Looks like oil isn't the only liquid that will challenge car owners' budgeting skills in the near future. The Ottawa Sun reports that come 2008, a methanol shortage may cause two-fold hikes in the prices of windshield washer fluid. According to the Sun, the Vancouver-based company Methanex, which produces methanol for companies that produce windshield washer, is selling the critical ingredient at $832 per metric tonne, up from a low of $309. The Sun speculates that we may be looking at $5 or $6 a (4L) jug, up from about $3 right now. The cause of the shortage is two-fold: natural gas supplies becoming more difficult to come by and export tariffs imposed by (the methanol-producing nation of) Argentina. With one of the worst winters hitting the North East in 40 years, it seems like perfect timing.

From candy corn to Lincoln Continentals, Craigslist is the ultimate Turkish bazaar. It's an almost universally accessible free market for millions of folks who once paid (and paid) for the ‘privilege’ of selling their stuff. From a pistonhead perspective, Craigslist seems to be a great place to buy and sell automobiles. Even a brief scan shows that the site offers a vehicle for every type of appliance seeker, enthusiast and hobbyist. I’ve been using Craigslist as my site du jour for nearly three years. During that time, I’ve sold more than a hundred vehicles through the service. But I'm a pro, and I’m here to warn you that there's a dark side to the deal.

Ward's Auto reports Panda Ethanol Inc. is planning to build a new plant in Muleshoe, Texas. They plan to process 38m bushels of feedstock-grade corn per year, producing an estimated 115m gallons of ethanol. What makes this plant different from other ethanol plants? Yup. The energy source used to generate the steam in the refining process ain't gonna be electricity or natural gas. The Muleshoe plant will use gassified manure– a projected one billion pounds of cow shit per year, to be exact. The company estimates the b.s. will save the plant a thousand barrels of oil per day. If Panda (Panda?) could find a way to transport bullshit directly from Washington D.C. to Muleshoe, they could more than double production.

The future VW Touareg will be no big surprise in terms of design; it's expected to follow the current VW design line. I think it will borrow some “youth” from the kid-brother Tiguan, but display it with the macho attitude we are used to from the Cayenne/Touareg duo. The desert landscape in my rendering is intended to be in harmony with the dry-post-holiday-hangover-feel some might experience. Happy New Year!

[For more Avarvarii photochopistry, click here.]

Whatcar.com says Porsche's on-again/off-again cute-ute is on again. And if further diluting the Porsche sportscar ethos with a mini-Cayenne isn't bad enough, the aspiring VW owner has trademarked the Roxster name– meaning it'll show up on something eventually. (We would have gone for Paprika.) The newest anti-Porsche will be based on the upcoming Audi Q5, ostensibly to do battle with the BMW X3. Wait… isn't that what the Q5 is supposed to do? Anyway, the photochopped speculation on its appearance in the link shows something that looks like a cross between a Cayenne and a RAV-4. It's not due for at least two more years. Here's hoping Porsche's brass will use that time to come to their senses before they're forced (by whom we're not saying) to commit Hara-kiri with a Porsche Design Chroma Type 301 kitchen knife.

The American Family Association (AFA) has sent out an "action alert" to its members informing them that Ford's health care policy covers the medical expense of workers who undergo a sex change operation. Apparently, a full page Volvo ad in The Advocate's transgender issue got someone within Donald E. Wildmon's organization thinking about Ford's medical plans for employees suffering from gender dysmorphia. The AFA report claims "Ford offers medical benefits to help pay expenses of those who choose to undergo sex change operations. Ford pays for mental health counseling, hormone therapy, medical visits, and short-term disability after surgical procedures for employees who desire to change their sex." The AFA hopes the alert will help add adherents to their petition declaring its signatories' intention to "boycott Ford Motor Company automobiles until Ford stops supporting homosexual groups which are pushing homosexual marriage." The AFA claims the e-document has attracted 777,833 signatures. Given that the organization also claims its campaign has been the "driving force" behind Ford's dropping sales and Bill Ford's decision to step aside for CEO Alan Mulally, a grain (though not a column) of salt may be in order.

With 2007 gasping its last breath, the Detroit Free Press asked local civic and industry leaders for their thoughts on the upcoming year. GM's Slick Rick Wagoner took the conservative approach and wished for "an end to the housing and auto recessions in the U.S. in 2008; a comprehensive U.S. energy policy, and continued success in emerging markets." Mark "The Mullet" Fields from FoMoCo took an equally optimistic view, hoping "we don't continually talk ourselves into a recession" and wishing "cars and crossovers will outsell trucks and SUVs for the first time in many years." But every auto journalist's favorite sound bite machine Maximum Bob Lutz didn't mince words: "Now that we have the 35 miles-per-gallon fuel economy mandate by 2020, I am hoping that in 2008 'Professor Doktor' David Friedman (research director, clean vehicles program, Union of Concerned Scientists) and his 'highly-qualified' band of allegedly concerned, self-proclaimed scientists will turn their energy toward showing the world's automotive industry exactly how those numbers, using existing technology and 'costs of a few hundred dollars at the most' can be attained with a vehicle selection that even remotely resembles the cars and trucks Americans want to buy today." Go get 'em Bob!

When you make the market’s most un-SUV-like SUV– a large, fast, expensive, thirsty, luggage and mud-aversive vehicle– what do you do for an encore? If you’re Infiniti, you make a virtually identical smaller version that’s slightly more fuel efficient. And how do you convince consumers to buy this $40k FX35 mini-me? You cram it with enough electronics to keep an AWACS crew busy for hours. Strangely, that’s not the best reason to buy an EX35. Hell, it’s not even a good reason. But I’m getting ahead of myself here…

"And even those who keep paying their [car loan] bills may reach a point… where they simply can't afford another car. That could send vehicle sales down the drain, a nightmare scenario for an industry that has already taken a hit this year from slower consumer spending and higher gas prices." This little tidbit in the LA Times underscores a point TTAC made when GM first offered "Anyone with a Pulse" zero percent financing: easy credit creates short term gain leading to long-term pain. The Times identifies four warning signs that the easy credit chickens are coming home to roost. First, loan durations are growing. "Nearly 45 percent of loans are for longer than six years. Toyota Financial Services and Ford Credit are offering seven-year financing. And a few credit unions are tinkering with the eight-year note." Second, the loan amount is rising. "In October, the average amount financed hit $30,738, up $3,500 in just a year and nearly 40% in the last decade." Third, more and more customers are "backwards" on their loans, by a larger amount. "Today's average car owner owes $4,221 more than the vehicle is worth at the time it's sold." And fourth, an increasing number of these negative equity car owners are hanging fire on new cars– or simply defaulting. "S&P says delinquencies of more than 60 days on car loans issued this year to borrowers with the best credit are up 20 percent compared to those issued last year." Manufacturers and consumers alike are learning there's no such thing as a free car.

Consumeraffairs.com reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has rejected a request from Ralph Nader's Public Citizen advocacy group to revoke some of Ford's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) credits. Public Citizen claimed that 2003 – '05 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable vehicles "do not perform up to standards when fueled with E85." Public Citizen argued that an unknown number of these 228k Flex Fuel Fords wouldn't start when filled with corn juice. What's more, some of the E85-fed Taurus engines would stall, creating a safety hazard. NHTSA demurred, saying that E85-related engine stalling was "rare." And anyway, simple repairs fixed the problem. While the issue clearly relates to Ford's engineering prowess, the idea that a tankful of E85 can make a car fail to start or stall probably isn't an idea that the Renewable Fuels Association would like to see widely disseminated. You're welcome.