1. A possible Mach 1 return? Hell yes!

It’s a personal thing with me, but of all of the names associated with the Ford Mustang, Mach 1 just resonates with me. Running from 1969-1978 on it’s first outing, and appearing for the 2003-04 model years, Mach 1 was one of numerous performance models, but one that also went for looks as well. NACA duct hoods, stripe packages, and window louvers all come to mind. Now there’s a rumor, first originating from AutomotiveNews.com, saying that when the Mustang gets the joint Ford/GM designed 10-speed automatic (really, guys?!), that a Mach 1 trim level will debut. Time will tell…

2. Cheap gas to blame for higher traffic death figures?

According to the National Safety Council (gee, sounds like a fun group), the number of traffic deaths has risen 14% and might surpass 40,000 this year, and a combination of lower gas prices and a better economy are to blame. Ok, let’s think about this for a second: IT’S STATISTICS, YOU IDIOTS! If fuel is cheaper, more people will drive, and will drive further distances, especially if they can now afford it! Focus on answers to the safety issues, and quit blaming positive changes in the daily lives of others! Maybe look at better driver training…or, at least, address the next issue…

3. Just when you thought the Takata airbag recall couldn’t get worse…

Want to make a big problem worse? Get the government to step in. It’s not like the Takata airbag issue wasn’t big enough, with 34 million or so cars affected with an inflator that could rupture and shrapnelize, but now there is a Congressional request to remove every airbag that contains the chemical ammonium nitrate. In high-humidity climates, it is believed that the ammonium nitrate changed in some way that increased it’s power, which caused the inflator casing to rupture and fragment. While Congress is certainly focused on Takata, this could potentially affect even more cars, since ammonium nitrate was seen as a cheap chemical to use in inflator manufacturing. Suddenly, gutting the airbags and installing a proper five-point harness system appears to be a smarter, safer, and potentially cheaper solution.

4. Introducing the new 2016 Toyota Land Crusher Cruiser

Holy crap, they still make this thing? Apparenly, they do. Toyota recently unveiled the next-generaton Land Cruiser, and according to the press release, “Once again, the Toyota Land Cruiser comes in one version: fully equipped and with seating for eight. There are no factory options, and really, none are needed.” Um, yes, Toyota, one option is needed: the weight reduction package, the bloating removal package, and the return of the Land Cruiser name to something that will actually go off-road, instead of an overrated short bus that looks as sad as the fat guy who at one point time was the high school quarterback.

5. Ford preparing to put down the Taurus. Again.

Riding on a platform that is pushing close to twenty years old, with a body that’s five years old and details that were only retouched a couple of years back, the Taurus hasn’t exactly felt the love that other models in Ford’s lineup have. And it looks like it won’t get anymore love from the United States, either. There is strong speculation that the Taurus is set to be killed off in the U.S. Market again, even after a retouched version, now looking like a seriously bloated Fusion, is due to for the Chinese market. So much for a nameplate that shook automotive design when it debuted in 1986.