On the road to the White House

Now that the presidential fight card is set, we at Up to Speed decided to check out the candidates' transportation choices.

The tale of the tape:

Barack Obama (D): Drove a Chrysler 300 with a V-8 engine (18 mpg) until last summer, when he switched to a Ford Escape hybrid (30 mpg) after getting bad press about driving a gas guzzler.

John McCain (R): Cadillac CTS sedan (19 mpg). Reportedly, his first car was a 1958 Corvette (no mpg rating — it predated the rating system — but probably not too great).

Joe Biden (D): Although his main vehicle of choice is the Amtrak Acela from D.C. to Delaware, he is known to drive a 1967 Corvette (again, no mpg rating).

Sarah Palin (R): As governor, she drives a Chevrolet Suburban (16 mpg) owned by the state of Alaska. In July, she was involved in a multi-vehicle accident on the way to work. The SUV sustained several thousand dollars in damage. She also has been known to drive her husband's snowmobiles.

These are going to be a hard-fought couple of months. But there's clearly one thing both tickets can agree upon: If you want to run for high elected office in the U.S. of A., you'd better drive an American car. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) drives a Toyota Prius, so we know why McCain passed him over.

Then again, with Secret Service escorts, none of the candidates will be doing any driving anytime soon.

—Ken Bensinger

Photo: Gov. Sarah Palin and her daughter Piper with Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy.

Credit: Stephan Savoia / Associated Press

Labor Day weekend: Classic car shows abound

Whether you're a serious collector or simply enjoy observing the hobby from the sidelines, Labor Day weekend is a great time to check out some sweet rides at car shows and gatherings throughout Southern California.

Two events this weekend are annual car shows:

The Great Labor Day Cruise — Costa Mesa
Three days of hot rods, classics and custom cars. Thousands of cars from 1972 and earlier. A designated cruise route runs throughout the fairgrounds and there are also live bands, drawings, and a car give-away.

Where:  Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa
When: Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Aug. 30 - Sept. 1
Admission: Adults $12, children under 12 free

Primer Nationals Hot Rod and Motorcycle Show — Ventura
Who can resist checking out 1965 and older American-made cars, trucks and motorcycles under the palms, near the beach in Ventura, with judging categories that include "Best Bobber" and "Best Low Rider." There's also a prize for "Girl Owner" (Is that best girl owner or best car she owns? You'll have to go and find out).

Where:  Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura
When: Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 30-31
Admission: Adults $10, children under 12 free, military with ID $5

Plug-in hybrid, electric car on Toyota agenda

Toyota is getting back in the electric vehicle game.

The Japanese automaker said this week it intends to develop a small all-electric car for sale early in the next decade. The announcement by President Katsuaki Watanabe is the first indication that Toyota plans to revisit an area of automotive technology that it dabbled in a few years back in the Golden State.

During California’s abortive effort to encourage development of electric cars, Toyota leased electric versions of its RAV-4 sport utility vehicle. Some of those are still on the road, and some electric-vehicle advocates have been grousing that Toyota, the industry leader in sales of fuel-efficient gas-electric hybrids, should resurrect its earlier electric-only efforts.

Other big automakers, such as Nissan and Mitsubishi, have also announced plans for electric vehicles.  And several smaller companies, such as Bay Area-based Tesla Motors, are also developing electric cars or light trucks.

Toyota didn’t release any details of what its proposed electric car will look like or how much it will cost. But spokesman John Hanson said they will be sold to the general public.

That is decidedly not the case with Toyota’s highly anticipated plug-in hybrid, which operates like a gas-electric hybrid but also has a short electric-only range and more powerful batteries that can be recharged overnight through a household outlet.

Volkswagen passes Ford in world sales

Last year, Ford Motor Co. for the first time ceded second place in U.S. auto sales to Toyota, a historic blow for the giant from Dearborn, Mich.

Now it appears it may lose another title: world's third-largest automaker.

Volkswagen AG said today that for the first six months of the year, it had surpassed Ford in global sales by selling 3.31 million vehicles, about 220,000 more than Ford. VW did that by increasing sales by 7.2% for the period, while Ford sales declined 3.4%, to 3.09 million vehicles.

That puts VW behind only Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Corp. in the race for planetary car emperor.

Toyota surpassed longtime ruler GM for the first half lead.

Volkswagen only holds 1.4% of the U.S. market. Throwing in its Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini units, that creeps up to 2%. Yet, ironically, that could be part of its key to success this year, as exposure to the slumping U.S. market has been painful for most automakers. Even Toyota has blamed decreasing profits on the U.S. market's woes and today said it would scale back its forecast for 2009 sales, in big part because of further expected weakness in the U.S.

Smart Cars get L.A. ink

Yep, it’s a Smart Fortwo with tattoos. This car has just been unveiled in Las Vegas by a Los Angeles company. The inking was created by French fashion designer Christian Audigier, the man behind the Ed Hardy brand. Called Project Tattoo, it has seven layers of exterior paint, piano black interior accents, leather seats with a hand-stitched tattoo theme, plus a full complement of high-end, high-wattage sound and navigation equipment.

Only 100 examples will be made, available in black or white, with each one numbered and signed by Audigier. The coupe model goes for $37,000 and the convertible version sells for $40,000. But any interested parties should move fast, Project Tattoo is almost sold out (click here for the website and contact details). And it would fit so well in Venice Beach.

-- Colin Ryan

Photo: Ed Hardy

Visualize a virtual Porsche in your driveway

OK, let’s admit it -- we’ve all read a self-help book or two on our paths to becoming better people. One thing most of these books have in common is the technique of creative visualization, a kind of ‘if you build it, they will come’ approach. Thanks to the modern wonders of the Internet and the imagination of Porsche, owning one of Stuttgart’s finest is now a step closer.

Using the tagline: I can, Porsche has created a mini-site where you are able to insert an image of your desired vehicle (Cayman, Cayenne, 911 or Boxster) into a picture of your driveway. Since I live in an apartment block, I don’t have a driveway, but here’s what a 911 would look like in my parking spot. I’m thinking of using it as the wallpaper on my computer.

Having a 911 would make me a better person; I’ll no longer covet my neighbor’s Porsche. If the power of the mind is anything like the power of this car, I’ll be an enlightened soul in no time. Maybe I could speed up the process by chanting too. Here we go: nam myoho renge Porsche, nam myoho renge Porsche...

-- Colin Ryan

Photo: Porsche/Colin Ryan

GM’s Pebble Beach Motorama, and a Big Red Bus

GM's Motorama exhibit at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance included 19 of
the company's historic show cars and one "Parade of Progress" Futurliner
(background), one of the big red buses that carried GM's science and technology
shows to small-town America in the 1950s. In the foreground is the 1954
Firebird I, a turbine-powered airplane-with-wheels "Dream Car." An earlier
version of this car nearly killed GM development engineer Charles McCuen
in a high-speed crash.

Some of them went off to junkyards to rust quietly for decades before being rescued. Some were spirited off into the night by GM employees who didn’t have the heart to send them to the crusher. Some slumbered nearly forgotten under tarps in GM warehouses. It wasn’t until the mid-’80s that General Motors realized it needed to move fast to locate, preserve and restore the surviving Dream Cars from its Motorama era.

The truth is, no one really knows how many Dream Cars GM built in the 1950s -- the record-keeping was lousy back then -– so it’s hard to know the actual losses. But it’s remarkable that so many pristine examples found their way to the lawn at Pebble Beach for GM’s Motorama display, part of its centennial celebration at the recent Concours d’Elegance.

(Click for Motorama: GM's 1950s' Dream Cars photo gallery)

Among the cars were GM design czar Harley Earl’s personal car, the Buick Y-Job, which is still the best concept car the company ever made (though, strictly speaking, not a Motorama car). Others on display included Chuck Jordan’s first car, the bubble-top Buick Centurion (with rear-view camera); Pontiac’s riff on the early Corvette, the Bonneville Special; and the three Firebird cars. With technical innovations such as turbine engines, intelligent highway guidance, air brakes, titanium construction, air-oil suspension, joystick operation and magnetic keys, the Firebirds –- though a bit silly in their aping of rocket-era styling –- were real laboratories for future technology, some still out of our practical reach.

A few years ago, at a high-bank track in France, I had a chance to drive the Cadillac Le Mans Motorama car. It was great to see it again at Pebble Beach, to be reminded of just how enormous the two-seat car is (196 inches). It had Cadillac’s first wraparound windshield. Words fail to convey how cool this car is.

Lording over all was GM’s big red bus, a beautifully restored Futurliner, one of 12 built by the company to move its Parade of Progress exhibits as they barnstormed across America. This bus, restored and owned by the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States, is the most correct and accurate of the 10 remaining Futurliners.

For a quick history of Futurliners, click here. Well worth it.

-- Dan Neil

[Photos: General Motors]

Ford Redraws the Racehorse

Holy of holies, they're messin' with the Pony!

Ford Motor Co. said today that its much-anticipated 2010 Mustang will have a redesigned badge. In most circles, this falls somewhere in the yawner category, about on par with the International Bureau of Weights and Measures recalibrating the meter.

Yet Mustang lovers are a special clan, avid enough to support at least six monthly Mustang-themed magazines, roughly 100 U.S.-based owner clubs and thousands of niche websites, including the Icelandic Mustang Club and the Mustang Mafia. By comparison, another legendary fan car, the Chevrolet Corvette, has only four magazines.

So there is little doubt that what Ford describes as its "more defined, more angular" Mustang badge will make tsunami-size waves in the 'Stang world.

UPDATE: Ford has produced a video on the new steed's logo job, for all you die-hards.

Mercedes-Benz SL -- the enduring classic

The 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL isn’t strictly a new generation, but it has received a comprehensive reworking -- not just in its styling but also in the driving experience. Keeping the same 2003 body style, the re-worked 2009 SL is a driver’s car again. Not necessarily an all-or-nothing, tightly focused terror on the tarmac, but it can lope along an interstate or attack a canyon road with the same high degree of finesse.

The suspension has been tuned for the better, blending comfort with control and poise. A new seven-speed automatic gearbox handles shifting duties with extreme efficiency and the engines -- in keeping with the times -- manage to perform the trick of developing more power yet returning better fuel consumption and fewer emissions.

"Six Generations of Mercedes-Benz SL" here>>

As an entry-level model starting at $95,900, the SL 550 is perfectly fine with a 5.5-liter V-8 and 382 horsepower. Then again, the SL63 AMG (6.2 liters, 525 hp), with an even more driver-focused chassis, does sound tempting, as long as the check for $132,000 isn’t an issue. If that isn’t enough, the SL 600 (5.5-liter V-12, 510 hp) goes for $136,000. Or the SL65 AMG (6.0-liter V-12, 604 hp) won’t leave the showroom for less than $190,700. But if this current generation performs like SLs of the past, each model should retain much of its value and, one day, may even sell for way more than its original price. Check out the SL gallery to see why this car has always been special.

-- Colin Ryan

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

Advertising for the Hyundai Genesis attempts to kick past the luxury barrier

Hyundai has earmarked a cool $80 million to advertise its new luxury car, the Hyundai Genesis. This is above and beyond the 5 million bucks spent on two 30-second Super Bowl spots teasing the product earlier this year. That’s a bunch of money, but according to Hyundai’s marketing director, Chris Perry, launching an entirely new brand under the Hyundai banner would have cost nearly three times as much.

The Genesis, which prices out (in some cases) at tens of thousands less than comparable luxury sedans, does carry the Hyundai badge as well as the possibly perceived baggage of a low-end consumer perception. Hyundai hopes this car and its related ad campaign will change all that. Copy points in the ads don't shy away from the competition. The message includes direct comparisons to Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus and Porsche. Hyundai adds its own voice tagging the end of the ad with the ominous "The barrier to luxury has just been officially been kicked in." Hyundai's Perry believes the timing for this bold value proposition is perfect. “It’s all about legitimizing the brand -- the Hyundai name has had a five- to 10-year-old perception that is no longer true.”

So, rather than trying to sell you on Hyundai as a luxury brand, the advertising pros at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners have come up with a new strategy -- to pummel you with logic. They would like people to judge Hyundai based on the car’s own merit. The campaign asks you to put aside all of that “snob appeal” that true luxury cars evoke and get the same car at a much lower price and with better gas mileage (18 city/27 highway mpg on the V-6 version).

Bold reality checks have been an advertising tradition since the dawn of Madison Avenue, and Hyundai’s claims aren’t that far from reality. The Genesis has been praised by the automotive press for its design refinements inside and out, new rear-wheel drive trains, its performance and handling, just to name a few plus sides. All this makes the Hyundai advertising message an even more interesting (if not expensive) marketing experiment. Will American car buyers accept and buy a lower-priced luxury car sans the snob appeal of the luxury brand reputation? In cars, as in love and war, all is fair.

-- Joni Gray

Photo and video courtesy of Hyundai Motor America

Chrysler to shed Viper

Chrysler is putting its Dodge Viper sports car business up for sale in the latest move by a U.S. automaker to shed a niche product.

The No. 3 U.S.-based car company said today that it had been approached by potential buyers for the Viper unit, which Chrysler wants to sell as part of its strategy of focusing on a smaller number of core products.

Analysts said the division could fetch up to $100 million. Potential buyers include East Asian and Indian automakers that have been looking to get instant entree into global markets by buying established brands. Indian automaker Tata, for instance, bought the Land Rover and Jaguar brands from Ford this year.

A small-scale "supercar" builder such as Shelby or Saleen could also be a potential buyer, although the price tag could be a bit steep for outfits of that size, said David Healy, an analyst at Burnham Securities.

The Viper, introduced in 1992, is a "halo" car. The intention is to generate buzz, not big sales.

Although the aggressively styled speedster has maintained a loyal following since its introduction — there are Viper clubs across the country — its halo may be dimming a bit.

"I'm not sure how many people go into a Dodge showroom and buy a Caliber after they 'ooh' and 'aah' over a Viper," Healy said. "I'm not sure it's as much of a traffic builder as it might have been when it was new."

Racing trophy queens on display

Women and fast cars seem to go together like, well, women and fast cars.

And that’s not a recent development — as evidenced by the “Trophy Queens” exhibit opening today at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona.

As the title suggests, the exhibit features dozens of rare photos of the generally swimsuit-clad young women who presented a trophy and a kiss to winning race drivers.

The exhibit covers trophy queens from the 1930s through the 1970s and includes photos of a certain 19-year-old model named Raquel Tejada, who went on to fame and fortune as actress Raquel Welch. From 1956 is a photo of Barbara Huffman, dressed differently than in her '60s sitcom heyday when, under the name Barbara Eden, she starred in “I Dream of Jeannie.”

“Wherever there are race cars, there always seems to be pretty girls,” museum spokesman Bill Groak said. “Funny how that works."

Trophy queen legend Linda Vaughn, named Miss Hurst Golden Shifter in 1966, will be on hand at the opening to greet fans and pose for pictures.

The exhibit opens to the public around 2 p.m. after a private preview. It will run for a year during regular museum hours Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for kids 6 to 15. For more information, call 909-622-2133 or go to museum.nhra.com.

-- Martin Zimmerman

(See another pic after the jump)

Photos Raquel Tejada (Welch), top, and Linda Vaughn, bottom, from collection of Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum.

Stick shift option for Ferrari California

So, is the upcoming 2009 Ferrari California going to be a cruising machine purely for posers? That’s the worry coming from some quarters of Ferrari fandom. And they might have a point: since when has a hardcore driver’s car had a retractable roof?

The answer seems to be: since now. Not only will the California be able to hit 60 mph in three-and-a-bit seconds from standstill, but the suspension has been honed by none other than seven-time world Formula One champion, Michael Schumacher. The California will also be available with a manual gearbox, which should really please the purists, and the HGTC pack that features such track-friendly features as a tightened suspension and carbon-ceramic brake discs. The car also gets a set of lightweight wheels.

With a 4.3-liter V-8 (set in the front of the car, as opposed to being mid-mounted like many Ferraris) and developing 460 horsepower that drives the rear wheels, the California looks like it has plenty of go to back up the show. It should reach the dealers next spring.

-- Colin Ryan

Photo: Ferrari

Diesel pickups from India delayed

Mahindra & Mahindra still hopes to be the first Indian automaker to enter the passenger vehicle market in the U.S., but the company has miles to go before ringing up its first sale.

Make that millions of miles. Global Vehicles USA Inc., Mahindra’s American distributor, had hoped to have the automaker’s compact pickup trucks on showroom floors here by next summer. That launch date has now been pushed back to the fourth quarter of 2009.

The reason? Execs at Global Vehicles, based in suburban Atlanta, say Mahindra ordered up more testing to make sure the trucks meet the expectations of American buyers. So 25 pickups will be driven 125,000 miles each over U.S. roads over the next several months. That’s more than 3.1 million miles.

“They want to make sure they get the vehicles right,” said Xavier Beguiristain, Global Vehicles’ vice president of marketing. “They’re very keen on that.”

Mahindra’s diesel-powered two- and four-door pickups still need get all the requisite U.S. regulatory approvals as well. They will have to meet the EPA’s tough new diesel emission requirements for the 2010 model year, a goal that Beguiristain said is attainable.

“These will be 50-state vehicles,” he said....

Big car teaser

Drumroll, please ... the all new 2010 Buick LaCrosse has a grill!

That's all that can be gleaned from this "exclusive" first-look photo released today by General Motors Corp. of its redesigned family sedan. The photo at right is not cropped or altered; it's exactly as GM released it. It is the only photo available of the car, and our guess is that unless you are a designer specializing in grills and headlamps, it doesn't say all that much.

Except, perhaps, that carmakers, and particularly GM, work very hard to establish what they call a "story" leading up to the release of new models. The LaCrosse will be fully unveiled at the L.A. Auto Show in November, and this photo is designed "to help build interest toward the actual unveil," said Buick spokesman Bob Tripolsky.

Releasing teaser photos of parts of cars is becoming increasingly common. The goal is to generate buzz and lots of pictures in car magazines. Some carmakers prefer poorly lit profile shots, while others go for near abstract renderings that are awfully reminiscent of Franz Kline drawings.

Detroit bailout?

With carmakers on the rocks, or approaching them fast, a hot topic is whether Washington would bail out a General Motors Corp. or a Ford Motor Co. should the shadow of bankruptcy fall upon them. Would either of the presidential candidates, John McCain or Barack Obama, come to their rescue? 

Well, Detroit isn't  waiting for November to find out. In recent months, the industry has been quietly lobbying Congress to back $25 billion in low-interest loans for auto manufacturers and suppliers. Now the industry, along with the United Auto Workers union, is asking for $25 billion more, and it's doing it with a lot more volume.

The original $25 billion loan package, which would cost the government an estimated $3.75 billion to guarantee, was written into the 2007 energy bill — the same one that imposed the new, more aggressive, fuel economy standards. The aim of the loan program was to help offset the estimated $100-billion cost of improving fuel efficiency in cars to 35 mpg by 2020. But that money has not yet been appropriated by Congress, and the Department of Energy has not yet written final rules on the loan program. Now the industry is amping up the pressure to get those things done.

With automakers reporting huge second-quarter losses — $15.5 billion for GM and $7.8 billion for Ford — Senate Democrats late last month proposed spending $900 million to back $6 billion of the $25 billion in loans to automakers; that proposal is set to come up for a vote next month. But the new plan being pushed by the industry would fully fund the already approved loan guarantees and provide $25 billion more over the next few years.

Complete details of the industry-backed plan should be unveiled after Labor Day, but early details suggest it would be a juicy deal: Interest on the loans would be about 4.5%, less than a third the rate that the credit-challenged carmakers can expect to get on the open market. Moreover, Congress would have the option of deferring all payments for up to five years. Likely backers come from the Michigan delegation, including Rep. John Dingell, a Democrat and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. 

Best designs — according to Kelley Blue Book

The eye of the beholder is a strange and wonderful thing — if Kelley Blue Book is anything to go by. The good folks at KBB perform a regular survey, called Brand Watch, that measures consumer perception of exterior and interior designs. The latest results put Honda at the top of the "non-luxury sedan/coupe/hatchback" category for exterior design. Winner of the corresponding luxury segment? BMW.

For interior design, the class of the non-luxury sedan/coupe/hatch pack is Toyota, with Lexus winning the premium spot. Not so eyebrow-raising, but odd that there’s no mention of Volvo in this respect. Still, there does seem to be an element of reassuring predictability when it comes to the sports car/convertible stream: Porsche takes the exterior honors and Audi’s interiors get the nod.

Domestic brands do pretty well, especially trucks. In both fields, consumers liked Chevrolet's products the best. Click here for a full list that also takes SUVs and minivans into account.

—Colin Ryan

Photo: BMW

Edmunds.com's least-expensive compact pre-owned cars

With the economy in flux and gas still about $4 a gallon, more buyers are forgoing new vehicles in favor of those that are "new-to-you." The big gets are the certified pre-owneds — used cars with warranties and service benefits. To help eliminate some of the guesswork, automotive information site Edmunds.com has compiled a list of what it considers the five best 3-year-old and 1-year-old small cars.

Click on the photos below to see which models made the cut, plus their EPA fuel economy, available transmissions and engines, and Edmunds' True Market Value pricing. According to Edmunds, the TMV takes into account "dealer inspection and reconditioning costs, the cost of providing a manufacturer warranty, and the cost of additional benefits provided by certain manufacturers, such as roadside assistance and loaner vehicles."

2007's top 5 certified pre-owned vehicles

2005's top 5 certified pre-owned vehicles

—Whitney Friedlander

Photos: From top, the 2007 Toyota Yaris and the 2005 Dodge Neon.
Credit: From top, Toyota and Chrysler

Honda's infertility problem

As if automakers didn’t have enough hot-button issues to deal with (fuel economy and global warming, for example), Honda can add another to the list: gay and lesbian rights.

The American Fertility Assn. this week accused the automaker’s Alabama division of denying insurance coverage to same-sex domestic partners seeking so-called third-party fertility treatments (artificial insemination involving sperm or egg banks, surrogate motherhood, etc.) while providing coverage for opposite-sex domestic partners.

It seems the issue came up when Alabama Fertility Specialists in Birmingham looked into insurance coverage for one of their patients seeking artificial insemination, who works at Honda’s Lincoln, Ala., manufacturing plant and is in a same-sex domestic partnership.

Dr. Michael Steinkampf, founder of the fertility clinic, was quoted in a news release from the fertility association as being “a little disappointed” by the automaker’s stance. (Honda’s U.S. manufacturing facilities are set up as semi-independent operating companies, and policies such as employee benefit plans can vary among plants.)

Honda, however, issued a statement saying the insurance plan covering the 4,500 workers at the Alabama plant doesn’t pay for third-party fertility treatments for any domestic partner couples, regardless of gender.

“The plan includes domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples” in other areas of coverage, the automaker said.

Audi rings the iPhone

Audi has just launched the first Apple iPhone application from a carmaker. The ‘Audi A4 Challenge’ is a driving game that uses the iPhone’s motion sensor (accelerometer), allowing players to steer a virtual version of the all-new 2009 Audi A4 through a series of courses that become gradually more difficult. It works a bit like the controller on a Nintendo Wii.

“The iPhone is an ideal platform to help introduce the Audi A4,” says Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer for Audi of America. “Audi customers are smart, sophisticated and technologically savvy. We’re very excited to be the first automotive manufacturer to connect with our audience through the iPhone.”

The game was created in two weeks by Factory Design Labs of Denver. “It’s reinventing the shopping experience. In combination with the A4 iPhone website, this is the first viable mobile marketing solution in the automotive space,” says Scott Mellin, Factory Design Lab’s CEO.

The application is now available from Apple’s iPhone Application Store for free. The new A4 goes on sale in September, costing at least $32,700 more.

—Colin Ryan

Photos: Audi

Catching Up to Speed: Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008

General Motors to bring the Chevy Cruze to the U.S.

More GM news? Yep. Automotive News reports that the biggest U.S. carmaker will spend $500 million to replace the Chevy Cobalt -- which is being discontinued -- with this compact car. Debuting at this fall’s Paris Auto Show, the Cruze will hit European dealerships in March, with plans to make it to the U.S. by 2011. The new car is expected to get about 45 mpg/highway.

CarMax

CarMax, the car-shopping website, has added a feature that allows pump-pummeled buyers to search for vehicles based on fuel economy (users can specify either city or highway mileage). As of Thursday afternoon, the site was listing 122 used vehicles with highway fuel economy of more than 40 mpg.

What’s the best low-cost small car?

Automobile Magazine breaks down five subcompacts and the ever-popular Toyota Prius based on base price, fuel economy, value depreciation and, of course, how they drive.

—Whitney Friedlander

[Top photo: Chevrolet Cruze, General Motors; middle: CarMax; bottom photo: Toyota Prius, Toyota]

Of the hybrid, for the hybrid, buy the hybrid

C'mon, kids, everyone in the pool!

Hyundai, which has spent most of this year trying to muscle its way into the luxury market with its new Genesis line of rear-wheel-drive luxury sedans, has apparently seen the light on advanced technology drive trains: It's the latest carmaker going hybrid.

The South Korean automaker said this week that it would present a hybrid-electric version of its Sonata sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Hyundai hasn't announced a release date for the vehicle — although, at this rate, it looks like the 2010 model year would be the earliest possible date — but apparently will do so at the L.A. show.

Time to open an Aston Martin DBS

This is cool. A joint project with a major Swiss horologist and a top British supercar maker, the Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX2 DBS Transponder can lock or unlock the doors of an Aston Martin DBS. Eighteen months in the making, it’s the first watch with the ability to control access to a luxury sports car.

A transponder is integrated into the body of the watch. On approaching his or her DBS, the wearer just presses the sapphire crystal glass between 8 and 9 to open the door. To lock it, the glass is pressed between 3 and 4 as the owner saunters away. The watch is available from Aston Martin dealers when one buys his or her very own DBS ($265,000). Neither company has mentioned how much this clever chronograph costs, which is a worrisome sign. But DBS owners presumably don’t have to worry about such trifles.

—Colin Ryan

Photo: Aston Martin

Hybrids vs. pedestrians

Efforts to protect pedestrians by turning up the volume on quiet-running electric and hybrid vehicles are picking up speed in California and elsewhere.

The folks up in Sacramento have sent a bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that (in classic bureaucratic fashion) directs the California Energy Commission to set up a committee to study the issue and report back in one year with recommendations on what, if anything, to do about it.

What’s the beef?

As hybrid and electric vehicles become more numerous — more than 350,000 now cruise California roads — concerns are growing that the blissful silence of the vehicles’ electric motors poses a genuine threat to pedestrians, especially the blind. (See earlier story here.)

Although there apparently are no reported cases of a pedestrian being killed after walking in front of a silent-running hybrid, near misses and minor scrapes are becoming more frequent. According to a story going around Sacto, an unsuspecting Assembly staffer was almost clipped by a hybrid while walking through Capitol parking garage.

Such incidents have led to proposals for adding external noisemaking devices to hybrids so they would alert the blind and just-plain-inattentive pedestrians to their presence. Companies are working on a range of solutions, such as Lotus’ idea to install a waterproof speaker on the front of the car that would project realistic-sounding engine noise.

“There’s been a movement to make vehicles quieter, but we can be victims of our own virtue,” Carrie Cornwell, chief consultant to the Senate House and Transportation Committee. “That could be the case with automobiles if they get too quiet.”

Free gas, soldier!

Say you're trying to market a video game that involves sneaking into Venezuela, attempting to overthrow an oil-mad dictator and killing lots of people. How do you get masses of Adderall-addled vid freaks to buy a copy?

Hire half a dozen bloodthirsty mercenaries to give away free gasoline during rush hour, of course.

Electronic Arts, known for its creative promotional events (think Madden-Palooza) is planning a doozy to promote the Pandemic Studios game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, set for release Aug. 31 and available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and PCs.

Rather than a launch party, EA has elected to take over a gas station in West Los Angeles, decorate it to look like a military post and staff it with actors dressed as camouflaged guns-for-hire pumping gas for any and all who come through Friday morning, Aug. 29.

"We wanted to do something that focuses on the timeliness of oil and the cost of gas," said EA spokesman Devin Bennett. The video game giant spent months coordinating the event, called Petrol for the People, finally locating a Mobil station at Beverly and La Cienega boulevards that was willing, in a bloodless coup, so to speak, to be taken over for a few hours.

Some might suggest that Citgo, being a Venezuelan oil company, might more effectively stick tongues into cheeks, but, frankly, when free gasoline is at stake, who really cares? The goal, Bennett said, is to give away about 1,000 gallons in three hours. All cars and motorcycles are eligible, although big rig trucks are not. Happily, all grades of gas, from regular to premium, will be available. 

Of course, in this era of blazing gas prices, gas giveaways are a hot idea. For example, Kia Motors and the Golden State Warriors teamed up last month to give away 250 gallons of gas at a Valero station in Union City, and General Motors Corp. — always thinking ahead — sold E-85 ethanol at a Brentwood gas station for 85 cents a gallon in February.

Then again, none of them offered their free gas at gunpoint.

The free gas promotion will start at 6 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at 8480 Beverly Blvd., and the octane will stop flowing after about three hours, or when it runs out. Hoo-ha!

—Ken Bensinger

Photo: A Venezuelan soldier at a Caracas filling station.
Credit: Fernando Llano / Associated Press

Timo Glock's Win at the Toyota Race of Legends

In the end, age and treachery were no match for power-to-weight.

At Saturday's just-for-fun Toyota Race of Legends, at the 35th annual Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Laguna Seca, current F1 ace Timo Glock easily outpaced a field that included some of the most talented drivers in history, including Derek Bell, John Watson, Johnny Herbert, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Alan Jones and Patrick Tambay.

Now, for anyone who had been in the hospitality suite before the race, (and anyone with a fundamental grasp of physics), the outcome was not much in doubt. In identically prepared Toyota Scion tC's, the advantage would naturally go to the lightest driver. The svelte and youthful Glock looks to weigh about a buck-thirty, while megastars of yesteryear like Jones and Herbert were busting the seams of their Nomex suits. Indeed, most of the ex-F1 athletes looked like champion trenchermen.

Even so, the addition of Glock to the lineup was an inspiration. On a weekend when Michael Phelps was celebrating eight gold medals and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt breezed through the 100-meter record without appearing even to try, Glock's easy win prompted the question: Has the human animal somehow evolved? Are today's F1 drivers not just fitter than their predecessors, but somehow better?

Of course, current F1 drivers are highly fit athletes. "When I started racing, I didn't worry about being fit," said Bell, a five-time Le Mans winner. "I played rugby, squash...I was in pretty good nick," Bell said. But he was an exception. One time Bell came back sweaty from a game of squash and was spied by Chris Amon, who was having a leisurely smoke. "Ugh, why would you do all that?" Amon said. "The day you beat me is the day I get fit." As far as we know, Amon never got fit.

No one disputes that the cars are more demanding than they were a generation ago. "I couldn't drive Timo Glock's car today," said Eddie Cheever. But are the drivers themselves better -- more talented, if you like -- for having faced the higher demands, the stricter training? "I don't know," Cheever said. "But I know if you put Juan Fangio in a current F1 car, he'd be a champion. Absolutely."

PS: I saw Derek Bell again Sunday, after the Race of Legends. Bell, who won the event last year, had a bad race. "I was so angry when I got out of the car," Bell said, "I swore I'd never do it again." The problem for him was that the start got fouled up by the lone civilian in the race, Bruce Canepa of Scotts Valley, Calif., who waited until he reached the start-finish line before jumping on the gas. Bell got boxed in and lost pace. But, it's just a fun race, right? You're a five-time Le Mans champion--why would you care? "It doesn't matter," he said. "It's a race. You want to do your best." (Photos by Dan Neil)
-- Dan Neil

You wanna party? Not on GM's dime.

A wise editor once said that the health of a company can be measured by the quality of the hors d'oeuvres it serves. For years, General Motors served among the best hors d'oeuvres around.

No longer. As part of its ambitious plan to shore up liquidity by raising $5 billion through loans and asset sales and save $10 billion through cost cutting, GM has been liberally applying the hatchet to its marketing, promotions and advertising budgets.

Already revealed were GM's plans to cease advertising during next year's Academy Awards and this fall's Emmy Awards. Now, as first reported in the Detroit News, GM says it will cancel its biggest and fanciest party of the year, GM Style, held as a kickoff for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit each January.

The 2-year-old GM event, known for heaps of top-shelf appetizers, as well as liberal helpings of celebs such as Carmen Electra, ex-athletes such as Joe Theismann and Jerome Bettis, recording artists such as Kid Rock and Mary J. Blige, and mayors-turned-jailbirds like Kwame Kilpatrick, immediately became the social event of the season in the Motor City. It also must have cost a fortune.

Australian classic auto hoard discovered

OK, so it's not Pebble Beach with its high-priced Ferraris and Maybachs. But a recent "barn find" of almost 300 classic and not-so-classic cars in Australia is causing a bit of a stir among collectors.

The Down Under discovery was first reported by Sports Car Market magazine, though the location is being kept secret, as is the identity of the collector. But photos that accompanied the article documented a cache of cars that probably ranks as one of the bigger finds of vintage metal in recent years.

About 200 of the cars are stored in corrugated sheds with dirt floors, so tightly jammed together that there's no room to walk between them. The rest are parked outside in paddocks.

The cars are in various states of disrepair, although many are restorable — especially those that have been stored indoors, out of the elements. "The semi-arid climate is tough on paint and trim, but metal lasts forever," the magazine reported. "Consider them projects with a capital 'P'."

Trevor Fay, the freelancer out of Adelaide who chronicled the find, said his first look at the collection was an eye-popper.

"I was stunned," Fay said. "I had never seen so many cars packed in so tightly. They were packed in like sardines in a tin."

Most of the cars date from the 1940s to the 1980s, although there was a smattering of earlier vintages and long-vanished marques, such as a 1920s-era Hupmobile and a Jewett sedan from the same decade.

As might be expected given the location, the bulk of the cars are of British or Australian origin, ranging from well-known brands such as ...

Infiniti G37 preaches to the convertible

One great thing about living in Southern California is that we can still get excited when an open-top car makes its debut in November. Thanksgiving isn't the only cause for celebration at that time; the Los Angeles Auto Show happens in the 11th month too — and it's where the 2009 Infiniti G37 convertible will be introduced.

It seems like such a great idea, it's almost surprising there wasn't a similar G35 version (the G37's predecessor), given that coupe's popularity in this part of the world. Anyhow, this convertible version of the G37 coupe has a three-piece retractable hard top that sinks right into the body and, as its name hints, enjoys something in the region of 330 horsepower from a 3.7-liter V-6 engine.

There's seating for four, and the car goes on sale in early 2009. Although official prices have yet to be announced, it will no doubt undercut what should be its arch-rival: the BMW 335i convertible, which starts at $49,500.

— Colin Ryan

Photo: Infiniti

Catching Up to Speed: Monday, Aug. 18, 2008

GM extends employee discounts to everyone
The public will get employee pricing on all of General Motors Corp.'s eight brands from Wednesday until Sept. 2. Discounts vary by vehicle line, but they include all 2008 Chevrolets, Buicks, Pontiacs and GMCs as well as the 2009 Pontiac Vibe.
Source: Automotive News

Ford Motor Co.'s 2009 SUVs play it safe
Both the regular and hybrid versions of the new Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner received best-in-class crash test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The compact SUVs also averaged better than Toyota's hybrid Highlander and Prius.
Source: The Detroit News

This week’s calendar of events

Miracle Mile: "60 Years of NASCAR," Petersen Automotive Museum. Through Aug. 31.
Source: The Guide

Pasadena: "Tales From the Strip: The Hot Rod Comics and Drag Racing Cartoons of Pete Millar," Pasadena Museum of California Art. Through Sept. 14.
Source: The Guide

Pomona: 60th anniversary of Hot Rod Magazine, Wally Parks NHRA Motorsport Museum. Through October.
Source: The Guide

Burbank: Magnolia Park Car Show, Magnolia Park, Saturday, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Source: Metromix

— Whitney Friedlander

Rumbling seat: Clean diesels are here

In certain circles, albeit rather gear- and green-oriented ones, this is a very exciting day. No, not because of the 94 to 105 kg men's Olympic weightlifting final, but because as of today, diesel is officially back.

Volkswagen begins delivery today of its 50-state legal Jetta TDI, the first "clean diesel" vehicle to be sold in the U.S. (Yes, that means here in California too!) It's presumptively the first of a flood of European-made diesels to hit every one of our states, including some exciting numbers by Mercedes-Benz.

Sure, these newfangled diesels are arriving about two model years later than had been expected, but dagnab it, they're here!

Volkswagen is hoping that the technology, which is especially efficient in highway driving, will ...

VW CC Gold Coast debuts at Pebble Beach

Technically, Monterey isn't on the Gold Coast. But considering that one auction house — Gooding & Co. — just recorded more than $31 million in sales at the Pebble Beach extravaganza this past weekend, it seems there's a lot of glittering stuff there. So one can understand why Volkswagen calls this inaugural edition of its new car the CC Gold Coast and arranged for its debut to be at the show.

Hoping that the upmarket vibes will cling to the CC GC (no prizes for guessing the paint color), the company has appointed what might well be the most elegant VW yet with a 3.6-liter V-6 engine (good for 280 horsepower), the six-speed DSG twin-clutch transmission it seems to love more than life itself and a touch of sumptuousness to adorn the cabin. The leather that covers the four sport seats is a combination of latte macchiatto and corn silk with bronze piping. Rich people like that kind of thing.

The CC Gold Coast marks the launch of the "normal" CC, a car based on the Passat and still with four doors, but with a swoopier roofline that mimics a coupe. It will be available later this year and starts at $27,000. Which is $7,173,000 cheaper than what the 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante coupe went for at Pebble Beach.

— Colin Ryan

Photos: Volkswagen (top); Gooding & Co.

Gas prices at lowest point since May

Gasoline prices fell last week to their lowest levels since May nationally and in California, the Energy Department said today. Among the factors helping keep prices down: low demand and indications that Tropical Storm Fay in the Atlantic would steer clear of Gulf of Mexico petroleum facilities.

Experts said the downward price trend would continue in the next few days to weeks as crude oil futures fell another 86 cents on the New York commodities market to $112.90 a barrel, more than 23% below the record of $147.27 set in July. But they differed sharply on their longer term predictions. Some suggested it was the start of a collapse in energy prices, while others saw indications that the mild relief would be short-lived.

"If we can avoid a major storm and other problems, I see no reason why oil can't drop back below $100 and gasoline return to less than $3 a gallon nationally," said Phil Flynn, vice president and senior market analyst for the Alaron Trading Co. in Chicago.

But others noted that motorists were not the only Americans who were cutting back. Refineries, they said, had also scaled back their production rates and were leaving the country with a slim margin for error if a storm does hit the Gulf.

"I think we have seen most of the move downward. Refiners are capitalists, too. ... If we have a major refinery shutdown or a bad storm, there's the potential to head right back up again," said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service in New Jersey.

-- Ronald D. White

Photo: John Tangorra, left and Skip Thompson, right, of Naples, Fla., fill up extra gas cans as they prepare for Tropical Storm Fay on Florida's Gulf of Mexico coast today. "They're not telling us to leave so we might as well be prepared," Tangorra said. Credit: Greg Kahn / Naples Daily News

1938 Alfa Romeo wins "Best of Show" at Pebble Beach

A 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta, owned by Jon Shirley, the former chief operating officer of Microsoft, won "Best of Show" at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Jay Leno hosted the main event in its 58th year, raising $1.3 million for charity.

-- Joni Gray

Photo: AP