Auto Trends

One of the most important aspects of choosing your car has always been the color. Some people likes white, others black, some prefer red, and others prefer the earthy tone of a deep green. There really is no right or wrong, but there are some things that you will want to consider.

Trends

The trends of car color come and go and for some who are planning on owning their car for a long time, they may want to consider this when choosing a trendy color. The current trend for 2008 seems to be metallic oranges, greens, and browns… the earth tones. It is the 70’s all over again, except the color is a bit more sharp and biting than we were able to achieve 30 years ago.

Since the Millennium, silver has been a very popular color. It has become a symbol of high technology. We see silver today on cell phones, computers, stereos, I Pod’s, and of course just about every other car on the road. The popularity is thought to be decreasing a bit from early 2000, but it is probably a color that is going to stay awhile from the looks of things.

Heat Factor

Depending on where you live, the color of your car will definitely have at least a little bit to do with how much heat your car will hold when sitting outside. It has been a myth for years that some colors hold heat more than others, but it is indeed true. Of course, if your car spends most of its time in a dark garage anyway, then it will not matter, since paint needs to come in direct contact with the sun in order for this phenomenon to work.

In general if you live in a warm climate and your car sits out, you will want a light color both on the inside and out. It will stay much cooler. If you live in a cold climate, you may prefer a very dark color on the inside and out to help foster the heat of the sun to warm the interior as well as help melt snow off of your car in the daylight hours.

A Different Heat Factor

Another thought that people have today is whether or not their car is going to be more easily sighted by police and therefore receive more tickets for minor infractions of the law, such as speeding. While some people swear by it, Snopes has taken a look at this myth and disproved it. The color of your car should have nothing to do with receiving more tickets than any other color.

For that matter, the color red is not a target more than any other cars. There is another myth going around that says people are more prone to want to run into a red car than any other car. This is kind of the theory of the bull, where the color red makes them go on a rampage. This has just not been proven. There is some evidence opposite of this belief, that says bright colored cars are easier to see in bad weather and fog, and therefore can be slightly safer, but this is not completely proven either.

As you can see, there is so much more that factors into the color of your car than just your personal preference, although that is probably by far the most important factor to consider!

The first generation Smart Car was by most respects a complete failure. Daimler was ultra excited about its release, but they had forgot one very important detail. It takes more than an exciting release to make an exciting car.

To be quite blunt, it was almost as if they had spent the majority of their money on its advertising rather than its actual quality of the vehicle itself.

To begin with, the first generation Smart Car had absolutely no power. Now, if you are driving around in the city of London that maybe acceptable, but if you are going for a day trip in the Rocky Mountains, forget about it.

For some consumers who live in the city, the low power output was forgivable in exchange for its unique status, conversational characteristics, and “cute” look.

To other “smart” folks, the absurd noise level, bounciness, inability to control, moderate mileage potential, and hesitant gear shifting was enough to scare them back on a bicycle.

For 2008, there is a new Smart Car in town and they have addressed a few of its predecessor’s problems, but will it be enough?

The newest Smart ForTwo has a rev happy 70 horsepower 1.0 liter three-cylinder engine that could have probably done the job, had the transmission been a little more responsive. Reports indicate that the 2008 Smart Car still suffers from the hesitant transmission, which spells big time troubles on the US roadways.

This is a huge no-no for any vehicle this size. Especially considering that in the U.S. you are amongst some of the largest vehicles in the world (Hummer H2, Ford F-350, etc.).

If you put a scared grasshopper out in front of a Ford F-350 and it doesn’t move, that grasshopper is going to become nothing more than a spot on the F-350’s windshield. This is one of the blatant dangers of such a car on our roads today.

But the new generation smart does have improved suspension, more luggage space, and an improved interior layout. But the car is still very rough around the edges and is inappropriate for most pothole ridden streets and busy highways.

The Smart ForTwo appears to be only marginally better the second time around and this is not very “smart” at all. Most cars only get one chance to make a good impression and this one has already had two.

Does the US environmentally conscience consumer have enough heart to give this cute little concept another go… or should they just forget about it?

The new generation of the series Knight Rider premiered last night and for some, KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) was the star actor of the show. This would not be the first time that a car has taken center stage of a show. Just think about Batman, The Dukes of Hazzard, Starsky and Hutch, etc.

Not that Justin Bruening, Val Kilmer (voice of KITT), and Deanna Russo are yesterdays diapers, but the 2008 black Shelby King Cobra Mustang that KITT takes shape of has been the brunt of both much excitement and/or disappointment.

The world has always been filled with the Camaro folks and Mustang people, so it should come as no surprise that while some people love the new Mustang body style, others say that it is just too old school to be considered an ultra technically advanced vehicle of the future.

Several months ago, one such speculation for the new KITT car was a 2008 Koenigsegg CCX.

Jalopnik claimed it as “a near-perfect choice, with its blazing speed and high-tech good looks (and extreme blackness).”

The original KITT driven by Michael Knight (a.k.a. David Hasselhoff) was of course a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am with a “televised” turbine engine capable of 300 mph.

In 2008 the new KITT is a Ford Shelby Cobra GT500KR with a supercharged 5.4 liter V-8 (540 horsepower) engine capable of well under 300 mph, but who’s counting. We’re sure they’ll think of some way to get KITT up there. He can’t be outdone by some 25 dinosaur ages of Pontiac technology.

Will the new Knight Rider and his King Cobra KITT be able to survive to four seasons as the original show (1982-1986), or will they be opening cans of Spam on the unemployment line before Spring?

Time and a few more episodes will tell…