Business Week scribe Jim Henry calls them "wallflowers:" cars with obvious charms that have customers lined-up none deep. Now that Chrysler has somewhat kinda hang on we better wait for this union contract to go through before we actually announce anything decided to trim some dealer deadwood, Henry explains the reasons why great cars' sales suck. Why is the Hyundai Azera a drug on the market? "Customers almost have to discover the Azera for themselves. Except when it was first launched, it hasn't had much model-specific advertising." Kia Amanti? Same deal (as opposed to hideous looks and a misguided attempt to take Kia upmarket). And add Daimler's R-Class to that list. As for the Saab 9-5, Henry nails it: "It competes with European heavyweights like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which have bigger engines, more prestige, more awareness, more of almost everything." Nissan Quest? Styling's too rad. Lincoln Town Car? Ford Explorer? Buyers downsized. So now you know. Oh, one more thing: Henry reckons you should buy one these turkeys also-rans 'cause they're cheap. "That's one of the good things about wallflowers—they are usually very happy to dance if you ask them." Ain't that the truth. 

I reckon Toyota's recent slip-ups– perceived or actual– will do little to dent the world's largest automaker's rep amongst American consumers. Just as it took Detroit decades to drag their reputation into the mire, Toyota would have to totally and repeatedly screw the pooch from now until at least 2017 to reverse their mindspace momentum. Meanwhile, over at the new look Detroit News, columnist Daniel Howes is already dancing on the ToMoCo's grave, and predicting Detroit's return to glory. "As Toyota falls, Detroit Big 3 rise" starts by listing the Japanese automaker's troubles: Consumer Reports reliability slippage, the defection of two top Toyota execs to Detroit and the sheen removal from the company's green credentials. Bottom line? "Toyota's stumbles show it is no more invincible than Detroit is congenitally incompetent." While you could argue that the key difference is that Toyota knows it isn't invincible while Detroit remains unwilling to acknowledge their incompetence (e.g. the "new" Ford Focus), I couldn't possibly comment. Anyway, Danny's faith in Detroit's renaissance comes down to one factor: brave new leaders. "There are more of them inside Detroit's automakers and atop the UAW than anytime in a long time." How great is that?

Obviously, we don't screen our readers' TWAT nominees– until next week. That's when TTAC's writers vote on the 20 finalists from ALL your suggestions, for your final vote. Meanwhile, the "best of the best" love fest that inspired our name and shamery continues over at the buff books, car writers' associations and anywhere else they can get brownie points (i.e. press cars and advertising) from automakers. Motor Trend has announced their SUV of the Year :" the Mazda CX-9. Strangley, the accompanying article is laden with qualifiers "Mazda's finest demonstration of infusing sports-car qualities into an SUV;" "An SUV seemingly well suited for going to the mountains, midtown, or the market;" "The CX-9 was arguably the most enjoyable sport 'ute to pilot;" and "Of course, the CX-9 isn't perfect;" Although it's [more than] a little unfair to suggest that the CX-9 is inherently TWAT-worthy (our review is on its way), the SUV didn't escape TTAC commentator kansei's scorn: "The CX-9 is decidedly unsporty and pollutes the zoom zoom brand image." Oh, and two of the 11 Motor Trend's also-rans are former TWATs: the Jeep Compass (the Liberty was also on their short list) and the Subaru Tribeca. Just sayin'…

This truth thing seems to be catching on. First, Ford buys thetruthabouttrucks.com. Then Audi capitalizes (literally) on TRUTH IN ENGINEERING. And now a coalition of nine environmental groups– the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the League of Conservation Voters, the National Environmental Trust, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Friends of the Earth, Conservation Law Foundation and Environment California– have launched TruthAboutToyota.com. The hate site takes Toyota to task for opposing the more aggressive of two congressional bills mandating hikes in federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) averages. The accompanying USA Today full-page ad and press release takes plenty of media-friendly bites out of ToMoCo's ass. "Just because Toyota is taking over General Motor's market share does not mean that Toyota has to take on GM's anti-environmental lobbying practices," pronounced Brendan Bell, Washington Representative for the Union of Concerned Scientists. "Toyota needs to start living up to its slogan, 'moving forward' instead of driving us backward," warned Philip Clapp, President of the National Environmental Trust. You can be sure Toyota's none-too-happy about playing truth or consequences with America's greens.

The Detroit News' Daniel Howes reports that FoMoCo is following Chrysler's lead, hoping top Toyota talent can right their sinking ship. James D. Farley, group vice president of Toyota Motor Co.'s Lexus Division, is set to join The Blue Oval Boyz as their first head of global marketing and communications. Howes sings hosannas to Farley's new boss Alan Mulally, sees no downside to the deal and singularly fails to mention the astronomical pay packet involved. "That a rising Toyota star, the head of Lexus and a founder of its Scion youth brand would bolt the Japanese juggernaut for the struggling Blue Oval is a testament to Mulally's leadership, the strength of Ford's current lineup, the promise of its future products and the upside in it all." And once again we feel compelled to point out that Farley, like Chrysler's Jim Press, is the product of a consensus management system, rather than its originator. In other words, one wonders how he fares in the ass-kicking department. Watch this space, and all of Ford's advertising.

If a jobbing journo discovers a glaring deficiency on a pre-production test car, they usually ask the automaker if they're gonna sort this shit out (I'm paraphrasing), mention the PR person's solemn oath and move on. If the car's been on the showroom floor for, oh, eight months, like, say, the Dodge Avenger, it's time for the excuses to stop– unless you're James Healey of USA Today. In that case, you let Chrysler answer each and every complaint. Healey: "Suspension: Lots of clunk-thunk and rumble delivered directly from the road outside to your ears inside as well as rippling through your hands on the steering wheel." Chrysler" "Shock absorber bushings were changed beginning with Sept. 27 production. Shock and strut tuning is to be changed beginning with Oct. 15 production. Dealers will perform the upgrades free for any customer whose vehicle has the suspension issues." Healey: "The four-speed automatic… shuddered, shook and stuttered trying to change gears, up or down, under light and moderate throttle." Chrysler: "The problem was fixed beginning with July production…. Dealers should update vehicles free for customers who complain." I'm not sure who should be more embarrassed by this "He said, they promised" exchange. And is that the sound of ripping paper I hear from disgruntled customers heading for their local dealer with clip in hand?

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) represents a strange agglomeration: BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen. Getting all nine members to agree to any given PR plan must be Hell on Earth. And yet, as any Star Wars fan will tell you, you can't be a proper Alliance if you just hang around waiting for the Death Star to appear. For Death Star, read the federal government, which has emerged as the single most important force in the American auto industry. Anyway, someone at the AAM got their members to fund a new website called YourMileageMayVary.com. The site tells consumers all about the new EPA fuel economy stickers. It's a terrific little corner of cyberspace: concise, user-friendly and useful. There's nothing controversial here– other than the fact that the tax-payer funded EPA couldn't do it nearly as well. But it's definitely geared towards the intellectually challenged. In the Q & A bit: "How effect will the new labels have on the cost of a fill-up?" Answer: "These updated estimates are about updated information for American drivers, not worse fuel economy." Glad we got that straightened out.

Regular readers will know that we're big fans of painfully obvious press releases. Although it's been a while since a really stupid obvious PR shout-out has crossed our e-transom, it was worth the wait. Honestly, I can't do justice to this one. So, at the risk of seeming as lazy as a newspaper automotive supplement editor, here's the text: "Peanut butter and jelly, chips and salsa, vegetables and … oil changes? They really do have something in common — they both promote good health. Just like your mother told you to eat your vegetables so you could be strong and healthy, you have probably been told that you are supposed to change the oil in your car regularly, according to the guidelines in your car's owner's manual. Your driving habits, the climate you live in, and the conditions you drive in will determine whether you are on a regular or severe schedule. But like you may skip the broccoli and opt for fries instead, you may let your oil change slip, thinking it really doesn't make that big of a difference. But regular oil changes and maintenance can have a big impact on how long your car lasts… So the next time you're tempted to skip that oil change, remember the price you and your car may pay in the long run. As for skipping the vegetables … well, you know what mom said." Podcast with Steve Christie, Executive Director of the Automotive Oil Change Association below. 

Now that Tesla's delayed the delivery of their $100k lithium-ion-powered Roadster for the third time, and lowered production expectations again, you'd think that the automotive media would begin to share TTAC's skepticism about this Silicon Valley venture. Not so. Perhaps that's because A) The media really want it to happen and B) Tesla's wrapped the delay in [increasingly familiar] hyperbole. In a letter to Tesla Club Members ($50k and you're in!), Tesla's freshly-minted CEO apologizes for the delay and resets customers' expectations. "While we expect to produce a limited number of production cars in the fourth quarter," Michael E. Marks writes. "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." (In case you're not a lawyer, "expect" and "goal" are not legally binding terms.) And then the really good news: "Range: 245 miles on the EPA combined cycle, confirmed!" Confirmed by… Tesla! Although the company feels free to use the term "EPA" in their claims, nothing about the Roadster is government certfied. And there is still no independent confirmation of the Roadster's safety, range or recharge time. Yet the press continue to repeat Tesla's claims as if they were gospel. Rest assured, the Devil's Advocate will keep you posted.

I've got a couple of bones to pick with BMW designer Chris Bangle. First, I reckon the "flame surfacing" design style that he's inflicted on the brand since the 2002 7-Series has trashed the sina qua non of German automotive elegance. Second, the Ohio-born Bimmer big-wig's insistence on pronouncing perfectly good English words with a German accent (e.g. "owtowmobile" and "schport") strikes me as the worst sort of pistonhead-goes-to- art-school pretentiousness. And now Bangle's really bungled it. On BMW-web-tv, Bangle waxes lyrical about his employer's Geneva auto stand. Ten seconds in, Bangles says "It's kind of an axis of white power here; there are really strong white cars." Now we're not suggesting that Bangle's racist, or that BMW's lack of minorities in their upper executive echelons reflects any kind of ethnic or cultural insensitivity. But that's certainly not the kind of comment you'd expect a car executive to make off the cuff– or fail to realize he had made and order it struck from the record. And the fact that Bangle's axis of white power comment made it onto BMW's website tells us they lack English-speakers, political sensitivity or both. Just sayin'. 

[TTAC scribe Martin Schwoerer has kindly uploaded the clip onto YouTube.]

Who'd a thunk a car insurance company would have the stones to challenge the value of tomorrow's ever-so-PC International Car Free Day? And get this: the company in question is ibuyeco, the "eco-friendly UK car insurance company" [Customers' premiums include a carbon offsetting fee donated to The CarbonNeutral Company for eco-friendly projects]. The insurer's survey of 1500 Brits reveals that the anti-car (or pro non-automotive) event is flying well beneath the radar of the average UK motorist. Only 12 percent were aware of International Car Free Day (although they jolly well will be if and when they face the resulting traffic jams). When told of the global initiative, 72 percent of respondents said they wouldn't even "consider" taking part. When the survey takers asked recalcitrant motorists why they wouldn't give up their cars, work, shopping and visiting family topped the list. Three quarters of all respondents said public transport was not a viable alternative to using the car, citing time implications, delays, cost and lack of convenience.  

[Interview with Jim Hawker of ibuyeco below.] 

CBS' Sunday Morning program has joined the caravan of love for Tesla Motors' not-ready-for-prime-time electric car and GM's not-ready-for-prime-time electric car. New York Times correspondent David Pogue's report leads with the usual "gas sucks" mantra, and then gets down to business: repeating Tesla's oft-repeated (never proven) claims for their LiIon-powered electric roadster. Ah, but doesn't the electric car simply shift the energy problem to powerplants? The recently demoted Martin Eberhard demures: "If you do the math, you'll find that an electric car, even if you use coal to make the electricity, produces less pollution per mile than burning gasoline in the best gasoline-powered car." After gasping at the Tesla's sticker, Pogue trots out GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz, who promises a user-friendly price tag for the Volt: "My personal target still is to bring this car into the market at, you know, nicely below $30,000." Yeah, well what about the EV1? "Now, it turns out that from a PR standpoint probably the dumbest move we ever made," Lutz said. "It was done for all the right legal reasons, but PR-wise it was dumb. So, now I'm getting e-mails saying, 'I hope you rot in hell.'" After revealing that the first Teslas will hit the streets this fall and promoting the forthcoming film "Who Saved the Electric Car?" (really), Pogue gives Maximum Bob the last word. "…I think the future for electrics is absolutely unlimited." At least the PR is.

Obviously, we're translating fairly loosely here. But it's clear that USA Today car reviewer James R. Healey is no fan of Buick's new luxury CUV. Although Healey's article pronounces the badge-engineered Enclave "a truly different vehicle" than the near-identical GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, he concurs with this writer's opinion that it's one ugly ass vehicle. "The styling is overdone and the details undercut what appeal it has. Enclave tortures the slim, straight elegance of Outlook and Acadia. Enclave's detailing — the faux portholes, the overlarge grille (so thin and flexible on the test vehicle that it twisted in your hands when the hood was raised), the sloping side windows and inexplicably ovaled rear window — harass the eye and reduce what already was limited rear visibility." And THEN the Enclave's power seat moved in fits and starts, the autobox hunted for gears like a truffle-crazed pig with a cold (as reported on TTAC) and the fuel economy sank to 14mpg. (All the The General horses and all the General's men couldn't raise the Enclave's fuel economy again.) Despite his obvious distaste for the model, Healey couldn't quite bring himself to deliver the coupe de grace: "Overall:  Poor rear visibility and overwrought styling make the mechanically identical Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia seem like better machines." And in comparison to its REAL competition? Or is that it?

We've said it here time and time again: there is no perception gap between what The Big 2.8 build and how the public perceives it. Or, a little more generously, it's a level playing field. If GM, Ford and Chrysler are reaping what they sowed, so are Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche and every other automaker on planet earth, And yet today's Wall Street Journal confers renewed legitimacy upon this pathetic excuse for losers. "'Building a better car and assuming people will buy it doesn't work,' GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner told reporters at this week's Frankfurt Auto Show. GM, he said, 'can do a better job' marketing its vehicles." So GM has better vehicles and their $2.9b ad spend ain't getting it done. Same old, same old. But the article's intro is by far the worst piece of diss-information. It reveals that CNW research takes a Toyota Camry, removes any identifying logos and tells consumers it's a new model from one of the U.S.-based auto makers. "If they think it's an American car, the perception of the vehicle falls dramatically," said Art Spinella, vice president of the Bandon, Ore.-based firm. "Detroit really gets a bum rap in the U.S." Or not.

As the Smart ForTwo prepares for its U.S. debut, its manufacturer is busy spinning their mini (not MINI) marvel to the U.S. press as the ultimate green machine. “America has never been more ready for a car like this,” Smart’s U.S. Prez David Schembri told CNN, after ticking off a list of issues including urban congestion, the cost of gas and general “economic concerns”. America maybe; the American media most definitely. After posing the obvious left-leaning question– “Can a culture that prides itself on big houses and jumbo sport-utility vehicles really fall for a car roughly the size of a golf cart?”– Lake accompanied Schembri for a spin in Smart’s SUV toe-jam through the mean streets of Manhattan. She pronounced the Smart “zippy” and, setting aside any pretense of journalistic objectivity, ejaculated “oh this fabulous.” All in all, Schembri would have to agree.