Although the odds were stacked in their favor, GM didn't sweep the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards as many expected. Of the six finalists (Cadillac CTS, the Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord, Buick Enclave, Mazda CX-9 and Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid) four were from The General's stable. But a dark horse stole one event. Oh right, sorry. I know the tension's killing you. Right. The North American Car of the Year is the car you can't buy: the Chevrolet Malibu. The NA Truck of the Year is the crossover that thinks it's a truck the Mazda CX-9. There was a bit of murmuring about Malibu getting the award over the CTS, since the Malibu is essentially a reskinned Aura and the Aura won last year. But the judges seemed to think the new Malibu was such an improvement over the previous dismal piece of shit that it deserved recognition. (Apparently the CTS wasn't that much of an improvement.) How the CX-9 made it over the media darling Tahoe Hybrid is still a mystery– although it pays to keep in mind (so to speak) that Mazda is a Ford brand. Meanwhile, the event planners spent most of the opening ceremonies this morning patting themselves on the back, congratulating themselves on what a fine job they think they did this year. Fair enough?

[Reporters: Sajeev Mehta and William C. Montgomery]

Who asked the Detroit News' Show Biz reporter to chime-in with his feelings about the 2008 North American International Auto Show? I mean Jeez; David Phillips is raining on a parade that his employer has been hyping since Buick was asking people if it was time for a real car (ready when you are). Then again, it's an itty bitty blog post, And I suppose that an entertainment writer is the most keenly aware when the stars of the show are off skiing in Park City. "Lexus, Acura, Nissan, Infiniti and Suzuki are taking a pass this year. Porsche is gone altogether. Aston Martin has quietly vanished from the Ford stand for obvious reasons." Which are… "the cost of doing business inside Cobo Center, an automaker's product cadence, the growth in overseas markets, other opportunities, venues and auto shows to showcase new product, etc." Hmm. I wonder if that cost has anything to do with some union or other, and whether Big Ron Gettelfinger could sort them out. (You gotta bend over like this. No, not me. You.) Phillips final remark shows how quick Detroit is to react to economic challenges. "Show organizers should be worried." Ya think? [thanks to starlightmica for the tip]

Nie-ass? Nay-ass? If you're going to change the name of a world famous American auto show– and why would you?– why would you settle on an acronym that sounds vaguely Scandinavian? What's more, NAIAS is another example of America's willingness to claim international importance for a national event (e.g. the World Series). I mean, does the North American International Auto Show have a heavy Canadian or Mexican presence– aside from all the cars and trucks and minivans and engines and transmissions and stuff built to service America's "domestic" car companies? Anyway, the 2008 NAIAS industry conclave marks the first time The Truth About Cars is attending. Sajeev Mehta and William C. Montgomery– our Texas dream team– will be blogging throughout the day. They'll provide the sort of no-holds-barred reportage you've come to expect from this website. Frank Williams and I will be coordinating their coverage from comfort of our garrets. If you could email your pistonhead pals and tell them to click on us for the web's best NAIAS coverage, I'd be most appreciative. Meanwhile, rest assured we'll do our best to stick it to the Man, TTAC style. That's Tea-Tack, in case you were wondering…