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California upstart Tesla plans to open 30 new stores across Europe and bring its network of electric vehicle “Superchargers” to where customers can drive anywhere in Europe and be within range of a charging station. Said founder Elon Musk: “By the end of this year, we expect you will be able to travel almost anywhere in Europe using only (our) Superchargers.” The move to expand in Europe isn’t entirely surprising, reports The Car Connection auto news Web site; Tesla has been a big seller in parts of Europe. It has also begun building a network of Supercharger stations in the…
Jeep’s smallest-ever vehicle bowed at the recent Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland ahead of its showroom debut late this year, but it’s not technically a sport-utility vehicle. The 2015 Jeep Renegade, a subcompact tall wagon, will be built in Italy by Chrysler owner Fiat and imported to North America. In Jeep fashion, it will offer a beefed-up “Trail-Rated” model called Trailhawk, and a choice of two 4×4 systems for differing degrees of off-road capability. From the grille to the lifting rear hatch, it measures fewer than 167 inches in length, slightly more than a Ford Fiesta, notes alternate vehicle Web…
Being brought up in the publishing biz in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was a given that you were going to get your work done on a Macintosh computer. The best thing about Macintosh computers at the time, relative to other brands, was that you didn’t need to be a computer person to use them. You were a just a graphic artist or a designer who happened to create stuff on a computer. The iPad, iPhone and iPod epitomize the company’s mastery at what I would term as elegant technology. The contrast is usually apparent when you go…
By MALCOLM GUNN www.shiftweekly.com A recent magazine article written by Rob Sass, a vice president with collector-car insurance company Hagerty, warns of a steadily declining interest in the hobby as a whole. Sass points out that the core baby-boomer demographic – the one that has fueled the demand for post-World War II vehicles from 1946 to the mid-1980s – are losing interest due to their advancing years and/or shifting priorities. The man from Hagerty claims that auction prices for many of these coveted classics have already peaked and might actually be starting to decline. The problem is obvious. Lovers/owners of…
By JEFF MELNYCHUK www.shiftweekly.com Being brought up in the publishing biz in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was a given that you were going to get your work done on a Macintosh computer. The best thing about Macintosh computers at the time, relative to other brands, was that you didn’t need to be a computer person to use them. You were a just a graphic artist or a designer who happened to create stuff on a computer. The iPad, iPhone and iPod epitomize the company’s mastery at what I would term as elegant technology. The contrast is usually…
By JEFF MELNYCHUK www.shiftweekly.com Like any career, being an auto writer has its rough patches and its tedium. There’s office work, paper to push, the story assignments I have to dish out and the arduous editing of sleepy story copy. Oh, and when our various Web sites seem to have minds all their own. I hate that when that happens. But at the end of a 12- or 14-hour day, when my brain can’t possibly take any more, I unwind . . . in cars. Ahhh, look, a fresh new Hot Rod magazine has arrived. I guess that’s when you…
Need a little fantasy break from the bleakness of winter? By TOM JENSEN www.wheelbasemedia.com Some genius at Sports Illustrated magazine figured out decades ago that February was fantasy time. The magazine has made untold millions after determining that guys who have been cooped up in their homes and offices all winter, freezing their you-know-whats off, would go berserk over a “swimsuit edition”. Fear not, car gals – and car gals – we have some serious fantasy material for you, too, but ours is all about sexy sheetmetal and supercar performance. Allow us to introduce the new McLaren 650S, which will…