What's New At WheelsTV

OK. I admit it. I don't update my blog as often as I should or as I'd like. I've been very busy here at WheelsTV. If you are reading this, you've noticed that we've upgraded the home page and made it much easier to find your favorite automotive videos. All of the 28 channels are lined-up right below the new and improved video screen. You'll also see tabs above the thumbnails and descriptions on the What's Hot player, making it even easier to find great videos. Another way to go is to use the video search capability. We're working hard to make it super easy to find the videos you want to see. Thanks to our webmaster, Collin Davis, for his excellent work! By the way, you can submit your own videos, too at "My Wheels." So, if you have something hot to show off, do it here at WheelsTV!




We are also getting ready to launch "The Buzz with Vanessa Bee." Vanessa will be reporting on what is going on in the automotive world...from car shows to meets, cruise nights, hot new designs. Watch for Vanessa Bee's reports starting in April with the New York Auto Show!


Also coming up...our own community where you can share videos, meet persons who are into the same wheels as you, buy and sell automotive stuff and just have fun. Watch for this in May.

I want to give a plug to Homes for Our Troops: http://www.homesforourtroops.org/site/PageServer HFOT builds custom-made homes for soldiers who have become handicapped due to injuries suffered in the war. They have a big auction coming up the end of March and wanted to know if I could ask my old friend, Jay Leno, to autograph a Harley Davidson that they plan to auction off. I got in touch with Jay and he was kind enough to invite us to his show at Foxwoods in Connecticut. After signing the bike and a few laughs we laughed some more at Jay's very funny standup routine to a sold-out house.



Jay is a great guy. He even donated some VIP passes to The Tonight Show as additional auction items. I've got to give his site a plug, too. Go to www.jaylenosgarage.com for some excellent videos produced by Jay's production company, Big Dog productions...even one on how to cook Italian chicken wings, which Jay learned from his uncle!


That's all for now. Thanks for watching and please drive safely.

Jim

When Will American Automakers Wake Up!!!

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy recently released its list of the environmentally "greenest" and "meanest" cars, using a scale of Zero to 100 based upon emission levels and mileage. Of course, being "The American Council", we are talking about what is going on here in the good old USA. What car companies are looking out for Americans by providing low emission vehicles that pollute less and by providing high gas mileage vehicles so that we spend less on non-renewable fossil fuels for which we have to kiss up to sheiks and tyrants around the globe.

Well, the results are in and NOT A SINGLE AMERICAN CAR IS IN THE TOP FIVE!! How can this be that our own captains of industry don't care about polluting their neighbors or having to send our boys and girls oversees to defend the oil fields for Exxon!

Here are the greenest machines: #1: The Honda Civic GX. This is a car that does not make its driver look like a goober (sorry Prius), runs on natural gas and gets up to 39 miles per gallon! #2: The goofy looking but very efficient Prius at almost 60 mpg on regular gas. #3: the Honda Civic Hybrid topping out at 51 mpg. #4: The Nissan Altima Hybrid at 42 mpg and finally the Toyota Taris at 40 mpg.


All of these vehicles are Japanese. In spite of the fact that for the past 30 years small American companies have been touting hybrid energy, regenerative braking and electric drive, none of the not so big three have gotten off their duffs and delivered a car that would help our environment, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce our need to buy foreign-made vehicles to save money and save our lungs, rather than support American workers and companies.

It just drives me nuts to see Rick Wagoner of GM up there bragging about the Volt CONCEPT car when they still have virtually no hybrids in their fleets. The flash bulbs are going off and the reporters are fawning all over him like he is some messiah when in fact he and his engineers are years behind their contemporaries at Toyota, Honda and Nissan. And you wonder why GM, Ford and Chrysler are losing billions!!! They all saw this coming and did next to nothing about it!


They are still trying to sell SUVs that get 13 to 18 miles per gallon, Hummers and pickups...and aside from the Ford Escape Hybrid that gets 31 miles highway, you won't find a hybrid in any of their fleets.


I guess that I just don't understand why the Japanese can figure out what Americans want and need and yet our "fellow Americans" either don't have a clue or just don't give a damn.