There's a passel of Passat pictures and videos from VW out today, and a Scirocco shot or six. So we've bundled them together for convenience sake. First up: two videos of the new Passat CC sedan (you remember, the Passat-based Mercedes CLS lookalike) which include a fair number of interior shots. On the go, it looks pretty good. If VW doesn't muff the pricing, the CC should prove chi-chi. Secondly, Volkswagen has a bunch of "feel the heritage" pictures of the new Scirocco with a first generation 1970s Scirocco. I still think Vw blew it with the Scirocco (so to speak). It should have been a fun, light $18k car with VW's 1.4 liter TSI engine (turbo'd and supercharged); a competitor to the Scion tC. At least the Portuguese VeeDub does look better in these images than in the original media set. Why do the rear seats completely destroy rearward visibility though? Looking at all these pictures and videos gives a good perspective on where VW is right now: lost. They're doing a GM-grade job of selling extremely similar products next to one another. Why not just take the better looking of the two and sell ONLY that one?

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The Financial Times reports that VW CEO Martin Winterkorn is dissing the darling of Dearborn and the apple of GM's eye: the "world car." "The days of a 'world car' are dead and buried," Herr Winterkorn pronounced. "Our customers in China or India expect us, as a global player, to offer entirely different solutions than we do in the US or western Europe." To that end, VW will be rolling out no fewer than 20 new models in the next three years– as it tries to oust Toyota from the top global sales spot. But Wolfsburg's ambitious sales goals may not have unequivocal support from its new owners, Porsche SE. According to the FT, there's division on the Porsche board about Vee-Dub's global strategy. Wolfgang Porsche, recently voted onto the VW board, is said to head a faction which wants an emphasis on profits, rather than record sales. This might explain the recent unpleasantness between the two grandsons of Ferry Porsche.

Flexcar started as a Seattle-based alternative to traditional rent-a-car agencies. Members could rent cars by the half-hour and feel like part of a forward-thinking community that took care of the cars and generally looked out for each other. Flexcar never turned a profit though. Last year, Flexcar merged with their main competitor Zipcar, also in the red. Meanwhile, Hertz and Enterprise decided to start renting cars by the hour, threatening Flex/Zip's customer base. As reported in The Stranger, after a spotty transition, the merged Zipcar seems far less "Flex-ible" towards its members. Both annual fees and hourly rates are higher and rentals are hourly– rounded up, of course. Zipcar also levees more fines and offers no grace periods. Zipcar spokeswoman Kristina Kennedy insists that fines will force members to "take responsibility for the cars while they are using them." Or really piss them off.

As TTAC revs up its engine and stares down the ramp at the shark tank– just kidding. I have every faith that the TTAC team can maintain this e-brand's identity and integrity ad infinitum. And beyond! Well, at least until we start making some real money. And then after that (relax, we're good, it's been a long week). That's not to say we won't make some missteps along the way. We won't. I mean, we will. Today, I published two blogs posts that I later removed. The first described the plight of a Dodge Charger owner whose lights went all screwy when it rained. While the dealer's disinterest was the point of the piece, commentators rightly pointed-out that such difficulties afflict buyers of other brands. Our focus on the Dodge Boys was unfair. The second post covered a GM recall of Buick and Pontiac models. KatiePuckrik reminded me of my pledge not to run recall stories in general, as the selection process is inherently biased (either do them all or don't do them). Again, I hit delete. I bring this up because I want you to know that as TTAC grows, I am determined that we won't fall victim to "big company disease." We will stay true to our url. And we will always rely on you, dear readers, to keep us honest. 

Kia isn't wasn't planning on revealing its new Soul compact hatch until September at the Paris Auto Show. But alas, production pictures have mysteriously popped-up on the internet. Kia showed several embarrassingly named "tuned" versions of the car at the Geneva Auto Show, such as "Soul Burner" and "Soul Diva" and "Soul Searcher." The regular Soul looks more than a little bit like the unholy fruit of a union between a Scion xB and the Saab 9-X BioHybrid. Still, it's nice to see Kia try to inject some style into their cars, even if the business plan for Kia more realistically is "follow" instead of "lead." But why follow Scion into a land of not-so-hot sales? Whether or not this car is even destined for America is still an open question, apparently. But you can bet your milk money that Kia wants a piece of the new small car market with something more interesting than the Rio5.

Today's question comes from Luke Procter. It's about snow. I saw snow once. It was cold, I didn't like it. So, just listen to Luke, as I have no idea. "Cars in snow suck. They get stuck. And the engine overheats. And they get stuck. And with Mother Nature (that bitch) dropping another half meter of the white shit on us Canadians (and northern Americans), I've been thinking about getting a different vehicle. I've currently got an ‘01 Impala. It only got stuck three times last night. Snow tires or not, the damn thing gets hung-up on snow over four inches deep. So, the question is, what's your favorite current or fantasy vehicle for driving through the snow and showing Mother Nature's who's boss? Right now, I've been given a real solid bitch slap." I'll just say Unimog, cause they look neat. You?

You may recall this most excellent dispatch re: sourcing a new Nissan GT-R at list price. It was penned by TTAC car reviewer and bon vivant Jay Shoemaker. Since writing the epistle from the "budget supercar front," Shoes managed to source the beast. As the headline attests, it all ended in tears. At my request and considerable risk to his rep, Jay has allowed us to publish his email on this abortive venture. [Note: no flaming the rich guy.]

"I was successful in finding a way to acquire one of the first US GTR's at MSRP. I had to pull strings to accomplish this, but I suppose that is what strings are for. Anyway, Nissan USA gave me a nice letter of introduction and I flew to Tokyo last week to see and sit in the GTR (I did not get to drive it). As a prospective owner, I hated it; the external appearance is too boy racer and the interior is pretty much basic Nissan with one or two extra leather pieces. It gave me claustrophobia to sit inside it and was terribly uncomfortable. So after all I went through, I came home and cancelled my order. I suppose I should regret that I will not have the opportunity to drive one of the first U.S. GTRs, but I have never liked Nissans, don't like V6 engines, don't like turbocharged engines in general and definately don't like the idea of 20-inch run flat tires. Next month, I am off to Germany to pick up my Audi R8 at the Neckarsulm factory and drive it on the Autobahn to console myself."

The Oakland Business Review [via MLive.com] reports that intellectual property-related lawsuits are on the rise. Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione in Ann Arbor says the car industry has abandoned their previous tendency to settle technology-based patent infringement disputes out of court. "Before the year 2000 there were sporadic [auto IP] cases, maybe one, at the most two every year and often zero," says managing partner Steve Oberholtzer. "In the period from 2000 to 2007 there were 46 cases." Oberholtzer says the increase is down to outsourcing. "Now that the suppliers have more of an investment in engineering, they're more likely to want to protect their investment." Talk about a sign of the times…

The ever-increasing technological sophistication of cars is fast becoming a pet peeve of home mechanics and car tinkerers. But Linux Insider reports that the open-source operating system may just find a new home in automotive applications, improving the at-home tweakability of production vehicles. Open-source technology guru David Schlesinger: "The increasing value of [open-source software] will result in greater use of open-source software in automotive systems, largely in … communications, navigation and the like." This development could replace proprietary operating systems with a single open-source, Linux-based OS which could control everything from engine management to on-board navigation and computing. But we're not quite there yet. While Linux offers immediate options for on-board computing, it still needs to be optimized to handle real-time tasks like engine control. Still, the manufacturers' desire for broader management of services in cars and consumer's desire for greater tweakability may just add up to an open-source future for the industry.

As we reported earlier, Hyundai Chairman and convicted embezzler Chung Mong-koo faced a challenge to his leadership at the annual shareholders meeting. Amazingly, Chung was able to retain his position despite having been convicted of "appropriating" $100m of company money and creating a bribery slush fund. Reuters reports that Chung survived opposition from Korea's National Pension Fund, the company's sixth-largest stakeholder as well as from other minority shareholders. Chung's popularity is said to be based on Hyundai's need for "strong and experienced leadership to cope with tough market conditions." Our guess is that shareholders want to hold onto Chung's battle-proven bribery rolodex in order to keep the Korean currency weak, as the cheap Won is Hyundai's major competitive advantage in light of rising commodity costs and increased competition. Stock value one, rule of law nil.

With U.S. orders pouring in for its miniscule smart fortwo, Mercedes is wishing it hadn't cut the larger forfour from production. At the Detroit Auto Show, Benz honcho Rainer Schmückle revealed that a second-gen forfour was in consideration, although the decision hadn't been made to brand it as a smart or a Merc. Now MotorAuthority is showing a Schulte Design rendering of a potential successor to the forfour. Whereas the original was a reskinned Mitsubishi Colt with a conventional front-engine front-drive setup, this rendering suggests that the new model will be a stretched fortwo… rear engine and all. Don't take the rendering as gospel though, MB could well be pursuing other options. After all, pushing four passengers with a three-cylinder engine doesn't sound very… American.

It seems the National Research Council is trying to recruit pistonheads to the global warming cause. What's the pitch? Climate change could be catastrophic to America's roads and highways. NPR reports that the NRC has identified 60,000 miles of highways, major airports, railroads, low-lying tunnels and ports which could be increasingly vulnerable to flooding and sea-level rise. Hotter summers could also buckle asphalt, stress bridge joints and deform railroad tracks. The NRC's warning comes on the heels of a federal study of 48 Gulf Coast counties, which are expected to experience sea level rise sooner than most of America. That study found that a four-foot rise in sea level would inundate 24 percent of interstates in the area and 28 percent of arterial roads. Oh well… by the time oceans rise four feet, "enthusiast cars" will likely be banned. And the best driving roads are in the mountains anyway.

Kia's Optima sedan is the half- forgotten sibling of Hyundai's far more popular Sonata. In fact, in February Kia only moved 2800 Optimas. But let's not be double negative. Just because consumers don't keep the Optima in mind doesn't mean the folks at corporate have forgotten about it, too. Just as we told you the Sonata was getting a refresh with upgraded engines and a nicer interior, the Optima is on deck for its own revisions. Navigation will become an option, for the first time in a U.S. Kia product. The corporate mothership tends to play it safe, so you can expect the same engine upgrades to 175 and 249hp for the four and six-cylinder models, plus upgraded transmissions. Otherwise, details are sparse and pictures are sparser (and tiny). We'll get more of both as we get closer to the Seoul auto show in April.

What do you do when you don't want to fight the bumper-to-bumper in the McLaren SLR? Gizmag suggests you take its smart fourtwo "tender." Borrowing from the yachting world, BRABUS is offering a package deal that consists of a tuned SLR (good for 211 mph) and an identically-painted and equipped BRABUS ULITMATE 112– a 112hp two-seater based on the latest smart fourtwo Cabrio– as a runabout. Both cars are painted white with lipstick-red interiors with aero packages with suspension and tire upgrades. The SLR goes 0-100kph (62mph) in 3.6 seconds, while the ULTIMATE 112 takes 9.5 seconds to achieve the same velocity. Both can be yours for a mere €699,000 ($1.1m). The line forms over there, somewhere.

Yesterday, we reported that California roads suck, linking to KGTV. The station used The Road Information Project (TRIP) as their source. Bozzie wanted to know more about this "non-profit organization that promotes transportation policies that relieve traffic congestion, improve road and bridge conditions, improve air quality, make highway travel safer and enhance economic productivity." Yes, well, The Sierra Club's 1999 Sprawl-Watch.org newsletter described TRIP as “a non-profit highway research organization sponsored by equipment manufacturers and distributors, material suppliers and businesses involved in highway engineering, construction and financing.” True dat. Back in ‘04, TRIP named Keith Harlan, then president of the general contracting firm A.M. Cohron & Son in IA, to their board. They also elected Paul Diederich, then president of Industrial Builders Inc. in Fargo, N.D., to their executive committee. TRIP’s list of state-by-state “news releases” shows that the org. plays the “INSERT STATE NAME HERE roads suck” game around the country. And, as yankinwaoz pointed out, TRIP reckons the financial “cost” of bad roads includes fuel “wasted” by sitting in jams. California's roads still suck, but next time, we promise we'll be more cynical about media manipulation– if such a thing is possible.