Avoid cliches. It’s the hack’s mission at this time of year. If you must rake over old ground, do it in a new way.
Only this year the rule isn’t relevant. Everything that happened in 2015 raises questions about 2016. Will VW recover? Will diesels stay out of favour? What will that mean for CO2 levels? How long will it take the EU to agree decent emissions standards? Are SUVs about to rule the world? Will electric car demand continue? Will TVR fulfil its potential? There’s so much to look forward to, we’ve no time to look back.
Still, here’s a whiff of what I did in 2015.
Gordon Murray’s ‘baby supercar’ lurks beneath this Yamaha-commissioned shape, unveiled recently in Tokyo as the Sports Ride concept. It’s ready-engineered for production, says Murray.
Problem for car hacks: you don’t drive your own car. Noticed this on our Berlingo the other day. Not proud.
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@289
No idea - never met the man but even if I had, my argument isn't about whether these individuals are wonderful fellows. It is about whether it would be appropriate for certain members of the press to openly fawn over such an individual whilst that individual presides over his company's biggest-ever scandal, particularly while the conclusion of the matter is nowhere in sight. Who knows who and how affable they might seem in person is neither here nor there. It matters not one jot, especially given the scale of trouble the company now faces. By all means let's extoll their virtues, some day, if that is appropriate. But right now, it simply is not.
@289
That is not actually a compliment and, no, I have not seen too many WW2 films.
This, too, is complete supposition but for the assertion that "VW is his life" which is sad but nevertheless highly plausible. However, it in no way mitigates anything - people who become subsumed by a corporate identity are of the very worst stripe.
This is pure speculation driven by paranoia driven by simple prejudice against the other manufacturers. In the highly-unlikely event that it were true it would not prove anything positive about VW, only that everyone else is as bad as VW.
Now, I agree with this bit. All of it. And nor do I think there is anything wrong with this kind of consumer behaviour. Consumers get what they are given by an over-intrusive legislature which seldom acts in their interests.
That isn't my point. In any case, this is not something anyone needs to worry about as Steve appears to be doing a Sterling job. An all-too thorough job, in fact. Even today, another article appears with Steve broadly grinning next to some CEO. No point in reading it as you know what it's about. It has become a joke. The insinuation which some might make is that Steve simply enjoys the company of industry hot-shots far too much. But I am too polite to make such a claim.
So Autocar exists solely to butter up mighty multinationals such that they might purchase advertising which in turn keeps Autocar going. This would mean Autocar, as a functioning journalistic entity, is dead. I'm not sure anybody on the staff would agree with this.
@ Norma Smellons
I know the man, have a deep respect for what he stands for...and in fact wish there were more like him in business today. This most definitely is a compliment.
I am deeply sorry that he is mired in this. But that's not to say that I am merely fighting VWG's corner.
Quote "people who become subsumed by a corporate identity are of the very worst stripe". I would wholly disagree with that, having met and worked with many individuals of this type....just to throw you an example and having met him several times, would you say this is a fair summary of Sir Jony Ive at Apple?
You are quite correct when you say that in event that it were true that other OEM's were also falsifying results it would not prove anything positive about VW, only that everyone else is as bad as VW.....my point exactly. No one is suggesting that VWG can ever erase this event in their history. You are quite wrong in suggesting that I am "driven by paranoia driven by simple prejudice against the other manufacturers"
With regard to your final point about Autocars reliance on advertising revenues indicating that they are no longer a functioning journalistic entity, is a bit naïve...... and out of date. I cant think of any publications... Automotive especially who could survive without advertising revenues from print and website. Autocar doesn't exist to butter up mighty multinationals, but it does have to pay due respect. After all, it wouldn't exist without the industry.