The Black Dog of has been growling at my door. I'm not sure if it's the constant site crashes. Or TrueDelta extraction (a misplaced cure). Or the page view counter getting stuck. Or the RSS feeder developing anorexic. Or the enormous discrepancy between where we are and where TTAC could be. Needs to be. OCD is a cruel taskmaster. As is my passionate belief in this website's mission. I know I should just kick back and cash my paycheck and not give a shit. But that's not my nature. I didn't start TTAC to make money. And I'm not going to give up on it for money, either. So I'm fighting for our right to party. All I ask is your patronage and patience. Come Hell or high water, I will not let you– or myself– down. Meanwhile, I want to thank Ford for lifting my spirits. I applaud Ford Motor Credit's decision to give its tornado-ravaged Iowa customers a couple of months grace from their car payments. I could say something cynical about this, but I won't. Sometimes, you've gotta count your blessings and let it be.   

I'm not sure if former Car and Driver editor and occasional TTAC contributor Stephan Wilkinson has changed his mind about the whole QOTD deal. Originally, this site's spiritual mentor dismissed our vox populi as the worst kind of page view pandering. (The fact that our counter's broken should put paid to that idea.) I guess Stephan's ameliorated his antagonism somewhat; he recently suggested a QOTD about the Best and Brightest's passengers per vehicle. Given the gas, political and environmentally-conscious temper or our times, it's a highly relevant inquiry. Miles/CO2 per passenger must be a better measure of efficiency/environmental responsibility than what kind of car you drive. Fully loaded 'Sclade vs. one-up Prius? That ought to get you going. That said, I can't imagine a boatload of Cadillac Escalade passengers all going Dutch on a tank of fuel. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen seven people in a 'Sclade– although the TV ad makes special mention of the luxobeast's capacity for human cargo. Personally, I've started driving the Boxster to the grocery store instead of the Odyssey. I can't tell you how much better I feel about myself. So, how about you? How many people travel in your whip? Have you upped the head count since gas crested $3 a gallon? Altered the vehicle of choice? 

If you're one of those people who believes GM has a coherent turnaround plan, or in fact believe in this unspecified, entirely elastic strategy for a return to profitability, you might want to take note of the fact that General Motors is locked in the PR version of Groundhog Day. As we've pointed-out many times, GM PR always saves its bad news for a Friday and/or makes major announcement on the same day it gets hit with disastrous numbers. This coming Tuesday (June 3) will be no exception. Automotive News [AN, sub] reports that GM CEO Rick Wagoner will reveal his new new turnaround plan (cut!) on the same day the company's May sales figures hit the wires. Amidst a predicted 10 percent overal U.S. new car sales drop, "analysts expect sales to drop 22 to 25 percent at GM and as much as 22 percent at Ford. Sales at Chrysler are also expected to be down by more than a fifth, according to analyst forecasts." As bad as those numbers will be, they won't be so bad for the transplants. Honda will post a gain, and "Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to reach a record market share… expected to reach 18.1 percent, up from 17.3 percent in the same month last year and 17.5 percent from last month." In other words, GM– and the rest of The Big 2.8– are losing sales and share. Gas prices, market shift, down economy, great sales in Russia; yada yada yada. As some point, the spin will stop. 

Filling-up the Odyssey the other day, I was surprised when the wallet-drainage started slowing down at $48. Of course, I knew what wasn't coming: anything more than $50 worth of gas. As an a tax paying member of the world's most pampered people, I found it incredibly annoying that I had to restart the entire sales process for an additional $8. As a free marketeer, I found it bizarre that a large corporation (Shell) would make it hard for me to spend MORE money. Turns out it's the credit card companies– Visa and Mastercard– who are limiting millions of gas purchases to $50 in some states, $75 in others. As USA Today points out, even $75 won't do it for many fuel hungry behemoths. "At $4 a gallon, $75 buys 183/4 gallons. A 2008 Toyota Sequoia SUV's tank holds more than 26 gallons, a Chevy Avalanche sport pickup totes up to 311/2 gallons, and a 33-foot or longer Winnebago Adventurer RV hauls 75 gallons." While environmentalists may have little sympathy for the Devil, the credit card companies claim the limits protect their customers from fraud. Sure, in the same way they write-off fraud rather than upgrade members' card security with photo-embedded plastic or thumb print biometrics. Profits before people? No way.

[Can anyone tell me if their TTAC RSS feeder is working?] 

MINI's forthcoming Crossman cute ute is set to debut later this year at the Paris Auto Show. Spy images and details are already making the rounds on the autoblogosphere. Channel Four tells us that the Crossman is based on the next-generation generation of MINI platforms, which will accommodate larger variants like the Crossman. As a result, the MINI Ute is larger, rides about 80mm higher than a standard MINI and stretches over 12 feet long. The Crossman will offer BMW X-Drive AWD, although front wheel drive will most likely be the base configuration. An optional Efficient Dynamics start-stop system should help keep fuel efficiency reasonable. The Crossman will be closely related to BMW's forthcoming X1 baby ute (cannibalism much?). Both vehicles will be built in Austria by Magna Steyr. With a planned annual production of 80k units, there should be plenty of Crossmen available for those urban sophisticates who are willing to pay considerably more for a MINI that looks like it could handle a forest service road. The Crossman will be available stateside some time in… 2010.

As Katie Puckrik has pointed out, GM is not the only automaker working on HCCI technology. But, as Auto Express reports, GM could be the first company to outfit a production model with the sparkless technology. GM lent Auto Express a Vauxhall Vectra fitted with a 2.2 HCCI four-banger for a first drive, and in the process let slip that the engine would eventually find its way to the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia. There is no indication as to exactly when the engine will debut, but the engine needs refinement and Auto Express guestimates that it's a good two years awawy from production. This news jives with what we've been hearing about GM taking Opel upmarket, and "democratizing technology" in the process. If GM takes the time to iron out the engines reported awkward transitions between normal and HCCI modes, the 43mpg promised by this 2.2 engine could make it a popular choice. Of course, we'll have to see if it is even offered in the US-market Saturn Aura. And check the pricing. And the reliability. And the real-world mileage. And, and, and.

Looking through today's headlines, and man is there a lot of doom and gloom. Gas up. Strike here. Jobs cut there. Mexican Fords even further over there. One comment in particular stuck in my mind. Talking about the Dacia Logan review Salokj said, "Renault has done a great job at marketing this car and even some car guys I know tell me 'What's the point of buying anything more, you can't go over 130km/h anymore.'"  And 130km/h is bang on about 80 mph. Fast, but really more freeway cruising speed. Or if you live in Britain, the speed at which cops shoot. Anyhow, it all got me thinking — is driving fun anymore? Traffic, tickets, the price of gas, modern cars are too numb, too fat and much too safe. But still, and maybe I'm just wired different, but despite everything I just listed, every time I climb behind a wheel I simply love it. Doesn't matter the car, doesn't matter the location nor the weather. Strap me in and I love it — on some level at least. Even last night, stuck in traffic with a heavy clutch, was completely enjoyable. To me. What about you?

Last February, GM offered buyouts to all 74k of its remaining US hourly workers. We now know Some 19k GM union members are so out of here. J.P. Morgan analyst Himanushu Patel predicts GM won't replace up to 15k of the departing union members, for total annual savings of $2.1 billion. For mortals, $2.1B is big bucks. But for cash-burning GM 'tis nuth'n. For years now, GM has been reporting record-setting cost reductions and record-setting losses. Talk about saving your way to nothing! The boogiemen on Wall Street bid the stock to a 26-year low of $17.38 at yesterday's bell. AP reports via Yahoo! Business that the General is thinking about moving workers off the truck assembly lines and onto building the cars which are actually selling. GM eliminated shifts at two truck plants in Michigan. Laid-off workers could be moved to a car assembly factory in nearby Orion Township, where GM is negotiating with the UAW to add a third shift. Negotiations? "We haven't got anything final," says Mike Dunn, bargaining chairman of UAW Local 5960. "We're always looking to bring work in. We're hoping before the year's out that we can accomplish this goal." Hey, what's the rush?

Everyone's familiar with New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc., right? Also known as NUMMI, the plant is a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota. Why would the number one and number one two car makers team up? The old answer was that GM wanted to learn about Japanese "lean" manufacturing techniques and Toyota wanted to use the plant as a beachhead to establish North American production. The new answer? We'll leave it to the historians. That said, ToMoCo is thinking about maybe building their hot selling hybrid at NUMMI. Motor Authority is reporting that as American demand for the Prius remains high, the potential move is making a lot of sense to (some) Toyota suits. Like all of their corporate decisions, Toyota will be thinking long on hard on this one. Not mentioned in the article is that due to the weakness of the dollar, American workers can now be paid in chicken feed, or the equivalent there of. Hey, it's not all bad news. Maybe GM can learn a thing or two about what makes a Prius before the 2010 "launch" of the Chevy Volt.

Chrysler is strangely intrigued by those "hybrid" cars you keep hearing about these days. And by cars, we mostly mean trucks and SUVs, as that's all Chrysler will be offering any time soon. Because… well, we're not actually sure why. The Detroit Free Press reports that this summer's launch of the two-mode Hybrid Aspen and Durango SUVs has Chrysler curiously optimistic about its chances in the hybrid game. Up next will be hybrid versions of the Ram, employing the same two-mode hybrid Hemi as the Aspen/Durango. And come to think of it, Chrysler doesn't really have any other hybrid options in its bag of tricks (which is mostly full of unbelievably cheap interior plastics). Although the Aspen/Durango launch has Chrysler saying it is also considering making hybrid versions of the Journey CUV and Avenger sedan, one can't help but wonder what Chrysler would put under the hood of such whips. Is there a mysterious non-V8 hybrid drivetrain hiding somewhere in Auburn Hills? If so, wouldn't we be hearing more about it, given the disappointing sales of two-mode V8's by GM? Or is the truth really that Chrysler overpaid for its hugely expensive two-mode V8, and can't afford to develop a hybrid that might get better than 30mpg? Either way, when your offerings make GM's current lineup of hybrids look fresh and innovative by comparison, you know you're in trouble. 

"Agriculture Secretary Edward T. Schafer is preparing to walk into a buzzsaw of criticism over American biofuels policy when he meets with world leaders to discuss the global food crisis next week." Ouch! Clearly, The New York Times is through pulling is punches on America's corn-fed bio-fuel bonanza. The majority of their article "Food Report Criticizes Biofuel Policies" is dedicated to a report criticizing biofuel policies (strangely enough), But before the knife is twisted ("The Agriculture Department’s own longtime chief economist, Keith Collins, who retired in January, said that ethanol was the 'foot on the accelerator' of corn demand), Secretary Schafer wants his constituents (corn growers) to know he's got their back. By his department's reckoning, biofuel production accounts for "only" two to three percent of the increase in global food prices, while reducing crude oil consumption by a million (a million!) barrels a day."We think that policy-wise in the United States of America — and certainly in the rest of the world — as we see the price of oil and petroleum escalate dramatically beyond anyone’s imagination, that one of the ways to deal with that is to produce biofuels which are renewables, better for the environment and help lower that cost." So E85 reduces gas use (although it increases gas use) and helps the environment (although it hurts the environment). Let the price supports begin! Oh wait…

GM has been trying to realize savings from its two-tier wage agreement with the UAW by offering veteran hourly workers (who are locked in at old wages) cash buyouts to walk from their jobs. Well, the offer has expired and the Detroit News reports that some 19k UAW workers, or nearly a quarter of the General's North American work force, has taken the money and run. Although GM hadn't set a public goal for the buyouts, the 19k number was at the high end of UAW President Ron Gettelfinger's 5k to 20k estimate, and far exceeded Ford and Chrysler's most recent buyout takes. About 4,200 workers took Ford's latest buyout offer, about half of what the blue oval wanted. Chrysler's recently bought out about 7k workers, bringing it to nearly 80 percent of its hourly headcount reduction goal. But GM had to work hard to convince so many of its 46k workers who are eligible for retirement to walk away. The General offered $62,500 to each retirement-eligible worker, who then had the choice of receiving cash upfront or rolling payments into an IRA account, on top of full pension and retirement benefits. And while the carrots for leaving GM were good, the sticks are still looming for those left behind. Ominous reports from Automotive News (sub) tell of GM's "top managers working on additional restructuring measures to deal with a declining U.S. auto market." An anonymous source tells AN that GM plans to cut shifts at truck and SUV plants, cut about 2k salaried jobs through involuntary firings (sound familiar?), and is considering "other actions." Gee, retirement is starting to sound pretty nice, eh?

AM-online reports the European Commission has unveiled new safety rules that– it says– could save 5k lives a year. Oh, and help cut fuel consumption. If the rules are approved by the European Parliament, all new cars sold in the Eurozone from 2012 will be equipped with tire pressure monitors, electronic stability control (ESC) systems and low-resistance tires. The Commission expects the measures to add €100 – €300 to the price of a new car. But hey, the extra cost would be more than offset over the car's lifetime by savings on fuel. As we Germans say, the Teufel is in the details. Tire pressure monitors are sensible; so many people waste fuel and (through longer braking distances) endanger others when they drive with flabby rubber. But, at the same time, tests have shown that low resistance tires can result in significantly longer braking distances. The Commission contends that, in normal driving conditions, ESC can reduce the number of accidents by around 20 percent. The science on compensatory behavior is not yet clear enough to make that claim; some studies show people drive more dangerously when they have ESC. What was that about die Straße to Hölle?

Even though Ford Motor Credit avoided the mortgage madness haunting GMAC, the credit crisis is taking its toll. Today's Wall Street Journal reports that FMC's delinquencies are up. Upside-down car and truck owners are giving up and giving back. With resale values falling through the floor, the bankers are stuck with monster truck-sized losses on repossessed vehicles. Even clean lease returns are a problem. Contemplating their ailing credit ops and DOA truck market, The Blue Oval Boyz have pushed out it's profitability date from 2009 to… someday. "Ford started the year expecting its credit arm to match the $1.2 billion in pretax profit it earned last year, but now has a much dimmer outlook. In the first quarter, Ford Credit earned just $36 million, $257 million less than in the year-earlier period." Unlike GM's sell-off of GMAC, Ford continues to say it "has reviewed the option of selling the unit many times over the years but has always come to the conclusion that Ford Credit is a strategic asset for the auto maker." Which is lucky; who'd buy it? Never one to miss the obvious, Ford share stalker Kirk Kerkorian's go-to guy Jerome York fingers Ford Credit as "an area of weakness." Ya think?

For the last 40 years, Maserati has delighted us with one or two generations of their unique grand touring sedan. Several famous designers have worked during the years to dress the finest Italian sedan in the finest Italian clothing. Successively, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Alejandro de Tomaso and Marcello Gandini shaped-up the image we have in the back of our heads when we think "Quattroporte." In 2003, Pinifarina sculptured (in my opinion) the best Quattroporte ever. I sure hope the the sixth installment of Maserati's largest will get to be penned by the same Italian studio. I've rendered the gen six Quattroporte under the influence of the Grantourismo, and tried to add some nerve to that front fascia (it looks a little droopy on the current model). Pretending to be one of the guys at Pininfarina sure was fun, especially because this is a special rendering for me — number 100 since I got in the business. Andiamo!

[For more Avarvarii photochopistry, click here]