Photo by Randy Stern
November is quite an interesting month as sandwiched between Halloween and Thanksgiving. It is also the big Vehicle of The Year award month, as well.
This month's V&R Chat (#VnRChat on Twitter) is rightfully positioned on the middle of the VOTY balloting period. On Sunday, November 11 – Veteran’s Day in the USA and Remembrance Day in Canada – we will have a special #VnRChat that pits the VOTY with the temper of the weekend.
The chat begins at 8:00PM Eastern Time (7:00PM Central) through following the hashtag (#VnRChat) or using a chat program or site tied into Twitter. Join in on two hours of whirlwind fun and discussion.
You would probably want to have this handy – the agenda. Which is as follows…
NEWS: No, we will not look at the Tuesday's General Election. So, we'll skip all of the posturing by both sides over the automotive industry – including controversial remarks about Tesla, Fisker and Jeep. Nor will we recount the vehicles wrapped by the opponents of Minnesota's "marriage amendment."
Instead, we look ahead – at the Los Angeles Auto Show. We also will review some of the more interesting non-electoral tidbits from across the industry.
We will also examine American Suzuki's Bankrputcy filing towards realignment of their business. The result being the end of its automotive sales business.
More importantly, we pay homage to those who served in war and in peace. Those who sacrificed their lives for duty and the cause – whether they are here or not.
MOTORSPORTS: Formula One will return stateside this following weekend to Austin, Texas at the Circuit of The Americas. Which side of history will this new circuit and the race itself land when the chequered flag is dropped?
NASCAR is not done for 2012. After this weekend’s race in Phoenix, the Sprint Cup will finish up in South Florida at Homestead. Can we crown the champion driver now?
INSIDE THE V&R GARAGE: This segment looks at vehicles driven for review in V&R and Randy's other outlets. Since vehicles have been driven since the last chat, Randy might talk about what's been cooking at V&R.
VOTE4VOTY: Halfway in to the public vote, we may have to drum up some people to cast their vote on who takes away the 2012 Vehicle of the Year award. In the meantime, we examine the Short List and try to break them down. We will discuss our favorites (without revealing which vehicle we voted for), what is missing on the Short List and the methodology of how these final ten vehicles came to pass.
AWARDS: Some say there are too many awards being given out by various outlets and media groups. Are there too many? Or not enough? And, which automotive awards are considered relevant these days?
