tokyo, It is the fulfillment of company CEO Carlos Ghosn's dream of bypassing the hybrid craze and being the first major car-maker to go directly to EVs. The company says it will go on-sale worldwide in late 2010 (Renault-badged EVs should follow soon after).

Ghosn's (pro: Go-on) determination to move directly to EVs, whether successful or not, is unique among the major car-makers, and he must be respected for that. I like a car company which takes chances, especially in this economic climate. It's exactly what Detroit should be doing - something bold.
Company CEO Carlos Ghosn introduces the Nissan Leaf EV at the company's new headquarters in Yokohama, Japan

At each of the past few Tokyo Motor Shows, Nissan has displayed their latest lithium-ion (LION) battery technology; the batteries were smaller and lighter at each successive show. This year's show should see the Leaf in production trim.

On my radio show recently, my guest was an original GM EV1 lessor, an NBC-TV network technician who has been an EV enthusiast for years. In line for a Mini E, he found out the day before he was to receive the car that apparently BMW, Mini's maker, took exception with some things he'd said and written on the web; he didn't get the car, but he's driven several and loves it.

During the interview, I asked him if battery technology was still the biggest obstacle to mass-produced EVs. I was somewhat surprised when he said no; that the latest LION batteries are dropping in price for the car-makers and when EVs finally get on the road, prices will naturally drop even more. That's good news, especially for Nissan, given yesterday's announcement.
Leaf looking much as it will when it goes into production next year

GM, which has seen costs skyrocket on their planned-for-late-2010 Volt "extended-range hybrid," should also be cheered that battery prices are at least starting on a downward trend.

A five-passenger medium-sized hatchback, Leaf is built on a lithium ion battery-powered chassis with regenerative braking. The battery is placed under the seats and floor, increasing room for passengers and cargo.

No pricing and little performance information was released, but Nissan promises the Leaf will be competitively priced in its segment, which is what we'd expect them to say.

Our automotive radio shows this weekend

Some people say the Opel GT is what the Corvette should have been --- in any case, the first big Cash for Clunkers program started in Germany. Opel's home nation, and was a big success

Join us LIVE Saturday and Sunday at 5pm Pacific time on www.TalkRadioOne.com for our exclusive LIVE motoring and motorsports talk shows!

Steve Parker's The Car Nut Show
Saturday starting at 5pm Pacific

Big auto story of the week - we'll all talk about the four-month long Cash for Clunkers program which lasted all of four days. The White House has already put another $2 billion into the program, originally-funded with just $1 billion, but many questions remain about why the program was slated for such a short lifespan in the first place - and with "only" $1 billion. One thing there's no question about: The program wonderfully "primed the pump" for domestic and import car-makers and their dealers!
This cute, little1970 Dodge Dart Swinger Classic can't participate in the clunkers program --- only cars and trucks less than 25 years old make the grade

Be sure to join-in the conversation: The call-in number is: 213-341-4353.

Steve Parker's World Racing Roundup
Sunday starting at 5pm

Former seven-time World Driving Champion Michael Schumacher is back in a Ferrari F1 race car! He's going to fill-in for the injured Felipe Massa until Massa can come back and re-take his seat. At the height of his career, Schumacher was the highest-paid athlete in the world, with a salary from Ferrari estimated to be near $90 million annually; endorsements, personal service contracts and other activities made Schumacher incredibly wealthy --- but it's one of those rare cases where --- he deserved it! And not a steroid in sight ...
Michael Schumacher pictured in his natural habitat - the business end of a Ferrari F1 car ...

Ferrari F1 driver Felipe Massa is out of intensive care and his prognosis is guarded but good after a crash during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Pix which nearly killed him. A piece of the rear suspension of a Brawn Mercedes GP car fell off in front of Massa and the small piece hit Massa's head at over 170 miles an hour. It penetrated his helmet, causing several life-threatening skull factures, a serious concussion and a very deep cut right above Massa's left eye. Ferrari is especially concerned with Massa's eye and whether the injury will affect his sight or allow him back into the sport.
Felipe Massa handles the curves at a recent Australian Grand Pix

Plus, we get you up-to-date on NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA drag racing and all the rest ...

The call-in number is: 213-341-4353. Podcasts of the shows are available one hour after the live shows' conclusions. That's this Saturday and Sunday at 5pm USA Pacific time on www.TalkRadioOne.com!

Follow Steve Parker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/autojourno