MORE VW SCIROCCO PHOTOS

For the sake of thorough reporting and historical context, here are more photos of the upcoming Scirocco. In addition, take a gander at the scIROCco concept that came before it and the Corrado & old Scirocco that preceded it.  

Gotta be honest with you: I've been thinking about the plight of Volkswagen suits who don't know exactly how to position the Scirocco and - in North America at least - have decided not to position it anywhere. (Catch Friday's story here and find the links therein.) Now, I won't come right out and agree that Volkswagen has no room in their showrooms for the Scirocco, what with the GTI and R32 filling the sport-compact gap nicely.  No, I won't agree at all.  But when I consider a few facts, I do see VW's point, even if I don't like it or necessarily agree.  

For one, without knowing the price scheme, the Scirocco took a more dramatic styling approach to the hot hatchback ethos.  In other words, it's a more dramatic GTI.  The GTI is made by Volkswagen, just like the Scirocco.  

For two, similar products have struggled here in recent times.  With reason; I know.  The Toyota Celica was torqueless. North Americans like torque, especially the more southern of the North Americans. Acura renamed the the Integra the RSX while relieving it of some driving verve.  Both of those vehicles waved buh-bye.  Hyundai's Tiburon remains and will either be supplanted or supported by a rear-wheel drive Genesis coupe.  

For three, without knowing the dynamic setup Volkswagen wishes to bestow upon the Scirocco, in what way will it be different from the GTI?  More hardcore; more worthy of poseur status?  Bare bones sporting or luxo-sportacious?  Without knowing how the Scirocco will differ from the GTI, it is hard to figure with which competing makes it will battle.  But, in the UK for instance, here are some potential comparison contenders.

BMW's 1-series coupe is powered by a wider range of engines in other parts of the world.  A four-cylinder (maybe diesel?) 1-series has a status badge and worthy dynamics.  Practically, it ain't the solution to the IKEA needs your life presents.  Then again, it's a BMW; and that'll sway many potential Scirocco customers.

The Mazda RX-8 is another high-style sporty coupe.  Unique in many ways - rotary engine, two rear-hinged back doors - the RX-8 is still a pure driving experience and is hardly more expensive than a GTI in the United Kingdom.

Prototype S is just a concept buzzword for Mitsubishi's next Lancer Sportback.  Expect the Ralliart version to be a sharp driving tool with less power and less expense than the Lancer Evo X.  All-wheel drive, dual-clutch gearbox, and 240 horsepower will combine to be a hardcore alternative that the Scirocco must beat.  Or at least tame. 

CHEVY MALIBU POPULAR ON THE DUB-DUB-DUB

Compete.com has some statistics (this from SeekingAlpha.com) that show the Chevrolet Malibu to be a much, much, MUCH more popular vehicle on the internet than its competitors.  Expect year-end data from MSN Cars and others to bear this out.  Admittedly, the more complex data shows that more Honda Accord shoppers became 'engaged'.  This doesn't detract from the positive news for GM and Chevrolet brass - people are attracted to the Malibu in a way they never ever could have been with the old Malibu. As it stands at present, here are some of the stats:

236,011 - online shopping excursions for the Malibu in December of 2007

67,921 - online shopping excursions for the Malibu in October of 2007

247 - percentage increase in online shoppers for the Malibu from the tenth month of 2007 to the twelfth

2 - number of midsize cars (named Accord and Camry) it takes to develop the numbers the Malibu achieved on its own in December

3 - number of consecutive months led by the Malibu in the midsize sedan category, the first time during the web's relatively short lifespan that an American-badged car pulled that trick

CONSUMER REPORTS Reports

Consumer Reports, not a bastion of automotive enthusiasm but a respected resource nonetheless, has named its ten best cars.  

The Hyundai Elantra takes the crown of best small sedan.  Consumer Reports refuses to give a crown to any vehicle lacking Electronic Stability Control.  That safety feature is standard on the Elantra along with a host of other pieces of equipment relevant to passenger protection.  Apart from ESC, the Mazda 3 and Honda Civic would rank as highly as the Elantra.  ESC is not standard on those two Japanese sedans, however.

Not surprising to readers of GoodCarBadCar, the Hyundai Santa Fe is a terrific small utility vehicle.  It earns the nod from Consumer Reports in the midsize SUV, with respect given to its excellent fit and finish among other things.

If it weren't for reliability questions, the Toyota Tundra may have beaten out the Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab.  Reliability matters.  Silverado takes the pickup title at Consumer Reports.

Lexus' hybrid version of its LS luxo-limo-sedan lost out to a vehicle offering far greater value, the Lexus LS460L.  Factor in fun-to-drive and the LS is still a little too Lexus and not enough BMW, but it still earned a near-perfect score from Consumer Reports.

Honda's Accord took the family sedan category.  "Surprise; surprise", say those familiar with The Good 12. Similar words in reaction to the Infiniti G35's win in the upscale sedan sector.  I gots to say - them are good picks.

A separate category for "Fun-To-Drive" strikes me as humorous, but the Mazda MX-5 has earned its stripes. The Toyota RAV4, discussed on this page earlier today in relation to the new Subaru Forester, captures Consumer Reports' award for small SUVs.  Surprising speed will be forever linked to the present generation's V6 version.  On the other hand, the four-cylinder RAV4 is the most fuel efficient non-hybrid SUV available.

Although recognizing the Honda Odyssey as more fun, Consumer Reports presents the Toyota Sienna as its minivan pick.  Meanwhile, for the fifth year in a row, Toyota's Prius wins the green car award.

Other Award-related posts on this site: 

The Good 12 - GoodCarBadCar

The Bad 8 - GoodCarBadCar

Ten Best - Car & Driver

Performance COTY - CAR

4 MALIBU HYBRIDS AND $1MILLION FOR DARWIN HEAD

Just minutes ago, during the first intermission of the NHL game between the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche, Darwin Head and two friends were to shoot pucks from centre ice in order to win 1, 3, or 4 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrids.  Mr. Head shot first and popped enough goals to gain a car for himself.  His first friend scored enough to put them over the top before the third friend even shot one puck. Each competitor won a new Malibu Hybrid and one member of the GM Place audience won a car as well... no effort required.

Darwin Head, of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, moved back to the opposite blue line to shoot 20 more pucks. He had just 24 seconds from his first release to the time the fifteenth puck had to cross the goal line. Darwin Head scored fifteen.  Darwin Head won $1,000,000.  

How much did the television and live audience learn about the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid?  Next to nothing, although the oft-advertised draw was heavily advertised on TSN.ca for quite some time.  Last year, the prize included Chevrolet Silverado's, but the $1million was not won.  By the way, the score in the game was 0-0 after 20 minutes, prompting uncomfirmed reports (in this post only) of free agent signings of Mr. Head and his buddies.

HUGE FORD MUSTANG RECALL

Ford is recalling 470,000 late model Ford Mustangs to recalibrate the force with which airbags deploy.  There have been no reports of injuries or accidents related to the airbag problem, but Ford's own testing showed there could be a problem with smaller passengers.

What does this recall tell you?  Ford has sold a lot of Mustangs in recent years.... and, it pays to do testing like this before you release the model. 2005-2008 model year 'Stangs make up all 470,000 cars involved.

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW...

The nation of Iran plans to invest up to $40,000,000 into a venture for Iranian Samand cars to be built in Belarus.  This from one of the most hilariously titled websites I've ever seen - here.

Mohammad Junaid Yunus Shaikh, a 21-year old Indian man, was arrested for stealing at least fifteen cars in the last year alone.  A tip led police to Yunus Shaikh outside a mall in Malad where he had in his possession a set of master keys and a Toyota Corolla.  He has been arrested for this sort of activity before and spends most of his profits at bars.  

Reports by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and National Resources Defense Council say that the advent of plug-in hybrids (like the Chevrolet Volt that General Motors says is electric with a 'range extender') could increase deadly air pollution even as fuel consumption goes down.  The MCPA: "Use of PHEVs could result in more sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions -- a component of corrosive acid rain - at levels more than double those of gasoline engines and about 3 or 4 times greater than hybrid."  The study also mentions that cars like the Volt and obvious Toyota competitors that "lower tailpipe emissions may be offset by smokestack emissions from the utility generating plants supplying electricity to recharge the big batteries that allow plug-ins to run up to 40 miles without kicking on their gasoline engines."

The median age for a car in the USA is 9.2 years.  41.3% are over 11 years old.  Trucks? Median age of 7.1 years with 29.5% over 11 years old.

Suzuki will sell cars in South Africa soon.  They've been absent from that market for four years.

Automotive production in Slovakia nearly doubled in 2007 to 572,000 vehicles built, up from 295,000 in '06. Volkswagen, Kia, and Peugeot-Citroen are the main players, and the latter two will likely contribute most of the increase in '08 that should take the total to 675,000.

The Seaside Five will likely be fired.  They're five constables based out of the Blackwood police station who challenged each other to an odd form of truth or dare.  Who can escape to the most distant location without being caught?  Apparently they got as far as Porthcrawl and Barry Island (30 miles from their post) and then decided to attempt trips into England as well.  Finally, one of their cars broke down on the wrong side of the Welsh border.  Lesson: you can drive very far from home, indeed.... but you'll get caught.

YOU SMOKE? YOU WANT DRIVENTOQUIT.CA

Good news for everyone involved.  The Canadian Cancer Society will give somebody in Ontario a Toyota Prius if they go smoke-free next month.  

You can register at www.DrivenToQuit.ca and find the rules there, too.  The site encourages quitting buddies and will verify the winner of the grand prize draw with a urine test.  Non-smokers won't need to be around as much smoke, smokers have an incentive to quit.  One person will receive a new car for going 31 days without smoking. Health Canada pays out slightly less for health care costs related to smoking.  

It would've been terribly inappropriate but awfully ironic if the Society had decided to give away an '89 Volkswagen Golf diesel.  

SECOND DEEPER LOOK AT THE AMERICAN MARKET

Details are wonderful things. After all, the forest is made up of many trees. To see yesterday's look at the American automotive marketplace (circa 2007) click here. For today's look... umm, keep reading.

Although the large pickup market fell 7% last year, Chevrolet Silverado sales were down just 3.1%. That leaves the Silverado with 618,257 units sold; more than a quarter of all Chevy's.

Nissan is beginning to successfully ride the coat-tails of Toyota and Honda. The midsize Japanese duo should really be considered a trio now, with Altima sales up 22.1% in '07 to 284,762.

General Motors bosses were rewarded for making obvious (and correct) decisions with Saturn sales in 2007. Few would be surprised by the fact that sales were up 5.7%. The lineup is completely different than it was just a couple years ago. L-series now equals Aura. Ion was replaced with Astra. Vue is new. Outlook is Enclave-lite. Sky never used to be. Expect Saturn to improve again this year, or in case of economy troubles, to struggle less than other domestics.

Check out AmericanTrucks.com and their

large selection of Ford Truck Wheels

That note above about Silverado sales not falling as sharply as the sector it competes in? Ford's F150 tumbled 13.5% last year. Ouch. Officially, the F150 is still the best-selling vehicle in America with 690,589. Technically, the combined effort of what is basically the same truck (Silverado and GMC Sierra) forms 826,500. So, Ford has the single best-selling vehicle, but General Motors sells more light-duty pickups.

In 2007, Hummer sales were down 22%. Enough said. Well, actually, for more on that, click here for The Good Car Guy's test drive of an H2.

Nissan's luxury brand, Infiniti, could use some help from the G35's teammates. With the FX35 and FX45, M35 and M45, QX56, and new EX lux-cute-ute, the G's 54,015 units sold seems fine. But last year, the other non-Good 12-winning elements of Infiniti's lineup combined for just 73,023 vehicles sold. That needs to improve.

WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR

The Ford Motor Company is well represented in the (nobody cares about) World Car of the Year competition. Subsidiary Mazda has a successful and worthy small hatch in the 2 and the Blue Oval is represented by the Mondeo. Mercedes-Benz rounds out the field with the new C-class.

World DesignOTY will be taken by either the Audi R8, Mazda 2, or Volvo C30. There's another award that has two Ford Motor Company candidates, with the C30 taking the Mondeo's place.

(Other Of The Year info here)

World PerformanceCOTY features the Audi S5 and R8 as well as the BMW M3. GreenCOTY contenders include the diesel-powered smart fortwo, BMW 118d con Efficient Dynamics, and Volkswagen Passat 1.9TDI. Take notice hybrids, hydrogen and other beginning-with-h fuel solutions: three diesels that make use of subtle but very useful additions or subtractions. Weight loss; seats; idling, for three.

Who will win and who should win? GoodCarBadCar will go with the Mondeo although the 2 is deserving. The R8 could run the Design and Performance table, although the C30 is a more fitting winner in the former category. Green works well with the smart, but expect the BMW to take the crown. There are other candidates that aren't on the list but should be, mind.

A DEEPER LOOK AT THE AMERICAN MARKET

BusinessWeek is currently placing labels on automakers. BMW, Honda, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Porsche, and Toyota are considered Top Dogs.  Audi, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Jeep, Lincoln, Mazda, Nissan, and Saturn are considered Underdogs.  Here are some of the important stats:

BMW sold 293,795 cars in the USofA last year.  Two shocking asides you need to know include the fact that 142,488 of those were 3-series sedans, coupes, wagons, and convertibles (a Good 12 winner). Secondly, it wasn't long ago that Jaguar was aiming for great success with 200,000 annual global sales.  Even as the market grows stagnant, BMW recorded their 16th consecutive year of sales growth.  

Of the 1,371,438 Honda's sold in the States last year, more than a quarter were midsize sedans.  That'd be the Accord (a Good 12 winner), for those of you not up to speed.  Ridgeline, Odyssey, Pilot, CR-V, Element, S2000, Fit, and Civic combine to sell 972,207 sales.

Lexus sold 82,867 ES350's last year.  Consider adding that to another large number - 418,757 - which is Toyota's Camry total for last year. That's basically 501,624 separate editions of what is basically the same car. Yes, it does appear as though I'm using the term "basically"; liberally.  

More than one-third of all Porsche's sold are Cayenne's.  12,547 more of the ugly utes were driven off the lot and into public roads in 2007.

BusinessWeek makes a very valid point in comparing historic Cadillac sales to Lexus' current sales.  Cadillac hasn't topped 300,000 since 1986.  Lexus nearly hit 330,000 last year.  More poignantly; that great year for Cadillac in '86 came when the competition was much softer.  A Lexus showroom was not to be found.

Hyundai's sales have increased 24% since 2002.  

Jeep sold 119,243 Wranglers last year, 60% of which were of the four-door fashion.  If you pay as much attention to "trending" in the automotive marketplace as I do in my fantasy hockey pool (third and rising), consider that Lincoln sales were up 8.8% last year. Nevertheless, that 8.8% climb took Lincoln to just 131,487.  Thanks to terrific crossovers like the CX-7 and CX-9 and a new performance edition of the 3, Mazda sales have climbed 15% since 2005.  

MITSUBISHI & JANUARY SUCCESS

Eleven consecutive months of production growth is music to the ears of Mitsubishi's top bosses.  Globally, Mitsubishi Motors produced 115,805 vehicles in January.  Mitsubishi exported 29,316 cars from Japan to Europe alone.  The global production figure is 7.5% higher than it was in January of 2007.

The story in Japan is not dissimilar to that of other big Japanese automakers like Toyota and Honda. January of '08 sales were down 2.3% to 15,165.  

Mitsubishi's vehicle lineup in North America is more than a little different than what you'd see in Mitsu showrooms abroad.  While the Lancer is the smallest vehicle available to us, Mitsubishi UK would sell you an i - yes you read that right - or a Colt (pictured).  If you're familiar with the decommisioned smart forfour, the Colt is not a completely different animal.  The i would be considered a smart fortwo competitor and will be compared with the Toyota iQ when it reaches production.  

North American Mitsubishi buyers can also purchase a Dodge Dakota-based truck (the Raider) and two crossover SUV's that are not available in the UK.  Conversely, consumers across the pond are offered the L200 pickup and the Shogun sport-ute alongside the Outlander that we can have as well.  

In accordance with typical European auto selling, Mitsubishi produces the Grandis.  Picture a Mazda 5 mixed with a Mitsubishi Outlander.  Moving to Japan, well.... follow the link.  Lots of odd shapes, dramatic style, and practical; everyday useability.  

evo TESTS BUDGET CARS @ WEMBLEY

A short YouTube clip below shows you the guys from evo magazine testing four cheap used cars at the Race of Champions circuit.  After you've gotten a taste, the link and I will direct you to www.evo.co.uk to watch more.

HONDA'S FACTS AND FIGURES

68,000 - vehicles Honda expects to sell in India during this fiscal year which ends next month

90,000 - vehicles Honda expects to sell in India next year

160,000 - vehicles Honda expects to sell in India in 2010

1,100,000 - approximate total number of vehicles sold in India last year

405,000,000 - money, in USD, poured into Honda's Greater Noida plant in India since 1997

28 - race victories taken by Honda in the Indy Racing League from 2003-2005 before Honda became the sole engine supplier

166,608 - total number of miles driven by IRL drivers - with Honda engines of course - in 2007

1 - total number of in-race engine failures during those 166,608 miles

65 - race victories taken by Honda in CART, another major open-wheel; Formula style series in America, during Honda's nine seasons of competition in that series

1 - IRL/Champ Car series created by this past week's merger of the two competing open-wheel series' in America

2,000,000 - vehicles built at Honda's Swindon, England plant during its 16 year lifespan as of last week when a silver CR-V rolled off the line

25 - growth, measured in percent, of production volume at the Swindon plant over the last eighteen months

80,000,000 - added investment, in pounds sterling, that Honda will put into the Swindon plant

0 - total wins expected in the Formula 1 season by Honda's own technical director - the very-famous former Ferrari tech director - Ross Brawn, who said, "Today we don't have a car to win, we will see what happens during the year, but in 2009 and 2010 we can be more optimistic."

TIM HORTON'S & THE TOYOTA MATRIX

This year's "Rrrrroll Up The Rim To Win" contest will feature an all-wheel drive Toyota Matrix as its grand prize. Canada's favourite coffee shop holds this competition each year with the winning prizes being printed on the underside of the coffee cup rim.  Although muffins, donuts, and coffees are the usual winning fare, the Canadian-built Matrix would leave a very nice after-taste.  To learn more about the all-new Matrix, click here.  Or follow this link to Toyota's site.  

Toyota will provide 35 winning Tim Horton's drinkers with a new Matrix. There are also 100 boats to be won in addition to 5,000 Garmin navigation systems that come preloaded with Timmies locations; 20,000 Tim's gift cards worth $50; and 31,000,000 food and drink prizes.  

At the Kandahar, Afghanistan Tim Horton's franchise, military personnel could win prizes of $1,000; more navi systems; 6,000 food and drink prizes; and 1,000 Kandahar Tim Horton's hats.

Tim Horton's was started by the late Tim Horton, an ex-National Hockey League player, and Fox Harb'r big shot Ron Joyce in 1964.  There are now 2,823 locations in Canada and 398 in the USA.

SHELBY GT COMMERCIAL

Seen it or not, it's worth taking a look. Ford and Shelby have teamed up in a major way these last few years. The Shelby GT500 and GT500KR garner most of the attention, but the GT-H and its Ford dealer brother, the Shelby GT seen below, are true American pony cars with deserved reputations.

MAYBACH LANDAULET

Vomit-worthy.  Puketastic.  The 612bhp Maybach Landaulet was revealed some time ago, but I just took a look at this overhead shot of a white Landaulet and nearly lost my lunch.  There's something(s) just very, truly, really, awfully wrong about the existence of a car like this.  

Care for some genuine German class?  Follow this link and pay particular attention to numbers 5 and 1.
 

DEBUT - VOLVO XC60

"It's not only the safest Volvo ever, if you ask me, it's also the most stunning. Not a bad combination, is it?"

So asks the President and CEO of Volvo Cars, Fredrik Arp.  Volvo is very excited about their small crossover. True enough, the best-selling Volvo at my local dealer is a tall wagon, the XC70.  Volvo considers this sector to currently be the world's toughest and fastest-growing.  Entering the combat arena, the XC60 battles with what Volvo calls "unmistakeable, capable Volvo XC muscles" and flowing lines that create the "sporty charisma of a coupe".  

OK.  It's also viewed as an obvious next-choice for C30 buyers, which does make plenty of sense.  The XC60 also makes use of City Safety.  "...a unique feature that can help the driver avoid or reduce the effects of low-speed impacts common in city and stop-and-go highway traffic. If the sensors in the XC60 detect that a collision is imminent and the driver does not react, the brakes are engaged automatically."  That sounds very useful, very irritating, and clearly reeks of Volvo's theory (knowledge?) that the typical human is a sucky driver.  

Although appearances can be deceiving and though beauty is in the eye of the beholder - I am not deceived and I am the beholder.  Volvo is not an historic builder of beautiful vehicles.  Exterior design has quickly become a vital secondary selling point for Volvo since the debut of the first-gen S80 and S60.  Is the XC60 weaken my knees?  Not so much.  Is it good-looking?  Most definitely.  

281 horsepower from a turbocharged straight-six should impress plenty of buyers, including those who were turned off by an initially weak base engine when the XC90 debuted years ago.  Volvo hopes to sell 50,000 XC60's annually across the planet.  Fuel prices, carbon taxes, emissions legislation, and social pressure should contribute to the XC60's success.  Perhaps upgrades from the C30 are not quite as likely as XC90 downgrades.  

DEBUT - ALFA 8C SPIDER

To understand how GoodCarBadCar feels about the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, think on these things: it is #1 on the list of most beautiful cars for the company CEO; it was given a thorough rundown in a GCBC Lowdown; and there was even a profile of the new Alfa boss.  

To understand how GoodCarBadCar feels about the new droptop version of the same car, read those articles and strip them all of a roof.  The Alfa Romeo 8C Spider inevitably engenders added appeal in SoCal, Miami, and Monte Carlo. It likely loses at least some of the driving appeal and certainly loses one of its best pieces of metal. Nonetheless, Italian automotive beauty doesn't stretch much further than this.  

DEBUT - ABARTH FIAT 500

Once named Southern Europe's Impact Car of the Year can also be had in the once-revered (still-revered) Abarth form now. Carlo Abarth founded the firm in 1949 as a racing outfit and tuner but Abarth was sold to Fiat in 1971. Although there have been rough years for Fiat in the recent past - which equated to Abarth neglect - Fiat can now rightfully attach the Scorpion logo to its suddenly famous small car.  

Does 135bhp sound weak to you?  It ain't.  The very good Fiat Panda 100HP on which the 500 is based makes do with, yes; 100 horsepower.  152 lb-ft of torque isn't shabby, either.  Fiat generates this power with a turbocharged 1.4L four-cylinder.

DEBUT - AUDI A4 AVANT

Already one of the world's most desirable wagons in previous iterations, the A4 Avant is now based on a GoodCarBadCar beauty.  That helps.  A4 Avant's will continue with a turbo-four and V6 but have a big advantage uncommon to vehicles of our era: more capacity via extra length but less weight.  Thanks, Audi. Especially for pairing that with improved weight distribution, something every A4 of the past needed.

VERY GREEN CARS

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has named their most environmentally friendly vehicles for 2008.  Members of this company include:

HONDA CIVIC GX: Powered by natural gas; appearing all-natural Civic; and achieving a 36mpg equivalent, this Honda is especially CO2 friendly.  If such a thing exists.

TOYOTA PRIUS: I'm sure you've heard of it.

HONDA CIVIC HYBRID: Apart from the funny wheels, you may think a regular Civic just whistled by.  Come to think of it; that story rings true with the Civic GX as well, and may contribute to Honda's lackluster sales in the hypergreen market.

SMART FORTWO: With its very small footprint, the fortwo should be able to leave a... very small footprint, in the carbon sense.

TOYOTA YARIS: Toyota offers smaller options in other parts of the world (Aygo) and will offer a true smart competitor in the near future (iQ).  For now, the Yaris is very economical and just plain good.

NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID: Nissan can thank Toyota for some of the technology, but very few customers have the option of thanking Nissan for the Altima Hybrid because of its limited geographic availability.

TOYOTA COROLLA: One of the world's best selling cars of all-time happens to be very cheap to run.  Millions already knew it.

MINI COOPER & CLUBMAN: Kart-like handling and absolute efficiency are not mutually exclusive.

FORD FOCUS: The Focus is aided by fairly impressive handling, but really gains membership by its recognition as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle, the only non-hybridized gasoline engined car on the list to go PZEV.

TOYOTA CAMRY: Like most hybrids, the Camry's efficiency gains may not be enough to help the consumer's wallet, but that doesn't change the facts: 34mpg on the highway in a large car.

HONDA CIVIC: Here comes the garden-variety Civic, which along with Hybrid and GX causes one to reconsider the size of Honda's green-merit badge.

HONDA FIT: Efficiently packaged and inexpensive to buy and run.  What more can you ask for? Membership in The Good 12?

FORD KUGA IN MOTION

There's a clip below where you'll find that the shockingly good-looking Ford Kuga - not for us in North America - would make a CR-V, RAV4, and Escape disappear in a Wal-Mart parking lot.  Sure, in production form and in motion, the Kuga isn't what you thought it might be on a showstand under the bright lights..... but, it's an attractive vehicle.  Alongside the Mondeo, facelifted Euro-Focus, the S-Max, and new Fiesta, this forms one of the most stunning mainstream showrooms in autodom.  Ford.  Wow.

NISSAN/INFINITI RECALL

If you're one of those seen driving in a sporty new Nissan Murano or Infiniti EX35, get ye to the dealer.  The problem may be minor, but when safety is at the heart of the issue - ya' best get it taken care of.

11,511 Murano's and 4,854 EX's have a software problem related to the passenger airbags.  Although these vehicles are not - I repeat, not - the same under the flesh, this cross-brand; cross-platform problem speaks to the somewhat newfound ability resident in automotive R&D to give us similar behind-the-scenes components rather than the same vehicle over and over again.  

Check out other recent recalls here. 

MINOR VOLKSWAGEN RECALL

Volkswagen is holding strong to the notion of a next-generation New Beetle.  Would that make it the Newer Beetle?  Or the Newer New Beetle? Or New Beetle MK2?  Whichever, VW must first take care of a potentially nasty issue with a special edition of the current New Beetle.

Volkswagen used an incorrect adhesive on the Triple White edition of their retro-mobile, which could lead to the roof spoiler becoming detached.  While this may only be a problem for New Beetle owners in terms of aesthetics, drivers abaft of their car could face serious danger.  Typically, we drivers fail to anticipate flying spoilers.  

Only 510 New Beetle's are affected.  Feel free to contact your dealer if you think you're one of them.  

IRL CHAMP CAR MARRIAGE

Speculation has led to rumour has given way to report has given way to.... truth?  It appears that the Indy Racing League, which has as its flagship race the Indianapolis 500, will merge with Champ Car effective really, really soon.  In fact, a press conference could be held tomorrow.

Even Jerry Seinfeld didn't like the overuse of the "Ovaltine" bit.  On the other hand, it had become gruesomely apparent that televesion wasn't working with the Champ Car World Series.  It's a little bit I-need-you-but-hate-you mixed with plenty of Baby-it-hurts-to-love-you and a lot of Can't-live-with'em-can't-live-without'em.  

Consider this: Patrick Carpentier, Juan Pablo Montoya, Sam Hornish Jr. are just some of the names who crossed over, at least temporarily, into NASCAR for the Daytona 500.  Champ and the IRL need to do more than just keep fans.  They need to keep drivers.