This is incorrect. The Saab name is owned by Saab AB, the airplane maker and defense contractor that sold off its automobile division to GM in 2000 (after GM took 50% ownership in 1989). GM sold off Saab to Spyker in 2010, in a deal that involved the former continuing to supply its engines and transmissions for new Saab cars. When Spyker ran out of money and began looking for investors, GM threatened to stop licensing its technology to Saab if it was financed by a Chinese company. Because of this, Spyker was unable to acquire funding and went bankrupt. In 2012, NEVS bought up what was left of Saab from the Swedish government. Because NEVS was mostly Chinese, GM continued to refuse to license its technology (which is why the only the 9-3 resumed production, and the 9-5 and 9-4x were killed off). NEVS licensed the Saab name from Saab AB (but not the griffin logo, as Scania refused to let them use it), but after numerous financial problems, Saab AB cancelled the license in 2014. Are you referring to this fanmade concept image, which was not created by Apple? Apple hasn't officially cancelled their Titan car project, but they haven't said anything about it, and they haven't released any concept images.
Hey man, I'm glad you're back on the forums. I've missed you. Could I talk you on General Discussion or no? OT: It's kinda interesting that Apple was actually thinking about building a car.
I always find that fuel economy isnt something people look for or it isnt a deciding factor when buying a car its only something they say they look for but its relativly irrelevant. If fuel Economy would be that deciding of a factor SUVs wouldnt sell that well.
The percentages don't add up to 100% which means it was a multiple choice survey. To me that says that most people picked fuel economy because it does at least cross their mind - for me personally if I were comparing two very similar cars, I would look to their fuel economy differences to help decide. Other people most likely feel the same way so they likely picked it because it does come into play.
What I love about American society is how comfortable they've always wanted their cars, and how far they went in that comfort. By 1948 nearly 100% of all Olds and Cadillac sales were automatic, and by the mid-70s low-priced fullsize cars were delivering Rolls-Royce comfort at a fraction of the price.
We have a lot of long distance driving here, and also a lot of poorly maintained roads with high speed. Most of the roads in my area are rough and straight lines, therefore my daily was (and will be again once I finish putting it together) a Buick Regal with very soft suspension. It feels like it has a similar spring rate to a few 1970s cars I have test drove, but with more controlled suspension movement.
This is indeed somewhat surprising. I could imagine several factors at play: The US still favouring large displacement engines which offer more low end torque and as such may have a better "feeling of power" compared to low displacement high reving european engines, especially NA ones. There is less "feeling the need" to significantly raise engine power. The US have a speed limit of 110 km/h (correct me if I am wrong). To reach and maintain that speed, very little engine power is actually required..... so once you are above an certain reasonable power to weight ratio - and dont seek maximum performance in the first place - there is increasingly little benefit in going higher and higher in power output. The push in your chair may become stronger and stronger but the time to enjoy it becomes shorter and shorter. The US has a more heavy handed approach to serious car related infractions compared to many other countries. The prospect of an eye watering fine in combination with the above speed limit just makes it less enticing to spent so much cash on fast cars in the first place. For most people, a new car is a serious long term investment. Young people may dream about a hot first car but most likely will lack the funds necessary for buying it, maintaining it and paying the insurance. By the time they can afford it, their priorities likely have changed as they are now in the family founding age and beyond. Most people that can afford to throw 5 digit amount of cash towards a vehicle are middle aged and have a conservative taste. Even VW would admit that the Golf is a dull and boring car.... it is also germany best seller for decades. The US like most of the world had a harsh recession in 2008. Add a crappy social security system and it is not hard to see that fancy cars while still being "cool cars" arent that high on peoples priority list anymore. Loosing your home, medical insurance and all the other basic stuff often leads to a shift in priorities. The SUV boom is in fact probably at least partially caused by this. People feel insecure and threatened.... that is why the are more enticed to buy "tanky" cars. SUVs also look fat as f..... perfect for showing off no matter how ill suited for hard driving at speed they actually are. Which i really despise because imho a car should be about elegance and not BOOM, fat in your face. People may still dream about a luxurious fast car but a lot of them will settle for something not so fast but luxurious instead, as this is much more affordable and more relevant for everyday driving.
Actually, I think it's just a little bit more then that. I think it's 112 km/h, but I could be wrong on that.
You’re forgetting the most important one: performance has rarely, if ever, mattered to the average joe. Enthusiasts are always in the minority by a huge factor.
The speed limit seems to vary by state, 65 MPH/105 km/h is common on divided highways and for many years a 55 MPH/90 km/h speed limit had to be enforced if a state wanted any federal funds for its roads. However it's entirely variable whether anyone follows it. There are a lot of very annoying people who drive very slowly and whose response to everything is "LOWER SPEED LIMITS AND MORE POLICE LOL" (of course, they're the only ones who bother to attend "transportation meetings" and whatnot), however there are also times when you have to go 85 MPH just to keep up with traffic. But that's the thing. There's been a cultural change - a negative cultural change. Back in the Great Before, no one would have thought in terms of "can this car get to the speed limit in a reasonable amount of time?" My aunt, when she was younger, drove a Pontiac GTO and was a stoplight drag racer down in Everett, WA. My grandfather, in his late 30s, put Cherry Bombs on the family sedan for no other reason than "just because". When the 55MPH water torture began (originally passed off as a response to the 1973 oil crisis, but afterwards it very quickly mutated into a "safety" measure rather than going away), everyone hated it and rebelled against it; that's how the Cannonball Run became a thing. It was the same when catalytic converters and all the other first-gen pollution controls started strangling cars. You may or may not have seen the picture I posted at one point of a high school parking lot full of supercharged Mopars. An old Mulholland racer, when asked why he and his crew raced in the canyons above LA, simply responded, "we conquered the mountain because it was there to be conquered". Car enthusiasts in are less enthusiastic about cars in 2020 than normies were in 1970. We used to conquer the mountain because it was there to be conquered. Now we ride bicycles on the mountain because we technically have a right to and that automatically makes anyone who doesn't like it selfish.
such annoying bicyclists existed in the 70's. it's just that we were allowed to call them "dirty f***ing hippies".
Lets not forget Montana where a 75-80 mph speed limit commonplace, and most people drive faster than the limit.
Also, speed limits in Florida are mostly suggestions. Its either +20 mph, or they are going 40 mph in the passing lane.
Same here in NY. A speed limit of 55 means flow of traffic is 80. And there's plenty of people who ho faster than that. So today was the first time I got cussed out on the road. Admitedly from his perspective what I did was stupid, but that's why perspective matters. Dude pulled to the side of the road, I sat until I was sure he was staying there and wasn't going to move. Turned out he was parallel parking but didn't have reverse lights or blinkers... Like, I'm sorry but I'm not a mind reader, get your reverse lights fixed and stop being German. I told him he has no reverse lights, he cussed at me some more, I got on my way. I got a dash cam, I can prove he sat for a reasonable time and didn't attempt to signal in any way. Best $30 I've ever spent...
In the late 80s Yugo wanted to export their Florida cars to the US at a price of $10k. This meant that they wanted to sell a car that was slightly below Sundance/Escort-level for the price of a Civic LX sedan, a base Corsica or a Tempo GLS, and less than $2k below a base Accord, Camry or Taurus.
