Posts by Chris Haak
Mazda’s Iconic Rotary Engine Reaches the End of the Line
When you think of the rotary engine, what kinds of things jump quickly to your mind? Let me try a few: Mazda, thirsty, rev-happy, oil-burning, RX-7, RX-8, quirky, Wankel. How...
Toyota To Try Transporting Tercels To Texas (and Other States) From Europe
Pardon the alliteration. It's late and I'm feeling a little loopy. Of course, Toyota hasn't called its B-segment model the Tercel since 2000, but something like "Yen's...
J.D. Power Initial-Quality Scores Show Some Surprises, Some Non-Surprises
It's time again for automakers to brace themselves for the release of the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Intial Quality Scores. These rankings, which document customer-reported...
What Improvements Does the Chevrolet Volt Need?
Yesterday, we posted a review of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt, a car that is controversial for a number of reasons, from GM's bailout, to the huge expectations heaped on the car, to...
Review: 2012 Chevrolet Volt
GM CEO Dan Akerson was told Congress this past January that the Chevrolet Volt is a "political punching bag." He's right, of course. The car has not come close to meeting GM's...
Four Cylinder Pony Cars Set To Return
There have been some rumblings over the past few weeks that the 2015 Mustang - which will be all-new, not heritage styled, and smaller and lighter than the current car - will drop...
Review: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
My wife doesn't know a lot about cars, but she does humor me from time to time when I excitedly share car industry news with her. "Hey, remember the A7 that I tested last...
Review: 2012 Dodge Durango R/T AWD
How's this for a crazy notion: Is Chrysler the new Hyundai? The answer, I think, is "no," but there are some interesting parallels between two automakers who at face value...
Romney Says He’ll Sell GM Stake Immediately
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney told the Detroit News that one of the first things he would do if elected president is to completely divest of the government's stake in...
Cars That Are Popular With Sub-Prime Buyers
There was an interesting article in today's edition of Automotive News that explored part of the reason behind Chrysler's dramatic sales rise over the past few months. While...