My name is Senior Airman Jeremey Merrill. I'm in the Air Force, and here's a pic of me reading this month's issue. I just got it in the mail today. I'm deployed to the Middle East with the B-1 bombers, as you see in the background. I'm with the 34th AMU (aircraft maintenance unit) out of Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.
* Our local paper bummed us out the other day in two adjoining stories. The L.A. Times reported that oil futures reached a record high in mid September, which means we can expect even higher gas prices down the road. Great.
* We also don't like the sound of this: A federal judge upheld a state's right to impose stricter vehicle emission standards than the federal government, paving the way for California, Vermont, and a few other states to require tighter smog controls than the rest of the country. Hey, we're in favor of cleaner air, but forcing the automakers to build different versions of a vehicle to meet emissions regulations in different regions can only drive already high retail prices even higher.
* If there was a bright spot in the news, it was this: A California bill that would require annual smog inspections for vehicles 15 years old and older died in committee. (Even in smog-strict California, most vehicles are subjected to smog inspections only every other year.) A state senator, quoted by SEMA, noted, "I have not yet seen any evidence that 15-year-old vehicles pollute our air substantially more than 14-year-old vehicles. Declaring all vehicles 15 years or older guilty of being gross polluters without any empirical data is backwards and does not reflect the spirit of the law."
* Chrysler has announced that its basic three-year/36,000-mile powertrain warranties on trucks sold on or after July 26, 2007, will be extended to "lifetime" warranties. The Lifetime Powertrain Warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair covered powertrain components-engine (except diesels), transmission and drive system-but it's limited to the first registered owner or retail lessee. Also, the owner must have a powertrain inspection performed (free of charge) by an authorized Jeep or Dodge dealer once every five years. Still, pretty cool, no?
* Mahindra & Mahindra, the Indian vehicle manufacturer, has indicated it will enter the U.S. market by 2009 with a compact pickup and SUV, both based on its existing Scorpio SUV. The company also plans to launch a bigger SUV in the U.S. sometime after. According to Automotive News, the trucks will initially be at the "low end" of the market, but Mahindra would like to sell upmarket vehicles here once it has a foothold in the States.
* We've seen the list of vehicles in the running for the 2008 North American Truck of the Year award, and we're surprised. None of the new diesel pickups made the list, and there's only one "real" truck on there, the new Tundra. Instead, the list is clogged with crossovers and cute/utes. Hmmm, no wonder we've never been asked to be on the judging panel. The award will be announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but we're guessing you'd rather read about our 4x4 of the Year award, which should be announced at about the same time.
* While Web surfing the other day we ran across a list of the "25 Cars and Trucks that Made a Difference" on the USA Today Web site. Interesting reading, until we learned that the '91 Ford Explorer "started the SUV craze." We'd guess Jeep and Chevy might disagree.