Canadian Auto Workers president Buzz Hargrove knows what's killing the North American auto industry: imports from South Korea and Japan. He's upset that Canada imports more vehicles from Asia and Europe than Canada ships to those areas. And if the problem continues unchecked, he's predicting GM and Ford will be in bankrupt within 10 years.  His solution? The Globe and Mail reports Buzz wants Canada and the U.S. to ban imports from Japan and South Korea until they open their markets to North-American-built vehicles. Reality to Buzz: they don't want your vehicles. If you've never been to those countries, roads are narrow, city streets are clogged and parking is at a premium. The average GM, Ford or Chrysler product from this side of the globe would fit in there like an orca in a fishbowl. Also, I don't know about Canadian sales, but the majority of Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, and Mitusubishis sold in the U.S. are bolted together in North America, not imported. He needs to put the blame where it belongs: on the auto companies that sat by complacently resting on their laurels and denying the imports were a threat until they lost customers they'll never regain.

Chevrolet hopes their plug-in electric – gas powered Volt will become America’s sweetheart. Yet GM’s boldly going where the fully electric vehicle (EV) has gone before. Forget the EV-1. I’m referring to the Baker Electric of 1899. Thomas Edison’s first car (as an owner) was a commercial success, with an effective range of around 100 miles. Today's prototypes, upon which manufacturers are presently lavishing hundreds of millions of dollars, can double that. So what’s the big deal?

The big deal: mass producing a comfortable, affordable electric vehicle (EV) that meets current safety standards, with sufficient performance, durability, driving range and recharge times to make it a viable alternative to existing, highly-developed gas or gas-electric powered alternatives. And that’s without considering recharging logistics.

Simply put, Americans depend on their cars to do too much to depend on current EVs. Even using the latest Lithium-Ion battery technology, electric cars work best for short commutes and errand runs in sleepy suburbs. Unless you can plug-in and recharge at a gas station in ten minutes, the average American owner will have to stash the EV on the weekend and break out the “real car.” Without credible highway capability and/or a quick recharge option, buyers with only enough money for one car will be making a petroleum decision. 

Yes, the auto industry’s best and brightest are on the case. Still, absent some miracle battery or materials breakthrough, it will be a long time before America sings the car body electric.

Of all the challenges obscuring America’s electric car future, safety is the biggest stumbling block. Simple physics tells us that the EV’s enemy is weight. Build a tiny EV out of balsa wood and the range issue disappears. Meanwhile, here in the real world, feather light, safe, mid-sized, mass-produced and affordable doesn’t compute.

To wit: the Tesla Roadster is a relatively minuscule, hugely expensive, light weight (carbon fiber) automobile with zero luggage space– and it still struggles to travel 200 miles on a single charge. Even with bleeding edge battery technology, a mass-produced (steel-bodied) mid-size car equipped with the requisite safety structures and devices (i.e. without Tesla’s airbag waiver) doesn’t stand a chance of matching a gas-powered car’s range or convenience. However, remove that barrier…

And you’re in the developing world, where safety takes a back seat to… everything. Which is why the development of the mass-produced EV will occur off-shore.

India’s Tata Motors recently unveiled the revolutionary $2500 Tata Nano. When Tata unveiled their "people's car," they claimed the machine passed frontal and side impact tests– without specifying whose tests they passed. It’s highly unlikely the Nano could meet American or European safety standards. More to the point, Tata immediately announced plans to build an electric Nano.

Ask any golf cart owner; cheap, small and light are the foundations for a successful EV. The Nano will make a perfect EV. It's small and light, thanks to a cardboard front axle and door panels made from ice chips. The machine’s target market isn’t overly-concerned with airbags, cupholders, leg room, highway cruising speeds or huge cruising distances. It's all about purchase price and operating costs. 

At the same time, Israel has just announced that it’s partnered with Renault-Nissan to build electric cars. In smog-soaked Tel Aviv, electric cars will shift much of the city’s transportation energy needs to from petroleum to cleaner energy generation sources, like solar, wind, and nuclear power (in Israel’s case, not using petroleum has other political benefits, too). The government’s action guarantees the economies of scale that will make it worthwhile for Renault to test the EV waters. Equally important, the gov’s inclusion will assure the lowering of any safety-related regulatory hurdles.

Phase one of EV mass production will begin in India, Israel, Africa, China and other “developing” countries, where driving conditions are right, the safety requirements are less substantial, and the government is willing to interfere with the market to make it worth a manufacturer’s efforts. And speaking of governmental interference…

Gasoline production and distribution in the developing world tends to be incredibly inefficient, expensive and corrupt (e.g. Zimbabwe’s ongoing gas rationing crisis). If these countries use electric vehicles, their citizens can generate motive power any number of ways on the local level: solar, wind, coal, burning garbage, whatever. So why wouldn’t they “skip” right to electric powered vehicles, and enjoy the economic prosperity that mobility brings? While realpolitik argues against this kind of energy “democratization,” the possibility exists.

America will not be left on the EV sidelines. Once millions EV batteries are field tested, once manufacturers are churning-out large numbers of electric vehicles and their related components, the economies of scale will bring the cost down substantially– and spur more development. At some point, we’ll have our EV cake and put it in a large, comfortable, safe and practical automotive package, too.

Dacia is one of Renault-Nissan's success stories: a new, almost-global brand specializing in not-quite-ultra-low-cost cars. According to most reviews, the Dacia Logan is a decent drive with a hideous interior. At €5,400.00 (net), the Logan is by far the cheapest more-or-less modern car sold in Europe, Russia and many third-world countries. So, despite being one unattractive son of a Munstermobile, it's a hit. Autocar has scooped the new, more eye-friendly Dacia Sadero. Although its shares mechanicals with the Logan, the Sandero's smaller: a Yaris-size supermini. Autocar reckons the Sandero will be larger and more capable than the smallest Euro-Fords and clock in at £6.5k, undecutting FoMoCo's cars by about a thousand quid. Dacia plans to unveil the Sandero at the Geneva show, three weeks hence. We'll be there and report. [FYI: the UK V.A.T. rate is 17.5 percent, so the Sandero would net at  £5,363.00. At current exchange rates that would be $10,450.00, but according to Purchasing Power Parity, which filters out short-term exchange-rate distortions, the Sandero's net-US price could theoretically be around $8,350.00.]

Judging by list prices, ignoring the presence or absence of any other options and any thoughts of political correctness, which U.S.-spec vehicle offers the most horsepower per dollar? I always assumed it was the 300 horsepower Ford Mustang GT, which clocks in at about $26k. Nope. Its $/hp ratio is $86 per pony. It's a good buy, but not the bang-for-the-buck champ. Remember: lowest $/hp wins.

Pontiac G8 – 360 horses – $83/hp
Dodge Magnum SRT8 – 425 horses – $89/hp
Dodge Caliber SRT4 – 280 horses – $82/hp
Chevy HHR SS – 260 horses – $88/hp
Shelby GT500 – 500 hp – $86/hp

But it's when you get into the trucks that the money-power ratio comes into focus.

Nissan Titan – 317 horses – $82/hp
Toyota Tundra – 381 horses – $81/hp

Yup, the true power mongers however are pickup trucks. The Mopar option is the Dodge Ram 1500, which brings you a 340 horsepower Hemi for only $25k– a fantastic ratio of $73/hp. But the crown goes to… the Ford F250 Super Duty, equipped with a 362-horse 6.8-liter V10. Listing at $24,175, that's a $67/hp combo. Screw the Dodge Challenger ($89/hp) rebirth. The muscle car champ is still a Ford truck.

The French haven’t had much influence on the car world for some time. Up until the last decade or so, their automobiles have been goofy little nuts-on-wheels from outer space– especially compared to machines from neighboring Germany, Italy or Japan, not to mention Detroit. But now we’ve got a Frog who’s in play worldwide. You want to talk about an internationalist? Carlos Ghosn was born in Brazil to Lebanese parents. The CEO who rescued both Nissan and Renault speaks six languages fluently and divides his time between Tokyo and Paris. If anybody understands the worldwide car biz, it’s Carlos Ghosn.

Ghosn doesn’t sell his Renaults in the USA. But Nissan is a strong player here and that gives him a major say in what goes on in Detroit— which he claims is in deep shit. During a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ghosn said that GM, Ford and Chrysler may very well collapse as the imports seize more and more of their home turf. Ghosn slammed Detroiters, asserting that Motown’s ongoing reliance on pickups, SUVs and large luxury cars will dump them into this ditch.

Ghosn thinks that the little econo-boxes his companies sell elsewhere in the world are the future. He claims that one or all of Detroit’s Big Three will fail as the world switches to tiny machines powered by something other than aged but efficient petroleum-powered internal combustion engines. Without that kind of machine to sell in its home market, someone domestic’s going down.

Of course a lot of the guys in Detroit think he’s nuts. And I’m inclined to agree. Yeah, The Big Three are losing market share. But there are still some very smart guys in the Motor City. You never know what smart people can do when they have their backs up against a wall. And Detroit may be truck heavy in gas-conscious times, but SUVs and trucks still account for around half of the US market. 

Anyway, so what if one of the Big Three goes belly-up?

No matter who wins the race for president, you can be sure the powers in Washington aren’t going to sit around while our auto industry collapses. The industry is too essential not only to the state of Michigan, but all of the other states. Millions of jobs and billions of dollars are at stake. No one at any level of government is going to let Detroit disappear. A federal bailout is a done deal.

And yet Carlos’ prediction of doom and gloom will please the lefties and environmentalist nutcases who hate cars and the domestic auto industry and don’t mind if Detroit falls down— just as long as they force everyone to drive electric-powered cars.

Trust me: as long as bottom line thinkers like Carlos Ghosn remain in power, the world of conventionally-powered automobiles will be a part of our landscape for a long time. That’s where the money is.

That’s not to say Ghosn isn’t serious about developing electric cars. He’s signed-up with NEC to develop a lithium-ion battery for mass market automobiles. Nissan/Renault has also allied themselves with battery maker A123. And they’ve formed a partnership with Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi to test the waters for commercial EVs.

Many people say these li-ion-powered electric cars will be good enough for Americans and their short commutes. That remains to be seen, both in terms of actual practice and consumer acceptance.

But even if Nissan develops an electric car with sufficient range, even if America takes to battery-powered zero-emissions automobiles, it’s doubtful our overwrought power grid could cope. Expand the grid? Easier said than done.

Meanwhile, millions of modern automobiles and trucks are linked to a massive petroleum system that is not only efficient, but sustains our economy. Switching away from this system and developing other sources of power for modern vehicles is a huge concept that only a few people (including Ghosn) are prepared to suggest– never mind assault. 

No matter. Mr. Ghosn and many others both inside and outside the car industry are working hard to make their electric dreams come true. Based on Ghosn’s success with two companies, divided half-way around the world, one has to take his efforts seriously.

At best, EVs are a long term prospect. For the near future, this is all chatter aimed at shareholders, regulators and the media. Ghosn has to be smart enough to know that the current automobile— four rubber tires, a steel or aluminum body and the aforementioned gas-powered engine– is here to stay. (Yes, you can add batteries, but it’s still gas-powered.)

If Carlos is right and one of The Big Three files for bankruptcy, it won’t be because they didn’t “go green” and make small, electric-powered cars. It'll be down to the fact that they didn’t make the reliable, comfortable, stylish, reasonably fuel-efficient, gas-powered cars that Americans prefer.

Owners of cars with built-in navigation systems are familiar with the legal disclaimer screen, which indemnifies the manufacturer if the unit distracts you to death. Nissan plans to expand this e-hectoring with a start-up screen reminding drivers not to drink and drive. According to a press release on WebWire, "the alert 'Do not drive after drinking' appears automatically for about five seconds on the navigation panel between the hours of 17:30 and 05:00 at the start of the ignition. In the daytime i.e. between 05:00 and 17:30 hours, the display message reads 'Let’s continue safe driving today.'" The new Nannying– featured on their way cool CARWINGS nav system– is a Japan-only deal. For now. Nissan also says it intends to "widen its use of technology to address the hazards of drink-driving." Could a breathalyzer ignition lock be in Nissan drivers' future? 

Financial Times reports that Johnson Controls and Saft have joined forces to build a factory to produce lithium-ion batteries for automotive applications. The factory in Nersac, France will supply batteries to GM, Chrysler and Mecedes, amongst others. Initially, the new venture will be turning out about 5k battery packs per year, increasing production from then on as demand increases. The partnership also plans to produce batteries in Asia and other locations. Meanwhile, Toyota is making preparations with Panasonic to produce Li-Ion batteries for the Prius, while GM works with Continental and LG Chemical to develop batteries for the Volt, and Nissan partners with NEC for their electric car project in Israel. Anyone want to place a bet on how long it'll be before we're fretting over the lithium supply like we do crude oil?

In recent years, General Motors has had something of a change of heart regarding hybrids. In 2004, “Car Czar” Bob Lutz dismissed hybrid cars as “impractical” and “a fad.” By 2007, Saturn gained a Green Line off-shoot dedicated exclusively to selling such endeavors. While GM doesn’t separate out sales stats for Saturn’s sub-brand, suffice it to say sales suck. This bodes badly for Saturn’s newest green machine: the 2008 Aura Green Line. Does the hybrid version of last year’s North American Car of the Year deserve a chance?

CSM Worldwide [via Automotive News, sub] is the bearer of bad tidings: the slowing new car market will force The Big 2.8 to cut even more production in the second quarter than the first. The auto forecasting firm says Chrysler will slash second-quarter production by 19.1 percent (compared to the same period last year). Ford will trim production by 16.3 percent. And GM production will drop 8.1 percent. Joe Langley, CSM senior market analyst for North American forecasts, sees an end to the pain for Ford and GM in the fourth quarter, with production edging ahead of year-ago levels. He doesn't see a Chrysler turnaround until 2009. Saying that, Langley attributes Ford's potential upturn to the debut of the MKS (Lincoln somethingorother) and Flex (xB on steroids) and ongoing sales of a TTAC Ten Worst finalist, the Ford Focus. And just in case you were thinking this is "a falling tide sinking all boats" deal, "the three biggest Japanese automakers expect to ride out a recession without serious pain. Toyota is expected to boost North American production 3.1 percent, Honda 1.9 percent and Nissan a whopping 11.0 percent."

The Wall Street Journal's "Boss Talk" chin wag with Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn begins innocently enough, providing a potted history of the Brazilian-born exec's career to date. As soon as the Q & A starts, things get ugly– for Detroit. "WSJ: Who is hurting the most in this market? Mr. Ghosn: Obviously, the Big Three. So how much more are they going to be able to sustain this kind of pressure and what's going to happen? That's a very important question for all the industry. WSJ: Can all the auto makers survive in such a difficult environment? Mr. Ghosn: No." And then, "WSJ: When it's all over, is there a native U.S. auto industry? Mr. Ghosn: Frankly, I don't know. I can tell you it's going to be very different from today. But whether there is going to be one left or two left or none left I don't know." Huh.

When it comes to buying fish, stocks, bonds or cars, timing is everything. The factors determining a savvy buyer’s ideal window of opportunity are mercurial. And, like the mystery surrounding a good fishing hole, there are plenty of industry professionals whose livelihood depends on shrouding the “inside line” in secrecy. For example, you won't find prices for “leftover” ’07 Chevrolet Malibus on Edmunds or kbb. Of course, when it comes to car buying advice, The Truth About Cars is on YOUR side. We’re here to help.  

If you want to save money, it often pays to wait until a manufacturer introduces a new version of an existing model. Dealers hawk model year “close outs” on a regular basis. But the deals don’t get crack-a-lackin’ until the model undergoes a significant “refresh.” If the “old” model looks old or the “new” model is significantly better— like, say, the aforementioned Malibu— the discounts are intense.We've found new old ‘Bu's for $5k off list.

Normally, model “refreshes” are evolutionary, not revolutionary. And the price difference ‘twixt old and new is impressive, not astounding. But impressive ain’t bad. Let’s have a look…

The Nissan Murano has been a solid seller since its introduction in 2003 (with a 2004 model year designation.) This first major update has now shipped, as a 2009. As there was no 2008 model, disconcerted dealers now have 2009 AND 2007 Muranos on sitting on their lots side-by-side. 

What’s the diff?  The new model gets a more hideous nose and badly revised sheetmetal. Horsepower’s up 25, though mileage remains roughly the same. Nissan claims the new Murano has increased rigidity and decreased noise. In the main, that’s it.

There is a value to newness. It is nice being the first on your block with a car no one’s seen before, to feel special for a while, like you’re on the cutting edge. But there’s also value to be extracted from Nissan dealers with unlucky ‘07s who MUST lure customers away from the new and improved Murano. We're talking $1,500 from Nissan and the $2,500 between the dealer’s sticker and his or her invoice. Or more.

After six years, Volvo is also launching a heavily-revised V70 wagon. The new model takes their bread-and-butter load lugger up a whole platform, from P2 (shared with the S60) to P24 (shared with the S80). Bottom line: it’s a move up market, not up-size. In America, the engine gains a cylinder, the horsepower jumps from 168 to 235, (the 2007 turbo makes 218) and gas mileage drops by around five mpg. The new V-wagon extends a lineage of safety innovations and offers some unique new features, like a power tailgate.

Volvo's a done a good job reducing supplies of the outgoing model. But more than a few 2007s V70s lurk on the lots. In the notoriously cool buying climate of January and February, buyers could find discounts as deep as upstate New York snow. There’s around $2k between invoice and sticker, more with more depending on options and local incentives.  

In 2003, the Pontiac Vibe began rolling out of the NUMMI plant (a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota) and the Toyota Matrix emerged from Toyota's Cambridge, Ontario plant. Both vehicles are tall, harshly-styled Corollas– and I mean that in the nicest possible way. Both the Vibe and the Matrix are reliable, versatile, borderline fun vehicles. They just look… dated.

The models’ sheetmetal changes a bit, but the song remains the same; there’s no drastic increase in size. Horsepower is up, without a hit to gas mileage. For the base 1.8-liter engine, GM and Toyota lose the manual transmission option. Toyota and Pontiac are also offering a 2.4-liter powerplant putting out 158 hp. All wheel-drive is back as on option. If these things be important to you, stay home until March. 

Good news for the bargain shopper: the 2009 versions of Matrix-Vibe don’t look all that much better. Go poke around under the plastic pennants and you'll find aggressively-priced models aplenty. Dealers are watching flat spots grow on these all season radials, knowing the new 2009's are being assembled in California and Canada as I type. 

Here’s the caveat: resale. When a new model comes out, it dings the value of the previous model. In the grand scheme of things, over the long term, it’s not a huge hit. In the short term, it’s a big old whack. If you’re planning to sell your pre-model change car in two to three years, you will not get as much money as if you’d bought the “new” new car.

If you sell your pre-model change vehicle in five to seven years (or longer), factors like mileage and condition come to the fore. Of course, even then, timing is everything.

Nissan says the Altima Coupe was designed separately from the Altima sedan. It’s a different car, from the ground-up. Roger that. Not since the Chevrolet Lumina Sedan and Minivan have two more disparate vehicles shared the same name. While Chrysler’s auto show folk are talking-up the joys of a “shared genetic pool,” the Altima Coupe 3.5SE isn’t even swimming in the same ocean as the sedan. In fact, the Altima Coupe deserves a sexier name, something distinctive, with more panache. I suggest “Accord-killer,” but it’s unlikely to get approved by any legal department, anywhere.

The newly-restyled Nissan Murano went on sale this week. The good news: the MSRP is $1500 lower than the previous model's. The bad news: someone let Subaru's stylists into Nissan's studios. Apparently pissed they had to give up the "flying vagina" on the B9 Tribeca, they surreptitiously altered the front of Nissan's CUV to show the next evolutionary step in the development of the infamous flying-v. While they were at it, they threw in a bunch of insectoid headlights under creased plastic covers. Then they moved to the rear where they designed a derrière that looks like a WRX hatchback with a fanny lift. The only logical explanation is that Nissan discovered their mischief too late to make any corrections before the planned intro date. At least I hope this wasn't intentional!

Usually I ding manufacturers for switching to stupid alphanumeric model names at the expense of memorable word names (Legend became the RL? Seville became the STS? What happened to the Continental?). But Volkswagen is doing their best to make anonymous letter/number combinations look more appealing by choosing the most unpronounceable names they can find/devise. First, we had the Touareg ("twa-reg"), which is embarrassing no matter how you say it (especially to the eponymous semi-nomadic tribe who didn't get a dime from the deal). Then VW unleashed the Tiguan ("tig-wan"), a cute-ute (their tails are made of rubber, their backs are made of springs). Yesterday, VW attempted to top both of those– and the Nissan Qashqai (don't ask me)– by calling their rebadged and slightly reworked Chrysler minivan the Routan. Route-tan? Rootin'? With apologies to Sid and Nancy, I'm going with "Rowten." Or not, as the case may be.

The press preview for the 2008 North American International Auto Show is finally over. TTAC’s Texas twosome– Sajeev Mehta and I– did our level best to catch the major reveals, grill some suits and get a feel for the temper of the times. On the plane back to the Lone Star State, I collected my thoughts on the show’s winners and losers. Were the carmakers fiddling while Rome burns, or preparing to rise Phoenix-like from the ashes ahead?

BIG WINNERS: GM and FoMoCo. Call it a home field advantage, but The General’s troops and The Blue Oval Boyz did the most to impress, launching the drop-dead gorgeous, thundering Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 ; the luxe yet yeoman-like new Ford F-150 full-size pickup and the AMG-alike Cadillac CTS-V. Hail Mary passes they may be, but connect they did. (Yoda am I.)

BIG LOSERS: Chrysler and Toyota. Dodge launched their new Ram pickup amidst a gen-you-ine cattle drive outside the convention center. Indoors, the automaker’s displays were equally unfinished and disorganized. Toyota, the masters of organization, revealed nothing more exciting than a station-wagon-on-stilts. While the Camry-based Venza will sell in [non-cattle] droves, it oozed nothing in particular from every pore. 

BEST SHOW TREND: diesel. Honda announced its plans to put a four-cylinder clean diesel engine into their [unintentionally] stealthy Acura passenger cars, as of next year. GM took the wraps off a new low-compression clean-burning 2.9-liter oil burner— a potential game changer in a Cadillac CTS coupe, no less. Mercedes, BMW and Audi all announced upmarket oil burners. And Chrysler promised to put a V6 Cummins turbo diesel into their half-ton Ram pickups, after 2009.

WORST SHOW TREND: alternative propulsion. The 2008 North American International Auto Show was the latest venue for the world automotive ecology Olympics. Unfortunately, all the athletes were pumped-up on PR puffery, and no events were actually run. Like the engine-less Cadillac Provoq “hydrogen” concept car, the hype surrounding the efficacy and practicality of a range of alternative propulsion powerplants has obscured the truth of reasonable expectations and anything like a practical timeframe.

CUTTING-EDGE WINNER: Former Aston designer Henrik Fisker’s mob made a major impact with their oh-so-sexy Karma all-electric sports car. Fisker execs say they’ll beat Tesla Motors to market with the first all-electric production sports car. Words are cheap, although neither car is. In theory.

CUTTING-EDGE LOSER: Tesla. Tesla’s no-show at the North American International Auto Show is a major miscalculation; with TTAC-fed doubts about the company’s viability, Tesla needed to fly the flag for their Lotus Elise-based all-electric Roadster. Either the silicon start-up couldn’t afford to lease the COBO real estate, or they didn’t want to face uncomfortable questions from an increasingly impatient press corps and public, or, sensibly enough, they’re conserving dwindling financial resources for more profitable endeavors. Anyway you look at this, they lose.

MEDIA WINNER: Autoblog, Jalopnik et al. The so-called new media continued their rise to prominence. Web slingers wrote stories, edited photos and transmitted the results for near-immediate posting on the Web. With Wi-fi, they didn’t even have to leave the show floor to do so. When The Old e-Gray Lady (the New York Times online) broke multiple photo embargos the night before the first press day, it was abundantly clear that print was dead.  

MEDIA LOSER: buff books. The reports and photos from the North American International Auto Show hit the blogosphere within minutes. The buff books’ reports won’t show up in tin mailboxes for at least a month, more likely two. The old tech publications are clamoring to morph themselves into something more relevant by utilizing video and feeding their own web sites. One ink-stained Hungarian-looking scribe called “Chubba” trailed around behind me with a film crew. He pretended not to know who I was but followed me everywhere. Creepy.

SHORT TAKE WINNERS:
• Audi – Major buzz around the R8, and deservedly so.
• Ford Verve – IF only…
• Nissan – The GT-R is gonna be a HUGE hit

SHORT TAKE LOSERS:
• Chinese automakers – Relegated to the COBO basement, where they belong
• Buick – Their only inspiration came from China. How great is that?
• Mercury – Who? What? Where? No one. Nothing. Nowhere.
• Jaguar – Jag needs a homerun. The XF ain’t it.
• Pontiac – Why would anyone buy a G8 over a CTS?

Taken as a whole, the 2008 North American International Auto Show did little to suggest that major manufacturers have busted any moves to meet the twin challenges of recession and regulation. Those that are ready, are. Those that aren’t, aren’t. I read somewhere that Nero was a pretty good fiddle player. So is Detroit.

[For full TTAC Auto Show coverage, click here.]