Which is just as well, really. By it's own (highly suspicious) count, Tesla has delivered less than five cars to paying customers since it began production on March 17th (of this year). Meanwhile and in any case, Tesla Chairman Elon Musk has now informed the Palo Alto Daily News that his car company will launch a $30k EV by 2012. For those of you keeping score, this as-yet-unnamed mid-market motor will arrive [in theory only] after Tesla's $60k EV– or part-EV– Whitestar luxury sedan. Sorry; "model S." And in large numbers, apparently. "The company hopes a new Bay Area plant will allow it to start production of 10,000 "Model S" sedans per year and ramp up to 20,000. It has no hard estimate yet for the $30,000 vehicle, but spokeswoman Colette Niazmand said she would anticipate 'tens of thousands' produced annually." OK, hang on a mo. I know talk is cheap and newspapers are entirely gullible when it comes anything green. But it should be clear to any observer with the slightest concept of automotive development lead times that Tesla is in the business of BS, not car construction. Given Musk's ability to raise cash and spout bluster, I realize this Death Watch series is headed for double-digits. But anyone who thinks Tesla is the future needs to read-up on Vector Motors. Or Bricklin. Or Tucker. Or AC Cobra. That's all I'm saying. For now. Obviously.

Before you answer, I suggest you click on over and check what Forbes' Senior car dude Jerry Flint has to say on the subject. Jerry blames "greens," the unions, California, the lawyers, the Asians, the Federal government, bad luck and then, ultimately Detroit's executives. He also raises an interesting point — do we need a domestic auto industry? Back to the blame game, I had a long talk with a friend about the Bullitt Mustang. Why, he wondered, could Ford make such a superlative, desirable muscle car but not a decent small car? And he's right — Detroit excels at making fantastic trucks and stonking sports cars. Viper, Vette, 'Stang? Hell yes. Caliber, Cobalt, Focus? Hell no! Here's my theory — the men and women that go to work for the big 2.8 like building muscle cars and boat haulers. They don't like fuel sippers, and don't want to build them. What do you think?

Greg Keenan of the Globe and Mail reports that Chrysler's decision to temporarily abstain from producing trucks and minivans hits Canadian automotive parts-supplier Magna International like a kick in the nuts [paraphrasing]. Despite attempts to diversify its customer base beyond Detroit, Chrysler remains Magna's number one customer. "Magna accounts for about $1,900 (U.S.) worth of parts in the assembly of every Chrysler minivan," Keenan reveals. With Chrysler's Missouri minivan plant closing until further notice, Magna's Missouri minivan seat plant is SOL. Even the street still thinks Magna is too closely linked to the domestics, having bid down the supplier's shares from $100/sh in August 2007 to $60 – $70/sh today– a drop that parallels the drops in value of both Ford & GM. On the bright side, at least they're not Ford nor GM.

AutoExpress reports that Ford has prepped a not-so-mean but oh-so-green Fiesta ECOnetic for the British Motor Show. While not officially confirmed for production, odds are it will eventually hit (love tap?) the streets of The Land of Hope and Glory. The ECOnetic Fiesta will have a 1.6-liter turbodiesel powerplant with all of 89hp, as well as loads of aerodynamic mods. Equally important, the UK-market Fiesta will have low enough CO2 emissions to evade London's congestion charge. ECOnetic trim recently debuted on a European Ford Focus, with a claimed 55mpg. As Edward Neidermeyer reported, in real-life testing, the Focus ECOnetic that number dropped to some 37 mpg. If we saw a proportionate drop for the ECOnetic Fiesta, that would mean about 44 real world miles per gallon. That's still very impressive. The new model Fiesta isn't on sale yet, although it is coming to the US with gasoline engines about 12 – 18 months from now. [All numbers are US miles per gallon]

Yesterday felt like some kind of tipping point. TTAC's traffic didn't jump (growth continues to be slow and organic). We didn't land a new advertiser or score a junket or receive an award or introduce a new feature. We just kept doing what we do. Only this time, we were covering the June sales stats. Working as a team, our writers turned around the data faster than our rivals, and did so with our usual panache (a.k.a. lousy attitude). If persistence is the key to success, then we will be successful. But we will never forget that our reputation must exceed– I mean "proceed us." We must stay resolutely not-to-say violently independent. I contrast this pledge with a new low in Motor Trend's decline and fall, from Dealer Sales & Marketing. "Mudd Advertising announced the launch of a new marketing program that lets dealerships leverage the renowned MOTOR TREND name and MOTOR TREND “Car of the Year”, “Truck of the Year”, and “Sport Utility of the Year” logos. Through a special licensing agreement with MOTOR TREND, Mudd Advertising dealer clients can use these MOTOR TREND award logos in direct mail pieces and POP displays to attract more in-market buyers and increase vehicle sales." When you have to literally sell your good name, it's time to call it a day. Ours is just beginning. 

Workers at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario plant breathed a sigh of relief when Chrysler announced they're closing their St. Louis south plant to cut van production. Their relief may be short-lived, though. We've learned through a confidential informant that Chrysler is also shutting down the Windsor van plant through the end of August. This comes after some component plants have been running at full tilt, working overtime, weekends and even the Canada Day long weekend, to meet Chrysler's demands. This was totally unexpected and "scheduling people are running in circles trying to readjust inventories and halt our suppliers." Which plant will be the next to fall? Or will it be Chrysler itself?

Bengt Halvorson's thesis for Newsweek/MSNBC/Forbes is a predictable, plodding piece of work. The dietribe [sic] makes a stab at exploring the muddy waters surrounding domestic vs. transplant "issue." "For instance, the Chevrolet Equinox, which is assembled in Ontario, has an engine made in China and a transmission from Japan, which brings its domestic content down to 55 percent. The Chrysler PT Cruiser is assembled in Mexico, has a Mexican-made engine and only 37 percent domestic content. Yet the Japanese-branded Toyota Sienna minivan, with a West Virginia-built engine and transmission, and a final assembly in Indiana, boasts 85 percent domestic content." Rather than negotiate a sensible path through this maze– screw it, it's a global economy, buy some Toyota shares, get over it– Halvorson's propagates the propaganda perpetuated by the "Level Field Institute." [This pro-domestic lobby group, run by United Auto Workers retirees, rightly points out that The Big 2.8 account for more U.S. jobs than transplants so that you'll consider rewarding their incompetence by buying a Korean-built Chevrolet Aveo.] Halvorson's "don't buy anything but Motown product" summary [as above] arrives in the third paragraph. His list of acceptable American cars are all made by GM, Ford and Chrysler. Well, it's supposed to. The embedded link to the "10 Most Patriotic Vehicles" takes you straight to the Honda DX Civic Sedan, one of the ten "Least Expensive Vehicles to Own." Funny, that. 

The Wall Street Journal's Holman Jenkins joins the growing media chorus asking "WTF's up with GM?" [paraphrasing]. With GM's stock prices in the $11 per share range for the first time since the 1950s, Jenkins wonders if banking the entire company's future on one model– the plug-in electric gas hybrid Volt– is "nuts." In the grand TTAC style, the scribe observes "to pour hundreds of millions into a race to launch an electric car, the Chevy Volt, guaranteed to lose money on every unit sold, begins to seem a peculiar strategy for a company in dire liquidity straits." Jenkins covers all bases in his Volt diss. "For those who think the Volt's justification is greenhouse emissions, notice that electric cars play Three Card Monte with energy inputs: It all depends on where the electricity is coming from." To drive home his point, he reminds us "Rick Wagoner last week laid out the case to Barack Obama personally for turning GM into a ward of the state," and "that a big part of the company's turnaround gamble consists also of eliciting favor once again from Washington after a period in which the domestic auto makers were nothing but whipping boys on Capitol Hill." In fact, Jenkins only misses the target once: his repeated insistence that "GM executives are not nuts." In that sense, neither are pistachios.

Red Sox fans will recognize this "not impossible nightmare" as the inverse of their team's fabled 1967 season. The rest of us will see it as a fancy way for an influential Wall Street firm to say a GM bankruptcy is "increasingly likely." In fact, Yahoo! News reports that Merrill's analysts had a gander at June's sales stats and GM's cash burn and reckon the ailing American automaker will need to raise an additional $15b– preferably with Merrill's help– to stay afloat. Meanwhile, Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy shanked The General, cutting GM from "buy" (har-har) to "underperform," and lowering his price target from $28 to… $7 per share. The move slammed GM's stock price and forced a subtle shift in GM's increasingly taciturn spin. "We continue to believe the company has sufficient liquidity for 2008 despite lower volumes," GM spokeswoman Renee Rashid-Merem told Reuters. "If conditions continue to deteriorate, we would consider other operating measures." In other words, more cost-cutting in addition to fund raising. But honestly, what good what that do?

As the first reviews of the new Hyundai rear wheel-drive Genesis luxury sedan hits the nets and mags, let's check the "value proposition." The 280-horse V6 version stickers for $33k. Your thirty large buys you an Aisin six speed auto (you didn't expect a stick shift in a Lexus-fighter, did you?), six airbags, alphabet soup safety equipment, heated power leather seats (ahem, BMW), auto headlights,and automatic dual climate control. The V6 delivers 18/27 mpgs, which is a pretty impressive number when compared to front wheel-drive cars like the 19/26 V6 Altima. Some $38k puts the 375hp V8 in your driveway. Fuel economy is only marginally worse at 17/25. If you're willing to part with a paltry seven ponies, the 4.6-liter V8 runs on regular (87 octane) gas. And, of course, the V8 comes with more toys: uprated leather, a wood steering wheel and so on. With this kind of Acura "everything standard" pricing, these cars go from good deal to outright bargain. A comparably equipped CTS stickers at well over $40k. On the other hand, a Cadillac's a Cadillac. This is a Hyundai. Which is beating the snot out of Cadillac in the U.S. sales charts. Accent sales jumped 70 percent in June. Elantra and Sonatas are up. Even the luxury-oriented Azera is holding steady. (Hyundai's SUV and minivan sales evaporated along with everyone else's.) As for the Genesis, time will tell.

Forbes, that Number One purveyor of "Top 10" lists, has devised a list of the ten hardest-to-get cars. They've based their selections on dealer inventory levels and retail turn rates (how long a model sits on the lot before it's sold). While some of the selections are obvious (anyone try to buy a Prius lately?), who would expect the 14mpg Lexus LX to be in short supply? The other two anomalies (considering gas mileage and purchase price) are the Audi A5 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, both of which are selling faster than they can build them. Here's the entire list and supply level of each model:

Toyota Prius – 7-day supply
Lexus LX Series – 8-day supply
MINI Cooper – 8-day supply
Audi A5 – 8-day supply
Toyota Yaris – 13-day supply
Scion xD – 19-day supply
Honda Fit – 20-day supply
Honda Civic – 21-day supply
Toyota Corolla – 23-day supply
Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 29-day supply

According to their press release, GMAC Insurance wants to "help you cut costs on the road." To that end, they offer the same five gas-saving tips offered by every auto-related PR firm in the entire country. Oh, if you've got an inactive OnStar button in your car (ah, but is it REALLY inactive?), you can also reduce your motoring expenses by signing-up for their Low-Mileage Discount. Providing you live in one of 34 non-paranoid, insurance industry-dominated states, doing so earns you some time money off for good behavior not driving. Here's how it works: "With the subscriber's permission, the odometer reading from his or her monthly OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics email is forwarded to GMAC Insurance. Based on those readings, the company will adjust the premium using discount tiers corresponding to miles driven. Information sent from OnStar to GMAC Insurance pertains solely to mileage, and no additional data is gathered or used for any purpose other than to help manage transportation costs. Customers who drive more than 15,000 miles per year are not penalized. In fact, all OnStar customers receive an insurance discount simply for having an active OnStar subscription." So, unlike OnStar, GMAC Insurance is promising NOT to provide law enforcement officials with OnStar data; you know, if you're suspected of a crime or in the event of a crash. And if you believe that, GM's got a high mileage hybrid SUV they'd like to sell you.

While GM's North American operation has been hemorrhaging money like a hemophiliac having heart surgery, its overseas operations have managed to turn enough profit to keep them from the bankruptcy court. Chinese sales are still growing, but the boom may go bust. In 2007, sales increased 19 percent. So far this year, sales are up 14 percent. Although China's still the world's fastest-growing auto market, raw material costs are soaring, and The People's Republic is easing off fuel price subsidies. Through their "joint venture" (i.e. shotgun wedding) with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), GM is the Republic's largest carmaker. But they're beginning to face stiff[er] competition from Toyota and Volkswagen. Joseph Lau, vice president for GM China, told Bloomberg "Shanghai GM has been facing difficulties by relying on existing models to compete with rivals that have added new ones." Sound familiar? Lau added that GM/SAIC has only one new model in the pipeline for this year: a locally-made hybrid version of the Buick LaCrosse. They're adding one new model next year, a Buick sedan to compete with the rapidly-growing Camry and Corolla. Does anyone know the Chinese translation for "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it"? 

After various boring "teaser photos" (does McDonald's release teaser shots of its new chicken sandwiches?), Kia has revealed its new C-segment sedan. The Forte ("strong" or "loud") will replace the decent but long-incisored Spectra sedan in the U.S., as well as the Spectra's evil twin brother, the hatchback Cerato (available in other markets). The Forte was designed by Peter Schreyer, the same fella that penned the New Beetle and iconic first generation Audi TT. Although the Forte doesn't live up to his Audi meisterstuck— some parts are a little derivative, including the Lexus IS inspired front, side, and back– it's a sharp looking car. Kia has confirmed a coupe version based on the Koup concept from the NY Auto Show. Kia is also considering a hot version with a turbocharged four-banger. But torque steer would be dish of the day if the concept car's 290 horses made it to production. The big question about the new Forte: what kind of mileage and power we can expect from the 1.6 and 2.0-liter engines? Will the US will even get the 1.6? That, and whether the obligatory-for-Europe hatchback will come to America to replace the Spectra5. Looks cool though, I'll give 'em that.

[Click here for Pixamo gallery of new Kia Forte]

Jalopnik poses a pertinent question– at least for semantically-minded pistonheads. How can GM "extend" a 72-hour sale into a 14-day event? Andrew Stoy takes us down the spinmeisters' rabbit hole. "But how do 72 sort-of hours in seven days end up being 72 no-we-really- mean-it-this-time hours spanning a whopping 14 days (Tuesday the 24 through Monday the 7th)? By using the eight-hour workday! First, subtract the weekends; that's minus four days for a total of ten. But ten times eight is 80, you cry! A-ha. Don't forget the Fourth of July, friends. Subtract eight more hours, and you end up with a perfect 72-hour-long 72-Hour Sale. Which is exactly how GM intended it from the start, we're sure." As for the financial implications, it's important to remember that the fire sale prices came at the expense of GM's margins. And while the moved metal bolstered GM's sagging sales– from unthinkable to just plain horrible– there will be a reckoning.Quoted by U.S. News & World Report, Credit Suisse analyst Chris Ceraso predicts the 72-hour sale will generate "some pretty severe payback over the coming month or two."