of the Tesla Birth Birthwatch? Our friends over at Edmunds reveal that Tesla has finally set a new new new launch date for their all-electric Tesla Roadster: March 17. Yes, that could be the fateful day that TTAC terminates this series on the oft-delayed EV to the Stars– if not our coverage of the ongoing technological changes (and resulting performance claims) for the vehicle. But remember: we're obliged to quit carping under this title when one– count it ONE– Roadster enters its owner's climate-controlled garage. It will be a rare beast indeed. "Tesla spokesman Joe Powers said production will ramp up in a 'slow cadence' of about one car per week. 'We'll be getting the processes down and getting a feel for the build of the vehicle,' he said. 'The eventual rate will be 40 cars per week. That is realistic based on what Lotus has committed to. We'll get there eventually. The question is, how soon can we ramp up to full production? I would say we'll get close to full production in late 2008.'" He would say? Sounds to me like another promise destined to remain unfulfilled. Oh, and scribe Anita Lienert needs to peruse TTAC's Best and Brightest comments section. She says "Tesla Motors will not disclose who is supplying the transmissions for the Roadster." Spokesmouth Darryl Siry told TTAC readers the Roadster uses "a single speed xtrac transmission." 

You know the old joke that ends "We've already established what you are. We're just haggling over price"? Same deal here. Despite public outcry that forced Mayor Bloomberg to make congestion charging someone else's fault– a 17 member commission– The New York Times wants to keep the "dream" alive. Apparently, congestion charging is THE answer to gridlock. "London proved as much when it adopted congestion pricing, charging drivers to use certain streets. Traffic moved faster, tailpipe emissions went down and the fees collected went to improve public transportation." Uh, no. No. And no. While The Old Gray Lady is ready for NYC motorists to lay down (bend over?) for a regressive tax/PC money grab, the newspaper of record doesn't like "the unworkable suggestion of rationing entry to the city each day based on the last digit of license plates. There are other duds, including the idea — sure to die in Albany — of putting tolls on toll-free bridges over the East and Harlem Rivers. An $8 surcharge on taxi rides, part of another proposal, is another nonstarter." Those crazy commissioners, eh? And the winner is… forcing "most cars $8 and trucks $21 to drive on the city’s busiest streets during weekdays." Fare enough?

Hot on the heels of the canine-killing conflagration of a model's neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) in Key West, Business Line reports that Tata Motors is all fired-up on building one of Chrysler's little GEMs in India– and shipping it back to the States. Tata Motors has inked a development deal with Chrysler’s Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) to develop and market an electric version of the Tata Ace for the U.S. of A. "For Tata Motors, the electric Ace that requires no homologation, and attracts fewer regulations as it does not operate on highways and main roads will be a launch pad of sorts in a market where it currently has a no presence." The Indian automaker, favored suitor for Ford's Jaguar and Land Rover brands, expects big things from the little machine. They estimate that they'll export 10k NEVs by year-end, ramping-up to 50k units in '09. The arrangement also represents Chrysler's ongoing committment to foreign outsourcing, which includes the development of a small car for the U.S. market with China's Cherry. 

On the subject of the contest between GM and Toyota for the title "World's Largest Automaker," Autoblog jeffe John Neff accepts an unnamed source (via Reuters) and pronounces GM the winner. Strangely (for a man who's devoted a sizable chunk of cyber-space to the battle), Neff writes that "owning this title makes little difference to either automaker." Readers familiar with Toyota's profits– which dwarf GM's– would be forgiven for thinking that's where Neff's going. Readers familiar with Toyota's growing U.S. market share– as opposed to GM's shrinking market share– would also be forgiven for thinking that's where the story is about to go. Uh-uh. "Even if Toyota does pass GM in global sales for 2008, however, we don't expect it will be able to keep the title for very long before the General snaps it back. GM has a stronger presence in China and is doing very well in emerging markets, while Europeans seem to have taken a liking to the Chevy brand over there. If GM can get its U.S. sales back up, we expect it will remain the world's largest automaker." And as my Dad likes to say, if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a trolley car.

[FYI John Neff discusses blogs vs. the trad media with his pals here.] 

CNN says it began with trash talking. It ended with Gavin Simcoe’s 1993 Civic EX leaving a straight, two-lane road at more than 100mph and crashing at the bottom of an embankment. As always, CNN portrays a bit of bad (if spectacular) news as part of a dangerous and growing trend. Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller provides the requisite quote: "The last four years it's been out of control.” Worse than before? Bryan C. Harrison, president of Evo Street Racers, shrugs his media-friendly shoulders. And anyway, he says, nothing short of a million police officers– yes, a million– can stop street racing. “Everyone knows that won't happen.” Meanwhile, out in Pasadena, so-not-a-little-old-lady Johnny Wong (if racing you is right…) says car crushing has had a damping effect on street duels. But not much. "Making all these laws— to me it's pointless, because the more boundaries you put up, the more people want to race.” Police are betting that Mr. Wong is wrong about the inverse effect of reverse psychology. Ye Olde cat and mouse game continues.

After showing an oil-burning concept car last year, Subaru has just debuted their European-spec diesel engine. Significance is twofold. First, until this point, Subaru hasn't offered a diesel engine. Oil burners account for 40 percent of the European new car market; Subie's diesel deficit has seriously retarded their progress into the Eurozone. Second, this ain't no regular four-pot diesel. It's a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four that churns-out 148 horses and 258 ft.-lbs.of twist (from 1800 rpm.) Yup, you heard right: it's a flat-four; the same horizontally opposed Boxer layout Subaru sells in gas-powered form. As horizontally opposed engines have better balance than their inline counterparts, a Subaru diesel could be smoother and quieter than an in-line oil burner. In the Legacy wagon, it should get about 41 U.S. miles per gallon and chug from zero to sixty mph in roughly 8.5 seconds. Reviews are trickling in: AutoExpress, Car magazine and Fifth Gear . So far, so good. Will the Subie diesel clean-up its act to California compliance and come to the States? The answer of the week (via Autobloggreen) is yes. But with a projected date of 2010, there's still plenty of time for Subaru to cancel, confirm, cancel, confirm…

A month or so ago, I exchanged emails with an editor whose auto blog shall remain nameless. TTAC had slated his wide-eyed, spin-friendly coverage of some auto industry news. The offended ed wanted me to believe that our sites were brothers in arms. He argued that delivering "soft news" was just as valid a pursuit as purveying "hard news." In what turned out to be my final missive, I insisted that the term "soft news" is an oxymoron. We were actually discussing the difference between good journalism and bad journalism. And that was that. But the more I surf his site, the more I cruise the autoblogosphere for honest-to-God reportage, the more I wonder if Watergate ever happened. Time and time again, the press give even the most patently bone-headed not-to-say Lutzian industry players a free ride. Even on those rare occasions when a reporter asks a suit a hard question, the self-proclaimed journalist never drills down to the nitty gritty. I guess that's why we're here. To ask the question no one else is asking. And I think the industry knows it. That's why Tesla failed to honor its promise to TTAC and followed BMW, Subaru and other automakers in refusing us seat time in a press car. But–  and I'm guessing here– our editorial independence is also one of the reasons Toyota recently contacted TTAC and offered access to their press fleet. Does this signal some kind of sea change? Is the industry finally ready to face the music? I doubt it. But like Ford CEO Alan Mulally's promise to see the world through "clear glasses," it's a start. Kudos to Big Al. And props to Toyota. While we won't give either automaker special treatment, we recognize and respect their courage.

Credit where credit's due: the executive director of GM Powertrain's fuel cell activities realizes that this may not be the best time to clamor for a suck on the taxpayers' collective tit. As Automotive News [AN, sub] reports, J. Byron McCormick was careful to cloak his call for federal funding in vague and patriotic terms. "Without more investment, there is a real threat that alternative vehicle technologies and development of the hydrogen automobile will leave the United States… Other countries are investing heavily in this sector and could surpass the United States." Oh no! A hydrogen gap! Let's throw some tax money at it, 'cause if we don't "There is a real chance that [a hydrogen gap] could happen. If that happens, what happens to the jobs, to the learning and the skills that go with it?" Oh, hang on. "But for now, McCormick said the United States has technology momentum in the field. 'We have a wonderful opportunity to put the United States in a leadership position,' he added." Still, "There are a number of regions getting their act together. I would hate as a U.S. citizen and taxpayer to have the United States become complacent." And I would hate as a U.S. citizen and taxpayer to have to pay for any more of GM's R&D bill. 

We passed on yesterday's story in Automotive News [AN, sub] on the new Corvette ZR1's carbon fiber bits (roof, hood, front splitter, front fenders, side skirts and spoiler) 'cause we had bigger fish to fry. (Even though you've got to wonder about GM's decision to use customers' top 'o the line Corvettes to, as Autoblog put it, "monitor the degradation of C.F. parts over time.") But as TTAC awaits the return of Jonny Lieberman to the editorial fold, we received a press release touting the joys of Loverman's pet peeve : faux fiber. Thanks to a German company named Foliatec (Fool Ya Tech?), Corvette owners suffering from carbon fiber envy can use plastic sheeting to get their freak on. Degradation? What degradation? "Regardless of whether it is on the bonnet or the roof the film is extremely robust, just like the dark high-tech fibre it is named after. It can brave polar colds of up to minus 40 degrees as well as oven temperatures of 120 degree and maintains – with its full adhesive power – its shape at all times. This is also important if it is fitted in the interior of a car, as there are high temperatures in this area in the summer." While Jonny rolls his eyes, a Question of the Day: what part will YOU be carbon fibering?

I suspect that a large number of readers are dismayed by America’s love for the full-size pickup truck. It may be an inconvenient truth about cars, but there are still plenty of working people who love the gas-guzzling genre with a passion undimmed by concerns about global warming and America’s [entirely theoretical] energy independence. Drilling down one of Houston’s warehouse districts, the Ford F150 XL MidBox got more thumbs-up than a popular gladiator bleeding on the Coliseum floor. Admit it: other than all that PC stuff, what’s not to like about a workhorse with steel wheels and rubber floors?

You slowpokes in your Koenigsegg CCR's and Bugatti Veyrons, pull over! There's a new king of the hill. According to BusinessWeek, the Shelby SuperCar Ultimate Aero claimed the title of the world's fastest production car on September 13 last year. The [non-Saab or English candy bar] Aero averaged 256.18 mph during a Guinness-certified run. And if that ain't scary enough for your heated, air conditioned and climate-controlled garage, the wind tunnel tests at NASA show that the $600k 1,183-hp rear-wheel-drive car (with no traction control and 1,094 ft-lbs of torque) vehicle would be stable up to 273 mph.Virginia-based Shelby (no relation or association with 'Ole Shel) says it's building "just" 50 of these not-so-daily drivers. They built and delivered five Aeros in 2007; they have eight orders for 2008. What's next on the company's agenda? A four door luxury sedan that'll do 220 mph, of course.

Even if the stars don't leave the lines at home for this year's Grammy awards– must respect the little people's writer's strike– Chevy will be there. Their press release proudly proclaims "Chevrolet will bring an eco-friendly presence" to the awards this year. The gas-friendly to gas-free automaker will provide "a mix of 100 Tahoe Hybrids and FlexFuel E85 ethanol Tahoe and Suburban SUVs" to ferry oblivious talent to the award show "in a fuel-efficient way." And if that wasn't enough to prove GM's green creds to the music industry, they'll also "'electrify" the red carpet with a show-stopping display of the extended-range electric vehicle Chevy Volt Concept car." [NB: That's not the hidden-from-the-public, aerodynamically dumbed-down revised Volt headed for Chevy showrooms by… uh… when-ever.] What a difference a year makes. In '07, Cadillac provided non E-85 gas-guzzling Escalades for the same affair. I guess that was SO last year.

The Detroit News reports that golfing phenom Tiger Woods is set to tackle Buick's one foot in the grave image. In a new series of ads, Woods waxes eloquent about driving his Lambda gimme– despite the fact that it's made by a brand that's more Geritol than Gen X. Or Y. "Growing up I thought it was for my mom and my dad and that generation and certainly not for someone in their 20s and 30s." But now that Tiger's a husband and father, he "appreciates the Enclave's safety features" and how easy it is to stuff his family, pets and golf clubs into the Tahoe-sized CUV. The multimillionaire also likes his $40k mom-mobile's style. "The Enclave looks cool– you feel like this car was specifically made for you." I'm sure it was. Hey! How about lending it to one of those potential Enclave buyers who can't get their hands on the crossover (before they cross over) because GM screwed-up the parts supply? And if the Enclave is already hot, and GM can't meet existing demand, why pay Mr. Woods to turn-up the heat? Someone needs to tell GM's marketing minions that timing is. Everything.

Speaking to Autmobilewoche (via just-auto), Opel CEO Hans Demant's let slip that GM's German division will not book a profit for '07. Although an Opel spinmeister later retracted the revelation on Demant's behalf, the facts speak for themselves. According to the Kraftfahrt Bundesamt government vehicle agency, Opel's domestic sales sank 14.7 percent last year. (The overall German car market fell nine percent; its lowest level since reunification.) In fact, the future's so dim, Demant's pulled the shades. He says the entire German market is no longer profitable, either for the automaker or for its dealers. Proving that RenCen doesn't have a lock on the old finger-pointing to avoid accountability routine, Demant said the "endless discussion" about a new CO2-related tax system, and the introduction of eco-zones in big cities, had led to customers going on strike. Uh-oh. Does this mean war?

After rebadging the lackluster Five Hundred as a slightly-blingier-but-still-lackluster Taurus, Ford CEO Alan Mulally's still trying to recapture the magic. The Detroit News reports Big Al's talking about jacking-up the Taurus nameplate and sliding a new car under it in 2009. Speaking in Detroit yesterday, he hinted that a new new Taurus would arrive on the scene in the next "year or so." What's more "the new Taurus is the one we should have made originally" (you mean originally originally or later originally?). And then Mulally clammed-up, saying "I've probably said too much." The usual fictional unidentified "other company sources" told the DetN the new new Taurus would be built on the same platform as the existing one with totally new sheet metal, a new interior, better fuel economy and an optional EcoBoost engine. Viva la evolution!