What if Insurers Didn’t Pay for Crashes Caused by Texting? By ANN CARRNS

JANUARY 10, 2012, 11:00 AM

What if Insurers Didn’t Pay for Crashes Caused by Texting? By ANN CARRNS

Associated PressA 2010 texting-related crash in Missouri.

Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board called for a nationwide ban on the use of cellphones and other “portable electronic devices” while driving.

“It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving,” the board’s chairman, Deborah A.P. Hersman, said in a statement.

It’s uncertain whether the board’s call will be heeded, given the public’s addiction to instant electronic communication, any time and anywhere. But the proposal has generated discussion. One provocative idea was floated by a man from Boulder, Colo. He suggested, in a letter published in The Wall Street Journal, that insurance companies could curtail distracted driving if they simply refused to pay claims for accidents caused by texting. (Many states specifically ban texting while driving, but enforcement varies.)

That sounded like an intriguing proposal to us here at Bucks — one that could be applied to all sorts of bad driving behavior, including drunken driving.

The idea, though, seems to be a nonstarter. Insurance companies, and even a consumer advocate, make the point that coverage for injuries to yourself or others as a result of an accident — even one caused by careless or just plain stupid behavior — is one of the main reasons to buy insurance in the first place.

“An accident is an accident,” says Mark Romano, an insurance specialist with the Consumer Federation of America. “And if you’re reckless enough to do things you shouldn’t be doing, then your insurance is there to cover you.”

Dick Luedke, a spokesman for State Farm, said in an e-mail that the insurer typically pays for accidents, even if the driver is intoxicated. “Generally speaking, we fulfill our promise even when the person to whom we make the promise violates the law, and we fulfill our promise to the person who texts while driving, whether or not that person is violating the law.”

“That’s the point of insurance,” Mr. Luedke said, in a follow-up phone call. He also noted that while the spotlight currently is on texting and cellphone use, there are all sorts of other ways drivers can become distracted, whether by disciplining children in the back seat, eating lunch or even fiddling with the radio: “Where do you draw the line?”

There’s also the problem of innocent parties who are injured. Say you are texting and not paying attention, and you strike a pedestrian, who incurs big medical bills. Typically, your insurance would pay for the victim’s care, since you caused the accident. Would it be fair to tell the victim, “Sorry, that’s not covered? The driver was texting so we can’t cover you?” said Loretta Worters, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group, in an e-mail. “We have an obligation to pay that claim, to protect that innocent bystander, even if you were stupid.”

Of course, if drivers repeatedly get in accidents, whether due to drunken driving or texting or another reason, the insurer is likely to jack up their premiums, or cancel their coverage.

Ms. Worters noted that the industry is taking steps to educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving.

What do you think? Is there an argument to be made for not covering accidents caused by texting or other bad driving behavior?

Lawrence Ulrich’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 By LAWRENCE ULRICH

December 31, 2010
Lawrence Ulrich’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 By LAWRENCE ULRICH

1. FERRARI 458 ITALIA The world’s best sports car, a racing video game come to life in three gorgeous, thrilling dimensions. This is the car I would buy tomorrow if I inherited $250,000 today.

2. JAGUAR XJ In one swoop, this flagship sedan has been transformed from Prince Charles (stiff, conservative, tradition-bound) into David Beckham (athletic, fashionable, devilishly handsome). The XJ, especially in its supercharged versions, is not only the lightest and fastest of the big luxury sedans, but it is the most cheeky and vital.

3. CHEVROLET VOLT Let me get this straight: General Motors, after being criticized for (supposedly) killing the electric car and for lagging Toyota in green technology, develops a plug-in hybrid that outdrives the Prius and returns better overall economy than any other new hybrid or clean diesel. And G.M. is excoriated for doing so, not just by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, but by some greenniks. G.M. just can’t win.

4. PORSCHE BOXSTER SPYDER Among sports cars, the Boxster is like the golden retriever at your feet: Loyal and eager to please, but so old and familiar that you trip right over it. The Boxster Spyder solves that as a lightened-and-toned version that reminds you that this midengine stalwart is one of the sweetest performers around — and the world’s best-handling sports car to boot, according to Car and Driver magazine. The only drawback is its contraption of a manual top: it looks and fits great, but takes several minutes to put down or up, making the Spyder suspect as a daily driver.

5. AUDI A8 By the high-flying standards of Audi design, the tranquil exterior is a letdown. But all is forgiven when you jump into the A8 and drive. The cabin blends near-bespoke luxury with intuitive technology to set the new interior benchmark for large luxury sedans. And the Audi is an amazingly versatile dance partner, able to waltz, tango or mosh, depending on its driver’s mood.

6. HYUNDAI SONATA Never thought I’d say it, but if I were buying a straight-up family sedan I’d take the Sonata over Honda’s Accord, the perennial front-runner. Consumers have noticed, handing the handsome Sonata — in regular, turbo and hybrid versions — the year’s biggest jump in unit sales — up roughly 90,000 — of any car in America.

7. NISSAN JUKE When I first saw the Juke at an auto show, I didn’t know whether to chuckle or upchuck. But this moon buggy turns out to be the year’s most unexpected success, a tall hatchback with more muscle and spirit than the youth-centric crossovers from Scion, Kia and others. A 188-horsepower direct-injection turbo 4, available 6-speed manual transmission, torque-vectoring all-wheel drive and a winning interior filled with cool details, all for around $25,000. What’s not to like?

8. FORD EXPLORER The name sounds like a nostalgic holdover from a VH1 show. But this is the new Explorer, and all I can say is, Welcome back. Aside from the lack of a honking V-8, you won’t notice much difference in dynamic on-road handling, quietness and comfort between this Ford and much more expensive S.U.V.’s like the Land Rover LR4 or Mercedes GL-Class. It’s that good.

9. VOLVO S60 Another pleasant surprise, this sedan reminds me of the XC60 crossover, subtly amassing virtues until it’s impossible to ignore. For those who aren’t already set on a BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class or Infiniti G37, the S60 is a striking alternative and the most fun-to-drive Volvo yet.

10. LOTUS EVORA Driving enthusiasts often profess love for the nano-scale Lotus Elise or Exige, but few show their love by buying such a track-focused toy. The midengine Evora makes just enough compromises to be accommodating — it’s larger, heavier and more deluxe, with a roomier 2-plus-2 layout — but it still feels exotic, adventurous and every bit a Lotus.

When S.U.V.’s Are Parodies

DESIGNER IMPOSTOR Sure, it’s a relative bargain, it comes with a free iPad and the Hyundai dealer will fetch the car for service while dropping off a loaner. That’s all great, but if I’m going to drop $60,000 on a Hyundai, there’s only one real issue: is it really a stand-in for flagships like the Mercedes S-Class or Audi A8, or even the smaller BMW 5 Series? The Equus does not even come close. Dated and dowdy on the outside, a pale imitation of Lexus on the inside, it doesn’t drive or satisfy like the real McCoys.

FREE WILLY By the standards of full-size luxury S.U.V.’s, the redesigned Infiniti QX56 blows away the last version. But who at Infiniti approved the swollen shape, Beluga-whale grille and excessive bling? The QX is so obliviously unfashionable it should come with a trucker hat.

ROCKY TERRAIN Another S.U.V. that didn’t get the memo about changing tastes, the GMC Terrain is a parody pile-up of every Hummer-inspired styling theme to emerge from G.M.’s studios: tacky chrome rims, steroid-pumped sheet metal and an overwhelming air of half-bakedness, from its straining engines to its sloppy transmission.

WHAT A HAM For the Kia Soul, the return of the hip-hop hamsters was the year’s most watchable car ad. (I especially enjoyed the rodent cheerleaders, the Hamsterdam Avenue street sign and the stoned-looking drummer.) Best of all, the funky Soul is as endearing as its ad campaign.

THE HEARTBEAT HAS FLATLINED The worst car-company slogan of the year, perhaps among the worst ever: Chevy Runs Deep. What, like a submarine? A tunneling gopher? A wide receiver? By the time you figure out what Chevy’s talking about, the message (and your brain) are vaporized.

James G. Cobb’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 by JAMES G. COBB

Critics’ Picks
James G. Cobb’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 by JAMES G. COBB
Published: December 31, 2010

* Recommend
* Twitter
* Sign In to E-Mail
* Print
*
Reprints
* ShareClose
o Linkedin
o Digg
o Mixx
o MySpace
o Yahoo! Buzz
o Permalink
o

1. VOLKSWAGEN GTI I had seat time in 2010 with some six-figure fantasies, including a gullwing Mercedes SLS and a blistering Corvette ZR-1. Yet my driving daydreams kept returning to this simple, fairly priced ($25,000), always entertaining hatchback. A four-door version adds more versatility, and a new direct-shift gearbox mates brilliantly with the turbo 4, making the GTI the most fun you can have at 30 m.p.g. For the price of a Porsche Panamera you can decorate your driveway with three or more GTIs — and it will look all the better for it.
Enlarge This Image

The Honda CR-Z, a hybrid sport coupe, hasn’t sold briskly. More Photos »
Multimedia
Slide Show
James G. Cobb’s Top 10 Cars of 2010
Related

*
Hot Cars in a Cool Economy (January 2, 2011)
*
Lawrence Ulrich’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 (January 2, 2011)
*
Jerry Garrett’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 (January 2, 2011)

2. VOLVO S60 T6 The first Volvo introduced by the company’s new Chinese ownership (though largely developed under Ford), the new S60 is the most exciting, endearing Volvo I’ve driven. With a structure so solid it feels German, combined with a superior interior and brilliant controls, the S60 is a credible BMW alternative.

3. HYUNDAI SONATA Is the 2011 Sonata the best midsize sedan on the market? Maybe not, but it is selling briskly on its combination of standout styling, good mileage and high content at a reasonable price. In 10 years, when Hyundai rules the car world, we’ll look back at this Sonata as one of the most significant cars of our time.

4. NISSAN LEAF This compact electric sedan is certainly not for everyone. (Me, for instance.) The battery range is too limited, and recharging can take a long time. But America’s first modern mass-market electric car is nicely executed, with good acceleration, respectable handling and a driving experience that’s reassuringly normal.

5. ASTON MARTIN V-12 VANTAGE In recent years, the best thing about Aston Martin often seemed to be its name; that is, the company’s heritage and cachet trumped its cars, which were often less remarkable than their price. But the addition of a thundering V-12 to the lightweight Vantage created the Aston of my dreams, a gorgeous throwback free of extraneous techno distractions. And there’s always a hint of danger lurking under the sleek formal attire.

6. PORSCHE BOXSTER SPYDER What’s not to love about this lighter, more powerful version of my favorite roadster? Just two things: the $62,000 price is awfully steep, and the complicated two-piece top is utterly ridiculous. Otherwise, the Spyder is simply perfect.

7. FORD MUSTANG While Ford could have let its latest Mustang lope along mostly unchanged, it has been continually tweaking and updating its pony car — in response to the Camaro threat, no doubt. As a result, each time I drive a Mustang it seems significantly better than the one before. For 2011, new engines address the car’s powertrain deficiencies.

8. AUDI A8 The big Audi sedan has long been a personal favorite, and a 2011 redesign brought an array of new technologies, along with better mileage and performance. The exterior styling is just short of stodgy, but the interior rocks — especially from the headbanging Bang & Olufsen audio system.

9. NISSAN JUKE Dating back to the original Honda CR-V, small crossovers usually seemed to lack one crucial ingredient: fun. This googly-eyed youth-oriented crossover serves up loads of smiles, and it performs well enough to please a lot of enthusiasts.

10. CHEVROLET CRUZE To be honest, the powertrain could use some work; by tuning the engine for maximum economy, acceleration suffered. But despite scores of small-car efforts over five decades, G.M. has never made a compact sedan with anything close to the Cruze’s polish. And the upscale LTZ interior is, astonishingly, best in class.

Gripes for the Record Books

MY MOTHER-IN-LAW THE CAR I’ve grown accustomed to luxury cars that chirp, chime and chide with a variety of warnings. (Every Mercedes I’ve driven of late suggests, every few minutes, that I need a coffee break.) But no car’s nano-nanny nags like the Infiniti M37 with the Technology Package, a $3,000 collection of electronic noodges that beep, bleat and vibrate over anything perceived as a driver deficiency. It even nudges the steering wheel if sensors think you’re drifting. No, thanks; I’ll drive myself.

THE GERMAN GOES MISSING The 2011 Jetta is a linchpin of VW’s strategy to sell, by 2018, a million cars a year in America. But in its quest for the mass market is VW losing its German soul? The Jetta I tested, with its bland styling, mushy brake pedal and excessive wind noise, had little (besides decent road manners) to recommend it. While VW’s interiors used to be exceptional, the Jetta’s looks and feels as cheap as a Korean econobox’s — before Korean econoboxes got good.

NICHE MADNESS It’s hard to say just where BMW jumped the shark with its proliferation of pointless derivative models. But the BMW 550i GT, a huge, pricey, none-too-pretty hatchback, actually manages to make the odd-duck X6 seem rational.

PLUG AND PLAY I was a bit late to the MP3 music revolution, but now when I get in a car I quickly plug in my iPhone to play some tunes. Alas, most automakers have made this more of a chore than it need be. U.S.B. ports are tucked into gloveboxes or in a bin under your elbow. (The Infiniti QX56’s is deep in a cubby too small for my hand, under a tiny cover I can barely reach.) Hooray for Hyundai, which seems to have given the matter some thought. At the front of the Sonata’s console is a perfectly positioned U.S.B. connector, two powerpoints and a handy tray for iPods or whatever.

EAT YOUR PEAS, KIDS In theory, the Honda CR-Z made sense: a two-seat hatchback with overtones of the late, beloved Civic CR-X, intended to convince young people that hybrids could be fun. But as executed the CR-Z is not just slow as a slug, its mileage is barely better than middling. Move along, then; there’s no excitement here.

Jerry Garrett’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 By JERRY GARRETT

Jerry Garrett’s Top 10 Cars of 2010 By JERRY GARRETT

1. ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE The exquisitely executed Rapide is, like the sleek Jaguar XJ, a product of Ian Callum, designer extraordinaire. A sedan is a new offering for Aston, a tiny builder of British sports cars, as is the comparatively bulky looking Panamera for Porsche. But the Rapide’s perfect coupelike profile succeeds in ways its competitors don’t. The interior is luxuriously tasteful, not techno.

2. JAGUAR XJL Given the sleek new look, it’s hard to believe that the XJ rides on the underpinnings of its retro-style predecessor. But Mr. Callum has reincarnated Jaguar’s flagship sedan in a bold and clever way. Also, at $80,000 and up, the long-wheelbase XJL is more attractively priced than its main competition. The high-character interior, inspired by classic mahogany speedboats, evokes a bygone era of charismatic British luxury.

3. FORD HARLEY-DAVIDSON F-150 The Harley F-150 used to be a tepid marketing tie-in with the motorcycle company, but now it gets real appeal. The interior is as plush as a luxury sedan’s; authentic-looking touches like H-D gauge faces inspire smiles; and its eye-candy exterior provides high-wattage curb appeal that surpasses that of any other truck from any truck maker. If only the pickup’s bobtail bed could actually hold a Harley...

4. AUDI A8 This new flagship seems more tasteful, classic and elegant than its rivals. (I’m talking about you, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus.) Especially in black, the A8 comes across as black-tie formal wear, compared with the competition’s pinstripe suits. The interior pampers and pleases.

5. NISSAN LEAF This battery-electric car may not be ready for prime time, but it is nonetheless an impressive pioneer in gasoline-free transportation. More such vehicles are sure to come, and they will no doubt be improvements on the Leaf. For now, it is a welcome ambassador from an electric future.

6. SCION TC Jim Farley, the former boss at Scion (now with Ford), once said car buyers on a budget did not want to feel like losers in cheap cars. The entire Scion line — comprising just three vehicles, with another on the way — provides stylish, reliable, affordable and appealing transportation at economical prices. The new tC coupe, which improves significantly upon its predecessor, adds “sporty” to the mix. The Celica lives again.

7. JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE For a company that not long ago seemed down, if not out, the new Grand Cherokee signals a rejuvenation for a pioneer of the S.U.V. market — and perhaps for the entire Jeep line. The Grand Cherokee retains its best-in-class utility while showing big improvements in comfort, style and even fuel economy. It also costs thousands less than the new (and less off-road-capable) Ford Explorer.

8. FORD MUSTANG It appears that in 2010, for the first time since 1985, the Mustang has been outsold by its archrival, the Chevrolet Camaro — even though the Chevy comes in fewer versions. But there is something about the Mustang’s enduring appeal, and Ford’s careful nurturing and updating of it, that keeps it on my list for another year.

9. FORD FIESTA There once was a time, not long ago, when the best Ford products seemed to be sold overseas, not in the company’s home market. That is changing under the One Ford vision of the chief executive, Alan Mulally, and with vehicles like the versatile, well-executed Fiesta (and, more than likely, with the coming new Focus as well). The American-market Fiesta, arriving two years behind its European counterpart, is a world-class addition to the underserved subcompact market.

10. MERCURY MILAN HYBRID Mercury finally got a sedan it could be proud of — a hybrid, no less — just as its parent, Ford Motor, killed the brand. Oh, well, at least Mercury went out on a high note. Even though the midsize car was little more than a gussied-up Fusion Hybrid, owners gave it higher marks than any other hybrid sedan.

And the Losers Are ...

IMMOVABLE OBJECT AWARD Toyota Camry Hybrid. A leader in longevity on dealer lots, this Camry takes an average of more than 70 days to move one of these ho-hum hybrids.

INDUSTRY INCENTIVE AWARD When it comes to bribing consumers to buy a car, the departing Chevrolet Cobalt takes first place. Even as the industry leader in sales incentives — 24 percent off the already routinely ignored sticker price — Cobalt sales fell 53 percent through November 2010 from the period a year earlier (which was also a stinker of a sales year). Mercifully, the small Chevy has been euthanized.

PYRRHIC VICTORY AWARD Yes, Bentley has re-engineered its cars to run on some biofuels. But why? The Continental Supersports get an industry-worst 10 miles per gallon on E85 ethanol. (That’s combined m.p.g.; the city rating is just 8.) Running on gasoline, the car’s mileage is about a third better.

DOLLAR MENU AWARD In redesigning the Jetta, Volkswagen admirably cut the price — along with much of the character and features of the previous version. Someone in VW’s marketing department may have decided that since Americans eat junk food, they will snatch up the automotive equivalent of a value meal. More likely, the 2011 Jetta will leave them wanting more.

LATERAL MOVE AWARD Stefan Jacoby, formerly chief executive of Volkswagen of America, left to become chief of Volvo — just as Ford was selling Volvo to the Chinese. Why? Perhaps he saw the Americanized Jetta coming.

2009 Was a Clunker. Time to Cash It In. By LAWRENCE ULRICH

December 27, 2009
The Year in Cars
2009 Was a Clunker. Time to Cash It In. By LAWRENCE ULRICH

DESPITE the bankruptcies, bailouts and plunging sales that quaked the auto industry this year, perhaps nothing sums up the misery better than this: The United States is no longer the world's top car market.

As 2009 draws to a merciful end, J. D. Power & Associates estimates that the Chinese will end up buying 12.7 million vehicles, compared with Americans' 10.4 million purchases. How much has the market contracted? Consider that in 2000 United States sales reached an all-time high of 17.4 million.

The slippage came despite an unprecedented effort to assist those who make and sell cars, including the summer cash-for-clunkers program that doled out $2.9 billion in government rebates to spur sales of 690,000 new cars — while taking that many guzzling older models off the streets. Despite that program's temporary jolt, nearly 1,500 dealerships had shut their doors through October, making this the worst year for dealers since at least the 1950s, according to Automotive News, a trade publication.

The recession in North America, Europe and elsewhere pushed some automakers into the grave and others into consolidation or drastic downsizing. The casual consumer, who may not realize that General Motors killed off Pontiac this year, or that Jaguar and Land Rover now belong to Tata Motors of India, may need a scorecard and a spreadsheet to keep track of the players left in the game.

To that end, here is a rundown on the status of some brands and companies caught up in the shuffles, shakeups and desperate dances of the last couple of years, as automakers tried to keep a lap ahead of the Grim Reaper:

ASTON MARTIN A consortium led by a British motorsports magnate — with the backing of Kuwaiti petrodollars — is still running this manufacturer of luxury sports cars, acquired from Ford in late 2007. Ford had exponentially lifted Aston's worldwide sales, though the recession has taken its toll on all high-end nameplates. James Bond, at least, is back in a proper Aston, driving the stunning $270,000 DBS in his last two adventures; will Daniel Craig trade up to the even more conspicuous One-77? Aston will build just 77 examples of that $2 million, 220-m.p.h. supercar this year.

CHRYSLER GROUP This aging band of heavy-metal purveyors continued its Flame Out world tour. Ownership has passed from Germany (with Daimler) to Wall Street (Cerberus Capital Management) and now to Italy. Fiat took control of Chrysler the way people buy a Sebring — with no money down and a nearly pharmaceutical grade of optimism.

Sergio Marchionne, Fiat's sweater-loving turnaround maestro and Chrysler's new chief executive, took over from Robert L. Nardelli, the former boss at Home Depot. Mr. Marchionne announced a five-year plan: Chrysler will sell some Fiats and Alfa Romeos in the United States; Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models will combine American styling with Italian engineering; Ram, a name currently affixed to Dodge's muy-macho pickup — it pulls three times its weight in company sales — will be spun off as a separate brand.

Alfa Romeos may be rebadged as Dodges in America, and Dodges may be sold as Alfas in Europe, with Chryslers offered alongside cars from Fiat's struggling Lancia brand.

Well, that's the plan.

FIAT Starving for product, Chrysler's last, best hope is a Mediterranean salad whipped up by its new owner. Replacements for marketplace bombs like the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Caliber will use Fiat platforms, engines and technology. The Fiat 500 minicar may arrive late next year, with perhaps the Alfa Romeo MiTo subcompact to follow. Everything has to mesh and be translated to American tastes — quickly — and consumers must be willing to accept Chrysler's latest cultural exchange program.

FISKER Henrik Fisker, the onetime Aston Martin designer who is now intent on turning out hybrid luxury cars, says the nation is ready for plug-in hybrids. Certainly, Mr. Fisker seems plugged into Washington: he emerged with $529 million in government loans earmarked for green cars.

After delays, Mr. Fisker now promises that his $80,000 Karma luxury sedan, to be built in Finland, will go on sale next fall. But the federal loans are being used to develop lower-cost plug-ins, including a $47,000 sedan called Project Nina. Fisker plans to start building that car at a former G.M. plant in Delaware in 2012.

FORD MOTOR Although Ford's sales have fallen this year, the decline was at least countered by a rising market share and a brighter public image. As the only Detroit car company that didn't hold out an XXL Tigers cap to be stuffed with taxpayer money, Ford won applause from free-market advocates — and the right to make and market what it wants, free of pressure from government overseers.

Ford won more praise for its Fusion Hybrid, for its new line of powerful but fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines and for a makeover that girded its Mustang against any takeover attempt by Chevy's new Camaro.

Reversing a long brand-acquisition spree — Ford has given up its controlling interest in Mazda, though the companies will continue to share technology — the company kept hacking down to its core Ford and Lincoln nameplates. It has kept Mercury around as the madwoman in the attic: alive, yes, but mostly out of sight and inexplicable. GENERAL MOTORS At the "new" taxpayer-owned G.M., executives enjoy even less job security than Notre Dame football coaches.

Three months after President Obama showed Rick Wagoner, the chairman and chief executive, the golden door, Fritz Henderson came in as chief executive, promising big changes. These changes turned out to include his own ouster eight months later. (Mr. Henderson's sizable group of defenders included his daughter, who stuck up for her dad in an all-cap Facebook tirade against Edward E. Whitacre Jr., the new G.M. chairman who took over as interim chief.)

Then the Buick GMC unit went through three leaders in a month. One of them — Michael Richards, a Ford veteran who had been lured to G.M. by the vice chairman, Robert A. Lutz — left after barely a week on the job.

After months of drawn-out talks, G.M. decided not to sell its European Opel division to a consortium headed by Magna, a Canadian auto parts supplier, and Sberbank of Russia. For American consumers, G.M.'s retention means Opel will continue to supply German-engineered cars and technology that will serve as the basis for Buicks (including a new Regal in 2010) and other models.

Other moves outlined in G.M.'s bankruptcy plan also fell apart. Deals to sell Saturn and Saab fizzled. A Chinese company's effort to claim Hummer has dragged on for months.

Still, G.M. got some $400 million by giving Shanghai Automotive a larger stake in their Chinese venture and a 50 percent share in G.M.'s Indian operations.

HONDA Although its sales dropped in line with the industry, Honda passed Chrysler to grab fourth place in American sales, trailing G.M., Toyota and Ford. Honda's big challenge now is to revive the Acura luxury division, which has lost ground to rivals.

HUMMER America's three-ton Quasimodo — a monster toasted by the masses before gas prices spiked and the mobs turned hostile — was tentatively sold by G.M. to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, though the Chinese government hasn't approved the deal. Though Hummer sales have plunged, G.M. said the deal would preserve 3,000 American jobs.

HYUNDAI-KIA South Korean's automotive juggernaut kept rolling through the global economic downturn. Hyundai's cars — already recession-ready because they are perceived as offering good value — got a big boost in good will from the Hyundai Assurance plan, a marketing masterstroke that let owners return their cars if they lost their jobs. (There were exceptions in the fine print.)

Hyundai raised its American market share above 4 percent this year, from 3 percent in 2008, as sales rose more than 6 percent. The Kia division did better, with sales up nearly 8 percent.

Through it all, the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group quietly became the world's fourth-largest automaker, displacing Ford. The top three are now Toyota, G.M. and Volkswagen.

JAGUAR AND LAND ROVER Ford has finished unloading its trophy import brands that were seen as saviors in the new millennium but turned out to be money-shredders. Ford bundled up Jaguar and Land Rover and sent them packing to a new parent, Tata Motors of India, leading Tories everywhere to raise a bitter glass to their dwindling Empire.

The new owners are primping the pedigreed brands that fell into their laps. For all the criticism of Ford's stewardship, the company handed off Land Rover and especially Jaguar in their most competitive shape in decades, with modern lineups of high-design, highly desirable cars and S.U.V.'s.

Whether these hothouse brands can earn money on top of respect remains an issue: Jaguar Land Rover promptly hung a $504 million fiscal year loss around Tata's neck — just the sort of burden that led Ford to cut its losses and cut the Brits loose.

MAHINDRA This Indian manufacturer has promised to sell hard-working, high-mileage diesel compact pickup trucks and S.U.V.'s to Americans. But the promised introduction dates continue to come and go with no trucks in sight. The arrival date has been pushed forward again, to February.

PONTIAC Just after Pontiac popped out its best car in years — the Australian-built G8 sport sedan — G.M. killed the brand whose onetime "We build excitement" pledge was tarnished by decades of poseur sporty cars (like the two-seat Fiero) and rebadged leftovers from other divisions. The brand that spawned the legendary GTO muscle car in the 1960s — not to mention Burt Reynolds's Trans Am of "Smokey and the Bandit" fame — now rules Craigslist and haunts backwater used-car lots.

PORSCHE See Volkswagen. Also, chutzpah.

SAAB G.M.'s bid to dump Saab, its dying Swedish brand, devolved into farce. An obscure pair of underfinanced sports car makers — Koenigsegg of Sweden and Spyker of the Netherlands — failed to close deals to take over the vastly larger Saab. Koenigsegg and Spyker together produced fewer than 100 cars worldwide this year.

China's Beijing Automotive did buy Saab's spare parts and tooling, perhaps to use aging Saab's aging model lines as a basis for home-market models. But for the rest of the world, Saab — which began in World War II as an aircraft producer for the Royal Swedish Air Force and started exporting its offbeat cars to the United States in the mid-1950s — appears headed to extinction.

SATURN After its celebrated birth and a promising childhood as an import-fighter — followed by years of benign parental neglect — Saturn shut its doors when G.M. failed to find a buyer.

Roger Penske, the billionaire auto magnate and racing-team legend, pulled out of a last-ditch deal to sell G.M.-built Saturns through his vast dealership chain, having failed to seal a deal to eventually import Renaults and sell them as Saturns. Mr. Penske perhaps realized that the only thing harder to sell than American Saturns would be French Saturns.

The September shutdown announcement stunned the 370 Saturn dealers — repeatedly hailed as among the industry's best.

SMART After making a pint-size splash in 2008, its first year in America, Smart's sales plunged nearly 40 percent. Smart's failure to lure customers in a recession — despite its novelty, low price, fuel efficiency and press exposure — suggests that the car has more in common with a shortlived fad than with the brand-building accomplished by Mini.

SUBARU What recession? Buoyed by good timing and well-received new models — including the Legacy, Outback and Forester — Subaru recorded the biggest percentage sales gains in the industry, nearly 14 percent.

SUZUKI One of two companies that often seemed to be on life support in the United States — Mitsubishi is the other — Suzuki could breathe easier after Volkswagen took a 19 percent stake in December. The move is part of VW's bid to supplant Toyota as the world's largest automaker by 2018.

TATA The automaking arm of the vast Indian conglomerate says it will bring its celebrated Nano — the world's cheapest car in more ways than one — to Europe by 2011, and eventually to America as well. There are even plans to make a hybrid version. The Nano, which costs roughly $2,500 in India, surprised some critics by passing European front- and side-impact crash tests last summer.

TESLA Leaving a trail of fired chief executives, the company's co-founder, Elon Musk, is now guiding the Silicon Valley maker of the electric Tesla Roadster. And Tesla, like its plug-in rival from Southern California, Fisker, benefited from a government loan ($464 million) to be used for its next car, the Model S.

That sport sedan was designed by Franz von Holzhausen, formerly a rising star at Mazda and G.M., and is to be built in a new California factory. In theory, it will be on the road by late 2011. Tesla has pegged the Model S's price at $50,000 once a federal $7,500 rebate on electric vehicles is factored in.

TOYOTA If misery loves company, Detroit finally learned to love Toyota. The Japanese automaker lost nearly five billion dollars in its fiscal year as worldwide sales plunged. In addition, Toyota mounted its biggest recall ever, of 3.8 million cars for unintended acceleration possibly caused by pedal-snaring floor mats.

At the headquarters in Japan, Katsuaki Watanabe was replaced as president by Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, but not before being publicly run through by Shoichiro Toyoda, the company's 84-year-old honorary chairman. Before a stunned audience of 400 executives, Mr. Toyoda asked Mr. Watanabe, "How many times have you made a mistake?" and said that Toyota's addiction to big, pricey cars and trucks reminded him of, well, G.M. and Chrysler.

Volkswagen GROUP The doings this year at Volkswagen and Porsche, two companies with ties to the same founding family, may help explain why schadenfreude is a German word. Porsche's chief executive, Wendelin Wiedeking, nearly engineered a David vs. Goliath takeover of vastly larger VW; his shrewd maneuvering netted him more than $100 million in annual compensation.

Mr. Wiedeking met his match in the 72-year-old VW board chairman, Ferdinand Piëch (who is also the grandson of Porsche's founder), who refused to surrender his company or his reputation as the auto industry's top overreacher. (Mr. Piëch had added Bentley and Lamborghini to the VW empire, created the white-elephant $80,000 VW Phaeton luxury sedan and revived Bugatti.)

As the collapsing economy showed that the Porsche takeover was spun from thin air — including $14 billion of debt that nearly sent Porsche into bankruptcy — Mr. Piëch used his backroom skills to scuttle the deal and drive Mr. Wiedeking, his archrival, into an unplanned retirement. Now, VW is absorbing Porsche instead of the reverse.

VOLVO Even solid, safety-conscious Volvo wasn't safe from 2009's potholes. Having put the Swedish carmaker on the block, Ford turned to China for a buyer. A deal is said to be nearly final for Geely to buy Volvo for $2 billion; Ford paid $6.5 billion in 1999.

The Volvo sale would remove the last piece of Ford's Premier Automotive Group, an awkward umbrella for Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo (and, briefly, Lincoln Mercury), for which Ford built an elaborate headquarters in Irvine, Calif.
The Year in Cars - 2009 Was a Clunker. Time to Cash It In. - NYTimes.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/automobiles/27year.html?sq=2009%20Year%20In&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/tw2ir

High Anxiety in Search of Higher Mileage By JAMES G. COBB

December 27, 2009
Car Critic's Picks
High Anxiety in Search of Higher Mileage By JAMES G. COBB

In a year of high anxiety, at least on the economic front, car enthusiasts could take some comfort in going back to the basics. When unemployment is in double digits, do you want to roll by the soup kitchen in a Rolls Phantom?

The public's new attention to emissions and fuel economy is coinciding with a realization in automakers' executive suites that the business of green can be good business. And so in the last year I've tested two hybrids — the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Lexus HS 250h — that feel pretty much like conventional cars. I've also driven some impressive clean diesels that deserve more consideration by consumers.

1. Ford Fusion Hybrid

Several of the latest Fords have surprised me with their newfound polish and refinement, including the workaday Fusion with gasoline engines. The Fusion Hybrid takes this to another level, with a smooth, seamless gas-electric powertrain, impressive fuel economy and a reasonable price. Finally, here's a hybrid that requires no compromises.

2. Mazda 3

I could do without the smiley-face grille, but from the driver's seat the view is a thrill. There's simply no other car out there that packs so much fun, so much versatility and so many features into such a sensibly sized, fairly priced (roughly $16,000 to $25,000) package.

3. Audi R8 5.2 V-10

The R8 was already the coolest car this side of Italy, but the arrival of a new engine, shared with Lamborghini, gives it a new sense of urgency — without making the R8 any less friendly to drive to the grocery store.

4. BMW Z4

BMW has long been the master of the sport sedan, but its recent attempts at roadsters fell flat. The Z3 felt chubby and the first-generation Z4 seemed cold and impersonal. But the new Z4 is handsome, sharp-edged and exciting, a worthy challenger to the great Porsche Boxster.

5. Kia Soul

I am not sure why I found this self-consciously cute Korean so appealing, but somehow it just clicks. The styling is not quite like anything I've seen before. The interior lighting is fun — even the speakers pulse in color. And for a sub-$20,000 econobox, the appointments and equipment seem decidedly high-line.

6. Volvo XC60

Of all the pretty-good new crossovers out there (Audi Q5, Mercedes GLK, etc.), the XC60 is hands-down the most stylish and engaging.

7. Toyota Prius

The first two generations of Toyota's pioneering hybrid were a little too geeky for me. But the 2010 model is not just impressively fuel-efficient — 51 m.p.g. in town! — it is much more refined. It doesn't even look like a nerdmobile anymore.

8. BMW 750Li xDrive

There was a time when the big BMW sedan was everything I could wish for a big German car. But then the last-generation 7 Series arrived, with its big rump, perplexing controls and sterile feel, and I found the Audi A8 more to my liking. The newly redesigned 7, however, may win me back. It's fast, plush and, with variable suspension settings, capable of a range of demeanors, from plush to hard-edged.

9. BMW 335d

Tremendous torque and terrific mileage show the 3 Series' fundamental greatness to best advantage. No wonder Europeans are in love with diesels.

10. Toyota Venza

I didn't get it until I drove it: this comfortable high-set wagon is the new Country Squire. And if you want to see Toyota at the top of its game, examine the Venza's execution and attention to detail.

Beyond the Top 10

Most missed: Pontiac G8 GXP, perhaps the best all-round car G.M. ever made, and it lasted for only a few months. Also, let's bow our heads in tribute to the terrific Honda S2000 roadster. R.I.P.

Most underwhelming powertrain: Cadillac SRX with a 3-liter V-6 and 6-speed automatic. Not my idea of luxury performance.

Coolest new design: Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, the best rendition yet of Cadillac's school of knife-edge design.

Best design revival: Chevrolet Camaro SS, a real head-turner, true to its roots.

Most improved: Ford Mustang GT, which has been upgraded more than you'd guess by looking at it.

Biggest missed opportunity: Ford Taurus, a transformation in which a big car with a formerly cavernous interior now manages to feel pinched on the inside.

Most unexcused absences: Chrysler Group, which in terms of new products pretty much sat the year out.

Most mystifying front end: Mazda 3, Acura TL, Acura ZDX (a three-way tie)

Most unappealing rear end: Porsche Panamera

Prettiest coupes: Audi A5 and S5

Most creative use of boxes: Kia Soul, Nissan Cube (tie)
Car Critic's Picks - High Anxiety in Search of Higher Mileage - NYTimes.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/automobiles/27cobb-best.html?ref=automobiles&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/tw2ho

A Holiday From Wishful Thinking By LAWRENCE ULRICH

December 27, 2009
Car Critic's Picks
A Holiday From Wishful Thinking By LAWRENCE ULRICH

The urge to find silver linings in the recession’s clouds is understandable. But the vogueish insistence that Americans will rediscover the simple life — forgoing new cars and Texas-size TVs, perhaps stitching designer jeans from homespun cotton — is wishful thinking.

The recession has changed our essential nature as much as vegans have convinced us to stop perusing the Dollar Menu at McDonald’s. When Americans get back to work, they’ll spend their lunch breaks clambering over each other to buy cars, as they have always done when the financial coast was clear. More than a house, and far more than a piddling iPhone — a token of achievement so potent that 15-year-old babysitters can acquire one — a car remains the most visible, desirable accessory of success. For better or worse, those four wheels, wrapped in glossy paint and bursting with high-tech toys, are still the fastest route to the good life that upwardly mobile Americans have always imagined for themselves..

At least that’s my theory, for which I’m hoping to be vindicated in 2011. Or maybe in 2012. And for anyone with the means and inclination to buy a new car in 2010, here are 10 of the best I drove in 2009:

1. Volkswagen Golf TDI and GTI

The TDI hatchback, along with its road-slashing GTI cousin, are the best and most timely cars I’ve driven this year, a one-two punch to the recession’s leering mug. The diesel-powered TDI is more luxurious than a Toyota Prius, and far more fun. Yet in highway driving it is just as thrifty, posting an incredible 52 m.p.g. The GTI starts at barely $24,000 and tops 30 m.p.g. on the highway, yet this practical hatchback is as thrilling to drive as many sports cars.

2. Audi S4 and S5 Cabriolet

For both these Audis, the “S” on their muscular chests is the difference between Superman and Clark Kent: If you love to fly, why settle for the mere-mortal A4 or A5 versions? For roughly $7,000 more, the S versions come with Audi’s new 333-horsepower supercharged V-6, which blows away the 211-horsepower turbo 4 in the most basic models, yet gets just 1 m.p.g. less on the highway, at 26 mpg. And the S5 Cabrio is my current dream car that’s not pure lottery-ticket fantasy: At roughly $70,000, the Audi convertible is fast and decadent, but still roomy enough for kids and luggage.

3. Volvo XC60

A genuine looker in a field dominated by suburban snoozers, the XC60 crossover caps its eye-snaring design with several pluses: Outstanding use of space; a just-right blend of ride comfort and handling control; an eager turbocharged V-6 and a slick all-wheel-drive system. It also offers the most comprehensive safety features in its class.

4. Ford Fusion Hybrid

The Fusion defies the conventional wisdom that Detroit couldn’t build a great hybrid. The Ford trumps the Toyota Camry Hybrid’s city mileage, at 41 m.p.g. for the Ford versus 33 for the Toyota. And I love racking up green points with the interactive, leaf-sprouting video display that encourages you to try to attain the best possible mileage.

5. BMW 7 Series

I must get getting old: I’m starting to feel at home in grandpa-sized luxury sedans. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready for a date with the local death panel. The new 7 Series — I’m talking the long-wheelbase version, the 750Li — has more rear legroom than any Mercedes, Lexus, Audi or Jaguar. Yet the car’s athletic handling makes this the rare luxo-barge that can relax or reinvigorate on command.

6. Nissan 370Z Roadster

Nissan has followed up the acclaimed Z coupe, new last year, with a droptop version. And if the only thing you love more than a sports car is a convertible sports car, the Z (starting at barely $42,000) is the most wind-aided joy you’ll have without raiding the 401(k) for a Porsche Boxster, a Corvette or some other more pricey ragtop.

7. Audi R8 5.2 V-10

I was skeptical before my opening laps in the new 10-cylinder Audi R8; the original V-8 model seemed enough to satisfy any sports-car fantasy. Turns out that the 525-horsepower midmounted V-10 — a detuned version of the explosive engine in the Lamborghini Gallardo, the R8’s sister car — gives the Audi the spine-jangling sound, power and 200-m.p.h. bragging rights this exotic needed all along. Now I think the V-8 version is the one that’s irrelevant: If you have the means to spend $130,000 on a two-seat Audi, you might as well go all-in for the $160,000 V-10 model.

8. Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3

Japan’s sharpest riposte to the VW Golf and GTI, the Mazdas are for buyers who demand more from a small car: Not just price and practicality, but fun and refinement. The Mazdaspeed version, with its 263-horsepower turbo 4, is more high-strung and adolescent than the GTI; but a grown-up can still drive one without looking as if he’s watched too many Eminem videos.

9. Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe

The coupe version of the latest E-Class sedan has more hubba-hubba than any four-seat Benz in memory. After you park this arched-roof coupe, you may find yourself walking backward trying to catch one last glimpse. The Benz is also fast, plush, and satisfying, especially the splurge-worthy E550, with a terrific 382-horsepower V-8.

10. Land Rover LR4

This reworking of the LR3 is as old-school as a nearly three-ton, steel-boned, rock-crawling S.U.V. can be. And the 14 m.p.g. I recorded on my test drive is old-school as well. But for the LR4, the new includes a terrific Jaguar-based V-8, a markedly improved cabin and better ride and handling. The capable LR3 was bursting with industrial character, but the LR4 is a genuine luxury alternative to the range-topping Range Rover. Add handy three-row seating unavailable in the Range Rover, and the $60,000 LR4 feels like a three-ton bargain.

Beyond the Top 10

Here are some of my biggest letdowns this year:

1. Ford Taurus

Looks are deceiving for the Taurus, whose modestly handsome styling disguises the most disappointing car I tested this year. The Taurus could get the award for World’s Biggest Small Car: it seems enormous on the outside, claustrophobic on the inside, with poor exterior sightlines and an paucity of rear legroom for taller adults. The final backhand came from my wife, taken aback by the Taurus’ old-fashioned, floaty road manners. “I thought America stopped making cars like this,” she said.

2. Chevrolet Camaro

I wanted to love the Camaro. And while the car’s looks score a technical knockout, the Camaro is too deeply flawed: It weighs too much, has a so-so interior, indifferent steering and the outward visibility of a barrel at Niagara Falls. Let’s hope the “Transformers” star can transform itself into a more complete car in the years to come.

3. Audi A4

The A4 is the rare recent Audi that misses the mark in overall design and performance, not to mention its dismayingly lofty price.

4. BMW X6 ActiveHybrid

The X6 and the 555-horsepower X6M are up front, at least, about their profligate, power-mad intentions. But the bogus X6 ActiveHybrid crossover, rated at just 19 m.p.g. on the highway, reminds me of the Lexus LS 600h L hybrid sedan: It is overwrought and pointless, a piece of green window dressing.

5. Cadillac SRX

All show and no go sums up the Cadillac SRX, a great-looking crossover that drives like a tarted-up Chevy.

6. Chrysler Group

Give Chrysler an “incomplete” final score for the year. Perhaps tired of seeing its cars relentlessly panned, Chrysler simply didn’t put out any new cars at all this year. The Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pickup, itself merely a work-centric offshoot of the company’s lone sales star, was the sole new addition to the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep lineups. Chrysler’s cupboard is scarily bare for 2010 as well; the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee looks terrific on paper, but it will arrive into a dwindling class of conventional S.U.V.’s. Aside from that, there is next to nothing until products arrive from Fiat — and it is hardly certain that the Italians can pull off the Chrysler rescue that eluded Daimler and Cerberus, Chrysler’s two previous owners.

A Leaner, Greener Group of Favorites By JERRY GARRETT

December 27, 2009
Car Critic's Picks
A Leaner, Greener Group of Favorites By JERRY GARRETT

LOS ANGELES

In automotive history, 2009 will live in infamy. Chrysler and General Motors declared bankruptcy. Fiat got Chrysler at a fire sale, no money down. Dealerships closed en masse, and cash for clunkers provided a sideshow. Pontiac and Saturn died, and what's left of the Swedish auto industry seems likely to end up in Chinese hands.

But a leaner, more focused industry has emerged, and my picks for the top new cars this year focus, more than before, on affordability, economy and sustainability. There are hybrids, clean diesels and crossovers, and three Fords. (Four other Fords were near-misses: the Focus, F-150, Escape Hybrid and Flex with the new EcoBoost V-6 engine.)

Here's my top 10:

1. Toyota Prius

Must one love a thing to admire it? Though the third-generation Prius tops my list this year, I cannot say I truly love this homely hybrid. Still, I admire its 50 m.p.g. capability and what it portends for a cleaner, greener automotive future.

2. Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid

Yes, a midsize sedan can get outstanding mileage (41 m.p.g. in town for the Fusion Hybrid) and not look like a soul-sucking appliance. Rather, the front end looks like a Gillette Mach 3 razor.

3. BMW 335d

Hybridlike highway mileage, locomotivelike torque, rock-solid handling, iconic 3 Series styling, a 50-state-legal twin-turbo clean-diesel engine — what's not to love, except the $44,750 base price? (Footnote; A stripped 335d was the most expensive car you could buy in the cash-for-clunkers program.)

4. Ford Mustang GT Convertible

Kudos to Ford for continuing to nurture the Mustang franchise with regular and relevant styling and performance updates. Of the cars on this list, this is the one I would most like to own.

5. Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO

While I don't like everything about this car — its huge size, for starters — I like what it says about the viability of the big old American car. Yes, it can handle well, go fast, get good mileage and look sharp. The SHO performance version, with a twin-turbo V-6, is a tour-de-force.

6. Volkswagen Golf TDI

Fun to drive, reasonably priced and economical, with a 42 m.p.g. highway rating, this pocket rocket already has a bit of a cult following. One hopes, however, that VW's reliability improves from mediocre.

7. Audi A3 TDI

The A3 is essentially the same basic car as the Golf, but with more cachet and a price bump to match. I only wish the TDI were available with quattro all-wheel drive.

8. Honda Accord Crosstour

Like a first date who made a bad initial impression but turned out to be a keeper, the Crosstour crossover looked downright ugly in the early pictures, but is handsome enough in sheet metal.

9. Toyota Venza

To my eye, it doesn't have as much curb appeal as the Crosstour, but the Venza scores with a wider range of options. Some interior combinations are especially striking.

10. Chevrolet Camaro

Conceived in January 2006 and carried to a 38-month pregnancy, the Camaro was finally born (reborn, actually) in March 2009. It may bear a slight resemblance to an M1 Abrams tank , but customizers love the possibilities it offers.

Beyond the Top 10

Here are some misses of the year:

1. All G.M. hybrids

Mercifully, most have been euthanized.

2. Nissan Cube

It's horrific-looking — and horrific-handling, too.

3. The Lexus Remote Touch Interface

Operating this control interface, offered in the HS 250h hybrid, is like trying to use your laptop while you drive.

4. Honda Insight

The Toyota Prius shows it up in every way except price.

5. Aptera 2e

A strange-looking electric car that seems, in view of turmoil at the company and a failure to win government aid, to be on the verge of extinction. Proof that wingless birds truly can't fly.
Car Critic's Picks - A Leaner, Greener Group of Favorites - NYTimes.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/automobiles/27garrett-best.html?ref=automobiles&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/tw2ft

Progress Was Evolutionary, Not Revolutionary By EZRA DYER

December 27, 2009
Car Critic's Picks
Progress Was Evolutionary, Not Revolutionary By EZRA DYER

BOSTON

It was once the mantra of the Red Sox fan: Wait till next year.

Certainly that old saw applies to the automotive class of 2009. While plenty of worthy, interesting cars were introduced this year, the advances were evolutionary rather than groundbreaking.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid gets better mileage than its predecessor. The new Audi S4 is quicker and more efficient than the last one. And the Camaro is more Camaro-y than ever. (It was easily the hottest car, stylistically, introduced this year.)

But my No. 1 pick is the BMW 335d. Why? While I respect the Fusion Hybrid's federal combined mileage rating of 39 m.p.g., I prefer my fuel-stinginess with a side order of rear-wheel-drive torque — and BMW's twin-turbo diesel delivers 425 pound feet of it. The 335d, to my mind, does the most to advance the green game in the United States, offering a sport-sedan driving experience along with 36 m.p.g. on the highway and a federal tax credit.

But even the 335d is a footnote compared with what's on the horizon for 2010. In 2009, the conventional internal-combustion car got a little faster and a little more efficient. As for the real revolution — plug-in hybrids and electrics — wait till next year.

1. BMW 335d

As I tell anyone who will listen, if this clean-diesel car said "hybrid" on the back and had a unique body, it would be everyone's car of the year.

2. Ford Fusion Hybrid

The best hybrid on the road, it can run up to 47 miles per hour in electric mode. The Prius is still the mileage champ, but the Fusion is a better drive.

3. Audi S4

An amazing transformation into a heretofore unseen breed: it's an Audi sedan that handles.

4. Chevrolet Camaro

Most writers seem to like the Mustang better. I don't. An independent rear suspension, up to 426 horsepower and concept-car styling make this my favorite meathead-mobile.

5. Mazda 3

A small, reasonably priced car that looks, feels and drives as if it belongs in a much more expensive class.

6. Jaguar XFR

One of these kept up with a Porsche Cayman S on a road course during testing for Automobile magazine's All-Stars. But it's a big, comfy Jag sedan. That's incredible.

7. Audi R8 5.2 V-10

Audi's version of the Lamborghini Gallardo is at the top of my list of things to buy when Goldman Sachs mistakenly sends me a bonus. How many exotics are fun in a snowstorm? This one was.

8. Nissan 370Z

The first car in recent memory to get smaller and lighter with a redesign.

9. Ford Flex with the EcoBoost V-6

The only entertaining crossover vehicle that doesn't cost 60 grand.

10. Dodge Ram

They figured out how to put coil springs on a pickup. Somebody send these guys to CERN to fix the Large Hadron Collider.

Beyond the Top 10

Some other thoughts on the cars and trucks of 2009:

Misplaced Expectations: The biggest problem with the Ford Taurus SHO is that it's called "SHO." If its name were "Taurus EcoBoost," nobody would be whining that it's not as hard-core as the 1989 original.

Abuse of the 911 System: I think the Porsche Panamera's rear three-quarter view could be improved by a severe rear-end collision. But I drove a Panamera for four days and the public had nothing but good things to say about it. I even loitered around and eavesdropped, and while some people noted the sedan's 911 cues — "It looks like a 911 limo" — they weren't negative about it. Maybe the Panamera will turn out like a movie that was panned by the critics but ends up being a box-office success.

Guilty Pleasure: After driving the new LR4, I have to say that sitting up there in a big Land Rover with a V-8 is a mighty nice feeling. Let's get some algae ethanol brewing.

Most Anticipated: The Fisker Karma. And I anticipate anticipating it for some while longer.

Evidence of Independence: I drove a Ford Raptor over to Jay Leno's garage for an interview. He took a look at the Raptor, with its flared fenders and 35-inch tires, and asked what its story was. I replied that it's basically Ford's take on a street-legal Baja prerunner truck. "Well," Mr. Leno replied, "They didn't take any bailout money, so they can build whatever they want."
Car Critic's Picks - Progress Was Evolutionary, Not Revolutionary - NYTimes.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/automobiles/27dyer-best.html?ref=automobiles&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/tw2ep

Winners and Losers '08: One Writer's View By JERRY GARRETT

December 27, 2008
Winners and Losers '08: One Writer's View By JERRY GARRETT

IN its 2008 Car Reliability Study, Consumer Reports ranked the Chrysler Sebring convertible, with a reliability score that was "283 percent worse than average," dead last among the 357 vehicles covered in the survey of subscribers. At the other end of the scale was the new Scion xD, the industry's reliability champ, at about 82 percent "better than average."

Coincidentally, the plucky pint-size xD and its somewhat more sophisticated stablemate, the boxy xB, get my vote as the best new car values for 2008. Starting at around $15,000 each, the Scion siblings provide great bang for the buck, along with their reliability and strong resale values.

The Sebring, a sorry reminder of issues that have tainted the reputations of Detroit automakers, more than earned its place in the basement. Rental fleets still love them, though.

Over all, 2008 has been a year of hits and misses for the United States auto industry. Ford has given its die-hard fans reason for hope, with several admirable new models; by comparison, G.M. and Chrysler have far less to cheer about. Toyota reliability remains tough to top, and BMW continues to set the standard for styling and engineering excellence.

And so long as there are still recounts underway from the November elections, I would like to retroactively change my vote for the 2002 Car of the Year. It rightfully goes to the 2009 Pontiac G8. Yes, General Motors is late to the party again, but consider buying one of these anachronistic V-8 gas guzzlers, because if the company needs more bailout money, your tax dollars will be paying for one anyway. What else is worth noting? Here are my picks and pans for 2008, sorted in my own unscientific classifications from the year that could go down in history as the year the American auto industry went, uh, down in history:

Best Compact/Subcompact (besides the xD): The xB from Scion, which as a car company is on something of a roll.

Worst Compact/Subcompact: Smart Fortwo. You can't be serious about that herky-jerky drivetrain, can you? Oh, you were?

Best Midsize: Chevrolet Malibu. Best-looking G.M. interior in a blue-collar model since the Harley Earl era.

Worst Midsize: Sebring again. The mortality rate for Chrysler midsize cars is higher than that of Spinal Tap drummers.

Best Large Car: Ford Taurus. Even though it is a rebadged Five Hundred, it still beats an ennui-infused collection of big sedans. The 2010 model, to be unveiled in January, incites lust.

Worst Large Car: Speaking of the Pontiac G8 ...

Best Premium-Class Car: A tie: BMW's 5 Series and 7 Series are refined all-around performers, despite indecipherable controls.

Worst Premium: BMW's 1-Series is right-sized, but how can you charge a 3-Series price for a car that is less, in every way?

Best Convertible: The intelligent design of the retracting hardtop on BMW's new M3 helps make it the class valedictorian.

Worst Convertible: As hard as it is to make a bad convertible, advantage Sebring.

Best Sporty Coupe: Seeking a long-term relationship? Go with Audi's A5. But for a hot, sweaty one-night-stand, call 1-900-Dodge Challenger.

Worst Sporty/Performance Car: Dodge's Viper, returning after a one-year sabbatical, is still the epitome of irrelevance.

Best Utility Wagon: Ford's Flex. When Ford introduced it three years ago as a concept, I said, "Over Land Rover's dead body." Apparently that was not a consideration.

Worst Sport Utility Vehicle: The Toyota Sequoia is as strong as the mighty redwood — a tree with a known drinking habit — and as thirsty as one.

Best Crossover: Toyota's Venza is the industry's 61st crossover, yet somehow Venza manages to seem like a fresh idea.

Worst Crossover: A 60-place tie for last.

Best Truck: Ford's F-150 is still the champ — bloodied after a bout with $4 gas, but unbowed.

Worst Truck: Dodge Ram. In a shrinking industry's game of musical chairs, a truck with so-so fuel mileage and reliability may find itself with no place to sit.

Most fun, fashionable and fuel-efficient? No, this is not a category, but if it were, at the top of my list would be the Clubman, Mini's new little stretch limo. I wanted one; sadly, Santa let me down.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/automobiles/28GARRETT.html?ref=automobiles&pagewanted=print

null

Last Call for Horsepower By EZRA DYER

December 28, 2008
Last Call for Horsepower By EZRA DYER

LAST Jan. 3, Porsche sent out a news release with this upbeat headline: Porsche Reports Best-Ever Annual Sales in U.S. — Fourth Consecutive Record Sales Year.

And that was it for good news in 2008.

But there is reason for optimism, believe it or not. Business may be bleak now, but the car industry is on the cusp of historic changes. Skeptics can point to dead-ends like the General Motors EV1 and say the auto industry is always on the verge of a revolution that never comes, but that attitude diminishes the significance of this moment.

Until 2008, there was never a production electric car with the range of the Tesla Roadster. (Never mind its teething problems.) We’ve never had a fuel-cell car so abjectly normal — in terms of range, performance and production-readiness — as the Honda FCX Clarity, which Honda is offering for lease in California. Before 2008, we never had an American plug-in hybrid so close to production — if only General Motors survives long enough to see it through.

There’s even hope for the internal-combustion engine. At the introduction of the Bentley Flying Spur Speed — perhaps the last place you’d expect a discussion of alternative energy — the company’s head of engineering, Ulrich Eichhorn, proffered a dose of optimism about biofuels.

Bentley is working with energy companies to develop advanced biofuels — in what was probablya first, a Bentley press document included the words “intensively farmed algae.”

Don’t get mad that I love overpowered cars like the Corvette ZR1. If Corvette profits help to develop the Volt, that’s 638 horsepower deployed for the common good. And if some of my picks are not the most efficient cars out there, perhaps that means more money for hard-working algae farmers. After 2008, not much would surprise me.

1. NISSAN GT-R This was the most-hyped sports car in recent memory, and it actually delivers on its promise: Porsche 911 Turbo performance for base-911 money. To my mind, the fact that it doesn’t wear a fancy nameplate adds to its appeal.

2. MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 BLUETEC

Here’s a heavy four-wheel-drive luxury S.U.V. that is E.P.A.-rated at 24 m.p.g. on the highway and in reality will do about 26. Its diesel V-6 lends itself well to S.U.V. duty, with mammoth low-end power. (It will tow 7,200 pounds.) I also like that it’s not plastered with decals proclaiming its virtue — just a few small Bluetec badges.

3. DODGE CHALLENGER R/T I wasn’t particularly interested in the Challenger before I had a chance to drive it. But the 6-speed manual transmission endows this car with a riotously fun, burnout-happy personality. It may be a dinosaur, but it’s an endearing dinosaur.

4. LOTUS EXIGE S 240 This is probably the most focused car on the road. Whenever there was a choice to be made during the Exige’s gestation, Lotus made driving pleasure a priority and subjugated everything else. It’s a strong flavor, not for everyone, and that’s why I like it.

5. CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1 Here’s a ZR1 party trick: rolling along in second gear at 45 m.p.h., slam the throttle down. The power arrives so suddenly it will actually chirp the tires, no clutch-drop needed. The pushrod V-8, it seems, has some life left in it.

6. PONTIAC G8 I searched Pontiac’s Web site for a price quote on a 2008 G8 GT, a sharply tailored, 361-horsepower rear-drive performance sedan. The result was an improbably precise $25,044.46. But wait, there was a disclosure: “Red Tag price may be even less.” Instead of the Volt, Rick Wagoner should have taken a G8 to Congress and challenged the legislators to find a better deal for 25 grand.

7. BMW 135I I know, I know — you can get a larger 335i for not too much more money. Thanks, but I’ll take the car that’s lighter and costs less. With a 300-horsepower twin-turbo 6-cylinder, the 135i gives you performance about on par with a previous-generation M3.

8. AUDI RS4 CABRIOLET This is my current answer to the question, “If you could only have one car for everything, what would it be?” With the RS4 Cab, you get seating for four, a decent trunk, all-wheel-drive for the winter, a convertible top for the summer and, oh, yes — the same 420-horsepower V-8 engine that’s in the exotic R8.

Didn’t Make the Cut

1. HONDA FIT I respect the Fit — an inexpensive little car with an inordinately well-done interior — it’s just strange to me that Honda dealers can’t keep them on the lot. A Hyundai Elantra GLS offers 21 more horsepower, more passenger room, the same highway mileage and a lower price. So is everyone abuzz about the Elantra? No.

2. BMW X6 In 20 years, the X6 will either be considered a daring, iconic design that sent S.U.V.’s in a completely new direction, or it will be a weirdo outlier embraced by only the most hard-core BMW fanatics. I have absolutely no idea which way it’s heading.

3. MITSUBISHI EVO MR I thought the last Evo was euphoric to drive but silly to look at. I mean, shark teeth on the roof? The latest MR looks taut and purposeful — the big wing notwithstanding — but the motor’s newfound refinement is sort of sad. There’s less turbo lag, but the old Evo’s giant wallop of boost was part of the fun. The good news is that the new motor is still extremely tunable, so 400 horsepower and a crude wallop of boost is just a few minor modifications away.

4. FORD FLEX The Flex competes with minivans, so it needs some dynamic advantage over those vans — like, say, a turbocharged direct-injection V-6. Ford’s EcoBoost V-6 is on the way, and when it arrives, the Flex will have the muscle to match its provocative styling.

Not in My Garage

1. CADILLAC ESCALADE HYBRID It has the same powertrain as the GMC Yukon and Chevy Tahoe hybrids, both of which are nearly as luxurious and cost much less. So why not just get one of those instead? The Escalade Hybrid is like the Lexus LS 600h L hybrid — technically impressive, but somehow cynical.

2. ACURA TL I’ll admit that avant-garde auto design usually goes over my head at first. I thought the current BMW 5 Series was atrocious when it came out, but now I’m used to it. Same with the elongated Audi corporate grille. But the new TL looks like an evil Transformer robot sent to enslave the human race. In two years, I’ll probably like it.

3. SCION XB I personally think the xB looks like a Fisher-Price version of a Brinks truck, but when a friend asked me to recommend a car for his neighbor’s 16-year-old skateboarder son, I found myself endorsing Scion’s strange cube. At least I know when a car is not aimed at me.

4. SMART FORTWO If you live in a city and there are dedicated parking spots for the Smart (or you are allowed to piggyback two into one spot), it’s not completely pointless. Otherwise, I fail to see the point.

Detroit, We Have a Problem By JAMES G. COBB

December 28, 2008
Detroit, We Have a Problem By JAMES G. COBB

WHEN Toyota, the auto industry's financial Godzilla, forecasts its first operating loss in 70 years, you know times are tough. When senators suggest that General Motors (of "What's good for the country..." fame) should be left to collapse, you know the ground has shifted.

Partly this is because many of us still nurse grudges over '79 Skylarks that stranded us and '86 Sables that wouldn't start. Partly it's because of decades-long resentment over automaker attempts to block safety, pollution and economy rules (which, it's often forgotten, foreign automakers usually opposed, too).

But this year the industry has been battered by other factors. Gasoline marched toward $5 a gallon, turning Hummers into white elephants with running boards, then collapsed below $2, sending Prius sales into a tailspin. Credit markets froze; potential customers lost their jobs.

Next year may be worse, but when the perfect storm finally ends there will be better, more relevant cars to buy. Frugal clean diesels are coming to market, along with a flock of new hybrids. Smaller European models are heading this way. And two of the cars that impressed me the most this year, one that runs on diesel and one on hydrogen, suggest that the future may turn sunny.

Here are my favorites of 2008:

1. HONDA FCX CLARITY No, you can't buy one of these hydrogen fuel-cell cars (though if you live in Southern California, there's a slim chance you can lease one of about 200 available). But the FCX Clarity is notable for the fact that if hydrogen should suddenly become widely available at reasonable prices, Honda is ready to roll with a most agreeable car. The FCX Clarity is stylish, roomy, comfortable, whisper-quiet and, yes, pretty cool in a welcome-to-the-future sort of way.

2. BMW 123D The smaller, simpler 1 Series has become my favorite line of BMWs, and the winsome 128i convertible could easily have made my list. But a too-brief fling at the wheel of the diesel-powered 123d hatchback made me forget the gasoline version. The twin-turbo 4-cylinder produces rocketlike thrust, and the handling is close to sublime. The 123d's fuel economy approaches 50 m.p.g., proving convincingly that enthusiasts have no reason to dread the arrival of greener cars. On the down side, the 123d isn't sold in the United States, but it ought to be.

3. PONTIAC G8 An Australian-built sedan with American big-rump accommodations and European road manners, the G8 is the sort of well-rounded, rich-feeling, reasonably priced sedan that G.M. had long seemed incapable of building. Too bad the G8, like several other impressive new G.M. cars, may have landed too late to pull the company out of its deep financial hole.

4. HONDA FIT The genius of this second-generation subcompact is not that it's small or economical. It's that the Fit manages to feel spacious, comfortable and well-thought-out. I especially like the second-row seat that folds flat with one hand, headrests included, even when the front seats are all the way back — a small detail that is seldom done right.

5. NISSAN GT-R Given all the hoopla over this supercoupe, a video-game superstar that Nissan never before imported to the United States, I was inclined to dismiss this exhibitionistic overachiever as a bauble for boy racers. But a few minutes at the wheel won me over. Civil around town and a beast when unleashed, the GT-R is now on the short list of cars I'd like to own.

6. DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 Another car that turned out much better than expected, the Challenger is bigger and more substantial than its namesake of the early 1970s, and its sharp handling makes the iconic originals feel like antiques.

7. FORD FLEX Even with a prosaic drivetrain — fortunately, a promising new engine is coming — the Flex feels fresh. Inside the big-block body, so boxy it's slick, there's a cavernous interior that shows attention to detail. Yes, the Flex is essentially a minivan, but that can be our little secret.

8. CHEVROLET TRAVERSE I've been a big fan of G.M.'s larger car-based crossovers like the GMC Acadia, and this new Chevy may be the best version yet. Although the styling and interior are more conventional than the Flex's, the Traverse's driving dynamics are superior.

9. VOLKSWAGEN CC Remember the Phaeton? Probably not, given that it, like VW's other attempts to go upscale, ended up as a historical footnote. But this fancy variation on the Passat, with a swoopy roofline, stylish interior and 280-horsepower VR6 engine, had me wondering if VW was trying to make the Audi A4, the CC's cousin, obsolete.

10. BMW M3 When I tested the M3, premium unleaded was selling for more than $4 a gallon and I felt guilty taking it up the street to Target. And, truth be told, 414-horsepower supercoupes probably don't have a bright future. But as much as I wanted to scorn the M3 — for its thirst, for its price, for its electronic fussiness, for its unapologetic V-8 excess — it won me over by providing a driving experience that puts most sub-$100,000 cars to shame.

Didn't Make the Cut

1. BMW X6 It has street presence, for sure, and it's powerful and expensive. But I still can't figure out what the high-riding hunchbacked X6 is supposed to be and why anyone would want one over an X5 or BMW's terrific 5 Series station wagon.

2. HONDA PILOT The original Pilot's carlike qualities added to its appeal. The new one tries to pretend it's a truck, including a blunt and homely new face, and right now trucks are damaged goods.

3. INFINITI FX50 The original FX still turns my head, but the new one lacks its predecessor's athletic lines and lean demeanor. The FX now has more power, more features and more heft, but sometimes more is just too much.

4. CHEVROLET TAHOE HYBRID I'm not opposed to hybrids or better fuel economy, but a hybrid should make economic sense. G.M. is charging thousands of dollars more for the hybrid than for the regular Tahoe, meaning it will take a very, very long time to recoup your investment.

Not in My Garage

1. SMART FORTWO As a toy, it's kind of fun. As a car, it leaves much to be desired. For starters, I desire a transmission that shifts gears without dancing the Jerk.

2. KIA BORREGO This truckish sport utility isn't awful at all, though it brings nothing new to the party. Still, the Borrego has one big problem: it arrived at the worst possible time for a big S.U.V. Hey, Kia, the party's over.

3. JAGUAR XF Many critics love it, but the new midrange Jaguar seems rather unexceptional to me. For starters, a Jag sedan has to be drop-dead gorgeous, and the styling of this one suffered from so many compromises it could pass for a Japanese near-luxury car. Jaguar desperately needs help, and this car isn't special enough to save the day.

4. NISSAN ROGUE Maybe it's not so easy to make a crossover on a budget, but for prices that can approach $30,000, a buyer expects a vehicle that isn't coarse and tinny. Other companies, including Toyota, Ford and Honda, are managing to deliver them.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/automobiles/28COBB.html?ref=automobiles&pagewanted=print

null

Cars Didn't Cause the Crisis By LAWRENCE ULRICH

December 28, 2008
Cars Didn't Cause the Crisis By LAWRENCE ULRICH

WITH car sales at a crawl in 2008, and worse numbers projected for 2009, the auto industry is a depressing place. It's worse for the domestic companies, whose leaders should have driven to Washington in the Joads' Dust Bowl truck to plead their poverty case.

Yet the cars themselves are solid, if only people had the cash, credit and confidence to buy them. And while the overnight shift from trucks to cars caught everyone by surprise, the industry has no choice but to dance with the cars that brought them, at least until new faces arrive.

Ford was taken to task in some quarters for rolling out a redesigned Ford F-150 pickup. Yet even in this slumping, truck-averse market, the F-150 remained America's best-selling car or truck, as it's been for 27 years. Calling it quits would make as much sense as Apple pulling the plug on the iPod.

To me, that disconnect between the auto companies' balance sheets and the products they sell is the No. 1 thing that many citizens — and Washington politicians — don't grasp about the industry. Making bad cars eventually catches up with any automaker. But for more than a century, some companies have made good, great, even revolutionary cars without necessarily being successful in business.

Certainly, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have too many deadbeat brands and models. But while G.M.'s financial cupboard may be bare, its product cupboard spilled out more critically lauded models than any other company this year, import or domestic. If G.M. manages to ride out the recession, perhaps the can-do spirit that created recent Corvettes and Cadillacs can be applied to the rest of its lineup.

Here are my favorite vehicles of the year:

1. BMW 1 SERIES Yes, the back seats of the 128i and 135i are tight. But most sports cars with the BMW's giddy performance don't even have a back seat, so consider it a bonus. Coupe or convertible, this is a car I'd kill to put in my own garage. It outhustles the larger 3 Series and costs at least $4,000 less.

2. HONDA FIT I've owned economy cars that made me want to stash them behind a Dumpster. The Fit, in contrast, makes a virtue of cheapness. It's the roomiest, best-handling car in its class, gets 35 m.p.g. on the highway, and offers a navigation system that barely differs from the one in a $50,000 Acura.

3. G.M.'S GIANT SLAYERS I'm referring to the Corvette ZR1, Cadillac CTS-V and Pontiac G8. The 205-m.p.h. ZR1 (638 horsepower), CTS-V (556 horses) and Pontiac G8 GT (361) deserve a three-peat mention. All of them can hang with, or beat, snooty European models with bigger names and much bigger price tags. All three put the lie to the notion that G.M. cannot build a world-class machine that doesn't have a hound dog in the back.

4. MERCEDES-BENZ GL320 BLUETEC The Mercedes M-Class diesel is terrific, but the larger GL may benefit even more from the new Bluetec clean-diesel technology. With three rows of seats sized for adults, this royal-plush S.U.V. gets 23 m.p.g. on the highway and can cover 600 miles on a tank.

5. DODGE CHALLENGER If you never got the pony car you asked for in the '70s, hop into the reborn Challenger. The muscular Dodge, whose three engines max out with a 425-horsepower Hemi V-8, is as fast and extroverted as you'd expect. More surprising is how well it handles and stops. This Mopar trumps the Mustang; now bring on the 2010 Chevy Camaro.

6. LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP560-4 Lamborghini fixed everything that was wrong with the previous Gallardo — hair-trigger brakes, balky transmission — and amped up everything that was right: the future-classic styling, superb all-wheel-drive performance and a 560-horsepower V-10 served under glass.

7. TOYOTA VENZA Toyota knows more about the American family than Oprah, so it's not surprising that its Venza — a Camry-based tall-wagon thingy — is an ideal family conveyance: Enormous inside, effortless to drive, easy on gas. What's surprising from this conservative automaker is the Venza's daringly different styling.

8. BMW X6 With apologies to my colleagues, some auto reactionaries just don't get it. They say the X6 is ugly. But pretty women reacted to the tall, swoopy design as though Justin Timberlake were inside, so I'll stick with that. The BMW isn't supposed to seat six or be socially defensible. It's supposed to be the Ferrari of S.U.V.'s, and its game-changing performance unseats the Porsche Cayenne as the class benchmark. Only a Hooveresque economy is keeping this Bimmer from being a smash with the style-first, cost-who-cares crowd.

9. NISSAN 370Z The Nissan GT-R has been gobbling up auto awards this year, so I'd rather extol this other Nissan sports car, which costs half as much. Starting at $30,000, the 332-horsepower Z is stronger, lighter, swifter and more solid than the departing model, and it looks terrific. If there's a sweeter two-seater for less than $40,000, I haven't driven it.

10. DODGE RAM Conventional wisdom flatters the Ford F-150. But the Ford doesn't satisfy my truck jones as the Ram does. The Dodge looks badder and it rides and handles better. And its available 390-horse Hemi V-8 thumps anything from Ford or Chevy.

Didn't Make the Cut

1. AUDI A4 I'm supposed to love the new A4, which is so techno, so tasteful, so German. So what's the problem? Perhaps it's my sense that Audi has forgotten what the A4 was about, a luxury car that opened its doors to younger, less elite buyers. The new A4 feels overwrought, oversized and overpriced.

2. HYUNDAI GENESIS The Genesis is roomy and well-built and delivers a fat roster of luxury features for around $35,000. In this economy, that may be smart. Yet luxury is also about desire. And it's hard to desire a car that, from its generic grille to its copycat cabin, seems more like cold data than a hot date: it's as though they entered Lexus, Acura and BMW into the Car-o-matic, and out popped the Genesis. And the Hyundai still steers like a Buick.

3. INFINITI EX35 My wife adored the EX35, which she correctly assessed was not a crossover at all, but the world's most expensive hatchback. The EX is fast, deluxe and overflowing with gizmos, but I don't see why anyone wouldn't want its sibling, the awesome G37 sedan, instead.

4. FORD FLEX Well packaged and as quiet as most luxury crossovers, the Flex puts the final nail in the Explorer's coffin. The styling grabs attention; now if only the V-6 powertrain were on par with the rest of the package.

5. MAZDA 6 On paper, I thought I'd adore the redesigned 6. But while the car looks terrific and feels fairly sporty, why did it have to become so darn big? The world already has a Honda Accord; Mazda didn't need to make another.

Not in My Garage

1. SMART FORTWO In competition with a golf cart, the Smart is a toss-up. But at least the golf cart holds two sets of clubs. Whoever decided that this crude two-seat, 36 m.p.g. tortoise was right for America should have his Sierra Club membership revoked.

2. CHEVROLET TAHOE HYBRID I'll follow the year's dumbest small vehicle with the dumbest big one: a V-8-powered battery-boosted S.U.V. that returns around 20 m.p.g. for an extra six grand. Somewhere in the Middle East, an oil sheik is laughing.

3. NISSAN MAXIMA I'm not paying $35,000 for a front-drive anything, let alone a family four-door that looks like Chris-Craft's tribute to Shamu.

4. VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN The Tiguan is cute on the outside, but it is the first VW in ages that feels chintzy inside. Worse, this compact S.U.V. can cost almost as much as a BMW X3 or an Acura RD-X, though it can't touch their performance.

5. MITSUBISHI GALANT RALLIART You may not know this midsize sedan exists, and that's a good thing. When the tricked-up Galant appeared at my doorstep, I started looking for the time machine that had upchucked it from some late-'90s dance club.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/automobiles/28ULRICH.html?_r=1&ref=automobiles&pagewanted=print

null

The Dreaded Fairness Doctrine By GAIL COLLINS

December 13, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
The Dreaded Fairness Doctrine By GAIL COLLINS

Researchers recently announced the results of a study about dogs and fairness that sheds new light on the auto industry bailout debate.

Trust me. There's going to be a connection. But first, the scientific news: Folks at the University of Vienna conducted a test in which dogs were asked to shake hands over and over and over again. If you have any experience with dogs, you will not be surprised to hear that they were absolutely delighted. And they didn't care about being paid! The opportunity to perform the same trick endlessly with a stranger in a white coat was reward enough.

Then the researchers brought in new dogs that were given a piece of bread as a reward for every handshake. The uncompensated dogs watched, lost their innate love of mindless repetition and grew sullen.

"They get so mad that they look at you and just don't give you the paw anymore," said Friederike Range, one of the scientists.

So O.K. Dogs are secretly obsessed with fairness. (And bread. Who knew?)

Now, let's turn our attention to the U.S. Senate where a plan to bail out the auto industry went down the drain Thursday night. It was a stopgap measure, not necessarily the best bill in the world — although it did pass my own personal quality-control test, which is to find out what Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama thinks and go the other way.

But its defeat doesn't bode well for our prospects in coming up with a sensible response to the current economic unpleasantness. And the debate had an unnerving number of complaints about who was getting more than whom.

"We're going to have riots. There are already people rioting because they're losing their jobs when everybody else is being bailed out," said Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.

Some Democrats denounced the bill because they said that it was unfair that the union workers were getting dumped on while a lot of the Wall Street fat cats got to keep their golden parachutes. Republicans complained that it was unfair that General Motors paid its workers more than Toyota or Honda does. Many senators took the DeMint line and wanted to know what made the autoworkers' jobs more important than the home builders or waitresses who were getting laid off, too.

There were so many fairness arguments that you really did expect Harry Reid to start walking down the aisle dropping pieces of toast in peoples' mouths.

Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri threatened to vote against the bill because somebody had stuck in a provision giving federal judges a cost-of-living raise while other Americans were going without Christmas presents. "And my phone is ringing off the hook, Mr. President," she said, "from people who want to be federal judges." (Funny. My phone is ringing off the hook from people who want to be the U.S. senator from Illinois.)

If you took the long view of the pay raise for judges, you'd have to say that: 1) they deserve it; 2) now isn't the best time; and 3) making a statement on the timing is not quite as important as saving several hundred thousand auto-related jobs. But in the end, the judge provision was dropped, the bill died anyway and the Bush administration will have to do something to keep the automakers afloat until Barack Obama becomes president. Which, although I know it's hard to believe, is eventually going to happen.

The really hard lifting still lies ahead, and we cannot possibly do it if we're going to dwell too much on the fairness thing. It's just too easy for lawmakers to dodge the tough vote by reminding their constituents that somebody else is getting more breaks than they are.

Which somebody always is. If Senator DeMint's constituents are going to riot over a bailout for the auto industry, they'll wind up being met by tool-and-die makers waving torches and yelling about soybean subsidies. If the lawmakers from Alabama say their constituents do not want their tax money going to bail out Michigan, the people in Michigan are going to say that they never really enjoyed paying more taxes to the federal government than their state received in aid, while Alabama got a return of $1.61 on the dollar. And anytime a representative from the Great Plains opens his mouth, the people from New York are going to point out that while every state gets the same number of senators, there are more people waiting for a subway in Brooklyn in rush hour than inhabit all of Wyoming.

We can really get tiresome on the subject. You don't want to go there.

Any mammal can obsess about fairness. (Did I mention how ticked off monkeys get if they find out they're getting cucumbers while somebody in the next cage has a grape?) The real human trick is to get past the quid pro quo and try to focus on the common good.

Set a better example, guys. It's two years until the next election.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/13/opinion/13collins.html?sq=collins&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=print

http://snipurl.com/83lt2

$73 an Hour: Adding It Up By DAVID LEONHARDT

December 10, 2008
Economic Scene
$73 an Hour: Adding It Up By DAVID LEONHARDT

Seventy-three dollars an hour.

That figure — repeated on television and in newspapers as the average pay of a Big Three autoworker — has become a big symbol in the fight over what should happen to Detroit. To critics, it is a neat encapsulation of everything that's wrong with bloated car companies and their entitled workers.

To the Big Three's defenders, meanwhile, the number has become proof positive that autoworkers are being unfairly blamed for Detroit's decline. "We've heard this garbage about 73 bucks an hour," Senator Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said last week. "It's a total lie. I think some people have perpetrated that deliberately, in a calculated way, to mislead the American people about what we're doing here."

So what is the reality behind the number? Detroit's defenders are right that the number is basically wrong. Big Three workers aren't making anything close to $73 an hour (which would translate to about $150,000 a year).

But the defenders are not right to suggest, as many have, that Detroit has solved its wage problem. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler workers make significantly more than their counterparts at Toyota, Honda and Nissan plants in this country. Last year's concessions by the United Automobile Workers, which mostly apply to new workers, will not change that anytime soon.

And yet the main problem facing Detroit, overwhelmingly, is not the pay gap. That's unfortunate because fixing the pay gap would be fairly straightforward.

The real problem is that many people don't want to buy the cars that Detroit makes. Fixing this problem won't be nearly so easy.

The success of any bailout is probably going to come down to Washington's willingness to acknowledge as much.

Let's start with the numbers. The $73-an-hour figure comes from the car companies themselves. As part of their public relations strategy during labor negotiations, the companies put out various charts and reports explaining what they paid their workers. Wall Street analysts have done similar calculations.

The calculations show, accurately enough, that for every hour a unionized worker puts in, one of the Big Three really does spend about $73 on compensation. So the number isn't made up. But it is the combination of three very different categories.

The first category is simply cash payments, which is what many people imagine when they hear the word "compensation." It includes wages, overtime and vacation pay, and comes to about $40 an hour. (The numbers vary a bit by company and year. That's why $73 is sometimes $70 or $77.)

The second category is fringe benefits, like health insurance and pensions. These benefits have real value, even if they don't show up on a weekly paycheck. At the Big Three, the benefits amount to $15 an hour or so.

Add the two together, and you get the true hourly compensation of Detroit's unionized work force: roughly $55 an hour. It's a little more than twice as much as the typical American worker makes, benefits included. The more relevant comparison, though, is probably to Honda's or Toyota's (nonunionized) workers. They make in the neighborhood of $45 an hour, and most of the gap stems from their less generous benefits.

The third category is the cost of benefits for retirees. These are essentially fixed costs that have no relation to how many vehicles the companies make. But they are a real cost, so the companies add them into the mix — dividing those costs by the total hours of the current work force, to get a figure of $15 or so — and end up at roughly $70 an hour.

The crucial point, though, is this $15 isn't mainly a reflection of how generous the retiree benefits are. It's a reflection of how many retirees there are. The Big Three built up a huge pool of retirees long before Honda and Toyota opened plants in this country. You'd never know this by looking at the graphic behind Wolf Blitzer on CNN last week, contrasting the "$73/hour" pay of Detroit's workers with the "up to $48/hour" pay of workers at the Japanese companies.

These retirees make up arguably Detroit's best case for a bailout. The Big Three and the U.A.W. had the bad luck of helping to create the middle class in a country where individual companies — as opposed to all of society — must shoulder much of the burden of paying for retirement.

So here's a little experiment. Imagine that a Congressional bailout effectively pays for $10 an hour of the retiree benefits. That's roughly the gap between the Big Three's retiree costs and those of the Japanese-owned plants in this country. Imagine, also, that the U.A.W. agrees to reduce pay and benefits for current workers to $45 an hour — the same as at Honda and Toyota.

Do you know how much that would reduce the cost of producing a Big Three vehicle? Only about $800.

That's because labor costs, for all the attention they have been receiving, make up only about 10 percent of the cost of making a vehicle. An extra $800 per vehicle would certainly help Detroit, but the Big Three already often sell their cars for about $2,500 less than equivalent cars from Japanese companies, analysts at the International Motor Vehicle Program say. Even so, many Americans no longer want to own the cars being made by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

My own family's story isn't especially unusual. For decades, my grandparents bought American and only American. In their apartment, they still have a framed photo of the 1933 Oldsmobile that my grandfather's family drove when he was a teenager. In the photo, his father stands proudly on the car's running board.

By the 1970s, though, my grandfather became so sick of the problems with his American cars that he vowed never to buy another one. He hasn't.

Detroit's defenders, from top executives on down, insist that they have finally learned their lesson. They say a comeback is just around the corner. But they said the same thing at the start of this decade — and the start of the last one and the one before that. All the while, their market share has kept on falling.

There is good reason to keep G.M. and Chrysler from collapsing in 2009. (Ford is in slightly better shape.) The economy is in the worst recession in a generation. You can think of the Detroit bailout as a relatively cost-effective form of stimulus. It's often cheaper to keep workers in their jobs than to create new jobs.

But Congress and the Obama administration shouldn't fool themselves into thinking that they can preserve the Big Three in anything like their current form. Very soon, they need to shrink to a size that reflects the American public's collective judgment about the quality of their products.

It's a sad story, in many ways. But it can't really be undone at this point. If we had wanted to preserve the Big Three, we would have bought more of their cars.

E-mail: leonhardt@nytimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/business/economy/10leonhardt.html?sq=Leonhardt&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=print

http://snipurl.com/83j8s