Seeking Alpha prides itself “the premier financial website for actionable stock market opinion and analysis.” When it comes to what should happen with GM, they are on our side: “Buyout better than bailout,” writes Seeking Alpha. Roger that. We have been picking-up indications that Chinese automakers SAIC and Dongfeng may have plans to buy assets of GM (and while they are at it, maybe even of Chrysler). China would get what it badly needs for its thriving domestic car industry to become an even more thriving international car industry: accepted brands, a worldwide distribution network and know-how necessary to comply with US and worldwide standards. Apparently, private equity firms are keen to aid this “transfer.” Behind all of this (of course) stands the Chinese government. The People’s Republic owns most of automakers SAIC and Dongfeng, along with a good chunk of the private equity firm Blackstone, a good chunk of Morgan, and a good chunk of T-bills (to the tune of $585b).

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These are stressful times for Detroit. All that Motown’s mavens held dear is dead or dying. The shock is equally brutal for the town’s cheerleaders, whose teams have all been routed and now, publicly humiliated. Automotive News’ [sub] Edward Lapham has snapped. The Executive Editor has penned a column that sounds not a small amount like a suicide note: “See! See what you’ve made me do! Well, I’ve done it. I’ve killed myself. NOW how do you like it?” To wit: “Those of us who want the Detroit 3 to avoid bankruptcy need to think outside the box. I hate to admit it, but there’s some hidden wisdom among the silly things said by politicos and others who don’t understand the auto industry. No, not all the talk about letting General Motors, Ford and Chrysler use Chapter 11 as a kind of boot camp to whip themselves into shape; that’s just too asinine to consider. I mean the admonishments to be more like Toyota, Nissan and Honda. Think about it. Now that the Detroit 3 have narrowed the gaps in productivity, quality and labor costs, the transplants have one obvious advantage: Their headquarters, engineering staffs and main product development operations are all overseas. To them, America is a colony. So GM, Ford and Chrysler ought to move. Great! That’s settled. Now the only question is: Where should they go?” Some outside observers who’ve listened to the domestics’ camp followers unseemly combination of whining and bullying– as expressed here– might suggest some place consistently hot. But I couldn’t possibly comment.

What does “fuelled by CBS” mean to you? In this case, it’s the Automotive Broadcasting Network, run by the good folks who bring you the Nightly News. OK, not exactly the same folks. (“I didn’t go to J School to tell people to put nitrogen in their tires!”) But CBS anchor Katie Couric’s happy to lend her face, name and voice to the cause, as you can see if you [dare] click on this dealer-enticing video presentation, introed by the divine Miss C herself. For those of you with a weak constitution (especially the bit about freedom of the press), consider: “ABN™ and CBS™ will revolutionize the experience your customers have at your dealership by delivering high quality, custom programming.” As one of TTAC’s resident pedants, I’d like to point out that the term “broadcasting” does not apply here. At all. In any way, shape or form. As someone who remembers the legacy of Edward R. Murrow (no, not the interview with Marilyn Monroe), this 24-7 pimpatorial channel is a complete and utter betrayal of CBS’ hallowed history of perptuating liberal cant. I mean, upholding the highest standards of journalistic ethics. And it sure makes me wonder about CBS’ coverage of the auto industry.

Mitt Romney reckons Detroit’s bailout brigade should get bupkis from Uncle Sam. Squat. Zero. Zilch. The big goose egg. Writing in The New York Times, the failed Republican presidential candidate and former Bay State gov leave no word unminced, claiming “Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.” Quick digression. If that’s the quality of Mitt’s sound bites, it’s no wonder he got gunned down by Maverick. How about “Detroit needs root and branch revision, not more fertilizer?” No? OK, where was a I? Right… Romney exercises his CEO chops, giving readers of the Gray Lady a double dose of paternal hagiography and a lesson in economics they will soon forget. And then, the money shot. “A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.” Take away the craven “may”– call it a political reflex– and it looks like Mitt’s been reading TTAC. “In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.” True dat.

As our regular readers know, TTAC’s labored on the Motown meltdown story for the last eight years, in relative obscurity. As the situation has moved towards its disastrous denouement, our traffic has exploded. It’s gratifying to see our focus rewarded by mainstream interest. Of course, it’s always the bus you don’t see that melts your servers. In this case, our Chinese correspondent Bertel Schmitt’s post on the possibility of The Middle Kingdom buying-up GM and Chrysler struck a nerve– on both sides of the Pacific. Stateside, we’ve been instapundited and digged and linked to from here, there and everywhere (a.k.a. Edmunds). The influx– over 1.25m page views today (as compared to 2.5m per month) lead to a big ass site crash. I apologize for the interruption of service. Suffice to say, we’re back and we’re bad (as always). TTAC may be a bit cranky for a while, as the boffins move shit around (the technical term) to try and cope with the traffic. Thanks for your patience. Especially those of you who’ve provided the foundation for our growth: TTAC’s Best and Brightest.

Sweet Pete DeLorenzo has made no bones about where he stands on the bailout, and having lashed out at the nattering nabobs of negativity (us), he’s turning attention to the old MSM and its coverage of the great bailout begathon of ’08. As a rash of common sense thinking about Detroit metastasizes into the mainstream, DeLorenzo is doubling down on his affection for Motown, and conducting interviews with whomever will listen to his rah-rah routine. In today’s Autoextremist Rant, he takes on the perception gap, that mythical construct which prevents the benighted masses from appreciating the truly great products Detroit offers. “The Perception Gap that exists out there for the Detroit automakers isn’t narrowing,” argues DeLorenzo, “it’s actually growing wider. Because when Americans get what minimal news they’re willing to digest – and only because it’s pre-packaged in carefully doled-out sound bites – then the Old Detroit will perennially overshadow the New Detroit, hands down.” Read More >

Bob Lutz rode to Motown greatness on a wave of bombast, charisma and general maximum-ness. And his ability to act like Patton in full advance, even in the face of dismal business results, has been crucial to GM’s several year long “product revolution” denial offensive. But when the war is over, and the other general’s are already discussing the terms of surrender, men like Bob Lutz are suddenly seen less as inspirational figures and more as, well, liabilities. Buried in an otherwise unremarkable piece on the LA Auto Show in MSNBC, we get a little taste of just how minimum things are at GM right now. Global Insight analyst Rebecca Lindland reveals that GM won’t be sending the man of maximum to LA to launch the new CTS Coupe. “The perception of Cadillac is of excess; it’s a high-profile, low volume vehicle and not the type of vehicle you want to be seen flaunting right now,” she said. “And you can’t take a chance that the media will catch Bob Lutz swilling Champagne or puffing on a cigar — it’s a PR nightmare waiting to happen.” Just wait till you see the post-bailout spa bills.

While America Slept (WAS) is a  morning round-up of the news that happened in other continents and time-zones while America was tossing and turning. From Japan to Jakarta, a network of sleep-deprived TTAC correspondents provides round-the-clock coverage of everything that has wheels. Or that has its wheels coming off.  Here are the latest animals in TTAC’s morning zoo.

Ford dumps Mazda. Tormented U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co may announce plans to sell a 20 percent stake in long-time affiliate Mazda Motor Corp as early as today, Japan’s Nikkei business daily (sub) reported as the sun rose in the land of the rising sun. Japanese broadcaster NHK had reported more than a month ago that Ford is looking to severely lighten-up on Mazda. Currently, Ford has a controlling stake of 33.4 percent in the Japanese automaker, but Ford needs the cash.

Sell-off drives up shares: Selling a 20 percent stake will net Ford around $850 million, or more. Mazda’s shares jumped 6.4 percent on the report of Ford’s sell-off.  The estranged lovers share vehicle platforms and engineering resources and own several assembly plants together in the United States, Thailand and China. With Ford out of control at Mazda, those plants should receive some Japanese gardening.

Deal done. Later in the Japanese day, Mazda sent out an official release confirming the story. It’s in Japanese, but a usually reliable source (my Japanese wife) says it’s the real McCoy-San. Ford is down to 13 percent. Kawaii!

GM-Europe-VP: “The end may not be near.” Brent Dewar, multipurpose VP for Sales, Marketing, and After-Sales at GM Europe penned an inspirational letter to dealers: “As bad as the current results may sound, we don’t know whether we already have reached the end of the crisis.” Autohaus has a copy. From his bunker in Zurich, Dewar commands his sales forces to “fight to the last sale.”

And that WASn’t all, there’s …
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Gooooooooooooooood morning, America! While America Slept (WAS) is a daily TTAC round-up of the news that happened in other continents and time-zones (such as California.) With a network of correspondents around the globe, TTAC provides round-the-clock coverage of everything that has wheels. Or that has its wheels coming off. Welcome to the morning zoo.

Lemon-Aid: Several people at Daimler’s Quality Assurance department in Sindelfingen are being investigated by Stuttgart’s public prosecutor, writes the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.  The allegation: They intentionally made cars with flaws. The fixing of which was outsourced. The companies that did the fixing fixed up the QA guys with expensive gifts and luxury trips. Damage: “In the high million Euros.” They might be doing time for that.

Porsche agrees with Obama: Porsche wants change. At the Volkswagen Supervisory Board Meeting this week, Porsche Chief “Wendy” Wiedeking will request that VW keeps the Golf VI (that’s Roman numeral 6) longer than until 2011 (as planned.) Should save some R&D money right here and now. Also to be changed: A “Committee for Special Business Relations.” That committee prevented know-how transfer from Audi to Porsche. Porsche thinks, the committee is superfluous. Also reported in the Sueddeutsche.

POTUS is a Renegade: Speaking of Obama, the London Times reports that the “The United States Secret Service revealed its not-so-secret code-name for president-elect Barack Obama last week: Renegade. If it sounds like the make of a car, that’s because it is. The Renegade is a concept car being developed by Chrysler, an open-topped jeep powered by electricity and diesel. Should the car ever make it into production then, like its namesake president-to-be, it, too, promises change – this time at 110 miles per gallon.” Gotta love them Brit sentences. Wait, there’s more!

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I’m not the only online automotive writer that got the pink slip this month. Forbes Autos has been shut down. Not to speak ill of the dead, but the site was mostly “Buyers Guide” fluff with the occasional top ten list. With manufacturers pulling their advertising dollars (likely to be spent on perks for the executives), sites like Forbes are taking a major league revenue hit. As such, their scribes are welcome to join me in the land of unemployment.

Yesterday, I had a long conversation with Chris Isidore, CNNMoney scribe. Somewhere in the middle of our rhetorical hockey match, Chris threw down the gloves. “There are a lot of people who hate Detroit,” he said. “They want to see it crash and burn.” I was flabbergasted. As I’ve mentioned here previously, I reckon that the percentage of people who “hate” Motown is relatively small, limited to eco-warriors and people who were treated like shit by D2.8 dealers. It certainly doesn’t apply to me. I hate hypocrisy and bureaucracy bungling. But I have always wanted to see healthy, vital and yes, America-owned automobile manufacturers. Painting the anti-bailout brigade as a bunch of “Detroit haters” is unfair and inflammatory. (Isidore’s own CNNMoney has a particularly egregious example on display this morning.) As TTAC’s Best and Brightest have said time and time again, you can be anti-bailout AND pro-Detroit. I call on my journalist colleagues to consider ALL the possibilities in their coverage. After all, it’s their audience’s money. OK, back to work…