In a sure sign that the party’s over, the Detroit Show’s best free party isn’t even happening this year. In past years, Chrysler has treated journalists to all they cared to each and drink each night at the Firehouse restaurant and bar across the street from Cobo hall. With senior execs tending bar, no less. And to remind the press corps of the OEM’s largesse, their press-only blog was call “the Firehouse.” Still is, in fact. Except now the blog’s name (and the frequent emails announcing each post) will remind journalists of the party that isn’t happening. Will harsher reviews result? Not here at TTAC– can’t get any harsher when the subject is a Chrysler (aside from some love for the Challenger). I for one am not looking forward to heading home early after the show. Enjoyed the food, the beer, and meeting up with other journalists. No more, unless one of the upstart Chinese cares to step in and fill the gap. Bummer.

Peter Delorenzo has spent the last year or so castigating anyone within earshot for their failure to support, coddle, subsidize and appreciate his beloved American automakers. Given his website’s increasingly strident tone, that description excludes no one. This week, the self-styled Autoextremist gives a shout-out to President-elect Obama– while ratcheting-up the rhetoric for the usual antagonists. “Yes, President-elect Obama will bring a different perspective to Washington – and the challenges facing the auto industry – but that alone won’t save Detroit. Not when there are southern senators and members of Congress who are hell-bent on destroying the Detroit Three in their quest to ultimately replace the nation’s homegrown auto industry with a loose network of imported auto manufacturing facilities based in the Southern Corridor. Not when there are members of the new establishment in Washington who are rabidly pushing for a huge green directional shift for industry and manufacturing in this country, with little concern about what the realities or the ramifications of that kind of massive shift on America’s manufacturing base or immediate economic future. Not when our leaders in Washington continue to give a free ride to countries and manufacturers who want to do business here, at the expense of our own industries and manufacturing base. And especially not when the nation’s consumers are locked in this painful reduced-credit or no-credit holding cell that has paralyzed commerce across the country.” So, Pete, what will save your hometown heroes? 

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Or not, we might add. As usual, the latest chapter in the Volt saga is both convoluted and taxpayer-funded. Automotive News [sub] reports that “A123Systems, the battery supplier for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid vehicle, will make lithium ion batteries for automotive use at a Michigan plant if it receives federal (136) loans, the supplier said today.” The plant would employ up to 14k, and supply batteries for 19 contracts including the Volt, Chrysler’s ENVI and Project Better Place. But this information is based on A123’s filings. There’s still no official confirmation from GM on the Volt contract, although Business Wire does quote GM’s Bob Lutz as saying “A123’s proposal to manufacture advanced battery cells and packs right here in the United States is a positive development for our industry and the nation.” The strangest part of the story is that the GM-Volt.com cheerleaders, usually privy to info straight from GM, were previously convinced that LG Chem/Compact Power had beat A123 to the contract. Back in October, GM-Volt’s Lyle Dennis seemed to confirm a Reuters report that LG/Compact had won. “As we have heard before in a subtle way from GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz,” wrote Dennis, “GM was only using one supplier’s packs in the mules. Concurrently, we had heard from Compact Power’s CEO that his batteries were being used in the mules. Sources have now confirmed this is the case and that the mules packs are performing flawlessly.” So really, who knows. GM may well be saving the announcement for the forthcoming Detroit Auto Show.

Mercedes failed to meet US-market CAFE standards in 2008 and paid a $28.9m fine in December for it, reports the Freep. VW also paid the NHTSA a fine of $4.5m in August for light truck violations, while Porsche paid $1.2m and Ferrari coughed up a $1.1m to flout CAFE through 2008. But the Mercedes fine, which came to light in a recently-released NHTSA document, is the second largest in CAFE history. DaimlerChrysler AG remains the king of CAFE failure, having paid a record $30.3m in eco-indulgences for its 2006 imported product line. Which consisted primarily of of Mercedes models. Is it any wonder then that, as Bertel noted just a few days ago, Daimler is catching the hybrid fever?

Bioengineering is one of the most promising technology trends out there, but besides a perennial design influence, nature tends to stay away from cars. Or is it the other way around? Anyway, biodiesel tends to hog the bio-car development attention, but a LiveScience post sheds some light on efforts to introduce vehicle interior components made from organic materials. A team from Baylor University have been experimenting with coco fibers, and have developed trunk liners, floorboards and car-door interior covers made from a coco-based composite material. “(Coco) fiber has very good strength, stiffness and ductility, and potentially can be used for all kinds of things,” says Baylor engineering professor Walter Bradley. Bradley’s team blends coconut husk material with polypropylene fibers before being hot-pressed (compression-molded) into required shapes. The coconut fiber provides a rigid architecture for the resulting material, which Bradley says does not burn very well or give off toxic fumes, which is key in passing tests required for use in commercial automotive parts. Bradley also extolls the virtue in using a waste by-product of the coconut milk and oil industry. “We are trying to turn trash into cash to help poor coconut farmers,” he tells LiveScience. The team is partnering with a local auto industry fiber supplier to develop commercial products.

First of all, hats off to RF for both returning to car reviewing and getting it so right with his Lexus IS-F review . It’s really a world class car and one I would happily own. Even with the 8-speed paddle shifter, which, oddly, works real well on the freeway and allows the 0-60 mph in 4.2 second car to get over 20 mpg at 80 mph. That’s tall gearing for you. Long story short — LS-F equals awesome. But what about the cars it competes with. Some of you know how I feel about the Audi RS4. In a word, hot sex. I’ve been lucky enough to drive tons of killer metal and that hopped up Audi still holds a special place in my heart even if it only gets 11 mpg. But, ignoring Robert’s plea, we just can’t forget about the new BMW M3. By all accounts it’s the best car in the world. And if it isn’t, it’s in the top 5. But even with it’s 414 hp V8, the Mercedes C63 AMG eats the little Bimmer’s heart. 450 horse and 443 torques mean that the Merc can outrun just about anything. Except the Cadillac CTS-V (I said “just about”). With a totally ludicrous supercharged heart pumping out 556 hp and a rubber-roasting 551 lb-ft of twist, no car with 4-doors competes speed wise. And certainly not any under the $100,000 ceiling. But you know what? The 416 hp IS-F comes close. As does the 420 hp RS4. Oy vey. For the sake of consistency, I’ll go with the new RS4 which hasn’t been released yet. Nya-nya. You?

What a difference a bailout makes. Read TTAC’s past takes on Corker here.

George W Bush is inspiring another round of “kick the can/punt the ball” criticisms today by delaying a decision on 2011-2015 CAFE rules until after Obama takes office. “The recent financial difficulties of the automobile industry will require the next administration to conduct a thorough review of matters affecting the industry, including how to effectively implement,” explains a Department of Transportation statement reported in Automotive News [sub]. Current energy policy requires a 35 mpg fleet average by 2020, a 40 percent increase over the current standard of 27.5 mpg for cars and 23.1 mpg for light trucks. Considerable controversy exists over how quickly to ramp up to that standard, as the expense to automakers competes with environmentalist agendas for political sympathy. Since Obama will end up with the final say on the current (and future) auto bailouts, CAFE-setting power will give him another bargaining chip with Detroit. He just has to make a CAFE decision by the April 1 deadline. Unless of course he scraps CAFE in favor of a carbon or gas tax. In any case, it’s just a little more uncertainty to swirl on an auto industry future that is already as clear as mud.

I blame the Quakers. My Friends-owned alma mater’s motto is “For the Honor of Truth.” What the Hell does that mean? What for the honor of truth? And, as my father liked to say, that and 50 cents will get you downtown. From my admittedly skewed perspective, finding and disseminating truth is about more than just personal honor. It’s about providing a service that’s fundamental to society’s survival. A society that lies to itself will always be in danger of self-destruction (e.g. GM). Hence the reason why Mother Nature creates mutant truth-tellers, who love honesty so much they’re wiling to risk everything to share it. OK, maybe “share” is the wrong word. Bit too touchy-feely. “Confront liars” is more appropriate. Again, ultimately, it’s for their own good. Convincing people of that fact is a life’s work. Even so, when it comes to the public purse, the desire for the truth has a wider resonance that gives me hope. Now, let’s get out those coals and that rake…

Can we forget the BMW M3 for a moment? If you analyze the IS-F from a evo-lutionary perspective, the highly-horsed Lexus four-door is a loser. Looks, handling, pedigree, charisma, horsepower– the IS-F is the Bimmer’s bitch. Instead, imagine approaching the IS-F as I did, after test driving the LS460. Driving along in Japan’s big ass barge, the usual pistonhead thoughts occurred. Sweet engine! If only the throttle was a touch more responsive. If there wasn’t this dreaded Old School floaty rebound. If the car was a bit… smaller. I don’t know. Fun. And then you jump into the IS-F. Mission accomplished. Only who asked Lexus to build a car for me?

Bloomberg reports today that despite receiving $4b in government aid, Chrysler refuses to open its books to the public which involuntarily bailed it out.  It turns out that when Robert Nardelli pledged “full financial transparency” while begging the government to buy into his Pentastarred hell, he was really offering “partial financial transparency.” As in, ChryCo will share the numbers with the Treasury, but nobody else. The weekly status reports, biweekly cash statements and monthly certifications to the Treasury are required to demonstrate that Chrysler is complying with policies on expenses. But as Chrysler Spokesperson Lori McTavish puts it “we are not in a position to mirror publicly traded companies, as our investors remain private. However, the company is obligated to our private investors and lenders, and as such, keeps them apprised.” Earth to Chrysler: your major investor is the public. And we expect more than just a thank you card.

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Reported sales of hybrid cars were down by ten percent in 2008, according to Green Car Congress, who keep track of these things. Keep in mind that 2008 was the year that saw $4+ gas, $7k Geo Metros and a general wave of related hysteria. On the other hand, gas has also become quite cheap in the last few months, and hybrid sales are undeniably falling off a cliff. December hybrid sales are down 42.7 percent year-on-year, as Priora pile up on lots and Americans re-learn how to save money. But is the hybrid downturn a sign of a dying fad, or a temporary blip? There’s a strong argument to be made that the hybrid price premium will be a tough sell in weak economic times, but if another oil shock comes that premium could look like chump change. But this is not just a question of predicting the oil market. If any of us could really do that, we’d be doing the backstroke in a Scrooge McDuck-sized vault of ducats, not discussing the auto industry. Toyota thinks that they can whittle the hybrid powertrain premium down to a mere $1,500 over normal ICEs, but then they built the hybrid bandwagon nearly single-handedly. Meanwhile, Honda is attacking the Prius on price point with the Insight, and Ford is going after the Camry on patriotism with its Fusion hybrid. But will this competition saturate a still-niche market and destroy profitability? After all, hybrids still only make up 2.4 percent of the US market, causing some to call hybrids a dying fad. Or will hybrid technology eventually become ubiquitous, rewarding those who made early investments in it?

Autocar is so certain that Audi will whip up an “S”-badged version of its forthcoming A1 city car, they’re touting specs and renderings of a car that will make hot hatch lovers weak in the knees. The S1 will compete with such miniscule forces of nature as the JCW Mini and Alfa MiTo by offering 200hp, 300nm and AWD. In a package that makes the GTI look like a lumbering beast. A tuned version of the turbo- and super-charged 1.4 TFSI engine that is drawing rave reviews from European buff-books will hook up to a seven speed dual-clutch box, sending 60 percent of the power to the rear wheels. Zero to 60 should come in six seconds, reckons Autocar, while the top speed will be limited at 155 mph. And fuel consumption should stay around the 30 mpg (US) range. Throw in lowered and magnetically-damped suspension, 19 inch wheels, S-line visual cues and a possible cell phone integration option (ala KEI), and Autocar’s verdict that the S1 will be a “technological tour de force” is hard to argue with. Of course this means the price of admission is steep. $36k (25k Pounds Sterling) is a brutal entry point for a hot hatch, even if it packs more technology than an F-16. And then there’s the question of whether it will be sold in the US. Or at all, given the state of the economy. On paper though, the S1 is a near apotheosis of the hot-hatch form. I’ll take two.

It was a scene straight of Miami Vice: a Ferrari flashing through a cool summer night, the wind in my Crockett-esque hair, time seeming to pass in slow motion as I looked meaningfully over to my passenger. Instead of nodding back in uber-cool Ricardo Tubbs fashion, however, he pointed to the back and window and screamed, “THE CAMBELTS!” Oh, yeah.

 The familiar pattern of mid-engined, V8-powered sporting Ferrari seems set in stone nowadays– so much so that the front-engined California seems a touch heretical. ‘Twas not always so. The first production Fezza to put a V8 behind the driver was the knife-edged, ultra-modern, 308GT4 “Dino” four-seater. A Bertone design, it never found the favor accorded its Pininfarina-styled Dino 246 and 308GTB/GTS stablemates, and for the better part of the past fifteen years it’s vied with the similarly angular 400/400i 2+2 for the title of “cheapest used Ferrari.” A decent example can be found for twenty-five grand, and it’s possible to pay even less, assuming you’re willing to undertake some “deferred maintenance.”

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“Gas stations in Michigan now have greater incentive to provide alternative fuel to the public,” The Michigan Policy Network writes. “Though it may not be quite the incentive they were looking for. A recently passed bill will provide a tax credit to gas station owners who install or upgrade existing fuel pumps to dispense E85 or biodiesel fuel. The credit is for up to 30% of the total costs of installing or upgrading the pump, with a cap placed at $20,000 per taxpayer per year.” But Wolverine State taxpayers shouldn’t worry too much: “The tax credit will be available from January 1, 2009 until December 31, 2012 and station owners must first receive a certificate of approval from the Energy Office of Michigan. In addition, there is a $1 million cap placed on the total amount of tax credits that can be given out during any given year. The Senate Fiscal Agency analysis notes that the likelihood of reaching this $1 million cap is very low considering the diminutive demand for these kinds of pumps currently.”