Dead Car Driving: Deceased Car Brands still Populating the Streets

This post is aimed at young car spotters out there.  I know there are several since I started car spotting at the age of five, being able to pick out every new Pontiac Grand Prix on the road.  Speaking of Pontiac, that is going to be one of the brands I will highlight as being no longer in production.  Many brands closed their doors since the turn of the 21st century, and young car spotters may wonder why none of these brands have any new cars.  I will identify a few once popular now deceased car brands whose models still populate America's roads.


Let's start with Mercury, long the middle child in Ford's lineup.  Mercury was doomed from the start as it was positioned to be more luxurious than Ford but not as luxurious as Lincoln. This left the brand with a very narrow bandwidth.  It could not descend too far downmarket and encroach on Ford, but it could not sufficiently grow without competing directly with Lincoln.  Combined with Ford's difficulty in differentiating its vehicles across brands as it was, there was really no hope for Mercury.  The final nail in the coffin came as a result of the One Ford strategy that emphasized global products designed for multiple markets.  Since Ford offers higher end content on its models overseas, America was soon treated to upgraded features and amenities in even the most basic Ford vehicle.  Ford's push upmarket made Mercury irrelevant and the brand was discontinued in 2011.


I could go on forever about the number of brands General Motors has euthanized before and after its chapter 11 bankruptcy.  First there is Saturn, a brand that sold plastic bodied cars with a hassle free buying experience.  In the last years of its life, it started to import classy European Opels into its lineup.  Now that role has gone to Buick, with cars such as the Encore and the Regal.  Hummer was an exercise in excess, with a lineup of large, crudely built, badly packaged, gas guzzling vehicles.  Low gas prices have coaxed some of the remaining Hummers out of hiding, but their numbers are still paltry compared to the times when I was seeing half a dozen per day.  Pontiac was a more bitter loss.  GM's excitement division was just beginning to find its stride with cars such as the G8 and Solstice.  However, it was too little too late.  Years of mediocre products outweighed the greatness of the latest models and GM deemed Pontiac expendable in 2010. 


Although not initially a General Motors brand, Saab was bought by GM in 1989 and killed off in 2012.  The Swedish brand built a reputation for safe and reliable cars, and had a loyal fan base with its customers being some of the most educated people in the market.  Saab should not have died, but mismanagement from GM failed to capitalize on its unique charisma and doomed the brand to only regional relevance. 


Finally we have Suzuki, a GM partner brand known for spunky cheap runabouts.  Although still around in other markets, Suzuki ceased US sales in 2013.  Suzuki's death can be attributed to a number of factors.  Increased competition from mainstream manufacturers ate into Suzuki's market share of small affordable cars and SUVs.  A miniscule dealer network and no marketing stunted any potential to increase sales.  Furthermore the company was unable to enter fruitful partnerships with other automakers to offer cars American buyers wanted.  That being said, Suzuki is still the fourth largest Japanese automaker.  Its small cheap city cars sell spectacularly in Japan and India, and the Suzuki Swift has proved popular in Europe by providing good value with a sporty driving character, and showing up the MINI Cooper as the overpriced fashion accessory that it is.


What strikes me looking at this list is how many of these brands could have been saved with different marketing and product initiatives.  Mercury could have had a shot if Ford did more to give it an individual character, perhaps make it the group's sporty brand.  Saab was a wasted opportunity to capitalize on a popular brand rich with heritage.  Hummer admittedly was out of touch with the times by 2010, but its spiritual competitor Jeep is still doing well, suggesting that there might have been hope if Hummer modernized its lineup.  Pontiac, Saturn, and Suzuki were building increasingly competitive cars in their final days, but no efforts to advertise them meant no one knew it.  The auto industry is still as cutthroat as its ever been.  It will be interesting to see if any other brands fall in the years to come.     

Lexus Hoverboard Video Analysis

 

Skater Ross McGouran riding hoverboard over 2016 Lexus GS F

So the internet is going crazy over a video clip starring Lexus's working hoverboard, that just so happens to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the film Back to the Future.  Of course Marty McFly is going to arrive in 2015 in a little more than two months, and people will be asking where the hoverboards are that were depicted in Back to the Future Part II.  Unfortunately, there will not be any commercial market hoverboards ready by October 21, 2015, but Lexus has succeeded in creating the next closest thing to what appeared in the movie.  

Lexus's hoverboard is constructed from an insulated core, containing high temperature superconducting blocks. These are housed in cryostats, reservoirs of liquid nitrogen that cool the superconductors to -197°C. The board is then placed above a track containing permanent magnets.  When the board is cooled to its operating temperature, the track’s magnetic flux lines are set into place, maintaining the hover height of the board.  The skate park shown in the video was specially constructed using these tracks to support the hoverboard.  Without the necessary tracks, the hoverboard wouldn't work.

Making a surprise cameo in this video is the upcoming Lexus GS F, a rear wheel drive V8 sedan that follows in the footsteps of the smaller, last generation IS F.  The GS F debuted at the 2015 Detroit auto show.  Packing a 5.0 liter V8 shared with the RC F, the GS F makes 467 horsepower.  Respectable, but not in the same league as, say, the 641-hp Cadillac CTS-V and the 575-hp BMW M5.  Instead, the GS F lines up closer to lesser versions of those cars: the CTS VSport and the 550i M Sport, not to mention the Audi S6.  That fact aside, the GS F should be a good car.  However, price will go a long way in determining its success.  Priced at the same level or lower than its competition, the car should do well.  Priced at the same level as more powerful cars, customers will find it harder to justify.  Purchases would be made on the novelty of having something different, or if someone absolutely craves the Lexus badge, or values Lexus reliability.  Lexus has just recently been announced as Consumer Reports 2015 best car brand in terms of reliability. 

Lexus also hopes that creative marketing campaigns, such as this hoverboard video, will bring in new customers.  As a graduate of a Communication Arts college program, I took multiple classes in marketing and public relations.  I would say that this video is successful in creating positive buzz for the company.  First of all, and probably most obvious, there's a working hoverboard.  The hype alone that generates is enough to consume social media and the Internet.  Lexus's support of the project puts the company at the forefront of technology and shows that it wants to be considered a technological pioneer, not just in flights of fancy like this, but also in its cars. 

Overall, this video communicates a youthful image that goes against that associated with the traditional older demographic of Lexus car buyers.  The skate park is clean and modern, and the people in the video range in age from late 20s to early 30s.  Drones zip around adding to the future tech feel of the entire video.  I like the inclusion of Rudimental's "Waiting All Night" as the soundtrack to this video.  It is upbeat and serves the footage well.  The simple lyrics speak of expressing a desire for something.  In this case we are supposed to take that to mean a hoverboard, or more realistically, a Lexus car.  Why?  Because Lexus makes cool technologically advanced cars perfect for trendy young adults.  Its products are meant to be desired and coveted by onlookers.  What does a hoverboard have to do with luxury automobiles?  Not much, but in terms of sheer buzz and positive response, Lexus has a hit on its hands with this video.  Back to the Future fans will love it, and I for one am very excited to see what the GS F is made of.  

Pokemon Anime: Looking to the Future

As I am writing this, Ash Ketchum has just won his sixth Kalos League badge from the Laverre City Gym.  This means that he only has two more gym battles left until he can enter the Kalos championship.  I am going to make a bold prediction here, and I know that this has already been shared by other Pokémon fans.  I believe that this will be the time that Ash will win it all, and become the Kalos League champion.

There are several reasons why I think that this time will be his time to shine.  For one thing, he has yet to meet any significant rival that should make the tournament anything other than quick decisive eliminations.  Other tournaments, Ash has had someone who he has been pitted against throughout the series who he has an emotional battle with during the conference where he more often than not emerges victorious.  Notable rivals are Gary, Ritchie, and Harrison from the original series, Morrison and Tyson from the Advanced Generation series, Paul and Barry from Diamond and Pearl, and Trip and Stephan from Black and White.  So far, Ash has not met that many rivals, either friendly ones or total jerks.  The only rival characters he has met are Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor.  However, neither of them seems like they are in the same league as Ash, or are taking the Kalos conference too seriously.  Recently a new boy named Sawyer has been introduced, but he was easily defeated by Clemont and will face Ash for the first time next week.  He is described as studious and careful, writing down notes after every battle he has for future reference.  Perhaps by the time the conference starts he will have improved his skills and be ready to face Ash again.  There is also the chance that a previously unknown ringer will suddenly appear during the tournament, much like Tobias during the Lily of the Valley Conference.  With a team of legendary Pokémon at his command, Tobias made mincemeat of his opponents.  Ash put up a good fight, but he was still entirely outclassed by Tobias's Darkrai and Latios.  I'm sure I am not the only one who felt Ash got robbed from that championship.  He certainly would have made it to the final round if he had faced a different opponent in the semi-final.      

Reason number two, is that Ash has returned to his role as a mature mentor to his travelling companions.  The Black and White series saw a significant regression in Ash's character.  He was much more naïve and made mistakes that someone with his experience should never make.  I know that he is supposed to be forever 10 years old, but all the events from the previous series still happened, and he should have learned a lot from his past adventures.  His gym battle against Elesa was a disgrace.  Iris says multiple times during the series that Ash is such a little kid, and she has a point.  I don't know why his character took such a huge step backward between Diamond and Pearl and Black and White.  That being said, he seems to have put that stage of his life behind him.  Now he appears as a big brother to Serena, who has had a long time crush on him.  I see a lot of similarities between Ash's relationship with Serena and his relationship with May during the Advanced Generation series.  At the time, May was a rookie trainer and Ash was a seasoned veteran offering May useful advice.  Eventually May found that battling was not her thing, and discovered her passion in Pokémon contests instead.  Even so, I welcomed this change of tune for Ash.  He has seen a lot, and should help new trainers through the basics while continuing to improve himself.  Serena is the first female protagonist to have an obvious crush on Ash.  Whether or not Ash realizes this is up to debate.  Serena will cheer Ash on regardless, but if Ash has similar romantic feelings for Serena, that may be the motivation he needs to pull through in the championship.  To quote the main character JP from Redline, one of my favorite movies,: "I can't lose.  I've got a goddess on my side and I'm gonna win!"  That's probably a bit much for the TV-Y7 Pokémon franchise, but I chuckle to myself thinking of Ash saying something like that.       

The third reason to be hopeful is that Ash has a very strong team of Pokémon at the moment.  All of his Pokémon are fierce battlers, and are willing to push themselves to the limit to achieve victory.  Frogadier and Hawlucha are both very proud Pokémon and pride themselves on their skills.  Fletchinder is no slouch, and of course Pikachu will do anything it can to help Ash win.  It appears that Ash will acquire a Noibat in a couple episodes, and it will be interesting to see what having a Pokémon like that on his team will do for his chances in future battles.  Still, that means in total he only has six Pokémon with him.  He ought to have more on standby for whatever his opponents have during the conference.  One thing I liked during the Lily of the Valley Conference at the end of the Sinnoh League was that Ash used Pokémon he had owned at various points throughout his entire travels.  This is probably one of the reasons he got farther in that tournament than he has in any other one.  It would be nice if Charizard came back to help in the Kalos League.  I am going to make a wild prediction right now that at least Charizard will return to Ash’s team and be able to mega evolve into Mega Charizard Y, due in part to the events unfolding in the mega evolution side stories we have been getting intermittently, in order to battle the final opponent's mega evolved Pokémon and win the tournament.

Finally, I think that people are just tired of waiting for Ash to win a championship and become a Pokémon master.  This franchise has been going on for almost two decades, and I know that I have followed it from the beginning.  I for one have had enough of seeing Ash come so far just to fall short at the last obstacle.  A key theme of the anime is going for your dream, but what is the point if the main protagonist is denied his dream six times?  Ash is worthy of a championship this time around for multiple reasons.  To further deny him victory goes against all that the show's ideology stands for. 

Of course everything I have just said is pure speculation and can be overruled by the creators of the anime in a heartbeat.  After all, they are the gods of this universe.  If for some reason they wanted Ash to get a stomach bug that prevented him from competing in the league, they could. All I am doing is presenting a rational look of what has transpired so far and how future events could logically play out.  You can do it, Ash!  We're all pulling for you!