Ad agencies evaluate the effectiveness of their artistry using a "recall score." The metric measures how well consumers remember a brand and/or product within 24 hours of having seen its advert. A high recall score means the commercial hot-wired the product into the consumers' minds. A low score means the sponsor wasted their money. Although I watch quite a bit of TV, this semi-professional pistonhead can't recall more than a handful of car ads. So much for carmakers getting their money's worth.

You can be the first on your block to own a hydrogen fuel cell car. For the mere sum of $99.99, Hammacher Schlemmer can fix you up with your own "hydrogen generating car" that features an "on-board reversible Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell to conduct the entire hydrogen-generating and electrolytic process." The hydrogen is produced on board from distilled water using electric current from solar cells (or two AA batteries in low-light situations). It's not quite as sophisticated as Honda's Clarity, but still an interesting gadget to play with.

Forbes reports that GM's joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) is spawning yet another joint venture: Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. The partners plan to offer the same range of services for OnStar's international debut that are available to North American customers. Although the Chinese government exercises iron-fisted control over technology and communications, OnStar president Chet Huber is optimistic they won't have any problems. Probably not, especially once the government finds out the OnStar can track citizens' movements and eavesdrop on their conversations. Anyway, Kevin Wale, president of GM China Group has equally high hopes: "We expect OnStar to have a similar impact in China as in the U.S." Thank goodness for that — thousands of Chinese can sleep safe in the knowledge that one day soon they'll never have to worry about locking their keys in their cars again.

With the strong loonie, declining auto production and cheap foreign-made parts working against them, auto parts makers in Canada asked the government for CA$400M in assistance to stay afloat. The response from Federal Industry Minister Jim Prentice came in typical bureaucratese: "I'm certainly happy to sit down and discuss it, but I would point out that the items which the government can control and which ensure competitiveness in the auto sector are items we are working on." Okay, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, what do you have to say on the subject? "Had they [the Ontario and Quebec premiers] been fully briefed, they would be familiar with the $1.3-billion reduction in the capital costs, the accelerated capital costs [for manufacturers], the benefit that we brought in … the March budget, months ago … so the federal government has done a great deal and I'm looking forward to the provinces emulating the federal government." Uh… right. So will they get the assistance or not? We make that a definite maybe.

As discussed here yesterday, America's used car market is booming. One segment that's particularly (and surprisingly) strong: full-sized SUVs. BusinessWeek reports the residual value of large SUVs is up almost three percent over last year. The fuel-sucking lumbering behemoths' resale values are now on a par with midsize cars and small SUVs. According to Ricky Beggs of the Black Book vehicle pricing guide, owners who dumped their large SUVs have discovered that smaller, less capable CUVs don't offer much better overall gas mileage or provide the utility of their former rides. Instead of buying new again, they're opting for used and Certified Pre-Owned vehicles, which offset the slight difference in operating costs. Overall, sales of gargantuan SUVs are still well down from last century's heyday, but don't count them out just yet. Not as long as there are boats to pull, kids to schlep and MINIs to intimidate.

Alabama state troopers were kept busy with their "Take Back Our Highways" campaign, writing almost 17.5K tickets during Thanksgiving week. According to the Birmingham News, officers wrote over 11k citations for "dangerous driving" which included 8.8k speeding tickets. They also handed out 170 citations for DUI, 245 for tailgating, 104 for improper lane changes and 2.2k seat belt or child restraint violations. In spite of their best efforts, there were still 637 crashes resulting in 253 injuries and 21 deaths in the state. While the injury rate was lower than the same time last year, the death rate was up due to an alcohol-related accident in which a drunk driver in a pickup truck hit and killed a mother and her four children in a van.

When does art become a public menace? According to Toronto police, when it's driven on city streets. Canada.com reports Dean Baldwin was pulled over whilst "driving" artist Michel de Broin's Shared Propulsion Car (SPC). The vehicle in question is a 1986 Buick Regal that's been stripped of engine, transmission and suspension (it uses votive candles to meet the Canadian requirement for daytime running lights). In case you're wondering, the pedal-powered Buick is part of a solo exhibition at the Mercer Union art gallery. No matter. Baldwin has been charged with driving an unsafe vehicle. It isn't the first time the art car has caught the attention of the po-po. In Montreal, the art car went all of two blocks before it was pulled over. However, it went unchallenged (and probably unnoticed) when it appeared in New York City. When Baldwin's case comes up, de Broin said he plans to have the car towed to court. After winning the case, he'll "drive it away 'slowly' and 'freely'."

 [You can see the Shared Propulsion Car in action on YouTube]

Remember the Ford commercial showing an F-150 being crushed between two bulldozers? Advertising Age [sub] gives us the rest of the story: Ford pulled the ad because it "generated anxiety" in viewers. Psychologist-turned-ad-exec Michael Bently works for JWT, the agency who developed the ad. He wondered if changing the music in the ad would change the way people reacted to it. Nope. No matter which music he tried, Emotional Brand Connection (EBC) and MRI testing showed subjects "reacted with fear and anxiety" to the spot instead of focusing on the point they were trying to make about safety. Ad agencies are expected to use EBC more in developing ads for all products, so expect to be inundated with ads for all products trying to tug at your heartstrings. Incidentally, in the Ford ad, test subjects' anxiety peaked when the commercial showed a "beauty shot" of an uncrushed truck. Whew!

The Pagani Zonda F Clubsport has been unseated as the king of The Nürburgring. The former production car record-holder was beaten by a modified BMW M3 CSL that lapped the 12.9 mile Nordschleif in 7 minutes 22.8 seconds. The Bimmer bested the zoftic Zonda by a full five seconds, in spite of weighing 400 pounds more and giving up 70 horsepower to the German-Italian hybrid. If you're interested in owning the corner-carving record-holder,  Autobackstage reports it's for sale on bid2aid.com. Getting it into the country past customs and the EPA is your problem.

Another image from photochopper extraordinaire Andrei Avarvarii: the next Audi A6. Ingolstadt's due to release the mid-size model around the end of the decade. The new car continues the usual A6 features like six side windows and relatively short deck, along with Audi's now trademark gaping maw grille. The new A6 will be a bit more angular than the current model, incorporating styling cues from the new A4 and A5 models, with a touch of R8 in the headlights. In Europe, a range of diesel and petrol engines will motorvate the Audi. There's no official word on which powerplants Audi will offer its American clientele. Expect to see similar but sleeker styling on the soon-to-follow A7 "four-door coupe."  

 [For more Avarvarii photochopistry, click here.]

This is not the first time we've heard this story BUT… WSAV.com warns Prius-driving metro-area Atlantans that their gas – electric vehicle may fail the local emissions test. It seems that the Prius' gas engine shuts down during the idling portion of the testing cycle, causing the test to abort. Since new cars are exempt from emission testing for the first three years of operation, the issue is just now coming to light. The state's manager for the testing program says it's a software glitch; they hope to have the problem fixed by next year. In the meantime, there's a ten-step procedure to work around the problem (first you have to acknowledge you have a problem…). Of course, the success of the alternative procedure depends on Clarence and Jim-Bob at Bubba's Bait Shop and Fillin' Station decipherin' the procedure needed fer testin' them funny-lookin' furrin' cars. [Frank's a son of the South– Ed.]

Hot on the heels of TTAC's Ten Worst Automobiles award, Forbes has released their fourth annual "Automotive Turkeys" list. Their selection process is much more boring scientific than TTAC's reader nomination/voting method. Forbes bases their selection on such factors as NHTSA recalls, reliability ratings from Consumer Reports, depreciation and crash-test ratings. Like TTAC's Ten Worst, Forbes' is heavy with Chrysler products– althought the Ten Worst-winning Jeep Compass is conspicuous by its absence (the donor Dodge Caliber made it, though). Unlike TTAC's Ten Worst, the automakers had formal responses to Forbes' list, reacting "with surprise and some resistance to being included." Here's their take on 2007's ten worst, in numerical order.

1. Chrysler Sebring*
2. Dodge Nitro*
3. Jeep Liberty
4. Dodge Caliber**
5. Dodge Magnum
6. Ford Crown Victoria
7. Chevy Aveo*
8. Nissan Quest
9. Hyundai Entourage
10. Grand Prix**

*TTAC Ten Worst Winner
**TTAC Ten Worst Finalist

The Baltimore Sun reports that Maryland resident Earl Arnette flew to Pittsburgh in April to buy a new GMC Acadia. Despite the fact that the CUV lacked the rims he coveted (and paid for), Earl drove his baby home. Soon thereafter, the power liftgate wouldn't lift, the adjustable seat belts wouldn't adjust and the remote start wouldn't start. Before Arnette could make it to the dealer, he had a head-on with a firetruck. His airbags didn't deploy (even though there had been a recall in February for faulty airbag sensors). After the heavily-damaged vehicle sat at a dealership for two months, Arnette discovered the holdup: the dealer couldn't get parts. Two months after that, the Acadia was finally fixed. Ish. The liftgate and remote start still didn't work. And then the GPS system died. Unwilling to accept an offer to cover his rental car fee, Arnette wrote a letter to GM CEO Rick Wagoner listing his full demands, and contacted the Maryland attorney general's office. Oops. "Arnette's letter to the AG triggered an automatic redirect of his complaint to GM's legal department and all contact with Arnette ceased, GM spokesman Randy Fox said. Should he decide to drop his 'legal action' with the attorney general's office, GM's executive customer assistance center would try again to work out an amicable solution with Arnette." Reporter Dan Thanh Dang summed up our feelings. "Why risk bad word-of-mouth on a product that is getting rave reviews? One would think GM could have tried a little harder to accommodate a consumer who wanted the Acadia so badly he traveled 200-plus miles to buy it."

Daniel Howes thinks Detroit is jinxed. In his latest column, “Automakers vexed by external forces,” the Detroit News scribe suggests that The Big 2.8 are latter day Joe Btfsplks, doomed to walk through life with a dark cloud hanging over their collective heads. Just as they're improving their products and cutting production costs, the domestic automakers have become hapless victims of slowing economic growth, rising oil prices and a soft housing market. It's the "Motown curse." Or, as I like to call it, another peg upon which a loser may hang his hat.

Although 79 percent of Ford's UAW workers approved their new contract, it now appears that not all these yea sayers didn't understood what they were voting for. While only 16 percent of GM's contributions to the union-controlled VEBA health care superfund will take the form of stock or assets, almost half of Ford's VEBA payments will be company paper. As– I mean "if" Ford stock drops, the amount of money available for retiree's health care will also drop. In spite of UAW president Ron Gettlefinger's assertion that the VEBA will shield workers from bankruptcy, Fitch Ratings analyst Mark Oline told Bloomberg this arrangement "does not achieve one of the primary goals of the UAW– a separation between the financing for retiree health care and the fate of Ford." One worker warned the new reality "may cause problems in the plants." But what can they do? A strike or even a work slowdown could push the company into bankruptcy. With The Blue Oval in hock up to its logo, Chapter 11 would leave very little for the VEBA once all other debts were paid.