Hilo made the international news recently with a “Crushing Asian car competition” headline. It seems strange for a business to attempt this gimick in a town where the majority of the people are of Asian origin.What is an Asian versus American car these days anyway? Cars built in the US by American companies are assembled using parts from Asia. Toyota, Honda, and Huyndai all have plants in the US where Americans assemble Asian cars.
How then can one identify the nationality of a particular car? BuyAmerican websites have tried to help resolve the car nationality confusion by calculating the percentage of US-made versus Asian-made parts in each car's make and year. Today's cars are a confluence of global ingenuity and components that are assembled all over the globe.
Island Chevrolet's stunt with a Suburban outfitted with massive tires costing $20,000 blew a hydraulic hose when attem
pting to drive over a Honda Accord that went unscathed. The Suburban had to be repaired before it was finally able to drive over the Honda and a Hyundai Excel. We drove by the Chevy dealer the other day where the Suburban sits suspended over the two cars in an empty parking lot for all to see on Kilauea street. It is unclear if the headline that got so much coverage has resulted in sales for the car dealer.
Island Chevrolet's stunt with a Suburban outfitted with massive tires costing $20,000 blew a hydraulic hose when attem
pting to drive over a Honda Accord that went unscathed. The Suburban had to be repaired before it was finally able to drive over the Honda and a Hyundai Excel. We drove by the Chevy dealer the other day where the Suburban sits suspended over the two cars in an empty parking lot for all to see on Kilauea street. It is unclear if the headline that got so much coverage has resulted in sales for the car dealer.If we could send a Hilo headline around the world, it would be about how wonderful it is to be in warm Hilo town nestled below snow covered Mauna Kea during this peaceful holiday week.
Mele Kalikimaka from Hilo, Hawaii!
19 comments:
I am from Kona and really enjoy your blog and your insights. I know it is hard work but keep your blog going. I've bookmarked it and will recommend it to friends.
Ehh, funny, yeah I bet that stoooopid stunt fell flat on its okole for the vast majority of hard working Asian car drivers. Just shows you how bored futless those folks are at Island Chevrolet IMO! In a way it really lays it out bare-assed for all of us to see the unabashed idiocy of GM and its inability to author anything even resembling an innovative idea. Just more dumbshit redneck kine monster truck stunts. Ho Hum. (Oh and the icing on this cake-using the iconic gas guzzling Suburban no less!) Oh yeah, I am sure they met their monthly sales quotas with that brainless trick.
Nice post. I found it really strange that they crushed an Accord - which may have even been assembled in Marysville, Ohio since that plant has been in operation since the early '90's.
I (and wife and 2 teen boys) are planning our move to the Big Island (from Illinois) next summer, probably around the June/July time frame and am really enjoying your blog. You are one of the very few that tell the story in a simple manner and like it really is with no sugar coating.
Thanks!
great mdd! That's totally awesome! You get to move to the big island and displace yet another local family that gets to move to ghettos that you left in your wake in Illinois! Sweet!
As for this blog...how about you go down to king's landing and take some pictures of what's really happening in Hawai'i. A textbook case of gentrificaiton. Luckily, for the poor people you've displaced, your american stock market is on the verge of collapse, so you won't be able to continue living in "paradise" by simply investing money somewhere. You'll actually have to be a working member of society that isn't on permanent vacation.
E ho'i aku ma ko 'oukou home 'o USA!
Actually, "anonymous", my wife will be transferring with her job and I will be the one to find new employment. I am a computer technician/project manager and should be able to get a job easily, wherever we go. We won't be "displacing" anyone.
A truck of this magnitude could be useful in Honolulu traffic.
Aloha,
Keahi
"We won't be "displacing" anyone" -- Go to Vegas, find someone that used to live in Hawai'i for say 3+ generations, and ask them why they had to leave. I'd be willing to bet it was because the price of everything was super-inflated by guess who?? Other computer technicians/project managers like yourself. Just a heads up, there are many many people in Hawai'i and the mainland, myself included, who are very angry that we had to leave the place that we have called home for multiple generations simply because it was featured in a Sunset magazine, and some wealthy american decided he wanted to live here. You'd be pretty angry too if your little home town you grew up in was suddenly the "paradise" of the world, and you were lucky to be able to go back as a vacationer once a decade.
Maybe if you had tried harder to get a real education and do something with your life, you would not be feeling so much anger at others?
Maybe try starting a business? There are many needs that people have on the Big Island. You are only limited by yourself.
GREAT!
OK people, this is getting silly. We must remember that we have not been responsible citizens. We locals must pick up the trash on the streets and raise educated children to compete. Learn from Japan and don't get stuck in the past. Yes it is true that Europeans have completely ruined nature, but they are learning that this is not the way to go anymore. The oceans are dirty, the lands are dirty and the air is dirty because of them. But they are coming around. It is hard when you have been rulers for so long to now admit to the great mess created. But it is not too late for the people of the island to realize also that we MUST COMPETE. This is the way of the world and you must pay to play. We are not learning the lessons and are becoming just like them when we dirty our island and then point the finger at others for our problems. Yes it is true, they have ruined the earth and no great job will replace it, but at least they are coming around and this must be celebrated. Now we must come around and pick up all the dam tires and trash from the streets. we can't point the finger until we clean up our act also. Who cares about ethnic groups now. Your brother is the one who is there for you and will take care of the land with you, no matter where they are from. Remember, we are all God's children and we all must learn. We need more Europeans to admit the their faults and be humble and sorry for this. When this happens the world will listen and change. Whether we like it or not, we locals need them on our side because they hold the key to destruction, therefore they hold key to a better world. Europeans will decide, not local. This is the way it is. So embrace them and lets admit to our faults and make a better world for all our kids. Happy New Year and God Bess us all. Kimo
"Maybe if you had tried harder to get a real education and do something with your life, you would not be feeling so much anger at others?"
Actually bub...I do have an education, and I'm working for the EPA.
Anonymous said "Just a heads up, there are many many people in Hawai'i and the mainland, myself included, who are very angry that we had to leave the place that we have called home for multiple generations simply because it was featured in a Sunset magazine, and some wealthy american decided he wanted to live here. You'd be pretty angry too if your little home town you grew up in was suddenly the "paradise" of the world, and you were lucky to be able to go back as a vacationer once a decade."
So it is OK for you (or your family) to move to Vegas, take a low paying job and displace a Vegas family but it is not alright for anyone to move to Hawaii and do the same? You make no sense and your anger is apparently misdirected.
Also most Fords and GM products are assembled in Mexico or Canada with more that 50% foreign made parts. Yeah this whole gimmick is laughable. It is sad as well as I would associate this kind of thing more with Alabama than Hawaii.
There's a difference between HAVING to move somewhere and WANTING to move somewhere. I (We) HAD to move to the mainland (Vegas) because others (you) WANTED to move to Hawai'i. I've had the wonderful opportunity to see what you've left in the mainland, and from what I see it is a monster of your own creation. Like I said before, it's a textbook case of gentrification...STOP IT! It breaks my heart to see the same thing happening in Hawai'i, but the truth is you'll just hopscotch on to the next "paradise" and leave Hawai'i the same way you left the mainland; Out of work, out of home, and a destroyed local economy.
Yes, you are right. The mainland is not as nice as Hawaii. And most of the good land is being developed. What do we have left? What have we created? Man just destroys. We just use the land and move on. I am trying to live as green as possible and teach my kids better. I feel sorry for the people of Hawaii because, you do not destroy the land but are forced to move out. Vegas sucks. Florida has been over developed by the greed of others. California is over developed by greed. We Americans need to establish laws whereby our good land is protected from greedy developers and no more building on any coast land, rivers or lakes. Why are we doing this to our children. We are leaving everything to the rich. Once they get it all you will not be able to even visit. Come on, even our mountains are being built on by the rich. When will it end? What will become of the working class? We need to wake up. I can't blame anyone who wants to move to Hawaii, just protect it please.
Thanks so much for this blog. It is so nice hearing what people are thinking without fights and arguing. It is nice when everyone's views are able to be stated, not just one view. That is the problem nowadays. We only listen to our own kind and we really need to hear others also to make educated decisions. You are doing a great job with this blog. I know it takes a lot of work so, thanks again.
I am on the mailand and follow your blog faithfully! Can you maybe blog on the most common misconceptions about living in Hilo, and the biggest surprise for you? We are considering living there in the next year. Thanks so much!
If you have never lived on an island, don't do it. Many people hate living on one and don't find out until it is to late. I have a friend who moved to Oahu a month ago and is already depressed and feels trapped. She is not use to being the minority and is in shock. If you are not use to being a minority then Hawaii is not for you also. Many people grow up in places where they don't mix with others or only mix with others in a superficial way. In Hawaii a non-Anglo will be your Pastor, boss, police officer and friend. To some this is a culture shock. I love it, But I was brought up mixing with others and I prefer the company of other cultures. If you don't PREFER the company of other cultures, and I do mean Prefer, than Hawaii is not for you at all. But if you think of other cultures as the spice of life and feel as if your growth as a person is stiffened within your culture, Hawaii is the place to be. I would not trade it for any other place. I must admit though, most people can't deal with it and will hate it here.
Thank you for the insight on island living. I am relieved to hear of the intensely mixed culture. Having traveled extensively I always consider myself fortunate to learn from other cultures. I currently live in a cookie-cutter, white bread community and it is killing me!! So stepford-ish. Yikes.
Anyway, aloha and mahalo for the comment.
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