A LIST OF SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN'S EIGHT CARS

Frankly, the old American dream of a wife, a few kids, two cars in the garage and a white picket fence doesn't belong to John McCain. Oh, he's got the wife; kids; and probably picket fence(s) but take a stroll by his driveway(s) and two cars there may not be.

Over the weekend, it was discovered that John and Cindy McCain, candidate for President of the United States and First Lady, combine to own thirteeen cars. Do the math. Inevitably you see at least three of the McCain's homes lacking the obligatory second car. 

(Click here for a post on all the candidate's cars)

Seriously, the part that has made the news has actually centred on the Senator's claims that, "I've bought American literally all my life and I'm proud." While the mainstream press doesn't like to share some of the specific models therefore making it difficult to know exactly where all the cars were built, the list below lets you in on some problems related to John McCain's claim.

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2004 Cadillac CTS: John's "daily driver"

2001 Honda 'sedan': one can assume it's a Marysville, Ohio-built Accord

2007 Ford F-Series: good for a ranch or three

2001 GMC 'SUV': GMC built a few in '01 - Yukon, Yukon XL, Jimmy

2005 Volkswagen New Beetle Cabriolet: Built by Mexicans in Mexico

2008 Jeep Wrangler: McCain would actually look like an everyday American if this was it

1960 Willys Jeep: Can you be any more American war hero than an owner of a '60 Willys and an '08 Wrangler?

2000 Lincoln: Guessing Town Car, considering the Senator's age, but it could be a Navigator, Continental, or LS

(3) NEV Gem electric: Like the aforementioned Town Car, every rich retiree needs a Gem

Lexus: Cindy's car is an unspecified Japanese luxury car with a license plate reading "MS BUD"

Toyota Prius: This car could actually be the vehicle of daughter Meghan or the Senator's or Cindy's. One struggles to keep track.

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Barack Obama recently traded in his Hemi V8-powered Chrysler 300C for a Ford Escape Hybrid.

CHEVY CORVETTE PRODUCTION TO TEMPORARILY CEASE

Bowling Green, Kentucky has a population of over 50,000 and is home to the manufacturing of two very famous products. One would expect because of the Fruit Of The Loom factory, most Bowlers wear the local underwear. Unfortunately, the price of the local automotive produce prevents most locals from owning the pride of Bowling Green.

However, because of the economic turmoil faced by millions of Americans and the inevitable impact on sportscar sales, Chevrolet will be forced to halt and then slow Corvette production.

First, on October 6th, workers won't show up at the Bowling Green factory for one week. Upon return, production of the Corvette will slow from more than 18 cars per hour to just 15. Don't be fooled - the Corvette is no General Motors sales bomb. In times like these, priorities are elsewhere.

SKODA YETI - AND MUCH MORE FROM THE CZECH AUTOMAKER

To describe the Volkswagen Passat CC as striking would be completely accurate. In the eyes of The Good Car Guy, it's an offense against past handsome Volkswagens, though the starting point (regular Passat) wasn't exactly a lean, mean, fighting machine. Considering the typical price of a Volkswagen in North America as at or near the top of their segment or nudging up against the next class, it appears as though VW has slightly lost the plot on our continent.

Across the globe, Volkswagen has long been perceived as a mainstream brand where top notch cars with supreme engineering were had for prices the people can afford. When VW's quality struggles and prices increase, it's tough to make that case.

That's what makes Skoda so interesting. Firstly, Czech-based Skoda is owned by Volkswagen. (It seems that Volkswagen will soon be owned by Porsche.) Along with Spain-based Seat, Skoda attacks the price bracket underneath Volkswagen. While we North Americans see desirable cars that can't justify their price - with a few exceptions like the GTI, a Good 12 winner - Europeans now see desirable Skodas that can't be made fun of and appear to be worth more than their MSRP.

See all posts related to Skoda with a click

Take the Yeti, a small crossover set for production next year. A little bit of Golf/Rabbit and a little bit of Polo combines with the same styling themes that set the Roomster apart. The Octavia, a Ford Focus competitor, will be facelifted soon. Every automaker needs a mini-MPV in Europe, so Skoda will borrow new Volkswagen Touran bits for that cause in 2010. Of course, the oh-so-dull Touran will be converted into something hip and inexpensive. Also in 2010, Skoda will release a wagon version of the Superb. The Superb is already a practical car with its two-element trunk - is it a hatchback or a sedan?

Skoda's Yaris-sized Fabia is a hit in vRS formula. Up until now, the Fabia vRS has been powered by diesel, but 2010 should see the advent of a gasoline-fuelled Fabia vRS. Finally, in 2011, Skoda will receive a version of the much-loved up! from Volkswagen. Already cool, the up! concept will likely be dramatically transformed on the exterior while maintaining unique engineering. Of course, it'll cost less at the Skoda dealer.

GET YOUR LOTUS ELISE AS A VAUXHALL WITH A JAGUAR V8

No, it may not be the normal route to a high-performance Lotus, but Caral, a British tuner, will get some attention with its V8-powered Vauxhall VX220. Indeed, it'll no longer be a VX220 but a V8XS.

See, when Lotus introduced the Elise Part Deux, General Motors' UK subsidiary decided it would like a version for itself. With a hefty restyling, a (slight) softening and a turn towards all-rounder, the Vauxhall VX220 was born. As was the Opel Speedster. 

It became apparent, however, that if people wanted a Lotus they were more than willing to pay a little more for... a Lotus. And they did. GM stopped its deal with the sportscar maker and Lotus became the only badge on the front of the Elise.

Although Lotus hasn't been building any cars for Vauxhall or Opel in quite a while, that isn't stopping Caral from getting hold of performance lovers who want their lovingly cared for VX to be stepped up a notch. Caral wanted to begin fitting a longitudnally-mounted GM V6 at first but has moved past that. For a car that originally powered up to the tune of 147 or 200 horsepower, the 450-bhp supercharged Jaguar V8 must be quite a thrill.

No doubt Caral puts in quite a bit of labour to jam a 4.2L V8 in the midst of a very tiny roadster. Nevertheless, they figure the job can typically be done for less than £30,000. The process includes the addition of a roof air intake, a six-speed gearbox, and a wheelbase lengthening for a very Audi R8-like effect.

2009 NORTH AMERICAN CAR AND TRUCK OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES ANNOUNCED

"The goal", says the NACTOY website, "is to select a car and a truck that set new benchmarks in the classes in which they compete." By that standard, the Chevrolet Malibu and Tahoe Hybrid, the winners after last year's voting, are as good as it gets in their respective segments. Ahem. "Jurors evaluate the vehicles on factors including value for the dollar, innovation, handling, performance, safety and driver satisfaction," says the NACTOY 'About NACTOY' section.

In other words, the Malibu is better than the Honda Accord (also on last year's ballot) and the Toyota Camry and the Hyundai Sonata and the Nissan Altima; by those standards. The Malibu receives some love here at GCBC, so don't take this as pure sarcasm. The Tahoe Hybrid had no direct competitors in the voting and no real direct competitors in the marketplace either. However, it was perceived to be more dominant in its class than the Hyundai Veracruz was in its class or the Mazda CX-9 in its class.

With the candidates released for the upcoming NACTOY, winners to be declared at the auto show in Detroit, it is easy to sense The Good Car Guy's skepticism. After all, GoodCarBadCar.net displays twelve cars to own and won't hesitate to point out that some aging cars are far better than newly introduced models. And it appears as though the voting members react in a predictable fashion. Wait and see. We all know that certain cars should win or become finalists. But we all know that its a different batch of cars that will actually stand a chance.

Among the 2009 candidates for car of the year, it appears as though the Cadillac CTS-v is the most exciting, along with the Dodge Challenger and Nissan GT-R (hampered by its country of origin). Important vehicles like the Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Jaguar XF are too niche. The Audi A4 and BMW 1-Series would make great finalists. The Lincoln MKS stands little chance; the Ford Flex is stuck between a rock (COTY) and a hard place (TOTY) and will be rejected on that basis alone. Honda's Fit, the Mazda 6, and the Toyota Venza are strong mainstream Japanese competitors. Any one of the three could be a dark horse. That leaves the Pontiac G8 and Hyundai Genesis, two cars that compete directly.... sort of.

Which car should win? Ah, that's easy. The Hyundai Genesis is a trend breaker. Stop paying too much for luxury and V8 performance. Get it all for less. Which car will win? If the 50 voters are swayed by their hearts, count on the Dodge Challenger. If voting goes as usual, either the most expensive car (Nissan GT-R) or least expensive car (Honda Fit) look likely. I place no bets.

In the truck of the year category, it seems likely - or at least very possibly - that the Ford F-150 or Dodge Ram could take the crown. Sure, truck sales are trending downward. But trucks are better than ever, and it'd be a heartwarming story if one of those struggling truckmakers got a boost from the TOTY win. Even auto journalists like a heartwarming story every now and then.

We can all hope the BMW X6 won't win. The Chevrolet Traverse's platform-mates have played and lost before. It will sell in big numbers, but surely won't be perceived as a potential finalist. Honda's Pilot is an ugly duckling, but truly capable of many things. Winning isn't one of them. Sporting SUVs are rarely as dramatic as the Infiniti FX, but it brings nothing new to the table. Introducing a lumbering SUV at this time seems ridiculous, but Kia's Borrego is good at what it does. People just don't want it to do those things anymore. Mercedes-Benz's diesel ML, the ML320 Bluetec, seems very deserving. A TOTY win could bring even more much-needed attention to the diesel cause in America. Few small SUVs are as capable and fun as the Subaru Forester. Place it in the dark horse category. As for the Nissan Murano and Saturn Vue 2-mode hybrid, read the comment after the Infiniti FX. Volkswagen's Tiguan is terrific in so many ways.... and terribly expensive.

FORD F-150 SFE OFFERS IMPROVED FUEL ECONOMY

Sometimes it's the marketing that makes the magic. For 2009, Ford's delayed F-150 will post fuel economy numbers about 8% better (as much as 12% better on some models) than the previous-generation pickup. It'll be the F-150 SFE that attracts attention, however. The SFE has badges of course. Remaining F-150 pickups won't have badges that display "8% Improved". 

Give Ford credit for the SFE, though. Equipping a SuperCrew XL or SuperCrew XLT with the 4.6L V8 (3-valve, 292-horsepower, 320 lb-ft) and a 5.5-ft bed enables the selection of the "Superior Fuel Economy" edition. Ford makes the 15 city mpg and 21 highway mpg figures come about by sending the power to the rear wheels with a 6-speed automatic, a 3.15:1 rear axle and 18-inch aluminum wheels with low rolling resistance P265/60R18 all-season tires. The SuperCrew 4x2 with the 5.5-ft bed has the lowest coefficient of drag in the large truck world.

General Motors' new Silverado and Sierra XFE achieve identical economy but tow less.

LIGHTNING ELECTRIC CAR HITS THE ROAD - IN MOTION

Imagine plugging your new 664-horsepower car into the powerbar in your garage. Leave it there for twelve hours, and you've got enough power to drive 200 miles or 322 kilometres. Your car weighs about the same as a Chevrolet Corvette and can accelerate to 60mph in about 4 seconds.

Hrm.... but there's still that one distinctly annoying problem. We did just read twelve hours, didn't we? That, oh Good Car Nation, royally sucks. Yet good news persists. "But on a three-phase industrial supply, the kind most business premises have, a full charge will take just ten minutes," Arthur Wolstenholme told evo magazine.

Wolstenholme is the technical director the Lightning electric car. Ah, we might as well be honest. Wolstenholme is the technical director for the Lightning electric supercar. This vehicle will be a true competitor for Ferrari and Lamborghini, not the Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius.

When GoodCarBadCar.net first brought the Lightning to your attention, it seemed a little flash in the pan. However, LCC just put the wheels in motion in front of cameras, and man did it look good. 

Thousands of car enthusiasts are worried about these futuristic cars and what they'll do to the joy of driving. Few characteristics are worse than a leaden feel caused by excessive unsprung weight. Wheels and brakes that outsize the car are the usual offenders. But LCC is powering each individual wheel with over 160 horsepower. They do so with nano-titanate cells that should function normally from -25C to +75C for twelve years. And most unfortunately, they add 55 pounds to the weight of each corner.

Yet good news persists."The motors bolt straight on to the suspension upright and take the place of the heavy duty hub, bearings, driveshaft, brake disc and caliper. As a result we only weigh about 3kg more per corner than a conventional set-up," John Paterson told evo. Paterson is the technical project manager for LCC and has reason to be impressed with the company's work. 

If LCC can get their electric car perfectly honed over the next nine months, they'll start delivering to some of the hundreds of customers who've placed deposits by the end of 2009. Don't bother to do a direct currency change - it never works with UK car prices - but the Lightning will cost around £120,000. On the surface it seems to be the cat's pajamas. 

Imagine with me again. Imagine the r&d goes swimmingly and LCC doesn't have the trouble experienced by Tesla and its customers. Imagine the trickle down of technology to a day when gasoline is $9.50/gallon, your electricity is generated by solar and wind and your car is plugged into a power source that jumps your pickup 400-horsepower truck in 10 minutes.