Ford Chairman Warns of Global Gridlock

William Ford, the chairman of the eponymous American auto giant, is warning that the planet is facing a "global gridlock" that requires resolution sooner rather than (too) later. His remarks will be delivered later today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

For details, check out today's Financial Times article on Ford's comments.

Volvo Says Goodbye to Station Wagons

In the movie Crazy People, Dudley Moore cooks up an ad campaign based on telling consumers the truth.  One of his pigeons is Volvo, for which Moore uses the hook line "Buy Volvos: They're Boxy, But They're Good." It's a funny sequence which you can see via this YouTube link.

The square, sensible Volvo station wagon lampooned in Crazy People, alas, has met its end. Volvo's new Chinese owners have decided to stop producing arguably Volvo's most iconic automobile. The story, as reported in Yahoo! Autos, also notes other auto headed for termination, including Ford's Crown Victoria. (Those who kept a wary eye out for unmarked cars were characteristically attentive when they spotted a dark colored Crown Vic in their rearview mirror.)

For years, Volvo station wagons were associated with politically liberal, somewhat prosperous people. My unscientific survey suggested that crowd moved over to hybrid vehicles a few years ago. Ironically, hybrids tend to be boxy. Sometimes, they're even good.