According to Automotive News [AN, sub], GM's top quality executive is touring the country telling dealers that a large percentage of consumer dissatisfaction with the quality of GM products comes down to slack dealer prep. No really. Jaime Hresko said that "40 percent of the problems that show up on GM quality reports from sources such as J.D. Power and Associates are related to vehicle controls and settings — not manufacturing issues that stem from vehicle design or assembly." Hresko is asking GM retailers to complete a thorough pre-delivery inspection of "issues that routinely irritate customers and may poison satisfaction reports." We're talking "memory and personalization features," including seat and mirror settings, clocks, radio stations, computer and navigation system settings." Hresko's exhortation is not without reason. As TTAC has pointed out before, J.D. Power's Initial Quality Survey (to which Hresko was alluding) is inherently flawed, measuring little more than consumer expectations and doing so over a ridiculously short time period (90 days). Still, maybe GM's top quality guy should be concentrating more on his side of the ledger. I mean, any study that names the Pontiac Grand Prix the best anything (Best Large Car) can't be all bad– you know, as far as GM's concerned. 

Over the last year or so, GM's spinmeisters have relied on fleet sales reduction as their number one excuse for declining sales and market share. Not to coin a phrase, the spin stops here. Speaking at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) conference in Mean Old "Frisco, GM's Marketing Maven Mark LaNeve said he "does not foresee a further reduction in GM’s fleet sales." Ward's pegs GM's current fleet sales at "fewer than 600,000 units," which LaNeve defended as "very profitable now." Apparently, that's because GM lowered fleet volumes AND raised prices. LaNeve told the assembled dealers that the process was a bitch. "This was a tough conversation. We had to go to some of our best customers – these guys buy hundreds of thousands of vehicles at a time – and say, ‘we’re raising prices and you’ll probably get less.’" Note the word "probably." Wards reports "when it comes to hot-selling products, such as the redesigned ’08 Chevrolet Malibu, if retail sales are high enough, rental companies might not get the vehicle." Note the word "might." And also note the fact that TTAC readers have already reported seeing the new 'Bu on rental lots. In fact, I'm not sure I believe any of this.  

While GM CEO Rick Wagoner is busy talking-up his plan to consolidate Saab, Hummer and Cadillac dealers into some sort of weird ass "luxury car" salon, Auto Motors und Sport [via Reuters] reports that Saab sales are slouching towards Bethlehem. Saab's head honcho, Jan-Ake Jonsson, told the German buff book that the erstwhile Swedish brand sold just 125k cars last year. That's down eight thousand cars from the year previous, and 35k less than Saab's recently revised internal goals. (In June, GM European Prez Carl-Peter Forster predicted 160k '07 Saab sales, down 10k from the previous estimate.) So, uh, where does that leave Saab's plans these days? "It is our target to sell 150,000 to 200,000 units per year," Jonsson told Auto Motor und Sport. "But in order to reach such annual sales we need the new models." Not if they're like the old new models…

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) shindig in The City by the Bay is all abuzz about domestic manufacturers' "dealer consolidation." As we've been saying for the last two eons, The Big 2.8's obese dealer network (GM still has over 6k franchisees) is a millstone around their collective neck, forcing them to spread their corporate resources paper thin. Now that The Big 2.8 are supposedly addressing the problem by "combining sales channels" and "helping dealers merge," it should be noted that the vast majority of the "credit" for lowered domestic dealership counts goes to… bankruptcy. The simple truth is that hundreds and hundreds of The Big 2.8's dealers are failing, closing and disappearing. Meanwhile, what "carrot" can the automakers offer for consolidation? Cash? Hot models? Er, no. Ah, but Chrysler's found a stick! Automotive News [AN, sub] reveals the hidden hand behind "project Genesis:" "Chrysler LLC plans to prune its product lineup to the point that only dealers carrying all three of its brands — Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep — will have a full vehicle line." Ex-Toyota Prez, current Chrysler Veep Jim Press outlined the threat. "If (dealer) consolidation doesn't occur before the product goes away, it will be more difficult for dealers to get what they want." Is that a threat? Is that legal? Inquiring minds want to know.

When it comes to sharing our feelings about the automotive buff books' advertising-tainted editorial, TTAC leaves no words unminced. However, every now and then, genuine journalism rears its feisty head. In the March issue of Motor Trend, Arthur St. Antoine speaks his piece about hybrids. The columnist calls them "nothing more than the four-wheeled equivalent of a yellow LiveStrong wristband- a conspicuous, self-satisfying, effort-free membership card into the 'I Care' club." The most egregious example of this hypocritical hybrid mindset? The Lexus LS 600hL. St. Antoine points out that the 600hL's hybrid premium ($33k) buys you a little extra power and minimal fuel economy gains. So why are the 600hL's moving at the rate of 1000 per month and other other hybrids are selling like Sno-cones in Hades? "The appeal of the LS 600hL (and, I fear, most other current hybrids) is simple sanctimoniousness… why, it's a hybrid. Pay no attention to the colossal luxury sedan behind the curtain! Cue the rainbow and the baby seals!" And here's the best part; the editorial's next to a special advertising section entitled "Chevy's Hybrid Revolution." This Motor Trend produced insert extols the virtues of the bargain-basement semi-hybrid Malibu (with its huge two mpg increase in fuel economy) and the super-sized, outrageously-priced Silverado and Tahoe hybrids. We reckon Angus should be getting "that" phone call any day now. 

Detroit is a strange place, far away from the great cultural cities of New York and San Francisco. The men who run the city’s car companies are local men. They’ve risen to the top of GM, Ford and Chrysler after years of hard, intense work; clawing their way to the top of a huge, Byzantine bureaucracy. Backed-up by minions and and subalterns, these auto execs live in splendid isolation from the rest of the nation. They are out of sight and out of touch.

Chevrolet hopes their plug-in electric – gas powered Volt will become America’s sweetheart. Yet GM’s boldly going where the fully electric vehicle (EV) has gone before. Forget the EV-1. I’m referring to the Baker Electric of 1899. Thomas Edison’s first car (as an owner) was a commercial success, with an effective range of around 100 miles. Today's prototypes, upon which manufacturers are presently lavishing hundreds of millions of dollars, can double that. So what’s the big deal?

My pal Brock Yates single-handedly introduced CB radios to non-truckers by using one in a big Mercedes 300S for a precedent-setting Car and Driver article. So I installed a CB in my Saab 99. Whenever I’d put my ears on and key the mike to good-buddy, the Swede’s unshielded electronic fuel injection would die. (Good thing the ugly little hatchback could coast.) Today, something similar is supposedly happening in Manhattan. Rumors abound of an electronic Bermuda Triangle surrounding the Empire State Building. According to that bastion of reportorial excellence, The New York Daily News, "something" keeps certain vehicles' engines from re-starting. Wild-ass theories range from electronic emissions from the huge antennas atop the skyscrapers, to the increasing profusion of cell phone jammers, to juju from anti-terrorist devices protecting the building from attack. My favorite from one blog commenter: “Megaliths [such as a skyscraper] are electrical coils. Imagine a coil so powerful it can suck the magnetic force out of a car’s power system.”  (You’re right: Manhattanites don’t know how a car works.) The hysterics point out that 10 to 15 cars a day die near the Empire State Building. Considering the fact that 10 to 15 cars a day probably die near the Fulton Fish Market, once again, Occam's razor slices a crazy ass conspiracy theory to pieces. 

No new prehistoric zooplankton and algae are dying. That’s the best part of the peak oil argument. Oil prices currently hover around a $90 a barrel- and have shown a slight decline- because many people believe we’re getting to the bottom of this keg, while serving more customers than ever. That line of reasoning ignores the back room where there could very well be a stash that can keep this party going.

Honda is quite literally gearing up its California-compliant diesels for the U.S. market. A few months ago, Honda started telling everyone that their i-DTEC oil-burning engines were headed for the U.S. Diesel fans were all a-twitter– even if the high mileage, high torque powerplant was destined to sit in the new, overdone and overweight Accord (or more expensive but generally better looking TSX). What Car reminds us just how much prep is involved. Step one, emissions compliance with a particulate standard that's twice as tough as the European Union's. Step two, configure an automatic transmission to work with the damn thing. That's right, until now the Honda-branded diesels (in Honda cars) were stick only. As less than 10 percent of U.S. driver drive a manual car, a diesel-compatible autobox is mission critical. Other updates in diesel news: Volkswagen hasn't released any info about its 50-state diesel engine since it said it would be delayed… again. So no, that's not really an update. It's a complaint. Get on the ball VW, before Honda beats you to the punch.

Now that the Jaguar is about to enter a new era with less corporate directives and (hopefully) fewer Ford parts, we can expect a brand-new roadster in their line-up. Jaguar has been exploring the possibilities for quite a while. We saw the tour de force XK 180 in 1997. The F-Type concept unveiled at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show was drop-dead gorgeous. Although more compact and almost house-broken, the F-Type concept lacked production-necessary elements (e.g. a pair of robust A-pillars or reliable weather-proofing). Jumping from the past into the future, I imagine a smaller F-Type– leaving the XK at the top of the tree, playing in the same league with the Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK. If any manufacturer should play a neo-retro approach on a roadster, it's Jaguar. The low and inclined screen (with the A-pillars painted in black) should increase the “open-body” feel of the car and make a visual connection to the ancestors. The rest should be kept simple and tasteful; I just can’t imagine this car with aggressive side skirts and edgy spoilers. Speaking of the spoiler, I had it painted in black, so it can go almost unnoticed (with a slight nod to the XJ220). I know this car seems a bit dull if compared to the XK180 or the F-Type concept, but if you consider all of the safety regulations, environment protection issues and industrializing process involved, well there you have it. Or will, soon.

[For more Avarvarii photochopistry, click here]

The AP reports that Porsche's U.S. sales are falling, particularly in the past two to three months. (As have sales of BMW, Ferrari, Lexus, Jaguar and Lincoln.) Porsche Prez and CEO Peter Schwarzenbauer reckons the luxury car segment will have a tough time compared to 2007. Meanwhile… Porsche has unveiled their latest Cayenne variant at the Chicago Auto Show. Automotive News [AN, sub] reports the Cayenne GTS is powered by a 4.8-liter direct-injected V8 putting out 425 hp (the Porsche press release says 405). Regardless, it'll be enough horsepower to slot the hotrod SUV between the Cayenne S and the Cayenne Turbo. The GTS will be available with a six-speed manual transmission, making it the first Porsche to offer both a V8 and a six-speed. While we're down with Porsche's commitment to vehicular evolution (however incremental), you have to wonder why the Sultans of Stuttgart are putting this much effort into an SUV– when the same drivetrain would be perfect for a resurrection of the 928. A move like that would make a lot more sense for the sports car brand than the hybrid Cayennes and four-door Panameras about to start rolling out of Stuttgart. Just sayin'… 

It's no secret that The Big 2.8 have been beating-up on their suppliers for decades, banking profits on the backs of their parts making "partners" by squeezing them for every possible penny (often at the cost of quality). Not to put too fine a point on it, relations between parts providers and American automakers are positively poisonous. So why is Reuters taking the automakers' side in their analysis of supplier – manufacturer relations post-Chrysler – Plastech blow-up? "And the stand-off between the companies will not be the last either, as U.S. automakers — looking to close plants, slash jobs and streamline operations to return to profits — lose patience with financially stressed suppliers." So how does scribe Ben Klayman reckon the suppliers became "stressed" in the first place? Anyway, "that hard line certainly caught suppliers' attention." Yes, but not in the way Klayman suggests. Suppliers are fed-up with Auburn Hill's late payments and now, bully-boy tactics. If they think Chrysler's pulling-out or going under, why wouldn't they get tough? Chrysler could soon learn that Hell hath no fury like a supplier scorned. 

A new reports in Science magazine [reported by Yahoo! News] claims that "using good cropland to expand biofuels will probably exacerbate global warming." The researchers worry that farmers looking to cash-in on ethanol will continue to plow-up more forests and/or grasslands. Biofuels boosters have cited studies stating corn-based ethanol produces 20 percent less greenhouse gases than gas, while celluosic ethanol results in a 70 percent reduction. The Science study says the analysis was "one-sided;" it didn't include the carbon costs of land use change. Factor in that variable, and corn-based ethanol production would increase greenhouse gases by 93 percent (compared to gasoline over a 30-year period). The Renewable Fuels Association dismissed the researchers' conclusions as simplistic. "Assigning the blame for rainforest deforestation and grassland conversion to agriculture solely on the renewable fuels industry ignores key factors that play a greater role." The ethanol industry cheerleadsers didn't speciify those "key factors."

Dacia is one of Renault-Nissan's success stories: a new, almost-global brand specializing in not-quite-ultra-low-cost cars. According to most reviews, the Dacia Logan is a decent drive with a hideous interior. At €5,400.00 (net), the Logan is by far the cheapest more-or-less modern car sold in Europe, Russia and many third-world countries. So, despite being one unattractive son of a Munstermobile, it's a hit. Autocar has scooped the new, more eye-friendly Dacia Sadero. Although its shares mechanicals with the Logan, the Sandero's smaller: a Yaris-size supermini. Autocar reckons the Sandero will be larger and more capable than the smallest Euro-Fords and clock in at £6.5k, undecutting FoMoCo's cars by about a thousand quid. Dacia plans to unveil the Sandero at the Geneva show, three weeks hence We'll be there and report. [FYI: the UK V.A.T. rate is 17.5 percent, so the Sandero would net at  £5,363.00. At current exchange rates that would be $10,450.00, but according to Purchasing Power Parity, which filters out short-term  exchange-rate distortions, the Sandero's net-US price could theoretically be around $8,350.00.]