As the show finishes up here in Detroit, a few things come to mind (insert grumpy complaining Andy Rooney-like voice):
Why do car companies have to celebrate anniversaries that really don't mean that much? (The obvious answer is to fill time at press conferences.) Mercedes celebrated the anniversary of offering four-wheel-drive, and Subaru celebrated the anniversary of the boxer engine. Can you find greeting cards for these anniversaries?
Why do the front grilles of so many new cars look like razors? Maybe just as you can figure out the number of cylinders in a Buick Lucerne by counting fender portholes, you can figure out the model line-up level of a Ford by the number of chrome slats in its grille.
Subaru had prominently displayed photos of their IIHS Top Pick safety awards. I can't tell from the photos if it's Lucite or glass, but wouldn't NERF be safer?
My favorite tailgate feature is the built in stairs in the Ford Super Duty trucks. These stairs fold out of the plastic molding on the top of the tailgate, and include a stantion to grab to aid climbing. It's a clever idea to help you get into the back of these really tall, really big trucks.
--Tom Mutchler
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