THE RUSSIAN CAMRY

Oh, America moans and groans and protests when Vladimir Putin exercizes far-reaching authority in Russia. True, Russia isn't a big fan of American fighter jets escorting planes away from Alaska and back toward Russia. Admittedly, there have been some tension-filled issues between the two powers over the last 10; 20.... OK, 50 years. 

But a new Russia is emerging. A Russia with McDonald's, soaring wealth, vast oil production, and Toyota Camry manufacturing?

This is starting to sound like middle America. Hey, after all, what's more American than a Big Mac spilling its contents on the cloth seats of an '01 Camry?  

Russians pay for their Camry privileges. The advent of St. Petersburg Toyota production will bring prices down 9% but the Russian Camry will still sticker around the equivalent of $33,000 USD. The northwestern Russian plant won't build more than 20,000 Camrys at first. As in America, expect heady acceleration toward 200,000 per annum.

CHRYSLER UK RETHINKS ITS BUSINESS

Simon Elliott, the boss at Chrysler's UK branch, wants something better. Since returning to the UK after a couple years managing Chrysler's operations in China, Elliott has seen the dreadful numbers. Chrysler sales dropped 21% in the UK last year and Jeep sales dropped 9% over the same period. Though Dodge sales jumped dramatically, Elliott predicts an absence of growth from the Ram-badged brand this year. Yikes.

So, says, the boss, "We currently have 21 models across three brands and I would like to see that dramatically reduced over the next 12 months." Ya think? Chrysler brass is talking about this (and acting on it) on our side of the pond as well.  

Chrysler UK has 83 dealers, too. If that sounds like too much to you, Elliott disagrees. He just wants dealers to carry the cars that'll sell well in their region, rather than filling their lots with every single model. Sounds so revolutionary.  Wow. Dealer profitability is quite low or nonexistent. As some give up and, as Simon Elliott says, "lose their appetite for us", Chrysler wants to recruit new enterprises to keep the number up around 83.  

It might help Chrysler if some of the cars for sale were appealing to Europeans. 

FORD, POLAND & THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

Get this: Ford Motor Company is an American automotive production business. The Ka is a small car, two sizes down from the Focus, that this American company does not sell in the United States but does offer to most of the rest of the world. 

With this American background, you'd expect to hear lots about dollars and cents. But in Ford's latest announcement, the Polish nature necessitated euros rather than dollars. Poland? Well, sorta. The plant was actually owned by an Italian conglomerate.

Here's the business. Tychy, Poland is a former Fiat site at which Ford will thrust 94 million euros. For what reason? Ford wants to manufacture over 120,000 Kas per at the site. Remember this as well: the new Ka will share a basic foundation with Fiat's impressive and attention-grabbing 500. 

The global connections are mind boggling.

CHEVROLET HAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TRAVERSE

Badge engineering, the forming of multiple automobiles from the same foundation while adjusting the fascias and switching the logo, is alive and well. Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, Mercury Mariner? How 'bout the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5? 

Not surprisingly, the most prominent badges often steal the sales. General Motors' impressive Lambda platform has played host to a trio of successful crossover utes. At the high end, Buick's Enclave is a seller; plus it has earned favour right here at GoodCarBadCar. The Saturn Outlook is the garden-variety Lambda from the brand that promises something different. At present, General Motors' trucking badge, GMC, sits on the front of the Acadia, a vehicle that GoodCarBadCar named one of the Top 5 Cars the Police Should Be Driving.

The trio of Lambda CUVs will soon become a quartet. Typically, adding members to your band is a surefire bet for increasing tension and messing with the harmonies. Imagine what happens when the fourth and latest member is intended to be the lead singer and main spokesperson. Chevrolet wants its Traverse to eventually sell 150,000 units per year. That's about what the Enclave, Outlook, and Acadia sell. Combined. 

Is the Traverse able to attract the attention and hype to overwhelm its brethren in sales? More than likely, the Traverse will drive down the road with exactly the same mannerisms as the former trio. Features and content won't measure up to the Enclave, nor will the exterior appearance. However, the Chevrolet Traverse will be the most affordable CUV from the Lambda platform. Cheap is good.

BIT PLAYER OR MAINSTREAM WANNABE? DISCUSS

Subaru is just one of a number of companies which treads a fine line between existing as a lovable sidebar or a successful mass-production carmaker. To make money, one must sell cars.

But what if the people who bought your cars previously purchased the vehicles for the simple reason of individualism? Subaru is a growing automaker, and its success in my neck of the woods is easy to see. They have infiltrated a market where people want practical vehicles - especially the kind that look tougher than they really are.

Saab attempts to walk this line as well, and does so less successfully. Jaguar hasn't been much of a moneymaker in years. It is interesting, however, that we hear all about it now that they try and sell more vehicles by way of more product lines.
Bentley is in another stratosphere, but consider this: three extra models-within-a-model, all priced significantly lower than their previous mainstays. Financial success followed for Bentley.

Even Jeep is part of this debate. Sure, Jeep has held up a lofty image over the years. It is a company whose image is enhanced when we see 25-year old editions covered in mud. Nevertheless, Jeep wants to sell more vehicles and more of those vehicles are supposed to sell to young women. What have we? The Compass and Patriot. Neither have completely impressed the media and neither really shout JEEP.

So, back to the Subaru question. The recent debut of the 2008 Impreza makes you wonder how strong of a Subaru it really is. Factor in the common assumption that it will be a more appealing car to the masses. It doesn't look as quirky, so perhaps the Scooby faithful won't pine for it as they may have in 2002. It doesn't look as quirky, so perhaps the Corolla-buyer (are there Corolla faithful?) will pine for it, as they did not in 2002. It will likely be a better drive, with improved handling and spunkier power delivery. But it's not odd. My thinking is that Subaru has already come firmly in touch with the mainstream, having already developed their faithful following.

This car is not apt to force the inveterate away, because that buyer has long since become addicted to Subaru qualities. Qualities which, hopefully, will not disappear with the frog-eyed headlights.

Which I kinda liked.

WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR

The Good Car Guy is not a voting member. 22 countries are represented by 44 automotive journalists who will cast their votes for the overall car of the year, the performance coty, and the green coty.

I don't vote.

But if I did... I wouldn't even agree with the nominations. Howbeit, the Lexus LS460; Audi TT, and Mini Cooper are all very worthy automobiles.

As are the Audi RS4, BMW 335i, and Porsche 911 Turbo - the very lovely nominees for Pcoty. The Benz E320 Bluetec, Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion, and BMW Hydrogen 7 compete for Gcoty.

If it must be this way, with the Mini, Audi, and Lexus competing against each other...well, I gotta say the Lexus is a mighty expensive car to have a whole lot of impact in the automotive universe. The Mini and the TT are successful reincarnations of the original. However, the Mini has not really moved its game on, and the TT does not have the visual impact it once did, despite its improving dynamic ability. So, we'll give it to the techno-laden Lexus. The LS is good-looking this time around. It is more performance oriented. And it has all the attributes which makes a Lexus a Lexus.

Performance car awards typically go to Porsches and BMWs. For that reason and many others, the RS4 is the deserving candidate. OK, so the 911 Turbo is amazing. Shouldn't it be? If it wasn't amazing the news of it would be more noteworthy. The 335i would make a fine M3, but when each successive 3-series becomes more powerful and capable, it also loses some of its rawness. And besides, they're everywhere. The RS4 is a big step for Audi and a big step for the supersedan. It is a pure driving machine and not completely dependent on supreme power. Powerful though it may be.
Gotta give the green award to the Benz. Mercedes is pushing diesels worldwide and ought to be rewarded for their work. The diesels run smooth like a gas-powered engine, take you far on a tank, and don't pollute like they once did. Plus there's torque. Lots of it.

BHP FIGURES TO JAR YOU

Yesterday, The Good Car Guy showcased three nice vehicles with shockingly large vehicles. Volkswagen's Passat Wagon, Toyota's full-size SUV, and Mercedes-Benz' entry-level car in Canada are all potential budget busters, even if the original MSRP failed to frighten. 

Today, frighten is a key word. Nissan's GT-R is a wickedly fast supercoupe with Porsche Turbo-baiting laptimes and a Corvette-worrying pricetag. With all-wheel drive, a mean&nasty exterior, and immense levels of technology; the traditional high-end coupe sellers had reason to worry. Then the Nissan took to the track and began roasting opponents; turning the favourites into underdogs. MotorTrend decided to find out exactly why the GT-R could pull crazy stunts beyond its supposed ability. Why does the GT-R punch above its weight?

Though the Nissan will continue to forever punch above its $$$ figure weightclass, its power figures now show an embarrassment of riches. We had been told the GT-R utilized a twin-turbo V6 to generate 480 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. By independently testing the GT-R on a dyno, MotorTrend (with K&N Engineering's help) discovered that the Nissan brute is making at least 506 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. 

MORE HORSES, SMALL TUNEUPS, DOESN'T CUT IT

There is no denying that General Motors is on an upswing. But I'd love to meet the people who are going to buy a 2008 Hummer H2, 2008 Buick Lucerne Super, or Buick Lacrosse/Allure Super because of the following additional attributes.

• A barrel load of added horsepower in the Hummer
• Waterfall grilles and lower chromed grille openings on the Lacrosse
• 17 more horsepower in the Lucerne
• More chrome
• More portholes
• Added tow capacity (already 6,500 pounds, clearly not enough) for the Hummer
  
• Potentially improved efficiency when compared with previous models. No numbers required nor provided. Hummer and efficiency. Hmm
• New interior bits and bites for Hummer, likewise for Buick exterior

In early '07 Hummer sales had fallen 25%. Al Gore is doin' a job in Hollywood and Washington and perhaps that doesn't help Hummer. Buick says they sell cars to grown-ups who pay cash and are not credit challenged. They are virtuous, wonderful customers who appreciate and can purchase nicer things.

Ah yes, that generation that has about 5-15 years left of car purchasing ability. Or about 1-3 cars. Keep on attacking that market sector. What a demographic. Forget about me and every other non-grandparent. Hope, and I mean, hope, that Pontiac can pick us up.

$$$ FIGURES TO JAR YOU

Hey Canada, go and build your Volkswagen Passat Wagon at www.VW.ca and choose the 3.6L V6. Now you've got plenty of power, all-wheel drive, and not a little luxury. Add navi, rear side airbags, one $3,000 package, freight and PDI, and you're looking at ......... $52,160. It's a Volkswagen; a very nice Volkswagen. But it's a midsize Volkswagen. It may even be worth it. But again, $52,160 jars my liver.

Venture over to www.Toyota.ca. Though you may think your interest in gas-guzzlers is fleeting, the Toyota Sequoia seems plenty nice, doesn't it? With a 5.7L V8 in Platinum trim? It'll cost ya'. $59,900 is only the start. Add your "Green Levy" at $2,000; freight and PDI at $1,390; and another $115 for air-con and tire taxes, and you've got yourself a bill. $63,405 increases to $71,647 with HST in a place like Nova Scotia. How does a lease payment of $1,213 sound with $2,455 due at delivery? 

Mercedes-Benz and 'entry level' seem oxymoronic. But the B-class starts below $30K. True, 134bhp isn't exactly smokin', but the B200 is a very practical family vehicle. Then again, equipping the B200 in genuine Benz fashion necessitates over $5,000 in options and $890 for a good shade of red paint. It'd be nice to try Mercedes' Continuously Variable Transmission and - hello - this is Canada, you need heated seats. That's another couple grand. If your kids are going to ride around in the backseat of a Benz, they'll feel silly without a sunroof. The panoramic version from Mercedes costs, however. $1,600 down the tubes. You're $29,900 Mercedes-Benz turned into a $39,515. Sorry, that's life.

OIL CHANGE RECOMMENDATIONS CHANGING

Ford Motor Company is the latest recommender of increasing the miles between your oil changes. For 2007 models and anything subsequent, Ford has said that 7,500 miles is sufficient. Ford gives credit to the oils even more than the improvements shown in engine technology as reasons for the altered recommendations. The days when new cars needed only 3000 or 5000 between oil changes is long gone. Many manufacturers, including Honda and GM, give no recommendations at all. They rely on sensors in most of their cars to tell you; because, after all, the life of every car is unique. GM's Peter Lord talked about the use of technology rather than across-the-board recommendations: 'We are absolutely confident of the technology. We back it with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty now, so there's no doubt in our mind that this technology works." There's no doubt that elapsed time and the age of the vehicle can contribute to the misapplication of these recommendations. And, every carmaker phrases things a little differently. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that that engine technology and higher quality oil are contributing to you saving $ in the service departments.

IS THE GENESIS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW HYUNDAI?

Hyundai has released pictures of its future near-luxury sedan, the Genesis. Although clearly not Hyundai's genesis, this being 2007 and not 1967, the Genesis will mark yet another rebirth for Hyundai. The Sonata's, XG's, Azera, and even the non-NorAmer market Equus have nothing on the Genesis.

As mentioned in the first posting on this site, questions will undoubtedly arise in mainstream and enthusiast media, at auto shows and at kitchen tables. Hyundai puts a bit of a damper on the debate with its plans to keep base pricing under $30,000 USD. Over 300 horsepower from a V8-engined, rear-wheel drive vehicle with a driver-adjustable suspension and big wheels... it does sound good, ya gotta admit.

So the pictures reveal a big part of the equation - exterior appearance. This is a truly good-looking vehicle that wouldn't look out of place in a Lexus showroom although we're yet to find out if it would feel out of place.

DRIVE AN AUDI R8 FOR 1 WEEK

Earlier today The Good Car Guy posted a Kijiji Find. And what a find; a slightly used Audi R8 at a price significantly higher than the base MSRP. An email just arrived at GoodCarBadCar about an opportunity to win an Audi R8.... for a week. How could this privilege be a part of your life? By test-driving another Audi, of course, and being entered in a draw, obviously. The A3, A4, A5, A6, A8, TT, and Q7 form the complete Audi showcase in Canada (where this specific offer resides). 

Says the ad: "There's no better time to buy an Audi. First month's payment FREE. Security deposit waived." Why don't you read it for yourself? Here's the link. Have fun. 

HIGHWAY FUEL ECONOMY - by the Numbers

According to CNNMoney.com, here are some numbers we should all be keeping in mind as fuel prices climb. And climb. And climb. Do you wanna be responsible with your cash? Can you manage making a one hour trip a 70 minute trip, if need be? It'll be a struggle, but these numbers might convince you. You can check out other Fuel-oriented articles here or check out the GCBC Numbers here.

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40 - percentage of energy wasted by your vehicle just "pushing air" around at highway speeds

4 - fewer miles per gallon your vehicle (and we mean pretty much any vehicle) will travel for every 10 extra miles per hour you manage

0.54 - equivalent extra cents per gallon you 'pay' for every 10mph over 60mph

28 - a vehicle that achieves this kind of mpg at 65mph would achieve just 24mpg at 75mph

3.6 - number of gallons required by the 28mpg vehicle for every 100 miles driven

1.93 - extra money, with gas at $3.25/g, required to drive the same car at 75mph rather than 65mph, using an extra 0.6g

30 - mpg of a Toyota Camry at 75mph rather than the 35mpg it achieved at 65mph, according to Consumer Reports

18 - mpg of a Mercury Mountaineer at 75mph rather than the 21mpg it achieved at 65mph

6.19 - extra dollars spent by the Camry owner when driving at 75mph rather than 65mph over a 400-mile road trip; or $10.32 for the Mountaineer

50 - minutes saved by driving at 75 rather than 65mph over the same 400 miles

evo LAPTIMES FROM CADWELL PARK

Blasts from the past dig deep into your being. Even as the National Hockey League comes closer and closer to total parity - where any of the 16 playoff teams could feasibly win the Stanley Cup and the wealthiest franchise in the league is on the verge of missing the playoffs for the third straight season - I tell my hockey addict friend that I have a yearning for the good ol' days of dominance. "Remember when we were kids and teams clinched their playoff spot? It wasn't a few games shy of the season end." I want a blast from the past. 

When an iPod was a Sony Walkman. When cranking a manual window lever required great effort and built up my forearms. Ah.... when the hot hatchback was not just hot; but wild. evo, a Brit car mag looks back to the hot hatch past more than just about anybody I know. Contrasting an all-time great with some newer and smaller hatchbacks may not be obvious, but it looks fun. And fast. Cars involved included the sub-Saturn Astra, aka Vauxhall Corsa; the successor to another all-time great, the Renaultsport Clio 197 Cup; and the predecessor of the Ford Verve/Fiesta. Oh, and the Lance Delta Integrale. Here are evo's laptimes from the Woodland Circuit at Cadwell Park. Other evo-related posts are available here.

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Vauxhall Corsa VXR 888 .... 53.3 seconds

Renault Clio 197 Cup .......... 54.1 seconds

Ford Fiesta ST185 ............... 55.5 seconds

Lance Delta Integrale Evo .... 55.8 seconds

evo's Jethro Bovingdon concludes: "If you're looking for a new car, then the Fiesta just gets our vote. Maybe what we really need is a car with the indulgence of the ST, the control of the Cup, and the performance of the 888. If it could have even a tenth of the character and sense of occasion of the Integrale then we'd really have a new hero."

evo.co.uk

CADILLAC RECALL

Driving a brand new Cadillac STS-v? We all know you've got 469 horsepower to git yourself to the dealer before your tire-pressure monitoring system fails. Don't mock: these systems are a terrific invention; for safety and convenience. 

In fact, the regular STS is under the recall, too. That makes it about 4,600 cars.

ETHANOL

CNN says, "Ethanol ' the answer,' auto execs tell Bush" Really? Not so much. Tom Lasorda is the CEO of the Chrysler Group. LaSorda said, "We think this is the answer for America to lower our dependence on foreign oil."

We think this is the answer to lower our dependence. Two key words. I think many things, and I know fewer. And the lowering of something, the diminishing and decreasing, is not the same as the vanishing of the dependence.

Rick Wagoner is the Chairman and CEO of General Motors. He says, "This makes a big difference. There's nothing that can be done that can reduce the curb of growth of imported oil, and actually turn it down, like using E85."

Difference, reduce, turn it down. Them are key words, aren't they now. Mm-hmm, indeed. Kind of like turning down the volume on a stereo, you can make a big difference by reducing the volume when you turn down the knob. But until it is turned off then you still have sound.

CNN reported, 'Automakers said they could make half of their cars and trucks capable of running on alternative fuels by 2012 if there is enough availability and distribution of E85, an ethanol blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.'

Key words? Capable, if, alternative, enough availability. The United States of America has about 170,000 fuel-filling stations now. 1100 offer E85.

I don't portend to have the solution, but one such contributing factor to creating solutions is motivation. Personally, I'd be lacking motivation to buy an E85 vehicle (for its Ethanol-running qualities) when there are few stations that can meet its need. Those stations are unmotivated considering the fact that people don't want to buy the cars that need the stations. It's a two-directional circle. And manufacturers are, meanwhile, lacking serious motivation - or legislation - to produce the cars that stations can't fill and people don't need to buy.

Somebody will have to get down to business about this business.

'GENERAL MOTORS ACCESSORIES' SHOWS OFF

Options and accessories are the easiest way for automakers to make money. The years and millions of $ that go in to researching and developing a vehicle - especially a car that may not sell for top dollar - can strip away much of the profit; even when sales number in the hundreds of thousands. Thus, accessorize. For instance, as if Porsche doesn't make enough coin already, they'll charge you $2,100 USD for a sport exhaust system on a base Porsche Boxster. Accessories reek of profits.

So how does it all take place? Here's a clip from General Motors of their own head of Global Accessories Design, Larry Sully, in the studio. Plus, a look at the new Camaro; a very good thing.

$2.7B + $2.5B = $2.3B? FORD SELLS UP

It's official....aly depressing for Ford's accountants. Tata, a gigantic Indian industrial conglomerate, has purchased two historic and evocative British automotive brands from Ford Motor Company.

Ford paid $2,500,000,000 for Jaguar back in 1989. Ford paid $2,700,000,000 for Land Rover in 2000. With an approximate inflation adjustment, Ford's $2.5B into Jaguar works out to around $4.3B now, and the $2.7B it cost Ford to snag Land Rover from BMW works out to about $3.3B now. Ish.

See previous posts on the matter here

So if you want to make Ford look really, really, really bad, figure the math like this: Ford paid $7,600,000,000 for Jaguar and Land Rover and sold the two as a set for $2,300,000,000. Ford's beancounters say, "Umph!" Ratan Tata says, "Result."

Ford is even going to contribute $600,000,000 to employee pension funds. Thankfully, Tata is leaning towards maintaining the current workforce level in the UK of 15,300 workers. 

As of 9:17am EST, Ford's "Global Sites" still included Jaguar and Land Rover. Who knows, they could be there for a while. Awkward. 

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE...

...The more things stay the same. Porsche is likely to increase its stake in Volkswagen today. That makes big news, and it is. Keep in mind that Ferdinand Porsche was the designer of the original People's car, the Volkswagen Beetle. It is that Beetle that helped form the car that would carry the Porsche name. Because Ferdinand Porsche received a royalty on every Beetle that was ever built ( x 20million+), Porsche AG, operated by his son Ferry for quite some time, had a comfortable financial situation to help develop their sports car business.

Much of the power behind VW is held by Ferdinand Piech, son of Ferry's sister, therefore Ferdinand's grandson. Intelligence and eccentricity met together, and Ferdinand Piech was the result. Brilliant engineering decisions met with horrible marketing motives, and Ferdinand Piech was the cause. Anyway, Piech is a large shareholder in Porsche as well as being a force behind VW. Forget the formal titles. Piech is not 'permitted' to have decision-making ability at Porsche and he has had two successors at VW now, yet he manages to play the puppeteer with alacrity. And audacity. Piech is a paragon of German boardroom and backroom shaking and baking, but he engenders strong opinions.

So you see. Ferdinand basically jump-started both companies, and Ferdinand has control in 2007. Porsche and Piech. Grandfather and grandson.

A SUBURBAN OF NOTE

Driving in Mexico presents a completely different set of potential scenarios that you wouldn't encounter across the Rio Grande or above the 49th parallel. Two 6-week trips spent mainly in the state of Nayarit provided the sort of 'driver training' never offered by my high school or Young Drivers of Canada. An acquaintance of mine drives an '02 Chevrolet Suburban - a favourite of Mexicans who need space and ability - and he drives it well. 

Three things of note in the picture below: though 140km/h won't strike Chevrolet Corvette owners as 'heady progress', the tachometer reading of around 2100rpm manifests the ability of Suburbans and Yukon XLs to manage long distance travel. Also, have a look at the fuel gauge. You won't see many Suburbans cruising at this speed with a full tank. Finally, look behind the camera.  Oh, right... sorry - you can't see that direction. But can you guess the profession of the driver?

smart IS SELLING EVERYWHERE

Roger Penske, Mercedes-Benz' chosen importer for their smart fortwo city car, sounds very excited about the long-term prospects for the 2-seater in America. After all, if the car succeeds outside of cities, it clearly points to a lack of fear in terms of highway driving; sitting beside 18-wheelers on the interstate; and enduring long trips. These are issues which hundreds of thousands of buyers across the world have ovcrcome; most recently in Canada.  

To read more smart-related posts from The Good Car Guy, 

click on this link

And now, in the United States. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that 1,800 smarts have been registered in the States. 30,000 more people have their $99 deposits down and are waiting. Interestingly, the upper-end fortwos have wrought greater uptake than expected, with the fully loaded examples forming 10% of the sales rather than the expected 4%, says Edmunds.com. The average number of dollars spent on options is equivalent to 15% of the MSRP. 

Of course, Penske said in that Edmunds article that even on its own, "Los Angeles alone would be our number-one state in sales." Along with that, dealers in places like Pittsburgh are dying for more cars. 

PUT DOWN YOUR RIFLE - BMW of Lincoln will sell the M3

Ken, a Californian who purchased a brand new BMW M3 from a Nebraska BMW dealership but was refused the ownership because the dealer didn't like the purchase price (it didn't accelerate with demand the way they thought it would) will be getting his car after all. Apparently BMW of Lincoln and - we can assume, BMW HQ - didn't like the web onslaught that started at M3post.com, then Autoblog, and on to sites like GoodCarBadCar.net. 

So, unless Ken doesn't get his M3 tomorrow for the $60,000 price and we have to reignite the firestorm, there's no more need to make fun of Fil's haircut or harass the dealer. What this whole brouhaha may well affect is BMW of Lincoln's long term reputation. YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace are only continuations of the whole WWW phenomenon that accentuates and defines problems like these and gives attention of the worldwide variety. 

So good for Ken. And good for us. After all, wasn't I/You TIME's Person of the Year? If you haven't seen the original post, follow this link.

2 BY KIA

Hyundai is still not allowing its Sonata brother - the Kia Optima/Magentis - to catch up. The 'new' Optima has refreshed engine compartments, but must continue to battle in the lower tier of the midsize sector with low levels of power. Might Kia be on to something?

The 2.7L V6 makes 190 horsepower, just 15 more than the 2.4L 4-cylinder powerplant. Battling with smaller, less powerful engines than its competitors may permit the Kia Optima to be seen as a fuel-efficient alternative. Whether that will bear itself out on public highways and city streets remains to be seen. At present, the Optima has a base MSRP a few hundred dollars below that of the Hyundai Sonata in the USA. The story is the same in Canada, where the base MSRPs of both vehicles are over $4,000 higher than in America.

Remember hearing so much about Hyundai being positioned as the Toyota competitor while Kia took it to sportier brands like Mazda and Honda? Taking a look through the showrooms presents a contrarian view. Kia is the company with the lower-powered midsize car. Hyundai is the brand with a new rear-wheel drive coupe and a sedan with a V8 engine. Then again, one New York auto show concept sends a new message. 

The Koup looks to be a real Civicesque Si knockoff. That's ok. Kia's sporty little 2-door has some relatively unique character traits. And there's no denying this Kia is sporty. Four-cylinder engines are progressively more potent. Mate the 2.0L capacity with a turbocharger and direct injection and you get yourself 290 horsepower. 

Kia needs this car if it ever wants to be seen as anything that approaches a sporting brand. 

UPDATE #2

Perhaps 200km yesterday around the western part of Prince Edward Island. The propensity in rural parts of the Island for choosing GM, Ford, and Chrysler products was relatively surprising. One average town showed me two Japanese cars. No other car was anything but domestic American. We drove to the northern most part of the Island to feel carbon neutral, with the sight of a couple dozen wind turbines along with the sight of fuel gauge in the V6-engined vehicle dropping. Ice flows took the place of meeting tides. Snow was melting quickly and the grass will soon begin to grow green, but we had the ability to walk out for dozens of metres onto the ocean.

Some vehicles had begun their chemical breakdown, as UV, saltwater, red dirt, and animals had their way. The local Tignish Shore Volkswagen museum displayed a lovely quartet of Jettas, as seen at right.

SKODA SALES CLIMBING

Volkswagen-owned and Czech Republic-based, Skoda has passed the first test of its reborn life (credibility) and is on its way to becoming a power player among Europe's mainstream car brands. Funky designs like the Roomster and innovative solutions such as the trunk/hatch of the new Superb are part of what makes Skoda more than just a cheap Volkswagen alternative.

Skoda sales were 19.4% higher last month than in February of 2007. Combined January and February sales were 17.8% higher than during the first two months of last year; at 105,179. Thank its home market, Germany, and the ever-emerging consumership of Russia. Czechs bought 4,780 Skodas in February; Germany registered over 8,000; and Russians registered just over 3,000. 

See all Skoda-related posts with a click right up on in here

Skoda's 58,838 monthly sales just a few months earlier in October were considered a massive jump. It was indeed a 15% increase over the same period of the previous year. Skoda was smart to delve into the Chinese market and sold 27,000 cars there last year in a 12 month period in which they sold 630,000 cars worldwide. With months like February under their belt, expect the head honchos to be very pleased when those six figures are easily eclipsed.

In the Czech Republic, Ford and Volkswagen compete for second place while Skoda takes one third of the market share.

BMW DEALER IN NEBRASKA MADE BAD CHOICE

When a BMW dealer decided not to honour the bid of an eBay user in an online auction where the price did not significantly elevate over and above the MSRP, they should have expected an internet uproar. This is the World Wide Web, after all, and weaving a tangled web on the web is terribly unadviseable. It began at Autoblog and will continue elsewhere, including here at GoodCarBadCar. 

This link will take you to the staff page where you can see the name of the "no photograph" internet manager. I especially like the 'internet specials' tab at the bottom of the main page. Great line considering the situation they're in now.

Fil Catania introduces himself as the General Manager and Operating Partner when you head to the page and mentions that they're absolutely commited to making your next automotive purchase as easy as possible. Hmm, not so much in the case of the Californian M3-buyer who got himself a fair deal. Other than BMW, this dealer group appears to offer GM brands and Mercedes-Benz.  The original post on a forum fills you in on more of the story, as does the eBay listing viewable here.

UPDATE #1

Yesterday's first 310km saw our transportation device (those are my friendliest words for the vehicle) maintain a fuel efficient pace. At the rate we're going and in the places we're driving, we will drive 550 km on the first tank, a 50L tank, and that tank will cost us $54.70.

Just before we crossed the Confederation Bridge, we saw flashing lights up ahead and dreaded a police check. It was actually bridge personnel directing large trucks off the highway. High winds on a low-sided bridge meant that high-sided trucks were not permitted. A few hours later 70 crossed together.

We saw two vehicles with which we had formerly crossed the fixed link: Volvo S40 and an Infiniti FX35. Ticking the option boxes that their owners had clearly ticked caused our vehicle to be a little more than one-third the price of the Volvo and less than one-third the FX.

Our low car was not affected by the winds on the bridge, but sightseeing from the security of our glassed and steeled in vehicle showed the ferocity of the tempest as the car shook enough to get us up on outta there.