Auto Graphs
* Oops, a toll-free number listed in more than one million '06 Honda and Acura owner's manuals should have been an 888 prefix not 800. The typo meant phone sex - for $0.99 per minute. And it wasn't covered by the warranty.
* Ford's U.S. head honcho says SUVs are on the way out.
* Speaking of SUVs, the SUV Summer Carnival in Taipei was not as festive as it sounds - it was to protest the government's ban on modifying vehicles.
* Who killed the electric car? This month, it's Nissan. Apparently, Nissan employees showed up unannounced to reclaim (and destroy) a fleet of electric cars leased to the Pasadena, California, city council.
* It's here, Wikipedia for cars. Wikicars.org will be all that is automotive. But do keep in mind, as with all other Wiki sites, people just like you are who create and edit the "information" and "facts." Yes, scary is right.
* Avis and Hertz in the U.K. are testing a thumbprint program as a way to prevent car-rental fraud. You want a car? They'll print you first. When the car comes back, the thumbprint will be returned to the renter or destroyed. South Africa may be next.
Gladiator: Dead or Alive?
Word is circulating that there are no plans to produce the Gladiator because of its unique (and, therefore, costly) platform - and there's the nervous-nelly mentality about bringing more big trucks and SUVs to the gas-conscience market. However, we're still hearing that the Gladiator has fans on the inside, so don't write off future production just yet.
Not a Jeep
At first glance, it might seem like Jeep has become the rig of choice, once again, for the military. Sadly, no. This internally transportable vehicle is part of a design called Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS). Vehicles are being built specifically to fit into the Marines' V-22 Osprey aircraft, including cargo planes and helicopters (the Humvee is too big). The goal of EFSS is for fieldwork - quick-responding, hard-core-lethal, and short-range indirect-fire support - as what the Marines hope will be a "third leg" of an Indirect Fires triad (the other two being long-range rocket system and medium-range artillery). American Growler, which has a history of building civilian buggies, including the M151-based Growler, is working with General Dynamics on the project.
In case you're still curious about this Jeep lookalike, the short-wheelbase Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) will be able to tow a 120mm rifled mortar still coupled to the vehicle inside the V-22. A long-wheelbase version is the same as the LSV from the B-pillar forward but with a gun-mount post with a gunner's seat and deck on the rear for mounting a .50-caliber machine gun or 40mm grenade launcher. Both will feature a 132hp diesel, an auto tranny, a two-speed transfer case, rack-and-pinion steering, an adjustable and selectable air-ride suspension, four-corner disk brakes, a central tire-inflation system, and a 240A-24V alternator.