Adding to the wild uncertainty surrounding Chrysler’s situation is the revalation that Fiat may can the firm’s eponymous brand. In a piece on Chrysler’d ad budget flexibility, Automotive News [sub] paraphrases a “source close to discussions” as saying that “Fiat is already studying whether to keep the Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler brands and might well eliminate the last.” A Chrysler spokeswoman reveals that “although she herself had heard that talk, it’s premature to speculate on whether it will happen.” Chrysler executives themselves considered killing off the Chrysler brand earlier this year but finally opted to keep it.

In addition to arguing against Indiana’s pension fund challenge, the Obama administration is sending PTFOA members Ron Bloom and Ed Montgomery to formally defend its handling of the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies to the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday. This is the first such testimony from the PTFOA, and it comes (as the Freep puts it) “a torrent of criticism from Republicans about the government’s decision to take a 60 percent majority stake in GM.” Even Autoblog smells the political smoke in the breeze, fretting that the “far right wing” stands ready to boycott a newly federalized GM. Dudes, people have been silently boycotting GM for decades. But if GM gets worse, it will be nice to have that excuse ready to go.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has ordered that the sale of Chrysler to Fiat is “stayed pending further order,” reports the AP. “Was TARP money used illegally?” asks the WSJ Deal Journal. It won’t be easy to prove, is the professorial opinion. Oh, and did we mention that the Obama administration has filed a brief (PDF via the excellent scotusblog) against the initial plea, arguing that TARP issues are out of bounds for the courts? Meanwhile, Fiat’s walk-away deadline of the 15th draws closer every minute. Hit the jump for Bader-Ginsburg’s inscrutable order (and more! Thanks for the tips!).

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Ridiculous studies like the Stauro by Taylor Weldon are surprisingly common at the periphery of automotive plausibility. There’s something about cars that always has someone taking a long, dusty trek in the desert of the unreal. But an orange oil-fueled steam engine in a three-wheel buggy takes the “sustainable concept vehicle” genre to dizzying new heights of suspended disbelief. Although apparently not for Popular Science‘s Mike Spinelli (remember him from when Jalopnik used to be readable?). Spinelli parrots Weldon’s claim that “the three-wheeled Stauro is designed to seat two passengers in comfort and safety. As for the car’s fictional production; all manufacturing facilities and materials sourced would be within 500 miles of the company headquarters, for a super-low carbon footprint.” And then tops the whole surreal scene with a dollop of bizzare commentary by concluding that this “sounds like a plan for the new GM.” Subtle humor or pure insanity? We report, you deride.

“After four years of working with multiple potential buyers, General Motors has decided to wind down its medium-duty truck operations,” is the message from bankruptcy court. Topkicked to the curb, so to speak. Because if someone hasn’t bought after four years of wrangling, it’s time to move on. July 31 will mark the end of production for Topkick and Kodiak, which sold a combined 20,000 units last year. Reuters reports that the medium duty truck workers will be reassigned or leave the company through GM’s attrition program.

We have met the Obamamobile, and it is a train. Just ask Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Locke was in Michigan recently, while SecTrans Ray LaHood, VP Joe Biden and MI Governor Jennifer Granholm were discussing a Detroit-Pontiac-Chicago high-speed rail line in Washington, D.C. The HuffPo‘s Susan Demas asked Locke if he saw the rail project as a way to wean Michigan’s manufacturing base off its centuries-long auto addiction. To which Locke replied, “Oh, yeah,” faster than the Kool-Aid man after a post-college Eurorail adventure. “As you see more construction of rail cars, high-speed cars, it’s going to require new engineering, new products and services and that’s the natural fit and extension for automotive dealers and suppliers and manufacturers.” And Demas agrees, arguing that “linking up with rail makes perfect sense for a contracting industry, at a time when environmental and economic factors make expanding public transit a necessity.” Yes, necessity. As in the mother of invention. And political intervention.

Automotive News [sub] reports that Tata plans on bringing a version of its Nano subcompact to the US market “in about two years.” About? “Maybe two years and six months,” equivocated Tata chairman Ratan Tata at the Cornell Global Forum on Sustainable Enterprise. But the Indian firm faces at least one major challenge: where to sell the thing. Jaguar/Land Rover North America spokesfolks say that “Tata will not use Jaguar Land Rover’s distribution network and vice versa.” For obvious reasons. The Nano boasts none of the small-but-premium appeal of BMW’s MINI or Chrysler’s forthcoming Fiat 500. So where will it sell? Roger Penske’s Saturn World Market? Global Vehicles U.S.A.’s 330-strong Mahindra distribution network? Wal-Mart?

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According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 26 percent of those surveyed support the GM bailout. Yes, but 53 percent describe the bailout as a “bad idea,” and of that majority of respondents, 30 percent of those support a boycott. The idea of boycotting a government-owned GM was most popular among men and middle-income respondents. Also, 51 percent responded that they are “more likely” to purchase a Ford because the automaker has not received government funding. If popular sentiment is so set against GM and the bailout now, imagine what it will be like after a few years of government ownership. Especially if this anti-bailout attitude is affecting sales along the way. Fills one with hope, doesn’t it?

Let’s be clear: TTAC is not in the business of bashing EVs just for the hell of it; there are good reasons why battery-power is the gas foe’s great white hope. But this story is just too crazy. In BMW’s rush to launch its 450-unit MINI E test lease program, it has failed to secure Underwriter’s Laboratory approval for its high-voltage charging cord. As many as 300 of the 450 customers who’ll be getting Mini Es many not get their high-voltage charging cables for a month or so and will have to use sloooooowwwwww 110-volt trickle charging to replenish their car’s power pack when the battery runs down,” according to Edmunds. Which means instead of taking 4 hours to recharge the MINI E’s 150-mile-range batteries, users will have to wait 23 hours to fill up through a 110V cable. At an $850/month lease rate, that makes the MINI E the mother of all EV debacles. Approval for the charger will happen “within weeks,” say BMW. But as professional EV booster Chelsea Sexton puts it, “they are guaranteeing virgin customers a poor experience.” And ain’t that just the way it tends to go for virgins.

Mitsubishi has announced Japanese market pricing for its MiEV electric car, and it’s a staggering ¥4.38 million, or $45,660 according to Automotive News [sub]. And what does that buy you? 100 miles of lithium-ion powered range, 4 doors, a 14 hour charge time on 100-volt power (seven hours on 200 volts and 30 minutes on a high-output quick charger) and LED headlights. Unlike Subaru’s $40K+ Stella, however, the MiEV is headed stateside. Eventually. Hopefully the staggering price-point will have come down a bit by then.

But still can’t touch the domestics. An Edmunds press release (via Business Wire) reveals current incentive levels for the major automakers in the American market. According to Edmunds’ analysis, “premium sport cars had the highest average incentives, $6,865 per vehicle sold, followed by large SUVs at $4,267. Subcompact cars had the lowest average incentives per vehicle sold, $1,096, followed by compact cars at $2,117.”

Bloomberg reports that Argentina will loan $70 million to GM out of its $24 billion recently-nationalized social security fund. In return, GM has promised to use the money to complete the Brazil-based development of the forthcoming Chevy Viva. And according to Argentinian president Cristina Fernandez DeKirchner, “one of the conditions we demanded to provide this loan is that all the auto parts used in this project have to be locally made.” As we reported earlier, GM claims it will produce the Viva in the US. With no apparent guarantees about parts sourcing.

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GM’s Fritz Henderson is trying on a paler shade of transparency over at ye olde Fastlane blog. With results that defy this blogger’s adjective collection. When asked whether the “new GM” should continue to employ the thousand authors of GM’s failure, Henderson replied with self-serving equivocation. “If I was starting a new company, which we are in fact, I would start with a blend of people that have been involved in winning businesses and outstanding people that learn from their failures. At least for me personally, I have been involved in both.” Well, isn’t that convenient? OK, Henderson, “what do you think is the most important change that needs to be made in GM’s corporate culture?” Modesty prevents even us from posting Henderson’s reply before the jump.

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According to Chrysler’s bankruptcy papers, the Viper business was offered for $10 million and only drew a single $5.5 million bid. In short, “no offers meeting the Company’s basic requirements for the sale of Viper assets were submitted.” But Rep. Darrel Issa [R-CA] doesn’t buy (so to speak) the non-sale. In a letter to Chrysler, Issa reveals that a Michigan-based investor group offered $35 million for Viper this year and was negotiating terms before Chrysler’s bankruptcy. According to the Freep, these unnamed investors even entered discussions with the state of Louisiana. Now Issa is asking Chrysler to disclose all of its documents relating to the Viper business. Feistily. “If it is the case that Fiat used its ‘hard-fought’ superior bargaining position to establish as a condition of the merger a requirement that Chrysler allow the Viper brand to disappear in order to reduce competition for Ferrari, this too must be presented to the court.” Competition? Ferrari? $35 million? It’s hard to decide what part of this story is least plausible.

So says the bond market according to Bloomberg. And yes, we’re definitely talking about the “New GM.” Using a Deutsche Bank formula for analyzing the bond market, demand for GM debt shows the company to be worth about $33 billion post-bankruptcy. By comparison, the same formula estimates Ford’s value to be about $19.9 billion. Still, that valuation shows just how little the taxpayer intervention in GM bought for its $65 billion investment. The Deutsche Bank report, by analyst Rod Lache, indicates that GM’s post-bankruptcy value will be on-par with its 2002 value. But, “Much higher — and consistent — levels of profitability” will be needed to keep that market value, according to Credit Sights Inc analyst Glenn Reynolds (no relation to the famed blogger). “It takes more than government debt-to-equity swaps.” There’s always a catch, isn’t there?