What Car Names Really Mean
ACURA -Another Crummy, Useless, Rotten Automobile
AMC -All Makes Combined
AMC -A Major Cost
AMC -A Mutated Car
AMC -A Morons Car
AMC -Another Major Catastrophe
AUDI -Accelerates Under Demonic Influence
AUDI -All Unsafe Designs Implemented
AUDI -Another Ugly Duetsche Invention
AUDI -Always Undermining Deutsche Intelligence
AUDI -Automobile Unsafe Designs, Inc.
BMW -Babbling Mechanical Wench
BMW -Beastly Monstrous Wonder
BMW -Beautiful Masterpieces on Wheels
BMW -Beautiful Mechanical Wonder
BMW -Barely Moving Wreck
BMW -Big Money Waste
BMW -Big Money. Why?
BMW -Big Money Works
BMW -Born Moderately Wealthy
BMW -Breaks Most Wrenches
BMW -Bring Many Wrenches
BMW -Brings Me Women
BMW -Brings More Women
BMW -Broken Money Waster
BMW -Broke My Wallet
BMW -Broken Monstrous Wonder
BMW -Brutal Money Waster
BMW -Bumbling Mechanical Wretch
BMW -Blasphemous Motorized Wreck
BUICK -Big Ugly Import Car Killer
BUICK -Big Ugly Imitation Chrome King
BUICK -Big Ugly Indestructible Car Killer
BUICK -Big Ugly Indestructible Compact Killer
BUICK -Big Ugly Indestructible Car Killer
CADILLAC -Crazy And Demented Idiots Like Large American Cars
CADILLAC -Cars Are Driven In Long Lines And Crashed
CHEVROLET -Car Has Extensive Valve Rattle, Or Loud Engine Ticks
CHEVROLET -Cracked Heads, Every Valve Rattles, Oil Leaks Every Time
CHEVROLET -Can Hear Every Valve Rap On Long Extended Trips
CHEVROLET -Car Has Extensive Valve Rattle On Long Extended Trips
CHEVROLET -Cheap, Hardly Efficient, Virtually Runs On Luck Every Time
CHEVROLET -Cheap Heaps Erratically Vibrate Running On Level Even Terrain
CHEVROLET -Constantly Having Every Vehicle Recalled Over Lousy Engineering Techniques CHEVROLET -Cracked Heads, Every Valve's Rotten, Oil Leaks Every Time
CHEVY -Cheapest Heap Ever Visioned Yet
CHEVY -Can Hear Every Valve Yell
DODGE -Damn Old Dirty Gas Eater
DODGE -Dead Old Dog Going East
DODGE -Dead On Day Guarantee Expires
DODGE -Dead On Delivery, Go Easy
DODGE -Dead On Delivery, Guarantee Expired
DODGE -Dead Or Dying Garbage Emitter
DODGE -Drips Oil Drops Grease Everywhere
DODGE -Driven Only During Grey Evenings
EDSEL -Every Day Something Else Leaks
FIAT -Failed In A Tunnel
FIAT -Fails In Attempted Turns
FIAT -Failure In Automotive Technology
FIAT -Feeble Italian Attempt at Transportation
FIAT -Fits In A Thimble
FIAT -Fix It Again Tony
FIAT -Flats In All Tires
FIAT -Found In A Trench
FORD -Fabricated Of Refried Dung
FORD -Fails On Rainy Days
FORD -Famous Odor Resistant Dog
FORD -Falling Off: Rusty Door
FORD -Fast Only Rolling Downhill
FORD -Fantastically Orgasmic Realistic Dream
FORD -Fastest On Road, Dip!
FORD -Fatally Obese Redneck Driver
FORD -Fault Of R&D
FORD -Final Organ of Reproductive Discipline
The simple car that was easy to fix with some simple tools have now become as complex as a supercomputer on wheels. Most people today have decided that automobiles of today are too complicated and just send their cars to a professional for repairs. As of January 2013, the average age of a vehicle operating on the roads today is 11.4 years old. (Associated Press, 2013). People are holding on to their cars a lot longer than in the past. Although, some claim that it is because today’s cars last longer. There is no doubt that today’s economy is also playing a part in the public’s reluctance to part with their older vehicles. However, cars will always need repairs.
"Is the Auto Industry's Recovery a 'Success Story?'." Internet Wire 24 Nov. 2010. General OneFile. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
On August 9, 2000, Bridgestone/Firestone, an international tire manufacturer, issued a recall of all its ATX, ATX II, and Wilderness AT tires. To date, the company has replaced 6.5 million tires (“Firestone death...”). Ford had contracted with Firestone to supply tires for all the SUV’s it produced. Together Firestone and Ford investigated the problems with the recalled tires. Despite much bickering between the two companies, the tires failed due to flaws in Firestone’s manufacturing and production.
In recent years, GM’s reputation as being one of the best automotive companies has been debated. The consumer has rejected some of their vehicle designs as
The mobile home was always breaking down they couldn’t go a week with out something on the Cortez breaking down. Whether it was the carburetor, engine or the tires it broke atleast once. The crew went threw about 5 different mobile homes, none of which did the job. The worst of the worst was one day in the winter while driving through Utah in the middle of a blizzard the mobile home broke down.
I can recall when my older sister in the 70’s had purchased a shiny new Ford Pinto and pulled it into the driveway. She used at that time what she thought was her best judgment along with an economical price but only to be succumbed by our Dad when he realized what she purchased. Ford Motor Company in the late 60’s were being overtaken by other countries car manufactures in the subcompact market. The Volkswagen Beetle was still formidable, and the VW Rabbit was on the drawing board. Datsun and Toyota were readying new models. Honda was preparing to change the nature of the competition with its Civic. (Lee Iacocca 's Pinto: A Fiery Failure) It would be 10 years later that Henry Ford II, Ford Motor Co. Chairman would fire the person who ultimately
A hybrid vehicle uses multiple propulsion systems to provide motive power. This most commonly refers to gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, which use gasoline (petrol) to power internal-combustion engines (ICEs), and electric batteries to power electric motors. Modern mass-produced hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, recharge their batteries by capturing kinetic energy via regenerative braking. As well, when cruising or idling, some of the output of the combustion engine is fed to a generator (merely the electric motor(s) running in generator mode[1]) which produces electricity to charge the batteries. This contrasts with all-electric cars which use batteries charged by an external source such as the grid, or a range extending trailer. Nearly all hybrids still require gasoline as their sole fuel source though diesel and other fuels such as ethanol or plant based oils have also seen occasional use.
During the 1960's the demand for sub-compact cars was rising on the market. Ford Motor Company, in competition with the foreign market, decided to introduce the Ford Pinto. The Ford Pinto was going to be the new wave for the Ford Company, but it was soon discovered that numerous problems existed. For example, the time that it took to manufacture an automobile was down from three and a half years to just over two years. Before production, however, the engineers at Ford discovered a major flaw in the cars design. In nearly all rear-end crash test collisions the Pinto's fuel system would rupture extremely easily (The Ford Pinto, n.d.). Other problems that were discovered compounded the problem that caused the fires. These included the gas tank being about six inches from the flimsy bumpers, the backend not containing rear sub frame members, and doors tending to jam shut in an accident. The fuel filler tube was prone to separate and create spillage (Alfred, n.d.).
Throughout the play, the playwright Edward Albee made it so there is a clear showing of several different literary allusions. But in this case, in that particular scene, the focus is on Tennessee Williams A Street Car Named Desire. First of all, In the beginning of the scene, the point where she is talking to herself, you can spot that she makes some references to “The Poker Game” the painting based on the scene in which fragile Blanche comes in on her animalistic brother-in-law Stanley's poker game. And secondly, George, when he enters with the flowers in hand, or snapdragons, he is seen quoting a line of dialogue that comes from Williams play, the famous line "Flores para los muertos," which means flowers for the dead. Now here is the explanation or the comparison that can be made here. We all know that, in the play Streetcar, this particular line is used to foreshadow Blanches death. Not her physical death though, more so, it is used to foreshadow her emotional and spiritual death. In Woolf, George is using that line to foreshadow his announcement of "sonny-Jim's" death. Not only that, but it is also used to proceed the spiritual decimation of his and Martha's marriage. In addition to that, there is m ore death foreshadowing that can be seen, when we think or the part where Martha yells "Pansies! Rosemary! Violence! My wedding bouquet!" This line is making a reference to Hamlet, the part where Ophelia does her crazy speech where she offers imaginary flowers. Martha is heard using the word violence instead of violets in order to characterize her marriage. This offers shadowing of death also since Ophelia gives her mad speech before drowning herself. I think the greatest theme that this scene, this Act and the play in...
There are many different automobile companies providing buyers with many styles of cars, trucks, SUVs, and motorcycles. Toronto Star January 14, 2005 present ways to approach the automotive buying process. There are many different surveys, crash reports, and rating systems comparing different companies and their vehicles. Things you should look for when reading these published articles are who conducted the study? Who paid for it? Who gains from it? Who loses? These are all things to keep eye on as some automotive companies will run their own surveys making their products seem overpowering against the competition. Some prove their products are safer then the competition where the competition has been proven time and time again to make that survey seem inaccurate.
Harley-Davidson’s management had much to be proud of as the company wrapped up its Open Road Tour centennial celebration that began in July 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia, and ended on the 2003 Memorial Day Weekend in Harley’s hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 14-month Open Road Tour drew large crowds of Harley owners in each of its five stops in North America and additional stops in Australia, Japan, Spain, and Germany. Also during its 2003 centennial year, Harley-Davidson was named to Fortune’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work For” and was judged third in automotive quality behind Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz by Harris Interactive, a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for the Harris Poll. The company’s revenues had grown at a compounded annual rate of 16.6% since 1994 to reach $4.6 billion in 2003—marking its 18th consecutive year of record revenues and earnings. In 2003, the company sold more than 290,000 motorcycles, giving it a commanding share of the 651+cc motorcycle market in the U.S. and the leading share of the market in the Asia/Pacific region. The consistent growth had allowed Harley-Davidson’s share price to appreciate by more than 15,000% since the company’s initial public offering in 1986.
The automotive industry is a highly competitive industry with many manufacturers fighting for a share of the large market. The industry has historically had a manufacturing capacity that has far exceeded the demand provided by the automobile market. The large manufacturing facilities that the companies operate out of have high fixed costs that must be managed successfully if the company wishes to make a profit. The automobile industry often has a hard time surviving harsh economic conditions because of the high fixed costs to operate their facilities. The manufactures are forced to lay off employees as the fixed costs to pay the employees continue as the demand for their vehicles has dropped. Automobile manufacturers were forced to lay off employees and eventually close plants as the economy took a hit in the recent recession. An example of this can be found when GM was closing plants in an effort to reduce their fixed costs per vehicle in an attempt to survive. The manufacturers in the automotive industry must successfully manage their fixed and variable costs in order to stay competitive in this tough industry.
These issues led to Toyota losing much of its brand equity as a leader in safety. According to an article in Time Magazine from February 2010, the automaker didn't just have safety issues in 2009 that led to the recalls, there had been smaller recalls for similar issues nearly every year since 2002. Historically, Toyota has been an organization that can take problems, root out their cause and turn the solutions into advantages over competitors. In this case, Toyota's complete lack of crisis management led to a major loss for the company both in 2009-2010 sales but something more precious and long-term, brand equity.
Between 2009 and 2011, the company recalled over 11 million vehicles in North America alone for numerous reasons to include acceleration malfunctions. In 2013, Toyota recalled 16 million vehicles worldwide for various issues. Anytime a recall is initiated, even if it is nothing major, many customers may go overboard within their thought process, and the quality and reputation can be severely tainted, which in turn will affect revenue.
One of my favorite memories while working on it was when my dad and I needed to replace all the fluids. We were first in line at the do it yourself auto shop to make sure we got a bay. We were quite the sight to see donned in our most unmatched, raggedy clothes. The shop tech directed us to our bay and opened the door in haste. A crank of the key and the truck screamed its way to life ready to roll. I carefully lined up the wheels and slowly at the rate of a tortoise, eased the truck through the garage door. The rumbling from the dual carb exhaust was bouncing off the walls and ceiling like a ping pong ball. We hoisted the truck high and quickly began the long and tedious task. It was just a short amount of time before both of us were covered with a plethora of various forms of liquids. After sucking, draining and refilling we were finally done. My dad glanced over at me and began to laugh. I look at him and cannot hold back the laughter either. We were both drenched in a cornucopia of sticky mess. My dad says, “I think you got a little something on your