From TTAC commentator kawaii: New to this forum and found it interesting, however, confusing since I am a “mature” female on the waiting list for an ‘08 Prius. Husband just got a huge Tundra last December. I drive an ‘05 Subaru Outback getting 22 mpg. Now that I’m waiting for the Prius (which I wanted simply because of mpg and because I like to consider myself as “one who considers making small changes to help the environment”), but now I’m really wondering if this is a wise decision. Do I really NEED this vehicle? Will the Yaris ($10,000 less equipped the way I want it) or Corolla be a better choice? Drove the Yaris and liked it; have not driven Corolla. I live on a mountain in northern GA, drive 10 miles to work each day, rarely drive road-trips and go into the city 65 miles occasionaly. This next car will be one that I’ll drive until the wheels fall off. I can afford either car, but which makes better sense? Husband works from home (good thing with the Tundra mpg) and will retire in 5 years. Any advice?

Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. That's a double act. Twitchy and numb. That's a nightmare. But I figured, what the Hell; no one else seemed to notice the Accord's dangerous steering feel and sales are chugging along like The Little Engine That Could after cresting the mountaintop. But now USA Today car reviewer James R. Healey has finally declared that the Emperor is severely under-dressed. Healey says the new Acura TSX' "steering was a big minus in the loaded test car. That could be a deal-breaker for some, especially in a sports sedan where all controls should be excellent. Trying to broaden the car's appeal, Acura has fussed with the steering until it's a bit too boosted at lower speed and has little on-center feel at highway speed, forcing you to make little steering motions constantly to keep the car in its lane." In other words, it sucks– in the loaded test car ('cause God forbid Healey should fail to provide Honda PR with a bit of wiggle room). But wait! That not not all! "Overall, the TSX was relentlessly edgy, which seemed to be the result of a misguided attempt at sportiness… the ride was consistently choppy, even on nearly smooth roads. The suspension simply seemed too stiff. On some bumps, the front failed to absorb the entire impact and made the tail do funny things as it sponged the leftover bump shock." Sounds like a hoot. Unfortunately, Healey just can't bring himself to deliver the coupe de grace, declaring the TSX "Sporty to a fault; incongruously imprecise steering." As opposed to?

What's with Avis' depiction of a Saab as a jilted [male] lover in this version of "Your Other Car" ad campaign? Any pistonhead worth his TTAC bookmark will immediately clock the cuckold as a "classic" Saab 900, produced from 1978 – 1993. (Anyone recognize the locale?) While that makes the ad's "star" a pre-GM model (in development terms), Avis rents GM products. The old Saab's design is not that different than the current models. And if they aren't similar looking enough for instant identification, they should be; when GM killed the hatch, they killed Saab. I digress. My main point: why didn't Avis choose a more generic, non-GM car for this diss, as they do for the other ads in the series? And why didn't Saab's brand managers protect the brand's heritage? What else have they got?

Three months later and enough bluster to buffet a Cape Cod winter resident for a decade, and the United Auto Workers (UAW) have reached a tentative agreement with GM parts supplier (and former GM Division) American Axle. Automotive News [sub] reports that, uh, the UAW have reached a tentative agreement with GM. That and the fact that ratification is "scheduled" for next week. I sure hope they tell the workers. And where are AN's vaunted "inside sources" when you need them? Of course, AN pads out its story with a little background/analysis. The good news? The strike "gave GM a chance to run down overstocked inventory for slower-selling models including its Chevrolet Silverado pickup." [Frank William's report on this "run down" on Monday.] The bad news? "GM, which books revenue when it produces vehicles, also said that the strike had cost it $800 million in the first quarter and 230,000 units of lost production as of April. GM had also shut or partly idled over 30 facilities and put thousands of its own hourly workers on lay-off due to parts shortages caused by the strike." Ramping-up production ain't like flicking a switch neither; so expect that cash burn to smolder a while. What's more, GM will no longer have any excuses. They'll have to face the fact that their truck and SUV business has rolled over and died.

Can a guy get weekend off? Jeez. You put your proverbial pen down for five minutes and the next thing you know Automotive News is tossing the alerts at you like a Vegas knife thrower. Most of the time, it's GM trying to sneak in some bad news (e.g. Rick Wagoner's $14.4m pay packet) while non-OCD reporters and stock market traders pursue what's euphemistically called "a life." OK, so, first up: auto supplier Delphi have sued investors Appaloosa [AN, sub] and eight co-conspirators for walking away from a bankruptcy exit plan for the troubled (and how) former GM division. "Delphi is alleging a breach of contract and fraud, and is asking the court to provide up to $2.55 billion in equity funding and to pay compensatory and punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial." (Of course, that's just bad writing; the court doesn't have $2,55b. But you get the idea.) Any such court case would ehance Delphi's United Auto Workers' ire and feed TTAC's grist mill; like this little gem from Delphi Veep David Sherbin. "The plan investors vigorously pursued a prominent role in our restructuring, received over $60 million in fees for their commitments." Wow! Add in the lawyers fees– which could easily eclipse that amount– and there's no question Delphi's ignoring the wise British maxim "When you're in a hole, the first thing you do is stop digging." In any case, once again, it looks like a GM – Delphi bailout could well be the cash burn that finally sets The General's hair on fire, helping secure their seat next to Delphi in federal bankruptcy court. Next up: the UAW "settlement" at American Axle… 

There are numerous reasons why the running of the 24 Hours of LeMons represents the world's best motor racing. Driver skill, huge purses and fancy machinery blistering around the track using the latest in high tech whizbangs aren't amongst them. Even so, LeMons isn't just a bunch of junk heaps running around a track bashing into each other. It's a bunch of junk heaps running around a track bashing into each other with an officiating crew. Should you get out of line (by, say, smashing through the tire chicanes), you get a warning. Should you choose to ignore said warning, they whip out a paint ball gun and shoot your car (this happened to the Black Metal V8olvo). The paint ball is, in effect, a black flag. The driver must leave the track and sit in the penalty box for 30 minutes. But LeMons ain't hockey (it's more violent)– you don't just sit there. No, you get to spin the Wheel of Punishment so the Ides of Fate can choose appropriate castigation. Like this poor sap from the Axles of Evil Audi 4000 Quattro. He got the Max Mosley penalty. And no, it's not having to watch F1 on the Speed Channel for half an hour. Enjoy!

All the big boys test their latest performance gear on the Nurburgring's Nordschleife. But only the truly committed (and confident) campaign their gestating hotness at the Nurburgring's 24-hour endurance race. We've already reported that Toyota will be challenging the event with their Lexus LF-A supercar (despite its being a good year off from launching). But even before ToMoCo's hypercar turns a wheel in anger, they've been one-upped in the ballsiness department. The tiny Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur is entering the grueling endurance race with a hybrid-electric version of its Apollo supercar. Out comes the Apollo's 4.2-liter Audi V8; in goes a 3.3 bi-turbo V6 with a Lithium Technology Corporation battery mated to a 100kW electric engine. The EV will charge its batteries by plugging into the electrical grid prior to the race. During the event, the car will beam its battery management data to the team's pit crew via sat phone. Former F1 Champ Heinz-Harald Frentzen (along with Dirk Muller) will helm the ambitious challenger, capitalizing on improved efficiency to pursue a less frequent pit strategy (as Audi did with its diesel Le Mans challengers). "Motor sports cannot ignore the necessity to save energy," say Frentzen (excepting private jets and helicopters). "I see a chance that our sport will go back to the forefront of technical development."  I for one would like to see these guys chalk up a few extra laps while the LF-A is in the pits, if only to put Toyota in the unfamiliar position of wishing it had invested more in hybrid technology.

Driving in London just for fun is as sensible as rollerblading on the autobahn. Enlisting a young fresh-off-the-boat Yank to indulge in such folly should be a felony. Yet there I was, strapped behind a steering wheel located where the glove box should be, with a carload of norteamericanos who had entrusted me with their sightseeing and their lives. As an avid reader of British car magazines who watched BBC documentaries on PBS, I convinced myself that I possessed the knowledge required for such an undertaking. I'd already shown courage under fire, surviving several days as a pedestrian on these streets without being hit, not even once. All we needed now was more petrol, and a bank loan to pay for it.

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As you probably know, TTAC is an R-rated site. After a discussion with our readers, we decided to allow swearing on both sides of the editorial curtain, subject to existing anti-flaming regs. In this Brave New e-World, the fall-out from our "no bad word left behind" policy has been… non-existent. Even so, you can hardly expect our good friends over at G-rated, AOL-owned Autoblog to allow 'effing and blinding (although flaming and trolling doesn't seem to be an issue). So it's no surprise that John Neff's blog on a swear-laden "That's a Saturn?" ad provides some unavoidable comic relief. "Steve Hall at AdGabber found a different version of the commercial, which we'll call 'That's a f@#$% Saturn!'. It seems after they had gotten the footage that Saturn's ad agency requested, the actors, director and production crew had some fun and made a different, rated R version of the commercial that probably more closely resembles reality than the canned responses in the original commercial." Reality? Aside from the Sky (anyone remember the Sky?), no one's ever done a verbal double take on a Saturn. More importantly. this is not a bunch of bored actors "goofing off." It's an officially-sanctioned viral-ready production (mission accomplished) designed to get slackers to "rethink" Saturn's flag-waving, American-as-apple-pie image. Call me a fucking hypocrite, but I liked "The Different Kind of Car Company's" picnics, honesty and just plain folks approach. The swearing Saturnalia may make industry insiders chuckle, but this will not play well in Peoria. 

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I had an interesting conversation this morning with one Mr. Justin Berkowitz. Among other topics we discussed: the fact that most people are happy with their cars. As car scribes, we have the luxury of ripping apart $44k BMW convertibles because, well, we didn't buy 'em. As RF often points out, an automobile is the average person's second most expensivepurchase. Or, if you live in New York (like Justin) or Los Angeles (like me), a car is by far the most expensive good you can afford (though I did see a lovely two bedroom, one bathroom for the reduced price of only $640k the other weekend…). Years ago a friend of mine bought a 2001 Ford Escort. Horrid, nasty little thing. Ugly, slow, worst build quality imaginable and awful to drive. I told her, "Don't buy that." But, she did. Even after multiple "issues," she still claims she loved it. She even shed a tear when it was totaled. Me, I love my car. It's my second WRX wagon (a 2006). And the more press cars I drive, the deeper I fall head over heals in love with my own car. I can't believe anyone drives anything else. Now, am I that much smarter than my fellow man, or just blinded by love? And what about you and your car?

And so it continues: the debate about the Toyota Prius as a fuel saver/economy car/green badge of honor/etc. over on Captain Mike's review. Sammy Hagar's off-hand comment about the Prius cannibalizing Camry sales intrigued me. For some strange reason– not anti-Detroit bias I can assure you (if you can be assured)– I'd never thought of the Prius as a cannibal. But it makes perfect (imperfect?) sense. If you're in the market for "inexpensive, efficient, reliable transportation that makes you feel good about not driving anything else," why wouldn't you choose the Prius over the Camry? Or, for that matter, the Camry over the Prius? We've heard rumors that ToMoCo's going to launch the Prius as a fourth brand. On one hand, yes. On the other hand, uh-oh. Toyota's entirely useless Scion brand (remind me again what PRODUCT-related focus they bring to the table) is one GM-style branding mistake. Launching a Prius brand would be another. In fact, it looks to me like Toyota could, some day, maybe, not beyond the scope of possibility, become the new GM (especially when the old GM goes C11). Hey, empires rise, empires fall. C'est la guerre.  

No, we're not talking about Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson's impending breakup. We're quoting directly from the mustachioed horse's mouth. The headline my friends, is none other than Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche (Dr. Z to you and me) discussing why the 1998 "merger of equals" between Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler failed so miserably. To refresh your memory (in case your life is filled with more interesting activities than watching the disintegration of poorly planned global corporations)… Daimler sold Chrysler for billions and billions less than they paid for it to a hedge fund last year. Our favorite David Cross-lookalike CEO was speaking to gathered business leaders at a symposium about "Global Capitalism, Local Values" trying to explain exactly went so badly. He points to the level of cooperation between MB and Chrysler as being "less" than he would have liked. Dr. Z goes on to say that Daimler learned a valuable lesson. "It's fair to say that we overestimated the potential of passing leading-edge technology from Mercedes-Benz to Chrysler. Unlike premium brand customers, American volume brand customers are far too price-sensitive to absorb its cost." To which TTAC says, "Duh!" And of course, know thy brand.

Not for same reasons you do. You want a battery-powered Tesla Roadster because it’s a way cool car boasting bleeding edge technology. Or maybe you just like sexy sports cars. Or perhaps you’re looking for massive eco-auto props. As a free marketeer, I’m good with any of these motivations. As a Porsche Boxster S owner, I’m not bothered (I’ve already found my dream date). But as the publisher of this website, I want a Tesla Roadster BAD. I want to reveal the truth about the EV– whatever that may be.

I'm the first to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of drag racing. Yes, I intellectually understand how powerful, nifty and skilled everyone involved in the sport is. But I'm just not a fan. However — and a big however — I do love the technology that goes into and comes out of drag racing. More power, stronger components and lighter weight. Guess what? Chrysler is about to make all my dreams come true. Motor Authority is describing the Challenger drag racing kit as a throwback to the Hemi Dart and Barracuda packages of decades gone by. Specifically, what do you get? A lighter chassis. This is the big one, as the Challenger SRT-8 weighs more than a 1970 New Yorker. No, really. Internet speculation is claiming the chassis will be 800 pounds less fat. Which is (or isn't) huge. Draggers will also get lots of engine choices (duh), the possibility of a manual transmission, better brakes, seats, cooling, a working hood scoop and a lift off composite hood. The drag racing package is aimed at both pros and amateurs, is currently being vetted by the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) to sanction the kit for competition use. I can smell the top fuel now. And the pomade.

Can you imagine side windows smaller than the peepholes mounted on the MB CLS? Well, even if you can't, the car-creative guys from Stuttgart can. And they will feature them on a smaller four-door coupe based on the C-Class. Supposed to be called CLE, the niche opener will fill the gap (did you notice one?) between the C's and the E's while offering a sexy alternative to the BMW 3 Series & Co. I tried to address the side peephole problem by cutting the front windows lower at their extremities similar to those featured on the F700 Concept. This way only the rear passengers will get claustrophobic. Web rumors are that the car will use "suicide" rear doors and I went for that. It is unprecedented in the class (the Mazda RX-8 is a 2+2), looks cools and eases access. High-tech headlights and just a touch of chrome (we know it has to have a few shiny bits to be considered an MB) complete the picture. Could this be the Jaguar X-Type everyone's been expecting? Wait and see!

[For more Avarvarii photochopistry, click here]