Our Man Berkowitz loved the Ford Flex. He waxed eloquent about the interior, the looks, how it rides and way (he's heard) it drives. However, as Ford points out in their latest press release, there's one major feature he overlooked: "It's the world's first trouser- and dress-friendly vehicle." Yes, dry cleaners across the country are dreading the debut of the Flex because "the Flex team engineered into Ford's newest crossover a concealed rocker panel" that "minimizes your clothes' exposure to the elements." And since "some dry cleaners charg(e) as much as $10 to launder a pair of slacks," owners reap "immediate and tangible benefit" from driving this $30k "alternative people mover." Justin, I'm so disappointed in you for not bringing this ground-breaking design element to our attention. Must. Do. Better.

Like fungus? But seriously folks, Honda's Chief Designer felt compelled to both explain (it wazzunt me) and defend (try it, you'll like it) the new Pilot. Wardsauto.com cornered Dave Marek to extract the mea culpa. "The (controversial) grille was a case of taking something that was on something else… and kind of massaging it to fit,” he kind of asserts. “On the mockup, (it) looks good. When you actually manufacture it, oops! That’s actually what happened. It’s hard to foresee. (But) I think when (the ’09) is out on the road, people will appreciate it.” Why is this man prevaricating? The new Honda Pilot is a hit. Perhaps Marek is embarked on some kind of bizarre career seppuku. It sure sounds that way. "That kind of success makes it easier for designers to be heard, Marek says. “I can stand up at a board of directors meeting and say, ‘Are you people stupid?’ And nobody goes, ‘Get him out of here.’ They’ll say, ‘What are we doing wrong?’" Either that or "you're fired." 

The last time we heard from Chrysler's Camcord-fighting "Project D" development team, we learned that Chrysler "star engineer" and Project D leader Mike Donoghue had bailed, amid rumors of an Acting Chief Innovation Officer ego-trip. To assure themselves as much as anyone else, Cerberus rolled out a little hype information to the Detroit News on its midsize do-over. There's little talk of the actual cars themselves in the story, as most of the ink is spilled on the importance of the segment to Chrysler and how miserably its efforts have failed to capitalize on demand. "The problem is everyone is getting really, really good in that segment," says Todd Turner of consulting firm Car Concepts. "Chrysler's current entries are probably the weakest in the marketplace, not just in terms of sales, but in customer satisfaction." Ouch. But fear not, because Chrysler gets it... just don't ask for any specifics. Without revealing any details of the actual products which will make it to market (besides the fact that there will be sedan and crossover body styles… shocking!), Project D's new leader Mike Chernoby wants everyone to know that the new D-segment offering will totally rule. "We will manage the time line accordingly to always make sure we have a product that will satisfy the market place," says Chernoby. "You can take that to the bank." Sounds great, as long as Cerberus foots the overdraft charges.

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. 

Yahoo! Finance reports that Ford's chief engineer for Research and Advanced Engineering will spend part of his day telling the Society of Automotive Engineers that his employer is counting on their EcoBoost technology– not hybrids– to meet and greet federal mpg standards and appeal to buyers. Andreas R. Schamel's speech will tout "volume-based, near-term actions… within the next five years." [In case you hadn't heard, EcoBoost combines direct injection and turbocharging some 20 percent better fuel efficiency, 15 percent lower CO2 emissions and "superior driving performance versus larger displacement engines."] Although Schamel will toss diesel and hybrid powerplants a rhetorical bone– "hybrids, diesels and technologies such as plug-ins and fuel cells have a role"– EcoBoost it is, starting with the cetacean-snouted Lincoln MKS. From there, The Blue Oval Boyz promise "A 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine with the capability of producing more torque than a larger 6-cylinder engine — nearly an entire liter larger in displacement." Sounds like a plan. [thanks to jthorner for the link]

Car thieves take note: your Grail has arrived. Motor Authority reports somewhere out there exists a platinum and diamond Spirit of Ecstasy. Where you ask? Dunno. See, the new Rollers feature a retractable hood ornament so as to spoil your pilfering plans. Of course we would guess that with a little ingenuity (and a crowbar) an enterprising and upwardly mobile thief could determine if a particular Rolls contained said ornament. Commissioned by Manhattan Motorcars as a, "tribute to the car itself," the dictionary definition of gaudy costs a cool $200,000 — about half the price of a Phantom. One way to think of such an expenditure is as an investment — precious metals are only getting more and more valuable. Another way is as a testament to the power of the capitalist system, and the shocking fact that the poor haven't strung the rich up by their own guts. Yet.

Legendary automotive atelier Bertone has fallen on hard times, having filed for for bankruptcy protection back in November. Now Automotive News [sub] tells us the gentlemen callers from the world over are lining up, hoping to buy the Bertone name, assets and cachet. Automakers FAW from China, and Mahindra from India, as well as Italian suppliers DR Motor, and German engineering firm PCL Group join former Bertone rival Italdesign in the bidding war. Bertone was responsible for some of the most influential designs in automotive history, having penned Lambo's Miura, Espada, Countach and Diablo,  the Ferrari 250 Lusso, the Lancia Stratos and many others. Just how much wedge (sorry) it will take to buy up the design firm remains to be seen. We will go out on a limb and say that of all the competing firms, FAW probably needs a little Bertone styling magic the most. Lets just hope ol' Giovanni Bertone's grave has been properly spin-proofed.

We've never known quite what to make of the A3. Sure, sure, it's a great car with the DSG and the AWD and the big engine, but then the price tag can bump $40k and well, STI please. Those in the know also know that underneath the A3's pretty skin sits the guts of a Volkswagen Golf, er Rabbit. Even at "just" $25K, that's expensive. However, those that don't know, don't care and the A3 has been selling well. Well enough in fact that Motor Authority is reporting Audi will be developing a number of A3 variants. These include but are not limited to a 3-door hatch, a convertible, an S3, a wagon, a small sedan, a sportback and an A3 Allroad. Also, one can never forget that Audi is a German company, meaning that each successive must be bulkier than the previous. And since the new A4 has swelled to nearly BMW 5-Series proportions, expect the 2011 A3 to compete size-wise with the Bavarian 3-Series. If not price-wise, too.