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THE END OF NASCAR --- COMING SOON

RACY THOUGHTS --- AN ANALYSIS

THE END OF NASCAR : IT’S COMING, AND SOON

Was watching the Brazil F1 race (thank goodness for SPEED TV, even if their F1 announcers are sitting in a studio in Bristol, CT) and saw the pass by Michael Schumacher of Kimi Raikonnen, who just so happens to be Schuie’s replacement on the Ferarri team next year.

After the race I called a good friend, the motorsports writer for a “major American newspaper”, and he had a great line: “It’s amazing when anyone makes a pass in F1!” He was right, of course, but F1 continues as both the world’s most expensive and most money-making racing series. Bernie Ecclestone’s solid control over the sport proves again that the only way to successfully run a racing series is via a ‘benevolent dictatorship’.

Before we go on, what about F1 in the USA? The race at Indy is becoming a classic, but it is taking time, and things would have moved along faster if 2005’s race had not been such a debacle, with only 6 starters due to problems with the Michelin tires for the teams using them. Only the Goodyear-shod teams started. Where the road course part of the Indy track meets the oval, running left to right onto and then through Indy’s Turn 1, the G-forces were simply too much for the Michelins designed for Indy. And the terrible wreck in practice/qualifying involving Ralf Schumacher in that very turn added to the bad taste which the event left in everyone’s mouth. Other problems: The race promoters are contracted to pay for the travel of all the F1 teams and their cars and equipment. Tony George might be able to afford that, but precious few other promoters in America can. And the biggest problem of all: No successful American F1 driver in the series. Scott Speed, a gifted California driver who races even while suffering throughout his life with Ulcerative Colitis, is an inspiration to millions around the globe, but not yet a successful F1 driver. That may come in time, but Speed (great name, though!) needs to do something impressive and quickly in F1 … like a ride with a team capable of putting a car on the podium at the finish within the first five races next season.

Apart from F1, the other series which has proved that adage true is NASCAR. Under the proverbial thumb of the France family since “Big” Bill France founded the series over 50 years ago, NASCAR owners, as much or more than any other racing series in history, understands the ‘show’ part of racing more than any other.

Remember the only Mexican driver in the Busch Series, a driver whose bio wasn’t even listed on the NASCAR website, winning the ‘pole position’ for the first Busch race ever in Mexico City? In the race, the guy’s engine blew up after about 20 laps --- Now, did the France family (and other powers-that-be) allow that team to put a ‘tampered’ engine into that driver’s race car to let him get the pole, knowing the engine would last only a few laps under racing conditions? No one knows, but it made for a hell of a news story and guaranteed Mexican fans would be at the race track the next day in huge numbers for the actual race.

In fact, the disasters which have been CART and the Indy Racing League, prove again that series  owners can not have ownership interests in the various race teams in their series and expect success.

I attended the first west coast press conference Tony George gave about his founding of the IRL, and he swore up and down that he would never have any ownership interest in any IRL team. We know now that George, if he wasn’t lying, had to eat his words a few years later when he took interest in more than one IRL team and their drivers. (George also swore, at that same meeting,  that his series would be low cost, would feature American drivers and would focus only on oval race tracks. So much for Tony George and honesty).

The team owners also running the show is what eventually ‘did in’ CART. The CART board consisted mostly of the team owners. No racing series can exist for long that way. Looks like Champ Car is headed in the same direction.

But NASCAR has bigger problems right now that you won’t read about on NASCAR.com or hear about on their broadcasts. And the name of their biggest problem is: “Toyota”. (Photo: Left, Toyota NASCAR V8 engine).

Toyota has plans for at least seven drivers on three different teams to be ready for the green flag at the Daytona 500 early next year to kick-off the 2007 Nextel Cup season (As an aside: I expect the series name to be changed next year to the NASCAR Sprint Cup, now that Nextel and Sprint are the same company. MUCH better name for a racing series! Might be so obvious no one has brought it up).

Both attendance at NASCAR races has gone down and TV viewership has dropped. Oh, the overall numbers are still strong, NASCAR expects 55 or so entrants for every Cup race in 2007 and both the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series continue to make money from their TV contracts.

Some folks might think one of the main problems has to do with Cup racers becoming “Busch-Whackers”, entering Busch Series races on those weekend when the Busch and Cup races are at the same track. But this season, even the races were far away, there were a number of Cup racers in the Busch events, and Kevin Harvick, a full-time Cup competitor, has won the Busch title this year. As much as that might hurt the wallets of Busch teams, it’s actually a pretty good thing for everyone. The crowds are larger for Busch races when Cup competitors are in them, and the Busch racers have a lot of Cup teams and their owners watching them race.

My solution, if there is a problem? Put the prize money which the full-time Cup racers win in Busch events into a pool which is shared among all the full-time Busch racers at the end of the season. Trust us, the Cup racers don’t need the $35,000 they get for winning a Busch race. Most if not all of the full-time Cup racers are making well over a million dollars a year. Jeff Gordon, after finishing 36th at Talladega recently, nonetheless put his prize-winnings in NASCAR Cup racing over $80 million.

NASCAR’s biggest problem is amount of money Toyota brings to the game. Toyota is the wealthiest, most successful company of any kind in the world today. They have over $60 billion in cash, in the bank. They have been spending well over $100 million on their own F1 team for the past few years with virtually nothing to show for it so far. Interestingly, next season, Toyota will supply their engine to the Williams F1 Team, which might help cut some of Toyota’s astronomical costs in the series.

Given Toyota’s much-anticipated official entry into NASCAR Cup racing (we are certain at least some of the cars driven by next year’s Toyota drivers in the late-season races this year are carrying some if not mostly Toyota suspension and engine parts), the specter of costs rises.

The simple truth is that Toyota can afford to outspend GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler (DCX) in the series and have shown that they are not afraid of throwing huge dollars at their race car development (see their F1 experience).

What controls does NASCAR have on team spending? None, really, outside of a rule book which tries  to control costs through technology. But NASCAR Cup race cars are becoming as sophisticated as the top open-wheel cars, and cubic dollars has always been one way to win a race or a series.

When NASCAR was purely a southeast sport, “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” made some sense to Detroit. While the northeast and the west coast were buying more and more import cars and souring on Detroit (Toyota’s largest metro market in the US has consistently been Chicago, not Los Angeles), the rivalry between GM, FoMoCo and DCX was still real in the southeast.

Has NASCAR’s national growth resulted in their attendance and TV viewership drop-offs? And will a Chevy or Dodge or Fusion winning on Sunday really affect buyers outside the southeast?

NASCAR has large problems. Potentially, if Toyota outspends the competition and simply buys their way to the Cup championship within only a few years and becomes difficult to dethrone, will the southeast fans stay loyal to NASCAR?

And if a Monte, Fusion or Charger win doesn’t result in any sales outside one part of the country, can NASCAR keep demanding the kind of big national money they are getting from the Big Three? Or will at least one of the (former) Big Three drop their NASCAR involvement well before Toyota wins a title? Ford was rumored to be out of NASCAR at least once already this season.

The things affecting NASCAR and which could put it out of business within a decade are out of the France family’s hands. If the Big Three start to cut-back (which is almost a given) and imports begin marching into NASCAR (Honda will follow Toyota, and why not a BMW 5-series sedan?), what will then constitute NASCAR’s “fan base”?

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Car Nut Road Trip to the LA Auto Show 100th Anniversary Announced!

  For local Car Nuts who join Car Nut TV's Steve Parker and other desert valley Car Nuts, it's been announced that we'll be taking our annual trek to the 2006 Annual Los Angeles Automotive Show on Saturday, December 9th.  This year is the auto show's 100th Anniversary and the event itself has been rescheduled from the first of the year to the end of the year.  So our Car Nut Road Trip will be Saturday, December 9th, and we'll plan to leave at about 8:30 am and return to the valley at about 6:30 pm.  Call 760 771-8157 to make a reservation or e-mail for more information and reservations to cparker@dc.rr.com or 2006autoshow@carnuttv.com .  This year promises to be another great auto show event with Steve Parker, The Car Nut and his wife "Mrs. Car Nut" / Carey Parker who will be handling reservations and greeting passengers aboard Car Nut #1 which will be whisking away desert car nuts to the great LA Auto Show this winter!   

Find more information, see photos on line from prior auto show events and join in on the fun here online now and we'll look forward to seeing many of you and new car nut listeners and viewers on this Car Nut Road Trip this season!  Cost is $49.95 per person.  Please tell a friend and bring a fellow car nut for the holidays!  Posted by Carey Parker.   

MITSUBISHI TO SELL EV CAR IN USA

Our friends at AUTOMOTIVE NEWS certainly ran something of a "bulletin" in today's online edition. Ace reporter Kathy Jackson of that publication, the daily online bible of the car world, says that Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to sell a small electric car in the United States. President Osamu Masuko said the vehicle, powered by a lithium-ion battery, will be launched first in Japan. A hybrid version of the car also might be available, Masuko added.

Timing and sales volume targets were not disclosed. A detailed announcement about the car is expected shortly.

"From an environmental standpoint, we believe the electric car is the way to go because it has zero emissions," Masuko said in Las Vegas last week at a Mitsubishi dealer meeting. "Fuel cell technology is still off in the future. Diesels are big in Europe but not in Japan and the U.S."

Mitsubishi has been testing hybrid and electric cars in Japan. In January, it unveiled a hybrid concept at the Detroit auto show.

The Concept-CT MIEV is smaller than the Lancer. It has four doors, all-wheel drive and a 1.1-liter gasoline engine. Each wheel has its own electric motor. The electric motors provide awd without a traditional transmission, thus cutting weight.

During a previous interview, Mitsubishi executives told Automotive News that the production version of the concept might be based on the next-generation Colt, which is due before the end of the decade.

Lithium-ion batteries store twice the energy of similarly sized nickel-metal hydride batteries.

My writing now, not Kathy's: Mitsubishi has been selling their mini "i" car (photo, left) in select markets. Many analysts think the car might do well in the US against the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa and Honda Fit. But the current i was engineered only for right-hand drive. A version equipped for left-hand drive would have to await the next-generation i in four or five years. The i already is sold now in Singapore, Brunei and Hong Kong. Sales in New Zealand are planned for sometime in the near future. In some unfortunately short-sighted planning, Mitsubishi says the US would have to wait until at least the next generation of the car for the i to be legal for sale in all 50 states.

This announcement of an all-electric EV, though, is something of a stunner. If there's one Asian company in danger of being forced out of the US marketplace, it's been Mitsubishi, for some years now. First off, their name brings back some bad memories for plenty of Americans who still remember (or who have read) that the Japanese ZERO warplane was built by Mitsubishi. Lots of auto marketing people are surprised the company never changed their name, at least in the USA. But you have to hand it to them: With Toyota, Honda and Nissan fighting it out among themselves when it comes to gas/electric hybrids and the highest-mileage cars, here comes Mitsubishi with the first all-electric passenger car to be sold in the US. That's sure one way to make headlines.

2007 LEXUS LS 460 : $61,000, ON-SALE THIS WEEK --- NOT PRICEY ENOUGH? HYBRID VERSION WILL BE $100K

A long time ago I went to the first Acura press conference/announcement. The big question? Would Americans spend as much as $20,000 for a Japanese car. The answer? Some 20 years after that first Acura intro, Toyota's luxury division announces their new 2007 Lexus LS 460 is priced at $61,000. The long-wheelbase iteration is $71K. The car goes on-sale October 20th --- The hybrid version, which might be available by Spring of 2007, is slated for near $100,000, putting it smack up against a decked-out S-class Mercedes or 7-series BMW. (Photo: 2007 Lexus LS 460L).

For the latest info, here's the (abridged) press release from Lexus (remember, ignore the hype and read it for the details):

The fourth-generation LS blends new levels of performance, sophistication, contemporary styling, and luxury refinements while redefining the full-size luxury-sedan segment. With a base Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $61,000 for the LS 460 and $71,000 for the LS 460 L, Lexus' new flagship luxury sedans will represent a compelling value in their segments.

The new LS achieves a segment-leading combination of acceleration performance and excellent fuel consumption with an all-new 4.6-liter V8 engine mated to the world's first eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine, Lexus' first all-new V8 since the brand's launch, produces 380 horsepower and 367 pound-feet of torque. It features Variable Valve Timing with intelligence and the world's first Electronically controlled intake cam (VVT-iE).

The LS 460 will travel from zero to 60 miles per hour in approximately 5.4 seconds while achieving an estimated 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway, 18 city/27 highway for the LS 460 L, by the EPA testing method. The LS sedans also achieve an Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle II (ULEV II) rating.

In an effort to create a more intelligent vehicle, Lexus has combined advanced active and passive safety technology into a consolidated system. Among the new active features on the LS is the next-generation Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) stability system, which integrates and manages a new Electronically Controlled Brake (ECB) system, Electronic Power Steering (EPS), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), and engine torque via the electronically controlled throttle. The driver can also choose to completely disable the VSC system via a console-mounted button. In addition to the active safety features, the new LS has eight standard airbags, including a twin-chamber front passenger airbag with both driver and passenger knee airbags, and a potential of ten airbags with option packages.

Both LS models include a number of standard luxury features including SmartAccess keyless entry with push-button start/stop, an electronic parking brake, a 10-speaker Lexus Premium Audio system, 18-inch nine-spoke aluminum alloy wheels, and seven new exterior colors. The paint is applied by a new proprietary paint process that includes double hand sanding.

Optional comfort and convenience attributes on the LS include a pre-collision system with dynamic radar cruise control, Lexus Link(R), and Intuitive Park Assist.

The long-wheelbase LS 460 L brings with it 4.8 inches of additional space and a long list of outstanding standard conveniences, including fifth-generation Lexus Navigation with factory-installed XM Satellite Radio with NavTraffic, climate-controlled front seats, heated rear seats, a new heated steering wheel, power rear sunshade, a new one-touch open/close power trunk, power door closers, headlamp washers, and laminated side glass, which is exclusive to the long wheelbase.

The new navigation system includes a hard disk drive (HDD) for faster calculations. The HDD can also store as many as 2,000 digital songs when partnered with the optional Mark Levinson(R) Reference Surround Sound system. The specially developed 19-speaker, 450-watt discrete 5.1 Mark Levinson(R) audio system creates a new benchmark for automotive sound with its theater-level entertainment experience.

The Executive Class Seating Package offered on the LS 460 L includes a rear-seat entertainment system featuring the world's first ceiling-mounted 3.0 VGA high-quality display with a nine-inch screen that operates with an electronic-motor open/close function. It also incorporates a right rear-seat recliner with multifunction massage and an ottoman leg rest, a four-zone independent front and rear air conditioning system with air purification and the world's first ceiling climate diffusers, rear-door power sunshades, and a fixed rear console with foldout table.

The all-new LS sedans offer the Advanced Parking Guidance System (APGS) as an option to assist with parallel and back-in parking. With this optional technology, once the driver has correctly positioned the car and identified the desired parking spot via the nav screen, APGS utilizes the back-up camera, parking sonar sensors and electric power steering system to automatically guide the car into the spot, while the driver controls speed via braking.

The all-new LS 460 and LS 460 L both come with a standard 48-month/50,000-mile basic limited warranty with roadside assistance for 48-months/unlimited miles and a special 6-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty unique to both Lexus and the luxury segment.

HYBRID VERSION

Lexus showed us their hybrid version of the all-new LS (dubbed LS 600h) at the TOKYO MOTOR SHOW in October of 2005. The car was also shown at the NY Auto Show in April, 2006. The car is expected to cost $100,000. Scheduled to arrive in Spring 2007, it will be the world's first vehicle of any class or category to feature a full hybrid V8 powertrain. The LS 600h will combine an all-new five-liter V8 gas engine with combined massive, high-output electric motors and a newly designed large-capacity battery pack. It will deliver a peak, combined output of more than 430 horsepower. As a SULEV-rated (Super Low Emissions) vehicle, LS600h is estimated to produce just 20 per cent of the smog-forming emissions of a conventional five-litre V8. Power is delivered to the wheels via a 2-stage ECVT transmission. It also had the first LED front headlights of any production vehicle when it was first shown, but the Audi R8 seems to have beat Lexus to market with the first LED lamps front and rear.

EARLY OCTOBER WRAP : ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS, WE PRINT

WRAP-UP OF THE PAST FEW WEEKS OF AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
(JUST THE IMPORTANT STUFF)

GM / RENAULT: LET'S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF

First of all, GM and Renault/Nissan called-off their merger talks after GM asked Renault for an unannounced amount of money, probably amounting to hundreds of millions, for the ‘privilege’ of merging with what is still, but probably not for much longer, the world's largest vehicle manufacturer. Ford is next in line to talk with Renault. My predictions remain: By this time next year, The General and Toyota will be hooked-up, and Ford and Renault will be sharing bedrooms. (Photo: Renault's Carlos Ghosn).

Deal with it.

BBC'S TOP GEAR SHOW AND PRESENTER BOTH FIXED AND READY TO GO

The BBC’s TOP GEAR show, probably the best and most popular automotive TV hour on the planet (our own show, CAR NUT TV, holds that title for ½ hour programs), has resumed production after the near-fatal crash of a jet-powered car carrying the show’s Richard Hammond (aka The Hamster). There had been a lot of blogging claiming that the BBC was looking for a reason to cancel TOP GEAR, and Hamster’s wreck was just the thing they’d been waiting for. But in the TV industry and within the auto media business itself, there had been next-to-nothing written or reported or whispered or even rumored about TOP GEAR’s imminent demise. So a lot of people perusing the Internet the past few weeks looking for the latest on TOP GEAR were being misled. And Hamster?

He’s doing “better than expected”, though he may not be in-shape for driving a jet car to some sort of Land Speed Record anytime soon. He was awake and conversing and walking himself to the ‘loo’ just one night after the accident (much to the surprise, thrill and chagrin of his friends, doctors and family members) but it will take some time (months, perhaps longer) for Hamster to be up and hitting on all 8 (or, as he might prefer, all 12 or even 16). So it’s all good news for TOP GEAR as they roar into a new season. Watch TOP GEAR FROM BBC on THE DISCOVERY channel. (Photo: TOP GEAR crew, Hamster on the right).

However, DISCOVERY is very much in the process of creating their own USA version of TOP GEAR.

Episodes have already run --- But strangely, there has been little if any media coverage of the USA-made TOP GEAR shows.

BEST-LOOKING MASS-PRODUCED CAR YET? AUDI DOES IT AGAIN!

They’ve just won every major endurance road race in the world with diesel-powered race cars. They created all-wheel drive race cars in IMSA road racing in the ?70s and ?80s which did so well they were outlawed from various series. And now, Audi’s all-new R8, intro’d for all the world at last week’s (9-28) Paris Auto Show --- is simply wonderful. And remember to click on the thumbnail photos to see more!

What more can or needs to be said? Viewing the exhibited R8 for the first time in production form, on its stand at the Paris Auto Show (l), was like seeing the TT for the first time in concept form at the Los Angeles Auto Show many years ago. "WOW! They are finally building something which looks like a car really should," was our take on it. Looking like the steroidal version of that company’s fabulous TT, R8 not only has the looks but the power right from the git-go. "i4u.com" reports (with our own comments and genius added): The Audi R8 is the commercial version of the Le Mans concept car Audi showed in 2003 at the Tokyo Motor Show (and seen on this blog). Some of the R8 look is also from the Audi RSQ, that Will Smith drove in the Sci-Fi movie I, Robot. Besides the ultra cool design the Audi R8 packs a 420hp V8 engine. The R8 can take one from 0-62mph (100 kph) in 4.6s. The chassis is made from a special aluminum and magnesium metal and the motor is placed in the middle of this all-wheel-drive (quattro) sports car. Audi put all kinds of new and innovative features into the R8.

For instance, 'magnetic ride' is a new damper system that uses special fluid whose viscosity is controlled by electromagnetic fields, a system which VW/Audi pioneered in VW’s Syncro system which used fluids that got thicker as they got hotter. A LED light system on the front and rear of the Audi R8 enhance its futuristic look and is one of the world’s first uses of LEDs front and rear on a production vehicle. (Photo: Audi R8's "Basket of Snakes" engine headers).

The Audi R8 comes on the market in Europe first half of 2007 and the new Porsche killer will be available in the United States in fall of 2007. The price in Europe is supposed to be 104,000 Euro ($132,000).

DARPA "GRAND CHALLENGE" TAKES TO THE STREETS FOR 2007 --- BUT WHERE’S OUR TWO MIL?!?!?

Now that the US government finally found a vehicle which could make its way from Barstow, CA to lovely Primm, NV, without a driver on-board, and awarded a cool $2 million to the winner, the Defense Department (they are the sponsors --- probably best to closely follow the rules --- you don’t want to be tortured, do you?) is staging another wacky run to enhance our nation’s defense, focusing on vehicles which do similar things on tarmac. But this year, there’s plenty of R&D money available from the Pentagon, but no cash prize at the end --- Just a trophy, but the possibility of a  contract which would make the $2 million award from 2005 look like chopped liver. (Photo left: DARPA Challenge VW Touareg).

The first Grand Challenge took place on March 13, 2004 on a desert course stretching from Barstow, California to Primm, Nevada, but did not produce a finisher. At the second DARPA Grand Challenge(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), held on October 8, 2005, the Stanford Racing Team completed the 132-mile course in just under 7 hours to win a $2 million prize.

Eleven "Track A" teams selected this month for the 2007 Urban Challenge (sounds like a new SUV from Ford, or maybe a video game) will each receive up to $1 million from DARPA in technology development funding, in addition to the support of whatever corporate sponsorships they can put together (How about Pantex as a series sponsor? They make nuclear bombs in that facility you can see way in the distance as you drive through Amarillo, TX, in the normal mad dash to get the hell out of that never-ending Panhandle). The A-teams include last year's winner Stanford University and perennial contenders Carnegie-Mellon University, as well as big-time defense contractors Raytheon and Honeywell. (Photo below: DARPA Challenge HumVee).

"Track B" teams, which receive no funding from DARPA, can still earn their way into the final competition for the DARPA mugs by successfully completing qualifying events. The Urban Challenge final event requires competitors to safely complete a 60-mile simulated urban area course (in traffic) in under six hours.

“In traffic”??!?! I, for one, want to observe and maybe even participate in THIS one!

NEW HYBRID FROM NISSAN, UH, TOYOTA, UH, NISSAN, HUH?

Nissan introduced their first hybrid for the North American (or any) market yesterday (10-4-06) at the, get this, ahem, ORANGE COUNTY AUTO SHOW. Yep, that OC. The one with the convention center literally right across the street from Disneyland.

Just one problem. Well, two really. OK, three. Maybe more ---

PROBLEM ONE: Nissan chieftain, Carlos ?Le Cost-Cutter? Ghosn, head of Renault, which controls Nissan (and he’s a Brazilian, at that) has been quoted too many times in the worldwide media as saying he doesn’t think hybrids are good for anyone --- His company, his customers, his factories, his dealerships. So why should consumers put any credence in the car at all? (By the way, it’s a new Altima, built in Nissan’s all-new mid-size platform). Ghosn evidently wants to jump directly into fuel-cell electric vehicles using hydrogen as a fuel. Good for him - Now all that needs to happen is someone has to build the delivery system for all that hydrogen.

PROBLEM TWO: The hybrid system being used in the all-new Altima is, like the hybrid system in the Ford Escape, licensed from Toyota. Is the Altima that much better a car than a Prius or Camry, or a Civic or Accord (which uses Honda’s proprietary hybrid system). Ghosn did a smart thing in buying the technology from the world-leader, Toyota, rather then spend BILLIONS to build Renault/Nissan’s own. So, again, is the Altima that much better a car than any of the competitors? We have some news for Ghosn: While there are generations of American vehicle-buyers now known (and rightly so) as ‘Honda-only’ or ‘Toyota-only’, you’ll find about as many ‘Nissan-only’ buyers in the USA as you’d find 'Oldsmobile-only'.

PROBLEM THREE: Nissan will sell the Altima only in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, New Jersey and emissions-clean California. This means many Americans will find out about the car through national magazines and the Internet, then will go to their Nissan dealers to, in most cases, be thoroughly disappointed and probably soured altogether on Nissan when they find out they can’t buy the car. Or even test-drive one.

Sounds like a real winner, huh?

ALFA-ROMEO’S GORGEOUS 8C CONCEPT COMES TO PRODUCTION 'LIFE' AT THE PARIS AUTO SHOW

If you were at the Paris Auto Show, you saw the production version of the 8C, first shown at the 2003 Frankfurt Auto Show as a concept. We saw that concept a few weeks later at that year's TOKYO MOTOR SHOW (see elsewhere on this BLOG for those pictures). (Photos: Alfa's 8C production version).

Pricing information has not yet been released. Alfa Romeo plans to produce only 500 of these beauties.

Unlike the concept, the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione will be equipped with a 4.7 liter V-8 engine capable of generating easily over 400 horsepower. With its carbon fiber body and that large engine, the 8C Competizione should be able to go from 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds.

CHEVY BEATS CHRYSLER WITH A 'HHR' PANEL TRUCK VERSION

The Chevy HHR ("High Heritage Roof" ... Don't ask us ...) was such a calculated rip-off of the Chrysler PT Cruiser that it was instantly dubbed the "PT Isn't" by some of us smarter auto scribes (well, by me, to be specific). Then came the turbocharged Cruiser, then the convertible ... Yet still, Chrysler was missing what most analysts, including this one, considered a 'sure thing': A panel truck version.

So GM (which still has plenty of muscle to put behind a product when they want to do so) has brought out a HHR Panel for the 2007 model year. And it looks just as good as we thought a DCX PT Cruiser panel would have, if Chrysler had one first.

Here's the official PR release from Chevy (so forgive the hype): The 2007 HHR Panel, designed for a myriad commercial and private uses, adds a new dimension of functionality to the popular HHR's lineup of stylish, efficient vehicles.

PRESS RELEASE:
Chevy HHR Panel Delivers Style, Function And Fun In A New, Segment-Exclusive Configuration

The HHR Panel features windowless side panels and rear cargo doors in place of conventional rear doors. A flat load floor provides more than 57 cubic feet (1,614 L) of cargo space, along with approximately 6 cubic feet (170 L) of additional covered, under-floor storage.

HHR Panel production is expected to start late in the first quarter of 2007. It will be offered in LS and LT trims, with 2.2L and 2.4L engines - both of which help the HHR deliver 30 mpg in highway driving.

Exterior and interior details

HHR's styling draws upon inspiration from the original 1949 Chevy Suburban, which was built on a platform that also offered panel models - vehicles that became essential tools for urban and small businesses. Over the years, vintage panel vehicles have become prized by collectors and street rodders. The HHR marks the next chapter in Chevy's panel heritage.

The body of the HHR Panel features steel inserts in place of side windows and cargo doors in place of conventional rear doors. The cargo doors open wide to enable cargo access from both sides of the vehicle, as well as from the rear liftgate. The cargo doors don't have external handles; they are opened via a dashboard release button. The continuous "canvas" created by the windowless cargo doors and rear panels provides a large area for business logos, advertising or personalization.

An auxiliary power outlet is available in the rear of the cargo area, with available 40-amp service for a variety of specialty equipment needs. This also answers the call of upfitters, who have asked for an additional power source to suit their specialty vehicles.

Inside, the HHR Panel has seating for two and a large, flat cargo floor. Tie-down points are located strategically on the floor and the available, robust floor mats enable easier movement of cargo. Two large storage compartments are located under the cargo floor - in the approximate place of the rear seats of passenger models. When ordered with the optional lockable doors, the compartments are secure and large enough to hold small computer equipment, flashlights, service manuals and other valuable equipment that is more secure when hidden.

Standard and available features

HHR Panel is available in LS and LT trim. Both models come with a fuel-efficient 2.2L engine rated at 149 horsepower (111 kW). The LT model offers a 2.4L engine rated at 175 horsepower (130 kW). With either engine, the HHR is rated at 30 mph in highway driving and can provide up to 450 miles of cruising range on a tank of gas.

Power front seats, a family of radios with MP3 capability, XM Satellite Radio and OnStar are available on both LS and LT models. LT models also offer 17-inch wheels and leather-appointed seating.

Standard safety features include dual-stage frontal air bags with GM's Passenger Sensing System. This system works with the front passenger seat and differentiates between adults - 5 th percentile females and larger - and small children or child seats to adjust air bag deployment. Head curtain side-impact air bags are available.

OnStar with Turn-by-Turn Navigation is available on the HHR Panel, enhancing its value as a courier or delivery-type vehicle. OnStar Turn-by-Turn provides verbal instructions to assist the driver with right- and left-hand turn directions; and it establishes a new route if the driver needs to get back on track, for example, if a freeway exit is missed.

Since its launch, HHR has received five-star crash ratings - the highest rating awarded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program. The five-star ratings were awarded for the driver and right-front passenger in a frontal crash, as well as five-star side-impact crash ratings for front seat and rear seat passengers. The HHR also was the highest-rated SUV for the 2006 model year in NHTSA rollover testing.