POPULAR BRANDS ON GOODCARBADCAR.NET

February has proved to be a popular month for Chevrolet on GoodCarBadCar.  More people have sought out the Chevrolet label then any other brand.  Here are two top ten lists, for February and the total since GoodCarBadCar's inception.

FEBRUARY

1- Chevrolet

2- Ford

3T- Cadillac & Chrysler

5- BMW

6- Lamborghini

7- Mercedes-Benz

8- Saab

9- Pontiac

10- Subaru

ALL-TIME

1- BMW

2- Honda

3- Mercedes-Benz

4- Toyota

5- Chevrolet

6- Ford

7- Volkswagen

8- Audi

9- Porsche

10- Chrysler

CHEVROLET HHR RECALL

Chevrolet dealers will be forced into placing a piece of energy-absorbing plastic along the headliner trim of the HHR retro utility/van/crossover. 181,516 HHR's do not meet government side-impact safety standards. 99,000 Cobalt's were recalled last year for a similar problem, reports CNN.  

The HHR is a high-style, practical, family vehicle that was designed by the same man responsible for the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the HHR's main competitor.  Chevrolet is introducing a performance version of the HHR this year, labelled SS.

PORSCHE CAYENNE RECALL

Porsche's SUV, the Cayenne, has been offered with a V6 for sometime. Complaints of heresy resounded when the Cayenne was built but the cries were not as loud, for some reason, when Porsche - great maker of the boxer six - decided to sell the Cayenne with a V6.  

Now there's a problem with the V6 Cayenne's, those built between November of 2006 through last month.  If you own one of these vehicles; fret not.  The repair takes 40 minutes.  The fuel line will be rearranged because of unexpected wear, tear, and abrasion when the engine moves around.  Yes, engines always move a little, but in the case of the Cayenne V6, the cladding surrounding the engine rubs places it ought not be rubbing.  

It's expected that 19,000 vehicles are affected.  

LACROSSE - THEN AND NOW

Larry Edsall's 'Concept Cars', a book I received for Christmas, features a brief look at the 2000 Buick LaCrosse concept.  Had the LaCrosse hit production with the exterior of that '00 concept, we'd have considered it controversial but beautiful.  "Can Buick really sell such an overt and audacious vehicle?", the motoring press would have queried.  

Those questions would have arised amidst many compliments - directed at GM for its willingness to take a risk, at Buick designers for drawing on history and looking to the future - and the LaCrosse would have been a roaring success or a complete flop.  Rather than the 2000 LaCrosse, we have mediocrity.  And forgettable design.

The LaCrosse, known as the Allure in Canada (because of awkward connotations!? Lacrosse is Canada's national sport) is forgettable itself.  Cross-shopped with the Chrysler 300, it appears weak.  Contrasted with the Honda Accord, it seems to lack connection with the driver.  Contrasted with the Buick Enclave, it comes across as half-a-Buick.  At the time, the LaCrosse concept was heralded by Buick's general manager as the latest evolution of the classic American sedan.  Roger Adams said that the "LaCrosse is a realistic vision of a potential future Buick flagship vehicle...", but if so, what does that make the production LaCrosse?  The latest devolution of the classic American sedan?  C'mon Buick - we anxiously await the day we can see Enclaveness affect the rest of the brand.  

HONDA NEWS QUOTES

"We have worked for a long time to give Honda a better image. Five years ago, our dealers would never have believed that we could lift Civic and CR-V prices by £4,000 and still command the secondhand values to back them up. But we did it - and now we intend to repeat the exercise with the Accord." Graham Avent, Honda UK corporate operations manager, explains the justification behind Honda's attack on the big German trio of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. -> Birmingham Mail

"There is a great deal of work to do over the two remaining tests before we head to Melbourne, but I am now happier in the car and have more confidence to push it to the limit." Jenson Button, Honda F1 driver, after much practice and testing ahead of 2008 Forumla 1 season. -> ITV-F1

"We made some good steps with the driveability this week which have given me more confidence getting on the power." Former Ferrari F1 driver and current teammate of the previously-mentioned Jenson Button, with just a few weeks until the first race of the season. -> ITV-F1

"That would represent a nine-yen weakening in the dollar and a 180 billion yen drag on operating profit. Can we offset that with an increase in vehicle sales? Like I said, next year is going to be a down year for us." Fumikho Ike, Honda's CFO, describing the situation that'll lead to Honda's revenue growth going AWOL until 2009. -> Guardian

"Considering the importance and competitiveness of the car industry, we are entitled to higher wages." Yuji Kato, president of the Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers' Unions, which is pushing for wage hikes from Toyota, Nissan, and Honda; where the union wants salaries to rise 1,000 yen monthly. -> Bloomberg

VAUXHALL WANTS SINGERS

Vauxhall, GM's UK outpost, recently commissioned a study regarding singing in the car.  The results?  In-car acoustics are surprisingly excellent, indicating that the best place for improving your vocal ability is while you're driving.

Singing through your downtown congestion (not nasal congestion; traffic) also helps relieve stress.  Along with Arup Acoustics, Vauxhall discovered that a roof-up convertible or windows-up car helps reflect sound, especially when the vocals are directed forward.  When an individual's voice starts blasting from window to window to window, the sound amplifies.  Amplified sound instills confidence in the singer, encouraging even greater effort.  

This begs the question: which brand of vehicle hosts the greatest drivers-cum-singers?  Any nominees?  With no Vauxhall's available in North America, does this mean the Saturn Astra is the singer's choice?

TOYOTA HITS THE HEART OF AMERICA

The United States of America is not Formula 1. The heart of America is not found on soccer fields.  Indeed, sushi is not an American staple. Chicken & ribs is more likely to be found on tables in Kansas tonight.  American families could be watching their kids prepare for baseball season this spring and summer.  And... America is NASCAR.  Says who?  

Says Toyota.  Fortunately for Toyota, just days before a few dozen drivers attempt 500 miles of racing in Daytona, Denny Hamlin won one of the Gatorade Duels on Thursday.  Tony Stewart, a fairly prototypical old-time American racer, finished second.  Denny and Tony - them boys are Toyota boys.  

True enough; these Gatorade Duels are just qualifying races.  Toyota can't take hold of the lead in the standings based on qualifying races like this.  Points aren't even handed out.  However, it does put three Toyotas in the first three rows of the Daytona 500, significantly raising the massive Japanese automaker's hopes on Sunday.  This might not be news yet, but the news on Monday could be headlined by an ugly, V8-engined behemoth with a Toyota badge on the front. Backlash not mandatory, but possible.  This is supposedly "The Great American Race", after all.