In case you were wondering how U.S. automakers could meet presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's ambitious plan to raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to 55 mpg by 2030, Wall Street Journal columnist Joseph P. White's got your answer. Actually, his solutions come from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). White joins the chorus of environmental campaigners quoting liberally from "Factor of Two: Halving the Fuel Consumption of New Automobiles by 2035." "Consumers will have to accept little further improvements in acceleration performance, a large fraction of new light-duty vehicles sold must be propelled by alternative powertrains, and vehicle weight must be reduced by 20% to 35% from today." So go slow, go hybrid and go on a diet. White then shares one of the report's case studies. "A hypothetical Camry that weighed 2,525 pounds (1,148 kg), and had a 1.4 liter, 128-horsepower engine could accelerate to 60 miles per hour in 9.2 seconds, but would average 42 miles per gallon (5.5 liters per 100 km.) The same exercise applied to a Ford F-150 pickup would produce a vehicle that weighs 877 pounds less than today's vehicle, gets around on a 162 horsepower engine and averages 27 mpg, compared with 17.3 mpg today." White concludes his diatribe by dismissing Ye Olde Lutzian industry cost kvetching– and completely fails to mention safety. Side note: I'd LOVE to see White driving a Messerschmitt into Manhattan.  

iAfrica reports that DaimlerChrysler [sic] has sent its first shipment of South Africa-made Mercedes C-Class sedans to the U.S. Some 380 left-hand drive Mercs left the Republic's East London manufacturing plant on Thursday and hopped a boat for Baltimore, Jacksonville and Long Beach. The automaker will repeat the process every two weeks for the foreseeable future, devoting 70 percent of the plant's capacity to servicing the U.S. market. Will the Merc's prestige boost South Africa's image as a major manufacturing center for the German carmaker and others? Not surprisingly, the local pols are saying amen to that. "The mere fact that we are exporting internationally means that we are now on the international map," said Buffalo City municipal spokesperson Darby Gounden "However, the manufacturing of the C-class gives us in the region an opportunity to improve confidence and our image in world markets." As for U.S. consumer acceptance of South African-built C-Class sedans, if they buy 'Bama Benzes… In fact, African American and other politically-minded buyers might see it as a genuine plus. 

A recent study by South Africa's National Vehicle Testing Association (NVTA) concluded that 80 percent of the country's 8,544,902 registered vehicles are unsafe. The assertion has touched-off a national debate. iAfrica reports that the government rejects the notion outright. "The Transport Department Spokesperson Collen Msibi stopped short of denying that there were any unsafe vehicles on the roads. 'We've got institutions, such as the SAPS [the police], responsible for ensuring that cars on our roads are safe.'" As for reports of widespread corruption at government inspection stations, Msibi said the Justice Ministry was dealing. Be that as it may, NVTA spokesperson Wally Cracknell said the percentage of unsafe vehicles is probably higher than 80 percent. Their study was based on 1000 vehicles voluntarily submitted for inspection. "A lot of the vehicles that come to us for roadworthy tests fail outright. Adding minibus taxis and heavy commercial vehicles would blow the statistics 'right out of the water.'" Other evidence from the front line substantiates the claim. "The owner of Johannesburg-based Egoli Testing Station, Johan de Beer, said they tested between 55 and 60 privately-owned cars and trucks each day, with half failing on safety-crucial points like brakes, steering, tyres and shock absorbers." With world's worst automotive safety record (after Botswana), the South African government's unwillingness to tackle road safety on all fronts– licensing, inspection and enforcement– will continue to cost tens of thousands of motorists and innocent bystanders their lives.

When it comes to trimming Chrysler's bloated dealer network, spokesman Jason Vines knows the score. Join the club. Every industry analyst worth his TTAC bookmark understands that the American automaker would be in much better shape if it "downsized" its franchised dealer network. To put numbers to it, Chrysler has around 3700 dealers. Toyota has roughly 1700. According to the Detroit Free Press, Chrysler's overdealeritis leads to "inefficiencies" and "competition among themselves." Yes, but– as we've reported before, a 50-state patchwork of dealer-friendly franchise laws makes any move to terminate dealers [with extreme prejudice] a legal mine field. Fighting the dealers in court– or buying out them out– would cost billions. Even so, rumors are circulating that Chrysler is about to grasp the proverbial nettle, take cars away from Dodge and lop off a thousand stores. Vines acknowledged the wisdom of the idea, then clicked on over it itaintgonnahappen.com: "There is no way on God's green earth to get down to that number," Vines said. I guess Chrysler dealers better hope that the Talking Heads were right: Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.

My wife's South African. She knows a thing or two about bigotry. I'm not speaking about her up-close-and-personal experiences under The Republic's heinous system of apartheid. I'm talking about Sam's post-immigration experiences. As a white South African, she knows what it's like to have someone judge you before you open your mouth. For years, strangers would confront her about the evils of apartheid, as if Sam had a direct hand in its implementation. This, even though she left South Africa before she reached voting age. And, more to the point, the fact that Sam was born into a culture she did not create. Anyway, when we moved to America, Sam worried about how our friends and neighbors would treat her. She remembered America's economic sanctions against her country, and heard the harsh and unified rhetoric aimed at the ruling regime. And yet… there's never been a problem. Not one. She's been treated with nothing but kindness. Now you could say Sam's welcome is the result of a combination of political ADD and ignorance. Or you could say it's because Americans are, by and large, a tolerant and open-minded people. So when I hear that Detroit's woes are due to "import bigotry," I just have to laugh. When Japanese cars were still considered crap, Lexus was given a chance to prove itself. Why wouldn't Detroit be afforded the same opportunity? All they have to do is… build cars people want and sell them honestly. As Sam says, you gotta walk the talk before you can expect anyone to listen. 

So here we are, living large in the fourth financial quarter. Those of you keeping track of the thrice-revised date for the first delivery of an all-electric Tesla Roadster to a paying customer will note that the Silicon Valley start-up has 45 days to meet their last promise. To review: “While we expect to produce a limited number of production cars in the fourth quarter," Michael E. Marks wrote in a customer email back in September. "I have set a production goal of shipping fifty cars in the first quarter of 2008, with an additional 600 cars in the 2008 model year." Just today, we received our "requested update from Tesla Motors." This latest communication put the "miss" in "missive," making no mention of '07 customer deliveries. But hey, "nearly 90" (89? 85?) customers have logged some seat time in the prototype, including The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Michael "Flea" Balzary. And more great news! Despite having taken 600 orders from customers without delivering a single car, closing-out the order book for '08 model year Roadsters (last time we heard they were talking about producing one car per week), Tesla's now taking deposits for '09! While your money only puts you on the Wait List, where else can well-heeled eco-warriors buy a dream– and little else– for five grand?

Speaking to The Detroit News (DTN) at the LA Auto Show, Jim Farley criticized his new employer's history of pouring money into vehicle launches and then leaving the new models to languish in the market without… advertising support. You thought I was going to say "mechanical updates" didn't you? No such luck. While Ford's Toyota-poached multi-million dollar marketing maven (exact salary undisclosed) places a high value on hype advertising, he's doubly sure that "This is a time for us to be really realistic." In the spirit of this new realism, Farley said he wants to ignore/trample upon Ford's Volvo strategy and take Lincoln upmarket, "re-engage" Ford dealers (as opposed to long overdue euthanasia), meddle with product development ("That's where I can help Derrick and his team") and generally scare the **** out of Ford veterans ("What if we paid people if something went wrong with their car? It's an idea"). The DTN ends their "welcome to the club" feature by describing an encounter between Farley and an ex-Ford marketeer. "'There was no process. It was just chaos,' the former member of The Blue Oval Boyz told Farley. 'Now, I wish I'd stayed.'" Be careful what you wish for.

I was more than a little hesitant about blogging the LA Auto Show, As someone who abhors officious glad-handing, detests news conference narcolepsy and despairs at anti-ergonomic brochure schlepping, my natural inclination has been to surrender that bit of cybertorial to the heavy hitters. But this year TTAC has a "proper" new blog. And our most excellent contributor Alex Dykes offered his services. So I guess you could say Frank and I just kinda wandered into the gig. Although Autoblog and Jalopnik offered ten times the coverage, I was strangely excited by our minuscule contribution to the genre. I felt like our take was not just different, but worthwhile. It confirmed my growing suspicion that yes, dammit, TTAC has its own unique voice. Sure, our detractors see us as nothing more than childish snipers (now there's an image). But there are plenty of you who "get it," who share our sense of righteous indignation at the unsustainable hyperbole generated at and by auto shows. Even better, I was amazed at the quality of your contributory wit and wisdom. Would you have found your voice elsewhere? Perhaps. But I'm proud that TTAC can provide a safe haven for a literate legion of angry, bemused and insightful intellects whose sardonic attitude in no way impedes their love for all things automotive. Thank you for making it all– all of of it– worthwhile. 

News10 reports that Solano (CA) County Sheriff's Deputies hit Vacaville Ford yesterday, seizing 66 vehicles (the entire inventory) and all the dealership's spare parts. The Solano County DA did the deed at the behest of the Blue Oval Boyz, who haven't been paid jack in quite some time, apparently. As you might expect from the written version of a local TV news story, pithy quotes abound. "'The dealership was very surprised when we showed up,' said Solano County Sheriff's deputy Seth Garcia." Saying that, props to reporter Cornell Barnard for not jumping the gun, fact wise: "It remained unclear if the dealership would reopen for business Thursday." And also not making that old journalistic faux pas of putting two and two together. "Unrelated to the repossession, a D.A's office spoken said the office had been investigating the dealership for alleged fraud, claiming the dealership took in vehicle trades with outstanding payments, but allegedly never paid the balance off before reselling the car. Authorities said more than 200 potential victims have contacted the District Attorney's office."  

[Thanks to Factotum for the tip.] 

I make "typos" (a.k.a. spelling mistakes) all the time. Even though WordPress has a built-in Jacuba spell checker, like all such programs, it's an idiot savant (that doesn't recognize the word "Jacuba"). If you misspell a word, but it's a legitimate word (just out of context), the hidden school marm says nought. And Jac doesn't do Jack on the headline bit (i.e. this morning's Freudian header about the "Dodge Durange"). All that said, if I was a highly-paid copywriter carefully crafting laudatory prose for a glossy Car and Driver insert on the "world's first two mode [why no hyphen?] SUV," I'd make damn sure I correctly spelled the ALL CAPS text underneath the arrows pointing to the vehicle's seven salient features. And you'd kinda hope that if I did miss something, the next guy up the literary food chain would catch it. No such luck here: "LOW ROLLING RESISTENCE TIRES." An indication of GM's quality control? Perhaps. Oh, and Jacuba caught it. 

[Thanks to Arcata Eye for the tip.]

When it comes to TrueDelta (TD), we have to choose our words carefully. TTAC's information provider is what you might call a stickler for details– in the same sense that TV detective Adrian Monk is a bit bothered by asymmetry. So we couldn't proclaim "GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook: Worse Than Average Repair Rates," even though TD's consumer panel reported it so. 'Cause then Karesh would crucify us for not reminding you that all these repair rates are pretty low. (Which we've just done.) I suppose we can quote from his press release without fear of contradiction. "The current update confirms the moderately high repair rate for the 2007 versions of these crossovers; there has been no improvement. Common problem areas include a valve within the air conditioning system, the front seats’ lumbar support adjusters, and the lid for the storage compartment on top of the instrument panel." But then we'd have to point out that "Based on survey responses, the repair rate for the 2008 Buick Enclave, along with the 2008 GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, is substantially lower than that of their 2007 counterparts: 38 successful repair trips per 100 vehicles per year. This compares to 98 successful repair trips per 100 vehicles per year for the 2007s at a similar age." Jeez, this fairness thing is a bitch. 

As F. Scott Fitzgerald famously opined, the rich aren't like you and me. Ipso facto. What would you be like if you could do anything you wanted to do from childhood, without ever having to acknowledge (never mind deal with) the consequences of your actions? If you could simply walk away from school, job, marriage, even your home town and start again? It's no wonder that the children of the super-rich are prone to drug addiction, failed relationships and depression. No sympathy? At the risk of trampling on PC notions (for the fiftieth time today), these "poor little rich kids" have more potential positive impact on society than people with less financial resources. All of which is my way of saying my heart goes out to Bill Ford. Clearly, Bill wants to make a difference in this world. Clearly, he doesn't understand his own limitations– because he's never had to. Turning over the corporate reins to Alan Mulally was the right thing to do for Ford, but, perhaps, the wrong thing for Bill. In the same sense, starting-up this new think tank is a bad idea. Ford needs to ground himself in reality, rather than drift off into the world of fantastic ideas. How do I know this? Bill's legacy at Ford speaks for itself. And the man who left it behind. 

The cheerleading team over at The Detroit News (DTN) is happy to report the GM is set to launch "a massive, worldwide [environmentally-themed] marketing campaign and a lineup of vehicles that uses a variety of fuel-saving technologies — including some that have yet to be created." Skating over the potential irony of that statement (and the obvious connection to Earth, Wind & Fire's "What A Fool Believes"), they also reveal that "As part of the announcement, GM today will debut its gasoline-electric Chevrolet Silverado, the nation's first hybrid pickup." Huh? What about the Sierra SLE Hybrid we reviewed in July 2004, and the, uh, Silverado version launched at roughly the same time? Never mind. Apparently, "the automaker is struggling to overcome a less-than-stellar reputation when it comes to the environment, and trying to do so without an iconic hit like Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid." Ya think? Oh, and here's the real news, GM will also provide Walt Disney with 10 more fuel-cell-powered Equinoxes to let the Hollywood entertainment company claim green credentials while their execs and stars shuttle around in limos transport workers and "others" at Disney facilities in California. Just in case you think we're being too hard on GM's newfound love of all things green (as if), we'll give the last word (as does the DTN) to Michael Robinet of CSM Worldwide. "Robinet said GM has the product to become credible, even among import-loving East and West coasters who want to drive green vehicles." Fair and balanced enough?

The New York Times has issued a stern warning to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid not to accept a smaller hike in federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. In an editorial entitled "Where's the energy bill?" (the word "frickin'" didn't make the cut), the Old Gray Lady asserts that "The single most effective way to address the problem of oil imports and consumption is to improve the efficiency of cars and light trucks, which use more than two-thirds of all the oil burned in the United States." After that failure of imagination, the piece hits Congress with both barrels. "Efficiency standards have changed little in 30 years. The Senate bill mandates an ambitious 40 percent improvement by 2020. The House ducked the issue — but Ms. Pelosi promised to fight for stronger standards in later negotiations. She must now honor that pledge." Or what? The Day After Tomorrow? Anyway, if you're a free marketeer with an anger management problem, you might want to give the link a miss. 

Advertising Age [sub] reckons a TV ad featuring actor/singer Harry Connick Jr. touring Katrina-ravaged New Orleans in a Lincoln MKX [YouTube] is unconscionable exploitation. In the great TTAC style, columnist Bob Garfield doesn't pull any punches. "They seem to have persuaded themselves somehow that they are doing something positive — celebrating the spirit of a city, shedding light on its challenges, recognizing its heroes. Bullshit. What they are doing is exploiting its victims to advertise luxury SUVs. It is vulgar. It is grotesque. It is disgusting." From there, Garfield returns to GM's contribution to the "automaker with a heart" ad theme. "Who can forget GM's 3,000-Dead Sale-a-bration, a yearend price promotion staged on the still-smoldering ashes of Ground Zero? Ford got in on the Sept. 11 sweepstakes too, with its own version dubbed "Ford Drives America." Yeah, to the brink of depravity" While we're not quite sure how these ads deprave American citizenry, hats off to Ad Age for calling out Young & Rubican's execrable example of Lincoln's dopey "Dreams" campaign.