So what about Chrysler’s halftime ad? You know, the one with a Clint Eastwood who looked like he would die on the set? It did not show up in any of the Edmunds.com rankings. It is neither on the “that ad’s the bomb!” list. Nor is it on the list of ads that bombed. Maybe because Edmunds could not find the car. Car? What car? The ad tried really hard to repeat the “Imported from Detroit” success. Instead, the ad created a lot of controversy. Controversy? The [forbidden word] hit the fan! It might cost Obama the election!

A lot of people mistook it for a political ad. Chrysler Group Chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne had to quickly refute the rumor on a Detroit talk radio program:

“It had zero political content. I think we need to be careful, and God knows I can’t stop anybody from associating themselves with the message. But it was not intended to be any type of political overture on our part.”

After Karl Rove, former top political aide to President George W. Bush, said that this is tantamount to “using tax dollars to buy corporate advertising,” the White House had to deny that the ad was a “I give you Chrysler, you help me getting re-elected” deal.  After claiming that all the ad wants to do is “sell cars” (what cars?), White House press secretary Jay Carney went on to say:

“It does point out a simple fact, which is that the automobile industry in this country was on its back, and potentially poised to liquidate three years ago, and this president made decisions that were not very popular at the time that were guided by two important principles: One, that he should do what he could to ensure that 1 million jobs would not be lost; and two, that the American automobile industry should be able to thrive globally if the right conditions were created, and that included the kinds of reforms and restructuring that Chrysler and GM undertook in exchange for the assistance from the American taxpayer.”

So there. Marchionnegate off the table.

Leave it to what Wikipedia calls “an American neoconservative^[2][3][4][5] opinion magazine^[6]” to light one hell of a fire under the ad. The Weekly Standard found out that Detroit’s comeback ad was – are you ready for this –not filmed in Detroit. Really. The Weekly Standard cites Chrysler spokeswoman Dianna Gutierrez who admitted:

“Yes, part of it was filmed in New Orleans . . . and some was filmed in various parts—such as Los Angeles.”

Shockingly, Gutierrez is quoted as saying that the tunnel scenes were taken at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the stadium shots were in New Orleans. According to the Weekly Standard, stock footage of Detroit was used:

“Asked whether any part of the ad was filmed in Detroit, Gutierrez said that previously taken footage from various parts of the Motor City was used. No image of Detroit was shot for the specific use in this ad.”

Now THAT is a juicy scandal. Who needs allegedly illegal; campaign contributions if we have THAT? Fake Detroit! Two hours after the Weekly Standard, Fox News was on the story, and there’s no stopping it. This thing is more viral than Ebola.

At the time of this typing, the ad had 2,730,612 3,933,192 views on YouTube. THAT’s what we need in these trying times: Free advertising.

Longterm TTAC reader and indie musician Pennan Brae sent us a link to his latest video. It has a nice red Buick Skylark Convertible in it. At least one of the protagonists looks hot too. Because of the car, we would have run the video anyway. Then, Pennan decided to bribe us.

Look at this still from the video. And then …

There is the truth again!

With our interest sufficiently bribed piqued, we asked Pennan to tell us a bit about the car. Here it goes:

“I purchased this 1963 Buick Skylark Convertible in Portland, Oregon last April after first viewing it in March.  I’m a musician and I’d created a story for a music video for my song, ‘On The Highway’, which called for a classic car.  I looked at rental options, but they seemed pricey and I could redirect those funds towards a purchase and have something to be proud of and share with family afterwards. I always dreamed of owning a classic car and this pink beauty was truly love at first sight.  I dubbed her ‘Penelope’. 

My goal was to drive the 1000 miles to Los Angeles to meet the director, shoot the video and then return home.  Please let me reiterate that I’m a musician and not a mechanic.  In other words, I’m not the brightest guy in the world when it comes to car-related issues; i.e., things I should be aware of. 

I was excited to pick Penelope up and observe the improvements which were to be done by the dealer in prepping her for the journey.  While things externally were excellent, I realized there were items internally which were not completed as I hit the road.  For example, the speedometer and the interior dashboard lights were not working.  Hence I was going to have to ‘drive by feel’, and gauge my speed to other cars on the highway and shine a light on the dash as it got dark to check my fuel level.  I of course strove to eliminate this problem by avoiding night driving.

Thus I proudly and not too brightly pulled away, still infatuated with Penelope and excited by driving a lovely piece of Americana down the coast.  A couple hours south of Portland though I hit the mountains which take you from Oregon into California and it was snowing hard.  My bare knuckles gripped the wheel; I knew this was not the place or conditions for this car.  18-wheelers flew by and I imagined the site of this pink Buick plodding up the pass; in one way it was comical but in another, this was how folks got around 50 years ago.  If it was good enough then, why not now? 

After that mountain pass I cruised down the I-5 and Penelope loved it.  She seemed to sail through the vineyards and orchards of Central California effortlessly.  The sun shone, people smiled and honked at the car and I felt Penelope had found her natural habitat.  She seemed to just drive herself.

Then we hit LA traffic, but it wasn’t too bad.  I found the director’s home and he was pleased with the vehicle he was going to film.  We then prepared our work.  On Day 2 we would head into the California desert to shoot some highway scenes.

The trouble hit on that second day as, boom! a cylinder blew. An oil leak had sprung.  Smoke billowed out the air vents; we were scared and upset.  The fortunate part was we were near a turn-off to a community and so limped the car off to a gas station.  Just an hour prior, we wandered the desert by Edwards Air Force Base looking for an idyllic mountain backdrop to film; if Penelope had broke down there with no community about, we would’ve been in major trouble.

Some friendly locals in Rosamond gave us a hand and we left the vehicle with a mechanic who worked at Edwards A.F.B.  Prior to this setback, we did some excellent work shooting, but were obviously dejected by the reality of our situation and the fact we couldn’t finish our shoot.  We committed to doing so once Penelope was ready to roll again.

The car was transferred to Palmdale and repairs were made.  5 weeks later, I flew down to meet the director and finish this project.  We were lucky in that everyone involved in the shoot was still available and willing.  We were going to complete this.

So we did.  Penelope drove like a dream.  It was a costly error on my part, but I learned from it.  Our team worked hard to complete the shoot and I felt the director did a wonderful job capturing the spirit of the shoot and then telling the story in the final edits. 

At the end of the day, Penelope got home, better than before and hotter than ever.”

“In 1909, people shifted from the horse carriage to the automobile, and horses retired from the world of mobility. What happened to the horses? We still have horse races. People love horses. People support horses and horse racing. As long as car enthusiasts exist, motor sports will continue.”

Akio Toyoda, February 2, 2012, at the hachi-roku launch party

“Some Americans already put a 5 liter engine in a Mazda roadster. There are fanclubs who want to do the same with our car. There is no rule to limit that. As manufacturers, we can’t do that. We have to give guarantees. We need to build cars that last. Tuners can try. We welcome that.”

“As it is, only highly skilled drivers can make full use of the stock engine. Some people may like to have a higher speed in the straightaway, but there are lots of other cars they can choose.”

Nevertheless, Tada leaves the door open to more factory power, with interesting partners:

“For our current engine, we cooperated with Subaru. Maybe we cooperate with Porsche or someone else next time. You can partner with anybody in the world these days.”

BMW for instance?

Hachi-roku Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada credits his sons with giving him the impetus to develop this car. His sons are 24 and 27 now, they do not have a driver’s license and show no interest in cars. “They sit in front of the computer all day,” says Tada. “On Gran Turismo, they are better than their father. But they don`t want to drive.”

Tada tells how he took his boys to the racetracks since age 5 to awaken an interest in cars. It was a disaster, Tada admits:

“Manufacturers like to blame young people for having no interest in cars. Maybe we should blame ourselves. Manufacturers provided boring cars and focused on older people, because this is where the money is. We have abandoned young people.”

Creating new excitement for young people in an affordable car became the driving force behind the hachi-roku. Then, Tada had another idea. “I want to provide an interface between our car and their computer.” When Tada mentioned this to his sons, their eyes lit up.

Toyota, says Tada, developed an interface that makes CAN bus data available to a computer or game machine. Toyota has ditched all driving nannies on the hachi-roku, and pared down the electronics to what is legally mandated. But the car must have a CAN bus, and Tada wants to give the data to the driver. Not like a glorified data logger. Says Tada:

“People could load driving data into Gran Turismo and recreate the drive. We can combine the data with Google streetview. People could drive in the real world against a virtual F1 driver. They can have fun with the data.”

Hachi-roku owners can do whatever they or developers come up with, because Tada wants to publish the specs.

A patent for that interface has been applied for, and as mentioned before, the gizmo “should be ready to buy by August 6^th.”

I requested an advance copy and will keep you posted. I better buy Gran Turismo.

The car is made at Subaru’s Gunma Manufacturing Division, 1,000 per month. Currently, there are more than 3,000 pre-orders, I better take a number. “But when will the car arrive in the U.S.?“ is what you and I want to know. “Not decided yet,” is the official answer.

Privately, I hear that the car should arrive in America, “sometime in summer.” It will be many hot months before Jack Baruth knows whether he is amongst the chosen 86.

Later, I question hachi-roku Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada, about the U.S. launch date. No answer. Then, a possible hint.

It soon becomes evident that Toyota is really in love with everything 86. The car will be exported to 86 countries, Tada says. Later, we discuss an electronic gizmo Tada dreamt up (to be covered in the next installment,) and I ask Tada whether the gizmo will be available before the car arrives in the U.S.

“Oh, I expect it will be ready by August 6,” says Tada.

I ask him whether that day has a special importance.

“It is an eight and a six,” says Tada with a sibyllinic smile.

Hmmm.

Later in the evening, I receive a phone call from Toyota, saying that I shouldn’t take the 86 countries at face value, it might be a different number. What about August 6, I ask. “Let’s not even go there,” is the answer. Oh, the incertitude!

However, I was told that today, that now we have real specs and prices, and the cars (which looked deceptively like the production prototypes) are the ones that will be sold. In Japan. As for America –– we’ll get to that. Here are the vital stats of the hachi-roku JDM spec:

Trim levels: RC, G, GT, GT “Limited.”
Weight: From 1,180kg (2,601 lbs) for the RC version to 1,250kg (2,756 lbs)
Engine: DOHC horizontally opposed 4-cylinder direct injection
Output: 147kW (200hp) / 7,000 rpm
Torque: 205nm / 6,400 – 6,600 rpm
Wheelbase: 2,570mm

And to answer a burning and often asked question: Yes, a tape deck, even a CD radio with USB are available. As options.

Now, the prices. Prices range from 1,990,000 yen for the RC version to 3,050,000 yen for the “the works” GT Limited version. The RC version is a barest minimum stripped spec, meant for environmentally responsible racing: This way, you don’t have to toss stuff you don’t need on the track. But don`t fall in love with the specs unless you are in Japan.

“The U.S. model will be a Scion,” hachi-roku Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada tells me later in a tete-a-tete. “Scion’s concept is one trim level. That should be comparable to our GT trim.”

In Japan, the GT trim costs 2,790,000 yen for the stick shift, and 2,870,000 yen for the automatic. That would be a whopping $36,677 if converted by Google. For the stick.

Toyota spokesfolk and later Tada warned repeatedly against coquettish currency conversions, as they made the rounds on fan sites. The Japanese prices includes taxes, and in any case, prices in other countries will be what the market requires, not what Google says. The U.S. price remains a secret. I would guess it’s below $30K, but no way is it below $20K. And no, no stripper version stateside. You heard the man.

Today, I will write about nothing else than Hachi-Roku, while the rest of the gang will serve you TTAC’s unusual fare of opinionated news, new opinion, old cars, fast women and rare guitars.

I shall be back after I have transcribed my tapes and developed my film. You will hear specs, prices, launch dates. You will learn why the grown-up son of the hachi-roku Chief Engineer has no driver’s license, and how this gave birth to a new idea. You will also hear why Akio Toyoda thinks that cars may become as relevant as horses, and why that’s o.k.

Stay tuned.

To celebrate the arrival of the, well, in a way, new Type 991 911, the Porsche Museum Stuttgart launches a great 911 retro- and introspective.  On display from today until 20 May will be an overdose of 911. 

The Porsche Museum is exhibiting all the 911 generations, from the “original 911” Ur-Elfer of 1963 to the new Type 991 of 2012, nicely set against a historically relevant backdrop. Think “Wirtschaftswunder” meets greed & Greece.

Likewise on display will be rare motor racing variants such as the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 “Safari” or the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid. The show with the title “911 Identity” lets you admire secret design documents, still in their Leitz two ring binders. Speaking of secret, you can admire an original 991 Erlkönig in the flesh, and sit behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 Carrera. Porsche will hope that the contact is contagious.

Just don’t come on Monday: The Porsche Museum is open  Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eight euro for adults, children pay half.

“We filed a Chapter 11 just in case a white knight comes out of nowhere and buys Saab`s parent.”

Dealers are being owed money for unpaid warranty, incentive reimbursement and sundry others. Per dealer, the sums are said to range from $79.11 to $167,977.98.

The Church of St. Victor has a different version. Under the headline “Saab US Dealers Ask For Chapter 11 Protection,” they write:

“Take this as a good sign, today 41 US dealers asked a judge for Chapter 11 protection which would allow them greater involvement in a liquidation and to preserve whatever structure they can in case a bid for the entire company is accepted.”

Fellow blogsters and spinmeisters: If you ask a judge for Chapter 11 protection, then it’s YOU who is hounded by creditors and collection agencies, and it’s you who wants protection. Which would be more than plausible with a lot full of cars nobody wants.

PS: After some of the flock complain, the church changes the headline “Saab US Dealers Ask For Chapter 11 Protection” to “Saab US Dealers Ask For SCNA Chapter 11 Protection.” Not a big improvement as long as the copy stays the same.

Deal with it. Do you know what is cool? An El Camino is.

Save your redneck jokes, my red El Camino was born cooler than your hybrid when it rolled off the Fremont California assembly line in 1966. Sure, all the Hollywood A-Listers have a Prius, or a Leaf, or an Insight. But I have rarely looked to those who occupy the gossip columns to cue my behavior. After all, I have been married for over 10 years, apparently 3 months is en vogue. The last time you saw an Elky with the Hollywood crowd was on “My Name is Earl,” incidentally, the story of moral virtues in pursuit of good karma.  I get it; it’s the mullet of cars, business in the front, party in the back and redneck all over. It doesn’t matter, my El Camino is cooler than your hybrid.

Hybrids are “in,” and owning anything less is considered unfashionable, irresponsible and it helps the terrorists win. This was the same line that was used to hawk giant SUV’s and the same celebrities drove them because they were safe. My El Camino was better than those as well. So while green hipsters glob onto this latest fad, I’ll keep my ‘neckmobile.

Making hybrids “cool” has degraded them into fashion accessories. An Elky was never the choice of the jet set, and you will never see Paris Hilton driving a pink one. No, an El Camino is a purpose made device. Utilitarian by nature, the El Camino was designed to reduce, reuse and recycle from the day it was sketched onto a sheet of draft paper. One device built to do the work of two, reducing the need for more. As any 1^st grader can tell you, one is less than two. Any college activist will tell you, less is good and excess is bad. So the old Elky may not seem as cool on the surface, but by being less, it is good. Good is cool.

Hybrids are now built on existing platforms to have a driving feel like conventional vehicles, but at the expense of efficiency. A standard American pickup averages 15 MPG, the hybrid version yields a mere 5 MPG advantage. Perusing http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ will show the folly of several hybrid options. After all these decades, my “personal pickup” still nets mileage in the high teens, almost par with the 20 MPG of a full size hybrid truck. Annually, a non-hybrid full size pickup or SUV will cost you around $3700 in fuel; a Hybrid will save $1300 a year. The small block Chevy in the Elky will consume $3200, less than the regular truck, but still a chunk over the $2400 you’ll feed a hybrid. But, my Elky cost 1/6^th the price of a new hybrid. So in a hybrid you get 20/23 MPG, a cattle drive slaughtered for the interior and a roughly $13,000 premium. The return of investment on that vehicle is 15 years. By then something way more fashionable will have come along. Meanwhile, my 3600 lb beauty will continue being a simple honest transport. Honesty, like money, is also always cool.

Finally, despite all the talk, unless you live in the great Land Down Under, you can’t purchase a new El Camino. By rights, any Elky you lay your hands to is (to a degree) a classic. More so, since they don’t make them anymore, they are also a finite resource. You read that correctly, resource. If you can use it (remember, an El Camino is a tool), then it is a resource. Regardless, you have a period object of limited availability, like a collectable wine. It may not age well, but it will appreciate. My Elky bottomed out the depreciation curve when Gerald Ford was still president. So just like an old pair of jeans that still fit, my Elky is only getting better. Not just financially, but fashion-wise because it is a vintage piece. Those same hipsters who swear Hybrids are “in” also wear distressed clothes and have thrift shops all over the country prospering. Because vintage is cool.

So go ahead. Talk all about your regenerative braking systems that recover kinetic energy. Prattle on about your in car DVD, 16-speaker surround and hybrid electric drivetrain. It doesn’t matter. The Elky will still get thumbs-ups from truckers, frantic waves from small children and approving nods from bikers, hot rod owners and anyone working at the auto parts store. A hybrid will never generate that reaction, because no matter what the “in crowd” says, a hybrid is not cool, but an El Camino is.

Reporters gasped at the $160,000 a hand-built custom Ford Mustang went for at the auction in Scottsdale. The same reporter nearly had a heart attack over the $4.2 million a rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing fetched ( it could have been $4.62 million, accounts by the same reporter differ.)

The media missed the sensation of the day: An oil burning six year old Jetta sold for $35,000.

The 1.9 liter 6-speed red Volkswagen race car had competed in the Speed World Challenge Touring Car Series. The proceeds went to the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.

The absolute star of the show: A 35hp 2007 New Holland “Boomer” tractor. It went for $535,000, the fact that it was signed by Jay Leno did not reduce the price. Its proceeds went to the Fisher House Foundation. (It  may have been signed by President George W. Bush. Accounts differ again.)

Want  a piece of “quirky” history?  While the good folks at the Church of the One True Saab still have dreams of white knights, Saab’s heritage is being auctioned off. This caught the attention of Bringatrailer.com (“The best vintage and classic cars for sale online.”) In a lengthy piece, the organ for trailer trash collector’s online hub salivates over “the entire collection of 100+ cars belonging to the Saab Heritage Museum in Trollhaettan, Sweden” to the liquidator.

The cars  include everything from the 1946 Ur-Saab to recent show prototypes. Complete listing here, in Swedish. A rare collector’s item in itself!123 pages, 2 pictures per car. Saab history, written by the executioner. Download your piece of Saab history for  FREE!

As for the auction, you don’t even need to bring a trailer to drag away your loot. Also on auction are the workhorses of the museum which include an enclosed trailer, and a Saab 9000 back-halved flat-bed hauler.

The cars are auctioned off by the Swedish law firm Delphi. Written bids on the collection, as a whole, or, come on, cheapskate, individually, are requested via mail or fax by this Friday, January 20th. Instructions here.

Place your bids, or do we have to send Steve Lang over there? Come on, didn’t you always wanted to own the concept cars, just as they show them at the car show? Now you can. Their loss, your gain.

 GM is ready to reduce output of the Volt plug-in hybrid. Wait, that’s putting it a bit harshly. GM is ready to  “match supply and demand,” as GM vice chairman Steve Girsky told Reuters yesterday. GM wants to monitor sales for a few more months until the matching begins.

“I think it will be May or June before we really know if this thing has legs,” Girsky told Reuters. “We are prepared for it if it does.”

Last year, GM sold about 8,000 Volts, a little more than half of its annual target. This time, Girsky wisely excused himself from making forecasts.

As Reuters put it, “slow sales of the Volt would hardly make a dent in GM’s overall U.S. sales, which rose 13 percent to 2.5 million last year.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, GM now is “targeting 45,000 U.S. Volt sales in 2012. It also plans to export 15,000 of the Detroit-built cars to Europe.” Also according to the WSJ, the recent battery woes did not affect sales:

“General Motors Co. sold 1,529 battery-powered Chevrolet Volt cars last month, a 34% increase from November, amid a U.S. investigation into whether the car’s battery poses a fire risk.

More than one-third of those sales were to corporate fleets; a larger proportion than in previous months when about 10% of Volts were bought by corporate and other fleet customers.“

This tidbit had attracted accusations (see above) by people who claimed that GM is goosing the numbers with fleet sales. Not true, the WSJ says, the Volt’s fleet sales were so high because for the first time there are enough Volts to supply the fleets, and they are paying the same as a regular car buyers.

Sure.

Twas the day before Christmas, and driving from Lexington, Mass., to northern Virginia, on the New Jersey Turnpike just two miles south of the Molly Pitcher service area, my ’99 Accord 5-speed hit 200,000 miles. I love the New Jersey Turnpike so this was a highly appropriate spot for the milestone.
This is the first car in my extended family to pass 200k. My brother’s son, Aaron, has the second furthest traveled car in the family, a ’95 Volvo 940 wagon. It has a mere 175k on the clock, despite the fact that Aaron lives in LA. The Volvo was the last car my parents ever bought, on my birthday in 1999, and I’m sorry Aaron is replacing it, as it is a truly classic Brick, but Aaron’s cousin, comedian David Malkoff (Mark’s brother), is giving Aaron an ’02 Civic with less than 100k for $2,000. When Aaron asked me if the car was a good deal, I told him that if he didn’t want it I’d buy it, myself. Similarly, my sister’s son, Dillon’s car, a Grand Cherokee, which he inherited from his father, is being replaced about 25k short of 200k. Both cars were nickel and diming their owners.

The Accord still runs well. The engine is peppy, and I got 31.5 mpg on the ride down to Virginia, averaging more than 70 mph, despite having put the snows on. Moreover, when I wind up the engine, the little voice in my head goes off: “I love this car”. The Accord may not be Mozart, but it IS Salieri to the Boxster’s Mozart.
Nonetheless, this year I’ve spent close to $2,000 on repairs, including replacing the gas tank, which readers of Piston Slap will remember from earlier this month. And I’m near due for a timing belt.

In this day and age, 200k really isn’t that much. My dear friend, Robyn’s ’97 Impreza, bought new, went 265k before she donated it to NPR, at which point a number of expensive repairs loomed (although the noisy manual trans probably got that way from neglect of fluid replacement). My handyman, Greg’s Volvo 740 wagon has 300k. I’ve heard plenty of other stories like this.

Can you beat me? Can you beat Robyn? Can you beat Greg? Do you have a story to go with the milestone? (By the way, please don’t tell me about the 1966 Volvo P1800 that supposedly has 2.8 million miles, or about 60,000 miles/year, every year beginning during the Johnson Administration. I’ve tried and failed to track down the owner, and I won’t believe that story until I see it well documented.)

Once upon a time, the Dodge brand was brimming with pride. In the mid-to-late 1990s, Dodge had it all: affordable compacts, big front-drive cruisers, the hottest trucks on the market, and of course, the Viper. And when the times were good, all of those part melded into one brash, exciting, quintessentially American brand. From Neons and Intrepids, from Rams to Vipers, Dodge could do it all, as long as “it all” included a healthy dash of in-your-face attitude. But over the years, as Dodge’s shining moment faded into memory, the brand has managed to become both less viscerally appealing and less well-rounded. And when Fiat’s leadership stripped Dodge of the Ram “brand,” shucked its designs of their truckish cues, and repositioned Dodge as a more “youthful” and “refined” sporting brand, it seemed as if Dodge as we knew it was dying. Since hearing of Fiat’s plans to bring Alfa stateside, and with Dodge appearing to have lost out in brand alignment product battles, we’ve been wondering for some time now if Dodge isn’t headed out to pasture. Now there’s even more evidence that Dodge is being hollowed out en route to replacement with Alfa, as Automotive News [sub] reports

Absent from the redesigned SRT Viper will be the name Dodge… Viper has been linked to Dodge since the Dodge Viper RT/10 concept debuted in 1989. The first Dodge Viper SRT-10 went on sale in 1992, and over the years 28,056 Vipers were produced, according to Chrysler.

Not any more. Essentially, SRT becomes a brand with its own vehicle, in this case the SRT Viper.

That’s right, Dodge won’t have a Viper or a Ram (or, more prosaically, an Avenger or Caravan). Some might argue that, absent these components, the Dodge name doesn’t mean much of anything anymore. Certainly it doesn’t seem that Dodge can have a particularly bright future without any links to its last moment of glory.

Chrysler Group insists that the branding shift has nothing, NOTHING, to do with any elimination of the Dodge brand. In the words of a Chrysler Group spokesman,

SRT is the high-performance end of the company. The whole brand philosophy and the branding separation between Dodge and SRT will evolve over time. This is kind of that first step establishing what SRT means to the company and what that car means to the brand.

The other side of the company’s argument: the Dodge brand has “baggage” in some global markets, and by branding it as an SRT, the Viper can have a unified global brand and be sold (theoretically) at Alfa and Maserati stores. On the downside, these kinds of sleight-of-brand moves don’t tend to fool anybody, and more to the point, how many consumers know anything about the SRT “brand”? But all that aside, the mere existence of an SRT brand seems to trade off directly with Dodge’s continued success. After all, without trucks or performance halos, what exactly is Dodge again? And with Dodge’s post-Fiat-takeover brand boss Ralph Gilles jumping from Dodge to SRT, it seems that the corporate winds are blowing the once-proud Dodge brand towards oblivion. Perhaps Alfa will ultimately prove to be the more compelling performance brand, but in the short term, Fiat-Chrysler seems to be trading in one potentially strong brand for two relative unknowns.

Lotus is one of those brands that every auto enthusiast loved to lionize, despite (or possibly because of) the fact that it hasn’t made a profit for its owner, Proton, in 15 years. But now things are changing. Lotus itself is in the midst of a makeover, seeking to transition from niche sports- and track-car company to a Ferrari and Porsche-rivaling aspirational brand. Meanwhile, back in Malaysia, its owner, Proton, is undergoing a few changes itself. Having been founded as a state-backed business, Proton may soon be privatized, reports Bloomberg. And as a result, Protons private investors could push for a quick divestment of the firm’s Lotus holdings. One such investor, Gan Eng Peng of HwangDBS Investment Management, tells Bloomberg

It will make sense for them to sell it. Proton and Lotus are not a good fit. They are in different market segments, both in terms of geography and product.

Chinese automaker SAIC and Genii Capital have been rumored as possible buyers, although Proton denies all rumors that Lotus is for sale. The problem is that Lotus won’t be worth much until 2014, the brand’s earliest projected break-even date. And even then, Bloomberg’s analysis shows that Lotus’s highest possible value then still wouldn’t be enough to return Proton to profitability, in light of increased competition in its home market of Malaysia. But in the meantime, Proton has no (useful) synergies with Lotus, and as the automaker emerges from the warm embrace of government ownership into the harsh light of the global market, it seems that selling off Lotus may be unavoidable.

Which leads to an interesting question: which automaker seems most likely to buy up Lotus? My money is on VW, who might buy the brand for no other reason than to kill off Alfa, after Fiat refused to sell. Of course, then it might create branding challenges with Porsche, but Alfa would have done so anyway. Another possible buyer: Toyota, which supplied Lotus with engines for years. In any case, we can probably count GM out of the picture, after their abortive relationship with the British brand.

Need an engineering project? Got 1,200 hours to kill with nothing to do? Take a tip from this heroically patient Spaniard, and hand-machine your own tiny (12 cc displacement) V12. This would be amazing feat of handwork even if it weren’t fully operational (using compressed air injection), but the fact that it works, runs and was made without a single CNC machine is nothing short of astounding.. If, as the book suggests, Shop Class is Soulcraft, this guy is like an engineering bodhisattva, inspiring us with his precision, patience and skill. In a world where not much is made by hand anymore, this achievement is worth taking a few minutes to marvel over… [Hat Tip: Dean Huston]

To be clear, we aren’t talking about the next brand to linger on long past its kill-by date, pitting the brand loyalty of its fans against common sense for an agonizing eternity. No, now that Saab is dead and its warranty coverage has been suspended [per Automotive News [sub]], Saabophiles need an alternative. TTAC commenter Pig_Iron writes:

Now that SAAB is gone, who is the new SAAB? By that I mean, who makes the best winter handling front driver in coupe, sedan and wagon avail with man trans?

Your pal,

Pig_Iron

My answer: Buick’s Regal. It’s a rebadged Opel, available in several states of turbo tune, it’s got a distinctively European feel inside (firm seats, dark cockpit), and a fine-handling front-drive chassis. What more could you want from a Saab? On the other hand, what Saabista is going to buy from GM now that The General has cruelly slain mercifully euthanized their beloved brand [PDF on the definitive causes of death here]? So, if GM is out… possibly some kind of Volvo? An Audi? What say you, Best And Brightest?

Swedens’ Dagens Industri has it from “several independent sources” that Victor Muller is ready to throw in the towel, and that Saab-owner Swedish Automobile NV will declare bankruptcy this afternoon at the court in Vänersborg. Dagens Industri has not reached Muller.

The usually well informed Sveriges Radio asked around and found nobody who could corroborate the story. SR found a few that say that nothing is in the bush.

One source told Sveriges Radio:

“It is not true at the moment. It depends on whether the Chinese are paying or not.”

Which brings us back to the mysterious transfer slip.

Asking around in China was likewise unproductive.  A “do you understand what’s going on at Saab?” was always answered with a “No, do you?”

Saabsunited breaks its self-imposed silent period (that didn’t last long), likewise cannot confirm the nasty rumors spread by the nasty Dagens Industri, but as a precaution says the fat lady in the dressing room is actually Twiggy:

“But even if it were to be true, please keep in mind that it is in no way the end of Saab. Several companies have risen out of bankruptcy and are today very successful! Lets wait and see what happens!”

Would you like to know how to build one of the world’s fastest (top speed 202 mph) and most agile (Nordschleife time 7:14.64) supercars? If you want to have a look at how the Lexus LFA is built, then you need to buy one. As part of the ownership experience, you become access to the “LFA Works” at the Motomachi plant in Toyota City, and you can witness how your car is made. At upwards of $375,000 MSRP for the car, this will probably also be one of the world’s most expensive factory tours. Fiscally responsible as we are, Thetruthaboutcars.com brings you a miniature Motomachi. Let the tour begin …

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics body manufacturing (braiding)

In the great Japanese tradition of making dioramas (three-dimensional miniature models, often enclosed in a glass showcase,)

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics body manufacturing (Resin transfer molding)

Lexus employees built the seven stages of the LFA production as museum quality miniature scenes.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics body manufacturing (Autoclave)

At Motomachi, the Lexus LFA is built by master craftsmen (takumi) at just one unit per day.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics body manufacturing (inspection)

Assembled using aerospace techniques for maximum strength and minimum weight, the car makes extensive use of advanced materials.

Painting

Currently, the dioramas are at the Tokyo Motor Show, behind the disrobed LFA.

Vehicle assembly

After the show, the dioramas will be displayed at the Toyota Tech Center, at the Toyota Kaikan Museum, at the Lexus Takanawa Show Room, etc.

Vehicle inspection

After a long tour, the dioramas will find a permanent home at the Toyota Automobile Museum. There, they will be close to the circular loom, a landmark invention by Toyoda, back from 1906, long before cars were built.

100 years later, the braiding machine for the carbon fiber reinforced plastics body manufacturing reminds us of the invention that helped finance the start of Toyota in 1936.

Now, Saabsunited spins another yarn to keep the faithful from losing faith and face:

“Pang Da says that they are not out of the deal, on the contrary, they continue talks.”

Not true. Pang Da is not part of any deals and is in no talks. The alleged enthusiast blog, which in reality is an amateurishly run mouthpiece of Victor Muller and Vladimir Antonov, usually prides itself on inside knowledge (which is never released). This time, the information comes from Reuters.

According to this report, Pang Da is far from being part of the deal.

“In principle, we would not oppose any plan that would be good for Saab’s restructuring and help it out of the current plight.”

This in turn is pulled from a milquetoast statement Pang Da had posted on the Shanghai stock exchange late on Monday. Our sources in China say that Pang Da is out of the deal, but would not mind to be back in. We are told that the team that had led the negotiations between Pang Da and Saab has been reassigned to other jobs, ostensibly as part of a re-org at Pang Da. We are also told that a new team is being assembled. That’s it.

All the rah-rah about white knights du jour may keep the hopes up, but it does not help to keep the lights on at Saab. They are flickering.

• The money that is supposedly on the way from China has not arrived.

• GM, which needs to approve any deals involving its technology, has not changed its position, it hasn’t even seen a new deal, Sveriges Radio says. GM spokesman James Cain told the station: “As of today, there is no change. We haven’t changed our position on the matter.”

• Dagens Industri is not surprised. A source predicted that GM would turn down the deal, because it is just a diversion.

• Reconstruction administrator Guy Lofalk is unimpressed by any last minute deals and is ready to pull the plug. Lofalk told Dagens Industri: “We are at the end of the road. We would be happy if there would be other options. There just isn’t any money left.”

The Church of The True Saab reports rather breathlessly that a YADTFSS (yet another deal to finally save Saab) has been found. The organ that prides itself to have knowledge of insider information (which it usually never releases) relies on Sweden’s TTELA, which says (translation courtesy Church of The True Saab : )

“According to information available to TTELA, after long negotiations in Stockholm, an ownership structure has now been found for Saab, hope is that it will be approved on all levels, even GM.

The structure has been signed by Victor Muller and is developed with the chinese partner Youngman. Exactly how the suggestion looks is unclear, but Youngman seems to have backed down from its previous desire to take a majority part in Saab. It is not unlikely that Youngmans part is now below 20% to agree to the terms set by General Motors.”

The Swedish wire service thinks Pangda is not part of the deal. As indicated here several times, Pangda has its own problems in China and has told our sources in China that they are growing tired of the whole Saab story. Says TTELA:

“Pang Da has not been present at the negotiations in Stockholm during these last few days. This new deal is likely Saabs only way of avoiding bankruptcy. The papers were sent over to GM yesterday and right now, the tension is high as to what the reaction might be in Detroit.”

The trouble is that GM already voiced its opinion last week. Marketwatch wrote a few days ago:

“General Motors Co. said Wednesday it remains skeptical about a Chinese rescue plan for Saab Automobile even as one potential Chinese investor said taking control of the troubled Swedish car maker isn’t its main goal.

GM, which owns the technology on which several Saab models are based, doesn’t believe that a Chinese takeover of Saab would be in the best interest of its shareholders given it is a major player in its own right in the Chinese car market. The Swedish auto maker, currently owned by Swedish Automobile NV , has been operating under creditor protection since September.

“GM has not changed its position,” spokesman James Cain told Dow Jones Newswires.”

It becomes rather old that these new deals always come up when Saab is about to go bankrupt. Salaries have not been paid. A check from Youngman is supposedly in the hands of the chronically unreliable Chinese mail. The unions are ready to request bankruptcy this coming week.

And what is the The Church of The True Saab doing to help the matter? It asks for another onslaught on GM’s facebook page. This time, a polite one:

“As if you didn’t figure out by now, this would be the appropriate time to politely lobby GM to please approve this deal (or at least counter with an acceptable revision). Not that anyone needed reminding, their Facebook wall has been flooded for weeks.

You know where to go.”

And on cue, the occupiers of GM’s facebook page changed their chant.

They are still spamming the site. Only the harsh “Let Saab go!” changed to “Please let Saab go!”

Amateurs.

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! If you have enough followers on Twitter and the like, Chevrolet might give you a free 2012 Sonic. Not for keeps. But for 3 days. It’s the new long-term tester of the 140 character age.

According to Automotive News [sub], General Motors has hired Klout, a company that ranks a person’s “social influence.” Well, social networking influence. In the past, people with high Klout scores received free review copies of software, deodorant, or coffee. Now, they get a car.

To be eligible, you need a “Klout score” of at least 35. It’s probably too late to prostitute yourself for followers, AN says the program already began in November and runs through Dec. 14. follows a collaboration earlier this year promoting the Volt, Chevy’s $40,000 plug-in hybrid.

139 (gee, why not 140???) drives will be offered in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Dallas and San Francisco. All it costs GM is four or five Sonics on loan in each of the five cities.

The twitterati better be careful. A Federal Trade Commission guideline requires bloggers and social-media agents to disclose when writing about products they’ve gotten for free. It’s nice that the FTC has followed an example TTAC has set since day one.

Porsche won’t even shy away from the unthinkable – like bringing diesels to America.

“By 2018, we will sell around 50,000 cars in the U.S.,” Detlev von Platen, CEO of Porsche Cars North America, told ANE. That’s double of Porsche’s 25,320 units sold in the United States last year. This year,  v. Platen thinks he will sell “more than 29,000 units” in the U.S.

To support the assault, Porsche will land three new models stateside in 2012:  The redesigned 911 in February, a 430-hp Panamera GTS in spring, and, hold your nose, a Cayenne diesel, planned for the second half of the year.

Don’t laugh. Porsche plans that the oilburning Cayenne will amount to 15 percent of all Cayennes sold in the U.S., and it allots another 15 percent to the Cayenne gasoline-electric hybrid.

In 2013, Porsche will throw a fresh Cajun crossover into the battle.

All of that will be sold through fewer dealers. Platen thinks that his U.S. dealer network, currently counting 200 outlets, will be “slightly consolidating.”

Globally, Porsche wants to double annual sales from 95,000 last year to 200,000 in 2018. It will be a drop in the bucket compared to the more than 10 million of sales the Volkswagen empire will need for word domination, but every drop counts.