When The New York Times hired Detroit News writer Bill Vlasic, they acquired one of Motown's most enthusiastic cheerleaders. To be fair, Vlasic has raised his game. Today's tribute to Ford Marketing Maven Jim Farley is an epic hagiography that all but nominates the RI high school grad for sainthood. The lead paints Farley as a tortured (as in deeply caring) soul: "Yet as he sat in an empty conference room before his keynote speech, Mr. Farley was introspective. 'How am I doing? You know, I can’t answer that question, how am I doing,' he said. 'It’s too complicated.'" Not for Vlasic it isn't. Farley's doing great! "A mop of tousled brown hair and a boyish smile lend a disarming youthfulness to a 45-year-old executive who has already put together an enviable track record during his 17 years with Toyota. Despite that unassuming demeanor, Mr. Farley is zealous, driven to resurrect Ford’s image in the American marketplace." Vlasic puts one barb in his love letter: the then-Toyota exec's reaction to GM's criticism of Scion. “I couldn’t care less about Detroit,” he said in 2003. “My prediction is that they will follow us.” Pysch! It's a set-up for Farley's Road to Damascus moment. "'What do I want to be?' he recalled thinking. 'What do I want my legacy to be? Do I want to spend two weeks in Japan debating the price of a new Lexus, or do I want to make a real difference?'" And, lest we forget, real money. But hey, I'm cynical. After reading this four-page puff piece, you would be/will be too.

According to Fox News, Florida Governor Charlie Crist recently signed a bill allowing gun owners to keep their [licensed] firearms in their car– even if their employers previously banned firearms from their property. There are exemptions: schools, prisons, nuclear power plants, military facilities and buildings that store explosives. Boca Raton Democrat Ted Deutch wasn't happy with the new law. "This is an attempt to trample upon the property rights of property owners and attempt to make it more difficult to protect the workers in a workplace and those who visit our retail establishments." Columnist Neil Boortz (Somebody's Got to Say it!) rejects the notion. "I’m sorry, but the individual right to self defense trumps private property rights." Agreed? And if you're a licensed gun owner who exercises proper gun safety, is their anything inherently wrong with keeping a gun in your car? 

When a Chrysler PR flack called to ask about the source for the leaky-roofed Dodge Journey tested by TTAC reviewer Michael Karesh, I asked him why his employer would re-launch itself as the "New Chrysler" before it eliminated a third to a half of its tri-branded lineup. Surely they should make the cuts and then tell the world  Chrysler's reborn; losing a bunch of models does nothing for a carmaker's rep (not to mention owners' residuals). A long silence followed. That was February. This is April. And we still don't know which models are going away. That said, ChryCo's executive vice president for North American sales is dropping hints. According to The Detroit Free Press, Steven Landry told students and alumni at a Northwood University event that "What we'll do in our business model is not build similar vehicles on the same platform that kind of look and act like they have the same DNA… To give you an example: Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro, basically a similar vehicle with different skin and a little bit of different interior; Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango, same platform; Sebring, Avenger, same platform. We're not going to have vehicles like that. We're not going to have twin vehicles, one for one brand and one for another." Does this mean the end for TTAC Ten Worst Autos winners Chrysler Aspen (9) and, more importantly, Jeep Compass (1)? Watch this space.   

I suppose that's no big deal, right? I mean, a Jaguar is, ostensibly, a car that provides drivers with imperious wafting rather than ultimate driving. On the other hand, Caddy's CTS is working the European sports sedan thing for all it's worth, as are the Japanese luxury makes and European sports sedans. Strangely, Healey dismisses the Jag's sporting aspirations because of its super-smooth power delivery– rather than any handling deficit. (TTAC's Justin Berkowitz described the XF as "Ali-light on its toes, whisking you around bends with enough neutral attitude and tarmac-clawing grip to satisfy all but the most suicidal driver.") Moving on, USA Today's resident car critic has a bigger nit [sic] to pick on the all-important build quality side of the equation: "Alas, the front edge of the driver's door panel creaked in the Supercharged, and the driver's door pillar in the Premium Luxury had a faint tapping or creaking." Oh dear. After Healey's usual debate with himself ("The rear fold-down armrest has only a cup holder, no storage for, say, a first-aid kit. Hey, rivals do the same things, Jag says. And next time your kid says, 'Everybody else does it,' you'll accept that excuse, right?), he delivers the usual generally positive summation: "Power, gorgeous body, tasteful interior, a few silly gadgets." 

TTAC is an industry watchdog. We balance the cheerleading and spinmongery performed by the majority of the automotive media. As publisher, I don't feel an obligation to temper "bad" news with "good." That said, since we began this cybernetic journey, readers have upbraided us for failing to run the occasional positive story (as in any). While I don't consider fulfilling this request part of our core remit, a particularly testy email from Ford flackmeister Alan Hall got me thinking. Perhaps it is time to feature the odd ray of sunshine– other than positive car reviews (which come when they come). So when I received a press release about, of all things, Ford seats, I decided to dig a little deeper. Sure enough, FoMoCo has ditched the complexity chronicled by Bob Elton in Ford Death Watch 23, moving from 28 seat assemblies to two, from "here ya go" subcontracting to a partnership. So I called Jerry Brown, Ford's Chief Engineer for Seats and Restraints, to explore the possibility of a sea change behind the scenes. Better seats and reduced engineering complexity won't save Ford, but let's call it Reasons to Be Cheerful Part 1. 

From TTAC reader Thomas: I'm looking to buy a new car this summer but I'm stumped on which car I want. I need a car that not only has good gas mileage but has a great looks. I'm looking to spend $24k to $28k. Possibly splurge to $32k. Hopefully not. I'm 21 and this will be my first new vehicle so I need it to be hot. Ha. I love the new Malibu. First off, it's a Chevy which I love and the aggressive new look is amazing. But there's no manual and how does the four-cylinder automatic accelerate? The second car under consideration is the Audi A4. I love the car, the class, but the price is killing. I do prefer the look of the Malibu over the A4. Well, give me some ideas please. Thank you very much.

When I lived in the UK, any and all deliveries of big ticket items were [not] made in "six to eight weeks." In the carmaker spin game, almost everything that isn't happening now is due in 2010. Until, of course, 2010. When it'll be 2011 or 2012. Anyway, according to Chrysler's executive vice president of North American sales, the automaker will unveil its first standalone service center on that fabled date. Lest the company reveal any pertinent info or commit to a particular plan, Steven Landry followed his boss' lead in revealing what the Brits call sweet FA. "Chrysler is in discussion with 'under 10' retailers about the strategy, he says. Landry would not detail which markets or dealerships are involved in the talks… 'In some cases where one dealer is buying another one in a situation where there are not enough service stalls the buying dealership will be able to use the other dealership service stalls as a stand-alone service center,' Landry says. 'You need to have the right number of stalls.' Props to Autoblog's Michael Harley for using this quote to finish with the appropriate bathroom humor. "Funny, any woman at a professional sporting event could have told you that." Ba-doom-boom. 

So, just tell us what those targets are Big Bob and we'll cut you some slack. After all, like you said, times is tough. Over a plate of chilled shrimp [uninformed speculation], Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli told Automotive News [AN] that "U.S. light vehicle sales in 2008 are running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 15.5 million to 15.6 million, which was in line with the company's expectations." Uh, OK, yes, declining market. Got it. So… what about Chrysler sales, as in actual vs. planned? Crickets chirping. While Chrysler's private equity owner Cerberus doesn't have to tell no one nothing, we'd like to point out that ChryCo's sales are down 15.5 percent year-to-date. I wonder if that was part of Nardelli's plan, why AN didn't press the point and what the automaker's minions project for the rest of the year. You know; other than C11. Oh, Nardelli also said that whole Alfa – Chrysler hook-up thing is a crock of shit [paraphrasing Bob Lutz]. 

Engadget reports on a new oh-so-clever Scion ad campaign featuring an interactive storefront window. Just in case passers-by might be a little self-conscious about gesticulating wildly in the middle of the pavement for no apparent reason, the window taunts pistonheads with the prospect of "releasing"– and thus winning– a tC Release Series 4.0 vehicle. (I make that two better than web 2.0.) While the geek factor is high, and I'm sure the ad agency used loads of bizzare buzzwords to justify the campaign, I'm not quite sure if violently dismissing bubbles filled with tCs sends the right subconscious message. No worries; the end of the video offers two testimonials from Ye Olde Men on the Street, explaining why this is one kick-ass marketing idea. Call me a skeptic, but what's the bet the unidentified enthusiastic interviewees are paid shills for Scion? 

GM is re-organizing its corporate structure. It’s putting its eight brands into four divisions under four car czarettes, in a three-three-one-one configuration. For those of you who can’t guess which GM brand will go with which (as there’s no neat, logical way to make these groupings), it’s Cadillac, Hummer and Saab; Buick, Pontiac and GMC; and Saturn and Chevy on their lonesome. “We are further streamlining the organization,” GM’s President of North America announced. “To reduce complexity, align resources to improve the consumer experience and improve bottom line business results." It’s a deeply misguided maneuver.

While it seems perfectly natural to assume that clicks on cars reveal trends down at the showroom, I'm not entirely convinced. For example, Autoblog's post on GayWheels top ten researched vehicles would have you believe that a large number of Dodge Caliber buyers are that way inclined. So when the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) put out a press release claiming "interest in motorcycles increases as commuters seek two-wheel alternatives" based on their website's traffic, I was interested to see if they mentioned any "real world" impact. To their credit, they did, right from the git-go. "Motorcycle buying interest at NADAguides.com increased 48 percent in March 2008 compared to March 2007, even though sales of motorcycles were down over seven percent at the end of 2007, with NADAguides.com estimating sluggish sales so far this year." And yet, motorcycle ed Lenny Sims is ready to climb out on that limb. "We believe the current state of the economy, coupled with recent summer fuel price predictions, has caused consumer mindset about motorcycles to shift. In our opinion, motorcycles have become attractive options as primary vehicles for daily drivers — due to their fuel efficiency — and are no longer considered just a luxury, 'secondary-vehicle' purchase." Your take?

If you had any doubts that Californians are serious about de-warming the planet, San Francisco regulators are determined to remove your lack of faith. The New York Times reports that "Air quality regulators in the San Francisco Bay Area appear set to begin charging hundreds of businesses in the region for their emissions of heat-trapping gases." Ready, set, appear set! The Old Gray Lady reports that the proposed tax on greenhouse gas "pollution" is a pittance– just 4.4 cents per ton of carbon dioxide emitted– and will hit some businesses (e.g. Big Oil) harder than others. "Regulators indicated that the fee could raise $1.1 million annually. Refineries, power plants and cement plants would pay nearly 90 percent of total fees. The largest gas stations might be charged $1 a year; the Safeway bakery that supplies bread to all stores in the Bay Area would pay $85 a year. The biggest emitter of the gases, the Shell oil refinery in Martinez, would have to pay $195,355, based on 2005 emissions of 4.4 million metric tons." To paraphrase Horton, a tax is a tax no matter how small. And while it would be difficult [politically] to hit-up local residents for CO2 emissions at the user end of the equation (say, a thousandth of a penny per box of organic Raisin Bran), I wouldn't it put it past these guys. 

"We are satisfied with the judge's decision," Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley told Reuters. "We feel that although the case is without merit and we proved that in court, we also believe the settlement is right for our customers." Well duh. Some 800k Ford owners and lessees file a class-action lawsuit against the Blue Oval Boyz for lost value– due to the whole Firestone/Explorer rollover deal– and FoMoCo gives them a discount towards the purchase of a new Ford. We're talking certificates good for $500 off a new Explorer, or $300 off any other Ford, Mercury or Lincoln product. Oh, and the plaintiffs' lawyers get $25m. Hang on. Say half of those people buy a new Ford. Excluding Ford's own legal fees (which are probably part of their normal overhead) and the discount itself (as usual), the marketing cost for those "disgruntled customers'" sales will cost Ford just $62.50 each. Given the money to be made on trade-ins and re-financing… Call me crazy, but this class action lawsuit thing sounds a genuine business opportunity. [props to KatiePuckrik for the link]

Ford's Toyota-poached (not in the culinary sense) marketing maven Jim Farley reckons we'll know whether FoMoCo's newly launched Drive One campaign is a success in five year's time. Farley told Advertising Age "We're really trying to remake the image of the company." And no wonder. "Jim Farley's moment of truth came when he told his Santa Monica, Calif., neighbors he was leaving Toyota for Ford. They told him his move was 'heartwarming,' but added that they wouldn't buy a Ford." Heartwarming? And what reason did Farley give for his neighbors decision to avoid The Blue Oval like the proverbial plague? "I realized they had gone past skepticism to apathy." Anyway, Jim'll fix it! "Mr. Farley said that according to a CNBC web survey of 609 respondents conducted after that first 'Drive One' commercial ran, 45% said they already liked Ford. Another 20% said the commercial didn't change their minds about Ford, but another 20% said it did and 15% said it might… Mr. Farley said it's 'pretty cool' that 45% of those polled said they liked Ford already. But there's clearly still a disconnect, he said, because the Ford brand has only a 13% market share. 'What's going on out there?' he asked." Anyone care to steer Mr. Farley in the right direction?

"After the arrest of an illegal immigrant in connection with the murder of three students in Newark last summer, New Jersey’s attorney general, Anne Milgram, ordered state and local police to question the people arrested for serious crimes about their immigration status." The New York Times editorial board is down with that, as long as the police "ask about the immigration status of anyone arrested for an indictable crime or drunken driving, but not for minor offenses. They are prohibited from asking about the status of crime victims, witnesses and people requesting assistance."  But OH NO. The Old Gray Lady reports that "Lawyers and advocates for immigrants say that they have received reports that some police departments, especially in rural areas, are routinely questioning immigrants who are not covered by the directive, including some who were simply passengers in cars pulled over for minor traffic offenses. These actions come dangerously close to racial and ethnic profiling." Shouldn't that be alleged actions? Anyway, it's enough for the NYT to call for New Jersey to "scale back police involvement in immigration enforcement." And yes, this is a car story.