Words could never express enough how I have been overwhelmed the last two weeks by this new program but I honestly think I have at least got a handle on things now so I will get back to posting, I am so sorry for the absence! Not to get all political but anyone that thinks governmental administration of health care is a good idea, I dont care if your Democrat or Republican, should spend a day with a car dealer trying to wrangle his way thru what should be a simple voucher program! I cannot fathom the problems that will arrise with all the variables in the medical field! nuff said, rant over...

A confusing and difficult to follow webinar yesterday hosted by the National Auto Dealers Assoc. (NADA) left still many issues unresolved in the much hyped Cash 4 Clunkers program. Things like a parent giving a child a clunker, trading in a clunker that still has money owed on it and non-citizens with clunkers are still being 'worked out' so stay with me friends! July 24th is still the earliest to expect the program to officially begin, as per the gov site CARS.gov and yes, I know there ARE dealers advertising that they are doing these deals but be carefull because we as dealers CANT EVEN REGISTER YET so who knows what they are really doing out there. The folks over at Kelly Blue Book have an informative and easy to use page that helps you find out if your clunker actually qualifies as a clunker here. Theres a lot more dust yet to settle so stay tuned...

As it turns out the Nissan Rogue wasnt named after my favorite hottie from the X-Men comics series... I mean... the story of how the Rogue got its name is pretty interesting! The Rogue was originally going to be the name of a V12 powered American 'Supercar', similar to the Diablo or the Enzo if you will. The company set to build it, Brammo, got cold feet and a diminished wallet when times started to tighten at the pump and the idea of a 3 mpg supercar began to lose its luster. They sold the name to Nissan and used that funding to launch themselves into building the next great American motorcycle, and it electric powered! A story full of twists and turns, its all in an interview with company CEO and founder Craig Bramscher in this months Hell for Leather Magazine, click here. Of course I must admit that it was my friends at the ole Jalopnik that first hipped me to the true origins of Nissan's supercar turned CUV...

This year at the oh-so incredible Goodwood Festival of Speed, the featured marque will be Audi who will be marking their 100th year of car building and racing involvement. All will not be Audi however as the Infinity Essence will be making not only an appearance but also making a run up the famed race course for its first public display of performance. With its powerful 3.7l V6 complimented by an electric motor the Essence is said to possess a mind blowing 600hp! That should scoot it up the hill quite impressively! The Essence can be described as the sexiest clothes in a long while wrapped around 'green' underwear! An environmentally friendly drive train surrounded by this kind of sexy is almost unimaginable but we will all be treated to a show at Goodwood. The Goodwood, for those not familiar is an annual celebration of speed hosted on a private estate in England that never fails to inspire the performance world with the vehicles and persona's presented. Yes, it is on my list of 'must do's' and you can find out more about it here. Be warned, you will be on their site for the rest of the day, I guarantee...
Here are some really good shots of the Essence also.