  Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 1635 Registered: 03-2008 |
Blogs have been spinning this rumor for awhile (have we talked about this?). Apparently it's true. Auburn Hills headquarters, with a possible plant in Detroit. The story is a few weeks old (sorry, I bookmarked it, and forgot about it). Who else wants to see these things jetting around the Detroit River? Maybe we don't need another bridge after all? Seriously, how would customs work? It would be nice to just cut across Lake Erie to get to Cedar Point. Although, it probably couldn't handle the waves and wakes of Lake Erie. Link: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/A UTO01/807180400/1148/rss25 Excerpt: "After $100 million, 1 million man-hours and 10 years of development, Gibbs Technologies is preparing to debut its line of James Bond-esque amphibious vehicles with the opening of its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills. The British firm is expected to create 250 jobs here over the next five years and spin out an additional 270 jobs at supplier firms and area businesses. The company has begun recruiting for positions across the board, from senior executives to technicians, and could fill 70 openings by the year's end, according to CEO Neil Jenkins." The rumor of a Detroit factory hasn't been confirmed. He just keeps saying Detroit and Michigan is being looked at. | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 3479 Registered: 09-2007 |
So, the car company is already in "Exburban" Detroit, they're just discussing the possibility of a new assembly plant in "The city of" Detroit. Nice.  | ||
Sludgedaddy Member Username: Sludgedaddy Post Number: 131 Registered: 01-2008 |
Yeah..I'm still waiting for that Aero-car that was promised since the end of World War Two. Would the salt on Michigan's roads make these Amphi-cars barely floating Hoopties? | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1855 Registered: 04-2006 |
DR Auburn Hills does not qualify as an Exurb. Exurban areas are typified by Horse Farms within the commuting zone. Places like Metamora or Ash Township are exurbs of Detroit. Auburn Hills has too many employment centers, housing, entertainment venues, shopping to be Exurban. It is also in close proximity to two of Metropolitan Detroit's Oldest Settlements: Pontiac and Rochester. This is a very odd form of transportation. I can't imagine who would buy such things as they don't seem to practical, maybe they are for the same folks who buy Saleen Mustangs or Ferraris? I don't think it would be too wise to develop an Aero-car SludgeDaddy. People have a hard enough time trying not to crash in two dimensional space! Three dimensional space? Scary! Would probably result in some pretty cool car crashes on YouTube however! | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 1916 Registered: 07-2007 |
They would have to drive up the boat ramp then drive down to the Rosa Parks bldg. on Mt Elliot to report they have no goods. I like it a modern day whiskey runner. 100 Mill spent, thats a lot of dough for a few prototypes. | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 1587 Registered: 12-2006 |
Auburn Hills also has bus service, which to me just about automatically takes it out of the "exurb" type of place. In fact Auburn Hills is served by two different regional transit agencies: SMART and Flint MTA. | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 3480 Registered: 09-2007 |
Not trying to change the subject, but you guys are also insisting that Pontiac is also a suburb (which is kitty corner from Auburn Hills). However, many people will debate it's not a suburb, but a satellite city. Eh, Auburn Hills is pretty far out for an eastsider. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1857 Registered: 04-2006 |
Never said it was a suburb of Detroit. It is a very old settlement, as is Rochester. Auburn Hills is in between the two. This is not unlike the infill that happened decades earlier when neighborhoods such as warrendale, rosedale park and brighmoor filled in the space between Dearborn and Old Redford. Detroit is a region as well as a City. The Detroit region no doubt includes both Pontiac and Auburn Hills. After all, did not the Lions once play in Pontiac? And the Pistons? Divisive tactics and suburb-baiting do not solve problems. In fact they lead to putting up walls between yourself and people that should be your allies. | ||
Zephyrmec Member Username: Zephyrmec Post Number: 63 Registered: 01-2008 |
Hopefully it won't flop like the Amphicar of the early 60's. A cute concept, but not much of a car, worse as a boat, and for the price of an Amphicar, you could have purchased a new Chevrolet Sedan, with a new boat, motor, and trailer hitched to it. |
