Or, more charitably (if equally egomaniacally), great minds think alike. Or, even less charitably (to both the Freep and TTAC), duh. First, let me get this off my chest. We've done the GM Attention Deficiency Disorder thing here, here, recently here and just about everywhere since ever I started this website. The fact that the Freep's Tom Walsh has only just reached this conclusion- after trying to reconcile J.D. Power's IQS rankings with domestic auto sales– is mind-boggling. As is the format of his treatise: "conversation with self." As are the simple-minded counter-arguments forwarded by his Detroit-loving half. "This [J.D.'s survey results] means that Detroit’s Big Two – General Motors and Ford Motor – are back in the game again. Right up there in quality with Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Audi and all those other foreign brands.” “Who cares?” “Whaddya mean, who cares? I care. We’ve got lots of trouble here in River City with plants closing, suppliers bankrupt, lots of people losing jobs. Better quality means our hometown companies will stop shrinking and start growing again.” Like Walsh's column, this realization is too little, too late. And too optimistic, too soon. 

It's easy to understand why folks are getting excited about the forthcoming Toyota-Subaru rear wheel-drive (RWD) coupe. But it seems that waiting is driving the autoblogosphere crazy. Take the recent revelation at Autoexpress that Subaru is working on an Impreza Coupe alongside a future Toyota Celica. Autoexpress insists that this Subaru-engineered Imprezica will sport either 180hp and RWD or an STI engine making 300hp and all wheel-drive (AWD). So they must be describing the long-rumored Toyobaru RWD sports coupe, right? The answer seems to be a resounding "maybe." Motor Authority asserts that the Impreza Coupe is "not basis of the new RWD sports car to be sold by both companies." That RWD sports car will have a 220hp base model with RWD and a 300hp AWD flagship model. So are these the same car or what? For what it's worth, Motor Authority also has spy photos of what they say is a prototype of the (non-Impreza) "RWD sports car." Take a gander for yourself, but it looks pretty Impreza-like to this blogger. Can Subaru really sell a RWD version of the eternally AWD Impreza? Will the RWD base version and AWD flagship carry different names? Can the internet be whipped into any more of a fanboy frenzy over this car? So many questions…

One knee-jerk reaction begets another. As reported yesterday, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) wasn't over the moon over the announced closure of GM's Oshawa truck plant. Note: Oshawa IS General Motors. Chevrolet's had a plant in the city since the early 1900s, before Oshawa itself was incorporated as a city. The local hockey team is named for GM. GM-Oshawa employed 2600 direct workers, and no doubt accounted for thousands of other peripheral jobs. So when GM CEO Rick Wagoner sounded the plant's death knell, the CAW's members immediately declared war. Today, CTVNews reports that defiant CAW members, fueled by a desperation that only comes when one has nothing to lose, are blockading the offices until further notice. There's no news of reactions from workers at the other Oshawa plant where they build Chevy Impalas and Buick Lacrosses/Allures. Meanwhile, Toyota and Honda, just as recently as last month, announced billion-dollar investments in Ontario. Hyundai/Kia is also considering moving in. Of course, we all know this story, don't we? Soon, Ontario will be another theatre of war that The General will cede to the Asians, during its long, tragic descent into oblivion.

I haven't had an email from my favorite ascot-wearing automotive journalist in quite some time. Yesterday, I held off pinging Jerry– i.e. blogging his Forbes' rant "What Auto Recession?" In this well-timed work, the automotive essayist argued that healthy sales abroad are a suitable salve for domestic doyennes depressed by Black Tuesday. I let it be, because it's so not true. On any level. Today, Mr. Flint has a prescription for Detroit. "Time for Plan B" reads a bit like Plan 9 From Outer Space. Step 1: luxury cars. "Instead of milking big SUVs for profits, Detroit needs to build more cars rich folks will pay big money to own." Step 2: export. "The U.S. is turning into a lower-cost production base… If Detroit can build a serious export business, it will expand the variety of cars it can profitably build." Step 3: build $30k economy cars. "Look at the Prius hybrid-electric vehicle: Without the fancy powertrain, it’s a $16,000 Toyota. Yet buyers wait in line to pay $26,000 for it." As I pointed out in yesterday's GM Death Watch, it's at least three years too late for Detroit to do anything but suffer. Still, it's nice to know our man Flint's thinking outside reality the box. 

More morning after meshugas: May sales stats reresent the first time in history that the transplants' sales have overtaken Detroit. The International Tribune is the bearer of sad tidings. "General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler combined for a record low market share of 44.4 percent, compared with 48.1 percent for 10 Asian brands, according to the Autodata Corporation, the industry statistics firm. Toyota Motor of Japan pulled to within 10,000 vehicles of overtaking GM in United States sales, and Honda posted its highest monthly sales total ever." The Trib also confirms TTAC's Best and Brightest's explanation for the 39.8 percent drop in Priora sales. "The head of Toyota Motor sales, Bob Carter, said the company had been hindered by production constraints and that its most fuel-efficient cars, including the Prius hybrid sedan, were selling as quickly as they could be built. 'Dealer stock for Prius is best measured in hours rather than days,' Carter said." In other words, if ToMoCo had more Priora, they would have sold more retail vehicle than GM in May. Responding to his employer's catastrophic sales collapse, GM marketing maven Mark LeNeve was characteristically upbeat– in a completely downbeat sort of way. "We're somewhere near the bottom," LaNeve said.

Yesterday was Black Tuesday for the American auto industry. TTAC's bloggers worked their fingers to the bone trying to keep up with an abandoned airport's worth of bad news. And still we didn't get it all. Anyway, it’s official. For the first time in sixteen years (since December 1992), a car has outsold the ubiquitous Ford F-series pickup trucks. Make that, FOUR cars. Last month, [Edmund's] "seismic shift" sent buyers into Toyota and Honda dealerships seeking fuel efficient sedans, rather than gas guzzling pickup trucks and SUVs. The Toyotas Corolla and Camry, and Hondas Civic and Accord, each outsold Ford's venerable tpickup. Feebly trying to explain F-series’ fifth place finish, Ford’s head sales honcho Jim Farley said, “May was a watershed month. We are, as an industry, catching up with the breathtaking choices customers are now making.” Meanwhile, this simple pistonhead asks: how this could be such a big surprise to a FoMoCo executive? 

To be honest, I really feel like writing, "ARGH!!!!!!! $4.59 for premium this morning! ARGH!!!!!!!" Especially because less than two months ago I was bitching and moaning about $3.99 per gallon. Might be time to put me on suicide watch come August. Ahem. Like all of you, as I drive I am constantly scanning the road for cars. Not so much to drive better. Rather, I just love cars. In fact, one of the aspects I most enjoy about Los Angeles is the constant non-stop parade of interesting cars. A few weeks ago I saw nine Aston Martins in a day– and only one was a DB7. I also saw three Ferraris, several Bentleys, a Rolls Phantom and Maserati GranTurismo, the latter being more beautiful than you can imagine. Plus, of course, more Porsches than you can shake a pair of Pilotis at. But aside from the exotic metal, LA serves as a starting point for trends. Let me put it this way — when we reported that Toyota had sold 1 million Priora, I wasn't surprised. At all. Nor was I shocked to learn that while Toyota sales are stumbling, Yaris sales are through the bloody roof. Between yesterday and today, I've counted 17 of the beefy looking pods. What have you been seeing?

The relationship between battery maker Cobasys and parent companies Chevron and Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) is entering the crisis stage. Previously, we reported that Cobasys had no budget or business plan for 2008. They still don't. Chevron cut off funding in September 2007. Oakland Business Review (via mlive.com) reports "the company has been operating on a loan and price increases from an undisclosed customer since February." In February, Cobasys' corporate parents "entered into an interim settlement agreement to negotiate a sale with an unnamed bidder;" they've extended the deadline for completing the sale seven times since then. GM's rumored to be their benefactor and mystery buyer, since Cobasys has the contract to develop and test lithium-ion battery systems for GM's plug-in hybrid electric vehicle program. Given GM's current financial situation, buying into a dysfunctional battery maker seems like a particularly dodgy deal. Which probably means it's exactly what they'll do. [Hat tip to Dan Segal for the link]

For Toyota NA, it's the best of times and the worst of times. Averaging it all out, the tempus ain't that great. More specifically (and less poetically), ToMoCo's U.S. ops were off 7.9 percent for the month. (And to their credit, they don't make you hunt– Ford style– for the bottom line.) The Toyota brand tanked by 6.3 percent, while Lexus hit the buffers by, get this, 19.6 percent. Despite their fuel economy, Toyota's passenger cars only held steady, losing .9 percent in all. The Prius took an enormous whack; moving down 39.8 percent, from 24,009 sales in May '07 to 15,011 sales in May '08. The Yaris (+26.6) and Scion xB (+40.9) scored notable victories. On the truck side, as you'd imagine, there's plenty of blood in the water. The new Tundra took it on the chin, shedding 34 percent of last May's sales. The FJ is in deep trouble, down 50.1 percent. Overall, Toyota's light trucks lost 15.5 percent. But hey, the new Sequoia's up 75 percent! Now if gas prices suddenly drop a buck or two…

Ford's May sales sank 16 percent overall. The number is the result of a 24 percent decline in truck and van sales with a whopping 44 percent drop in SUV sales. Fortunately, The Blue Oval Boyz had good showing on the car side. Fusion sales climbed 27 percent while the Focus ascended by 53 percent. Even though retail sales of cars were up 20 percent, when you factor in a drop in fleet sales (sales to rental companies down 30 percent), overall car sales were up only four percent. The big question, though, is if the F-150 is still the overall sales champ? Sales of the perennial best-seller were down 30.6 percent against last May and are down 18.7 percent year to date. Did it fall far enough for Toyota Camry to pull into the top spot? We'll let you know when all the sales numbers are in.

[Click here for Ford sales Press Release]

Toyota and Honda want to drive down then total cost of ownership of their hybrids. Autobloggreen reports that the Japanese automakers are dropping the price of replacement batteries for their hybrids, from stroke-inducing to somewhat painful. Replacement batteries for the Honda Insight are now $1,968, down from $3,400. Toyota lowered the cost of the Prius' power pack from $5.5k to a mere $3k. (Or you could buy them for $550 on eBay.) Still, though, the hybrid manufacturers are keen to stress the fact that battery replacement isn't a common procedure. Honda brags that they've replaced fewer than 200 battery packs out of warranty, out of 100k hybrids on the road. Toyota says their post-warranty replacement rate is 0.003 percent. What I want to see, though, is what their replacement rate is during the warranty period. I'm sure it won't approach GM's rate after their problems they had with Cobasys batteries. But you know they're all doing it. What they're not saying is how often.

Observers of Consumer Reports' "security through obscurity" 100-point grading system got a peek under the kimono with the arrival of the July 2008 issue. The Hyundai Elantra SE got a class-leading 82 rating, up from the Elantra GLS's 70. How so, without a full model changeover, one asks? Simple, says CR: well-tuned ESC and wider tires = better handling & braking. The re-do represents chump change– compared to going back to the drawing board. The small effort got the Hyundai some free publicity by becoming CR's Top Pick. Other recipients of tuning & suspension finesse: the Toyota Prius Touring (up 14 points to 82 from the base model). The Chevy Malibu LTZ V6 got a rethink, rising 13 points, beating-out the Saturn Aura XR andearning itself a place as a middling contender into a near-class leader. The upgrade's not enough to help the bottom-barrel Chevy Aveo/Pontiac G3 and Toyota Yaris, all stuck at 36. But for most other carmakers, there appears to be a not-so-difficult way to goose those ratings. Now, automakers, get to it, before CR changes their secret formula!

After Farago's good news yesterday from Ford corporate, we can bounce to even more good Blue Oval news today and I'm pretty much about to stroke with excitement. Ford has confirmed that the US will get its Fiesta compact car as a hatchback, not just the American-friendly and eye-unfriendly sedan. Since importing anything from Europe (cars, wine, cheese, deodorant) is currently cost-prohibitive, Ford will build the Fiesta in Mexico at – get this – a factory that previously built Ford F-Series for the Mexican market. Since pickup truck sales there are in the toilet as much as they are in the US, the factory is being converted to build the Fiesta and new Ford I-4 engines. That's right, they stopped overproducing a truck because sales weren't too hot and instead will be using it to make fuel-efficient cars and engines. Ford hasn't confirmed whether the hatchback Fiesta will be the three- or five-door version, but I'd bet dollars to donuts (really what does that mean) that it'll be the three-door. The biggest downside? It's coming in the proverbial "year 2010" as a 2011 model. That's two years away; Honda and Toyota will continue to chow down on Fit and Yaris sales (up 1.2 gazillion percent this year). This Fiesta is a car Ford needed in America yesterday last year two years ago and whether the ever-facelifted Focus can keep them afloat for that long, I don't know. But hey, if we make it to 2010, a Ford showroom with a Fiesta hatch and European-style Focus (also to be built in Mexico), and 350 horsepower Taurus will be hotter than Tricia Helfer. In Vegas. Meanwhile, hero of the day award to Alan Mulally. (source: Ford)

The Ford Escape was the world's first hybrid SUV. Contrary to popular belief, The Blue Oval's gas – electric trucklette does NOT use Toyota's Synergy Drive. FoMoCo's hybrid cute ute shares some patents with ToMoCo, and that's it. And there's another idea floating around: Ford is artificially restricting supplies to limit their loss-per-vehicle. True dat. Until and unless Ford can find a way to reduce its costs, the automaker has capped production of "the most fuel-efficient SUV on Earth" at 25k special order units per year (so much for Bill Ford's 250k hybrid pledge). Tales of three month waits are not unknown. The question is, what, if anything, are we missing?

If you're one of those people who believes GM has a coherent turnaround plan, or in fact believe in this unspecified, entirely elastic strategy for a return to profitability, you might want to take note of the fact that General Motors is locked in the PR version of Groundhog Day. As we've pointed-out many times, GM PR always saves its bad news for a Friday and/or makes major announcement on the same day it gets hit with disastrous numbers. This coming Tuesday (June 3) will be no exception. Automotive News [AN, sub] reports that GM CEO Rick Wagoner will reveal his new new turnaround plan (cut!) on the same day the company's May sales figures hit the wires. Amidst a predicted 10 percent overal U.S. new car sales drop, "analysts expect sales to drop 22 to 25 percent at GM and as much as 22 percent at Ford. Sales at Chrysler are also expected to be down by more than a fifth, according to analyst forecasts." As bad as those numbers will be, they won't be so bad for the transplants. Honda will post a gain, and "Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to reach a record market share… expected to reach 18.1 percent, up from 17.3 percent in the same month last year and 17.5 percent from last month." In other words, GM– and the rest of The Big 2.8– are losing sales and share. Gas prices, market shift, down economy, great sales in Russia; yada yada yada. As some point, the spin will stop.