Any blog post that starts off "With apologies for my carbon footprint" isn't about to describe the virtues of Drive-In movies. The PC mea culpa comes from Ethan Kent, the comely Veep of Project for NYC-based Project for Public Spaces (PPS), a nonprofit organization with a not-so-hidden agenda: "If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places." Kent's just returned from Melbourne, Australia and he likes what he sees. For example, the city is taxing long term parking spaces AU $400 per year (rising to AU $800 next year). Melbourne City Council will receive AU $5 million a year from the AU $19m to AU $38.5m to fund urban and transport improvements. Kent pronounces Melbourne's automotive purge an excellent starting point for his kind of urban planning: "At first glance, one might assume that the successful revitalization of Melbourne's downtown was the result of the city's efforts to drive automobiles out of the central business district. But traffic reduction was only one piece of the puzzle. Melbourne's renaissance was accomplished by focusing on the improvement, democratization and vitality of the city's public spaces."

The Detroit Free Press reports Congress' strongest advocate of tougher corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards has thrown in the biodegradable towel. After meeting with House Leader Nancy Pelosi (friend of the UAW), Massachusetts Representative Edward Markey decided his 35 mpg by 2019 plan would slow down other bills the Democrats are trying to pass before the August recess. Markey now says he'll back the mileage increase passed by the Senate in June– which keeps the 35 mpg standard but extends the deadline to 2020. The debate in the House will resume in September, when Detroit Representative John Dingell will "address" fuel economy in his discussion of global warming. 

Digital Signage Today reports that Advance Auto Parts' in-store TV network has gone dark. Advance launched their three channel digital network eight years ago. The smorgasboard of auto-related content– both customer how-to and employee training– expanded to all of the auto parts giant's 3150 locations. Management shut down the system earlier this week as part of a cost-cutting and restructuring campaign led by acting CEO John C. Brouillard (formerly CEO of the H.E. Butt supermarket chain). Digital Signage mourned the passing of one of America's largest and longest running retail media networks by pointing-out that ad-supported in-store digital signage is a "tough nut to crack" that ain't yet cracked.  

As we've pointed out previously, the UK is now the most heavily surveiled country on planet Earth– thanks in part to their huge network of speeding cameras and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems. The Guardian reports that the police are now asking for powers to add to their national DNA database by taking on-the-spot DNA samples from suspects accused of minor offenses, such as littering, speeding or not wearing a seat belt. The UK DNA database is already the world's largest, with 3.4m profiles (roughly 5% of the population). So far, official objections to the scheme are centering on racial profiling. A spokeswoman for the Commission for Racial Equality said: "Statistics paint a frightening picture. Black men are four times more likely than white men to have their DNA profiles stored in the police national DNA database. In the interests of fairness we would like to call for DNA profiles to be limited to those that are convicted only."  

The Automotive X PRIZE (AXP) challenge is offering a multi-million dollars prize to anyone who can build a marketable car capable of 100 mpg or more. There's only one catch: the X PRIZE Foundation doesn't have the prize money, yet. The Foundation is a self-described "educational nonprofit prize institute whose mission is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity." They're trying to raise prize funds by "seeking assistance from major foundations, corporations and philanthropic individuals to help bring about this revolution in transportation." So far, 30 teams from the US, Canada, and Europe have signed up for the challenge. The major automakers are conspicuous in their absence, but if they could come up with 100-mpg technology they'd be patenting it and turning huge profits from selling ultra-economy vehicles.

With Buick concentrating on the Chinese market, Cadillac going for a younger demographic and the Lincoln Town Car's future uncertain, someone has to take up the slack for us alter kochers. Toyota has a head start with the Avalon, but Nissan's making a move on the geriatric market. TheMatureMarket.co quotes Renault/Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn as he states the obvious: "The average consumer on earth is going to be much older. We know also that usually the purchasing power is with older people. [That means] more money in the hands of the seniors and more seniors on earth." Watch for more Nissans featuring geezer-friendly technology such as backup cameras and perimeter sensors in the near future. Carlos didn't say if his company is working on a way to automatically cancel the turn signal after the car reaches a certain speed on the highway.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has revealed the premium-inflating costs of low-speed accidents to 10 luxury cars (plus a Saab 9-3). The IIHS subjected the fleet to crashes from four angles. The IIHS' boffins ran the front and rear tests at six mph, and impacted corners at three mph. And the "winners" are: Mercedes C-Class ($5486 front), Infiniti G35 ($3544 front corner), Infiniti G35 ($4035 rear) and Audi A4 ($1899 rear corner). To reduce insurance payouts costs, the IIHS advised luxury carmakers to lengthen bumper bars to protect critical and costly equipment ($1,046 for one Lexus ES headlight, not counting installation), make the bumpers taller to protect against SUVs, pickups and minivans; and mount bumper bars farther out. Are we looking at a return of the railroad tie bumper bars of the 70's? In their dreams.

Passenger vehicles' passive safety has improved dramatically over the last four decades. Yet millions of children continue to ride to and from school in buses little changed from those used when the Who wrote "Magic Bus." The family of a boy injured in a Kentucky bus crash may finally change that. Lawyers representing Cody Shively, a 12-year old boy who suffered brain and eye injuries in a bus accident, are suing the vehicles' manufacturers (Navistar International Corporation, Navistar International Transportation Corporation, International Truck and Engine Corporation and IC Corporation) and the Grant County School Board. Lawyer Stanley Chesley has a not-so-secret weapon: on-board video of the children during the crash. And he's not afraid to use it. Citing The American School Bus' Council's website's assertion that Yellow buses are inherently safe [since modified], Chesley unleashed the dogs of war: "Anyone who would make such absurd statements should be forced to watch those children flying around that bus during the accident. One moment they were just sitting in their seats, the next they were being thrown back and forth like trees in a hurricane and the bus was crushing like a sardine can."

TTAC has not been shy about its scepticism regarding the owner satisfaction and quality surveys produced by JD Power, and the commercial links to the industry that they monitor. We have also pointed out that Consumer Reports' "secret sauce" (i.e. their analytical formulae) have certain limitations. Until now, we've overlooked another source of auto manufacturers' braggin' rights: the Intellichoice awards. While you'll hear Intellichoice mentioned in the same breath as JD Power in more than a few automotive advertisements, Intellichoice's methodology doesn't get nearly the same scrutiny. It's time to correct this oversight.

In the second financial quarter, General Motors made $891m. The General's camp followers have been delighted with the slim not to say two percent profit. Meanwhile, GM North America (GMNA) lost $39m. The General has been almost universally commended for their U.S. division's performance, as it compares with a $3.95b loss in ’06. Supposedly, the move “close to profitability” indicates the rot has stopped, as a prelude to recovery. But lessening losses is not the same as making money, especially when you need money.

If you dig corporate logos shadow-embossed on your TV shows, you'll love the Taurus Trays. SkyMedia, Ford's latest media partner, has created a folding tray table that not only holds your complimentary bag of peanuts; it pimps the "new" Ford Taurus to you and the two strangers you're stuck with for the next three hours. FoMoCo PR reports that The Taurus Trays even offer an "interactive game" when the Skymall catalog gets tiresome. Whether or not you think this brand of promo-tainment offers "entertaining content on seat-back tray tables" you'll have a chance to experience the Taurus Trays until September. Just don't forget to say "buh-bye" when you disembark.

Business Wire reports that the law firm of Sheldon J. Schlesinger, P.A. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida has hit Lexus and corporate parent Toyota with a class action lawsuit relating to the ES350's airbag sensors. According to Lexusdefect.com, "many owners have found that these sensors are intermittingly turning off thereby creating a situation where… the air bag would not deploy." The lawyers also maintain that "company spokespersons have stated that there is a problem, but they do not know how to fix it." Without citing any statistical evidence to support the allegation, they "believe that there is strong evidence this problem effects every single ES 350" and warn "if you have not experienced this defect, that does not mean it is not present." They aren't asking much– just for Lexus to recall and re-purchase the cars at their full cost, give full refunds to lessors and "compensatory damages for all costs and damages." 

By a 3-2 vote, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that Fourth Amendment rights prevent police from searching cars without a warrant– even after the driver has been arrested. The Tuscon Citizen quotes Vice Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch's majority opinion: "In this technological age, when warrants can be obtained within minutes, it is not unreasonable to require that police officers obtain search warrants when they have probable cause to do so to protect a citizen's right to be free from unreasonable governmental searches." Prior to the search in question, defendant Rodney Gant had been arrested for driving with a suspended license. Police found cocaine and drug paraphernalia in Gant's car. The Arizona Attorney General's Office's chief criminal appeals lawyer was not a happy camper: "If you arrest the driver, it's not clear when police can search the car and when they can't. Now there is no bright line." It seems this issue is headed back to the Supreme Court. 

How would you like to invest in a fuel-additive that helps cars get better mileage? If so, don't give your money to Bennie Robert Moore. Moore's phantom "Eco-Energizer" additive business has bilked hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars from unsuspecting investors. DNRonline.com reports that a Virgina court has ordered "Bob" Moore to repay $200k– out of a $450k "investment"– to local businessman David Garber. Moore was also given a ten-year suspended jail sentence. "He is a businessman and he’s starting from scratch," Moore's lawyer Andrew Harding said. "He’ll start a business up again, and when he does he will try to pay [Garber] back." Strangely, both Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Louis Nagy and Harding claimed they knew nothing of any charges against Moore in other jurisdictions. A quick web search reveals that the Georgia Attorney General served Legal Notice by way of Subpoena on EcoEnergizer in January. Not to mention ecosucks.realcheapgas.com, where the site's author leaves no words minced about Mr. Moore's authenticity. "Stay away from Eco If you REALLY feel the need to throw away $500…contact me. Give me your money and I'll be GREATLY APPRECIATIVE of it…but you'll recieve nothing more than my gratitude. That's a HELL of a lot more than EcoEnergizer has ever given anyone!!!"

Ford has consistently denied that it wants to sell Volvo– ever before it started to sell Volvo. Citing some wild ass speculation a variety of unnamed sources, CNN Money reports that FoMoCo is considering off-loading 85 to 90 percent of Volvo to Swedish investors (the flying Wallenbergs?). The second part of that story certainly makes sense. As the cryptic report says 'Volvo Cars today is strongly integrated with Ford technically, for components, and sourcing." And just in case you thought the sale would directly lift Ford's bottom line, let's not forget this little factoid, courtesy of The New York Times: "Volvo was among the wide array of assets that Ford pledged as collateral last year when it borrowed $23 billion to finance its overhaul program. If Volvo is sold, Ford will have to repay the value of the loans backed by Volvo assets, adding pressure on Ford to get as much for Volvo as possible."