That's right, Nissan is "heavily" refreshing the Maxima that's been in service since 2004. And what are they doing with car made obsolete by the V6 Altima and Infiniti G35? Your guess is as good as mine. Torque steer is already an issue on the Maxima, so more power may not be welcome. At least now there are 4DSC stickers on the side windows. But is that any different than VW trying to channel the spirit of the original, lovable Rabbit into the new one with a chrome rabbit logo on the trunk? The only thing we know is that we'll know on Wednesday the 19th. Autoblog claims it's "completely redesigned" but if you look at the teaser pics, there seems to still be funk in the trunk (lid) like the current car. So will it be what we all want, a light fun car in keeping with the original 4DSC? I'm guessing no, it'll be fat and sorta fun and not have much space in the market, like the current Maxima.

You may recall this most excellent dispatch re: sourcing a new Nissan GT-R at list price. It was penned by TTAC car reviewer and bon vivant Jay Shoemaker. Since writing the epistle from the "budget supercar front," Shoes managed to source the beast. As the headline attests, it all ended in tears. At my request and considerable risk to his rep, Jay has allowed us to publish his email on this abortive venture. [Note: no flaming the rich guy.]

"I was successful in finding a way to acquire one of the first US GTR's at MSRP. I had to pull strings to accomplish this, but I suppose that is what strings are for. Anyway, Nissan USA gave me a nice letter of introduction and I flew to Tokyo last week to see and sit in the GTR (I did not get to drive it). As a prospective owner, I hated it; the external appearance is too boy racer and the interior is pretty much basic Nissan with one or two extra leather pieces. It gave me claustrophobia to sit inside it and was terribly uncomfortable. So after all I went through, I came home and cancelled my order. I suppose I should regret that I will not have the opportunity to drive one of the first U.S. GTRs, but I have never liked Nissans, don't like V6 engines, don't like turbocharged engines in general and definately don't like the idea of 20-inch run flat tires. Next month, I am off to Germany to pick up my Audi R8 at the Neckarsulm factory and drive it on the Autobahn to console myself."

Current federal regulations require that car and truck roofs support 1.5 times their vehicle's weight. According to The Detroit Free Press, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is recommending that this standard be upgraded to 2.5 times the vehicle's weight on the driver's side. The industry-sponsored safety campaigners released a study concluding that the strongest existing SUV roofs reduce the risk of injury by 39 to 57 percent. The Chevy Blazer fared the worst in their roof crush test, while Nissan's X-Terra, Jeep's Liberty and third-gen Ford Explorers scored the highest. (Both the Explorer and the Grand Cherokee showed significant improvement in newer models vs. previous generations.) The new study does not deal with the impact of seat belt use (or lack thereof)– judged by "real world" analysis to have greater impact on rollover deaths than roof strength. Also, as TTAC's Bob Elton pointed out back in '06, reinforcing SUV roofs would raise the vehicle's center of gravity, potentially increasing the likelihood of a rollover. Although the IIHS called for active handling for all SUVs, the laws of physics cannot be ignored– or revoked.

BorgWarner has announced [via Yahoo! News] that it is doubling its production capacity with a new facility in Arnstadt, Germany. In the past four years, they've put together about a million "DualTronic" dual clutch, paddle-shifterrific trannies. To meet the demand, the Borg are hiring an 150 workers for their German plant and spending some $40m for an additional 50k square feet. Not only is it nice to see some growth in this time of automotive post-shower shrinkage, but as the owner of one such transmission (and a car to go around it), this writer can't help but be smug. Ford, Nissan, and BMW have recently added or will be adding the Borgwarner's DualTonic boxes. Which only leaves one question: what's with BorgWarner's antipathy to the space bar?

We like Jack. Aside from being a hell of a race driver and future LeMons teammate, Jack Baruth is one of the most refreshing voices in the auto rag biz. His take on the new GT-R? Not good. While he's got nothing against the car per se, he's asking, "Who's going to buy it?" Jack argues that the GT-R's main competitors (Corvettes and 911s) have deeply entrenched, well-heeled fan bases with multiple owners clubs and racing series. The GT-R has fat kids in Mom's basement with carpel tunneled thumbs and a Slurpee's chance in Hell of getting the $70,000 needed to buy "Godzilla." He's also doubtful that the "Car Formerly Known as Skyline" will be much of a halo vehicle for Nissan, pointing out that the best thing about previous Skylines was that they didn't actually exist. They were myth. Now that they are bloated, expensive reality? Meh. Furthermore the GT-R is going to turn the 350Z into the "Nissan with panties." And finally, for those that can afford such a beast, are they going to enjoy slumming it down to their Nissan dealer where they might accidentally be seen next to a Versa? Nope. And Jack should know; he's the proud owner of two Volkswagen Phaetons.

Jeremy Clarkson is wrong! Top Gear demonstrated the Toyota Hilux survives drowning, fire, a tree, a wrecking ball, and the destruction of a skyscraper. However, the one thing he didn't try was handing it over to the average American Airmen/Soldier. Just like the Nissan Urvan, the Hilux' manual transmission couldn't handle the abuse heaped on it by America's finest and ended up with stripped synchronizers and chipped gears. To rectify the situation, the USAF recently purchased a fleet of Chevrolet Silverado Z71 6.0-liter uber-trucks for several deployed locations, with automatic transmissions, and push-button four-wheel drive. I wonder how those would hold up to Jeremy Clarkson?

If you’ve ever stood at a Swiss platform and watched a train pull in within seconds of its ETA, you’ll know that this small country knows how to get shit done. The Geneva auto show is no exception. Its precise schedule and small scale make it the crown jewel of car confabs. This year, there was enough greenwashing to scrub the Amazon clean. Where once style, performance and a beautiful babe made show cars sexy, halo cars must now wear a badge proclaiming “Saving the planet one car at a time.” As if.

Of course, a hypocritical herd instinct does not an exciting auto show make. How many plug-in diesel-electric belt-assisted hydrogen-fuel-cell regenerative-braking lithium-ion dual-fuel unrealistically aerodynamic hybrid alibimobiles planned for 2011 were there? Lots. Suffice it to say, GM introduced its fifth hybrid powerplant at the Geneva show, a marginal improvement that’s testimony to the intensity of the PR war waged in the name your home planet.

And let's not talk about non-news such as the Audi A4 Avant. Or the Toyota Urban Cruiser (wasn't there an Al Pacino movie by that name?) which leaps to the top of the ten most boring Toyotas ever made in the history of the world, ever.

Meanwhile, the Tiny-Yet-Sexy niche continues to, uh, grow. We’re talking (comparatively) expensive little things that intend to make you feel good about yourself, the environment and parking (not necessarily in that order). As Paul Niedermeyer pointed out, this is the small car future that the MINI started. Toyota's iQ could take it mainstream. Priced higher than the larger Aygo, it looks great and sips fuel.

Another important trend: the Almost-Disposably-Cheap-Yet-Quite-Crap car. Mr. Tata brought the Nano to Geveva in his hand luggage. It’s an attractive appliance, a sympathetic amoeba on roller skates. Yes it has 12" wheels, but the original Mini had ten-inchers. The €9k-ish Dacia Sandero is of the same ilk. Taking purchasing power parity into account, that’s about $8k net, list. The Nissan Pivo is a bit more expensive and a lot more sci-fi, but if this is the future, include me in.

If you need another sign that Renault-Nissan is bursting with self-confidence, how about the Euro-Zone launch of their American (shhh) Infiniti brand? The FX50 is quite the looker. It’s not the segment buster they need, perhaps, but the FX is a lot more distinctive that the G-cars that’ll battle Bimmer’s best.

The stubby/cheeky Audi A3 Cabrio lives somewhere between laughable and laudable. The Cadillac CTS Coupe may not be the brand builder traditionalists seek (V16?), but it gets nothing but props here. It’s Caddy’s best chance abroad. 

I liked the suicide doors on the future Opel Meriva– it's a good sign when a company devotes itself to a topic as prosaic as entry and egress. Surprisingly, the Passat CC is a fantastic improvement on the conventional, frumpy Passat. Honda displayed its handsome, competent Euro-Accords on a blood-red floor. The setting was dramatic, but unnecessary– unless you’re a big fan of The Shining.

Kia's Soul concepts, which intend to emulate Scion in being young & groovy, is interesting, but not quite convincing. The Soul Burner: I thought that was something you ordered at the Indian-food takeaway. The Soul Diva: a bit Paris-Hiltonny, no? The Soul Searcher: this one I liked. Rural and tough-looking, but not macho or in-your-face. Sorta kinda like the Cévennes Turbo-CNG: a futuristic eco-car which rips off the Porsche 356? And the Magna-Steyr Hybrid is the way I like off-road vehicles: less fat, more fun!

BMW showed its X6. It looks a lot less ugly in the metal than on paper, but it still makes about as much sense as broken cuckoo clock. The Skoda Superb is a lot more sensible, although BMW called and they want their Hoffmeister kink back. Volkswagen should consider taking back– and Americans should stop lusting after– the new Portuguese-built Scirocco. It’s a lumpen, fat, graceless, derivative car: an amalgam of Alfa Brera, VW Passat and whatnot.

BYD– isn't that how they pronounce "bird" in the Bronx? In this case, it stands for Build Your Dreams, Chinese style. Of course, Geneva was full of catchphrases. Maserati had "Excellence through Passion." Bentley left the caps lock on, promising "RELAXING EXILARATION," "DRIVEN BY YOUR DESIRES" and "THE SEDUCTION OF YOUR SENSES.”

VW officially unveiled their new global mantra: Engineered Like No Other Porsche in the World. No, wait. It was “Das Auto” or “the car.” This must piss-off Pontiac, who now insists that Pontiac is Car. (This reminds of Garp’s father in The World According to Garp, who lost letters as he lost his life.) No matter what you call it, the main message coming out of Geneva is that small is beautiful. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Click here to view Pixamo gallery of the Geneva Auto Show 

We've heard this somewhere before… but it wasn't Chrysler… Oh, right! Nearly two years ago, Renault-Nissan CEPO Carlos Ghosn was making noise about joining/purchasing/dismantling General Motors (at the behest of the Lion of Las Vegas, investor Kirk Kerkorian). GM CEO Rick Wagoner Wagoner circled his Board of Bystanders' wagons and GM was free to tank on its own. As the Motor Authority reports, it's the same story here kids. Anyway, Renault is hoping to make out like a bandit with its 25 percent ownership of longstanding Russian punchline automaker Lada. As Carlos puts it. "Russian car sales may surpass Germany to become Europe's largest single market this year." Also, they may not. Either way, Renault may start supplying Lada with platforms and drivetrains. Presumably it'll be the same entry level stuff Renault-Nissan is giving Chrysler to sell in South America. Wait, what? Anyone else confused?

Just a few weeks ago, we told you about Nissan's plans to launch the Infiniti brand in Europe. Infiniti has broken their Euro-cherry with their first-ever non-U.S. model launch: the FX50. Leaving aside that the fact that a gas-guzzling five-seat muscle truck may be the wrong model with which to tempt Europeans, the new FX is a gentle evolution. The headlights are a bit weirder, the bronze is even more… bronzy. The V8 engine grows from 4.5-liters and 320 horsepower to 5.0-liters and 390 horsepower. (There will likely be a 3.7-liter out of the G37 also, since the V6 version currently makes up the overwhelming majority of FX's sold in the U.S.) The FX50's transmission is now a seven-speed automatic (pray it's the GT-R's dual clutch system, expect it to be a regular slushbox). If Infiniti really wants to be a player in Europe, this car really needs a V6 diesel. Meanwhile, the FX50 hits U.S. and Canadian showrooms in June.

34-Picture Pixamo Gallery 

GM and Chrysler weren't the only ones singing the blues when February's sales numbers plunked onto the e-mat. Automotive News [sub] reports Ford and Toyota also showed declines in February– although not quite as precipitous as The General and Mopar. Ford's sales fell 6.3 percent compared to last February, while Toyota's (including Scion and Lexus) dropped a jaw-dropping 6.6 percent (when adjusted for the extra selling day this year). Toyota's atypical performance is attributed to poor truck sales. Group vice president of marketing admitted that ToMoCo's full-size truck and SUV sales "could get tougher before it gets better." With a 37 percent decline in the U.S. construction industry, Randy Pflughaupt ain't just whistling Dixie. Honda, Mazda and Nissan, on the other hand, bucked the trend and actually posted gains. Honda was up 4.9 percent, Mazda increased 6.7 percent and Nissan rose 1.2 percent. Hmmm… the two companies with no V8 engines and no full-sized pickups or huge SUVs showed the largest gains. What does that tell you?

Looks like Honda, Nissan, GM and Ford need to slap their advertising agencies around. It appears some greenies don't know they make hybrids! From Ourgreenbabysteps blog comes this tidbit: "I ran into someone at work today who owns a Honda Civic Hybrid.  I didn’t even realize there was another family hybrid car other than the Toyota Prius." Toyota probably also needs to increase the advertising budget for the hybrid Camry and Highlander, since they seem to be semi-unknown as well. I wonder what will happen when the blogger finds out he/she can even get a humongous SUV or all-American pick-'em-up truck with a hybrid powertrain. I'm thinking spontaneous cranial combustion.

All things must come to an end. The United States Air Force (my current employer) is replacing the Nissan Urvans we use for fun in the sand passenger transport. Apparently, not enough of today's troops know how to drive a manual; stick-ignorant airmen were tearing up the Urvan's transmissions. There were also reports that those who could handle the third pedal found them a bit too much fun and were engaging in unauthorized (is there any other kind?) hooliganism (not that I would have any first-hand experience in such activities), leading to a few, uh, "mishaps." The Hyundai Trajet has been deemed a cheaper, safer bet, as their V6 motors, front wheel drive and automatic transmissions are more in tune with "American tastes." Above all, it's a bit of a disappointment.

In an interview with the International Herald Tribune, Renault-Nissan honcho Carlos Ghosn reveals that he's still interested in an American partner for his Franco-Japanese alliance. Between endless paeans to Nissans miracle turnaround and the underlying strength of diversity in the Renault-Nissan alliance, Ghosn holds off on the PR long enough to let a few nuggets slip through about his mergers and acquisitions strategy. Although talks between Renault-Nissan and GM led nowhere in '06, a recent joint venture with Chrysler to sell rebranded Nissan vehicles in Brazil may point to Ghosn's dancing partner of choice. And with talk of Chrysler's dismemberment never far from the lips of Cerberus-watchers, Renault-Nissan could come into an American nameplate sooner rather than later. Whomever his eventual bedmate may be, if Carlos the Jackal can be trusted at all, the stars will begin aligning before any announcements come through. "This is for the long term," Ghosn tells the IHT about his visions of an American partnership. "But when it comes, then you will know we have been consistent." Is he referring to the Chrysler/Brazil deal, or is there much more to come? Time, and not much of it, will tell…

In early April, Nissan is blessing me with a GT-R for five days for my Conde Nast Traveler “Great Drive” articles, and a review on this website. My hotshoe daughter (also a Traveler editor) and I will be departing Lake Tahoe after the car's press introduction, bound for Lost Wages and, if possible, some empty desert roads. The press event will include some serious track time. In their initial e-mail invitation, Nissan said– politely enough– that they realized writers like me weren’t buff-book semipros. Yet they're so confident that the GT-R is the world's safest and most controllable supercar that they're letting us loose on a closed ciruit. (I immediately got on my high horse and told them Brook and I run a well-modified 911SC track car, so there.) I asked the Nissan press rep if we should bring our helmets. She said no, not needed. Porsche is the only other automaker I know that allows the press to tackle a track sans helmet. The German automaker believe that helmets bring on "the red haze;" that drivers are safer without them. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see if the GT-R's electronics make travel-magazine editors, beauty-and-fashion writers, movie reviewers and other can’t-drive-a-stick scribes from the non-automotive press into track demons…

The automotive press is obsessed with new cars, and the automakers know it. As The Big 2.8 flounder on the shoals of their broken branding, badge engineering and bloated dealer networks, they highlight the latest bright shiny object as proof of future salvation. Jerry Flint: “The best news from the domestic industry is that the product, particularly at GM but also at Ford, is getting better.” Meanwhile, car hacks are ignoring the fact that the domestics' business is collapsing, as startling new data from J.D. Power illustrates.

For the first time ever, J.D.’s mob has combined customer loyalty and conquest survey data to create their “Customer Ratio” index. Speaking at the recent National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) conference, J.D. Power's executive director of automotive research said a car brand must strike an ideal balance between customer loyalty (existing owners re-upping) and new-to-the-brand business. “When below-average loyalty makes up more than half your sales,” Steve Witten pronounced. “That's a brand in trouble." 

According to the J.D. Power, Ford's in trouble. Roughly 53 percent of Ford owners buy another Blue Oval model. On the face of it, that's a good thing. But it's a bad thing. These loyal customers represent 72 percent of the brand's retail sales. Translation: FioMoCo is losing twice as many existing Ford owners to rival brands as it’s winning from rival brands. Not to put too fine a point on it, the Ford brand is dying.

According to the survey, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge also show “weak loyalty numbers.” What’s worse: Chrysler's three brands "mostly conquest sales from each other, while leaching sales to non-Chrysler brands.” Ominously, but not unexpectedly, “something similar is happening at Mercury, Pontiac and Buick.”

Only 13 percent of Saturn’s sales come from customers leaving transplant brands (Toyota, Honda, etc.). The majority of Saturn's new customers come from Chevrolet, Pontiac and Ford. And when Saturn owners leave the brand for other makes, they tend to migrate to Toyota, Honda and Nissan. As Witten remarked at the conference, the data shows that Saturn has utterly failed to fulfill its original remit as an "import fighter"

The study also reveals that GM and Ford’s so-called luxury brands are failing to compete with the German and Japanese luxury marques. Cadillac, Saab and Volvo are not even in the same ballpark as Mercedes, BWM, Audi and Lexus. Caddy, Saab and Volvo are gaining most of their customers from– and losing most of their business to– Toyota, Honda, Ford and Chevrolet. 

As this index demonstrates, Detroit’s biggest and most lethal mistake has been its chronic neglect of its branding. While Motown makes a number of terrific new cars, while the majority of these machines are now mechanically reliable, Ford, GM, and Chrysler have done nothing to protect, resurrect, redefine and "save" their brands. They continue to piss on whatever brand equity remains in their stable. When GM Car Czar Bob Lutz infamously described Pontiac and Buick as "damaged brands," he was guilty of epic understatement.  Virtually all of Detroit's car brands are terminally ill. 

Hummer is the exception that proves the rule. Last year, Hummer sold 55,986 new vehicles, down 21.7 percent from the year previous. The rising price of gas, Hummer’s negative image amongst the chattering classes and the contraction of the SUV market don’t bode well for the brand’s future. BUT J.D. Power says existing customers account for just 16 percent of Hummer's total sales. In other words, despite falling sales, Hummer is drawing in a large number (at least percentage wise) of new customers. In fact, of all GM’s eight brands, Hummer is the strongest.

Well of course it is. Hummer sells a limited line of vehicles that are all instantly recognizable as family members that all do roughly the same thing in roughly the same way. Their national advertising may be a joke to anyone with an environmental conscience, but Hummer's branding is focused, coherent and memorable. You could even say that the environmental blow-back has helped Hummer, setting it apart from the increasing diluted (but still relatively strong) Jeep brand.

Contrast Hummer’s tightly-gathered product line and brand focus with Saab, Pontiac, Buick, Chevrolet, Saturn, GMC, Cadillac, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Chrysler and Dodge.

If you really want a fright, contrast those weak, customer-leaking and fraternal brand-swapping car companies with Toyota. According to J.D., Toyota is “bringing in nearly three times as many new customers as it has old ones staying put. Toyota's 65 percent loyalty rating is the industry's best, yet represents just 41 percent of total sales. Its conquest sales are huge. Honda shows similar strong numbers.”

TTAC, the general public and the millions of people dependent on The Big 2.8’s health are not privy to the full data provided by J.D. Powers’ Customer Ratio survey. But even this snapshot provides a horrifying glimpse of a domestic industry in terminal decline. Never mind cost cutting. Why hasn’t Detroit fixed its broken brands?