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Val

Member since: Apr 19th, 2007

Val's Latest Comments

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Autoblog330 Comments
Engadget25 Comments
Autoblog Green21 Comments
Switched1 Comment

Recent Comments:

Nissan Leaf NISMO RC set to electrify New York (Autoblog)

Apr 17th 2011 6:14PM It's very simple, really: DON'T BUY IT. It is obviously not meant for you, after all this is not a car for everyone, but this doesn't mean it's a bad car in any way.

Jaguar debuts new 2.2-liter diesel engine under hood of 2012 XF prototype (Autoblog)

Apr 1st 2011 9:50AM I thought Jaguar is still using ford diesels (made together with Peugeot-Citroen), I don't see how they can come up with a competitive diesel engine on their own, with such small volumes and high costs of development. Different power ratings are probably due to the modificaions the have made.

Jaguar debuts new 2.2-liter diesel engine under hood of 2012 XF prototype (Autoblog)

Apr 1st 2011 9:47AM Yes, finally! Too bad it took them so long

Alpina B5 BiTurbo Touring coming to Geneva Motor Show (Autoblog)

Feb 24th 2011 7:54PM With great tuning comes great price! But on a more serious note, the "normal" touring is quite good. Seems to me that BMW is now making the best of the german heavyweight wagons, after seeing the audi A6 in spy shots, and the E somehow has always looked awkward.

Report: NHTSA investigation into 100,000 VW and Audi diesels intensifies (Autoblog)

Feb 11th 2011 4:58PM So every VW and Audi TDI sold should come with a personal german, say Hans, that bitch-slaps drivers when they put gasoline in the tank instead of diesel, or what?

Report: Tesla Model S-based crossover coming to Frankfurt? [UPDATE: Nope] (Autoblog)

Feb 3rd 2011 8:32PM A battery CUV is still 4 times more efficient than a gas equivalent, there is no changing that, it is still going to cost you a fraction of the price to drive around and to maintain, and you still get all the quirks and perks of an EV. If people in the US were looking for the most efficient form of transportation, everybody would be driving a bicycle or an electric moped, but they don't, and the think cars would be on the market by now, and selling in the zillions. Reality is that there is a huge market for crossovers and SUVs, and tesla would be stupid not to tap that and leave it to somebody else. No doubt that they will introduce a lightweight successor to the roadster some day, but their volumes are always going to be pretty low, more like a premium brand. There will be also plenty of options for the people looking for tiny efficient cars, such as the Smart EV, Think, all the upcoming models from nissan, toyota IQ etc. Right now it is much easier to justify buying a large car such as a model S or a tesla crossover for $60k, if you have the money and are a (potential) customer of BMW, Lwxus, Audi etc, than it is to justify buying a tiny city car for $20-25k when you can get a that for half the price. The way for the prices of batteries to go down is not to make tiny cars that cost as much as a 3 series, and wonder why nobody buys them, but to go after the wealthier buying public and have them be the early adopters that start the ball rolling. IMHO.

Report: Tesla Model S-based crossover coming to Frankfurt? [UPDATE: Nope] (Autoblog)

Feb 3rd 2011 6:08PM "Frankly, I'd rather have a regular car..." You see, this is where you and a huge portion of the american buyers differ. Americans love their Crossovers and SUVs, and no spikes in gas price has been able to change that so far. I think tesla is smart for going after the most popular segment (ok, maybe after pickup trucks), since in the end, it is not all about efficiency, but about what you can sell in large numbers, with a healthy markup. Huge trunk and the fact that you get in and out of a CUV or SUV without bending/folding is a huge selling point, as well as the higher position on the road, to try and be at least equal to all those F-150s and silverados. Aptera went for efficiency, and that hasn't really worked that well for them, has it?

Tesla Model S begins first phase of road testing [w/video] (Autoblog)

Jan 18th 2011 11:58PM The thing burning in those laptop battery videos (with the flames coming out as a torch) is actually the electrolyte. It is an organic solvent, and pretty flammable, but nowhere near as flammable as gasoline. All the lithium in those batteries is in the form of free ions or as a part of a chemical compound. No metal there. So in reality they are not nearly as dangerous as a gas tank which is about to blow up for whatever reason.

Detroit 2011: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec is one torque-tastic S-Class (Autoblog)

Jan 11th 2011 5:37PM In europe the 3.0 TDI in the A4 comes with quattro as standard. The A3 is also available with the 2.0 TDI and quattro. But they are really quite expensive, maybe audi is afraid it will tread on the toes of the A4 and people just won't buy it in the US of A.

GM delivers Chevy Equinox fuel cell to U.S. Navy (Autoblog Green)

Jan 3rd 2011 9:15AM How is this "news" relevant to the topic of the article? And since the BMW plant is not UAW, what does this have to do with renegotiated union contracts? If you think about all the products made in china by US companies that americans are buying, and you consider the fact that the spartanburg plant has exported more than 1 million vehicles in 15 years, maybe you should turn your calls for y boycott somewhere else. Let american companies (or any other companies for that matter) build a plant in SC, right next to BMW, and start paying double wages, surely no one will be left working at the BMW plant. Until that happens, boycott will only mean that all those people working there will be left unemployed.