Driving Like Jimmie Johnson—or Not

As readers of Automotive Design & Production know, the staff has an opportunity to drive a number of vehicles on a fairly regular basis. Often, we are out somewhere with a group of other journalists, including those who work for the so-called “buff books,” such as Car and Driver, Automobile, Motor Trend, etc. These people have a real affinity for driving. And remarkably, some of them are actually really good drivers—and I mean really good. No, I’m not talking Jimmie Johnson or Michael Schumacher here, but I am almost always amazed at the facility and dexterity exhibited by some of my apparent peers. (I could go on at some length about those who imagine that the laws of physics and man are suspended because they’ve been given the keys to a brand-new BMW for a day, but we’ll let that go.)
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2010 Ford Taurus SEL

2010 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Quattro Tiptronic

2010 Lincoln MKS

2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring SE

2010 Mazda3 Four-Door Grand Touring

Driven Archives

Decade of the Brand! (You Figure It Out—If You Can)
"At a time when brands are struggling to differentiate from their competition and to find ways to profitably engage their customers, the changes this year serve as a bellwether for marketers. – Read More

Mazda: Help Wanted to Zoom-Zoom
Although this won’t have a huge effect on the unemployment rate in Japan—which is about 5.1%, the sort of number that people in the U.S. can only dream about—Mazda Motor Corp. has announced that it is planning to add 110 people to its engineering ranks and 25 to its office staff for fiscal year 2011. – Read More

Land Rover: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It. . .
To describe the weather that was experienced in the U.K. this past January as “extremely inclement” would be to profoundly understate the case. Freezing temperatures, ice that stressed the salt-supplying system, and snow that had nowhere to go all added up to one rather unpleasant situation. – Read More

“Recall, Shmecall”
With all of the attention to recalls, you might think that car buyers are standing en masse outside dealer service departments pounding on the doors, demanding that whatever is wrong is taken care of tout suite.

Apparently that’s not the case. – Read More

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GM’s Reuss: Why We Continue to Like This Guy
Two passages from the presentation made by Mark Reuss, president, GM North America, to the Midwest Automotive Media Association yesterday at the Chicago Auto Show, that are worth noting:

“Our new vision for GM is simple: Design, build, and sell the world’s best vehicles ... Read More