Chrysler is about to follow Ford and GM's lead and perform an asset-selling cash grab. According to The Wall Street Journal, Chrysler would "like" to sell its Mopar unit, which makes high-performance and specialty parts, and Chrysler Transport, which manages supply deliveries to their plants. To that end, Chrysler's brought up the possibility in its current contract talks with the United Auto Workers (UAW). Needless to say, the UAW opposes the move, as it would involve the loss of some 1300 dues paying members jobs. The union can bitch all they want but "Boot'em Bob" Nardellli has already stated his new employer's firm intention to "monetize some assets." That's equity fund speak for "strip and flip." Is anyone– including the UAW– really that surprised?

Jaguar's embargo on pictures of their new XF midrange model expired over the weekend. After seeing the snaps, it’s clear the brand is set to follow suit. Whereas the Jaguar C-XF concept car was a stunning shape with brilliant details, the production version is… meh. Of course, the concept-to-production castration has afflicted many a dream car. But the transformation is particularly regrettable for Jag. While Porsche had 14 years to move production Boxsters back toward the spirit of the original concept, Jaguar is out of time. 

Last week, GM told the world its '08 models would hit the streets with 14 new or "significantly revised powertrains" with a "focus on saving fuel and improving performance." Public Citizen ("We fight for clean, safe and sustainable energy sources") has accused the automaker of mistaking "old" for "new." The consumer advocacy group claims that "most of the good ideas in the new powertrain lineup… are old news technologies that were listed five years ago." The sole exception? GM's two-mode hybrid. Even then Public Citizen slates the automaker's hybrid efforts for "putting it in some of the largest models, undermining efforts to build more efficient functional family vehicles." What's more, Public Citizen has an answer to SUV and pickup truck economy and safety: unibody construction! "Building the body and frame as a single piece, instead of the Frankenstein monster of a car body stuck to a truck frame, could help protect occupants of a vehicle struck by an SUV." And reduce their ability to tow or haul. At least Public Citizen questions the wisdom of biofuels. Looks like that initiative may be losing momentum amongst the chattering classes. 

Since the late 30's, the UAW and America's home-grown automakers have been locked in a balance of terror. The arrangement has kept the peace- at a price. Which was pretty much anything the UAW wanted. No-cost life-long health care? A "jobs bank" for superfluous workers? Sure! The Mutually Assured Destruction principle worked as long as the automakers could afford it. But now they can't, and the question is no longer who will blink first, but how much the UAW is willing to surrender to survive. 

Realizing that meeting American and European safety and emission standards is a bitch, Chinese automakers are turning their attention to Africa. According to the Wall Street Journal, Great Wall, Chery Automobile Co. and Geely Group Ltd. are all aggressively targeting developing African nations with low-cost vehicles, successfully competing against the less-than-stellar used vehicles flooding in from Europe. Zheng Guoqing, African sales manager for Great Wall, makes no bones about the "legislative advantages" involved. "The emissions standard is not particularly high there. The requirement for safety is also not high." In the first five months of 2007, China has more than doubled its African auto exports, compared to the same period last year. It'll be interesting to see if those Great Wall Hover II SUVs hold up to the African desert like Land Cruisers and Peugeots, and how easily Cherys and Geeleys can be fixed with a piece of wire and whatever the owner has on hand.

Interest-free loans haven't helped. Incentives up to $4K haven't helped. Maybe bribing the dealers will. Bloomberg reports that an internal GM memo states they're giving dealers cash awards to try to stop the seemingly inexorable sales and market share erosion. The General will give dealers a $250 bonus for every car they sell from August 23 through the end of the month. The dealers, in turn, "can use the money to boost discounts offered directly to consumers through most of September." Or they can just keep the money. In the memo, Buick, Pontiac and GMC general manager Jim Bunnell said, "We have an excellent opportunity to regain our momentum." Sorry Jim, but the last time your tri-division had momentum GM execs wore hats. 

Digital Content Producer reports that The National Alliance of Women In Film (WIF) and GM are launching Traction, an "innovative and unique online magazine by and for women in the entertainment industry." Despite The General's sponsorship and the automotive double entendre, Traction has no automotive-related content. So why is GM involved? We're thinking product placement. After the Transformers movie featured four GM products (including the new… wait for it… wait for it… here it comes… Camaro), it seems GM has a hard-on for Hollywood. While Transformers' GM-heavy content has drawn fire for overkill, Product Placement News says the movie's director is unrepentent: "There are products in everything in everyday life. Do people think there shouldn't be brand names or something?" asks Michael Bay. "Everything is branded. I hate commercials when they take logos off of stuff. It's not real life."

Venture supplies Ford of Australia with bumper bars, dashboard consoles, interior panels and door trims. Faced with Ford's production slowdown, Venture execs decided to trim 40 percent of its 500-person workforce. Its union said beauty mate, just pay us the AUS$25.5m in entitlements you owe us. News.com.au says Venture promised to meet its obligations. But the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union wasn't buying it and called a strike. Normally, FoMoCo Down Under uses Venture's bits and pieces to build 359 vehicles per day. Since last Thursday, nothing. Yesterday, Ford asked Australia's Industrial Relations Commission to force Venture employees back to work pending independent adjudication. No decision has been made; the strike continues. Ford production remains suspended at the cost of millions of dollars per day.

Automotive News [AN sub] reports that Bernd Osterloh, the chief works council representative at VW, asked Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking for a seat on the board of the newly-created Porsche Automobil Holding SE. The request which reflects the fact that Porsche now owns a 30.9 percent stake in Volkswagen. Wiedeking considered the request for just under femtosecond before rejecting it. In fact, Porsche's decision to place their VW stock in an European holding company was designed to avoid just such an eventuality. While German-incorporated companies have strict rules mandating employee participation, European companies have… none. But hey, you can't blame a guy for asking. 

LA-based Hondata modifies Honda engine computers (or ECU’s) for enhanced performance. According to the Hondata website, company co-founder Doug Macmillan drove a modified 2003 Acura RSX to four new speed records during the Bonneville Nationals Speed Week. The specially-prepped car was run in the “altered coupe” and “competition coupe” classes. With a gas-fueled, 2.0-liter, 270hp modified Honda K20 engine, the RSX set a one-way speed record at 172 mph. On another run, switching to a combination of VP Racing Fuel plus nitrous oxide, the [now] 390hp RSX captured a one-way record of 190.1 mph in the “fuel” class. Pretty impressive given that the K20 engine in a base Acura RSX Type-S normally generates 200 HP. If you fancy some of this action, the non-profit Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) offers the oxymoronic opportunity to engage in “safe and participant friendly land-speed racing events."

Add water to an alloy of aluminum and gallium and hey presto! Hydrogen! India Today reports the process was developed by Purdue University Professor Jerry Woodall. It "reduces the protective properties of the aluminum oxide skin normally created on aluminium's surface after bonding with oxygen… The skin usually acts as a barrier, preventing oxygen from reacting with aluminium. But the new technology allows the reaction to continue until all of the aluminum is used to generate hydrogen." Woodall claims his process is cheap, practical and powerful enough to secure more research funding revolutionize our energy infrastructure. But give the guy credit: he also knows how to think small. "The golf cart of the future, three or four years from now, will have an aluminum-gallium alloy. You will add water to generate hydrogen either for an internal combustion engine or to operate a fuel cell that recharges a battery. The battery will then power an electric motor to drive the golf cart." Fore! 

My co-pilot sat motionless, stupefied from the previous night's revelry. Strangely, this poor fellow thought I could be trusted not to challenge Alka-Seltzer's restorative powers. I allowed him the luxury of this delusion all the way from the hotel to the highway. And then I floored it. The CLK Black Series' engine bellowed WAKE UP FOOL! The uber-bad Benz' back end quivered from side to side. The traction control light sent a steady stream of Morse code through first, second and third gear. The ten second wake-up call placed us well north of 100 mph. The jobbing journo groaned his disapproval. God I love this work!

While GM is trash talking about selling 60K plug-in Chevrolet Volts in their first year on the market (whenever that may be), Toyota is more circumspect about the technology's chances. The International Herald Tribune reports that the world's largest automaker (ToMoCo) wants to conduct more consumer testing and market assessment before offering a plug-in Prius. Toyota's U.S. manager for advanced vehicle technology admits "there's a lot of enthusiasm right now about plug-ins." But, Bill Reinert adds, "I'm a little cautious about how much of that ends up as real consumer behavior." In other words, will consumers walk the talk? Cost and convenience may be the critical factors. GM pegs the cost of their plug-in Volt– with a 40-mile electric-only range and mandatory extension cord fun– at around $30K. Toyota's gas-electric Prius currently sells in the low 20s– and experienced a major surge when the price was lowered. Do the math. 

If you're trying to decide whether or not to buy a new car, the Wall Street Journal has a bit of advice: wait. Citing experts from Consumer Reports and Edumunds, they're projecting increased incentives as sales continue to drop and the model year winds down. They also note that some of the 2008 models are being introduced with incentives already attached, which is good for you, bad for their makers. If that bit of advice isn't enough to send the beancounters at The Big 2.8 and Toyondissan running for the Excedrin, their conclusion surely will: "Then again, given the prognosis for the housing market and its effect on consumer budgets, it might simply be wiser to wait. If you've had your car for five years or less, chances are it still has many healthy miles ahead."

Poor-quality car dealers. You know the score: dodgy facilities, salesmen you wouldn't trust with your pet rock, F&I guys who nickel and dime your paycheck into oblivion and service departments for whom "bilk" isn't just a word- it's a way of life. Industry analysts and desk-chair pundits alike condemn many (if not most) auto dealerships as a cancer on the industry. Believe it or not, car manufacturers share your distaste. Hence the reason the newly excised Chrysler LLC flashed its private equity muscles, threatening to close "underperforming" dealerships. Is that legal?