Let's say you're an American car buyer looking for the cleanest, safest and most fuel efficient vehicle money can buy. You can pop on over to www.fueleconomy.gov and research a vehicle's mpg and emissions, complete with side-by-side comparisons. You can then click across to www.safercar.gov and check out your prospective whip's crash worthiness, albeit one vehicle at a time. As of today, frugal, safety-minded, environmentally-conscious New Zealand car buyers have a much easier time of it. A box fresh Kiwi government website– www.rightcar.govt.nz— ranks, sorts and compares 2300 new and used cars according to their relative fuel economy, CO2, pollutants, Driver Safety, Others' Safety or a combination of all five. Yes, but– The Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ) says it set-up the site to focus on just one of these criteria. Speaking to Stuff.co.nz, LTNZ chief executive Wayne Donnelly said reducing carbon dioxide emissions was his department's primary goal. Anyway, we can't help but wonder if inter-departmental rivalries and commercial "concerns" would prevent the U.S. government from providing the same sort of user-friendly car buying widget– especially one without a cupholder count.

Ahead of the Toronto Transit Commission's efforts to secure CA$6b for its proposed "Transit City" plan, The Globe and Mail is duly repeating the government's fear-mongering party line. "Exhaust pollution kills 440 each year, report finds," the headline trumpets. "Thirty-per-cent drop in traffic would save nearly 200 lives and $900-million in health costs, city's medical officer of health says." So, what else needs saying? The cure: 120 kilometres of new light-rail lines. After sounding a somewhat cautionary note, the Globe doesn't twist the "pollution kills" knife as much as use the report's conclusion to disembowel the rail project's opposition. "Children, too, feel the effects, with an estimated 1,200 cases of acute bronchitis a year caused by traffic pollution. Children are also more likely to suffer from asthma, and the report blames 68,000 'asthma symptom days' each year in Toronto's population on tailpipe emissions. It also found 67,000 'acute respiratory system days,' when people suffer from coughing, wheezing and other symptoms." Clearly, unavoidably, inevitably, something must be done!

The International Herald Tribune reports that SHOCK! Toyota already offers lithium-ion batteries in a Japan-only vehicle: the Vitz. While the media seems to think the move indicates Toyota's got a leg-up on their Li-Ion chasing (cough Volt) competition, the truth is that the Vitz' laptop-style battery only kicks-in to maintain electricity (for the radio, AC, etc.) when the subcompact's fuel-saving stop – start motor stops. That's a far cry from providing motive power. And it casts doubt about the Trib's contention that the Li-Ion-equipped Vitz "delivers better mileage at about 25 kilometers a liter (60 miles a gallon) in Japanese testing, compared to about 22 kilometers a liter (53 miles a gallon) in the regular Vitz." Anyway, shhh. Mum's the word! "Toyota Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto told The Associated Press recently the company hasn't marketed the feature aggressively because battery supplies are limited and the company can't respond to massive demand." At the risk of injecting some perspective into this story, Toyota has specifically rejected Li-Ion batteries for its next gen Prius due to concerns over safety, cost and reliability. Not to mention the on-going success of their nickel-metal hydride battery-based Synergy Drive hybrid system. Next?

You'd think GM would have enough greens on its proverbial plate, what with its lackluster hybrid sales, the prospect of more lackluster hybrid sales (anyone fancy a two-mode two-ton hybrid SUV?) and the problem of inventing batteries for a plug-in hybrid that's due on the showroom floor in three years. But no; the automaker was into hydrogen fuel cells when hydrogen fuel cells were hot (cold?). So here we are with a fleet of 100 hydrogen fuel cell-equipped Chevrolet Equinox. Might as well gets some PR for the things. And USA Today is happy to play along, 'cause you know it could be the next Next Big Thing. "GM is working as hard and fast as we can for competitive reasons, rather than as pure research on a promising technology." This according to Larry Burns, GM vice president in charge of research and development. Never mind the fact that there isn't a hydrogen infrastructure to support these vehicles (or enough vehicles to support the hydrogen infrastructure). The race is on! Meanwhile, maybe GM should try to do something with the gas-powered Equinox to make it more competitive. No? Alright then. Let's plan on fitting the new Volt with hydrogen fuel cells and leasing customers the expensive power pack, you know, eventually. Sounds like a plan to me!

Thomas L. Freidman is at it again. After earning the American auto industry's ire by portraying Detroit automakers as lazy, greedy, foot-dragging Luddites, the New York Times columnist has some advice for aspiring Indian motorists: don't do it. Spooked by the potential environmental impact of a new (if still theoretical) $2500 car, Friedman's urging India to look at wasteful western ways and "leapfrog us, not copy us." Apparently, it's common sense calling.  "Just as India went from no phones to 250 million cell phones — skipping costly land lines and ending up with, in many ways, a better and cheaper phone system than we have — it should try the same with mass transit." To that end, Friedman's championing the ideas of Sunita Narain, the "dynamo" who directs New Delhi's Center for Science and Environment: "India can't ban a $2,500 car, but it can tax it like crazy until it has a mass transit system that can give people another cheap mobility option." Friedman tries to recruit our support for his Indian anti-car stance by suggesting that it's one of those win-win deals. "An India that makes itself the leader in both cheap cars and clean mass mobility is an India that will be healthier and wealthier. It will also be an India that gives us cheap answers to big problems." I'm confused. While it's easy (enough) to imagine an Indian mass transit utopia, how exactly would that help us?

My first car was a Ford. As was my second. And my third. They were all hand-me-down Ford Pinto station wagons. And I owned all of them in the space of one year. By the time these machines were under my care, they had around 60k teenage miles on the clock. At the risk of flattering my eventual driving skills, the transfer was a bit like giving an aspiring classical pianist Jerry Lee Lewis' old piano. But I loved my Pintos. Not just because they gave me my freedom (a.k.a. a place to smoke dope and exchange bodily fluids), but also because, well, they were cars. The thing of it is, back in the day, everyone knew what a Ford was: a cheap car. You didn't buy a Ford because you wanted to. You bought it because you had to. Don't get me wrong: there was no dishonor in that. There was working class pride involved. As you know, tempus fugited. Now that the Explorer is lost in the wilderness, I reckon the F-150 is the only Ford vehicle that keeps faith with that blue collar ethos. Even a Fusion is too… fancy. I know, I know; there have been plenty of fancy Fords. But not as many as there have been plain old Fords. Can the Blue Oval rekindle a friendship with America's economy-minded car buyers? I don't know. But as far as Ford having a feeling for the common guy's taste in cars, as a former Pinto owner, I've got one thing to say: there's another myth exploded. 

Not one to fear revealing his age, TTAC's Frank Williams says the key to his '65 Dodge Coronet unlocked and started at least four cars: his parents' '64 Plymouth Belvedere and '67 Plymouth Fury; a co-worker's '66 Dodge Polara, and a '68 Valiant belonging to a customer at the grocery store that employed the future blogger. Ancient history, from the time before encryption, yes? Uh, no. KUTV 's consumer sleuth has uncovered the secret truth behind a spate of damage-free break-ins inflicted upon GM vehicles: "master" keys. "Bobbo's friend and co-worker, Clay Collett, owns a 1997 Chevy Blazer. And guess what?  The key for Bobbo’s truck opens Clay’s SUV and vice versa Clay’s key opens Bobbo’s door… When we first called General Motors about all this, the spokesperson said there are only so many combinations possible…but he had not heard of any issue with GM keys in the past. Is that so? At Bob’s Lock & Key in west valley, they say they’ve known all about the GM door key situation for GM cars for more than 10 years… when technicians learn that the vehicle is a GM between ‘94 and ‘04, they start with the key from their own Chevrolet service vans. Bob’s say their own GM keys opens the locks of other GM vehicles more than half the time." KUTV's Gephart says Chevy's tackled the problem– leaving owners of vehicles made between 1994 – 2004 SOL. The only possible remedy: change the door locks.

Alan Mulally has publicly admitted the possibility that his employer may– indeed might— go belly-up. Automotive News reports today that they asked FoMoCo's CEO if his employer will survive. "Don't know — race against the clock. Are we working on the right things? Absolutely. I've been there. I've seen this movie. I performed well in it. I know exactly what to do. Do we have enough time? No idea." Arriving hard on the heels of this weekend's Ford – United Auto Workers' (UAW) agreement, Mulally's startling statement could be seen as an attempt to convince Ford's rank and file to ratify a contract which may not contain job guarantees. If so, his post-admission theatrics were suitably dramatic: "The more you worry about worrying, as opposed to worrying about doing, then you're going to put this at risk," he said, slapping a piece of paper on which he'd sketched elements of his turnaround plan. "So let's just do the goddamn plan." Of course, the date of AN's pow-wow with Big Al is the critical piece of information in this regard: October 26. That's 17 days ago. Why did Automotive News sit on this bombshell until now? Did they agree to an embargo? No matter how you look at it, this one stinks.

Here's Edmunds' take on the forthcoming Porsche Panamera: "Building a sedan might seem like Porsche is stretching beyond its limits, but the Cayenne's success proves that it can build more than just sports cars." Purists might argue with the use of the word "might;" for them, a Porsche sedan is like a Steinway electric piano. (Ferrari may make some fine GT's, but they never moved past a four-door mock-up, so to speak.) As for the Porsche SUV's "success," if we're talking sales, there's no argument there. Statman Frank Williams reports that U.S. Cayenne sales rose 10.1 percent year-to-date. While we're only contemplating the difference between 8877 vs and 8060 units ('07 vs. '06), that compares to 9833 911s (up from 9162). Equally important, Boxster and Cayman sales are relatively tiny– and falling. Boxster sales sank 24.1 percent (2832 in '07 vs 3729 in '06), while Cayman sales crashed 12.1 percent (4732 in '07 vs 5382 in '06). Mind you, ALL of these cars are wildly profitable. But given the fact that the current Boxster and Cayman are two (one?) of the best cars Porsche has ever built, perhaps two of the best sports cars EVER built, one wonders if Porsche should have put more money into promoting their "entry level" models rather than adding a four-door sedan. Oh well. Onwards and upwards.

[For more of Andrei Avarvarii's photochoppistry, click over to www.avarvarii.com.] 

Automotive News reports that GM still hasn't decided whether their next gen Chevrolet Impala will channel its motive power through the front or rear wheels. While the Impala's replacement is currently slated for the same rear wheel-drive platform used by the… wait for it… please wait for it… it really is coming soon we swear… Chevrolet Camaro, the automaker is now contemplating placing the new Impala on the company's box fresh, front wheel-drive "global mid-sized vehicle architecture." That's the platform that will underpin virtually everything GM makes, from the European Vectra to the replacement for the just-out Chevrolet Malibu. Aye, there's the rub. The new 'Bu is nearasdammit the same size as the current Impala. If both cars ride on the same global platform, there can only be a 20" difference between them. Badge engineering across brands is one thing; trying to differentiate mechanically identical cars within one brand is another. Indeed, there are already worries that the new Malibu will cannibalize sales from the current Impala. So who gets the final call and when will they make it? Hipster Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz says it's all down to the feds. ""The large rwd (Chevrolet) sedan is always on the bubble, depending on what the government does," Lutz says. "A lot of the product lineups are up in the air right now and very flexible." Now there's a product plan you can believe in. 

In the battle for the American automotive market, Detroit’s fighting for its life, rather than supremacy. The truth is that the so-called domestic automakers are under siege; their non-union competition forced them inside the castle walls a long time ago. And while Toyota, Honda and Nissan are busy unleashing new and improved vehicles to vie for U.S. customers’ patronage, Ford, GM and Chrysler are busy retrenching, regrouping and re-arming, dreaming of both past and future glory. And when they’re not doing that, they’re tearing each other to pieces.

The truth is I never hurt you. Or at least that's U.S. Representative Candice Miller's take on Chrysler's back-in-black Thursday. Here's the full text of the Michigan Republican's statement on the issue. (Justin and mine below.) Look for more of this in the days to come. “It is a shame that Chrysler has decided to cancel the second shift at their Sterling Heights Assembly Plant. I had a chance to visit the plant recently and was impressed by the enthusiastic and innovative approach to manufacturing that the workers at that plant have exhibited. Simply put, these workers are second to none. I fully understand the challenges our manufacturers, particularly the automakers, have in adjusting to the global marketplace. Just yesterday in Washington, I voted for an expansion of job retraining for workers displaced by global competition so that outstanding workers such as those at Sterling Assembly can find greater opportunities in the future. Times are tough and my heart goes out to the families of the workers.”  

Chinaview reports that China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has issued regulations for manufacturers of alt. fuel vehicles. From now on, any company in China wishing to sell hybrid cars, battery electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, hydrogen-fueled vehicles or vehicles powered by an alt. fuel to be named later must have "adequate research, production and after-sale service to ensure the reliability of the autos." The director of the Center for International Energy Security at Renmin University of China in Beijing, warned-off pretenders to the throne of environmentally responsible transportation. "Enterprises wanting to manufacture new-energy cars should pay attention that their development of new type of energies should be truly 'energy-efficient' rather than only 'new in name,''' Professor Zha Daojiong said. "It is also crucial to avoid creating new sources of pollution in the process of the production of vehicles fueled by new energies." One might also see the regs as a way to control pesky start-ups and unwanted foreign automakers from swooping-in on the Chinese automotive market. And I'm not quite sure how Chinaview figured that the NRDC announcement's timing was part of an effort to quell public unrest at recent gas price hikes…

Auto123.com reports that Transport Canada (TC) has decided to eliminate consumer confusion over automotive stability control systems. First, they're looking for carmakers to drop all their proprietary handling aids' names — ESP, VSA, DSC, etc. TC wants everyone selling cars in Canada to use ESC (Electronic Stability Control) ASAP. To that end, they're creating a "universal" logo for the various systems. Next, the government has decided to spend its taxpayer's hard-earned money to do the heavy lifting in the spread the gospel of handling nannies department. They're launching a public education campaign to extol ESC's virtues to Canadian car buyers. As Auto123 scribe Mathieu Lapointe points out, all this enthusiasm for a government push stems from a similar European initiative that included a publicity campaign by none other than F1 legend Michael Schumacher. In a striking reversal of traditional free market vs. regulatory intervention protocol, America's National Highway Transport Safety Administration has taken a different stance; they've mandated that every new vehicle sold stateside must have some form of ESC onboard by September, 2011. And… that's it. 

Geek alert! Tomorrow (Saturday November 3) at 7:30 am PST, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will be webcasting their 2007 "Grand Challenge." This year, the 11 robotic cars leave the old Mojave Desert course for 60-miles of simulated streets– complete with 50 human-driven vehicles– to compete for AI bragging rights and a $2m top prize. While the resulting crashes won't be NASCAR-grade, and anyone who's seen Lexus' self-parking LS do its thing won't find the parking portion of the challenge particularly entertaining, and not even an America's Cup race lasts six hours, it's yet another landmark in the move towards automated automobiles. As former Car & Driver editor and TTAC contributor Stephan Wilkinson pointed-out on these e-pages many moons ago, the effort to remove driver control from the safety equation is beginning to assume the mantle of inevitability. Of course, that's not the driving force behind the DARPA deal. Their challenge is specifically designed to simulate military missions. Surveying the carnage caused by Improvised Explosive Devices on military transport in Iraq, Congress has decreed that a third of military ground vehicles must be unmanned by 2015. That said, there is a civilian spin: contestants must "meet the same standards required to pass the California DMV road test." It's a shame they didn't set the bar higher.