In an effort to show they're just as digital media savvy as GM, Chrysler V4.0 has rolled out their own corporate blog. So far, Voices of Chrysler contains the expected PR drivel frank and open pseudo exchange of views expressing hope for the future, promising new product excellence, yada X 3. It's too early to tell if any of the suits will start issuing the kind of Maximum Bob Lutzian statements that float our e-boat. Three Chrysler execs have posted so far: Tom "I'm in charge" Lasorda, Ralph "the 300 was not a fluke" Gilles and Jason "You Talking to me?" Vines. Not suprisingly, Vines comes closest to providing genuine infortainment. Ever the optimist, he states "Our owners at Cerberus think [new CEO Bob Nardelli's] incredible track record in successfully running the many businesses he did… can speed up the recovery of The New Chrysler. More power to him, if you ask me." More power to you, Jason. Given Boot'em Bob's track record at Home Depot, drop us a line as and when.

You may recall that TTAC took Tesla to task over its range claims for their all-electric Roadster– which the company stoutly defended, then revised downwards from 250 miles to 200. We also warned that Tesla wasn't likely to meet their already once-postponed summer delivery date– which they didn't. And now the erstwhile automaker has announced that they'll start releasing cars to customers in October. Or November. Forbes reports that Tesla CEO and co-founder Martin Eberhard is adamant: "We will definitely ship in that time frame." Eberhard attributes the company's third delay to a "late change in the transmission vendor." No word yet on whether the Tesla Roadster has passed federal crash tests. And you'd kinda think the company would have a working press car by now, less than three months from its [alleged] launch. Rest assured that we'll be following this developing story as it develops. Or not. 

Aside from ad revenue, why would a car magazine want to position itself as a cheering section for General Motors? Well exactly. Car and Driver’s September review of the “new” Cadillac CTS is such a blatant example of boosterism it puts the "sub" in "subsidy." This will come as no surprise to regular readers who’ve watched the buff book slowly sink into a glossy ghetto of pistonhead prostitution. Even so, I feel compelled to use C&D’s CTS review as a re-launching pad for Between the Lines, so that TTAC readers understand what this website stands for. Or, more precisely, against.

Mike Delahanty, senior manager of Dodge Motorsports, has assured NASCAR fans that the manufacturer won't pull their sponsorship from the ten race cars wearing Dodge Charger/Avenger decals. Delahanty seems confident that Cerberus will continue supporting the program, citing two NASCAR contracts that "went through the Cerberus review unscathed — no questions." He feels "we had a long-term commitment to the sport that was approved and a long-term commitment to one of our key teams that was approved. That gave us a message very early that going forward we weren't going to have to worry how to run our business." However, these statements were made before Monday's announcement stabbing Tom Lasorda in the back naming Robert Nardelli as CEO. Now that Toyota's in NASCAR, Delahanty and the two Dodge racing teams may want to give Hyundai or Honda a ring.

As of June 30th, UK motorists have been brewing-up 2500 liters (660 U.S. gallons) of homemade biofuels without paying a penny in tax to the British exchequer. According to NewCarNet, anyone living in the island nation with a penchant for home chemistry can now cook-up their own biodiesel for one tenth of the cost of commercially available diesel. Setting aside the price of waste vegetable oil (i.e. none), the costs breaks down as follows: methanol (7.6p), Sodium Hydroxide (.52p), energy (0.12p) and purification 1p. Not including labor, that’s 9.24p ($.18) a liter. U.S. biofans will no doubt be discussing the implications at the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Orlando this February.  

Let's see.. a gauge to tell you how fast you're going, a gauge to show you how much fuel you have left and a gauge to monitor how much damage you're doing to the environment. According to Gizmag, a team from The University of Manchester has developed a laser device that measures greenhouse gas emissions inside the car's exhaust system before it's loosed on the world. The eggheads' hope: if you see how much nasty stuff you're producing you'll adjust your driving style accordingly. Of course, if you don't, "this technology could also be used in roadside congestion charging systems, with less polluting vehicles being charged less." Yes, The University of Manchester is in England.

As predicted, car rental companies' balance sheets have taken a ding, thanks to Detroit's determination to trim the fleets. Dollar Thrifty reports today that second quarter net income was $15.3 million, compared to $26.7m in '06. Prez and CEO Gary L. Paxton was quick to finger The Big 2.8's cutbacks, and reveal the inevitable result: "Vehicle manufacturers have been reducing the number of vehicles sold to the rental car industry and increasing our fleet costs. We are also absorbing higher vehicle financing costs as a result of lower credit ratings in the auto industry… raising rental rates is the key to offset these vehicle related increases." Meanwhile, the Avis Budget Group is on its way to recovery– reporting a $24m profit compared to a loss of $1.1b in '06. Still, their per-unit car fleet costs increased six percent year-over-year, "reflecting industry-wide increases for model-year 2007 vehicles." Both companies are responding to rising car costs by aggressively cutting their own.

MSNBC reports the results of a Harris poll commissioned by mobile messaging service Pinger. The survey says… 91 percent of Americans want texting while driving banned. In the true spirit of "do as I say, not as I do," the poll also reveals that 57 percent of those sampled admit to sending text messages while driving. Washington State has already banned texting while driving, and six other states are considering similar legislation. Pinger has particular interest in getting the laws passed– they provide a voice messaging service. Their press release claims they offer "a safer way for drivers to stay in touch from the road" when "combined with a hands-free headset." However, that only helps the 57 percent who send messages. Incoming message notifications arrive in the form of a text message, so the 66 percent who admit that they read text messages while driving are still at risk. Doh!

Say you're the average Ferrari F430 owner. Whether inspired by your conscience or an environmentally conscious mistress, you feel a sudden need to show your support for planet-saving consumerism. What do you do? Follow the advice of MSN Cars Green Motoring and trade that Italian eco-disaster for a Porsche 911. Citing its fuel economy and relatively low CO2 emissions, they compare the Porker to a number of exotics and declare it good. And if the base 911 isn't fast enough, they point out that the 911 Turbo pollutes less than your average F430, R8 or Gallardo and gets better mileage than any of them. Who needs a Prius when you can save the planet in a Porsche?

As if a new owner, a new CEO, housecleaning in the executive suites and negotiating a new contract with the United Auto Workers weren't enough to keep Chrysler's middle management mainlining Mylanta at the Pentastar Palace, the Detroit News reports that Chrysler lost $1,111 on every vehicle they sold in North America last year. That's a drastic drop from the $144 per vehicle they made in 2005, before sales of large trucks and SUVs hit the skids. The only bright spot: Chrysler didn't lose as much money as Ford. The Glass House Gang's losses ran over $1900 per vehicle. To rub salt into festering wounds, the transplants (Toyota, Nissan, Honda) averaged nearly $1600 profit per vehicle. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reckons some 1.5m American deer have a close encounter of the vehicular kind each year. On an annual basis, deer collisions take out 200 humans, injure 15k more and cost the insurance industry rack-up more than $1b in repairs. According to a report in the Black Hills Pioneer, researchers at the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University have spent the last six years trying to stop the car-nage. The Big Sky boffins are currently testing a trip-wire system in Minnesota. When deer break invisible beams along the side of the road, the system triggers flashing lights to warn drivers. Bob Weinholzer from the Minnesota Transportation Department is happy with the approach. "We can't do anything to control what the deer do, so this is an attempt to control the drivers."

There's a cloud surrounding every silver lining. In this case, the London Free Press reports that the Canadian city's visually impaired population is worried about getting blindsided by hybrid cars. Ron Nurse expressed his concern over the issue, suggested adding a "flutter or a whirl" to hybrids, and revealed his, uh, bravery. "When you are standing on the corner, you have to think how close to the curb are you and you're left to wonder if it's OK to cross the street. More often then not, you just go." Kathryn Ruhland provided the spin control: "The biggest factor to keep in mind is that a majority of sound coming from the approaching car comes from the tires," the public relations manager insisted. Even so, the National Federation for the Blind is on the case. 

Sir Isaac Newton had a ninth law: all vehicles must gain mass with each passing generation. I know, I know: safety regulations, usable third row, American tastes, yada yada yada. And it’s true that the new, bigger Toyota Highlander exacts no fuel efficiency penalty for its extra height, width, length and weight. Even so, has the new Highlander lost something, as Toyota moves further and further away from cheap and cheerful towards pricey and ponderous?

Just as American automakers were trying to wean themselves off of fleet sales, just as The Big 2.8 were looking to reduce incentives and bounce back from a slow June, July. In July, practically every U.S. economic indicator took a downturn, from housing starts to the stock market. While American auto sales didn't plummet, they took a major hit. Even Toyota was not immune from the fallout; the numbers rolling in proving that ToMoCo's not invulnerable to a bad market. Damage report Spock.