We've reported here about the huge surge in Toyota Prius sales over the last few months. In contrast, the number crunchers over at JD Power report that U.S. consumer interest in hybrid-powered automobiles has begun to fade. According to their second annual Alternative Powertrain Study, half of all new-vehicle shoppers polled (4k) are considering a hybrid. That's down from 57 percent of shoppers polled in their 2006 survey. Mike Marshall, director of JD's automotive emerging technologies unit, attributes the drop to the discrepency between inflated expectations and reality: "In the 2006 study, we found consumers often overestimated the fuel efficiency of hybrid-electric vehicles, and the decrease in consideration of hybrids in 2007 may be a result of their more realistic understanding of the actual fuel economy capabilities." In other words, the new EPA fuel economy calculations have hit hybrids hard. 

The Truth About Cars has been telling the truth about cars since 2002. Ford was the first mainstream manufacturer to realize the potency of our brand, snapping-up www.thetruthabouttrucks.com to sell their highest margin vehicles. Now Audi's at it, launching a whole "TRUTH IN ENGINEERING" shtick to accompany their new driver experience program. According to our German admirers' website, the truth is fast ("The truth leaves others behind") and it's headed your way ("Discover the Truth in a city near you"). We're nervously expectant on this new tagline; will it replace Ingolstadt's previous, catchy boast: Vorsprung durch Technic (Progress Through Engineering)? Oh, and by the way, what the Hell does TRUTH IN ENGINEERING actually mean? 

In his fastlane blog, GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz recently whipped-out his jargon generator and "it'll cost X thousand per car more to do this thing everybody wants us to do" excuse to explain why diesel engines ain'tgonnahappen in the American market. At the tail end of the something-less-than-riveting video clip, MB surprised us all, grabbing his lantern and proclaiming "The diesels are coming! The diesels are coming!" According to Bob (not the most reputable source), GM's developing a V6 diesel for passenger cars and a V8 diesel for its SUVs. Autoweek's done the right thing: asking if GM's last foray into diesel-powered passenger cars has killed the concept for all time. Alan Starling, a former chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, says he's not worried about GM's dire diesel history. "Those memories are painful for all of us," he says. "But I would rather have that discussion than not see customers at all."

Ward's Dealer Business lists the 150 top-performing franchised dealer service departments in America, including their income vs. total dealer revenue. The report also offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the biz of selling repairs. According to the article, franchised dealers' service department revenues tumbled by nearly $5b last year; improving vehicle quality is leading to less warranty work. With razor-thin new car margins, that's gotta hurt. To staunch the wound, dealers are getting more aggressive about selling repair work. "Part of the problem is that service advisors are too busy answering the phone setting up appointments rather than walking the customer around the vehicle in the service lane upselling necessary repairs." Remember that the next time you get shunted onto the service department's voice mail.  

Automotive News [sub] reports that the Chrysler Corp. has banned 463 (out of 3700) dealers from its dealer-only used car auctions. Their crime? Failing to meet 50 percent of their new car sales target set by the corporate mothership. In fact, many of these stores have become little more than used car dealers specializing in late model, low-mileage Chrysler product. Representing the banned dealers, Doug Alley of Alley Chrysler in Kingsport, Tennessee says the company's goals are unachievable: "We got no choice but to be in the used-car business if we want to stay in business." Representing Chrysler, Steven Landry, Chrysler executive vice president of NAFTA sales, global marketing, service and parts, says once Chrysler notified dealers that the rule was going into effect, "it was amazing how many dealers propped themselves up over 50 percent." What's the bet that the booted dealers will sell someone else's product?

New Zealand's modern art loving pistonheads are on tenterhooks, eagerly awaiting Wednesday's unveiling of BMW's "art cars" at the Auckland Museum. The traveling exhibit includes Bimmers modified by uber-pimpers Andy Warhol, Roy Liechtenstein, Frank Stella and Ken Done. (7er.com has the full collection here.) IMHO, BMW hasn't produced a really compelling art car since Esther Mahlangu's BMW 525i. I make this observation in the hopes that TTAC's culturally aware audience can suggest some artists from the naughties who should have a bash at painting one of Chris Bangle's cubist-influenced cars. For my part. I'd like to see a Z4 tagged by Jazz83.

As Albany legislators head for an 11th hour decision on whether or not to authorize an as-yet-undetermined congestion charging scheme for New York City, anti-charge activists in Manchester [UK] claim that a clear majority of local residents oppose Manchester City Council's plans to implement road tolls. The Association of British Drivers (ABD) reveals that Manchester Against Road Tolls (MART) members hit the streets with an anti-charging petition. Some 81% of 1577 households signed. ABD Manchester Coordinator Sean Corker said "The Manchester authorities have spent £400,000 of tax payers money on glossy leaflets and American models featured in bogus case studies. Despite the huge propaganda campaign, this survey by ordinary people of ordinary people clearly shows that the overwhelming majority of residents object to the imposition of a congestion charge." Will NYC face a similar groundswell? Watch this space.   

Someone ought to tell H2daily.com's wonderfully-named O.J. Fagbire that it's not DaimlerChrysler anymore. And then someone can tell us why the hydrogen-powered Mercedes-Benz A-Class F-Cell goes to Iceland for test, rather than some more polluted country. Isn't Iceland an energy independent country with a limitless supply of geothermal and hydropower energy? Why would THEY need a zero-emissions vehicle? Alternatively, why wouldn't they? Who else can power hydrogen fuel cells without burning hyrdrocarbons to do so? "This means that totally environment-friendly motoring is already a reality in Iceland," says Prof. Dr. Herbert Kohler of DaimlerChrysler. Hey, it’s a start.

It’s hard to argue against a law enforcement device that automatically scans license plates, checks the police data banks for infractions (stolen vehicle, traffic violations, etc.) and immediately informs the officer of any outstanding warrants or “issues.” According to the cop showing the $22k roof-mounted system to Newsday reporter Michael Frazier, the “Plate Hunter” reduces an entire day’s [theoretical] checking to 30 seconds. The New York Civil Liberties Union makes the case against using these electronic number plate readers to create a proposed “Ring of Steel” inside Manhattan. "From our perspective, police should be in the business of investigating crimes, not tracking law-abiding citizens," said Christopher Dunn, the group's associate legal director.

For reasons both cultural and non-commercial (I’m looking at you, tax-payer funded Top Gear), the British press feels less inhibited about telling the truth about cars than their American cousins. And when it comes to yank tanks, let’s just say the car hacks’ Super Ego takes a nice long holiday in Majorca. To wit: The Independent on Sunday’s review of the Cadillac SRX, in which Michael Booth tears Caddy’s crossover a new one. “Cadillac says it is ‘targeting’ the BMW X5 and Mercedes ML; ‘stalking’ would be a better description. Peering at them from behind the bushes while rubbing itself suggestively is about as close as the SRX is going to get to the premium German market.” And you thought TTAC was tough on the General. As Dick Van Dyke would say, 'cor blimey!

Congestion charging has been a fact of life in London since February 17, 2003. And now, New York City wants some of those extra tax revenues environmental benefits. Mayor Bloomberg’s hopes for a congestion charge currently face a tight deadline. As Newsday explains, if the New York State Senate enacts a bill clearing the way for a congestion charge on Monday, the city scores a $500m federal grant for its implementation. If not, not. To get it done, Mayor Bloomberg’s Albany shock troops have drafted an “act now, think later” bill. If passed, a 12-member commission will develop recommendations for putting an unspecified congestion charging plan in effect. Now that's what we call forward thinking!

A commentator (whose comment was removed for violating our no-flame posting policy) took violent exception to the Tribeca review’s three paragraph dalliance upon its, uh, "questionable" exterior design; specifically the model’s new front end. Vindication comes via a study by CNW Marketing Research of Brandon, Oregon, which concludes that 70 percent of drivers judge their vehicles primarily by the headlights and grilles. OK, they only interviewed 40 subjects. Still, CanWest scribe Peter Ketner offers an excellent piece of parsing, riffing on the study’s conclusion that pistonheads have a tough time remembering human faces. So now you know. 

Help me out. Once again, Parisian youths have “celebrated” Bastille Day by taking to the streets and burning cars. According Russian news agency RIA Novosti, the vandals topped last year’s one night total by 12 vehicles, destroying some 266 whips. Other than all the socio-economic politico-religious motivations for this orgy of criminal property damage, I don’t understand what this report means by “detonators.” Apparently, the French authorities attempted to forestall the conflagrations created during these “routine riots” by banning the sales, storage and use of “detonators.” Something’s been lost in translation. 

The Truth About Cars (TTAC) news blog started on Wednesday. By Friday, we were in trouble. That’s when I posted an item about illegal immigrants getting driver’s licenses in Maine that they could use to purchase a firearm. Some commentators cried flame bait! Others were dismayed that TTAC was wading into political waters. And a few wondered why TTAC was news blogging anyway. In response to the troll accusations, I changed the picture (from a firearm to a gun store) and toned down the text. As for the other questions, well, let’s talk.

When the U.S. and South Korea signed a new trade agreement last week, the dems bitched on behalf of The Big 2.8: "Last year, South Korea exported more than 700,000 cars into the U.S.,” their statement proclaimed. “While the United States exported fewer than 5,000." Setting aside the question of what American-made cars could generate 650k South Korean sales, chosenilbu.com reveals that the existing importers are playing silly buggers. Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has ordered Mercedes to stop price fixing. “The importer allegedly had a firm ‘three-strikes’ guideline for dealers that broke its rules more than twice. The offending dealers were stripped of their sales rights and required to pay penalties of W30 million [US$1=W928].” BMW and Audi may be next.