U.S.News & World Report believes in editorial transparency. So they've published the methodology they use to rate virtually every new car sold in America. As you'd expect from such a soberly-titled title, the recommendations are based on "hard data and analysis." First, they convert reviews by unnamed "respected auto critics" into a numeric score, using an undisclosed process. Then, they add information "such as safety and reliability data" that's scored and weighted according to an unspecified formula. After that, they combine all the scores and calculate them using a process "based on [unrevealed factors that] consumers say matters to them most in a car." The result? An overall score that allows their editors to compare cars, "ranking them against each other." They do admit that sometimes "the overall score is higher or lower than the component scores we display" because they also consider the "author's level of recommendation or overall impression about the car." OK, to sum up, they arbitrarily assign scores based on their assessment of someone else's assessment, add in their ranking of someone else's safety and reliability data, and out pops a number that may or may not be the final score, based on their author's arbitrary opinion of the vehicle. And that's the truth. [thanks to starlightmica for the link]

For the third year in a row, the Chevrolet Impala has been selected Automotive Fleet magazine's "Fleet Car of the Year." Brian McVeigh, GM for GM's Fleet and Commercial Operations, waxed eloquent about the honor: "The fact that the people who actually make the vehicle purchase decisions for their companies picked the Impala Car of the Year three years in a row is the best customer endorsement you could hope for." And as if that wasn't enough GM-oriented excitement, the Chevy Silverado has replaced Ford's F-150 as the "Fleet Truck of the Year." Rob Minton, communications manager for GM Fleet and Commercial Operations said they were "really excited that the Silverado won the triple crown of the auto industry: Motor Trend Truck of Year, the North American Truck of the Year, and now, the Fleet Truck of the Year." This marks the first time both awards went to the same manufacturer. Congrats! Oh wait a second; what about GM's claim that they're trying to divorce themselves from fleet sales? I guess this means they want a smaller cake and eat it too.

Chrysler and Nissan are reportedly in talks to share technology for trucks and small cars. "People with knowledge of the companies' discussions" told Bloomberg that Nissan wants Chrysler to help them salvage their floundering full-size truck line, and Chrysler wants access to Nissan's small car expertise. It won't be the first such agreement for either company; Nissan announced earlier this week they're going to supply Suzuki with rebadged Frontiers in return for minicars for the European and Japanese markets, while Chrysler will begin producing VW-badged minivans late next year. Pretty soon we're going to need the automotive equivalent of a DNA test to determine who built what for whom.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of Bob Lutz' retirement have been greatly exaggerated. Or at least that's what GM's septuagenarian product czar told Automotive News [sub] yesterday. In an email sent to the automotive publication he wrote, "Read my lips: I am not thinking retirement. The job is better than ever, and so is GM!!!!" He claims he told the AP that he would not retire before the Volt launches, but didn't say he was going to retire when it launched. AP's Detroit bureau chief, Charles Hill, stands by their story: "The context of the interview reported in our Dec. 11 story about Robert Lutz clearly was retirement. The story is an accurate account of the interview." Meanwhile, on the topic of retirement, Lutz asserts he'll "take it one year at at time." You can bet, though, with the precarious perch GM's sitting on, he's keeping that golden parachute within easy reach.

In a strident rebuttal of yesterday's GM Death Watch 157, the Detroit Free Press' Mark Phalen is singing GM's praises. The Motown scribe proclaims that GM supporters "can be reasonably confident the light at the end of the tunnel isn't an oncoming train." Phalen bases this assessment on the fact that four of the six finalists for this year's 2008 North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACOTY) awards are from GM (Cadillac CTS, Chevy Malibu, Buick Enclave, and Chevy Tahoe Hybrid).  Forty-six journalists from the US and Canada (isn't Mexico still part of North America too?) will vote later this month on the continent's top car. The winner will be announced at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) next month, the annual PR-fest sponsored by the Detroit Area Dealer's Association, to which TTAC has been denied access.

Automakers spend tens of millions of dollars on consumer research, determining which of their vehicles best fits each demographic at what stage (i.e. age) of a consumer's life. Gaywheels seems to feel carmakers' marketeers are missing the GLBT boat. So they've put together a list of vehicles that "suit the four primary phases of gay life." Stage one: "Young, Single and on the Prowl." Car-up with the Volvo C30, Jeep Wrangler or Infiniti G37 Coupe. Stage Two: "Coupling Period." Move on to the Cadillac CTS, Lincoln MKX or VW Passat. Stage Three: "Partnered for Life." The new couple need a Mercedes GL-class, Buick Enclave or (pre-face lift?) Subaru Tribeca. Stage Four: gay geezerhood "The Golden Years." Snag an Audi S5/A5, Jaguar XK convertible or Lexus LS 600h L. So where do the VW Beetle convertible, MX5, Porsche Boxster, PT Cruiser, MINI and VW Eos fit into any of this? Your guess is as good as mine.

From the "Things That Leave Us Scratching Our Heads" Department: Nissan is going to build rebadged Frontier pickups to be sold as Suzukis. According to a press release on PRNewswire, the uzuki Something-or-the-Other will begin rolling out of Nissan's Smyrna, Tennessee plant sometime in 2008. The truck is planned only for the North American market, where the rebadged Nissan will join the rebadged Daewoos in Suzuki dealers' showrooms. Maybe Suzuki should talk with Mitsubishi, Mazda and Isuzu about their success in trying to sell a mildly restyled and rebadged truck already sold by a larger auto maker, before Nissan starts cranking them out in numbers.

In 1997, U.S. automakers relinquished the title of "best-selling car in America" to the Japanese brands– and never got it back. Now another market segment is on the verge of falling to the transplants. CNNMoney reports that unless Chrysler can rev-up sales of the Dodge Caravan, it will surrender its long-held position as America's most popular minivan to the Honda Odyssey. At the end of November, the Odyssey was about 3.5K units ahead of Caravan. If the current sales trend continues through December, it'll finish the year as sales champ. Chrysler explains the loss to the changeover to the new version this year. Oh, and reduced fleet sales. And that the minivan market is dwindling overall. Whatever the reason, rest assured they'll do everything they can to hang onto the "most popular minivan" title– even if they have to pile on incentives and dump inventory into the fleet market. And it still might not be enough.

Chevy's at it again. As their advertising agency is [still] seemingly unable to connect with the youth of America– nothing to do with the product of course– GM's running another DIY Gen Y ad contest. In all, 64 colleges and universities competed for the honor of devising a hip and happening national TV ad campaign. The General's narrowed it to five finalists. This morning's Connecticut Post is focusing on a local group that plans "to eliminate the stigma of Chevrolet being perceived as a gas guzzler." Students of popular (if that's the right word) culture will recall that Chevy last Gen Y advertising forray resulted in a TV spot showing a group of half-naked men writhing and convulsing all over an HHR in the middle of the street– to show how badly men wanted one of the brand's retro chickmobiles. We've heard reports that one group has devised an ad featuring a conga line of endangered salamanders dancing across the hood of a Volt humming the Beatles' Revolution, but they remain unconfirmed. 

While there's not much joy in Motown, new car sales are hopping in The People's Republic of China. Chinadaily reports new car sales are up 22.83 percent this year, for a total of 5.66m units year-to-date (YTD). Sedans are the biggest seller, with 4.24m units sold so far this year. MPVs accounted for 203k sales, while SUVs clocked-in at 319k units. The best-selling models are the Jetta (FAW-Volkswagen), Santana (Shanghai Volkswagen), Buick Excelle (Shanghai General Motors), Camry (Guangzhou Honda), QQ (Chery) and Xiali (FAW Tianjin). For comparison, the U.S. car industry racked-up 7.2m cars and 7.5m light trucks YTD. That said, U.S. "light trucks" include MPVs and SUVs, which are counted as passenger cars in China. The rest of the vehicles sold as light trucks in the U.S. are sold predominately for commercial purposes in China, and aren't included in "new car" sales numbers. So now you know.

What a difference a month makes. The euphoria created by October's U.S. sales gains ended abruptly; November numbers fell like autumn leaves. Total light vehicle sales sank 1.6 percent compared to November last year, down 3.4 percent year-to-date (YTD). U.S. light truck sales did a November nose-dive, down 6.8 percent if you include crossovers, down 15.5 percent if you don't. In this inhospitable climate, Toyota sales shot by Chevrolet for the month, leaving Ford in the dust. While Chevy should end the year in the number two slot, Ford's stuck at number three, accounting for just 13 percent of the market. And once again, The Big 2.8's combined market share fell below fifty percent. So, it was more of the same, only more so.

Even as Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli is talking of billion dollar losses, his Dodge Boys are declaring the yet-to-be-seen Challenger SRT8 a runaway hit. The Detroit News reports that over 6k customers plunked down deposits this week for the $37,995 retro musclecar– much to the glee of dealers, some of whom have been dodging tumbleweeds on the showroom floor for years. Over half of the Challenger preorders specified "Hemi Orange," with the rest divided evenly between black and silver (the only other colors available). Placing an order only guarantees a Challenger challenger a place in line. With 2008 production limited to 10K units, there's gonna be a whole lot of disappointed muscleheads. The real determination whether or not the Challenger is a sales champ arrives in 2009 when the full line of cars, styled after one of the worst-selling '70's pony cars, hits the streets (or not). At that point, the new Challenger will be going head-to-head with the new… wait for it… here it comes… Chevrolet Camaro. And, lest we forget, the old new Mustang.

Don Norman thinks cars are too safe. In an interview with BusinessWeek re: his new book, The Future Design of Things, the design guru says he's changed his view of technology. Previously, Norman said machines should adapt to their users. Now he says humans are much more adaptable than machines, so human should take the time to learn to use a machine properly– instead of blaming the machine when it doesn't work as expected. iDriving home the point, he zeroed-in on all the technology aimed at making cars safer: "…a problem with automation in cars is that we can forget that driving is dangerous. How can we ask car drivers to be alert when it seems like not much is happening when they're in an automated car?" Normal wants automakers to provide "natural feedback" of hazards in the environment– instead of isolating the driver from them. For example, when it's raining, the sound system should amplify the noise instead of muffling it, alerting the driver to be more alert. He's also of the opinion that technology needs to be simpler to use and more intuitive, obviating the need for a thick user manual to figure it out. Which contradicts his first point, which, in Norman's circles, is called an enigma. 

Pound another nail in the third pedal's coffin. AutoSpectator reports BorgWarner (BW) has developed low-cost dual-clutch transmission technology for small cars. Previously, dual-clutch trannies were too complex and costly to use in low-priced cars or in developing markets. However, BW has applied for patents for a smaller and simpler version that will provide a 13 percent improvement in fuel efficiency with better performance (oh yes) than current slushboxes. Once they go into full production mode, they expect the technology to be used in 2.3m transmissions worldwide. And then some.

Not content with vying for the 10 best 10 best cars award for 2007, cars.com has released their list of the "Top 10 New Features of 2007." While you might think their eds would be weighing the pros and cons of innovations that improve performance, handling or enhance the enthusiast's driving experience, you'd be mostly wrong. Cars' list is chock-a-block with features of dubious value, like Volvo's heartbeat sensor, Infiniti's scratch shield paint and Chrysler's Sirius satellite TV. Their "Best New Feature?" Infiniti's Lane Departure Warning Prevention system. The gizmo applies the brakes to certain wheels to nudge you back into your lane if you start drifting. (Which would have rendered The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift even more of a moot point.) Here's the complete list:

Lane Departure Prevention – Infiniti
Scratch Shield Paint – Infiniti
Around View Monitor – Infiniti
Full Size Hybrid SUVs – GM, Chrysler
Integrated Booster Seats – Volvo
Heartbeat Sensor – Volvo
Easy Third-Row Access – Hyundai
Sirius Satellite TV – Chrysler
Sync Hands-Free System – Ford
Blind Spot Information System – Volvo