OK, it's a love letter to Toyota, written by a local Mississippi paper pleased as punch that their audience are enjoying the economic uplift provided by a new, $1.3b Toyota factory. But The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal still offers a fascinating look at how ToMoCo gets the party started at a new production facility. "Numerous training sessions at other Toyota sites, including Georgetown, Ky., and San Antonio, are part of the regimen. TMMMS [Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi] employees will spend three weeks or so at one of those facilities, then return home for training at area community colleges for a few weeks. The schedule rotates for a few months until employees are ready to 'graduate.' Then the next batch of employees starts the process again. But the training doesn't stop… Toyota workers are cross-trained to do other jobs. The premise is simple – the more you know, the more you can do, the more valuable you are." Production at the new plant– just outside Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo– begins in late 2009 for the 2010 model year Highlander.

The New York Times lists the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's 12 greenest vehicles sold in the U.S. Not surprisingly, it's dominated by foreign brands. In fact, the TTAC Ten Worst nominee Ford Focus is the only American nameplate on the list. The Honda Civic GX, which runs on compressed natural gas, sits in the top of the greenest tree. Only four hybrids sent out an aroma of undefined love: Prius, Civic Hybrid, Altima Hybrid and Camry Hybrid. Rounding out the list: smart fortwo, Yaris, Corolla, MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper Clubman, Civic and Fit. Imports also dominated the six "most environmentally damaging vehicles." Four of these were were oil burners: Touareg V-10 TDI (the worst of the worst), Mercedes GL 320 CDI, Grand Cherokee diesel and Mercedes R320 CDI. The Bugatti Veyron and Lambo Murciélago round out the dirty half-dozen. Neither GM's "Green Car of the Year" (Yukon Hybrid) nor the treehugger's four-wheeled enemy #1 (Hummer H2) showed-up at either extreme.

Your humble correspondent lived in Bath, UK for some four years. The gorgeous Georgian city was home to a huge population of heroin addicts, panhandlers and heroin-addicted panhandlers. Overwhelmed, the local police adopted a 90 percent tolerance policy. So it's no surprise to this journalist that the BBC reports that members of this army of unemployment collectors have organized (if that's the right word) a protection racket, whereby motorists must pay a "donation" or risk having their cars vandalized by their erstwhile guardians. "Motorist Stewart Barratt said: 'I've only refused [to pay] once and I came back to my car and it was damaged, £385 it cost me to put it right. My car had been urinated over, wing mirrors were broken and the wiper blades back and front were ripped off.'" In true "leave it to us" style, the local constabulary's official response is long on qualifications, short on reassurance and stingy with action. A statement from Avon and Somerset Police said: "We are aware of one incident where a motorist was asked for money before somebody urinated on his car. No other incidents have been reported recently."

What starts out as the [now] usual report on the huge number of high-risk sub-prime car loans– "According to Power Information Network, 1.85 of the 9.6 million customers in 2006 who leased or financed a new car were subprime borrowers or consumers with weak credit"– suddenly swerves towards Uh-Oh Town. The CBS5.com report highlights BMW Financial lease holder Vivian Snyder. A salesman inflated Snyder's income ($2500) on her credit application by 150 percent. The reporter then secured the loan application and discovered that "Snyder's income had been changed once again – from $6,000 to $8,600, this time without her knowing. An "8" had been placed before the "6" and "0"s tacked at the end." When confronted, Freemont, CA AutoNation General Manager Larry Long claimed the change had been made in Snyder's presence, and then blamed BMW Financial for approving the lease. "We have investigated this matter internally," Bimmer spokesmouth Martha McKinley insisted. "And we are satisfied that BMW Financial Services acted appropriately at all times during the application and credit review process." Yes, well, AutoNation eventually ate the lease and "according to consumer advocate Rosemary Shahan with Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety the practice is common. 'This is an epidemic of loan applications being falsified. In fact, the model for the meltdown we're seeing in real estate and home mortgage lending was auto lending.'" [thanks to buzzlightyear for the tip]

Another myth exploded. Hot off TTAC's Paul Niedermeyer's editorial shattering our high-octane illusions of a country content with big, RWD Australian-made sedans like the Falcon, The Age reports that Ford and Holden finished at the bottom of the first ever J.D. Powers customer satisfaction survey for Australia. A sample of Aussies with cars up to three years old were fed an "international standard questionnaire" and asked to rate their purchases on several factors, including performance and reliability. Scanning the top place finishers paints a familiar picture for many Americans: Mazda, Honda and Toyota. Holden spinmeister John Lindsay uses utterly generic understatement to diffuse any controversy, noting that "When you sell thousands of cars some people will have issues". Right up until they stop buying, John.

Honda is known for manufacturing some of the sweetest-shifting transmissions in the world. Yet many owners of 2002 to 2008 model year cars claim that when shifting from second to third, the transmission resists, subtly grinds into third or pops out of third gear altogether. More than a thousand Civic Si owners have signed an online petition asking Honda to “correct the problem.” Over at 8thCivic.com, the list of ’06 through ’08 Si owners “signing” the "I have a 3rd gear problem" thread is up to 270. Recently, Road and Track published its Long-Term Test Wrap-Up of their 2006 Civic Si, and they experienced a “binding resistance going into 3rd, which would kick the gear-shift lever back to neutral if the clutch was let out a moment too soon," and speculate that “we're not sure if the gearbox issue is a design flaw or premature wear exacerbated by a diverse group of learning curves.” And this site offers video of a 2004 Accord six-speed popping out of third gear. Recently, Fox news in San Diego posted a “Call for a recall” video about the current-generation Si, and it’s spread like wildfire [shown above]. Disgruntled owners say Honda needs to resolve these issues, or risk damaging its reputation. You know, more.

Canada's ZENN, Dynasty and Electrovaya make small, four-wheel, electric cars classified locally as Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs). They mostly sell these zero emission machines to Americans as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs). Though the 25 mph max speed NEVs must be approved at the local level, they are potentially legal on 35 mph roads in 40 US states. The Canadian EV makeers desperately want to sell their products in their home market. As The Toronto Star reports, both Transport Canada and Ontario's Ministry of Transportation restrict the sedate LSVs to "planned" areas like campuses and retirement communities; LSV owners are legally banned from taking their chances among Canada's mix of normal, fast and insanely fast traffic. While slower bicycles and scooters also use Canada's streets, officials are hung-up on the fact that the LSVs look like cars but don't have airbags, side-impact reinforcement or meet any crash-test standards. Makes sense, but is it sensible?

Officially, the GM embargo on G8 reviews (how quaint is that?) ends today. But since this is the internet, it means the embargo is over for everyone as soon as anyone decides to break it. [NB: any buff book or news source looking for a point man, here we are.] This time 'round, Motor Trend broke GM's embargo cherry; posting its homage de G8 on its site. Edmunds' Inside Line followed suit. And Popular Mechanics and Car and Driver joined the e-fray. In short, the G8 scoots from zero to sixty mph in about 5.4 seconds and… everyone likes the car a whole lot. As for TTAC, GM's press car ban remains the one embargo GM rigidly protects and enforces. Never mind. As soon as the G8s hit the dealers, my personal rear-drive savior has set one aside for a day for TTAC to evaluate. In the interim, enjoy the fluff!

[Pixamo gallery of new G8 here.] 

Nissan claims the Murano was the first crossover. Subaru claims that "honor" for the Forester. I think the first crossover was probably some variant of the Model T. Ladder frame construction or no, I'm never exactly sure what constitutes a CUV or SUV. Besides, as most truck buyers neither tow nor venture off-road, it's what semanticists call an invidious distinction. In other words, who cares? The more important question is whether or not a particular vehicle has the looks, packaging and performance it needs to survive. The new Nissan Murano must, again, still, stand on its own merits. Does it?

Not that they will, but they could. In fact, they should. Check it: today's The New York Times op ed reminds us that "The final [energy] bill correctly included environmental safeguards. The most important is a requirement that ethanol, regardless of its source, achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases compared with conventional gasoline." Only the Times (and TTAC) noticed two studies in Science magazine that conclude that ethanol production increases global warming. So.. that's it then. Until ethanol can be made from non-corn sources, the Environmental Protection Agency (charged with calculating ethanol emissions) should pull the plug on corn juice and sink the subsidy-sucking ethanol industry. The chances of that happening are between none and none. Still, it's nice to see the Times (almost) acknowledge a green boondoggle when they see one. 

Did you know your car grows whiskers? The revelation comes via computer industry pundit Robert X. Cringely (nee Mark Stephens) on his PBS.org blog. Here's the deal… Tin is the primary ingredient in electrical solder that's used in automotive circuit boards and electrical terminals. Tin can grow thin crystal threads that can reach several millimeters in length. Unshaven, these tin whiskers can create short circuits that blow delicate electronics. (NASA banned the use of 100 percent tin in its components after tin whiskers disable three communications satellites.) So electronic component makers switched to solder made of a tin – lead alloy. In 2006, environmental concerns led the EU (so to speak) to ban lead in electronics. Cringely says this well-intentioned regulation means that today's electronics are THOUSANDS of times more likely to create tin whiskers than before. If you’re tired of buggy electronics in your car now, just you wait.

As GM's fortunes head for their inevitable denouement, it's time to pause and reflect on the deal that revolutionized the American automaker's labor relations. I speak here of the multi-billion dollar bribe paid to the United Auto Workers (UAW) to cut their sky-high wages and benefits down to size. In exchange for a new Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association (VEBA) health care trust, the union accepted a two-tier wage system. At a stroke, Motown became competitive with the transplants, while the UAW protected its members' health care benefits for all time. In theory.

Apparently there's no "win" in Darwin. So listen, we know it's difficult, but the next time the police confiscate $2,000 in cash from your home while you're being arrested for drug possession, take the bus when you show up at the sheriff's station to demand your cash back. Remember, if you don't know your history, you're doomed to repeat it. If you're Charles Chambers of Anderson, SC however, you're just doomed. That's right dear readers, MSNBC tells us that he rolled into the police station in a stolen car. His plan would have worked perfectly, too, if not for the fact that victims of car theft generally report their cars stolen. And the one Mr. Chambers came rollin' in just happened to fit the description of a vehicle stolen three hours earlier. It didn't help that when the cops pulled him over, Mr. Chambers had to shut the car off with a screwdriver. Hey, at least he's not as dumb as this woman. Wait, no — yes he is.

“Scion does not recommend towing a trailer… your vehicle was not designed for towing." Welcome to the great American anti-towing conspiracy. Manufacturers of anything less than a big SUV or pick-up are trying to take away our God-given right to tow with our cars. For a guy who’s towed everything from a Radio Flyer wagon behind a pedal-powered John Deere sidewalk tractor, to a three-bedroom house, I feel like I’m being singled out. Of course, there’s a possibility that I’m the cause as well as the target of this jihad. A lot of lawyers do drive the Ventura Freeway, and one of them may well have seen my spectacular stunt with a trailer.

TTAC welcomes 20k daily unique visitors. No wonder. At the risk of e-tooting our cyber-horn, we have superb writers and incisive commentators. So now, we evolve. To keep us au courant with 1997-era web development, we're adding forums. Every article will show a page of comments, and then offer a link to more comments, which will take the reader to the article/comments within the forum. Readers can access these posts from within the forum and, of course, add threads. (We will police ALL posts just as rigorously for flamers as we do now.) We're also looking to change the home page, to make that bad boy POP (in a discreet sort of way). We're about to announce a deal that will give (selected, trusted, insured) TTAC reviewers access to the latest test vehicles– cars that are outside the manufacturer's press fleets. And we've started a new, non-TTAC site (no brand extensions here) with Steven Lang. We'll link to newcarconsultant.com to provide our readers with a first-class, nationwide (U.S.) new car buying service– which will generate some much-needed income for our journalistic efforts. As Detroit is learning, everything either grows or dies. With your help, we're planting some seeds for our future.