Steve Parker, Motoring Journalist

Listen to Steve Parker on The #1 Radio Show in Phoenix, The Joe Crummey Show! With Fuel Savings Tips for Memorial Day Weekend!

  Listen to Steve Parker, The Car Nut, on the "The Joe Crummey Show" on  Newstalk 550 KFYI in Phoenix, Arizona! .  Click here now to listen to the broadcast segment! Gas Saving Tips for you and the family and more for this Memorial Day Weekend!  Joe Crummey, pictured, right can be heard Monday through Friday on KFYI, from 4 pm to 7 pm.  Joe Crummey and Steve Parker also broadcast their radio programs at KMPC in Los Angeles and subsequently KTZN (The Zone!) , in their early radio days! 

Email Steve Parker at sparker@dc.rr.com or Joe Crummey at joecrummey@clearchannel.com . 

Posted by Mrs. Car Nut! 

GREAT NEWS FROM GM; THE GENERAL ANNOUNCES 19 ALL-NEW OR HIGHLY-UPDATED ENGINES AND TRANSMISSIONS:STOCK IMMEDIATELY DROPS (HUH?)

The General is planning to bring out 19 all-new or greatly-updated engines and transmissions, beginning in the 2007 model year. The day of the announcement the company's stock FELL by .40 cents. How do you explain that? I have no idea! The smokestack industries just are not a 'sexy' buy on The Street, no matter WHAT they announce! Also, GM is forced to make plans for increasing production of the Saturn SKY (below right) and Pontiac Solstice. Both models are SOLD-OUT for the entire year!

General Motors says that it was introducing 19 new or significantly redesigned engines and transmissions in its 2007 model year vehicles, including a new hybrid system and a fuel-saving V-6.

It will also offer 14 models — or about 400,000 total vehicles — that can run on E85 ethanol in 2007, compared with nine models in 2006. GM has nearly 2 million ethanol-capable vehicles on the road. But --- Here in So Cal, there ain't too many places to buy the stuff!

The 2007 Chevrolet Impala will have GM's first V-6 engine with a "cylinder deactivation" system that saves fuel by automatically operating on fewer cylinders when the vehicle is not carrying a heavy load. Previously, the system was available only for V-8 engines. An Impala with the new 3.9-liter V-6 will get an estimated 20 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, a more than 5% improvement over the current model, GM said.

The 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line (seen at right), due out this summer, will have a new gas-electric hybrid system that GM says will use as much as 20% less fuel than a traditional Saturn Vue. The Green Line will get an estimated 27 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway, compared with 33 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway for Toyota's hybrid Highlander.

The all-new ECVT (electric continuously variable transmission) which we have reported on previously, with GM teaming with DaimlerChrysler and BMW to develop a more advanced hybrid system, is now officially slated to debut on the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe.

GM also is expanding the number of vehicles with six-speed automatic transmissions. The automaker says the six-speeds offer better fuel economy and performance and smoother shifting than traditional four-speeds. They also cut down on wear by reducing engine revolutions per minute.

All GREAT news, right? So here's the kicker: GM shares fell 40 cents to $24.06. The adage is true: "No good deed goes unpunished".

SLEAZY BERNIE SIGNS PACT WITH AUTOMAKERS; F1 TO REMAIN EXPENSIVE AND BORING FOR YEARS TO COME

"F1 Supremo", as the Euro media calls him, Bernie Ecclestone, has somehow muscled some of the world's major car-makers into calling off their threat of creating a rival series. How ho hum. This happens every few years. Remember, Bernie is the guy who recently, out of one side of his mouth, harshly criticized the current and youngest F1 World Champion ever, Spain's amazing Fernando Alonso, for "not doing enough to promote the sport". The next day, Bernie opens the other side of his mouth to say, "Well, we haven't really told him what he's supposed to do". Quite the charmer, that Bernie!

Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone (at left with wife) has signed an agreement with carmakers to end the threat of a rival series from 2008. Both Ecclestone and the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association confirmed that they had signed a memorandum of understanding after years of negotiation. The five carmakers are Renault, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Toyota.

The five, who all have teams in the championship, signed the document during the Spanish Grand Prix but Ecclestone, 75, had left the Circuit de Catalunya without putting pen to paper.

Ecclestone told the Autosport website: "We've now signed our part and it is now just a question of sending it to the lawyers. The negotiations have taken a while and we spent a lot of time discussing issues which were not real, honest issues. But now at least we have the (memorandum) and that will form the basis of the Concorde Agreement, once we get the FIA technical issues sorted."

A manufacturers' association spokesman confirmed that all parties had signed.

Ecclestone, one of the thankfully last of the great monied, drugged and jetsetting EuroTrash of the '60s, thus guarantees there will be no major rival to F1. The new A1 Grand Prix series, bankrolled by the owners of Dubai, will continue to be run in F1's "off-season" in F1 "off-countries". That series, by the way, has turned-out to be quite an exciting venture, and USA fans get to see the open wheel cars with some proven drivers on the gorgeous and challenging Laguna Seca track in central California.

With Bernie evidently firmly in charge, able once again, as he has time after time, to muscle major world corporations into doing things "his way", F1 is sure to become even more expensive, dominated by the most-monied teams (and nations), a series where only three or four drivers are capable of winning on any given race day, and where the rest of the cannon fodder, uh, we mean competitors, languish minutes and laps behind the leaders.

Is this true: Some say that Bernie got his seed money for creating and organizing F1 by his participation in what is generally known as the British Great Train Robbery. As friendly as Bernie is with Long Beach Grand Prix founder Chris Pook, the two of them combined could create enough sleaze and grease to keep several refineries open. Thank goodness Bernie and Pook were kept from achieving their big dream: Turning USA open wheel racing into a minor league for F1.

HONDA BUILDING THREE NEW PLANTS; KILLS INSIGHT, PLANS NEW SMALL HYBRID

According to the NEW YORK TIMES, while General Motors and Ford are closing plants as fast as the UAW will agree to it, Japan's Honda is planning new plants in Japan, the USA and Canada. Also, Honda announces they're dropping their Insight, the first mass-produced gas/electric hybrid, but also announces a brand-new small hybrid for the 2009 model year.

Japan's Honda Motor Company, on a push to expand its sales of fuel-efficient cars in the United States, said it would spend $400 million to build a sixth North American assembly plant, creating 1,500 jobs.

At a news conference  in Tokyo, Honda President Takeo Fakui said the company would also spend $639 million to build its first new plant in Japan since 1976, and $140 million on an engine plant in Canada.

Further, Honda said it would build a new family-size hybrid electric car that would go on sale in 2009, and hoped to sell 200,000 a year.

Honda did not disclose where it would build the American factory. It has two plants in Ohio, and one each in Ontario, Alabama and Mexico. The plant would make 200,000 vehicles a year, starting in 2008.

But even before its announcement, state officials lined up to vie for the factory, which could create thousands of jobs, both at the plant and at nearby suppliers and businesses. That means tax and other state and municipal giveaways galore and other business "incentives" to bring that plant to the state which wants it most.

While Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Subaru and Isuzu, BMW and Mercedes-Benz (are we forgetting anyone?) continue to build auto plants in the USA (Kia and Hyundai plants delayed while their Chairman works his way out of jail in South Korea) and even Volkswagen, which had a truck plant in the US which eventually closed sometime in the '90s, says they're thinking about a US plant, the former Big Three are clearly in big trouble, closing factories as fast as they can.

The ultimate irony is that Honda, until just a few years ago, was a relatively minor player in their own home market, and in Japan they are still relegated to the number 4 or 5 sales position.

BEVERLY HILLS: SHOPPING, MOVIE STARS, RADAR TICKETS!

Beverly Hills, CA is considering the use of photo radar, a system which times cars and trucks, then takes a photo of the car, front and rear, in an attempt to capture the vehicle's license plate. A ticket is then sent to the vehicle owner (and it is not sent by certified mail, so how do they prove it ever got to the owner?) and if it is not paid, the cost of that ticket goes WAAAY up and the owner will find the amount on his or her VEHICLE REGISTRATION when it next comes due. In fact, these tickets can go to a "warrant" status if unpaid in some cities, and a vehicle owner might find him or her self under arrest late some night...for something they might not have done!

The world-famous City of Beverly Hills wants to launch a pilot program using photo radar to nab speeders, according to the LOS ANGELES TIMES. Mayor Steve Webb said the city must do something novel to curb drivers who diverge from the city's increasingly congested main thoroughfares, such as Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards, onto tree-lined side streets as they make their way to jobs, schools and shopping. But Beverly Hills' plan has come under attack in Sacramento and elsewhere, with opponents contending that placing cameras on side streets amounts to an invasion of privacy.

The ongoing tearing-up of the Fourth Amendment notwithstanding, cities in California which have toyed with photoradar has usually given it up within a few months or a couple of years of testing. Some of the same problems cities have had with "red light photos" have arisen with photo radar, though some of the red light photo systems have been in place for quite some time. These problems include the system manufacturer paying bribes or promising kickbacks to city officials for allowing their systems to be installed in a given city, and the fact that many of these red light and photo radar system are easily knocked out of alignment and need constant upkeep and maintenance if the cities are trying to be honest in their mailing-out of tickets.

For literally decades, residents of Beverly Hills have fought hard to destroy several programs which would have helped the admittedly bad traffic problems in their city, and so far, they have won.

One idea was for a light rail system running along existing tracks on Santa Monica Boulevard, a system which could have easily reached from downtown Los Angeles, all the way west to the Santa Monica Pier, bisecting Beverly Hills in the process. Status? Dead.

Another proposal called for a tunnel to be built under Santa Monica Boulevard, allowing drivers not needing to stop in Beverly Hills to continue through the city. Residents and business vehemently opposed the tunnel concept and eventually killed it. There were complaints about the construction costs, hassle and time involved, and businesses wanted no car or truck to pass through their fine burg without being able to stop on Wilshire Boulevard or Rodeo Drive and drop some large $$$. Status? Dead.

In fact, for the past several years, there has been a huge street-widening project going on right on the western border of the Cities of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, which would have been the perfect place for one end of the tunnel. But that project is just about finished, and no tunnel has been spotted as yet.

So the fine citizens of Beverly Hills, some of them also US citizens, figure: If we're going to have the traffic (and they MUST want it, given their history of not allowing improvement projects), we might as well make a few bucks off the occasional speeder taking short-cuts through our many scenic canyon roads.

FORD HYBRID TRUCK DESIGNER BEATS-OUT APPLE iPOD!

"DESIGN NEWS" IS "THE" MAGAZINE FOR THOSE IN THE WORLD OF "INDUSTRIAL DESIGN". EVERYTHING FROM SOUP CANS TO LOCOMOTIVES, FROM THE DESIGN OF AVIATION CONTROL TOWERS TO THE STYLING OF PRIVATE JETS, THE WORLD OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN RUNS THE GAMUT. SO WHEN THE MAGAZINE ANNOUNCED THEIR TOP "ENGINEER" AWARDS FOR 2005, THERE WAS A BIG SURPRISE!

Ford engineer Tom Watson beat the man behind Apple's iconic iPod and four other finalists to win Design News magazine's "Engineer of the Year" award. Watson, with FoMoCo for 17 years, headed the team that built the first American gas-electric hybrid vehicle and first hybrid sport-utility vehicle, the Ford Escape hybrid.

Watson and his team built a truck which delivers markedly improved fuel economy, providing performance rivaling conventional gasoline-fueled Escapes, and getting the vehicle to market quickly. Escape hybrid hit showrooms only five years after the project began. Ford has licensed some of its hybrid technology from Toyota, but the rivals didn't co-develop the technology.

One wonders why this news isn't being broadcast around the world, trumpeted much more than it is by FoMoCo. Where is the CNN coverage? NBC? CURRENT TV? Anyone home? This is a huge story highlighting a great American company winning a prestigious industry award. The story could help inspire countless young Americans to work towards making their own dreams of style and design and engineering come true. Oh, well...the more things change...

PORSCHE 4-DOOR COMING SOON!

FINALLY, A PORSCHE FOR THE CHAUFFEUR, TOO! NO WORD YET ON PRICE, BUT THE PANAMERA PORSCHE, THE COMPANY'S FIRST SEDAN, WILL BE GERMAN-BUILT, MAKING PORSCHE FANS IN THE USA HAPPY.

Porsche announced that it will invest $153 million in its Leipzig, Germany, plant to build their all-new four-door Panamera coupe. The size of the plant will quadruple with the investment, and worker numbers will rise to 1,000 from the current 400.  Production of the Porsche Carrera GT supercar in Leipzig was recently halted, but the Cayenne SUV will continue to be manufactured there. The body work and paint for the Panamera will be completed at Volkswagen's plant in Hanover, Germany.

Will Porsche fan-atics, some of the snootiest (an some say snottiest) car-owners in the world, accept a 4-door version of their favorite driving machine? Not to worry. Many so-called "experts" wondered the same thing about the Cayenne SUV, and Porsche now can not make enough of the high-end ($123,000 for the Turbo version) trucks to satisfy demand.

Porsche clearly does as much "clinicing" of their future products as their budget allows, and by the time a company such as Porsche brings out a vehicle, they have a pretty good idea of exactly how many vehicles they'll be selling for the first four years, and how long it will take that car or truck to turn a profit.

LUTZ: PROMISE TO BUY 100,000 CAMAROS AND WE'LL BUILD IT

Bob Lutz, erstwhile chief of General Motors products for North America, now says: If I thought we could sell 100,000 new Camaros, then we would build a production version of the concept car.

Ford has kept the Mustang alive since 1964 by selling about 40,000 annually for the past several years, many more in years when new models are introduced (like this past year when 160,000+ were sold). Why would GM need to sell so many more Camaros to make the project viable? What about this: Why can't GM sell, say, 40,000 GTOs, 40,000 Camaros and 40,000 Firebirds? Hmmm? Would that satisfy the 74-year old product genius Lutz?

Heck, they couldn't even sell 25,000 GTOs, even with a 400 horsepower V8 and a six-speed tranny! Remember, that GTO was Lutz' Big Deal which would Save Pontiac. Even with the Solstice on the horizon, and the Saturn-version of it, SKY, sold-out for the entire year, GM can't build more than 25,000 Solstices if they tried. No capacity. Don't they PLAN for any successes at GM anymore?

WHO is planning production for GM plants these days? Does anyone in marketing talk to the people making the production decisions for years to come?

Lutz made his bones in Europe working for GM and BMW, then by giving the greenlight to the Prowler, Viper and PT Cruiser while at Chrysler (and we all know that no one person is ever more than 10% responsible for ANY product from a major auto manufacturer). Bob Eaton and Bob Lutz were a team at Chrysler --- Can they be successful on their own?

Someone has to ask the proverbial "$64,000 Question" question of Bob Lutz: What have you done for us lately, Bob?

According to AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, "Product chief Robert Lutz thinks General Motors can sell more than 100,000 units of the Chevrolet Camaro -- and says that's the number required for GM to build a production version of the concept unveiled at the Detroit auto show. GM is doing "intense work" on engineering for a production version and analyzing the business case, Lutz, GM's vice chairman and global vice president of product development, said in an interview with Automotive News. Lutz says GM wouldn't consider building the car unless it could sell more than 100,000 a year. The Camaro would be aimed at the Ford Mustang, which sold 160,975 units in the United States last year. The Camaro would be part of GM's coming lineup of midpriced to premium-priced cars on a new rear-drive architecture developed by Holden. North American production of those vehicles is expected in 2008 or 2009."

Is Lutz blowing hot air -- Again? Lutz may well have the huge ego and intimidating power which served division General Managers well, "back in the day", when their word as as good as from "god". But do those skills and powers mean anything in the car world in 2006? Probably not. If anything, they are probably negatives. BIG negatives.

HUMMER H1 SOLD 374 MODELS IN 2005; GM MERCIFULLY TAKES THE TRUCK OUT OF ITS MISERY

GENERAL MOTORS OWNS THE 'HUMMER' NAMEPLATE; NOW THE BIG 'H1 ALPHA'  HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY PUT OUT TO PASTURE. SOME 12,000 H1 MODELS HAD BEEN SOLD SINCE 1992; SALES HAVE DROPPED TO ONLY SEVERAL HUNDRED A YEAR; EXPECT THE LARGE H2 TO BITE THE DUST NEXT SEASON.

General Motors has announced the demise of perhaps the silliest vehicle ever sold the public (except for maybe the Pontiac Aztec). The elegantly useless, unparkable, threatening, intimidating, unable-to-stay-in-its-own-lane and environmentally-challenged HUMMER H1, the BIG one, which now sells for above $120,000, has officially been 'discontinued' by GM.

Production of the H2 and H3 will continue. The H2 will probably be discontinued next year as gas prices continue to rise and sales fall.

Why did GM (or any company) ever even consider selling such a gigantic truck to the general public? Well, sit back and read about a diner party I attended in '91 or '92...when the head of AMGENERAL, maker of the H1 (and the last vestige of the old American Motors) told me how Arnold Schwarzenegger made a personal pitch to him -- and the rest really is history!

A few years ago I went to a "media event" at a fancy restaurant in the hills above Malibu, CA, in Topanga Canyon, to be more exact, a place where famous for its serving of just about any wild game food you can name. The "event" was the local press introduction of the HUMMER H1, and at the diner I sat next to the then-President of AM General, a guy named Jim Armour (PERFECT name, right?), and he told me (at length over some good wine) the story of how none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger was personally responsible for the HUMMER H1 being sold the the public.

Before the dinner, an off-road course of sorts had been created behind and around the restaurant. Rod Hall, one of the great off-road drivers of all time (and incidentally Rod and his son campaign Hummers of all sorts and types in races ranging from the Baja 1000 to the Dakar Rally), was there to help us auto journos brush-up on our off-road driving skills.

Well, the H1 maneuvered up and over boulders which you could not do on foot with ropes and pulleys, and generally acquitted itself in fine fettle through the gulleys and streams and over the rocks and through the deep dirt and sand which the 'track' through at us. With Rod Hall sitting in passenger seat and yelling at you to "Stand on it!" and that big ol' diesel barely revving 600rpm, well, you should sort of had to believe this thing would get the job done. And it did!

So, as they say in NASCAR, here's the deal...Seems Schwarzenegger was up in Seattle or Portland or some such dreary place when he was making KINDERGARTEN COP (one of his best movies, yah, for sure...). Anyway, on the way to or from work one day, Arnold sees a NATIONAL GUARD caravan of vehicles going the other way on the highway. Well, the legend now has it, Arnold got so excited by the trucks that he turned his car around and caught up to them on their next rest stop.

"What are those? Where can I buy one!?!? They have BALLS!!!", were all some of the things Arnold was yelling at anyone who would listen.

Told they were HumVees and made for the military only, Arnold made sure to find out WHICH company made these behemoths and how to get in contact with them.

Later, a year or so, at the ARNOLD CLASSIC,a huge international bodybuilding tournament held every year in Ohio, Arnold took his private plane to visit a place called AMGENERAL, where the HumVees were made. He met with the company's executives and toured the assembly lines, thrilling the workers and praising them on building such "Ballsy vehicles!" (this comes into the story later).

Anyway, it was these actions (and many, many more) which eventually convinced the company to make the vehicles available to the general public, certainly the first time a military-spec vehicle was sold to the average man or woman. While the Hummers (the new, civilian name) caught on fast, propelled into the American psyche by the first Gulf War and Arnold's non-stop pimping for them, it also became apparent that a lot of the buyers and drivers were in, literally, WAY over their heads as far as knowing how to drive or control (or even get in and out of) what was really a truck cut-down to near-human size. And when gas prices started to rise, the name HUMMER took on an entirely new meaning.

Many fire agencies, police departments and municipalities of all sorts around the country, though, were able to buy the HUMMER for their own professional use in fire-fighting and life-saving, and that was a good use of these heretofore army-only trucks.

GM bought the HUMMER name and started paying AMGENERAL to produce the H1 and H2 trucks which were being sold at GM dealerships willing to pony-up some extra cash to get one of the suddenly-valuable HUMMER stores. Dealers were supposed to build all-new facilities to sell the HUMMER, including a stand-alone Quonset-hut appearing building, and even a test-track on the dealer's lot or somewhere nearby, but GM was happy simply to have a popular vehicle, even if all the PR was not good, and GM eventually overlooked many of their requirements for the HUMMER dealers.

With the H2 probably leaving production in another year, GM is having good luck with the more- reasonable (yet still grossly overweight and offering only lousy mileage) H3. At least it has a regular pickup truck as its basis, not a vehicle meant to serve as a rocket launcher, ambulance, troop carrier, and available in some 40 more configurations for the military from AMGENERAL.

So that's the deal on the HUMMER H1...and I was there to hear it from the man who signed the contract with Arnold and GM...

And by the way...about all that "ballsy" talk: Whenever Ahnold (at least pre-Guv) loaned one of his HUMMER H1 trucks to a local California car show to help raise monies for charities, as he did quite often, those looking under the rear of the vehicle would see a sack hanging from the rear center differential -- Yep, REAL BULL BALLS! Ballsy vehicles, indeed Governor!

Arnold owns a few H1's, and they are all (as far as I know, from the guy who maintained them for the Governator for many years) gasoline-powered with big block V8 engines. No weany girly-man diesel for our Ahnold, no way! No mealey-mouthed high-mileage conversions to set an example for the public, oh no!

Nope...Our Guv Ahnold thinks, like too many Americans, that if he have to pay an extra $2,000 to $3,000 or so for a dual-fuel or hybrid gas-electric vehicle which saves gas and lowers emissions, why should he do that when he can spend $5000 or more for a V8 Hemi!?!? Now THAT'S common sense, Ahnold style!

RICH GUY WITH NOTHING BETTER TO DO MOUNTS 1974 LAMBORGHINI ON HOUSE INTERIOR WALL

What's a 58-year old guy with a 3.5 acre estate on the tremendously exclusive "Back Bay" of Newport Beach, CA, an heir to an incredible real estate fortune, supposed to do with his spare time? Make a great public effort to urge others to contribute to UNICEF, help-out in Darfur, work closely with former Pres. Clinton on curing AIDS? No, this guy has other ideas. Why not mount his 1974 Lamborghini, purchased for a purported $60,000 a decade back, on the big blank wall over the solid glass staircase leading to the wine cellar secured by a door from a KGB prison? Yeah, THAT'S the ticket! (PHOTOS BY RICK LOOMIS, LA TIMES)

I went to high school in Santa Ana, CA, with Richard Moriarty's cousin, Henry Segerstrom. Segerstrom's father and grandfather at that time (1972) owned acres and acres of bean fields in Orange County, CA, right where the then-new San Diego (I-405) Freeway crossed into the Orange County Airport/Newport Beach/Costa/Mesa area of the County. The Back Bay of Newport Beach is mostly a reserve for fish and birds, but parcels of it are privately owned.

Richard Moriarty, cousin of my high school friend and nephew of the original Segerstrom's, apparently did okay financially when the family sold some of their bean fields to folks who developed South Coast Plaza, one of the world's ritziest shopping areas, and followed with several office towers, hotels and the Orange County Performing Arts Center (the Arts Center land was donated by the Segerstrom family).

According to THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, "Moriarty, 58, is known for his irreverent tastes. In the 1980s, he organized exotic costume parties, such as his "Pimps, Hookers, Drug Dealers and Lawyers Ball," that drew about 3,000 revelers. As a teen, he toiled in the lima bean fields that his uncle, Henry Segerstrom, transformed into South Coast Plaza. More recently, he planted a small vineyard on his 3.5-acre estate and began bottling prize-winning wines under such labels as "Wretched Excess" and "The Idle Rich."

Moriarty rented a 70-ton crane for the job. The skylight in the steel-and-concrete home was designed large enough for the Lambo Countach to fit. Architect Fleetwood Joiner (think that's his real name?) oversaw construction of the new home which will be completed later this year. Mark your calendars.

  The Countach weighed about 1,000 pounds sans engine and drivetrain, which were removed from the Lambo and most of which now serve as a cocktail table in the home's living room. That's been done so many times it is beyond cliche, Richard! Shame on you, dear! How absolutely boring!

Here's to possibly one of the world's ultimate displays in waste and greed, an exercise in futility performed by a man who has never done a full and/or honest day's work in his life and was born into his money.

This guy is a one-man reason to KEEP THE INHERITANCE TAX and possibly strengthen its rules!

The LA TIMES also said that Moriarty's "fiancee" was on-hand for the Lambo event. No surprise there; men with that kind of money and at that age in Newport Beach are rarely involved in successful marriages...

FORD PRODUCING 'REALITY' SHOW? WHAT ABOUT MAKING CARS PEOPLE WANT TO BUY...

There's been a lot of talk recently about FoMoCo possibly producing their own "reality" TV show centered on a competition among designers. The idea is that after several weeks of designs being approved or rejected by an "expert" panel (and wouldn't all the judges need to be Ford people?), the winning design would be made into a real-world-size concept car. And there's more...

Corporate sponsorships of reality shows are nothing new — Ford has been a prominent sponsor of "American Idol" — the company is looking to produce the show itself in the hope of reconnecting with younger consumers who have drifted away to other brands like Honda and Toyota.

The show is still in the early phase of development, and Ford has not yet begun seeking out any contestants, producers or a television network to broadcast it.

The show is part of a larger marketing campaign know as "Bold Moves" that Ford started nationally on May 3. Other ideas said to be part of the new campaign are a documentary-style Internet program starring Mark Fields, who leads the company's North and South American operations, and a new series of national television commercials for Ford vehicles featuring a previously unreleased Kelly Clarkson song.

The initial campaign is expected to have a price tag in the tens of millions of dollars. But the cost will probably grow to more than $100 million.

Our thoughts:

This is NUTS! No more or less. How about designing, making and selling cars and trucks which people actually want to BUY!?!? A competition which winds up producing a one-off vehicle which NO ONE will be able to buy is CRAZY! What a waste of time, money and talent! American car companies have in the past invested money in non-automotive businesses and almost each one has proven a financial disaster and resulted in reams of negative PR for the company involved.

Ford: Stick to what you do best and what Mr. Ford wanted his company to do --- That is, create, make and sell the cars and trucks which people the world over will want to buy!

JACK ABRAMOFF SPENT BIG ON HIS BEEMER!

Now-legendary crook Jack Abramoff, whose father and part of his extended family live in the Palm Springs, CA area --- Where this blog is produced --- Has confessed to ripping off millions and trying to bribe members of the government, but he SPENT money on his own apparently much-beloved car! Here, courtesy of THE NY TIMES, is a recounting of Abramoff's love affair with his personal BMW 7-series. Note that Jack played large to evade police radar guns, too.

During his heyday as one of Washington's top lobbyists, Mr. Abramoff made millions of dollars, traveled the world and routinely feted lawmakers and luminaries at his Pennsylvania Avenue restaurant. But one of his most conspicuous indulgences was his 2002 BMW, fully loaded with more than $48,000 worth of custom work.

The 745Li sedan was customized by Ai Design of Tuckahoe, N.Y., as a sort of mobile office for Mr. Abramoff, who at one time had a driver for it so he could accommodate a heavy workload. Invoices offer a look inside the tinted windows, a $450 addition that was the cheapest part of the job.

Mr. Abramoff spent $19,995 for a ''custom-built, 15.2-inch-wide screen and manual flip-down video monitor,'' an invoice says.

''Monitor includes built-in cordless headphone transmitters'' it says, adding, ''Monitor is capable of displaying DVD, Game and Computer graphics/video signals.''

For $7,390, he added a hands-free cellphone system, with a special antenna amplifier to boost the signal, and a docking station for his laptop built into the back of the right front seat. The system was configured to use the overhead screen and could take commands from a wireless keyboard.

Mr. Abramoff also paid $6,495 for seat-back tables.

''These handmade tables are duplicate versions of vintage Rolls-Royce designs,'' the invoice says. ''Perfect for children or mobile office applications.''

While DVD players are now common in cars, Mr. Abramoff's was set into a custom-made console trimmed in wood veneer and leather. The price for player and console, installed, was $4,495.

To evade police speed traps, the car was equipped with a radar detector designed to perform over hills, around corners and across distances of several miles. The unit was ''mounted and etched into rearview mirror'' and was augmented by a pair of ''laser diffusers'' in front and back to avoid detection further.

A spokesman for Mr. Abramoff, whose friends and colleagues say he now has financial problems, declined to say whether he still had the car.

The former lobbyist is to be sentenced on March 29 in a South Florida fraud case. He has also pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges in Washington.

"GRAND PRIX OF BROOKLYN"? AUTO RACING COMING TO NYC; APPARENTLY SOME DON'T LIKE THE IDEA

It's no secret that NASCAR has been trying to buy and develop land in New York City's fifth borough, Staten Island. Now we hear that race car driver/actor/philanthropist Paul Newman is helping fund an effort to bring open-wheel racing, specifically the Champ Car World Series, to a former Navy Air Base in Brooklyn called Floyd Bennett Field. 

Here's what the NY TIMES said about both deals recently. SOPRANOS fans especially will get a kick out of the Staten Island coverage. Our story begins at a community meeting on Staten Island between those pro and against the NASCAR track and three annual events there:

Less than an hour after it began, the meeting, according to people on both sides of the dispute who were present, degenerated into a shouting match. They said that a top union official who supports the development was involved in a scuffle with Councilman Andrew J. Lanza, a Republican who opposes it, as two planning officials tried unsuccessfully to calm the angry crowd.

Mr. Lanza said yesterday that he was trying to describe his views on the project when "a guy put a bearhug on me, threatening me while guys standing in front of him were urging him, 'Punch him in the face. Hit him.' "

Mr. Lanza identified the man as Christopher J. Wallace, president of Local 20 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Mr. Wallace, whose union has 630 members, said yesterday, "That's silliness."

"Clearly, the speedway and the benefits to Staten Island are what we should be talking about," he said.

In telephone interviews, two Staten Island residents who are volunteers for neighborhood environmental groups and oppose the project, Ronald M. Lauria and Charles E. Perry, and an International Speedway Corporation official, Michael P. Printup, all said yesterday that they saw Mr. Wallace place his arm around Mr. Lanza while trying to grab a microphone from him.

"It's a shame the elected officials couldn't speak and finish their thoughts," said Mr. Printup, who oversees the project and said it would generate $200 million a year in economic activity and create 75 permanent jobs.

Police officers disbanded the meeting shortly afterward, saying that the auditorium's capacity had been exceeded. No arrests were made. A new hearing date has not been scheduled.

The speedway corporation has hired Guy V. Molinari, a former borough president, to sway opponents.

"We're going to have to reconvene and hopefully start to answer their questions," Mr. Printup said.

Coincidentally, another land-use dispute involving auto racing has also generated high emotions.

On April 21, North American Motorsport Events, of Fleetwood, Pa., presented a proposal to bring an annual auto race involving single-seat, or open-wheel, racing cars, to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, which was the city's first municipal airport, built on 1,500 acres of reclaimed marshland, and is now part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.

Representative Anthony D. Weiner, who represents parts of Queens and Brooklyn, sent an aide to the meeting and later said that the aide was berated by State Senator Carl Kruger of Brooklyn, who represents the area and has expressed tentative support for the project.

The acrimony between Mr. Weiner and Mr. Kruger, both Democrats, led to a loud argument at a fund-raising dinner on Thursday in Brooklyn, The Daily News reported.

Mr. Weiner said the project, which is backed by the actor (and race car driver) Paul Newman, would violate National Park Service regulations. "There is no doubt in my mind that when the senator learns how fervently his constituents oppose megadevelopment at Floyd Bennett Field, his position will either reverse or become awfully quiet," Mr. Weiner said.

Senator Kruger said of the project, "It's an exciting, unique opportunity to take what was the forgotten Floyd Bennett Field, energize it and bring a Grand Prix to Brooklyn. It will attract a very high-end, sophisticated clientele that will mean dollars coming into Brooklyn."

The National Park Service, which controls the site, has not taken a formal position on the proposal, which would not require permanent construction. It would cost an estimated $15 million a year, provide some money for charity, and be affiliated with the Champ Car World Series.

SEMA 2006 TO FOCUS ON TRADITIONAL HORSEPOWER; WITH $4 A GALLON GAS, WILL AMERICA CARE?

SEMA show emphasizes muscle cars for 2006; Is this wise?

Three of the American automotive industry's giants will shine at the 2006 SEMA Show, simultaneously celebrating the continuation of their musclecar heritage and the SEMA Show's 40th anniversary. DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors will share the title of Vehicle Manufacturers of the Show.
The three automakers represent not only a storied performance legacy but also the very roots of the specialty-equipment industry.

This raises the obvious question: With gas quite possibly over $4 per gallon or more by the time of the SEMA confab in Las Vegas, will the average consumer be more interested in saving gas or in creating horsepower? SEMA opens on Halloween, 2006, which might be a poor harbinger for the aftermarket's near-term future. We'd like to see SEMA and their many member companies focusing not only on horsepower, but on FUEL SAVINGS at the same time.

As someone who well-remembers the very first SEMA Shows at the Anaheim Convention Center, when Mickey Thompson, Alex Xydias and Wally Parks teamed-up to create the organization, SEMA has always tried to be and prided itself on being at the forefront of the coming, future marketplace. If the next show focuses only on horsepower, SEMA will draw some terrible publicity from the mainstream media. In those early days, SEMA stood for "Speed Equipment Manufacturer's Association". Today it means "Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association" --- SEMA does not have to go to their roots to remain relevant in the 21st century. In fact, by emphasiziing performance and high mileage and low emissions, SEMA will be just where they need to be in the market.

"The Mustang, Camaro and Challenger helped bring many of our industry's earliest businesses into being," said SEMA President and CEO Christopher J. Kersting. "The current production and concept versions of those fabled cars are now kindling similar passion in a new generation of auto enthusiasts and are once again providing opportunities for our member companies."

Project vehicles celebrating these high-performance street machines are expected to be featured throughout the Show floor in November.

The 2006 show will feature exhibits from the largest contingent of automakers in its history, with 14 OEMs now participating. The SEMA show has also attracted more and more car dealers in the last five years, attesting to their recognition that specialty equipment means additional sales in the showroom. There has been a five-fold increase in dealer attendance since the 2001 Show.

The 2006 SEMA Show takes place Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information, visit www.semashow.com.

SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association founded in 1963, represents the $32 billion specialty automotive industry of 6,466 member-companies. The industry provides appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and technology products for passenger and recreational vehicles.

"FULL HYBRID" SYSTEM UNVEILED IN EUROPE BY GM, DCX AND BMW

What DaimlerChrysler, General Motors and BMW are calling the "first full hybrid system" specifically built for larger, heavier vehicles which haul and tow heavy loads, was introduced at Vienna, Austria on April 27. The heart of the system is its advanced Electric Continuously Variable Transmissions (ECVT) which, the manufacturers say, can be easily fitted to any internal combustion engine, allowing its use in a wide variety of vehicles.

What follows is the official press release from the consortium of companies making this powerplant:

The state-of-the-art full hybrid system, whose components are being co-developed by General Motors Corp., DaimlerChrysler and the BMW Group for production beginning next year, represents a major automotive industry milestone due to the unprecedented fully integrated combination of electric motors with a fixed-gear transmission. 

As a result of its low- and high-speed electric continuously variable transmission (ECVT) modes, the system is commonly referred to as the 2-mode hybrid. However, the sophisticated fuel-saving system also incorporates four fixed gear ratios for high efficiency and power-handling capabilities in a broad variety of vehicle applications. During the two ECVT modes and four fixed gear operations, the hybrid system can use the electric motors for boosting and regenerative braking.

In summary, the four fixed gears overlay two ECVT modes for a total of six operating functions:

·   Input-split ECVT mode, or continuously variable Mode 1, operates from vehicle launch through the second fixed gear ratio.

·   Compound-split ECVT mode, or continuously variable Mode 2, operates after the second fixed gear ratio.

·   First fixed-gear ratio with both electric motors available to boost the internal combustion engine or capture and store energy from regenerative braking, deceleration and coasting.

·   Second fixed-gear ratio with one electric motor available for boost/braking,

·   Third fixed-gear ratio with two electric motors available for boost/braking.

·   Fourth fixed-gear ratio with one electric motor available for boost/braking.

The result is trend-setting hybrid technology that provides superior fuel economy, performance and load carrying capability.

The full hybrid system being co-developed by General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and the BMW Group has an overall mechanical content and size similar to a conventional automatic transmission, yet this full hybrid transmission can operate in infinitely variable gear ratios or one of the four fixed-gear ratios.

A sophisticated electronic control module constantly optimizes the entire hybrid powertrain system to select the most efficient operation point for the power level demanded by the driver.

Key Advantages

When compared to conventional hybrid systems, this avant-garde hybrid technology, relying on both the ECVT modes and the four fixed gear ratios, provides advantages in combined (city and highway) fuel economy, dynamics and towing capability.

Traditional hybrid systems typically have only one torque-splitting arrangement and no fixed mechanical ratios. These systems are often called “one-mode” hybrids. Due to their less capable mechanical content, one-mode hybrids need to transmit a significant amount of power through an electrical path that is 20 percent less efficient than a mechanical path. This requires usually substantial compromise in vehicle capability or reliance on larger electrical motors, which can create cost, weight and packaging issues.

General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and the BMW Group have conceived a full hybrid system featuring four fixed mechanical ratios, within the two ECVT modes, to reduce power transmission through the less efficient electrical path. Consequently, the electric motors are more compact and less dependent on engine size.

This combination of two ECVT modes and four fixed gear ratios eliminates the drawbacks of one-mode hybrid systems to allow for efficient operation throughout a vehicle’s operating range, at low and high speeds. It also allows for application across a broader variety of vehicles. It is particularly beneficial in demanding applications that require larger engines, such as towing, hill climbing or carrying heavy loads.

Existing internal combustion engines can be used with relatively minimal alteration because the full hybrid system imposes no significant limitation on the size or type of engine. It enables the three global automakers to package internal combustion engines with the full hybrid transmissions more cost-effectively and offer the fuel-saving technology across a wider range of vehicles.

Initial applications are suitable for front-engine, rear- and four-wheel-drive vehicle architectures, but the full hybrid system has the flexibility to be used in front-engine, front-wheel-drive architectures in the future as well.

Global Hybrid Cooperation

General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and the BMW Group have formed a cooperative effort called the Global Hybrid Cooperation, which is actively developing this next generation hybrid powertrain system. In an alliance of equals, all three partners are pooling expertise and resources to jointly and efficiently develop hybrid technology. Each company will individually integrate the full hybrid system into the design and manufacturing of vehicles in accordance with their brand specific requirements.