The Association of British Drivers (ABD) is calling for the UK government to get their thumbs out and start building some more damn roads already, and bloody well do something to improve the safety of the ones they've already got [paraphrasing]. "Major roads like the A1 still have dangerous crossing points in the central reservation, instead of proper graded junctions. It is outrageous that people continue to be killed in these places because the British Government refuses to invest in decent roads." As I discussed with ABD's affable spokesman Paul Biggs, the government is being pulled in two directions. On one hand, environmental pressure groups are pushing The Powers That Ride in Limos to legislate against car use (or at least tax the Hell out of it). On the other, the pols need new roads to stimulate the economy (so they can collect more taxes). And the winner is… stasis. "The government have listened to frankly silly suggestions from the anti roads lobby that 'roads create traffic' which is considered a 'bad thing', and so improving the roads has become taboo. On the contrary, removing roadspace and obstructing the roads is supposed to make traffic magically disappear, with no ill effects on people's lives." Supposed?

Far be it for us to suggest that Detroit's hometown newspaper would never attack a Big 2.8 product with as much venomous vigor as Scott Burgess unleashes upon Scion's revised xD. So we won't. We'll just share some of the Detroit News' scribes's spleen venting and call it good (well, that's what our Megan Benoit did; awarding the xD four stars). So, how ugly is it? "Scion calls the flat-edged exterior 'aggressive styling,' but it comes across more Elephant Man than Man About Town." Cabin OK? "The interior materials felt like rejects from Chinese toy manufacturers. There is nothing inspiring or even interesting inside the xD." Ride quality? "Coarse and extremely loud." Steering? "The electric power steering is too sensitive, causing the xD to weave from side to side at the slightest movement, and it feels disconnected to the road." Anything nice to say? "The one area where the xD excels is parking. With its size, it's easy to move into the smallest spots. Plus, when you're parking, you know the driving experience is nearly over and you've arrived at your destination." Props to Burgess for not pulling his punches and the DTN for publishing his xD diatribe. Now, can we get Mr. Burgess’ take on the Chevrolet Aveo?

The cover of Motor Trend's (MT) November issue (written in February) featured some rendered speculation on the shape and style of the next generation Corvette [top secret]. When our resident photochopper asked what we'd like for this week's exclusive image, I set him to work on an alternative version. Mr. Avarvarii clearly agrees with MT that the new 'Vette will be like the current car, only more so. His report: "Well, I have to admit this one was tricky. Designing (or pretending to do so on) an American automotive icon at it's seventh incarnation. It's no walk in park. No wonder those guys only do it once a decade. I went for a retro-angular-chopped approach. that seems to be the tendency for the next decade. I know the result is not exactly a work of art, but if we consider the limited development time (and the fact that I'm European) it's not that bad." Not that bad at all.  

[For more Avarvarii photochopistry, click here.] 

Now that's what I call a marketing! The Associated Press reports that Ford has settled a four-state class action lawsuit regarding the rollover dangers inherent in Ford Explorers sold from 1991 to 2001. As part of the deal, Ford has agreed to provide plaintiffs with a $300 voucher that can be applied to the purchase of any Ford, Lincoln or Mercury product; or a $500 voucher for a new Explorer. (Needless to say, the vouchers are transferable to anyone living in the same state as the plaintiff.) The settlement also requires Ford to distribute information about SUV rollover dangers and to limit safety claims in its advertising (our SUVs are safe-ish?). Safety campaigners are spinning the deal as a major win for consumer rights, albeit in their own special way. "The $300 or $500 vouchers should be enough to cover the cost of optional electronic stability control systems on new vehicles," pronounced consumer advocate Rosemary Shahan of California-based Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, blissfully unaware that Ford's stability control system is now standard on the Ford Explorer, SportTrac, Expedition, Edge, Escape; the Mercury Mountaineer and Mariner; and the Lincoln Navigator and MKX. 

Bloomberg reports that recreational vehicle manufacturer Winnebago is about to announce that shipments fell for the first time in six years. The downturn reflects an industry-wide slump, indicating that the U.S. economy (including the new car market) is, as predicted, headed for the doldrums. "For the past three decades, deliveries of motor homes and travel trailers have dropped before each decline in the U.S. economy, giving the $15 billion industry a reputation as a bellwether." This time 'round, Winnebago is going down fighting. The company is unveiling more fuel efficient models, including one that can get 22mph (highway, tail-wind). Meanwhile, Thor brand's Chief Operating Officer isn't about to concede defeat. "The industry is definitely not immune to macroeconomic factors," Dicky Riegel admitted. But with 11k Americans turning fifty each day, Riegel reckons "we still have the demographic wind at our back." [thanks to starlightmica for the link]

You might thing the words "holistic" and "motorsports" go together like "Segway" and "Nürburgring," but Motorsport Development UK (MDUK) claims their industry is "approaching energy efficiency and emission reduction in an holistic way." According to their self-financed study, "the UK motorsport industry is a major innovator of environmentally friendly technology, exploring all facets of fuel and performance efficiency (aerodynamics, transmission systems, lower emission fuels, super-lightweight materials, etc), rather than simply concentrating on biofuel take-up. The developing technologies will be of use not only on the race track but will help increase energy efficiency in other sectors, particularly the automotive, aerospace and transport industries." The Earth Times is happy to reprint the press release, but I'm a little confused. Does this mean that going Hell for leather in cars without emission controls that get single digit mpgs, watched by hundreds of thousands of people who accessed the race venue by car, is good for the environment? Let the wild rumpus start! Or will the EU send the wild things off to bed without their supper? Watch this space.

The Detroit News reports that the House and Senate are close to cutting a deal on the bill that will determine what kind of cars automakers will be building for the next 15 years or so. Apparently, everybody's cool with a 35mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard and all the little details, like keeping separate standards for cars and "light trucks." Which is just as well, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants the whole thing done and dusted by next Wednesday, when members burn some jet fuel to attend the United Nations Climate Change shindig in Bali. The DTN identifies the final hurdle: ethanol mileage credits. That's the creative caveat that allows manufacturers to claim higher mileage for E85 compatible vehicles– even though a tiny fraction ever fill-up with the stuff. "Automakers contend the credits are necessary to spur increased availability of ethanol that will help reduce the country's reliance on foreign oil," the DTN dutifully reports. No word on whether the Porsche loophole– giving carmakers selling less than 60k vehicles stateside a pass on CAFE regs– remains intact. 

[Interview with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers' Charles Territo below.]

That's not exactly how Reuters spins the news that GM and its mandatory Chinese partner (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp) have announced plans to build a hybrid vehicle in China by next year's Olympics. But you gotta give Reuters credit for sensing that selling hybrids to the Chinese market is what the Brits call a "non-starter." "Demand for hybrids is negligible in China, where fuel economy figures little in consumers' purchasing decisions,' reporter Chang-Ran Kim writes. "Hybrid cars are also expensive since the government offers no incentives on their purchase. Toyota Motor Corp is currently the only carmaker that builds a hybrid car in China. It sold just 2,000 of the Prius hybrid last year." Although the scribe reckons the Chinese hybrid is a part of GM's wider greenwashing campaign, what's the bet those Chinese-made hybrid powertrains find their way into GM's other markets? 

BusinessWeek reports that VW board member Ferdinand Piëch is in the crosshairs in the German automaker's sex and bribery scandal. You may recall that VW took a bit of heat when investigators discovered that management had slipped $2.9m in secret payments to VW labor boss and supervisory board member Klaus Volkert. Oh, and $518k to Volkert's Brazilian former lover Adriana Barros. Two years after the initial revelations, Volkert's trial is finally underway, and the union boss is singing like a Kanarienvogel. Volkert's lawyer has produced a smoking gun: a letter signed by Piëch authorizing the illegal payments. The development jibes with claims made by Klaus-Joachim Gebauer, the personnel manager on trial for his part in the crime. Gebauer has already testified that VW's executive board knew about the slush funds, since they triggered monthly reports on budget overruns (filed as "executive board miscellaneous"). Since the scandal first broke, Piëch has denied any knowledge of the pay-offs. It's unlikely VW's largest stockholder will face perjury charges, but not impossible. [thanks to starlightmica for the link]

You may recall that electric car maker Zap was set to import thousands of Smart cars into the U.S., after [what was then called] DaimlerChrysler decided to pull the plug on its own American ambitions for the brand in 2004. Now that [what is now called] Daimler has changed its mind and teamed-up with Penske to get Smart stateside, Zap is plenty pissed, in a "we're going to sue your ass" kinda way. They've filed a $500m suit against Daimler in California, alleging "intentional interference with prospective economic relations; negligent interference; trade libel; defamation; breach of contract to negotiate in good faith; breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; common law unfair competition and statutory unfair competition." In papers filed with the court, ZAP claims it collected $2.2b worth of signed purchase orders for some 156k Smarts. The legal action, first filed two years ago, stumbled when a CA court claimed it had no jurisdiction in the matter. WardsAuto reports that Zap will learn if their efforts to reverse that decision have been successful in the next 90 days.

Reuters seems to think so. "Seven years ago, Ford in Brazil looked a lot like it does today in the United States. It was losing so much money and market share that executives at headquarters in Michigan were seriously considering pulling out of South America altogether." And now? "Today, Brazil is Ford's biggest success story, helping to offset hefty losses in North America. Ford Brazil has doubled its market share to 12 percent, racked up 15 straight quarterly profits, and is now scrambling to keep up with red-hot demand for its cars and trucks." OK, you got our attention. So what's the recipe for success? A cheap SUV, that "rising tide lifts all boats" deal (Brazil's economy is go!), job cuts and a new, highly efficient, low-cost, supplier friendly manufacturing complex in Bahia. And there you have it. What's next for FoMoCo's turnaround poster child? Not much. Which is not good. "Some of Ford's rivals, however, are rolling out new models at a faster pace. That has some analysts wondering if Ford is playing it too safe in Brazil now that the turnaround is over." Hmm. I'm thinking that this situation reminds me of Ford's '90's-era Explorer-related success. Which would make Ford of North America Ford of Brazil's template for success. Uh-oh.

I am not one to hang about whilst driving. Oh, I know how to cruise. And I know when cruising's the better part of valor. But there are times when I don't spare the horses. And sometimes, when I'm going Hell for leather, I get my clock cleaned. I remember driving a 911 on the autobahn at something like 170mph, hearing a far away fog horn sort of noise, looking into my rear view mirror and seeing a Mercedes S-Class about five inches off my rear bumper. On another occasion, I was piloting a Volkswagen Phaeton W12 on that very same stretch of de-restricted highway, looked back and saw a BMW M5 closing on my tailpipes like a heat-seeking missile. Less heroically, I was driving over the Braga Bridge the other day when a guy in a beat-up Buick Regal blew the doors off my Boxster S. He was ducking and diving and bobbing and weaving, cutting through the traffic like they were nothing more than pixalated patsies. Forget the Merc and the Bimmer; that's point and shoot material. The Regal driver was the one who earned my admiration. To drive a crap car like that at that speed requires tremendous skill, total commitment and boundless stupidity. How did he manage to live long enough to figure out he could do it? Anyway, most don't. Which may be all that tomorrow's Chinese drivers have in their favor.  

A recent article in BusinessWeek (BW) investigated the reasons behind the "shortage" of E85 pumps down at your local gas station– a situation which displeases Detroit's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) compliance-seeking automakers no end. Apparently, Big Oil's to blame. Shell spokesperson Anne Bryan Peebles admitted her employer is not exactly chomping at the bit to install ethanol spigots. Peebles says E85 requires separate pumps, trucks and storage tanks. All in, it costs some $200k to set-up an E85 pump– whilst satisfying the farrago of local, state and federal health and safety regulations surrounding its installation. [Hence almost all of America's E85 pumps are run by independent gas stations. ] Why not just switch-out a standard pump? The American Petroleum Institute says its pilot programs reveal that many flex fuel consumers fill up just once– after clocking E85's 25 percent hit on their fuel economy. So E85's business case is dubious. Just don't expect much sympathy from automakers. "'Big Oil is at the top of the list for blocking the spread of ethanol acceptance by consumers and the marketplace,' says Loren Beard, senior manager for energy planning and policy at Chrysler. What's more, oil company "foot dragging" is set to worsen the current ethanol glut– which could lower prices to the point where E85 becomes profitable enough for oil companies to accommodate with new pumps; providing federal subsidies continue to prop-up ethanol production. [Thanks to starlightmica for the tip.]

[RF interviews the Mark Cooper of the Consumer Federation of America on Big Oil's anti-ethanol conspiracy] 

Mind you, there's plenty of ethanol action in The Land of Hope and Glory. As just-auto [sub] reports, the UK is now home to its first sugar beat-based ethanol factory. In a light reworking of a breathless press release ("Last week, British Sugar was proud to announce…"), just-auto's crack editorial team revealed that BS' new Norfolk plant will produce some 550k tonnes (70 million litres) of bioethanol per year. At the opening of same, their intrepid reporter asked The Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health– working for the Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)– whether the UK gov would do its part to bolster British sugar's bottom line– I mean, "incentivise further UK production of biofuels." Lord Rooker's reply: not on your Nelly [paraphrasing]. So what about offering some kind of "help" for manufacturers peddling E85-compatible vehicles? "'There shouldn't be any reason to do this,' was Lord Rooker's rather surprising answer. 'As long as the motoring public has absolute confidence in the fuel and sees other cars and buses running on these new types of fuels such as bioethanol E85, there won't be any problem transferring over.'" Ah, another refreshing free market eccentric buried deep within the British government's bowels! Look for that policy to change. 

Iowa. Corn. Ethanol. Federal subsidies. Presidential primary. You don't have to be a professional political pundit to connect those dots, but you'd have to be a pretty brave pol to look Iowans in the eye and say "no" to their federally-funded ethanol dreams. As The Boston Globe reports, that would be John McCain, whose low standing in the Tall Corn State's polls may have a little something to do with this statement: ""I trust Americans. I trust markets. And I oppose subsidies." This despite the fact that a "recent poll" (nice attribution there Globe) showed 92 percent of Iowans consider ethanol essential to the state's economic future. No wonder The Hunt for Red States' Fred Thompson changed his tune from anti to pro-ethanol a few weeks ago, declaring ""It's a matter now of national security." (Now that he needs the votes.) The Big Three Dems are all on board the ethanol express, which already pumps $2b of your hard-earned federal tax dollars into Iowa's ethanol industry.