Autoblog

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The community of auto writers and bloggers is a small one, and over time, chances are you'll run into just about everyone doing this thing we do at one point or another. We never had the good fortune to cross paths with The Truth About Cars' Glenn Swanson, and sadly, that opportunity has been taken from us for good. Mr. Swanson, who had been diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, passed away this weekend. You can read his entertaining and engaging work at TTAC by clicking this search link. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Swanson's family, friends, and colleagues.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

The votes are in, the judges have, uh, judged and it's official: Democrats control the House.

No, wait. Wrong election. The Truth About Cars readers and staff have chosen the 2006 winners (losers?) of The Worst Automobile Today award.

For those with stomachs too queasy or hearts too weak to read criticism of the domestic auto industry, we recommend you find something else to read. Those TTAC folks get kinda brutal.

Just to keep you in suspense, the list of TWAT winners, with excerpts of TTAC's witty criticism, is after the jump.

Voting is open for The Truth About Cars' first ever Ten Worst Automobiles Today (or TWAT) award that we told you about earlier in the month. The initial list of more than 120 reader nominations contained predictable TWAT-eligible autos like GM's ancient minivans, uh, sorry, Crossover Sport Van, a couple of Saturns, several DaimlerChryslers, and a few Korean models. Some vehicles that were nominated but didn't make the list included highly-respected vehicles like the Toyota Camry, Pontiac Solstice, Ford Focus and Honda Fit.

Using a highly refined proprietary system, TTAC staffers trimmed the candidates to 20. Voting for the Ten Worst Automobiles Today is now open until Wednesday. See the 20 TWAT candidates after the jump.

Feeling that Car Of The Year awards were becoming nothing more than a reassuring pat on the back from magazines to their advertisers, The Truth About Cars felt like somebody should have the balls to issue a "worst car of the year" list, as well. And they decided they were just as qualified as the next blog to undertake such an endeavor.

So TTAC announced that it will be dis-honoring the "Ten Worst Automobiles Today" with the first annual TWAT awards. Recognizing this was a democracy (OK, a representative republic), they are seeking input for nominees. A rather lengthy list of rules can be found by clicking the read link, but here is a short summary.

Nominees must have been for sale in the U.S. some time between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2006. Badge-engineered siblings can be jointly nominated for a TWAT "if they all suck equally." The TTAC staff will pick 20 finalists from the nominees, "taking into consideration the number of nominations received, how well the nominations were justified, our personal opinions of the vehicles in question and how much we've had to smoke or drink beforehand." Readers will then vote on the top 20 to help determine the TWATs.

Pointers are even offered for helping identify areas of wretchedness, should you be at a loss. Ugliness, poor design, poor build quality, lack of sophistication or ability in the mechanicals, and poorly executed badge engineering are all suggested starting points. So, being the socially responsible group we are, we encourage you to get out and vote.

[Source: TTAC]

Leave it to Johnny Lieberman of The Truth About Cars to come up with a sports car enthusiast's wet dream from the current General Motors and Renault/Nissan imbroglio. His idea? A new performance division resulting from the "sinergy" of General Motor's and Nissan's best sports cars.

The flagship of this new division would be the 7.0-liter Corvette Z06. Just below it, Nissan's new GT-R. Further down would be the Chevrolet Camaro Concept and Nissan's 350Z. Lieberman admits that both would have buyers lunging at each others throats market segments, so he suggests AWD and 380-hp for the Z, to compete with the likes of the EVO and STI, while Shelby GT500 buyers would be attracted to the Camaro's All-American bad-boy looks and 505-hp LS7 engine. The Pontiac Solstice would bring up the back, providing an entry level vehicle for the new division.

Has Robert Farago's cohort gone mad? Or would such a division literally drive fans to GM/Nissan showrooms after emptying their Porsche savings? Give us your yays and nays in comments.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

Robert Farago of TheTruthAboutCars.com (TTAC) has checked in with General Motors Death Watch 60, in which he discusses how General Motors' possible filing for bankruptcy would adversely affect the Ford Motor Company, as the two automakers utilize many of the same suppliers. After systematically discussing GM’s numerous problems (product, the UAW, leadership, etc.), Farago concludes bankruptcy would lead to the emergence of a leaner, more competitive GM... a conclusion he views as not lost on the Ford Motor Company in light of their recent dealings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

[Source: TheTruthAboutCars.com]