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HomePublic policies

Public policies

A car without a real front bumper
Random Shots

See, bumpers aren’t needed anymore

May 14, 2017 Steve 2

More proof that humans have evolved to a higher level of consciousness. Parking dings are a thing of the past. Bumpers? They’s so 20th Century. Share your reactions to this post with a comment below […]

Quotes
Quotes

Ralph Nader: How ‘people of conscience’ have an impact

August 2, 2016 Steve 0

“‘People of conscience inside the industry, they take their conscience to work. They’re up against the bean counters, the shut-up-and-work conformists, the bureaucrats,’ he said. Those people see a problem and then, after bumping against […]

Current Events

Should VW’s design chief fear civilization’s end?

July 27, 2014 Steve 1

(UPDATED 12/15/2022) Volkswagen Group’s global design chief Walter de Silva is worried that optimizing aerodynamics in order to meet tightening emissions standards could hurt aesthetics and branding. In an Automotive News question-and-answer piece, he complained […]

Parked bicycles at a college
Media Analysis

Is the love affair with the car really over?

November 6, 2013 Steve 0

American society’s relationship with the automobile is changing but the press corps hasn’t kept up. That’s the theme of a cover story in the journalism field’s leading professional magazine. The November/December edition of the Columbia Journalism […]

Readings

‘Carjacked’ book brings up issues the buff media should address

April 30, 2013 Steve 0

Compared to Asphalt Nation (Holtz, 1997), Carjacked focused more on critiquing car culture and less on presenting policy alternatives. Authors Catherine Lutz and Anne Lutz Fernandez also paid more attention to encouraging individual readers to change […]

Readings

Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century

April 30, 2013 Steve 2

The authors took a clean sheet of paper and sketched an alternative approach to car design that may seem mainstream today but was decidedly exotic when the book was published in 2010. They proposed a […]

Readings

High and Mighty: SUVs — The World’s Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got that Way

April 22, 2013 Steve 4

Although written by a former Detroit bureau chief of The New York Times, this book uses high-octane rhetoric to challenge the value of sport utility vehicles when they were just beginning to reach the peak of […]

Readings

Forward Drive: The Race to Build ‘Clean’ Cars for the Future

April 20, 2013 Steve 0

Almost all of the material in this book is now dated, but I include Forward Drive as a cautionary tale about heralding change in the American auto industry. Forward Drive was published in 2000. That was […]

Readings

Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take it Back

April 17, 2013 Steve 0

This is an older book but stands out as one of the most prominent critiques of the U.S.’s automotive-dominated transportation system. Jane Holtz Kay argued that the car had become to financially, socially and environmentally costly to the […]

Readings

Made in America? The U.S. Auto Industry, 1955-95

April 16, 2013 Steve 0

I came across this scholarly paper when looking for data on the declining market share of domestic automakers. Lorraine Eden and Maureen Appel Molot present that data in a variety of useful ways. However, what is […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 7 8 9 »
  • 1965 Studebaker Cruiser proposal
    Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant
    July 17, 2026 8
  • 1956 Lincoln
    The 1956 Lincoln’s styling proved to be a one-year wonder
    July 17, 2026 18
  • 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL
    1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL lacked the taut brilliance of its predecessor
    July 14, 2026 6
  • 1988 Oldsmobile Toronado
    Did GM go too far in downsizing the 1986 Riviera, Toronado and Eldorado?
    July 10, 2026 16
  • J. 'Kelly' Flory Jr.
    J. ‘Kelly’ Flory Jr.’s American Cars series is pricey but valuable
    July 10, 2026 4
  • 1968 Pontiac Firebird green convertible
    1967-72 Pontiac Firebird shows limits of ad illustrations
    July 7, 2026 10
  • Miscellaneous ramblings about being on the road
    June 25, 2026 5
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

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