#Housekeeping

When I got hired on at TTAC, I checked with our news team about what we were expected to disclose when it came to considerations from automakers. Steph told me that unlike with some other outlets, there was no need to disclose how the press-car system works, since y’all knew the deal.

As you saw last week, our news chief Steph Willems left the daily news grind behind to pursue an opportunity outside of automotive journalism. That leaves us looking for our next news guru.

For what I think is the third time this year, I find myself saying a holiday won’t be like the others. Pandemic life, sigh.

Today is a bittersweet day in the virtual offices that make up TTAC. Our own news chief, Steph Willems, is departing for a gig in an industry that is, I assume, somewhat less ridiculous than this one (by “ridiculous”, I mean both automotive journalism specifically and automotive in general). We wish him well.

This year is a bit different. If you plan on celebrating the birth of your nation by blowing up a small part of it (still one of my favorite Simpsons lines), you best be doing it with a mask on and socially distanced from anyone you don’t live with.

The edict came down from our corporate parent last week: Juneteenth is now an official company-wide holiday.

That means we’ll be off on Friday, June 19th.

Alright, listen up. It’s Memorial Day weekend here in these United States, and pandemic or no, Monday is a day off.

Additionally, we’ll be closing it down a bit early today, somewhere around mid-afternoon.

As is usual, there may be a scattered post or two, and some tweets here and there, but mostly, we’ll be off from this afternoon until Tuesday morning.

Things in the automotive industry are in constant flux, and as the industry goes, so must we.

While the coronavirus pandemic has the industry temporarily paused, along with the rest of the world, there will, sooner or later, be a resumption of production and vehicle sales. And since we’re in tune with the pulse of the industry, we’ve decided we need to change our name. We’re doing so now, so that we can suck up the sweet, sweet Google juice as bored shoppers search for the car they plan to buy as soon as the shelter-in-place orders lift.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce The Truth About Crossovers.

You’ve no doubt spent the last week receiving emails from every brand you’ve ever interacted with, with each missive spelling out how the company in question is handling the coronavirus.

Some of these messages make sense — I definitely want to know that airlines, hotels, and restaurants are taking this seriously and expanding their efforts to keep things clean and disinfected, as well as how cancellation/reservation policies may change — while others seem frivolous. Do I need to hear from Sunglass Hut?

You might be wondering how TTAC’s coverage of the auto industry will change, with life having seemingly ground to a halt in large swaths of the United States and Canada and around the world.

After a decade-plus of being TTAC’s foremost expert in Panther-bodied Fords, as well as the go-to Texan for any of your questions about OBD II or old-car designs, Sajeev is moving on.

He’s found a full-time home with another outlet, and we wish him well. He’ll be missed.

Christmas is upon us, and New Year’s Eve is lurking just around the corner. So with that in mind, here’s a look at how we’re operating these next two weeks.

Perhaps it’s fitting that in the post-LA auto show haze, we’re getting a mild refresh of our own.

Howdy folks. Tomorrow is Turkey Day, aka Thanksgiving, here in these United States. Tomorrow we feast, Friday we either shop til we drop, or if you’re like me, avoid any retail stores like the plague. Either way, we’re off around these here parts — all the way til Monday.

Howdy, campers. Unofficially, summer ends this weekend. Bummer! Of course, from a meteorological standpoint, you still have a few weeks left before fall, um, falls.