Chevrolet iReveal Application (Image provided by GM)

Austin, Texas, home to the “Keep Austin Weird” campaign, is preparing for one of the hottest gatherings around – the annual South By Southwest Film, Interactive and Music festival – March 12-21.

The breakdown is such:

Interactive: March 12-16
Film: March 12-20
Music: March 17-21

Corporate sponsors have jumped on board and this year that includes Chevrolet, who seeks to showcase the automaker’s embracing of the social media world.

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(All photos by the author)

Didn’t Ford just give us a new Super Duty, like, two years ago?

Yes they did. So why a complete makeover for this segment?

The government.

Yes, lawmakers in our nation’s capitol have mandated stricter emissions guidelines for the (diesel-powered) heavy duty pickup segment for 2010 and automakers have hit the end of their “grace periods.”

Ford (with GM to soon follow and Chrysler did theirs last year) gave its Super Duty pickup line not only a pair of totally new engines and transmission, but decided to address the entire vehicle with this model makeover. The result? The baddest big boy toy to date from the big blue oval.

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The (possible) internal memo from Suzuki management to product team: “Make our sport utility Grand Vitara a bit grander.”

Under the mantra of “Travel light and live fully,” Suzuki positions the Grand Vitara (along with some of its other vehicles) as a “lifestage” vehicle, not a move up or a move over.

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Nissan sent me the all-new Z roadster to test this week. Woohoo!

With all of the headlines screaming recall, stuck pedals and brake failure, what is a driver supposed to do or think?

First, don’t listen to the headlines or the top of the hour teasers as gospel, they are only there to hold your interest.

Second, hit the good old internet, but take all commentary with a grain of salt. The flood of information, both good and bad, is sure to have many eyeballs straining, giving curious consumers headaches and more questions than answers. In my local news broadcast this morning the anchor was reading a story about Toyota thinking about issuing a recall over the new Prius situation while the news crawler in the lower thirds was stating a recall had already been issued for some 270,000 vehicles. I sympathize with your confusion.

And it certainly does not help any of us when the top transportation dude says to not drive your recalled vehicle in front of a congressional panel and the next moment is totally recanting that statement when confronted by the press.

My advice?

Head to the manufacturer websites for their latest statements while also checking out a couple of government sites that provide information that may scare you as much as it informs. www.safercar.gov and www.nhtsa.gov are my two favorites for vehicle safety and recall information. Toyota may be getting all the headlines right now but a quick search of recent recalls on vehicles showed quite a few dispatches just in the month of December. And it really scares me at how many are related to school buses. Haven’t heard any of those on the evening news.

Most of all, folks – USE COMMON SENSE. If you feel there is an issue with your vehicle get it checked out right away.
Recalls have been happening for a very long time and they will continue to happen. This is a good example of the checks and balances system a free society enjoys. And remember that while the wheels of justice turn more slowly than the wheels on your car, they do turn.

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I admit I am old school and I apologize … for nothing.

I learned to type (originally) on a manual typewriter and perfected that craft on an IBM Selectric. I learned to drive in the family station wagon, before I had to wear a seatbelt. I still look forward to receiving the National Geographic magazine in the mail each month (although for slightly different reasons than when I was a young lad), and I get my hair cut by a barber.

And I still LOVE Camaros.

Sure, I have adopted modern technology into my current lifestyle and life stage, and Camaro has “matured” as well.
Deep down inside, though, resides a beating heart yearning for excitement and the ever-fleeting adrenaline rush. If you are asking am I describing myself here or the automobile, the answer is “Yes.”

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Once again automakers rolled out some eye candy at the annual North American International (Detroit) Auto Show. And once again it leaves many of us wondering which of the vehicles on display will actually make it into production, will they be affordable and are they really practical. Inspired by this, I am rolling out a list of 10 things to watch in 2010.

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USBFever.com has some of the coolest items available for gadget geeks and freaks (Hey, I resemble that…) A couple of items making their way into my hands recently (and onto my iPhone 3GS) are the 8X Telescope and the Custom Made Powered Cigarette Socket Mount with Dual USB Charging Ports. Continue Reading

I am going to wrap a pair of vehicles into this Grinding Gears entry. As we head down the 2010 highway I need to do a bit of housekeeping left over from the last decade. This time around I offer a coupe from across the Atlantic and a hybrid from across the Pacific.

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For those wishing all the latest news from media days at the 2010 North American International Auto Show here are a few suggestions:
Follow:
@NAIASDetroit or
@FreepAutos
Automakers will be generating lots of news at breakneck speed at this year’s shortened media preview event today, Jan. 11 and tomorrow, Jan. 12. When it is all said and done I will provide my own wrap-up along with my promised 10for’10, a look at the top 10 things to keep an eye on this year in the automotive industry.

Ford Motor Company has already made headlines this morning by earning both North American Car and Truck of the Year honors for the Fusion Hybrid and Transit Connect models, respectively.

As the automotive industry prepares for the 2010 North American International Auto Show I thought I would lead my ‘teen’ reviews with the vehicle that garnered truck of the year honors, the 2010 Ram Heavy Duty.

Notice I did not say “Dodge Ram” as the vehicle brand. Chrysler has chosen to spin its truck division apart from the Dodge world and simply call it “Ram.”

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If you like reading press releases from automakers and you just cannot get enough news from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, you are gonna love this. Here are the latest offerings from Ford Motor Company and technology partner INRIX being introduced today at CES in Las Vegas.

Ford introduced a smarter, safer, simpler system to connect drivers with in-car technologies and their digital lives today at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Building on its leadership with the award-winning SYNC® device connectivity system, Ford has combined a variety of technologies into one powerful, intuitive connected driver experience called MyFord, which will begin rolling out on vehicles this year. Continue Reading

This past calendar year has been an active one in the automotive industry. The federal government moved in to assist two of Detroit’s brands survive into the new year. We saw severe budget cuts, inventory and dealership reductions, reorganizations and a renewed push towards a “greener” future.

As we prepare for 2010, much is still the same. Politicians are still politicians, we still have loved ones defending the world on foreign soil and consumers are still buying cars and trucks.
Before the world turns the calendar to the “green teens,” here is a look back at some highlights – my top nine from ’09.

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(Click on image above to view slideshow)

When General Motors held its annual media drive regional program for new product, we thought it odd there was no mention of Cadillac, especially given the fact the luxury marque was launching two all-new vehicles this fall.
Those questions were put to rest this week during a unique event dubbed “Cadillac’s Culinary Christmas Media Tour” – a fun, food-filled afternoon of progressive dining with some of the area’s top cuisine masters and driving the latest offerings from the automaker.

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They may not be serving hamburgers at the corporate cookouts anymore, but luxury marques Jaguar and Land Rover still have the heart and soul of the British Isles. The 2008 purchase by India’s largest automaker Tata is yet to be readily apparent and each luxury brand is still about two-thirds UK sourced and about one-fifth German.

For 2010, each line gets some minor touchups (OK, the Jag XJ is all new, and Land Rover upgrades LR3 to a 4), but the biggest news is under the hood. New V-8 engines all around for the two brands, complete with more power and improved efficiency.

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