CNBC reports that Toyota is revising its sales estimates for 2008. ToMoCo had projected sales of 9.85m units worldwide. They've dropped expectations by 300k, setting a new goal of 9.5m units. Though sales are down in Europe and Japan, Toyota is blaming the stagnant American market for the expected decrease. Having already announced production cuts at three US plants, this could be bad news for Toyota's bid to become the global volume sales leader– were it not for the fact that its competitor for the title is General Motors. While Toyota is still likely to outstrip GM despite the sales goal cutback, it's unlikely to meet GM's single-year sales record of 9.55m set back in 1978. ToMoCo shares are currently underperforming even the weak Japanese transport equipment subindex, thanks to sell-offs in anticipation of slowing demand. But, Naoki Fujiwara, fund manager at Shinkin Asset Management, reckons that Toyota's high dividend and long-term positioning make it a good buy. Roger that.

Mr Lieberman, and Mr Mehta, I have to concede defeat. There will be no running of the Audi V8 Uber-quattro at the Texas event, as I now posess a lump of modern art sculpted by Mother Nature herself, instead of an all-dominating all-wheel drive wonder. Recently, a fire started in the fields next to the Audi due to a severe lightning storm. The flames swept across the fields like the opening lines to "Oklahoma!" and turned the Audi into a Renault Fuego, complete with a fried fringe on top. The carbon fiber hood melted to form a really interesting mold of the now carbonized engine. At least the old Audi Fox GTI survived intact, an even more irreplaceable Teutonic masterpiece. I guess I can't be too despondent, as I have also learned the military will not let me compete, as I will be deploying to the Middle East shortly, where I will spend some much needed time flogging Nissan Urvans, and loathing over Hyundai Trajets. Good luck Sajeev, take video and pictures of the Lincoln of the Apocolypse to share with me, and the Best and Brightest.

With the traditional SUV well and truly toasted, automakers are going back to the drawing board to tempt consumers back into their AWD profitmobiles. Sales numbers indicate that two-mode hybrid SUVs do not return sufficient mileage to justify their high prices. Resurrecting the segment will require even more sophisticated technology. At least that's what Nissan reckons. The automaker's displaying its vision for THE SUV OF THE FUTURE! Yes, it's a fuel-cell-powered version of its X-Trail Ute. The Evening Standard reports that Nissan unveiled its alt power concept at London's Imperial College. The FCV X-Trail represents the pinnacle of Nissan's 12-year fuel cell development program. The fuel cell is 40 percent smaller than afore, motorvating the FCV X-Trail up to 300 miles on a tank of hydrogen. The hydrogen-battery electric drive is good for up to 93 mph in EV-like silence.Of course, the research model cost millions of dollars to develop and assemble. According to Nissan spokesfolks, "the cost of the system is still too high for mass production." Nissan engineers promise to sort all that shit out [paraphrasing] by 2015. Unless of course battery development outstrips hydrogen-based technology. Which it probably will.

High gas prices are a bitch. But other factors prevent the "build a small car, stupid" strategy from rescuing the auto industry. Like the fact that steel prices have increased 60 percent this year. In the compact car market, where price point is king and profit margins are razor thin, automakers are being forced to raise prices to maintain what little profits exist. Bloomberg reports that Hyundai will increase prices on its budget cars for the second time since June, due to high steel and other component costs. The good news: Hundai's US sales are down "only" 2.3 percent and actually up 1.3 percent since the last price increase. The bad news: even the second price increase "isn't enough to cover the higher costs, but it's hard for them to boost prices more without crimping sales.'' And it gets worse too. All of Hyundai's Korean production will endure stoppages this week, thanks to labor demands for a nine percent wage increase. With sister company Kia holding on to its rock-bottom pricing, it's no wonder that Hyundai is heading upmarket. But will consumers (particularly in crucial developing markets) follow?

OK, we get it. If you're texting your BFF <3 whilst driving, cause an accident and kill someone, you do hard time. But if I read the Pistonheads story correctly, that's up to seven years. In other words, it's a maximum– not a minimum– sentence. And why pick on texting? Doesn't The Land of Hope and Glory have a general charge of "causing death by dangerous driving," or some such thing? Not yet, they don't. "Ministers now want to see the two new offences – causing death by careless driving and causing death while unlicenced, disqualified or uninsured – pushed through as soon as possible." Again, what's with a separate anti-texting caveat? "The council said it wanted to send a ‘clear message’ to those who text while driving that it will not be tolerated." Uh, OK. But I'm little concerned about the Council throwing the book at killer drivers with a history of "bad driving." "Very serious cases, where drugs, alcohol or persistent bad driving are involved, could warrant a jail term of up to 14 years, the [Sentencing Guidelines] council said." ?4U. Is it prima facie if you accidentally kill someone but have a bad driving record?

Ford’s survival may depend on the U.S. success of the European-designed Focus and Fiesta. An embattled GM agrees with FoMoCo's "world car" strategy, talking up its "global platforms." Meanwhile, Honda and Toyota’s dominant Camcordias were designed predominantly with the North American market in mind. Does success in the brutally competitive American market demand specifically tailored designs? Or are “world cars” the salvation to Detroit’s passenger car woes?

“This is not the time for niche vehicles," Maximum Bob told the world yesterday. "We can’t afford to hit singles and bunts. We need triples and home runs.” There's more, all dutifully, faithfully, credulously and supportively reported by The Detroit Free Press' Mark Phelan. Neither Lutz nor Phelan realize putting all their efforts into high-profit trucks and ignoring cars that weren't "high volume" is what got GM where they aren't today. If GM had gone for a few singles and doubles in small cars– or had even landed a few solid bunts– while they were swinging for the fences in SUVs and pickup trucks, they would have a few more runners on base today. But now GM's trailing, it's the bottom of the ninth and they're hurriedly calling in designated hitters from Korea. The problem is that the game goes on. GM can't call "time out" while they try to rewrite their playbook and rebuild their team. And while they're combing their farm teams trying to find someone who can play in the big leagues, the transplants continue bringing home the profits with a succession of solid base hits. And yet the cheerleading continues.

Korea's Kia has released photos of its Soul. To herald the U.S. arrival of its new citycar– which looks to have the Chevy's Aveo Beat– Kia's announced the Soul's engine lineup. Globally, the Soul will offer three powerplants. Yanks are denied the 1.6-liter turbodiesel with 128 horsepower. We get to choose from either a 1.6-liter, 124-horse four (the new NA class leader) or a 2.0-liter with an unspecified amount of power. The fuel economy– which RF would call "mission critical"– has not yet been rated by the EPA. Although the new car's based on the Rio platform, Kia promises that the Soul "won't drive like a mailbox." Return to sender? Let's just hope Kia's Soul has more eponymousness than its other efforts, which tend to put inhabitants in econobox Hell. 

The hotly anticipated 2009 Mazda6 is set to hit the showroom floor in August. The base 2.5-liter four-cylinder model, with 170 horses and a standard six-speed stick, will set you back $19,220 (including a $670 destination fee). For contrast, a base Accord runs nearly two grand more ($21,030). The four-cylinder Mazda6 will offer an optional five-speed automatic transmission for a bit more money, of course. If you want to dial-up the power, Mazda offer the 6 with a 273 horse, 3.7 liter V6 (six-speed automatic transmission only) for $24,800. All versions of the new Mazda6 come with air con, ABS, six airbags, dynamic stability control and traction control. The autoboxed four-banger gets 21/30 EPA miles per gallon, dropping one mpg if you pick the stick. The V6's 17/25 mpg is not what you'd call class competitive; the five-speed Accord V6 is rated at 19/29. Then again, the Mazda should handily beat the Honda in the ol fun to drive category. We'll have a TTAC review as soon as the 6 hits the streets. 

There I was, minding my own business on the Internet, when HUMMER sauntered up and threw me against a locker. “Alpha stole your virtual girlfriend. And your real one,” grumbled the ever-subtle brand’s banner ad. Okay, HUMMER, I’ll bite (so to speak). Who’s Alpha, what’s he got that I haven’t? And— most importantly— how is this going to delay the inevitable fizzling of your fifteen minutes?

Maybe I should put "smart" in quotes. But then again, maybe I shouldn't. I was commiserating with a friend of mine the other night how are respective 401k plans lost a third of their value last quarter. In his case, it was actual money. He commented that he had a lot of money in Blue Chips. I told him that GM's stock is worth less than two gallons of (Los Angeles) gas. He asked why. And I explained that the General had made billions of dollars selling trucks, bought Saab and then redesigned their trucks while losing over 30 percent of their market share in a decade and that Mr. Wagoner got paid $14,000,000 for his troubles, pre-bonus. My friend was incensed. "How is that American? That sounds like some third world, nepatistic despot shit?" He has a point. And what of the Japanese, he asked. Well, I began, Honda now makes the best-selling car in the country, Mazda and Subaru sales are up and Toyota has the ability to shift gears (and production) when they sense a looming great depression crisis. He asked me why, what is it about Japanese culture that lets them succeed where Detroit just falls flat on its face? I have my suspicions. But, I'd rather just ask you.

Wrong. Establishing that fact seems simple enough, right? Take the price of E85 at the pump, figure in (out?) the loss of fuel efficiency (roughly 25 percent), forget about the taxpayer-supported .50 per gallon "blender's credit," recalculate the cost and compare it to the price of regular gas. If that's too much of a bother, go to the American Automobile Association's fuelgaugereport.com. Yesterday, an average gallon of regular cost $4.10. A BTU-adjusted gallon of corn juice cost $4.37. So, why is The Earth Times proclaiming "Gas Prices Got You Down? Don't Get Mad … Get Ethanol!" Because they're running The International Institute for Ecological Agriculture's press release verbatim. Oh, did I mention the "Institute" is a front for pro-E85 author (and Hawaiian shirt devotee) David Blume? Anyway, Blume writes "According to David Arkin of Arkin Tilt Architects… 'Ethanol can be part of one's path to a carbon neutral lifestyle. It costs less than gasoline, is readily available, and — when grown and produced properly — can help combat climate change through both its clean emissions and the potential to sequester carbon.'" And according to the man himself, "If everyone used 30% ethanol in their unmodified cars we would be able to cease buying any oil from the Middle East, ending our dependence, our crushing military expenditures there, and our National Guard could be brought home from Iraq. Converting completely to US made ethanol would make our economy literally bombproof to the explosive price increases we can expect oil to sustain as it runs out." Now how much would you pay? 

Due to the inherent constraints of an 800-word (or so) review, TTAC reviewers don't always get to say everything they want to say about a car. With an editor as, uh, tenacious as Farago, you have to beat him back with all your strength pick your battles. In my Infiniti FX50 review, I wanted to call the CUV the "ultimate wine tasting machine" (some of you may have noticed the pictures hail from Sonoma County's Russian River AVA). Think about it. The FX50 can handle as well as any sedan-on-stilts; perfect for those windy wine roads. It boasts a phalanx of electronic aids to defend against tipsy drivers, and Lane Departure Warning. [ED: I say nothing.] And just like a Mercedes S-Class, in the event of a fast-moving tree oncoming car, the FX50 will apply the brakes and snug-up your shoulder belt. The real clincher? Wine carriers fit perfectly in the cargo hold. As you can see from this photo, the ubiquitous cases are the exact same height as the FX50's parcel shelf. And whle you can't tell from the photo, the carriers' ziggurat-like top is actually at the correct angle for the kink in the back of the FX50. I can almost hear Shoemaker's synapses firing up…

Sam scraped the Honda Odyssey. Again. This after stoving-in the Boxster's front end and then, after its repair, scraping the roadster's flanks. There was a time when I would get seriously bent out of shape about one of my cars getting bent out of shape. Love. Age. Maturity. Perspective. Cash flow. Lexapro. Although I've surmounted many of my OCD's detailing demands, I still appreciate the pursuit of perfection, and the value of persistence for those embarking on that endless, maddening quest. Not to put too fine a point on it, leapfrogging is for losers. The key to success: keep hammering away with focus, passion and persistence. Either that or read and follow The [somewhat contradictory] 48 Laws of Power. In either case, complacency is the enemy. As TTAC slowly comes into its own (which is a lot less gross than it sounds), rest assured that the editorial team will never become smug or self-satisfied. We will alway listen to criticism, and respond with respect. To that end, a simple question (flame rules active): what would you change about this website? You know; other than the fact I just sent out three New Content Notifications…

Fair and… mentally balanced? I'm not so sure. But one thing is certain: there's a new spinmeister in town. Speaking with Automotive News [sub], GM Chief Financial Officer Ray Young whirled a mean dervish. "There are reports that we were in crisis," Young said, confusing his tenses. "That's far from the truth. We run a dynamic planning process here, so we're constantly feeling the market. We have a certain view of the United States economy and a view of the oil prices. After the month of June, our assessment of the U.S economy made us realize there's a lot more risk in this economy than we thought initially." D'oh! And then scribe Jamie "I Ain't No Stinkin' Lap Dog" Lareau asks "Will this plan save the corporation?" Whoa, Dude! Or, as Young says, "It's going to allow us to handle a very conservative set of industry assumptions, a very conservative set of mixed assumptions and provide ample liquidity through 2009. We're still working through 2010 plans. To me that's still too far away." If only Toyota thought so short term. Anyway, Young says bankruptcy is "not in the cards" and Car Czar Bob Lutz is playing with a full deck [kidding]. Also, the Beancounter has not been asked to price-up the cost of a brand termination. "I keep on reminding our organization that cash is king. I'm not sure what it would cost to eliminate a channel, but when we closed Oldsmobile that cost $1 billion. That's a lot of money."