January 2009

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Frank Washington Update

January 18, 2009 in Miscellaneous by AWcom Staff | No comments

To All:

It’s been almost one year, January 29th, 2008, since I was attacked whileFrank Washington walking for exercise. Trauma doctors, surgeons and dentists took most of the year to put me back together. I’ve undergone facial reconstruction surgery, eye surgery to rid me of double vision and I’ve done time in the dentist chair. I wanted to thank all of you who supported me with your concerns, your prayers and your donations to help with my medical expenses that I’m well and back to work.

I’m really just happy to be here given the circumstances. I truly believe that your concern, your prayer and your support in the wake of my being attacked have much to do with me still being here. I think something greater than us all heard you and opted to bestow on me the blessing of continued life. I will do my best to earn it. Thank you so much and Happy New Year. Frank.

Frank Washington
managing partner/editor
www.AboutThatCar.com 
www.AboutThatCar.blogspot.com 
PO Box 23167
Detroit, MI, 48223

Pit Notes – January 2009

January 18, 2009 in Pit Notes by AWcom Staff | No comments

Hats off to IMPA for its informative November Impact coverage of a timely presentation and Q & A with Efraim Levy, senior industry analyst in Standard & Poor’s U.S. Equity Research Group. . . . Steve Saleen is back in the muscle car business after selling Saleen, Inc. and departing an aborted venture involving a Chinese automaker. He has opened a 150,000 square foot facility in Anaheim, Calif. and plans to produce high performance versions of the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro. He provided select Southern California enthusiasts a sneak preview of his first offering, an SMS 570 Challenger prior to its debut at NADA convention in New Orleans

The new time for Autonetwork’s live internet TV show (http://www.autonetwork.com) is 11:00 A.M, EST. Autonetwork.com President and show host Roosevelt Gist advises the show has added live dealer interviews and that they are going to high definition webcasts. They also have agreed to provide a featured blog for a new auto section on www.BlackAmericaWeb.com. . . . The Chicago Auto Show is responding to the financial stringencies of the times by providing a brand-neutral, fully equipped, two-car media conference set for McCormick Place exhibitors during this year’s event.

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Lane Changes – January 2009

January 18, 2009 in Lane Changes by AWcom Staff | No comments

With no explanation from the publisher nor comment as yet from Csaba Csere, he is out as vice president, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver.  He left at the end of 2008 after 28 years with the publication, 16 as EIC.  Hachette Fillipacchi Media Sr. VP and group editorial director John Owens is acting EIC until a replacement is named. . . . Robert Golfen who oversaw the Wheels section at the Arizona Republic left the paper after 20 years, taking a new post at Speed Channel as Auto Editor. . . . Andrew Ganz former editor of the mothballed American Driver, now edits the daily blog www.LeftlaneNews.com and writes for the bimonthly upscale magazine Luxe Registry and RM Auctions catalogs.

Mark Williams says he has heard the phrase “hiring freeze” too often since leaving his post as editor of Truck Trends. While he is open to the “Car Czar” post he is pursuing other options, including a couple of book deals and freelance assignments. His email address is: m_e_williams@sbcglobal.net  . . . Xavier Dominicis has departed Toyota PR and the auto industry for Plano, Texas based Rent-A-Center where he is vice president of public affairs. . . . Dan Passe has departed his Communications and Marketing post at Penske Racing and can be reached at dan@autopasse.com .

Former Newsweek Midwest Bureau Chief Keith Naughton stayed ahead of the magazine’s closing of all of its domestic bureaus except D.C. He is now a reporter for Bloomberg News in the Motor City.. . . . John Zajac  reports that his Chrome Sweet Chrome pdf chats are moving from the late 20th century to the 21st by migrating to a web site, www.chromesweetchrome.com He notes that all columns from the past are archived and can be referenced for dispute or praised by one and all viewing the site. . . . Wallace Higginbotham has a Porsche blog at www.porscheofhiltonhead.com and plans similar blogs for BMW, Mercedes and Alfa Romeo . . . Neal Dunlop now freelances and can be reached at ndunlop@mac.com.

Across the Finish Line – January 2009

January 18, 2009 in Across the Finish Line by AWcom Staff | No comments

Terry Jackson, January 6, 2009. He covered autos for newspapers in California and Florida and continued to write about them while serving as Deputy Features Editor at the Miami Herald.

Bob Carlson, December 18, 2008. The popular Porsche PR pro lost a long battle with cancer. In addition to his winning personality, he is best known for daring press introductions of Porsches and the Rennsport Reunions he initiated in the United States.

Road Ahead: Change Your Mind

January 17, 2009 in Road Ahead by AWcom Staff | 9 comments

The Writing Is on the Wall for a Reason: So We’ll Read It.

By John Zimmermann

John Zimmermann _ The Writing is on the wall for a reason.

John Zimmermann is a veteran automotive journalist and author with three decades of experience in the motorsports publishing industry.

Welcome to the new reality. The America you, we, all of us, grew up in, is not the same America in which we are living today. Further, that comforting vision of a homeland we knew and loved may not even be remembered in the America of tomorrow.

This is a concept we need to understand. It does not mean we have to abandon the American ideal, for many would say that just such an abandonment is what got us into these straits in the first place. The fabled American spirit is precisely what we need to get us out of this mess, and we cannot begin applying it too soon. Before we do, however, there are certain fundamental changes of perception that we must embrace, and while some of us already do, the imperative for all is inescapable. The remedies are neither simple nor easy.

First, we need to understand is that petroleum is a finite resource. That means, of course, it will not last forever. One of these days — maybe not in our lifetimes but probably not long afterward – the big underground reservoirs will all run dry. All the dinosaurs will then be well and truly gone – save for the skeletons in museums. The question facing us then will be: What are we going to do now?

We might not want to think about that at all, let alone at this precise moment, but if we don’t look ahead, see it coming and prepare for its impact, today will look like a picnic in comparison. So, if we’re smart — and I remain confident that, essentially, we are — we need to encourage the development of alternative energies, renewable resources like wind and cellulosic ethanol, hydroelectric power generation, hydrogen, and some, perhaps, as yet undiscovered. Dilithium crystals, anyone?

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