50-state car n.— «Many of the cars that are produced today are called 50-state cars: they don’t have an EPA version and a California version. In other words, the vehicle meets the strictest standard that’s out there, whether it’s EPA for...
retime v.— «Other programs are on hold; only the Cruze and Chevy Volt are proceeding at cash-strapped GM, while replacements for the 300C and Dodge Charger exist at Chrysler only as design studies for now and a number of vehicles ready to...
jet-pooling n.— «Teams will build their own cars and engines, with or without manufacturer support. They’ll do it with even fewer employees and fewer sponsors. Drivers will park their fancy motorhomes and private planes and share flights...
floorplanning n.— «The move is intended to stimulate small business and consumer lending, which has dried up in the wake of the credit crisis. Most dealers finance their inventory—a process called floorplanning—through automakers or banks...
car czar n.— «The loan program calls for the installation of a government official to monitor the money, and to keep track of whether GM, Chrysler and Ford—if Ford does need to tap into it—stay on track to restructure their business not...
tumblehome n.— «We all tried to out-fin each other back in the Fifties, and we let the fat look get out of hand in the Sixties and early Seventies, when the industry got so carried away with turn-under and tumblehome that some of the cars...