Jay Leno tells Detroit to make better cars

"It ain't that hard folks -- make better cars." That's the word aimed at Detroit from Jay Leno, the late-night television host and avid hands-on car nut. According to Leno, nobody builds trucks as well as Americans, as he cites the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado as examples. Same goes with performance cars. "The Corvette Z06 has 505 horsepower, comes with a big warranty, and can hit 200 miles per hour. It weighs almost exactly the same as a half-million-dollar Porsche Carrera GT and gets higher mileage - 26 miles per gallon," states Leno.
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Leno suggests that Detroit follow the example of Harley-Davidson, which turned around its quality-control problems and re-established itself as a market leader. Leno adds, "I believe that, all things being equal, Americans will buy American. It just has to be as good as the competition; it doesn't have to be better."

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Jay Leno with a Corvette

A Car Made in Ethopia by a Chinese Car Company

China's automakers aren't fooling around when it comes to aggressive growth. While you don't hear much enthusiasm from European or North American automakers about the market on the African continent, There's already at least two Chinese carmakers who've set up shop there as a way to expand beyond the borders of their home country. Holland Car is the first car assembly plant in Ethiopia, and it's kicking out a renamed Lifan 520. The 520 goes by the handle Abay in Ethiopia. Abay is the name of Ethiopia's largest river, and the hope is that the name will spur buyers to check the vehicle out. Equipment levels are luxury-level for its market, $16,000 price buys you safety gear like ABS, airbags and brake distribution, and quality is good enough that Lifan thinks it will change Ethiopian's opinions about a domestically produced car. Power is provided by a 1.3 liter four cylinder twisting a 5-speed transmission. The cars are assembled from knock-downs (CKD), and appear to have been solidly engineered. Lifan produces the 520 in several different locations – Russia, and Vietnam, for example.

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It's a Barstool With a V8 Engine

A company called Boss Hoss was offering one of the most unique rides in Vegas last week, and that's really saying a lot. Amidst the ocean of custom vehicles, this one seemed like just the perfect thing for covering the show, motoring over to one of the after-parties and bellying up to the bar. Compact and easily maneuverable, it also had a surfeit of power should one need to get somewhere in a hurry. We can say with some certainty that it had one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any vehicle in the convention center halls at SEMA, although the top speed is limited to 25 mph. Appearing to be a mounted display engine at first glance, a quick double-take brought the steering wheel and seat into focus. Sitting atop the small-block engine was... well, the driver's seat. Called the Hossfly, this novelty transportation device is available through California Boss Hoss as a kit or in turnkey form, and is essentially a V8 barstool. Little more than an engine on wheels with an elevated seat and steering wheel, it has a 5 gallon tank and is said to be capable of hauling up to 2,000 pounds.

If like us you think this would be fun for a very short trip, know that the kits start at $8,000 - minus the engine. One other note: it does have a radiator to keep things cool below the seat, at least partially.





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