"What is more fuel efficient for automatic cars, accelerating quickly or slowly?  And what is generally peak torque for typical passanger cars and trucks? For manuals, quick and smooth acceleration is most efficient.  I would expect that the same is true for modern automatics, but don’t know for sure.  With my own automatic trans car, I notice no difference between the two, maybe a slight improvement with faster acceleration.  In the past, a study was done comparing slow braking and acceleration with fast braking and acceleration, but they didn’t investigate fast acceleration with light braking. I’ve been accelerating quickly (but keeping RPM below 3500 where I suspect efficiency drops off) and adjusting my speed mostly with the accelerator (easing off earlier to provide a little extra safe following distance and keeping near the speedlimit to time traffic lights).  I get pretty good gas mileage, between 26 and 30 MPG (mostly sub-urban highway driving during rush hour). Before I started accelerating more quickly I got about 26-27 pretty consistantly. Is the efficiency of slow acceleration just a myth?"

In Farago's editorial about the domestic automakers' attempts to get $25b in federal loans, he stated, "it's a prelude to a kiss: the REAL bailout (in for $25b, in for another $25b)." Well, it didn't take long for both sides to pucker up. The International Herald Tribune reports this morning the total has grown to $50b– it turns out the $25b was just for the first year. That would be followed by additional $15b in the second year and $10b more in the third year. Why? The UAW's legislative director, Alan Reuther explains "the amount of concern and urgency from the Detroit companies has increased in the last month and significantly ratcheted up what they're communicating what their funding needs are." But he makes it clear you don't dare call it a bailout: "We don't see it as a bailout. We see it as government assistance to help retooling tied to the production of these advanced technology vehicles." Whatever. It still amounts to billions of the taxpayer's dollars going to fund companies which have been driven to the brink of bankruptcy by inept management who collected obscene salaries for doing so. If they do get these handouts, it should include an oversight committee from outside the industry and from outside congress to make sure the money goes for vehicle design and retooling. Not a cent should be allowed to go to executive salaries or perks, bonuses, lobbyists or any of the other thousands of ways the automakers seem to find to fritter away money. And once that's gone, that's it. No third chances! And furthermore… Huh? … Oh… OK. Here comes the attendant with my Thorazine. I'll go sit quietly in the corner now.

As you might expect, with Toyota nipping on GM's heels sales-wise, the two companies' financial arms have also been neck-and-neck. Automotive News [sub] reports for the first half of 2008, though, Toyota Financial Services pulled ahead of GMAC as the biggest U.S. auto lender. Research done by AutoCount estimates TFS had a 6.35 percent share the lending market, while GMAC held 6.2 percent. With GMAC's cuts in leasing, they expect TFS to stay ahead for the rest of the year. In the first six months of this year, 58 percent of Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles sold in the U.S. were financed in-house. About 46 percent of GM vehicles in North America were financed by GMAC. Other captive finance companies in the top ten were: American Honda Finance at fourth overall with 4.95 percent of market share; Ford Credit at fifth with 4.77 percent; Chrysler Financial holds seventh place with 3.15 percent and Nissan Infiniti Financial is eighth with 1.87 percent market share. The other four spaces are held by various banks. Perhaps a more interest and relevant stat would be the total lost in over-estimated residuals and bad credit risks.  Anyone want to guess who'd be most likely to top that list?

Ford says it's not killing Mercury but their actions indicate otherwise. In the past two years, The Blue Oval Boyz have cut their ranks by 400 dealers, mainly by merging the three brands under one roof in many areas. Automotive News [sub] reports that starting this week, Ford execs will tell the remaining stand-alone Lincoln-Mercury dealers their latest and greatest consolidation plan for rolling them into Ford dealerships. The dealers aren't overly pleased with the prospects, but they see the handwriting on the wall. While Ford says they stand behind the Mercury brand and will give it a new small car, "one Ford insider told Automotive News that company executives want to make it clear to dealers that no major influx of new product is coming for Mercury." Once the dealer consolidation is done, you can just about bet that the Mercury brand will be starved for product, with all of the new models going to Ford or Lincoln. Then it's just a matter of time before Mercury just fades away like DeSoto in the early 60s.

Continuing its push down market, Cadillac disclosed it will introduce a four-cylinder car in late 2010 as a 2011 model. The rear-wheel-drive model, which they may even saddle with the BLS moniker, will slot below the CTS. Even though it'll have a four-pot engine standard, Cadillac execs are discussing whether to offer a V-6 as an option, because they think (and probably rightly so) that U.S. buyers won't accept a four cylinder Cadillac. Caddy GM Jim Taylor told Automotive News [sub], "I don't think Americans are going to become un-American that fast. They still want power. We still have big open roads. People do not want to stop enjoying driving." Or maybe they're just still smarting from Cadillac's last four-cylinder fiasco, named Cimarron.

It's always good to know the boss has your six. Yesterday we reported HUMMER's general manager said all the talk about GM selling eco-unfriendly-brand was "just speculation." According to the Wall Street Journal, Rick Wagoner announced that his employer is "preparing data and other materials to open formal talks" with "potential buyers." So much for "speculation." The usual "people familiar with the matter" told WSJ that GM is no longer "seriously considering" revamping HUMMER. Basically, GM can't afford to do it because of "a potential liquidity crunch" (to put it mildly). Of course as WSJ points out, selling HUMMER would be only "a minor part of GM's plan to raise the $15 billion in additional liquidity by the end of 2009 that it needs to remain viable." The only real hurdle they'll have in shutting down HUMMER and shuffling it off to India, China or Russia will be dealing with approximately 170 HUMMER dealers who have state franchise laws on their side. No doubt the vultures lawyers are already circling.

Is they is, or is they ain't? According to The Detroit News, Hummer's general manager, Martin Walsh told dealers that The General "never solicited offers and we have not negotiated with any parties" re: selling the company's eco-nightmare brand. However, "GM did receive expressions of interest from various entities." According to Walsh, reports that GM has talked with Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata and Russian Machines are "just speculation." However, Citigroup's Hummer review "is being conducted with the utmost urgency." So, Hummer sales are down 44 percent year to date. On June 3, Rick Wagoner said GM's reviewing Hummer for possible revamping or sale. They hired accountants to do the review. GM's received unsolicited interest in the brand from rapidly growing companies with a strong presence in the international truck market. GM needs cash. It looks like there's a much more sound basis for all the "speculation" about selling than there is for GM's dismissal of same. Just sayin'.

Those wacky Brits– you never know just what they'll try next. From Motor Trader comes a report that farmer Steve Burgess has become the first person to cross the Bering Strait in a land vehicle. He floated across the 56-mile stretch from Russia to Alaska in a Land Rover Defender equipped with pontoons, a propeller and motor. His 10,379-mile trek from his home in Yorkshire was sponsored by Cooper Tires. Back in Merry Olde England, earlier this month Top Gear's James Mays and oenophile Oz Clarke ran a Radical SR4 racing car from 0 ot 60 in 3.5 seconds using "a special distillation of whisky." Bruichladdich distillery manager Duncan MacGillivray said "The exhaust smells much better than petrol. It's a sustainable biofuel; but at £26 a litre, the duty and VAT isn't, so it's not a viable alternative just yet." Of course, that just begs the question of whether the police could charge you with DUI if your car had whiskey on its breath.

Nissan's taking a hit where it didn't expect, thanks to their failing full-size truck sales. According to the Madison County Journal, when Nissan built their plant in Canton, Mississippi, the automaker struck a deal with the county for accelerated depreciation on machinery. The company claimed it would depreciate faster, as it would be "used more frequently across multiple work shifts." Obviously, the local politicians would have said yes to a back massage write-off clause to get the plant. So they agreed. But things aren't working out quite like they planned. The county pays $1.67m per year on debts related to incentives they bestowed upon Nissan. Last year the plant only brought in $1.64m in taxes. And now that the plant isn't generating the estimated tax revenue due to production cuts, the county wants to tax the machinery using a standard depreciation scale. Of course, Nissan protested, saying "the assessment should not be based on a bond payment, it should be based on true value… nothing has changed to take away from the spirit of [the original] agreement." The county says that that may have been the case originally, but running two shifts instead of three changes the equation and doesn't wear out the machinery as fast. The county board of supervisors passed the new tax assessment unanimously. Anyone want to place any bets on whether Nissan will invest any more on expanding their operations in the Magnolia State?

GM's reported "done deal" to sell their medium-duty truck line to Navistar has fallen through. In a tersely worded press release – reprinted here in its entirety – GM stated:

Due to significant marketplace and economic changes, GM and Navistar have decided not to renew the memorandum of understanding to purchase GM's medium duty truck business, which has expired. GM will continue to run the medium duty business as it has in the past, including providing sales, service and marketing support to GM dealers for its medium duty trucks.

GM will continue to review strategic options for the business, including continued discussions with Navistar.

So what impact this will have on GM's finances, since you know they'd already counted this as part of the "as much as $17 billion" cash they were going to use to get them through the next year? Do they drop the price low enough to entice Navistar into buying? Or do they try to sell to someone like Mahindra and Mahindra? OR do they stay in the medium truck business and just lay off a bunch of workers like they have elsewhere and cut production to match sales? No matter what the final resolution, it won't be good for GM.

The e-voting booths are closed and the votes are in. You've selected TTAC's Ten Best Automobiles for 2008. Five of the ten are repeat winners from last year– but only one of them stayed in the same slot. Three of our winners slipped in the ratings, and one moved up. GM, Mazda, Nissan and BMW all have two winners on the list. Honda and Audi each have one. There are sedans, sports cars and econoboxes. In fact, the only thing that seems to bind this group of cars together is the "fun to drive" factor (anyone who doesn't think that's important can click here). The rest of you can make the jump and help celebrate/kvetch about TTAC's Ten Best for 2008

The police in North Wales [UK] aren't horsing around. Literally. They're using an SUV hauling an empty horse trailer to hide a speed camera to fatten the civic coffers catch miscreants brazen enough to flaunt the law by exceeding the posted speed limit. The video shows the setup in action and the police scurrying to move it to a different location when they realize they're being watched. And if that wasn't sneaky enough, the Welsh po-po also deploy a pair of high-performance motorcycles for the same purpose. The unmarked bikes sit by the side of the road until a group of bikers pass. Then they join at the rear of the pack. They just wait for the bikes ahead to start speeding so the camera can start printing money photographing lawbreakers. At £60 each ($120), it hasn't taken long for these to become part of the revenue machine. TheNewspaper.com reports "local speed camera partnerships collected £10 million (US $20 million) from 160,126 automated tickets issued in 2006 with North Wales accounting for more than a third of the total."

Starting with 2009 models, the California Air Resources Board will require all new vehicles sold in the Golden State to carry a sticker which shows a CARB-determined "Smog Score" and "Global Warming Score." The Toyota Open Road Blog's editor Jon Thompson is all excited over this "because our Prius Hybrid is listed by CARB as one of its top 10 cleanest cars" and "Camry and Camry Hybrid are right behind Prius with scores of 9, and Highlander Hybrid follows closely along with a score of 8." Funny thing, though, he doesn't mention where Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra, Tacoma or any of their other large trucks fall in those ratings. And all he says about the Global Warming score is that it's "based in part on the vehicle's greenhouse gas emissions." The part he doesn't mention, according to the CARB EP Label Fact Sheet (click here to view): the greenhouse gases resulting from "fuel production." So when the Prius PHEV hits the market, will the score reflect the coal and other fuels burned to produce the electricity to recharge it? That could be an eye-opening addition to what Thompson terms the "growing amount of information that's available to help you make a studied automotive choice." So I put Thompson's closing question to our Best and Brightest: "Should this sort of labeling be adopted by all the states?"

According to the Bible, God toppled the walls of Jericho, parted the Red Sea and made the sun move backwards in the sky. Now He's taken a few minutes out of working on world peace and a few other projects to drop the price of gas in the U.S. by 20 cents a gallon. Rocky Twyman, described by BBC News as a "veteran community campaigner," has been holding "Pray at the Pumps" meetings all over the country since April. Twyman told BBC when they prayed in Huntsville, Alabama, "immediately the owners came out and changed the gas prices. They brought it down." They're not resting on their laurels, though. They plan to continue their prayer meetings to drive gas prices down even more. Hopefully the group won't stop until gas is back down around $1/gallon. Only then can every American exercise their God-given Constitutional right to drive the biggest, gas-suckingest SUV or pickup the automakers can screw together. Then we can all say with the poet, "God's in his Heaven – All's right with the world." Can I get an "Amen"? [thanks to KatiePuckrick for the link]

All car manufacturers would like you to believe they're turning their back on fleet sales. It simply doesn't pay to be known as a "pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap" automaker– even if that's exactly what you are. Hence manufacturers' quarterly reports that highlight models whose rental sales have fallen. I repeat, rental. Lest we forget, companies and government agencies are also significant bulk buyers. So, BS aside, who leads the pack in the fleet sales that all carmakers say they don't rely upon to drive up their numbers and keep the factories humming?