TTAC has long held that GM should have initially sold the Volt as a Cadillac, putting its newest, most high-tech drivetrain in a luxury car that could support its high list price. Of course the bailout made a CadiVolt a touch too elitist, which led to GM canceling production plans for its Converj Concept coupe. But with plans back on to sell a Converj-inspired ELR coupe, a new question arises: can Cadillac really charge significantly more than the Volt’s $40k-ish MSRP without doing more than simply rebodying the Volt in Cadillac’s Art & Science styling? Automotive News [sub]‘s Rick Kranz reckons Cadillac could do more, and thinks that the ELR could end up with rear-wheel drive.

Kranz writes:

GM has a new rwd platform that will be shared by the Cadillac ATS, a compact sedan that goes on sale next year. That could be the game changer for the ELR.

But there’s a potential packaging issue with a rwd platform: Can the battery pack be modified so the driveshaft can be positioned below it? I don’t know. The Volt’s T-shaped battery pack is below the rear seats and center console.

Certainly the battery pack could be raised, eating up some space in the passenger compartment. The trade-off would be rear seat comfort, especially headroom, aggravated by the slope of the roof as it approaches the rear of the vehicle.

I find it interesting that the ELR is being touted as a 2+2 instead of a true four-passenger sedan. A 2+2 generally limits rear-seat space to kiddies and grocery bags. There’s no room for adults.

Maybe that’s a signal that the battery pack will be eating up some of the rear-passenger space so the ELR can be offered as a rear-drive coupe.

Kranz is right about one thing: with the Volt as expensive as it is, a CadiVolt needs to be distinctive to sell. But if the battery pack needs to be raised to fit a driveshaft underneath it, the ELR’s handling will certainly be compromised. The Volt is a surprisingly fine-handling car, largely because its huge weight is kept low and central in the body. Raising that huge weight upwards could ruin any handling benefits obtained by rear-drive, making the distinction between the two cars largely academic.

On the other hand, a DOE EV stimulus from 2009 allocated $105m for

Construction of U.S. manufacturing capabilities to produce the second-generation GM global rear-wheel electric drive system.

At the time, that expenditure was something of a mystery, and we still don’t know what it means. But if GM has developed a rear-drive EV platform, that could underpin a rear-drive ELR without the downsides of using the ATS platform. But that’s one Wild-Ass Rumor to be sure…

With traditional compact pickups growing into the new “midsized” segment, Scion has long been tipped as a likely candidate to lead the US market back towards smaller, car-based pickup trucks. And, Scion’s VP Jack Hollis tells TTAC’s sister site Autoguide that such a vehicle, though not a certainty, could be possible.

Versus other vehicles, I can’t say it’s priority one. I’m very interested in it. A lot of prospective owners are interested in it and every meeting I have in Japan, I’m asking, what else can we do.

Hollis reveals that he has, in the past, pushed for an imported Daihatsu pickup for Scion’s US lineup, but that regulatory issues killed the business case. But now he’s suggesting that Scion and Daihatsu might jointly develop a small, fuel-efficient pickup… just as Subaru and Toyota/Scion developed the FT-86 together. If that happens, I’d expect something larger than Daihatsu’s typical kei-style trucks, for reasons hinted at in the video above. And to help you understand the legacy that a Daihatsu-Scion pickup might draw upon, here are a few random images of Daihatsu “trucks” (or possible inspirations) through the ages.

FordInsideNews reports

According to two independent sources within FoMoCo, FIN has learned that Lincoln has killed off plans for the MkC. Instead, Lincoln will focus all compact energies upon their new CUV, which is internally named the MkD. According to one source, Ford feared that the MkC would cannibalize sales of the larger MkZ sedan… According to a source who has seen the “MkD,” the Escape based CUV sports a design that is more of a tall hatch rather than a traditional CUV. When it comes to interior dimensions, it will be slightly less than that of the Escape

OK, let’s get this straight: a Focus-based “MKC” competes with the MXZ but a next-gen Escape-based CUV doesn’t compete with the MKX? It’s good to see Lincoln trying to focus its efforts, but it’s hard to say that a reborn Mercury Mariner is the place to be focusing. Meanwhile, this wasn’t the only spooky news coming out Ford’s struggling luxury brand over Halloween weekend…

FIN adds:

According to a separate Ford supplier source, the 2013 Lincoln MkZ has been pushed back yet again. Originally scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2012, and then for June 2012, the MkZ is now set to arrive in late 2012. The all-new 2013 Ford Fusion is supposedly still on track for a mid-2012 launch.

Two delays and in danger of competing with a Focus-based Lincoln… does this sound like the car that will revive Lincoln’s flagging fortunes? No? Luckily it doesn’t have to be: there’s a real flagship coming! Maybe.

FIN has been able to confirm with two independent sources that Ford is considering the development of a Lincoln flagship sedan. Both sources state that the car under consideration would be rear-wheel drive and be the pinnacle of Ford’s technology prowess. One source suggested the car would reside on a heavily modified variant of the Mustang platform.

Wait, were the phrases “heavily modified Mustang platform” and “pinnacle of Ford’s technology prowess” just used in the same paragraph? That’s it, I’ve got to stop reading the fanboy sites…

Dow Jones cites a report in Der Spiegel Magazine which claims that GM Vice Chairman for Corporate Strategy Steve Girsky

has made enquiries at BMW to start discussions on “far-reaching joint projects.”

According to Dow Jones, the Spiegel article does not cite any specific source for its information, and TTAC has not yet been able to find the original article online. According to Dow Jones, GM is

 primarily interesting in gasoline and diesel engines… General Motors is at an advanced stage in developing a fuel cell and could offer co-operation in that field… The technology behind GM’s Opel Ampera electric vehicle would also be of interest to BMW, according to the report.

GM has not yet responded to TTAC’s request for comment. A similar rumor was floated by Handelsblatt around this time last year, but BMW was quick to quash it. Are things different this time, or is GM still struggling with unrequited desire? We’ll let you know as soon as possible…

In a blog item bemoaning the likely imminent death of the Honda Ridgeline, Automotive News [sub] Product Editor Rick Kranz accuses Honda of “abandoning” its funky pickup by failing to update its styling or hardware since it was introduced in 2005. His point seems to be that the Ridgeline was a decent enough niche product that withered on the vine… and the sales numbers certainly seem to support that thesis. But if you compare Ridgeline to other Japanese-brand compact-midsized pickups, you find that Toyota and Nissan saw similar drops in volume over a similar time period… as did practically all non-full-size pickups. So could Honda have done more for the Ridgeline, or was its decline inevitable? While you’re pondering that mystery, consider this: Kranz points to the last sentence of a months-old piece for one of those zombie rumors that never really got any play:

Based on conversations with industry sources, the story said a smaller pickup is under consideration, derived from the CR-V platform.

Presuming less payload and towing capacity than the Ridgeline, I can’t imagine why a smaller pickup based on a front-drive platform would be a more successful product formula for Honda.

On the other hand, a CR-V-based pickup is something that hasn’t been tried for decades in this market… and it wouldn’t compete nearly as directly with the cheap full-sizers that are killing the “compact” (actually midsized) pickups. So, is Kranz’s logic sound, or could a CR-V-based pickup mix up the market? Faith springs eternal for me when it comes to efficient utility vehicles… but what say you?

About a minute into this clip, the auto industry’s most ubiquitous reporter John McElroy reveals that he’s seen three future Lincoln concepts and insists that they

definitely signal that a big change is coming.

What he doesn’t say: what they look like or what the “big change” is… which is enough to make any inveterate skeptic wonder whether McElroy is shooting straight or if saying what he did was a condition of being shown the “future products.” What McElroy does reveal is that Lincoln now has

its own unique design studio located within Ford’s product development center in Dearborn Michigan, with its own unique design team. That has not been done in modern times.

Unfortunately, as Cadillac’s recent history proves, new design is just part of the successful luxury brand equation. Unique platforms are another. Strong marketing is another. Lincoln may be taking the first steps in the right direction, but it’s got a long, long way to go…

Edmunds Autoobserver reports that Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed in today’s Q2 analyst call that

“we’re in discussions with [Toyota] for a deal that is an order of magnitude larger than [the previous, $100m deal].” A Tesla official later confirmed to AutoObserver that by “order of magnitude,” Musk was stating that the 8-year-old company was discussing a $1 billion deal with the world’s largest automaker.

Holy Shnikeys! Check out Tesla’s Q2 shareholder letter here.

[UPDATE: So, what's going on? Toyota Japan reps are on break until Saturday, and we're still waiting on word from ToMoCo's US operations. Ask us to speculate, and we'd guess it has something to do with the NUMMI plant Toyota sold Tesla (the joint Tesla-Toyota RAV4 EV will be produced and sold to the public, but a plant has not yet been named. A joint venture at NUMMI makes sense because Tesla can't fill it to capacity alone. On the other hand, Wards reports that Toyota may be leaning towards Ontario as a production site for the RAV4 EV). Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk aren't saying anything for now either. Musk was last seen talking about saving humanity by helping it become a multiplanetary species... let's just hope we find out something else about this "billion dollar" deal before Elon decamps for Burning Man later this month.]

Having seen its RX-8 banned from Europe for flunking emissions tests, Mazda may be going to extreme lengths to improve the efficiency of its next-gen rotary engine (codenamed 16x) which has been in development since 2007. Autocar reports

The 16X’s capacity has been raised from 1304cc to 1600cc, and it is also physically smaller and partly built from aluminium. The changes are designed to improve two of the biggest issues with rotary engine performance: fuel economy and torque delivery.

The Mazda source said the new engine “needed a smaller hole on the wall [of the combustion chamber]” as a result of eliminating the space-hungry normal spark plug. He also admitted to Autocar that the use of laser ignition “was absolutely possible”.

Recent advances in Japan have created high-power lasers made from ceramics that measure just 9mm in diameter and 11mm in length, easily small enough to fit into a car engine.

Not only would laser ignition allow the 16x to burn leaner, it would also allow more precise control of ignition points and timing. More importantly, it would cement the Wankel rotary’s status as the least-necessary, most overly-complex and thoroughly awesome engine ever created. And they say emissions standards always make cars less interesting…

According to Auto Motor und Sport, this Opel “Junior” city car (A-Segment) could be sold in the US if Opel isn’t sold first and if union boss Klaus Franz gets his way. Though GM has ruled out selling the Opel brand in the US, Franz tells AM und S that

I can see strong demand for this car in the cities of the East and West coasts.

But if the Opel brand is off the table, what will this car be sold as? There’s been no rumor yet of a Buick-branded microcar, but Cadillac did recently show an A-Segment concept, called the ULC, that could tip the strategy for this car’s US-market design and branding. It’s just too bad TTAC’s Best and Brightest answered the question “Does Cadillac Need A MINI-Fighter?” with a resounding “NO”. But would a ULC-style micro-Caddy be any less appealing than a baby Buick? This car will be a tough sell coming from any of GM’s remaining brands, but with CAFE increases in the cards (and as prices rising anyway) this may an unavoidable conundrum.

When Chrysler Group Design boss Ralph Gilles said yesterday that “nothing has changed from the Five Year Plan,” I failed to mention one of the issues that made his statement less than entirely accurate: the planned “mid-sized pickup” which was supposed to debut as a 2011 model. The planned unibody pickup was labeled as “under consideration” at the time, and since nobody has mentioned it since (and because Honda’s Ridgeline has been losing sales), most industry watchers seemed to think the idea was stillborn. Not so, reports wheels.ca. Citing insiders and suppliers briefed on the program, Wheels says the new truck will be built in Windsor, Ontario on Chrysler Group’s minivan platform as

an insurance policy that the plant will continue on three shifts at full capacity.

Which isn’t as thrilling a justification as, say, “the compact pickup market has been shamefully neglected for years, and rising gas prices and CAFE standards make well-developed, modern, fuel-efficient pickups a no-brainer,” but it will have to do. And since Chrysler is reportedly targeting only 15k-20k units per year, it’s not particularly surprising either. In honor of Chrysler’s return to front-drive, compact pickups, be sure to check out the Curbside Classic on its progenitor, the Dodge Rampage.

Apparently possessing the institutional memory of sperm, the auto media is once again trotting out the 50-year-old rumor that will never die: OMG, the new Corvette is going to be mid-engined! Or, as we are so fond of saying around here, not. The madness started earlier this week, when GM North America boss Mark Reuss blew his dog whistle by hinting that the C7 Corvette would be “completely different.” The media needed no further encouragement to trot out the mid-engine rumor once again. As Paul Niedermeyer has pointed out, the mid-engined ‘vette speculation has been an industry institution since Zora Arkus Duntov posed proudly with his CERV I concept in 1959.  Besides, Corvette engineers have been emphasizing the C7′s evolutionary nature for some time. Reuss’s hints could be about something as mundane and pre-signaled as a split rear window, or as out-there as Two-Mode hybrid option. Hoping for more is, I fear, would amount to a failure to learn the lessons of history.

One of Bertel and my favorite Chinese car blogs, ChinaCarNews, has been reporting since October than the next-generation of MG/Roewe midsized sedans would be based on GM’s Global Midsized (Epsilon II) chassis (which underpins Buick LaCrosse/Regal and the new Chevy Malibu), and now the rest of the media appears to be catching up. From InsideLine to Autocar, everyone’s running with the story that MG/Roewe, which is owned by GM’s main Chinese partner SAIC, is working on an Epsi II-based MG7 for launch in the 2015 timeframe. According to InsideLine

[In 2015], the MG7/Roewe 750 sedan replacement appears some 15 years after the debut of the Rover 75 they’re based on. A coupelike four-door, it uses GM’s Epsilon platform and will be powered by 2.0 and 2.4 four-cylinder gasoline engines and a 1.9 diesel, all with dual-clutch transmissions.

GM and SAIC signed a Memorandum Of Understanding back in October [.DOC file here], which included the provision that, in addition to developing a next-gen electric architecture,

SAIC and GM anticipate sharing an additional vehicle architecture and powertrain application in an effort to help reduce development costs and benefit from economies of scale.

This could explain MG/Roewe’s rumored use of the Epsilon II chassis, but for the moment GM dismisses these rumors as “speculation.” And no wonder: even GM hasn’t announced when it will offer a dual-clutch transmission in its Global Midsized platform. Chances are, The General will want to offer that combination before its Chinese partners use it to beef up its MG/Roewe brands, which have been in product rehab for some time now.

Reflecting on the recently-previewed Chevy Colorado Concept, Automotive News [sub]‘s Rick Krantz notes

During an interview this year at the Detroit auto show, Jamie Hresko, then vice president of GM global powertrain engineering, strongly suggested the automaker was exploring a new mid-sized pickup. He resigned in late February to pursue other opportunities.

To meet proposed higher U.S. fuel economy and lower emissions standards, automakers that sell in the United States eventually will need to develop a leaner range of pickups, Hresko said.

At some point, especially with the likelihood of higher gasoline prices down the road, a smaller, lighter-weight pickup is inevitable…

But just because something is inevitable doesn’t mean GM is going to lead on it. And, as Krantz reveals, the departed powertrain boss never said anything about specific plans.

As you look around the industry, Hresko said, “what you have seen is a massive shift to smaller, more efficient [vehicles], so I think it applies to every segment,” including pickups.

An increase in energy costs is “inevitable with the expansions in China and other regions. Logic would say prices will go up” and some pickup buyers will be looking for a more fuel efficient alternative, he said.

“My point is the general population will eventually walk there. I do believe that. I am not sure what the marketers think. To me it is logical,” Hresko said.

As General Motors Co. gets closer to emerging from government oversight, the automaker is trying to hire Bob Lutz, its former chief of vehicle development, as a consultant…
The U.S. Treasury has opposed Lutz’s appointment on the grounds that, since he left the company last May, paying him so close to his retirement could look like a sweetheart payout. The government could soften its opposition in three months, once a year has passed since Lutz’s retirement.

Could it be true? Could the man credited with all of GM’s success and none of its failures really be coming back for more? More to the point, as a consultant? Bob’s current gigs are advising an electric scooter company and the Lotus “revival”… does GM really want to put itself in that company? Oh, who are we kidding? We want Lutz back. The industry just seems so damn boring without him…

End of the 60s, Volkswagen and Porsche cooperated on a budget sportscar called the 914. Soon, one of the many feuds erupted between Wolfsburg and Zuffenhausen, and the mid-engined twoseater was sold as a “VW-Porsche” in Europe. Memories of the boxy, targa-topped car flash through my mind as I read in Germany’s AUTOBILD that Volkswagen might bring back a new Volksporsche.

“Volksporsche.” Porsche for the people. That’s what people promptly called it when it was launched, spiteful souls even shortened it to “VoPo” – which also was the abbreviation of the Volkspolizei, the police of East Germany, not very much in favor in the West, or the East. In the U.S., the car was spared the humiliation, and it was sold as a Porsche.

If you looked hard enough, you could find “Volkswagenwerk” on the identification plate of the 4 banger. The six-cylinder version was built at Porsche.  The 6 banger sold poorly, the 4 pot version was a runaway hit and cannibalized the sales of the 911. The car needed a firm hand in the turns. The Neunvierzehner’s claim to shame was the hole behind the front passenger seat. This was where the battery had been placed, and seeping battery acid accelerated the rust already aggressively munching away on the budget steel used to build car. No big deal: When the battery fell out of the car, the 914 stopped automatically.

1976, the episode was over. No more Volksporsches.

And now, it might be back again. Beginning in 2014, at least according to AUTOBILD’s dubious sources, a new, mid engined (possibly targa-topped) budget-priced sportscar will be launched. At a starting price of  €27,500 ($38,000 in today’s $).

Built from the new kit developed in the Volkswagen realm, three different versions will be available, an Audi, a Porsche, and a Volkswagen. Not just rebadged, totally different looking, swears the paper. Brand separation will happen by horsepower: The Volksporsche VW will be powered by meek 110 to 180 hp.  The Porsche (rumored moniker “Porsche 550”) will receive engines with 210 and 250 hp. Strangely enough, the Audi version will be given a 350 hp engine. Again, all as per AUTOBILD.

A lot of water will have flown down the Mittellandkanal before 2014. But hey, stranger things did happen.

PS: No mention of hybrid, plug-in, hydrogen, chloroform, or any other alternative propellants. Not even diesel talk. There still is time.

Lord love the car blogs. On the same day TTAC was fooled by a local TV report’s use of a forum photoshop, the rest of the autoblogosphere has gone bananas for an “alleged spec sheet” that is in fact pure speculation on the part of a member of the GM forum cheersandgears.com. Although the “document” in question “surfaced” in a forum poll entitled “2014 Cadillac ATS – Powertrain Predictions” (and was never presented as an official or “leaked” document), the High Gear Media Hive Mind proceeded to write up the “alleged spec sheet” as if they’d just found it in the RenCen’s executive washroom. Though unable to “confirm its authenticity,” the HGM Collective was able to determine that

the new Cadillac ATS-V will feature a 6.2-liter V-8 developing 470 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque. That’s more than the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, the bad boy of the current crop of executive sports sedans.

From there, it was inevitable that the big boys of the car blogging world would jump aboard the bandwagon, albeit with the decency to call the source a “speculative document” or “the rumormill.” Still, this document didn’t “surface”… it was put together by a fan who then asked the members of his forum to vote on whether they “love” or “hate” his speculative lineup. Meanwhile, in the rush to parrot the “news,” some basic considerations have been left out…

For one thing, the “news” that’s been going around, namely that the ATS series will use four, six and eight-cylinder engines, isn’t exactly new. Back in April, Motor Trend got word that the ATS’s “Alpha” platform was being “protected” to include four, six and LS-series V8s. And why not? This platform will reportedly underpin the BMW 3-Series competitor ATS, as well as the larger (195 inch-long) next-gen CTS… not to mention the next Camaro. Tasked with the burden of “being all things to all enthusiasts” for all of GM’s brands, it’s no surprise that the platform would be capable of holstering anything from a 2.0T to a V8. But that’s no guarantee that the ATS, which will be but one model on the Alpha platform, will actually offer all of those engines.

After all, if the ATS had a 470 HP version of GM’s next-gen smallblock, it would likely be pushing the limits of the engine bay’s capacity… which rules out the possibility of adding the forced-induction plumbing needed to create a credible replacement to the CTS-V on the same platform. Unless the CTS-V uses a (considerably) more potent, naturally-aspirated small-block, it will be incredibly difficult to differentiate these two top-tier sport sedans which will already be sharing a platform and numerous common components. It seems far more likely that GM will (or at least should) save the V8 for the CTS-V, and give the ATS-V a forced-induction six.

Nick Saporito of GMInsidenews.com adds

Sources familiar with the program state that a pillar of Alpha development is mass reduction.

Saporito goes on to confirm that Alpha platform vehicles will offer engines ranging from four-cylinders to V8s, but offers only one clue to the differentiation between the ATS and CTS, noting that

ATS models are expected to house a multi-link front suspension similar to the BMW 5-Series in an attempt to reduce mass

But even if GM doesn’t care about product differentiation (crazier things have happened), there is still an open question about the wisdom of trying to stretch one platform from the Camaro, through a nimble 3-Series competitor, up to a full-size CTS sedan. And that question is reflected in the glaring omission from the cheersandgears “spec sheet,” namely vehicle weights.  As I wrote back in April

Trying to develop a single platform that’s capable of competitively executing every RWD application across several brands? Compromising mainstream variants in order to justify the insane engine requirements of low-volume halo versions? Does any of this sound like a new day for GM’s RWD reputation to you?

Don’t get me wrong: a sub-Zeta RWD platform is a great idea (in Cadillac’s case, probably an existentially necessary one), and my inner enthusiast thrills at the idea of both budget RWD treats and tiny, loony supersedans. But the last thing I want to see is GM spending taxpayer money developing a platform that tries to fill too many niches, only to end up a dud of a compromised-to-death mess. Sure, platforms are becoming more flexible but so are engines. With the Pontiac Solstice GXP’s Ecotec DI four-pot already making 260 horsepower, and with downsized, direct-injection turbo engines poised to become the short-term future of the car industry (to say nothing of CAFE), GM could make the Alpha platform four-cylinder-only and make up the performance difference with the reduced curb weight and engine technology. Too bad it probably won’t.

Funny how even a fan’s speculative engine wish list hasn’t changed that opinion.

When it comes to inside dirt on the happenings in Auburn Hills, Allpar tends to deliver the goods. Today they have what they say could be Dodge and Chrysler’s new marketing taglines, to wit:

• Life is best when driven
• Imported from Detroit

Of course, we must note that marketing is an irony-free zone. These slogans could just as easily be a practical joke as the real thing. After all, what right-thinking automotive marketer would not only associate its products with Motown, but do so in a way that actually reinforces the market’s preference for imports? Especially considering an Italian firm is paying said marketer’s salary. Say what you want about “Life is best when driven,” at worst it’s painlessly generic. “Imported From Detroit,” on the other hand, is the modern “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile”: self-aware and self-destructive.

Beijingers who shop for a car increasingly find themselves SOL. Dealers report a shortage of cars. Especially scarce: inventories of Volkswagens, China’s largest passenger car brand. “I have to turn to another auto brand for not being able to get a single car of Volkswagen’s for five months,” a customer named Li Guang complained to China’s Global Times. The paper reports delivery times of 3 months for China-made Polos, Sagitars (formerly known as Jetta) and Magotan (known as the Passat B6 in other countries.) Now, Beijing’s car dealers are pouring more oil on the fire. The rumor mill is ablaze with talk that Volkswagen might postpone its car supply to Beijing’s auto market for January next year, because Beijing might launch new car registration limit policies at that time. The result?

A run on dealerships. Other auto brands in Beijing also face inventory shortages. Sales of GAC-Honda’s City in Beijing exploded in November, and local dealers had to get vehicles from other cities. On top of it, Honda, Dongfeng Peugeot and Dongfeng Yueda Kia are planning a dealer cull.

In order to reduce the traffic pressure in Beijing, there is one day in the week where my car must stay in the garage. This is based on a byzantine system that is based on the last digit of your license plate. It increased car sales even more: People bought a second car with a different digit. Beijing drowns in cars. Every day, more than 1000 cars are newly registered in the city. Last year, Beijing added more than 400,000 cars. Now the rumor is that Beijing will only register 100,000 car plates in 2011.

There is precedence: In Shanghai, there is only a set number of new license plates available (between 5000 and 6000 a month) and they are auctioned off. A plate can cost more than a small car: $5,000 to $6,000 a plate are not unheard of.

Not a peep from the city government on this. Usually, impending measures are being discussed for a while. It usually starts with a professor of a famous university to make a suggestion. Experts weigh in with interviews and op-ed articles. Chatrooms and blogs go back and forth. The pulse of the population is taken, and if there is too much opposition, the measure is quietly scrapped. Nothing of that kind on the radar screen. My contacts at Volkswagen Beijing likewise deny any knowledge of such a scheme.

Which brings the usually well informed Global Times to the conclusion: “Experts say the rumor might be auto dealers’ plot due to sales target pressure.”

Is it Snopes-material? Or is it true? We’ll know in January. My take: Snopes.

Just weeks ago, Amp Electric Vehicles CEO Steve Burns told the New York Times

G.M. doesn’t know if we are friend or foe… They’re trying to figure it out.

What The General was trying to figure out was whether allowing Amp to sell $50k electrified versions of its Chevrolet Equinox is a good or bad thing. After all, if BMW can charge $800 per month for EV-anxious consumers to test its disappointing MINI E, why shouldn’t GM get in on the early adopter-scalping game? Two weeks ago, GM spokesfolks said

We’re pro-E.V., and it’s a good thing that there others out there moving the electric vehicle market forward.

Today, Amp is announcing that it has signed an agreement with “a major OEM” to electrify one of its SUVs… within  60 days, no less. Though the press release doesn’t specify which OEM is sponsoring the project, the fact that AMP exclusively electrifies GM products and hires former GM consultants should speak for itself. And with Tesla prepping an EV RAV-4 for Toyota, would it be shocking to find out that GM is playing the me-too game by commissioning an EV Equinox? On the other hand, maybe we should take the “SUV” label seriously and consider the possibility that Amp is electrifying a full-size GM ute? Either way, the trend towards rapid outsourced development of EVs is seriously starting to take hold…

Like most modern corporations, car companies tend to be extremely opaque. Only rarely do non-insiders like us get a peek behind the PR curtains of a major automaker, and when we do, we have to wonder why we’re getting the show… and what are we looking at, anyway? Just such a moment has arrived, as a tipster has pointed us to coolsprings.com, where an interview with a Nissan consultant based at Nissan North America’s headquarters in Tennessee appears to be literally overflowing with the kinds of juicy scandals, corporate gossip, and inside baseball that we so rarely see in print. But can the self-described whistleblower Sharyn Bovat be trusted? Is Nissan-Renault’s upper management really locked in a global struggle for control of the company? Do Tennessee taxpayers really pay for Nissan executives’ spa treatments? Did Nissan really relocate a number of employees from California to Tennessee, only to try to fire them shortly thereafter? This is The Truth About Cars, so we’ll proceed with caution… but this story is just too juicy to ignore.

Ms Bovat’s story would be complicated enough if it were simply the story of one whistleblower outing her company for a number of poor practices. Unfortunately, because the mainstream media has yet to pick up on the story, we have to piece the narrative together from one interview and a number of Ms Bovat’s own postings at her websites, thegirlintheblackhonda.com, sharynbovat.com and nissanwhistleblower.com. Moreover, at the time of publication, TTAC has not been able to obtain official comment from Nissan, Nissan North America, nor have we yet spoken to Ms Bovat. As we follow this story, we will make all attempts to fill these gaps… in the meantime, here’s what we’ve been able to put together.

Bovat’s accusations against Nissan are far-reaching, and touch nearly every aspect of the company’s corporate culture. But from what we’ve been able to determine, her story begins with the relocation of Nissan First Executive VP Carlos Tavares to Tennessee. Ms Bovat, a corporate relocation consultant, was brought in to manage Mr Tavares’ move to Tennessee, and she ended up becoming a personal conduit between Nissan’s Tennessee staff and Mr Tavares.

Ms Bovat frames much of her discussion of Nissan’s internal politics as her struggle against an “Good Old Boys Network” inside Nissan’s North American operations. According to her account, this “alliance” based in Franklin, TN, had schemed to oust Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, and “set up” Tavares for failure. Throughout her many writings on the subject, it’s clear that Ms Bovat saw a “Good Old Boys Team” squaring off with the “Ghosn Team,” and that Tavares was being sent to Tennessee to head off the plotting of the “Good Old Boy Team.”

Whether this deep corporate battle is actually under way isn’t entirely clear, but Ms Bovat certainly didn’t hesitate to send her thoughts to Tavares, and in the process exposed a number of questionable practices. For one thing, she found that Nissan’s credibility on matters of diversity were being hurt by the “Good Old Boys,” who she alleges protected their personal backers during personnel cuts, resulting in a 30 percent reduction in the number of women in leadership roles.When she confronted Nissan’s HR team about possible discrimination, Bovat was reportedly told that “skirts don’t talk.”

Another symptom of cronyism inside Nissan NA, according to Bovat: Californians who had relocated to Tennessee in 2006-07 were supposed to be the first fired in last year’s staff-trimming, despite the fact that they’d moved their entire families from the West coast for the company. According to Bovat, her decision to pass this information to Tavares prevented the firing of these relocated employees.

From there, we turn to Bovat’s interview with coolsprings.com for the rest of the story:

After she “saved the Californians”, NISSAN’s HR Director called Bovat into four meetings. She sensed HR wanted to “get rid of her”, although she knew Tavares appreciated her efficiency and honesty. During one of those meetings, the Director of NISSAN HR asked Bovat to do something unethical to prove she was a team player. She refused. Bovat knew if she wanted to work for NISSAN she would have to comply. Bovat told Tavares, who then referred her to the HR Director’s supervisor Mark Stout, the head of NISSAN HR. In a later meeting on the executive floor, Mark Stout offered Bovat money to be silent. Instead of “cashing in” she told Tavares about HR being unethical.

Starting June 4 2009, Bovat has documented and stated the allegations on her public blog. Since then, Bovat says she has been harassed and slandered by NISSAN HR. Bovat wanted to keep quiet and expressed to Carlos Tavares that she wanted to return to work at NISSAN. Several months ago, Tavares emailed her to relay that things were proceeding.

Becoming frustrated, Bovat ended up writing an open letter to the ACLU, accusing Nissan “Good Old Boys” of wasting taxpayer money, discrimination, and insider land deals. She wrote:

Initial investigation shows that some land deals were done before Nissan made the announcement to relocate to TN so I believe that is called “insider” information.  After talking to an “asset” investigator I learned that easily a “bunch” of these good ole boys could be taken down.  If the state did an “audit” of all real estate transactions starting 8 months prior to Nissans official announcement, then property could be seized that was obtained with insider information and then sold and the proceeds could go back to the community.

On July 7, Bovat went in person to Nissan’s US headquarters in search of answers. Instead, she was arrested for criminal trespassing. Bovat tells coldsprings.com:

Rob from Nissan legal bullied the Franklin police into arresting me, using a year old, outdated photocopy of a cease and desist originally intended to intimidate me and to shut down my blog

Now released, Bovat insists that she will keep her blogs up until Tavares asks her to take them down. Since her arrest, Bovat appears to have tried to contact Tavares, but she says that she was threatened with further charges if she persisted in contacting Tavares. And that, as far as we can tell, is where the case stands.

Which leads to the really big question: what to make of all this? Bovat makes a convincing case for internal problems with discrimination, backed by internal Nissan data that confirms the 30 percent reduction in female managers. The core of her claims, that a Tennessee-based group of insiders are actively fighting against Carlos Ghosn and his deputy Carlos Tavares is more compelling and less well-documented. We have yet to find proof that anyone at Nissan benefited from land sales based on inside information about Nissan’s move to Tennessee, or that the move to Tennessee was dreamed up as a way to entrench a cabal in Nissan North America’s leadership. Nor does Bovat document any misuse of taxpayer money for executive relocation to Tennessee, instead forcing the curious to take her at face value.

There’s a lot of dirt to dig through here before we get to the truth, but one thing is for certain: somehow or another Nissan North America’s veil of corporate opacity has been broken, and the internal dynamics that are showing through do not look healthy. Bovat dedicates part of her site to quotes from Nissan employees, and they certainly don’t make the picture sound any prettier. The fact that this controversy has bubbled up this far without attracting ,much attention from the mainstream media is telling: we will continue to dig into this story, and we welcome any tips from workers inside Nissan North America who wish to weigh in on Ms Bovat’s claims (editors@ttac.com).

If you’re reading this article, that means Fuhrer Schmitt has figured out under what moniker this article should be filed under. As far as I’m concerned it should be a “Question Of The Day”, but it could easily slot into “WTF” and “Wild Arse Rumor Of The Day”. So, here we go…

I was grazing the internet whilst watching “That Mitchell And Webb Look” on DVD when I came across an article by Business Insider entitled “Here Are The 10 Brands That Will Disappear In 2011″. So, I hit the pause button on my DVD player and took a look to see what they predicted. It starts off with names I pretty much suspected would disappear; names like “Reader’s Digest”, “Blockbuster Video” and “Radio Shack” (which I thought HAD already gone). Then, the article starts to get a bit suspect. It starts predicting that “BP” will enter bankruptcy and may even be broken up in order to distance itself from the Deepwater Horizon spill. A prediction which I think won’t come to fruition. However, what really made me double-take was the final brand they predicted will disappear in 2011. Kia.

Business Insider bases the claim on the following evidence.

• One: That it’s always been a marginal brand (argue that point amongst yourselves) and that coupled with its sister brand, Hyundai, it comes off as a seller of “‘low rent’ cars and SUV’s” (their words, not mine).
• Two: Because of GM and Ford’s retreat from the multiple branding business model, Hyundai will be keen not to repeat he same mistake.
• Three: Kia vehicles sell for between $14,000 and $25,000, a price band which Hyundai already caters for. The trouble is Kia sells well in the US market, with their sales up around 15 percent for the year 2010 to date, and no signs of slowing down.

It’s pretty hard to justify closing down a brand (which is selling well), laying off all those dealers and forking out more money to win back customers from Kia to the Hyundai marque. So, I put it to you, is Business Insider orating from deep within their alimentary canal? Or could there be some validity to this theory?

GM has been showing off all kinds of future product at its day-long “Global Business Conference,” as it drums up support for its upcoming IPO. Sadly TTAC was not invited, but a wealth of exciting news is percolating through the autoblogosphere. Like this item: Compact MPVs are a big deal.

GMC’s “Granite” concept (above) has been approved for production, to be built on the Cruze’s Delta II platform. According to Automotive News [sub], Chevrolet will double GM’s pleasure by “launch[ing] a family van soon in several global regions” based on the same “global compact” architecture. Would this be the long-rumored Chevy Orlando? Orlando was off-again for the US market the last time we checked, replaced by the Volt MPV5 and the Granite… if this is not the Orlando, GM’s already-crowded herd of compact CUVs, MPVs and other five-doors is getting even more crowded than it seemed nearly a year ago.

Speaking of which, the biggest GM sin-in-the-making of last summer’s hype, the lack of replacement for the aged Impala before 2014, may have been acknowledged inside the RenCen. Several outlets reported being shown a new Impala concept, indicating that perhaps GM is taking its need for a competitive large sedan more seriously.

On a final GM product-related note, Carscoop has uncovered patent drawings of a Chevrolet compact pickup, meaning we might just have got one Wild Ass Rumor right. No word on anything related to that product yet, so like the “family van” this could be a Chevrolet for markets outside of the US.

Our aim is to raise the Lotus brand equity back to its rightful place as it existed in the 1970s when it competed with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche or Aston Martin. Maintaining the unique Lotus DNA is crucial, but with more relevance, greater efficiency and even more sustainability than we have had in the past.

According to a hot tip from Autocar, Toyota is using the delay of its FT-86 sportscar (top, right) to develop a larger “Supra” version, said to be hinted at by the FT-HS concept (bottom) and boasting a V6 hybrid drivetrain. A similar powerplant, based on the Highlander Hybrid system, was recently shown in a mid-engine MR2 evolution prototype (top, left). That model has apparently been approved for development, albeit with a 1.5 liter hybrid system, and aimed at Honda’s recently-released CR-Z. Which means that Toyota will go from offering nothing resembling a sportscar to selling two flavors of front-engine, rear-drive coupe and a mid-engine roadster. That’s what we call Moving Forward. Still, you have to wonder why these models weren’t released to take advantage of the LFA’s already-fading halo.

Not being a regular trackday driver, my recent tryst with a Porsche Cayman S didn’t leave me wishing Porsche would make their own Turbo version. I may be putting my auto-writer-posturing credentials on the line by typing this, but on real roads patrolled by real police officers, 320 hp is plenty, thanks. Besides, everyone knows that Porsche will never allow its crocodilian coupe outshine its older (and more profitable) brother, the 911. But, according to forum postings from someone claiming to have attended Porsche’s recent general sales meeting [via Pistonheads], Zuffenhausen will let the Cayman get a little bit closer to its true potential with a lightweight version due out in the US next Spring.

Inspired by the Boxster Spyder, this range-topping Cayman (RS?) will offer a mere 10 hp upgrade over the Cayman S, but those 330 horsies should have much less Porsche to move (the Boxster Spyder is 176 lbs lighter than the Boxster S). A locking differential, suspension upgrades and fabric door-pulls should round out the list of justifications for its $65k expected base price.

But wait, there’s more! Also predicted by PH’s mystery forum source (whose posts have since disappeared, giving them even more credibility): a Porsche Speedster, described by PH as a

two-seat convertible with a turbo-style wide body, rear-wheel drive and 408hp. The Speedster is expected to cost around £140k ($200k), and is due towards the end of 2010.

And the end of 2010 is looking to be a busy time for the Zuffenhausen gang. Also debuting in that timeframe is the Porsche GT2 RS, which will be the most powerful Porsche road car of all time. At least until they think of another letter to put after its name. Speaking of which, a 911 GTS is also being rumored, and is described thusly at PH:

Unlike the GT2 RS, the GTS will be a mainstream production model. It will get the same 408hp engine as the speedster, as well as the wider body and a Sport Classic-style nose.

And finally, the last stop on this leaked tour of Porsche’s near-future: the 918 Spyder, the hybrid supercar replacement for the Carrera GT. The 918 is scheduled to appear at an invitation-only showing at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this summer, and though it’s still not officially approved for production, this obstacle is looking more and more like a formality. According to the forum tipster:

when (and if) the 918 Spyder gets approved, prospective buyers will be asked for a $50k non-refundable deposit to secure a build slot.