Classic Car Ads: Cars of 1974
1974 AMC Matador
It was a bad year to sell cars, especially large American cars. For those not yet alive, 1974 arrived towards the end of the OPEC Oil Embargo—and the related record-high gas prices—and at the beginning of a mild recession.
2023 Consumer Guide Best Buys
Kia Leads Popular Brands with Five Awards
Genesis Tops Premium List with Four Best Buys
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4Xe in Baltic Gray (a $395 color option)
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4Xe
Class: Midsize Crossover
Passenger capacity: 5
Miles driven: 293
Mopar Ugly Holiday Sweater
The holiday season is upon us, which means it’s time for decorations, carols, egg nog, and ugly sweaters. Stellantis’ Mopar parts and service division wants to get automotive enthusiasts into the spirit by offering its own line of ugly wearables.
2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone in Chill White
2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone 4WD
Class: Large SUV
Passenger capacity: 7
Miles driven: 200
First Spin: 2023 Toyota GR Corolla
2023 Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition
The “hot-hatch” segment, for a longtime defined by Volkswagen’s enthusiast-beloved Golf GTI, is inarguably shrinking, in sales volume and in number of models offered. In fact, the whole small, sporty-car thing is in serious decline. Sadly, buyer attitudes have changed, and shoppers—especially young shoppers—seem to value utility over fun these days. I curse their pragmatism.
Forgotten Concept: Mercury XM
Mercury XM Concept
This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.
2023 VinFast VF 9 (left) and 2023 VinFast VF 9
A new challenger in the all-electric vehicle market brought its wares to the 2022 LA Auto Show. VinFast has its sights set on Tesla, Rivian, and other premium brands by offering a pair of battery-powered midsize SUVs. On their own, these vehicles might not merit much more than a casual shrug. Rather, it’s the company itself and a unique marketing strategy that has us taking notice.
What was the Chrysler Volaré?
1985 Chrysler Volaré
Odds are you’ll never see never see one of these cars, but know this: Chrysler indulged in some very confusing rebadging back in the Eighties, especially in Mexico.
Classic Car Ads: Safety
JJD Twin Tyres
I haven’t heard much about how “safety sells” in recent years. Automotively, we’ve moved on from safety—in general terms—to Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). ADAS systems include things like blind-spot alert, rear cross-traffic alert, pedestrian detection, and lane-keep assist. Really, stuff we should all be pretty good at by now—without help.
