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HomeRegulation

Regulation

1980 Plymouth Volare
Quotes

Popular Science questions Chrysler Corporation’s blame game

May 17, 2025 Steve 5

“Chrysler says its financial troubles are caused, in part, by safety and emissions laws that penalize it more than GM or Ford. It costs Chrysler ‘almost twice as much as it will cost GM’ to […]

1972 Chevrolet Camaro front quarter
Satire

Declassified 1970s documents spark debate among auto historians

April 1, 2025 Steve 4

(UPDATED FROM 3/30/2023) Newly declassified intelligence documents show how a crash program by American automakers to switch to eggcrate grilles for their 1972-73 models thwarted a space alien invasion. The strategy worked so well that […]

Current Events

Automotive News tiptoes around a potentially huge conflict of interest

October 29, 2024 Steve 7

The American automotive media has paid relatively little attention to the 2024 presidential race despite some observers suggesting that it could be unusually consequential. Andrew J. Hawkins (2024) concluded that this “election will decide what […]

Automotive News shows its bias
Media Analysis

Automotive News’ sense of urgency on climate change amounts to empty words

October 15, 2024 Steve 0

Automotive News (2024) recently posted the editorial, “Believe the storms: Climate change is real.” The piece has a decidedly retro quality because it makes an argument that major media outside the auto industry acknowledged long […]

1974 full-sized low-priced cars
History

1974 AMC Ambassador: Was its styling ruined by bumper regs?

July 15, 2024 Steve 6

(EXPANDED FROM 9/11/2020) Readers of Indie Auto can offer feedback either by commenting or by sending a direct message here. A few years ago a reader used the latter route to vigorously defend the looks […]

Editor's Note

Was the Environmental Protection Agency run by ‘zealots’ in the early-70s?

June 2, 2024 Steve 16

MB stopped by to respond to our article, “Oldsmobile’s John Beltz sounded like a rather cautious GM executive.” He wrote, “The EPA zealots ruined American cars in 1970 thanks to their requirements based on a […]

Current Events

Political battles loom on climate policies that increase gasoline prices

May 31, 2024 Steve 0

When I took a road trip through three West Coast states two weeks ago I found that gas prices fluctuated by as much as $1.53 per gallon. Prices were highest in northern California, where I […]

Chevrolet Malibu
Current Events

GM’s discontinuing of the Chevrolet Malibu is criticized as short sighted

May 15, 2024 Steve 22

Fast Company’s David Zipper (2024) took General Motors to task for announcing that General Motors would discontinue the Chevrolet Malibu in November. With the long-running nameplate’s demise, GM will no longer sell an affordable sedan […]

1980 Buick Skylark
Links

New Yorker story shows difficulties of an outsider reporting on auto industry

April 25, 2024 Steve 5

Industry coverage by journalists from outside the automotive media can be a mixed bag. They are less likely to succumb to the groupthink that can undercut reporting from the likes of Automotive News or a […]

Olympia traffic at dusk
Drive-By Musings

Robert Atkinson Jr. suffers from the insularity that he complains about

April 16, 2024 Steve 1

Curbside Classic tends to avoid political debates in the comment threads for good reason. As a case in point, a reposting of Brock Yates’ “Grosse Pointe Myopians” essay drew Robert Atkinson Jr. (2024) to share […]

Posts pagination

1 2 … 6 »
  • 1964 Studebaker Challenger
    Brooks Stevens’s rejection of brand continuity was bad for small automakers
    June 14, 2025 0
  • EVs need a George Romney to champion them in the next few years
    June 13, 2025 16
  • Citroen SM
    Citroen SM: A surprisingly conventional next step
    June 12, 2025 5
  • 1936-37 Cord 810/812 tried to do too much at once
    June 11, 2025 10
  • 1963 Studebaker Daytona convertible
    Classic film shows human side of Studebaker’s end
    June 10, 2025 15
  • Once upon a time, car wheels were 36-to-42 inches in diameter
    June 9, 2025 5
  • Ram customized pickup
    What would you think if it was 1965 and you could magically see this truck?
    June 8, 2025 1
  • Brooks Stevens’s 1965 Studebaker Lark concept: Almost a baby Continental
    June 6, 2025 5
  • 1949 Packard Super Eight
    Packard kept a bigger foothold in the luxury-car field than commonly assumed
    June 5, 2025 9
  • Exner bio offers mostly positive take on controversial car designer
    Peter Grist views car designer Virgil Exner through rose-tinted glasses
    June 3, 2025 9
  • 1970 Mercury Cyclone
    1970 Mercury Montego had a last-of-the-wine quality
    June 2, 2025 2
  • A query, a thank you and an update on miscellaneous stuff
    April 4, 2025 0
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 124
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