The New York Post says police are investigating the link between car dealer loan fraud at Universal Auto World in Lawrence, L.I. and the murder of 27-year-old salesman Collin Thomas outside the showroom. According to a civil forfeiture lawsuit, Universal employees paid "straw purchasers" (co-conspirators with a good credit history) to sign loan documents for more than $1.3m worth of luxury vehicles, which were then transferred to customers who didn't want their names to appear on the loan papers. Police say car salesmen Dexter Bostic and Robert Ellis, who stand accused of firing upon officers, were involved with the scam. Bostic worked as a car salesman at nearby Five Towns Mitsubishi, which once employed the slain salesman. Ellis, who lived with Bostic, also may have once worked at Five Towns. 

When it comes to the debate over proposed increases in U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, rational argument takes a back seat to politics as usual, as this article in Pennsylvania's Patriot News illustrates. Hometown rep Todd Platts, lead Republican is lead on a bill raising federal mandated fuel efficiency by 40 percent (to 35 miles per gallon) by 2018. Platts: "The auto industry, as it does today, said it was impossible– it would compromise safety, choice. Obviously, history has proven that their statements were untruthful and technology did allow the advances." The opposition (a.k.a. "one industry lobbyist"): "Under this bill, in wanting to make the U.S. more like Europe, every American would be driving a Toyota Corolla. I don't think most Americans want that." Will Platt compromise with the forces of evil? Sure! "We believe there is technology that would allow you to go beyond 35, but we also know that given the special interests that are lined up against us — the auto industry and the oil industry — you have to be realistic," Platts said.

Engineers will tell you, “Quick, cheap, good: pick any two.” For its first whack at a three-row crossover, GM opted for quick and cheap, and gave us the Buick Rendezvous. Admittedly, the model sold in decent volume– but not because it was quick or good. For 2008, we have Take Two. The Buick Enclave’s styling has already generated far more buzz than the Rendezvous elicited during its entire six-year run. But does the rest of the vehicle measure up to the sensuous sheetmetal?

Sebastian Thrun should work for GM; he promises a self-driving vehicle within the next twenty years. Actually, perhaps not. After all, this is the same Stanford University scientist whose team actually built a robotic VW Touareg that drove itself 212 klicks across the Nevada desert to win DARPA's $2m prize. As globeandmail.com reports, Thrun has no compunctions of removing control from automobilists, to ensure that older drivers can maintain their freedom. The personal side of the story: last May, Thrun and his brother confiscated their father's driving license after their old man caused an accident. Thrun's father faded away soon after. “It was a very sad episode. I caused it by deciding it would be unethical for my dad to drive.”

The Shrevesport Times reports that Martha Ritter's hapless husband tried to take his wife shopping for a new Ford, only to discover that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows (not a singing group) had captured all her attention. "My husband had the nerve to try to take me out to buy me a new car," Ritter said. "I said I can't look at new cars, I have to read the book." According to people who've read the latest novel in the Potter opus (not a type of sea-going mammal), Mr. Weasley's flying 1962 Ford Anglia does not make an appearance in the final installment of the interminable internationally successful saga. Our sources insist that this lack of automobile-related chicanery has nothing to do with the fact that the car used in the movie was stolen from Cornwall on 26 October 2005, as the Harry Potter series is a work of fiction. 

When you’re young, free and single, buying a new car is easy. You match the maximum amount of available cash/credit to the maximum amount of cool you can afford and sign your life away. When you’re married, buying a new car is a pain in the ass, right from the git-go. Which car do we sell? Who gets the new car? Who gets the old car? How practical should it be? How stylish? Whose style? How much car can WE afford? Post-nuptial new car negotiations can present anything from a small bump in the marital road to a VERY expensive write-off.

Given hurricane Katrina's impact on our gasoline supplies, why hasn't the federal government taken action to assure America's oil refinery capacity? Today's New York Times reports that an "invisible hurricane" of mechanical breakdowns at oil refineries around the country has pushed-up gas prices 50 cents, to over $3 a gallon. Analysts reveal that a third of the country’s 150 refineries have reported operational disruptions since the beginning of the year. As this website has pointed out, the U.S. refining industry is hamstrung by a patchwork of state regulations that make shifting supply nearly impossible. The industry says the laws and questions about maintenance schedules put it in a no-win position. “Refiners want to keep running in today’s economic environment,” said Charles T. Drevna of the refiners association. “But when they shut down they are accused of gouging the system. When they don’t, they are criticized for overrunning their facilities.”

Reuters reports that a Rand Corporation research study concludes that younger drivers are more likely to cause accidents than older drivers. While older drivers make up 15 percent of American drivers, they cause seven percent of accidents. Younguns make up 13 percent of U.S. drivers and cause 43 percent of accidents. The study does not appear to differentiate between the severity of accidents (fatalities, property damage, etc) and fails to list accident causation– data critical for any determination of the relative safety of each driving population. Unfortunately for those long in the tooth, the study says that the elderly are seven time more likely to die in an accident than the whipper snappers, largely due to senior citizens' frail nature and often poor health. 

We've said it before: The Big 2.8 are on such shaky ground that it wouldn't take much to tip one or more into bankruptcy. While it's easy to focus on the big issues– UAW contracts, new products plans, foreign entanglements, etc.– a coupe de grace could come from any quarter. Automotive News [sub]  reports that The International Union of Electronics Workers-Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA) have notified Delphi that they plan to terminate their contract with the bankrupt parts maker– a first step toward a possible October strike. It has also withdrawn permission given to Delphi to use temporary workers. It's hard to believe that the future of the entire American automotive industry could rest with 2000 employees (and one union boss), but not impossible. If Delphi goes dark in October, bad things will happen.

Steve Titus REALLY hates using foreign oil. The Bozeman, Montana resident began his personal quest for total energy independence by building a plug-in solar – electric vehicle. Titus’ passion then propelled him to develop the Solar Bug, an ATV powered by roof-mounted solar cells. The machine may only go 20 miles per charge, but Titus has his eyes on the prize: “I was tired of going to the gas station,” says Titus. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that Steve and six like-minded friends paraded their rechargeable vehicles through downtown Bozeman on Friday. While one of the participants optimistically predicted that the area could become an epicenter for green vehicle technology (like Portland and Seattle), you gotta credit these guys for their plain talking. “More and more Americans are sick of paying $80 for gas once or twice a week.” 

Proctor & Gamble are keepin' it real by extending their Mr. Clean brand of car wash products into an actual car wash. The Enquirer reports that the Cincinnati-based conglomerate has opened the first of two Mr. Clean Performance Car Washes within miles of its corporate HQ. Mr. Clean (not an actual person) offers services ranging from a $9 stay-in-the-car express wash up to a $69 full-service interior and exterior clean. While the cynical amongst you might conclude that the move reflects P&G execs' desire for super-clean company whips, the $3.3m facility is [also] an attempt to capitalize on the car wash industry's growth. Industry boosters claim automated car washes are a $35b industry in the U.S., growing at about 10 percent a year. Yes, but– P&G's move into bricks and mortar represents a major change of focus– and risk– for a company known for its ultra-conservative brand management. 

"There's a plug mounted in the bumper. When I'm on the road and I take the car to a hotel, I drive around the parking lot looking for a Coke machine. When I find one, I park close to it, so I can plug in. Then it takes six to eight hours to charge." Ladies and gentlemen, the plug-in hybrid has arrived (along with warm sodas and pissed-off Coca Cola reps). The San Francisco Chronicle reports that wealthy Prius owners are paying a Bay Area company called Hybrids Plus to convert their gas – nickel hydride-powered sedan into a lithium-ion battery-powered plug-in. The cost, including the car and an optional range extension pack: $60k. Despite concerns about fire safety, the conversion process appears to be legal. California Air Resources Board spokeswoman Karen Caesar: "We are not encouraging people to disassemble their Prii to turn them into plug-ins."

Australia is home to four major automobile manufacturers whose combined domestic sales total just under 1m cars per year. As this Herald Sun article points out, Ford of Australia faces a stark choice: export or die. At the moment, the automaker is heading in the wrong direction. With a lineup bereft of fuel sippers (sound familiar?), the automaker's Australian sales fell 9.9 percent in the first six months of '06, even as the country's total vehicle sales rose 8.5 percent. Ford is now closing its Geelong plant, ceasing production of its locally built in-line six, switching to a US-sourced V6 engine after 2010. On the positive side, by holstering the U.S. compliant powerplant, Ford of Australia's all-new, rear wheel-drive Falcon (due in 2012) could become a "global car." The article posits that this model could replace the doomed Crown Vic. But will it? Will an unfavorable exchange rate scupper any such plans? Will the Ford corporate mothership even be around to make it so? 

Twenty years ago, I was a well-heeled young exec. One day, I decided to indulge in a four-wheeled “weekend toy.” Instead of a Dino or XK-E, I dropped $500 on a 1966 Ford F-100 pickup. Sure, I’d harbored fantasies about Ferraris and Jags for years. But I didn’t want to be saddled with an expensive toy that offered temporary or unreliable escape. My dream has always been about real freedom. The freedom to wake up in the morning, sniff the air and go… berry picking! Lumber hauling! The simple, rugged, frugal Ford represented my ideal life. And I knew it would get me there.

"We anticipate [that the U.S.] will still be the most profitable market in the decade ahead. It's really key not to be excessively dependent on the U.S., but you still need to be successful in the U.S." It’s no surprise that GM Chief Sales Analyst Paul Ballew sent mixed messages to the financial community when revealing GM’s Q2 sales results. Not to put too fine a point on it, the automaker’s U.S. market share continues to evaporate while its overseas operations continue to expand. The General’s growing foreign sales aren’t enough to compensate for the company’s North American sinkhole, but it gave GM’s spinmeister something to spin. Such is the way of things at GM these days.