Tesla Motors says it's taken 350 deposits for their Lotus Elise-based, lithium ion-propelled, $92k Roadster. Despite this success, Tesla's hyper-exotic may offer more hype than hope. The company won't allow expert evaluation of their product until it's "ready for market." Even before they've delivered a single Roadster, they're promising two additional, mass market electric vehicles– whose enabling technology is, at best, under-developed. Meanwhile, they've raised $60m in venture capital and secured $20m in state subsidies to build a New Mexican factory. To find out if the Tesla Roadster is keeping it real for planet Earth, or DeLorean/Tucker redux, we sent our man Shoemaker to Tesla for a "test drive."

[Cue organ music] Welcome to this week’s installment of “That’s the Way the Daimler Benz!” When we last we left our hapless heroine, little Chrissie Chrysler, the not-so-sprightly maiden was tied to the railroad tracks. The fiendish Dr Z stood nearby, twirling his mustache, laughing maniacally as he mentally explored the options for disposing of Chrissie’s family farm. Will this be the end of our plucky paladin? Or will a courageous cowboy arrive to save Chrissie in the nick of time? Join us as we anxiously await little Chrissie’s final fate. [Fade organ music]

After months of testing, teasing, politics and drama, Formula One’s 2007 season has finally sailed past the green flag. If last weekend’s thunder down under is any indication, the 2007 season may (or may not) provide a radical change from the increasing (not to say relentless) routine of F1 seasons past. There are new drivers driving new cars for new teams, and “old” drivers driving new cars for new teams. And thanks to rule changes, F1 racing technology has also altered in several important ways. Here’s the inside dope:

The Truth About Cars (TTAC) has consistently criticized domestic automakers for some pretty basic mistakes: lack of focus, glacial product cycles, bland design and poor customer communications. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit that this website suffers from these problems. But it is my full intention to address ALL of these challenges, so that we can keep faith with our basic brand promise. So, here’s where we’ve screwed-up and here’s what we’re going to do about it. Provided, that is, you agree.

In 1965, my family moved to Baltimore. From my seventh-grade perspective, it sucked. Iowa City was friendly, open-minded, cosmopolitan and relaxed. Towson was cold, prejudiced, provincial and uptight. I soon learned to loathe everything about Maryland– except crab cakes, soul music and the eastern shore. I became a rebel with a cause: driving.

My official driving license was still years away. I mourned the loss of my hot-rodding neighbors, friendly dealerships and farm vehicles. I withdrew into an inner auto-life. I spent long afternoons at the drug store reading car magazines cover to cover, ignoring the pharmacist’s reproachful gaze. I left everything from Hot Rod to Sports Car Graphic shop-worn.

How many of us sketched cars in the margins of our grade school notebooks? For a small minority, that’s the beginning of their life’s work. Those with the gift go on to enroll in design colleges to pursue a career in Transportation Design. Once there, the budding designers’ personal expressions are run through the meat grinder of de-constructive criticism. While the process is daunting, it is nothing compared to the “real world” of car design.

Germany’s IGM is the world’s largest labor union. What’s more, German law dictates that half of any German corporation’s supervisory board (minus one) must be “reserved” for its members. In Volkswagen’s case, even elected board members are subject to union influence; the politically malleable state government of Lower Saxony controls VW’s elected seats. As previously described, union control over “The People’s Car” has inflicted grievous harm on VW’s brand positioning. Yet in the last year, there have been signs of change.

My first car was a 1989 Passat station wagon. The Passat fully embodied the literal translation of the company’s name: the people’s car. It was reasonably priced, cheap to maintain and mechanically robust. The interior was roomy and practical. Compare it to today’s expensive, unreliable and over-plush Passat and you’ll know why the German automaker is in trouble. Volkswagen has lost their natural place in the market, a spot originally staked-out by Adolph Hitler.

When GM suddenly decided it needed a convincing small car for the US market, Car Czar Bob Lutz scanned his European operations and fixed his once-steely gaze on the next gen Opel Astra. Unfortunately, GM’s bean counters confirmed what common sense suggested: labor costs, transportation costs, unfavorable exchange rates and competitive pricing preclude the possibility of profit. Maximum Bob was undeterred, claiming GM will build the “Saturn Astra” in the US if it succeeds (i.e. loses them lots of money). All of which raises an important question: does the Astra have what it takes to sell stateside?

As far as I’m concerned, Jaguar died the day the suits killed the F-Type. Jag’s prototype Boxster beater had it all: sexy looks, the promise of phenomenal performance and a decent chance of hitting the right price point. But oh no, the American owned company decided to spend its time and money building… diesels. And a badge engineered Ford Mondeo called the X-Type. And estates— sorry, “sportwagons.” So, seven years later, I found myself behind the wheel of Jaguar’s perfect storm: a diesel X-Type Sportwagon. Or, as the Brits say, the dog’s breakfast.