Rowing season is coming up in about a month, which should make everyone excited: I’m excited because I enjoy it so much… everyone else is excited because it will whip my scrawny butt back into shape.

I’m also working on the Stonewall Regatta, which DC Strokes will host on June 2, 2007. So any of the auto manufacturers are out there who may be interested in being a presenting sponsor, let me know. We’re are a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, and we’re cheap… some of us more than others.

The Strokes will also be having a little fundraiser at JR’s on Sunday March 4th from 7pm to 10pm selling jello shots. So, come on out if you want to see cute, fun guys in Lycra.

If I decide to sell shots that night, it should be easy to pick me out. I’ll be the one who looks like he hasn’t rowed in months, and will be jiggling as much as the Jello.

The automotive press and blogosphere has been buzzing about DaimlerChrysler selling off its US arm. First, it was reported General Motors would buy Chrysler… then it was Hyundai (who of course denied it) and now it’s GM again. I’m not going to claim to know how likely these reports are, but I will say that either GM or Hyundai buying Chrysler would be a huge mistake.

First, let’s take on the Hyundai rumor: Hyundai already has two automotive divisions throughout which it shares platforms. Can anyone tell how a Hyundai’s personality is any different than a Kia? I didn’t think so. Purchasing Chrysler would give it two more automotive divisions, Chrysler and Dodge, which would be more upscale than it’s current portfolio, but would leave it with two divisions, Hyundai and Kia, scrapping for the lower end of the market.

The only thing that Hyundai would get out of purchasing Chrysler would be Jeep. I figure the price tag for Chrysler will be higher than simply Jeep would command. On top of everything else, I’m sure that Hyundai would inherit the UAW contracts, which would introduce unions into Hyundai’s US manufacturing… something they have shrewdly avoided up to now. Apparently, Hyundai has wisely decided to concentrate on improving quality and inching the Hyundai brand upmarket.

General Motors would be even a bigger disaster. GM has too many brands as it is, and is struggling to differentiate each to the American public. Also, there is no part of Chrysler where GM does not compete directly: Chrysler competes with Buick, Dodge competes with Chevy, Jeep competes with GMC. What would GM get out of the acquisition:

• Additional manufacturing? They are already trying to shutter the excess they have.
• A rear-wheel-drive platform? GM has already rolled out their own (see scumdilicious G8)
• Trail-rated SUVs? Umm… GM just sank a whole lot of cashola into the GMT900 SUVs, which did OK, but really didn’t pay off that well.
• Good minivan? You bet, though GM has exited the minivan business and concentrated on crossovers. Suddenly minivans are strategic again?
• More legacy UAW costs? Check, but GM needs that like a hole in the head.

The only good reason for GM to buy Chrysler would be to shut it down. I personally believe that there is plenty of room for Chrysler in the American automobile market, if DaimlerChrysler would run it correctly.

So how could DaimlerChrysler make a run of it in the US? Read the rest of this entry »

Realistically, I doubt anyone from GM would be reading this jumble of pages. Still, I have been shooting off my piehole that GM should be leveraging some of the better-than-the-crap-sold-in-the-UScompetitive products. Looks like someone at GM (Maximum Bob?) came to the same conclusion.

Today at the Chicago Auto Show, Saturn introduced the Astra. (Actually the press release was Monday) Basically the Saturn Astra is a rebadged version of the Opel/Vauxhall Astra. In my original post, I speculated that the four door sedan version, sold as the Chevy Vectra in Brazil, would be better suited to American’s preferences. Kudos to Saturn for bringing over the Astra as sold in Europe, but I still think that the sedan will be necessary. Though I prefer the hatchbacks for their utility, most Americans still can’t shake the idea that hatchbacks are somehow declasse.

And, if that wasn’t enough, Pontiac hauls out their new G8, basically a version of the Holden Commodore. I just think this is brilliant. The car is sexy, RWD, and even has a six speed manual transmission (eventually) available with the 362hp(!) V-8 engine. And, on top of specs that make my inner speed-demon go into spasms, the V8 will have “displacement on demand“, to placate my inner environmentalist. I’m not crazy about the hexagonal grille, but I imagine I could get a less offensive one aftermarket. Is it wrong to think about trading my BMW deliciousness for a Pontiac? Let’s hope that, unlike Pontiac’s last Australian import, this one actually is properly engineered and equipped. I’m betting yes.

Autoblog has lovely galleries of both the Saturn Astra and the Pontiac G8.

I pride myself on discriminating subtle differences among cars. I don’t know if automotive designers are running out of ideas, are lazy, or if I’m just getting old… but I’m having a tougher time. Most recently, I was having trouble distinguishing the Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 from any angle but the front, until I thoroughly examined each car in detail. (Come on, Toyota… even if the Lexus is just a tarted-up version of the Camry, couldn’t you have differentiated the two a little more!)

Based on the spy shots and press photos for the new BMW X5, I was preparing myself for another in-depth study, as the E53 X5 and the E70 X5 looked pretty much identical to me. Then I stumbled on this cool video, and I can clearly see all the differences.

I just returned from Cincinnati, where I spent Thanksgiving with my extended family.

Since I was going to be shuttling an hour and a half between Cincinnati and a small town in Indiana throughout the weekend, I decided to drive. The beauty of driving across multiple states is that one can compare the different roads conditions of each state, and see what works and what doesn’t. West Virginia seems to do it right… 70 mph, smooth pavement, and they don’t skimp on a third lane in the rural mountains. Pennsylvania has some of the worst road conditions and an ill-conceived interchange at I-79 N and I-70 W where the maximum safe speed is 20mph and the backup can be miles long.

And then there is Ohio. The bulk of my drive was spent in Ohio. The problem with Ohio is not its road conditions, nor its interchanges. Ohio has a HUGE pet peeve of mine: Two lane highways with dual speed limits. In Ohio, the automotive traffic can cruise along at 65mph without fear of the fuzz. Commercial trucks are supposed to suffer at 55 mph. We all know that most folks use speed limit are loose guidance, but on a holiday where the boys in blue are on the highways in force, traffic generally sticks a little closer to the speed limits. Dual speed limits, while disappearing, are still somewhat common. I personally think dual speed limits are inherently unsafe, as it creates two types of vehicles intermingling with large speed differentials.

Dual speed limits are especially annoying on busy 2 lane roads over holidays. The right lane becomes the de facto truck lane, and the left lane becomes the de facto car lane. Each lane inevitably becomes as slow as the slowest driver in it. Through much of Ohio I was stuck going no more than 65 mph… and I almost NEVER drive speed limit unless I have the long arm of law behind me. To make matters worse, occasionally a truck driver, obviously as frustrated as I, would decide to pass the pokey 55 mph truck ahead, and slow down the left lane even further. Other than some of the highways around cities, everything in Ohio has 2 lanes. Except…

Both I-70 and I-71 have an odd stretch in the middle of nowhere where they temporarily go to three lanes, only to merge back to two. They’re not around any steep hill, nor any busy interchange. It almost feels as if Ohio DOT is just taunting drivers, giving them false hope, only to take away the third lane and create a slight back up around the merge.

If Ohio had one speed limit, or a third lane on their interstates, I’m fairly certain that my 9 1/2-hour trip would have been closer to 8. Avoiding the erratic acceleration and deceleration, I estimate I would have saved around 10% of the gas used on the drive there. Also, I would have contributed less pollution.

Luckily, I returned after the holiday rush was over and during an off-peak time, so the drive back to DC was much more tolerable.

I thought that the Chrysler Imperial, at least as shown in concept form, would be dead. Apparently not. According to many reports, they are trying to decide whether to build it or not.

Chrysler already has less than spectacular numbers, and quite honestly, not much appealing in the pipeline. In fact, their latest disaster introduction already has cash on the hood.

My advice to Chrylser: Don’t build it! If you just MUST have something pricier and more luxurious that the 300, just coat the new 300 LWB in chrome trim, add fancy new taillights, headlighhts and grille and call it the Imperial. Less money invested development, less money invested in tooling, and probably better sales prospects.

Kicking Tires (yea, Dave!) reports that BMW is bringing back the manual transmission on the M5. Amen, alleluia.

I’m hoping that this is another step for BMW to return to it’s roots. Over the past several years, they have seemed to lose their direction. The Ultimate Driving Machine became the Ultimate Doohickey Machine, with lots of weird gadgets, and styling to match.

The new 3 Series, especially, gave me hope that BMW understood that they were losing the core constituency, and that they were working to bring back the faithful. One only has to compare the interior design evolution of the 3 Series, E46 vs. E90, to see that BMW is no longer building for the driver.

Adding a manual to the M5, at least in my mind, confirms they understand the error of their ways.

And before some yahoo tells me BMW hasn’t lost any customers: Two years ago, my father was looking for a replacement his E39 5 Series. He narrowed it down to the 545i and a M-B E500. As I usually do, I “helped” him test drive each (tee hee).

The 545i was hands down the better handling car, and much more fun to drive at speed. But… the Active Steering made the 545i terribly uncomfortable to drive at low speed. My father felt he would never be able to use iDrive except to set up some defaults at first. My parents felt the styling was more like a barge than a BMW. And finally the interior was decidedly cheaper looking than something costing around 70K. When push came to shove, the E500 was a car that was much more liveable than 545i.

Who knows, if BMW works hard, they may win him back.

Today, the DCist has a posting about the 11th Street Bridge renovations. Thankfully, many folks commented on the need to save the Anacostia Community Boathouse. Three of the four designs for the new 11th Street Bridge would destroy the boathouse, just as the second building is being realized.

As I mentioned, I’ve been rowing this summer. The Anacostia Community Boathouse is where we row. As the name implies, the boathouse is run and maintained by the community. Member organizations volunteer their time and dollars to keep this resource on the Anacostia River running day to day. The boathouse in return has given back to DC’s residents, through rowing camps and learn to row programs aimed towards those who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

Many clubs and schools call the Anacostia Community Boathouse home (notice, lots of schools and lots of dot-orgs):

• American University
• Bishop Ireton High School
• Capital Rowing Club
• DC Strokes
• Gonzaga High School
• Holy Cross High School
• National Capital Area Women’s Paddling Association
• Wakefield High School

So, you may ask, why not just move it? Ummm… where? With what money? And who is responsible to create a facility as well realized as what has taken almost 2 decades? A quick visit to the boathouse any morning or evening during the week will show how irreplaceable it is. In the short time I’ve been hanging around the boathouse, I’ve seen how central “Community” is to the Anacostia Community Boathouse, both literally and figuratively.

It is important that the Anacostia Community Boathouse survive, not just for my purely selfish benefit (though that should be enough), but for the benefit of all residents of Washington. More information is available at the ACBA’s website, and at Save the ACBA. In addition there is an online petition. The deadline for public comments is August 28th.

Once again, I’ve been absent way too long. It’s not that I don’t enjoy blogging… I’ve just had a lot going on.

First and foremost, I’ve been rowing with DC Strokes this summer. I LOVE it, but rowing two nights a week, plus Saturday mornings has required that I be more efficient at work (since I need to leave on time, and thus arrive on time and not piss my day away).

A death in the family, some time in P-Town, a pet project that may or may not appears on these pages plus other miscellaneous family obligations have distracted me for the past several weeks. But I’m renewing my commitment to bore the blogsphere with my ramblings… at least until the next shiny thing catches my glance.

Good news is that July and August have been relatively eventless in the automotive world, at least in the areas which I feel the need to comment on. It shouldn’t take long for me to catch up.