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HomeMedia Analysis

Media Analysis

1958 Ford Skyliner
Media Analysis

Is Jim and Cheryl Farrell’s critique of the 1958 Ford’s styling unfair?

August 21, 2025 Steve 17

(UPDATED FROM 10/7/2022) Did the facelifted 1958 Fords have less-attractive styling than the all-new 1957 models? Jim and Cheryl Farrell (2022) suggested in a Dean’s Garage story that the answer is yes. Indeed, they concluded […]

1967 Pontiac Grand Parisienne
Media Analysis

Popular Science’s predictions for 1967 cars weren’t always on target

August 11, 2025 Steve 4

(UPDATED FROM 5/19/2021) The July 1966 issue of Popular Science breathlessly predicted what U.S. automakers had planned for the next model year. Even though introductions were only a few months away, a surprising number of […]

1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Media Analysis

Could American Motors have survived if it ditched passenger cars for Jeeps?

July 18, 2025 Steve 8

In conjunction with his recent Public Broadcasting series on American Motors, Joe Ligo (2025) wrote a provocative article for Hagerty. He wondered whether AMC might have survived for at least a while longer if it […]

2018 Fiat 124 and kid
Media Analysis

How come a car that goes 0-60 in 9.7 seconds is now so terrible?

July 10, 2025 Steve 13

(EXPANDED FROM 2/3/2022) The attention economy can be unforgiving, so it makes sense that auto media outlets would be aggressive in marketing their content. For example, the other day Rob Delisa submitted a comment to […]

1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am front quarter
Media Analysis

Does a decline in car design — and car culture — mirror a decline in America?

June 27, 2025 Steve 3

American car-buff media tend to talk down to their readers to the point where I sometimes wonder whether editors — or at least their overseers on the business side — think we’re just a bunch […]

Media Analysis

Automotive News staff struggle to transcend paper’s checkered past

May 30, 2025 Steve 2

The May 19th print edition of Automotive News ran two commentaries that debated California’s ability regulate pollution caused by the automobile industry. In the first commentary, Reporter Larry P. Vellequette (2025) acknowledged that the industry […]

Media Analysis

Do car ads need to talk down to people in order to be engaging?

May 22, 2025 Steve 6

One of the laziest kinds of clickbait in the auto history media are posts of old advertisements, commercials and various types of marketing videos. All too often the text that accompanies the ads could be […]

Automotive News April 28, 2025
Media Analysis

Automotive News declared war on Trump tariffs but only brought a squirt gun

May 13, 2025 Steve 3

Automotive News’ April 28 front page reminded me of a daily newspaper announcing the start of a war. Rather than the usual assortment of product launches and resume-polishing profiles of auto executives, the industry journal […]

Autoline After Hours
Media Analysis

Could Trump’s tariffs force out of the U.S. market 11 car brands?

May 8, 2025 Steve 6

A recent Autoline After Hours (2025) episode had the breathless title, “11 Car Brands That Tariffs Could Force Out of U.S. Market.” I would imagine that this episode got an unusual number of views on […]

Washington Capitol WWI statue at dusk
Media Analysis

What is Automotive News’ next step after tariff bill defeat?

May 1, 2025 Steve 0

Yesterday the U.S. Senate defeated a bill championed by Automotive News that would have reined in President Donald Trump’s tariffs. If we are being reality based, that bill had zero likelihood of getting passed into […]

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 … 13 »
  • 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
    Was the 1966 Olds Cutlass Supreme the first mid-sized brougham model?
    March 5, 2026 21
  • 1976 Plymouth Volare 2-door coupe
    Splashy new cars often were the biggest disasters during the postwar period
    March 3, 2026 1
  • Reader questions Chrysler’s future as it passes 100th anniversary
    March 2, 2026 12
  • 1968 Chevrolet C10 pickup
    Was the 1967-68 Chevrolet C10 the ‘first modern pickup’?
    February 27, 2026 7
  • 1941 Studebaker Commander 2-door coupe
    1941 Studebaker Commander: Ending its big cars on a high note
    February 26, 2026 11
  • 1961 De Soto
    Video histories of DeSoto and American Motors aren’t as good as books
    February 24, 2026 3
  • 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk front with hood open
    Four lingering questions about Aaron Severson’s take on the 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk
    February 20, 2026 6
  • Thank yous, power outages and format changes
    October 31, 2025 0
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 134
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