vLane Blog

Articles Matching “Government”

• Chevrolet Caprice police car to criminals: don't run

  Banovsky on October 5, 2009

  Usually, police cars are slow and ponderous. Sure, there's the old adage, "You can't outrun the radio," but let's face it: if the officer doesn't get a look at your Lamborghini, there's no way the wheezy 240-horsepower Crown Vic he's driving will catch you. That may soon change with this, the Holden Statesman Chevrolet Caprice police car.

  

  2011 Chevrolet Caprice police package

  Imported from Australia, the Caprice will be sold only as a police car. Equipped with a 6.0-litre V8 engine, it'll hit 60 in under six seconds — far faster than most other dedicated police vehicles.

  Some features:

  • Powerful 6.0L V-8 with fuel-saving Active Fuel Management technology and E85 capability delivers expected best-in-class 0-60 acceleration (sub six seconds) and top speed; a V-6 engine will also be offered, beginning in the 2012 model year
  • Optional front-seat-only side curtain air bags allows a full-width rear-seat barrier for greater officer safety
  • Two trunk-mounted batteries, with one of them dedicated to powering various police equipment
  • Designed for five-passenger seating, meaning the upper-center section of the dashboard can be used for equipment mounting without the concern of air bag deployment interference
  • Compatibility with in-dash touch-screen computer technology
  • Special front seats designed for the long-term comfort of officers whose car is their effective office, including space that accommodates the bulk of a typical equipment belt

  Click for more photos and the release!

  [via Jalopnik]

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Grey Import, Government, Future, News, Sedan, Chevrolet, police, Australia, Holden, 2012

• Upcoming: #carchat 29; September 23 @ 3PM EST with Bob Lutz

  Banovsky on September 18, 2009

  Big news! Bob Lutz, General Motors Vice Chairman and marketing chief will be our featured guest on #carchat next week, at a special 3 PM EST to 5 PM EST time slot. Our topics will fall under a General Motors theme for obvious reasons…

  

  Bob Lutz

  If you'd like to participate, check out the #carchat How-To. Anyone can join us at 3 PM EST September 23, but you'll need a Twitter account to ask questions.

  However, if you'd like to follow things live, go here at 3 PM EST.

  And if you'd like to suggest topics and questions for Lutz, please do so in the comments below or email me at michael [at] banovsky.com.

  Note: Lutz will be tweeting from the @gmblogs Twitter account. Make sure you follow them on Twitter. Also, use the hashtag "#lutz" when asking questions, this will make the discussion easier to manage!

  Topics from 3 PM EST — 3:30 PM EST:

  • Discussion: Your best General Motors product experience
  • Discussion: Your worst General Motors product experience

  Topics from 3:30 PM EST onward:

  • Discussion: Buick's new tagline, why?
  • Discussion: The importance of marketing
  • Discussion: Is good design really "free"?
  • Discussion: How to change people's perceptions about GM

  So click through and read a few links, and see some photos related to the discussion.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under GM, General Motors, Government, Future, Advertising, Advice , Discussion, carchat, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Twitter, vLane, Buick, Bob Lutz, GMC

• Ask us your General Motors questions!

  Banovsky on August 10, 2009

  Today, August 10, we're taking a sneak peek at future GM products, as well as talking with GM executives, and test-driving the whole lineup.

  If you have any questions you'd like answered, leave them in our discussion pages and we'll do our best to answer them!

  Click through.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under GM, Event, Government, Future, Advice , Discussion, Chevrolet, Twitter, vLane, Buick, Bob Lutz, Fritz Henderson, GMC

• Upcoming: #carchat 22; August 5 @ 8PM EST

  Banovsky on August 5, 2009

  This week, we're looking at the big topics of diesels, eco cars, and how will Cash for Clunkers affect the used car market? That and more on this week's #carchat!

  If you're confused, check out the #carchat How-To. Anyone can join us at 8PM EST August 4, but you'll need a Twitter account to ask questions and participate.

  However, if you'd like to follow things live, go here at 8 PM EST.

  And if you'd like to suggest topics for next week, please tag articles on Delicious.com with "carchat."

  This week:

  • Discussion: Diesels are back…or are they?
  • Discussion: How will Cash for Clunkers affect the used market?
  • Discussion: Eco mods of the future

  So click through and read a few links related to tonight's discussion.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Government, Environment, Future, Advice , Humor, Discussion, Social Media, EV, Twitter, vLane, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System, CARS, Electric car, LOL

• Recap: Cash for Clunkers Twitter chat, August 4

  Banovsky on August 4, 2009

  Social media is such a cool thing that we're constantly evolving how we communicate. Take #carchat: the first few originated out of a spirited conversation. We applied that logic to a special discussion about Cash for Clunkers (aka CARS), and invited automobile manufacturers — as well as dealers — to chime in and let us know how the program is going.

  

  Cash for Clunkers is a hot topic here on vLane, and we want to keep you up-to-date on the latest news and developments.

  Since our recaps are ever-evolving, we've included it here on vLane as a discussion thread, and we feel it suits the nature of the discussion well — and you can see that we had a huge response! Enjoy!

  So? What are you waiting for? Click through to the recap.

  Read full article | Comments (1) | Filed under Government, Industry, Mileage, News, Misc, Advice , Discussion, Twitter, Beat the Recession, vLane, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System, CARS, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

• Best bumper sticker ever

  Banovsky on August 4, 2009

  MINI has always been a little different, a little out there, and even (occasionally) brutally honest.

  

  What a laugh…

  So check out this bumper sticker, which is part of a Cash for Clunkers marketing package for dealers to use. We think it's brilliant.

  [Source: Autoblog.com]

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Hatchback, Government, Misc, Coupe, Humor, MINI, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System, CARS, LOL, MINI, Cooper, Clubman

• Recap: #carchat 21; July 29 @ 8PM EST

  Banovsky on August 1, 2009

  Social media is such a cool thing that we're constantly evolving how we communicate. Take #carchat: the first few originated out of a spirited conversation.

  

  Since #carchat is ever-evolving, we've included the recap here on vLane as a discussion thread, and we feel it suits the nature of the discussion well — and you can see that we had a huge response over two hours — despite Twitter being down for half of it!

  Anyone can join us each week at 8PM EST on Twitter. And if you'd like to suggest topics, please tag articles on Delicious.com with "carchat."
  
  
  
  
  

  We had:

  • Help-A-Shopper: Caron Delet
  • Discussion: Michael Schumacher is back in F1!
  • Discussion: Cash For Clunkers has already enticed many buyers…

  So? What are you waiting for? Click through to the recap.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under General Motors, Government, Environment, Future, Misc, Advice , Humor, This week, Discussion, Social Media, carchat, Twitter, vLane, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System, CARS, LOL

• Cash For Clunkers and CARS update

  Banovsky on July 31, 2009

  According to Autoblog.com, "H.R. 3435 just passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 316 to 109. This means the Cash for Clunkers bill is halfway to getting an influx of $2 billion, pending a vote by the Senate next week."

  This means that the program should continue through this weekend.

  Stay tuned to our discussion for continuing updates.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Government, News, Advice , Discussion, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System, CARS, FAIL

• BREAKING: Cash for Clunkers to be suspended

  Banovsky on July 31, 2009

  Uh-oh. According to the Detroit Free Press, the Cash for Clunkers (CARS) program will be suspended, as dealership sources have told Congress "that the plan would burn through its $950-million budget by midnight."

  

  [Photo credit: kim_scarborough]

  
  

  Here are some updates from the article:

  • The decision to suspend the plan came after auto dealers warned the government today that it was in danger of losing track of how many trades had actually been made.
  • The program has proven wildly popular, with 22,782 trades certified by federal officials since Monda.y
  • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told dealers Wednesday that a vast majority of transactions submitted were being rejected for incomplete or illegible paperwork.
  • A survey of 2,000 dealers by the National Automobile Dealers Association, the results of which were obtained by the Detroit Free Press, found about 25,000 deals not yet approved by NHTSA, or about 13 trades per store.
  • auto dealers may have already arranged the sale of more than the 250,000 vehicles that federal officials expected the plan to generate.

  Click through to our official discussion as this story unfolds.

  Read full article | Comments (1) | Filed under Government, Future, News, Advice , Discussion, vLane, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System, FAIL

• Recap: #carchat 19; July 15, 2009

  Banovsky on July 17, 2009

  Social media is such a cool thing that we're constantly evolving how we communicate. Take #carchat: the first few originated out of a spirited conversation.

  

  Since #carchat is ever-evolving, we've included the recap here on vLane as a discussion thread, and we feel it suits the nature of the discussion well — and you can see that we had a huge response over two hours — despite Twitter being down over the first hour!

  Anyone can join us each week at 8PM EST on Twitter. And if you'd like to suggest topics, please tag articles on Delicious.com with "carchat."
  
  
  
  
  

  We had:

  • Ask the Expert: Seth Leitman, clean energy and electric vehicle expert
  • Discussion: GM and Chrysler updates
  • Discussion: What's good interior design?
  • Discussion: Maybe we'll talk some #NGM talk…

  So? What are you waiting for? Click through to the recap.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Event, Government, Industry, Future, Green, WTF, Diesel, Concept, Misc, Open-Source, Advice , Humor, This week, Discussion, Social Media, Local Motors, Grant, Twitter, US, vLane, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System, Opinion, Electric car