From Formula One to Nascar, racing series the world over are coming under pressure from automakers to make their action more relevant to the vehicles available on the market. Meanwhile, these same manufacturers are increasingly challenging each other to obvious marketing set-ups posing as races, the latest example of which is the laughable MINI vs Porsche challenge [above]. With cars becoming increasingly homogenized, racing and motorsport are some of the only ways for marketers to restore some of the automobile’s lost romance… but neither modern race series nor corporate challenges seem to resonate much with consumers. What (if anything) can make racing and performance prowess relevant in the post-Prius marketplace?

Oh, one other thing, I think its maybe helpful to say what has been my track record in value creation – these are four of the companies Ive been associated with – its worth noting that every financing round in every company has been an up round, doesn’t matter if the market has gone up or the market has gone down, the squiggly line is the market, and the valuations are as you can see somewhat market independent, and I expect that to be the same for Tesla, or to continue to be the same with Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in his IPO presentation [via Darryl Siry]. This, apparently, is the answer to the question how does a company that’s sold just over 1,000 cars think it’s going to become an industry player?

Good to know.

Possibly not, says the National Federation For the Blind. According to the NYT the group is

disappointed that the [Nissan Leaf’s] driver is permitted to turn off the sound because it in effect, allows drivers to deactivate this important safety feature and thereby endanger pedestrians, especially those who are blind.

Interestingly, Tesla’s IPO presentation opens with a customer describing the contrast between Corvettes “making all that noise” and Teslas which allow the driver to “hear the birds and the ocean.” With the Motor Vehicle Safety Act likely to mandate NHTSA rules on EV safety noises, expect that marketing angle to go the way of the PeaPod…

People really viewed the Peapod as an incredible case study in how you could – in modern times – bring forward a completely new idea in the automotive sector in the space of just several months. It was pretty phenomenal

Remember the PeaPod? It was “the new wave car for the younger set” masterminded by former Chrysler “Chief Innovation Officer” Peter Arnell, during the chaotic “try anything” years of Cerberus ownership. It was supposed to start going on sale last October, but the division (formerly known as GEM) was spun out of new Chrysler during bankruptcy and hasn’t been heard from since. Surprised?

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With Cadillac’s sales remaining stubbornly slack, the GM luxury rband is looking for every opportunity to win back customers. Image-conscious fashion victims have the CTS Coupe to coo over, but what about the Consumer Reports-reading luxury buyers who want a well-managed, hassle-free customer experience? Cadillac is trying to make inroads with these buyers as well, introducing a 4 year, 50,000 mile maintenance program for all 2011 model-year vehicles [full presser here]. The program includes

scheduled oil changes, tire rotations, replacement of engine and cabin air filters and a multi-point vehicle inspection

Sorry CTS-V drivers, but that doesn’t include free tires. And as much as we might like to laud Cadillac’s decision to back up its products, this move doesn’t really get them ahead of the game. Instead, Cadillac is only just keeping pace with the likes of BMW, which has offered a four-year, 50k mile scheduled maintenance program for some time. So now Cadillac can say that buyers who switch from BMW won’t be surprised by first-year maintenance costs, eliminating one possible frustration on the customer experience level. Still, this is hardly a perception-shifting, Hyundai Assurance-level gimmick for the luxury game. [Update: The BMW program does not include tire rotations. Standard Of The World after all?]

If there’s one reason we dedicate as many pixels as we do to the rise of speed cameras in the US, it’s the UK. We’ve seen how speed cameras have taken over Old Blighty, jamming the newswires with reports of mis-ticketing, unwarranted surveillance and popular backlashes against the dread cameras. But apparently the UK has decided that, with more speed cameras than any other nation on earth, it’s time to stop building more. Totallymotor reports that road safety minister Mike Penning has announced that his new conservative government will stop financing the construction of speed cameras by local authorities, bringing an end to a decade’s worth of camera build-up. Penning tells local authorities that they are free to purchase cameras with their own money, but that the government will encourage the use of alternative safety measures.
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Tesla, a firm that its CEO Elon Musk describes as a “technology velociraptor,” has unveiled these first hints at future applications of its Model S sedan platform [via Darryl Siry, Full presentation here]. Far be it from us to call Tesla a dinosaur, but if the sedan costs $50k base, who’s going to buy a commercial van based on the same chassis and technology? Tesla had a chance as long as it remained the Ferrari of the Silicon Valley, but these designs hint at a deep lack of focus behind the scenes.

What is luxury? In the American car market, that question doesn’t have an easy answer. Driver-focused performers like BMW’s 3-series sell well here, but so do feature-loaded versions of mass market sedans, like the Lexus ES. Blinged-out baroque still has its adherents, but as the Napa Valley hotel where the Cadillac CTS Coupe was launched […]

Remember GM’s Heated Windshield Washer Fire Fiasco? The one where the “Hotshot” unit got so hot that cars went up in flames? It sounded like it was a dispute between GM and the now defunct Microheat. Our friends at Carquestions did a little investigative reporting. Result? (Read More…)

I’m afraid our friends over at Gasgoo need a little parental oversight. Or the good folks at China’s premiere auto business site shouldn’t been drinking while posting. Today, they report that the Chinese government invested 5 billion yuan ($736m) in the “cash for clunkers” program last year. As of May 31, only 1.7 billion yuan ($250m) were handed out, with 3.3 billon yuan ($486m) left. No surprise to us. We never thought much of the program. In January, we said: “Due to the relatively young fleet in China, the impact of the cash for clunkers program on sales is expected to be small.” So far so good.

Now for a huge leap of logic:

“Therefore, the country’s automobile consumption in the next seven months will certainly be doubled,” say our friends at Gasgoo.

Shenme? (Say what????) (Read More…)

TTAC Commentator 67dodgeman writes:

Sajeev, I have a question for the Piston Slap expert. My son drives my old ’99 Ford Ranger (extended cab, 4 cyl, manual, 2WD) with roughly 130,000 miles on the odometer. I had new tires put on 5 months back at the Firestone place. Then last week, the anti-lock brakes started acting up. As in heavily manipulating the pedal even during very light braking. I assumed the sensor was fried and pulled the fuse, after which everything worked normally. There was a slight ticking sound from the drive train, so I replaced U-joints. Still ticking, but no other obvious issues.

Then, Friday, the driver’s side rear tire and axle came loose. Luckily he was making a low speed U-turn and the last 6” of axle was still in the housing by time he stopped. We jacked the truck up, pushed the axle back in, and pushed it home (two blocks – very very lucky it happened there and not on I-45). I pulled the differential cover and immediately found the (bleeping) C-clip loose in the housing. The anti-lock sensor works off of teeth on the ring gear (just now figured that out), so I’m assuming that having about half the teeth ground off is the cause of the brake malfunction. The oil appeared original, had that burnt smell, and was full of grit. I’m now in the process of changing the whole assembly with a salvage yard spare due to the gear damage.

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South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (R) last week signed a law banning the use of red light cameras and speed cameras in the state. The measure swept unanimously through the House, 106 to 0, on June 3 and in the Senate 38 to 0 on June 2. So far, fifteen states have taken legislative or judicial action to prohibit the use of automated ticketing machines. In addition, the voters in ten cities have thrown out photo enforcement by referendum (view complete list). South Carolina’s law takes effect immediately.

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Japan’s boutique car builder Mitsuoka may be more known for the retro-classic cars depicted above – if Mitsuoka is known at all beyond the realm of Nippon. Now, the folks at Toyama’s most famous car manufacturer can’t help themselves any longer, and must join Japan’s current fad … (Read More…)

There’s a disclosure at the bottom of this article; read it if you are interested in disclosures — JB

The Nissan GT-R is very fast. The Switzer P800 variant of the GT-R is even faster. On Ohio-style 93 octane fuel, the car will spin the rollers of an AWD dyno for well over seven hundred wheel horsepower. It so happened that a Switzer customer was willing to let me drive his car for a few days. What follows is sure to upset those who are easily upset, so if you think your tummy might not be able to handle stories of outrageous acceleration and on-road speeds, now’s the time to not click the jump.
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Give it a little while and the snickering about uninspired, or foreign-inspired Chinese car design can end. Carrozzeria Bertone has signed a partnership agreement with the Raffles CU International College, an affiliate of the Changchun University in northeastern China. Next to Shanghai, Changchun is the second-most important auto manufacturing center in China. It is dominated by FAW and its joint ventures with Volkswagen and Toyota. (Read More…)