August 26, 2010

Jack Pitney

Our sympathies and prayers go out to the family of 47 year old Jack Pitney, BMW's marketing chief who died in a vacation related accident. The accident apparanlty happened while he was on a farm he owned in New York State.

This certainly shows how joy can quickly turn to tragedy. Pitney was getting some last minute R and R before heading into a new job, as VP of BMW's eastern region. It's a job that some say was going to be a real test for him.

I'd only met Pitney a couple of times. I'd interviewed him when he helped launch the Mini brand in the U.S. He'd moved into that role after being head of PR for BMW, a highly unusual move.

I was most struck by his easy going manner, and a pretty good sense of humor. He seemed to be a man who was very positive, and enjoyed what he was doing.

On a personal note, both my father and his brother died at 47. When I was younger, they seemed so old, so mature. Now that I've been blessed with many more years than that (I'm 55), I understand how young that really is.

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Delphi and Smart Phones

My video on Delphi's plans for integrating smart phones into cars, is now online

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First Impressions Jaguar XJ

I probably drive between 70-80 different vehicles a year.  I've never really kept count.  Most are pretty nice.  Some are very nice.   But,  there are a few that are real treats.

These are just my first impressions--really a walk around with my cell phone camera-- before doing much research on the vehicle.  A full review will come later.

Look for first impressions reports soon on the new Mustang and the Mercedes E-Class cabrio.