The United States will have the capacity to produce 13 billion gallons of ethanol by the end of 2008. The United Sates will have the capacity to process 12 billions of ethanol by the end of 2008. Oops! This analysis comes to us from Wally Tyner. The agricultural economist for Purdue University predicts that this disparity will force some ethanol plants to reduce or halt production, and drive down the price of ethanol. Controversially, Tyner also suggests that U.S. ethanol over-production could lead to exports. And this is just E10 folks. During a phone interview [podcast below], the prof reveals that America's entire consumption of E85 could be satisfied by the output of ONE ethanol plant. How many do we have now? 100. Tyner agreed that the American ethanol industry couldn't survive without state and federal subsidies. But I suppose you kinda knew that already.

If you’re a pistonhead, you have people. You know, Nick the mechanic or Joe the dyno. I got a tire guy: Ernie Bello. Bello tires is a performance car hangout, with all the right equipment for mondo mods and a lounge, decorated with a map of the Nürburgring, stocked with car mags, ice cream and kick-ass Cuban coffee. When my sports car needed new tires I clicked on Tire Rack for price and advice. I then went to Ernie. Hey Ernie! Whaddayathinkin here?

Filming yourself speeding has become an problem of pandemic proportions in Great Britain. Or at least that's what it would seem, based on the way the constabulary in England and Wales are reacting to the videos of highway hoonage on YouTube and other sites. Equating the videos to slasher flicks and pornography, the Old Bill wants the government to pass laws banning them. Apparently, the home-made vids "encourage more young people to speed and in turn, more young people to get killed." In Fife, Scotland, Chief Inspector Alex Duncan actually spends time scouring YouTube looking for the videos. He says if he can identify anyone in the footage, they'll persecute prosecute them. Even more Big Brotherish, Duncan hints at a wider probe. "What really scares me is how many people are doing this and not putting it on websites where we can find it." YouTube says it won't ban the videos, but if police think a post is evidence of a crime, they should "get in touch with them." While TTAC doesn't condone lawbreaking, and we accept the police's right to investigate criminal matters, we defend freedom of speech and personal privacy in all its permutations. And the video here was shot on a derestricted section of the German autobahn. In case you were wondering.

The China Banking Regulatory Commission wants to make it easier for you… yes YOU… to get into a new car. Gasgoo reports they've released new regulations on auto leasing companies that will allow them to lease cars to Chinese consumers. The new regulations allow finance companies to lease cars to individuals or fleets; previously they were only allowed to loan money for purchases to individual buyers or auto companies. With the vast majority of Chinese auto purchasers paying cash for their new cars and buying only what they can afford, it's going to be interesting to see if the new regulations will entice consumers to lease a more expensive vehicle than they could buy. It leaves one to wonder, though, what the penalty for going over the mileage limit will be in The People's Republic.

Financial Times reports that Johnson Controls and Saft have joined forces to build a factory to produce lithium-ion batteries for automotive applications. The factory in Nersac, France will supply batteries to GM, Chrysler and Mecedes, amongst others. Initially, the new venture will be turning out about 5k battery packs per year, increasing production from then on as demand increases. The partnership also plans to produce batteries in Asia and other locations. Meanwhile, Toyota is making preparations with Panasonic to produce Li-Ion batteries for the Prius, while GM works with Continental and LG Chemical to develop batteries for the Volt, and Nissan partners with NEC for their electric car project in Israel. Anyone want to place a bet on how long it'll be before we're fretting over the lithium supply like we do crude oil?

Let's not mince words here. Your average American loves watching a good ol' red blooded police chase. As entertaining as they are, you've really got to wonder if discretion is the better part of valor when it comes to running Johnny Perp to ground. In "Scott v. Harris," the U.S. Supreme Court didn't seem to think so. The Justices watched this video of police chasing of a 19-year-old man who refused to pull over after being caught speeding. In what Justice Scalia described as, "The scariest chase I ever saw since 'The French Connection'," the teenager led police on a 10-mile plunge down a two-lane highway at night. A police officer ended the chase by ramming the back of the teenager's car at 90 mph, sending the car flying down an embankment, rendering the fleeing teenager quadriplegic. The Court held that the officer's use of deadly force to stop the fleeing speeder (clocked doing 73 in a 55 mph zone) was reasonable– despite the option of calling off the pursuit and tracking down the driver by his license plate.  The Court states, "After watching the video, no jury could find the Police Officer's use of force unreasonable." What say you?

Isuzu once had one of the most recognizable ad campaigns on the planet (you have my word on it!). Their Giugiaro-designed Impulse was considered one of the best-looking cars on the road. Honda thought their SUVs were good enough to rebadge, to get Honda and Acura into the growing SUV market. And now, after they've struggled along for the past five years with nothing more to offer than rebadged Chevy TrailBlazers and Colorados, Mobile Magazine reports they're officially abandoning the American market.  It'll cost them about $37m to pull out, but they probably spend that much each year just keeping their American operation limping along. They'll still provide replacement parts for their existing models, but it's very doubtful you'll ever see a passenger vehicle with the Isuzu brand on it. If I’m lying, may lightning hit my mother.

Do you like violent land acquisition games? You're in luck! And we even know the ad schedule for this weekend's Bowl of Superness; the playbook leaked out onto the net (was it secret to begin with?). Not surprisingly– considering the perks (Percs?) bestowed upon the top brass funding the athletic endeavor– the auto industry will be attempting to divert you from the salsa. The cost for 30-seconds of your (and a billion of your friends') time: $2.7m. Or less. Here's the run down.

First Quarter:
Audi finally unleashes the ad that's supposed to redefine luxury: "Audi selected The Godfather as a thematic foundation for its Super Bowl ad because the film expresses the idea of a new power rising in an established hierarchy." Stop smoking the ad crack boys; the Godfather is about a bunch of hoodlums killing hoodlums to become the top hoodlums. How's that for a business plan? Cars.com uses their 30 seconds of fame to persuade you to visit their slow, boring, bloated website to increase your buying confidence. I'm not hotlinking their page because I'd have to call it tepid-linking, and that doesn't sound right. Bridgestone will remind you that tires are important, and theirs are worth buying.

Second quarter:
Rumor had it that Chevy was going to try to keep viewers from heading to the toilet by explaining the transition from gas-friendly to gas-free. Now GM's spot will show one or more hybrids from Chevy, Saturn or GMC. Toyota will debut the new Corolla. Here's hoping the game is still exciting.

Third Quarter:
More Bridgestone, then more Cars.com. The Cars.com ad will include Alice Cooper and Richard Simmons having sex in a Chevrolet HHR. Or something like that. Hyundai really will attempt to redefine luxury, launching the new Genesis rear wheel-drive budget luxury sedan. The ad will attempt to make Mercedes, BMW and Lexus owners feel like they're suckers. Hyundai will take a second bite of the advertising apple to present… It's OK honey, I'll get the beer.

Fourth Quarter:
Toyota's 30-second spot about the Sequoia will be "family focused." As Toyota is already airing a family focused Sequoia ad, perhaps they're moving from high mileage to recycling.

[See the rundown here. TTAC will provide post-game Audi ad analysis on Monday]

On January 2, 1974, President Richard M. Nixon signed the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act. A provision of the Act imposed a new, national, 55 mph maximum speed limit. Overnight, the United States had a massive speeding “problem.” Within weeks, the feds gave huge amounts of money to police forces around the country to purchase radar guns. The speeding ticket, always a reliable cash cow for local governments, became a cash herd.

I know; TTAC has no business taking GM Car Czar Bob Lutz to task for stomping on political correctness. And anyway, Maximum Bob's challenge to readers of his fastlane blog to out-run the police in a "Blue Devil" ZR1 Corvette is a joke. But this website is keenly aware of our power– real or imagined– to influence young and impressionable pistonheads. So we don't advocate or celebrate hoonage. And if you've detected a slightly angry not to say profane tone to our work (ya think?), try and remember that it comes from a place of love. Love of honesty. Truth. And we love the fact that Bob has a playful side. But it's a little worrying that the guy who has to get the entire GM global empire to build green machines that meet or beat new mpg requirements– that meet or beat the competition in terms of sales– happily reveals himself as a lover of high horsepower toys. And it's a bit scary that Maximum Bob doesn't understand his influence on his "people." But the real question is this: where is Bob's love of truth? The man has a longstanding habit of spinning, ducking, diving and conniving. The caption to Bob's blog post says "Your Worst Nightmare." For hundreds of thousands of people dependent on Bob Lutz' product plans, their real nightmare is that the man in charge of GM's fate is a belligerent, clueless relic of a bygone era who longs for a simpler time, when outrunning the cops was a bit of a hoot. [thanks to Kurt B for the link]

Let’s say you’re driving down South Dakota Highway 50 and you’ve GOT to fill-up on E85. Obviously, you don't REALLY have to; any car that can run on E85 can run on “normal” gasoline. (And run farther too, but that's another story.) So let's just imagine it's a patriotic “our boys don’t have to die defending corn fields” thing. Or maybe a "I heart Federal Subsidies" deal. So, how do you know where to get a tankful of corn juice? Tom-Tom Go? Phone a friend? Not to worry! The South Dakota’s legislature is here to help! According to KXMC.com, the Mount Rushmore State just enacted legislation that requires state officials to list E85 availability on interstate highway signs. Hang on; “State officials say the bill is premature because South Dakota is in a regional compact of states that are planning a system of uniform signs for renewable fuels.” So they're doing this twice? Anyway, no word yet on how much either boondoggle’s going to cost. But we ALL know who’s going to pay for it…

Car and Driver fired me. Editor Csabe Csere sat down in my kitchen and said he had to "let me go.” The magazine could no longer afford my services. No surprise there. Car and Driver had become a pale shadow of its former self. Like Detroit’s carmakers, Csere and his team had refused to recognize reality. The internet had arrived, the game changed, they didn’t. The magazine got thinner and thinner, making my paycheck seem fatter and fatter. I was sorry to see it go (the paycheck). But what the Hell. Here we are. Now what?

In recent years, General Motors has had something of a change of heart regarding hybrids. In 2004, “Car Czar” Bob Lutz dismissed hybrid cars as “impractical” and “a fad.” By 2007, Saturn gained a Green Line off-shoot dedicated exclusively to selling such endeavors. While GM doesn’t separate out sales stats for Saturn’s sub-brand, suffice it to say sales suck. This bodes badly for Saturn’s newest green machine: the 2008 Aura Green Line. Does the hybrid version of last year’s North American Car of the Year deserve a chance?

Attention residents of The Green Mountain State! Has your legislature got a deal for you! In return for your vital organs, you could drive free for the rest of your life! While a lot of states have organ donor boxes on their driver's licenses (which we at TTAC encourage you to tick), Vermont wants to sweeten the pot. So the pols have ponied-up a bill that would waive the cost of the driver's license fee for anyone agreeing to part with their parts once they depart. The Burlington Free Press does the math. By participating in the program in your mid-30's, you could save up to $400, provided you live to your late 70's. Of course, finding any organs still fit to be transplanted in a 78-year old donor isn't their problem. That's why the transplant surgeons get paid the big bucks. [thanks to Gord Mack for the link]

I don't really have a lot of sympathy for people who say "If only I'd held on to my Barracuda" or suchlike. Maintaining a car– keeping it taxed, insured and running for decades– is a time-consuming and expensive business. Besides, for every car we once owned that's now worth a fortune, we owned many more than are still worth bupkis. "If only I'd held onto my Ford Pinto station wagon." I don't think so. Anyway, Hagerty Insurance wants to brand that whole "collector car of the future" deal. They've released their "Hagerty Hot List," selected by none other than McKeel Hagerty, CEO of, well, you know. Frank reckons the Crown Vic fits the bill. My money's on the Chrysler 300C SRT8 (not literally of course). What motor do you think you should stash for cash? Here's Hagerty's take.

1. Cadillac XLR-V Roadster
2. Lotus Exige S
3. Audi S5
4. Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR
5. Chevrolet Corvette Z06
6. Smart
7. Subaru Impreza WRX STi
8. Honda S2000 CR
9. Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky
10. Dodge Charger Super Bee