Steve Parker Motoring / The Car Nut

ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS --- ONE MONTH IN THE AUTO AND AUTO RACING INDUSTRIES

Here's "All the news that fits", Car Nut-style. The assembly lines are humming, the parts-makers are getting their tiny micro-processors and small plastic bits and large pieces of sheet metal to the assembly points where cars and trucks are being completed and then planed, trained, shipped and trucked around the world, the world of auto racing is back and running ... In other words, the annual over-a-month-long holiday celebration of auto shows, factory downtime and race car testing is over (not to mention skiing and golf for the more well-heeled heels among us) ... Replaced by execs back in their suits and suites and/or trekking to Wall Street to buy more time (in some cases), blue collar men and women, the heart and soul of the world's most important manufacturing industry, back at their places on the lines, the transporters and business jets are bringing race cars and their teams, owners and drivers to the tracks worldwide ... The automotive New Year is truly here and now, and Car Nuts worldwide are shaking off the cold and ramping up to a new year of cars, trucks, motorcycles and racing of all sorts! Enjoy in the next few graphs what you missed this past month ... And what's to come!

--- As a result of new legislation which came into effect earlier this month, car owners across the country are now entitled to return their old vehicles to the manufacturers who will dispose of them free of charge.  HEY! CALM DOWN! THIS IS IN THE UK ONLY --- AT LEAST FOR NOW! The UK currently scraps around two million cars and vans each year and the "End of Life Vehicles Directive" means that manufacturers will be responsible for the disposal of vehicles that owners take to the identified facilities.  In 2005/06, Broxbourne Council inspected 1,266 abandoned vehicles and the cost of removing these vehicles from the Borough was £141,000 (about $200,000).  It is hoped that the new legislation will reduce the number of cars abandoned illegally on the highway. Owners not disposing of their old vehicles "properly" can be fined up to $3,500. Get ready to write your US legislators, because this is coming our way, and soon. You can bet on it. Click here to read more about it.

--- Nanjing's Automobile Group Co.'s plans to relaunch the MG brand gained speed this week when the first two preproduction MG TF roadsters were built at the former MG Rover Longbridge plant in Birmingham, England. MG plans to build about 80 preproduction TFs to validate manufacturing and assembly operations and to ensure that the cars meet safety and emissions standards. The TF's 1.8-liter, 135-hp engine and five-speed transmission are manufactured in China and shipped to England. The body is made at the Longbridge plant, where painting and final assembly takes place. MG spokesman Kim Custer (Kim Custer!??! We know him for decades! Used to be at Mitsubishi, and I think maybe Nissan before that!) says plans to launch the TF roadster and hardtop in the United States are on track for next year. Some assembly will be done in England, but final assembly will be in a small plant in Ardmore, Okla. So a Chinese car company is trying to remake a British classic on assemble it on American Indian reservation in the USA ... Nah, that worldwide economy thing Lou Dobbs talks about every day on 'CNN' ain't really here ...

--- New York City is getting its first robotic parking structure next month in that great city's Chinatown. The high-tech  garage utilizes a series of elevators, turn tables, lasers, and conveyors to park 67 vehicles into a space where a normal garage could only accommodate 24. Designed by Automotion Parking Systems, the entire garage will only have one attendant, and that’s just for people who can’t figure out how to use the fully automated system. It being in New York, parking isn’t exactly inexpensive, running between $25/day and $400/month. The Chinatown facility is the first of six Automotion garages that are being planned for NYC, including a trio in Brooklyn. America’s only other such computer-controlled system is in Hoboken, New Jersey, and it’s been operating for some time now. These robotic sytems have been used for years in (you guessed it) Asia, where space is at such a minimum, Japanese living in that nation's large cities must get proof from their local police station that they have a place to park a car before they can buy and register one ... Read more about it by clicking on this line.

--- We told you a few months ago about some off-shoot of the Church of Scientology sponsoring a car in a local NASCAR west coast series. Now, we LOVE Scientology and all Scientologists, including most of all, Katie and Tom. In fact, our own personal dream is to acquire for ourselves that "far away" look in Katie's eyes, you know? And oh yeah, maybe produce a kid which looks like an alien. Now ... The Freemasons are up to the same tricks! Not nearly as weird as Scientologists (unless you believe "The DaVinci Code"), Freemasons are nonetheless an interesting and somewhat mysterious outfit ... And they are sponsoring a local NASCAR stocker, too ... And get this ... It's in the Washington, DC area! Ooooh-Weeee-Ohhhh! Click on this line to read more about it!

--- Enjoy the following release, written in "breathless Veddy-Veddy British PR-ese", a language all its own ... Now, have your best Ronald Coleman or Cary Grant accent ready? Good! Start reading out loud: The first Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé destined for the USA has been bought at a charity  auction held during the annual Naples Winter Wine festival in Florida for $2million. More than $1.6 million will go to the Naples Children and Education Foundation, which supports charitable and educational programmes to improve the physical, emotional and educational lives of underprivileged or at-risk children. The car was bought by a resident of Naples, who will take delivery of the car later this year. The winning bid of $2 million is the single highest price paid for any lot in the event’s seven-year history and, it is believed, makes this Phantom Drophead Coupé the most expensive new car ever sold in the USA. The auction, which took place on 27 January, was staged at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples.  Rolls-Royce launched the new Phantom Drophead Coupé at the Detroit Motor Show earlier in January 2007. The two-door, four-seat convertible is hand made at the company’s headquarters in Goodwood, England. It combines the latest in lightweight aluminum technology, elegant design and the very best hand-crafted materials. The result is a car that many have already hailed as the ultimate in open top motoring. An extensive order bank already exists, with all of the 2007 cars allocated. Full production starts in the summer. Word to the wise from CAR NUT BLOG: NEVER believe the prices announced at an auction, especially one of those "Big-time rich guy" events ... And you know the ones we mean! However, if ANYTHING at all went to charity, we're all for it.

--- Signing Juan Pablo Montoya is already paying dividends for Chip Ganassi, while the start of the NASCAR season was still weeks off. Montoya, co-driving a Lexus Riley Daytona Prototype with veteran road racer Scott Pruett and Mexican phenom Salvador Duran, is in elite company. He and racing great Mario Andretti are the only drivers to have won the Indianapolis 500, an American open-wheel championship, a Formula One race and, the Colombian's latest conquest, a sports car endurance race at Daytona International Speedway. Good for Juan Pablo, and we hope NASCAR is not still trying to tell the media that his signing makes points for NASCAR's seemingly phony-baloney "Drive for Diversity" ... And Juan Pablo --- Tell Ganassi to get you one of those neat "Telmex"-emblazoned driving suits Pruett and Duran got to wear ... I think you've made the team ...

--- Here's another PR flak's excited release concerning the Maybach 62 S introduction which just  happened in Dubai. The Sheikh mentioned in the story, ruler of Dubai, is also the father (or uncle) of the fellow who created the "A1 Grand Prix" series which is enjoying some measure of success with their spec style of serious open wheel racing at tracks worldwide. Do a search on this BLOG for "A1" and you'll find plenty of info. The sheikh has since sold-off his controlling interest in the series to banks and investors. Visit A1 GP by clicking on this line. The new flagship model in the Maybach line-up is the Maybach 62 S. The engineers in the Manufaktur workshops in Sindelfingen have built the high-end Saloon for the most discerning requirements. And it's a philosophy shared by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. You shouldn't take small steps if you want to achieve something great, says the world's fourth-richest man. For him luxury is an important aspect of his lifestyle. The streets and bazaars of the rich desert city therefore provide the perfect backdrop to experience first-hand the new Maybach 62 S and its characteristics. The "S" in the model designation stands for "Special" and draws attention to the fact that Maybach has incorporated many features requested by their highly discerning customers into the 62 S model. The result is a new dimension in travelling comfort, especially for the passengers in the generously proportioned rear compartment of the new high-end luxury saloon. Not to mention a prodigious power output thanks to the enhanced potency of the twelve-cylinder engine developing 450 kW/612 hp, making the new Maybach 62 S model the world's most powerful chauffeur-driven saloon in series production. Our guess is that the Sheikh either paid wholesale for the car or a lot less than that, in order for Daimler-Benz (parent of Maybach) to promote his name and lkeness worldwide in connection with the marque ... and maybe get a few billionaires interested in the machine, whose sales overall have been a disappointment ...

--- Talk about "Breathless PR-ese"! Break-out that British accent again and read this one out loud, too: The new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition displays thoroughbred motor-racing credentials  (or so it says in the typically breathless voice of the very excited PR person who wrote this). Featuring more than 300 modified components, the super sports car serves up a boost in output, more dynamic chassis tuning, improved aerodynamics and distinctly sporty interior appointments to thrill even the most demanding of sports-car enthusiasts. The flawless roads which today lead through the desert next to Dubai are ideal for demonstrating the pedigree sporting performance that characterizes the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition. Dubai is the up-and-coming business center of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the setting for the world's most ambitious construction projects, including the man-made "Palm Jumeirah" island, and over the course of recent decades many wealthy sheikhs have become avid automobile aficionados. It is this flair for the exceptional that links the desert city on the Persian Gulf and its inhabitants with the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition premium sports car. Read more by clicking on this line.

---  Chrysler started the normally low-key Washington Auto Show with news about three new diesel equipped products. The biggest news being the new 6.7-liter Cummins inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel, unveiled in the Dodge Ram Heavy Duty in September, is now certified to meet 2010 EPA standards in all fifty states. In recognition, Chrysler will begin marketing the motor underneath the Bluetec moniker.
Using ultra-low sulfur fuel, particulate filter and absorber catalyst, the engine emits 90 percent less nitrogen oxide than the outgoing 5.9-liter Cummins, and virtually no particulate matter. It’s also good for 350 hp and 650-lb-ft of torque. These Bluetc diesels (and others using the same tech but different names, such as VW's TDI-equipped vehicles) are going to be revolutionary when they hit US shores and prove, finally, to the American driving public, that diesels can be fun and exciting as well as virtually bulletproof to well over 1 million miles, get great mileage and are CLEAN, too. Read the details by clicking on this line.

--- BMW, still at least a year away from offering its entry-level 1 Series in the United States, has already completed a mid-cycle freshening of the car sold in Europe for the past two and a half years—and has added a sporty new three-door hatchback model. With the dollar struggling in world currency markets, BMW is taking its time developing 1 Series models for the U.S. market, hoping that a rebound in the strength of the dollar against the euro will ensure profitability once the car goes on sale here in 2008 at the earliest. U.S. models planned include a four-door sedan and a two-door convertible, with the possibility of the new three-door hatchback joining them in time. Read it all by clicking on this line.

--- Smart USA plans to begin sales early next year with a retail network of 50 to 60 dealerships. The  company is requiring a dealer investment of about $300,000 apiece. Smart USA executives are hitting the road this month to pitch the franchise to potential buyers. They will give priority to DaimlerChrysler dealers who wouldn't have to build separate showrooms, says Smart USA President David Schembri. Smart is a unit of DaimlerChrysler. A Smart showroom in a Mercedes-Benz or Chrysler group store would have at least 2,000 square feet and a separate entrance, Schembri says. UnitedAuto Group Inc., a public dealership group in Detroit, is the sole U.S. distributor of the Smart ForTwo minicar. UnitedAuto CEO Roger Penske said Smart USA will consider non-DaimlerChrysler dealers for Smart franchises, but such dealers would have to build stand-alone stores."Distributor" means Penske's outfit actually buys the cars from the factory and sells them to the dealers. Clearly Penske's UAG dealers will get first shot at handling the new and wildly-popular (in Europe, at least) Smart cars.

Now, where else can you get all that auto industry and auto racing news in just one quick reading? Drop by anytime --- We're posting EVERY day!

YOU WIN! CAMPAIGN TO "SAVE THE 76 BALLS" A SUCCESS!

You did it! Giant oil company Conoco-Phillips has said that not only will they stop removing the iconic "76 Balls" from their gas stations throughout the American west (indeed, the "76 Balls" meant, for many, "The West") and will replace up to 100 of those already taken down with all-new "76 Balls" soon. And the whole thing started with someone named Kim Cooper in Los Angeles, who walked out of her home one day to see the familiar ball adorning the "76" station in her neighborhood removed ... and felt sick about it!

To read the full story, get the background, hear the interview I did on "CAR NUT RADIO' with the man who originally designed the "76 Balls" and savor a bit of victory against the machine, simply click anywhere on the line!

CONSUMER REPORTS ADMITS BEING WRONG ON CHILD SEATS

In 2004, as part of a settlement of an 8-year-old lawsuit, Consumer  Reports said that its finding about the Suzuki Samurai SUV – that it “easily rolls over in turns” – applied only to severe swerving turns on the test track. In other words, Consumer Reports was testing the vehicles at much higher speeds than normal and essentially "set-up" the test so the Samurai (photo), the kind of vehicle which CR had complained about for years because they simply don't like them, would do poorly. What CR almost succeeded in doing was destroying Suzuki as a vehicle-marketer in the USA. But there's more, plenty, plenty more false attacks against an easy business to go after --- the auto industry and their deep pockets.

A few years before that, CBS' highly-rated "60 Minutes" show did a hit-piece on the Audi 5000 (photo), saying that it was simple for drivers to mistake the gas pedal for the brake, and cited several instances of people getting hurt or even killed because of these "faulty" Audi cars. Audi sued several people involved in making these claims and even won the home of the woman who took the original claim against Audi to CBS. Eventually, the public found out that William Rosenbluth, an automotive consultant retained by plaintiffs in a suit against Audi, says he drilled a hole in an Audi transmission and piped fluid into it. The resulting filmed sequence, in which the accelerator pedal moved down on its own, provided 60 Minutes with the damning visual evidence the program needed to brand the Audi 5000 a dangerous vehicle. But it was all phony, and the story was not seen on the recent one-hour edition of '60 Minutes" celebrating the life of reporter Ed Bradley, who ws the reporter on the Audi story.

Good for those who complained, sued and proved CBS and their "consultant" wrong! Like Suzuki, Audi almost left the US marketplace because of a media hit piece. And remember NBC's "Dateline", which hired so-called "safety expert" Byron Bloch (a failed local Los Angeles TV reporter who hit on a hot vein by attacking car companies for TV news shows) to prove that certain GMC/Chevrolet pickup trucks could explode in deadly flames --- And it made a great story, until investigators found that Bloch was putting explosives in the vehicles and on their gas tanks and spraying gasoline in the vehicles before the "testing" --- Just to make for a good TV shot, you know. Bloch was also the "expert" behind the ABC network's infamous "Beyond the Pinto" series in 1978, which claimed (again, falsely) that many, many Ford cars and trucks other than the ill-designed Pinto could easily burst into flames.

And now, Consumer Reports admits they tested the child car seats at speeds much higher than they were made to withstand. The following is kind of long, but if you're a parent, or anyone who transports kids, here's part of the wire service story for your perusal:

A retraction of a damning report on infant car seats may be a relief for parents who feared for their  babies' safety, but it is an embarrassment for a trusted consumer guide.

Consumer Reports said it was conducting an internal investigation into what may have gone wrong in  its tests. The magazine originally reported that many seats had “failed disastrously” in test crashes at moderate speeds, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the tests were conducted at drastically higher speeds than the report had claimed.

Nicole Nason, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, urged parents Friday to continue using the infant seats.

“You're doing the right thing. Keep doing it,” Nason said on CBS's “The Early Show.”

“Parents should have confidence in their car seats, and they need to keep using them,” she said.

Consumer Reports spokesman Ken Weine said he could not say how the tests might have gone awry or who, if anyone, was to blame for the report, which was retracted Thursday.

“This is very early,” he said Thursday. “We found this information out very recently, and as soon as we did we wanted to take the most important step, which is openly communicating with consumers.”

The initial report, released earlier this month, concluded that many car seats failed in crashes at speeds as low as 35 mph. In one test, it said, a dummy child was hurled 30 feet.

But the NHTSA said some of the crash tests were conducted under conditions that would represent being struck at more than 70 mph.

Phil Haseltine, executive director of the National Safety Council's Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, said the report had raised doubts among many parents about their car seats despite the “very rigorous standard at NHTSA.”

  “I think it's going to take a substantial educational effort to undo that damage,” said Haseltine, whose organization was created through a partnership of automakers, insurance companies and safety groups.

Researcher Kristy Arbogast, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who has studied child seat safety, said, “The worst thing that could happen from a study like this is that parents take their children out of child restraints.”

Consumer Reports' Don Mays, a product safety director, said at the time, “It's unconscionable that infant seats, which are designed to protect the most vulnerable children, aren't routinely tested the same as new cars.”

In the 35-mph frontal test, seats separated from their bases, rotated too far or would have inflicted grave injuries, Consumer Reports said in the original report. At 38 mph, four seats flew out of their bases following side impact, it said.

CURRENT TV --- "AIR AMERICA" WITH PICTURES?

Having been in this business of "media" for 35 years now, I learned  early-on that getting ripped-off by publishers, producers and others in the executive suite is to be expected and to constantly be on-guard against.  So when we contacted CURRENT TV, the new, youthful, hip cable TV network and website featuring videos supplied by viewers, we hoped that maybe the experience with CURRENT would be "different" and, at the least, positive. Well, just because Al Gore is a major investor and on the Board of Directors, CURRENT doesn't appear to any different when it comes to doing business.

You may or may not have CURRENT TV in your area. The odds are you don't, but the cable network has high hopes. And an impressive Board of Directors.

CURRENT TV is an acquired taste. For instance, I just watched a viewer-created video about cars hitting bicycles, a segment virulently, stridently anti-automobile and anti-driver, for the umpteenth time ... It's no secret that Current has a liberal agenda, which is fine with me ... So do I! Our experience so far with Current has definitely been "Don't do as we do ... Do as we say ...".

The amount they owe us is small, under $1,000, for work we did at their request at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show. Now, literally days after the show, because some deal between Yahoo and Current fell through, Current apparently feels they don't owe anyone they contracted with any of the monies promised stemming from that deal. Typical --- Current TV evidently has no respect for the artists who keep their pipelines full of content. Maybe Current TV is just another example of good intentions gone bad, once the accountants and lawyers got hired.

We'll keep all of you up-to-date on our experience with CURRENT TV --- And whether or not they pay their bills, or, if like the "liberal" Air America radio network, they financially implode in a short period of time ... And owing a lot of people a lot of money.

GM'S CFO OPENS HIS OWN WALLET TO SPEND WEEKENDS AT HOME IN FLORIDA

While we were thrilled to hear that FoMoCo's executive vp Mark Fields has decided to use public transportation and not the Ford corporate jet when he flies each week back and forth from his home in Florida to the office in Dearborn, we also read in today's AUTOMOTIVE NEWS about a top GM executive who follows a schedule similar to Fields', but manages top pay for it himself out of his own salary ... And uses commercial airliners. We were happily surprised. Here's a guy from GM who not only talks the talk but ... Well, you know the rest ... (Photo -- GM's CFO Fritz Henderson pays for his own personal travel ... Well, he IS a money guy).

Here's how Jamie LaReau of AN tells the tale:

When Ford Motor executive Mark Fields announced today that he would stop taking the company jet for weekend trips home to Florida, I remembered a conversation I had with General Motors' Fritz Henderson.

Henderson, GM's CFO, also jets to Florida on weekends to be with his wife and daughter. We chatted about it one night over dinner at a restaurant in the Renaissance Center in Detroit.

Fritz is one of those globe-trotting executives who has had a succession of assignments in South America, Asia and Europe. Through it all, he has kept a house in Miami so he would not uproot his family.

When he moved to Detroit as company CFO in 2005, Henderson kept his Miami home so his daughter could go to high school there. He found a condo in Birmingham, Mich., to live in during the week.

Over appetizers and wine, Fritz described his grueling schedule of early-morning meetings, late-night sessions and twice-a-month stampedes to catch one of Northwest Airlines' Friday flights to Miami.

What? Huh? Did you say Northwest Airlines? I paused in shock. I said, "Fritz, you're a vice chairman of GM. I thought it was company policy that all of GM's vice chairmen had to fly the corporate jet -- even for personal trips."

Fritz paused and smiled slyly. He's a finance guy. He calculated that one round-trip flight from Detroit to Miami on a corporate jet costs GM about $50,000. That doesn't add up at a time when the company was cutting 35,000 jobs.

"One flight is equal to the salary of one job," he said at the time. "So I figure that I can fly commercial and save one job each time I do it."

That night, I called my mother and recounted the story to her. Her response was simple: "I like this guy. He's a good guy."

I had that conversation with Henderson nearly a year ago. A call to GM confirmed that Henderson still flies commercial and pays for his ticket out of his own pocket.

This year, Fritz's frequent flier miles might taper when his daughter graduates from high school. The family plans to move to the Detroit area, where Henderson grew up.

BUSH APPEARING NOW IN "SORCERER'S APPRENTICE"

Scroll down to see the Mark Fields Ford corporate jet story, but hey, we had this funny photo of George W., so why not run it?  The big shots have these economic summits in Southeast Asia every year (the group is called ASEAN; pretty neat how they always work out those titles, huh?) and apparently force the visiting leaders to wear silly-looking local outfits, the sillier (to us in the west) the better. This shot is from a summit in Vietnam in 2006, scene of another American military disaster engineered by politicians. W should have felt right at home. That's Vladimir ("I looked in his eyes and he's a good man") Putin in the middle and on the left, the current incumbent military dictator of China. And boy, do these guys get along, or what? Our only complaint --- How come the other guys look so good in their outfits, while W's bullet-proof (we guess) vest sticks out all over the place? Can't W's staff of valets and tailors do a better job of hiding those unsightly bulges? (Be sure to click on the photo to see the large version).

FORD EXEC MARK FIELDS BOOTED OFF COMPANY JET

We told you some months ago about how, in the midst of cost- cutting, laying-off tens of thousands of workers and generally "cutting back", along with hiring a new CEO, Alan Mulally, of Boeing, after Bill Ford admitted he couldn't handle the job --- We told you how Mark Fields, who had worked for FoMoCo in Asia and made Mazda something of a roaring success, becoming a household word in Japan on his way to becoming essentially the Number Two man at Ford worldwide was using the company jet at least once a week to visit his home in Florida, commuting from the office in Dearborn. We told you how stupid, arrogant and ridiculous it was for the Ford Board of Directors to allow this kind of thing when they were giving many of their employees nine weeks to decide whether they would leave their jobs or hope and pray their factories remained open. Well, Fields didn't stop using the jet in spite of a very loud public outcry, and Mulally didn't make him stop. But word out today is that Fields can try cooling his hush-puppies (in First Class, at least) on commercial airliners for awhile, just like Hillary Clinton and the  rest of us. A news report said today that Ford was budgeting over $214,000 for Field's use of the company jet for the 4th quarter of 2006 alone. How much did any of you pay for airplane tickets this past quarter? (Photo above - A semi-greasy Mark Fields, feeling good after using company jet. Hey Mark! The wethead is dead! Or maybe word hasn't gotten to Dearborn yet ... Is a mullet next?).

Here's FoMoCo's official bio of Fields:

Mark Fields is executive vice president, Ford Motor Company, and president, The Americas, a position he assumed in October 2005. In this role, Fields is responsible for all operations involved in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America.

Formerly, Fields served as executive vice president, Ford of Europe and Premier Automotive Group (PAG), where he led all activities for Ford's premium vehicle business group, and for Ford-brand vehicles manufactured and sold in European countries. Prior to that, Fields was chairman and chief executive officer of PAG. (Is it just me, or does Fields appear in photos as if he really likes himself...? Well, if I was using the corporate jet without restraint, I'd feel pretty damn good about myself, too ...).

Fields joined Ford Motor Company in 1989. From 2000-2002, he was President and CEO of Mazda Motor Company, leading the company through a period of significant transformation. He previously held a number of positions in both South and North America, including Managing Director of Ford Argentina.

And, here's how AUTOMOTIVE NEWS reported the apparent sudden decision by Fields to fly with the rest of us riff-raff:

Ford Motor Co. executive Mark Fields will stop using the company plane to fly home to Florida on the weekends, the automaker confirmed today.

Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, told employees about the change in an internal Web cast this morning.

“He said he has made a decision to stop using the company aircraft for his personal use,” Ford spokesman Tom Hoyt said. “He doesn’t want this or any other issue to distract the team from its main mission, which is to deliver the Way Forward plan and return our North American business to profitability.”

Starting this weekend, Fields will fly commercial, and the company will cover that cost, Hoyt said.

Fields began commuting from Florida on company jets after being named in September 2005 to lead  Ford’s North American turnaround. The perk was part of his employment contract.

A Ford proxy statement tallied the cost of the perk as $214,479 for three months in 2005. Ford hasn’t reported the 2006 cost, but it would approach an estimated $900,000, using Ford’s 2005 numbers.

The commuting deal has triggered significant backlash in recent weeks.

On Jan. 3, CEO Alan Mulally responded to concerns about the Fields commute in a broadcast to dealers. He told them Ford would continue to honor that commitment to Fields and his family “because you want to acquire the best talent you can around the world, and Mark is one of the very best.”

Mulally noted that he would continue to evaluate the situation.

Ford spokesman Hoyt said today that Fields, not Mulally, made the decision to stop using the company plane for the commute. (Photo above --- Very Light Jet (VLJ) being marketed by Honda to companies in need of private transit; cost is under $5 million, holds 4-7 people, range is about 1,200 miles; Honda has orders for over 100 of them. Perhaps Fields could smooth-talk Ford into buying one of THESE Hondas --- You know, for R&D purposes only).

THIS JUST IN --- HELP SAVE JOHNIE'S!

This just crossed our transom today, Saturday, January 13th ... Maybe those of you in the So Cal area can stop by JOHNIE'S at the appointed time and show your support! For more info, email: [email protected], at the Los Angeles Conservation Committee!

JOIN US AT JOHNIE'S THIS SUNDAY, JAN. 14th -- we'll be meeting up with the Friends of Johnie's & a few classic car clubs & circling Johnie's Broiler from 3:30-5:30pm -- in honor of the one week anniversary of the brutal & illegal demolition of Johnie's.

Wear a black armband & bring a token of tribute to leave at Johnie's. It can be a flower, a photo, a child's drawing, a note, a balloon...something you can leave in memory of Johnie's/Harvey's.

We should get some media coverage -- KCAL-9/CBS-2 has been GREAT covering the story for us.

JUSTICE FOR JOHNIE'S!
REBUILD JOHNIE'S!
Johnie's Broiler
7447 Firestone Boulevard
Downey

WE RECOUNT 'THE MICKEY THOMPSON CASE' ON THE CBS OUTLET IN PALM SPRINGS, CA, KPSP/TV2

CBS/TV2 PALM SPRINGS CAME TO OUR OFFICES IMMEDIATELY  AFTER THE VERDICT WAS READ IN THE 'MICKEY THOMPSON TRIAL' ON JANUARY 4, 2007, TO GET OUR TAKE ON THE EVENTS WHICH LED UP TO THE CONVICTION.  (Photo: Mickey and Trudy Thompson).

WE'D WORKED FOR MICKEY AND TRUDY THOMPSON, HELPING WITH THE PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING FOR THE FIRST OFF-ROAD RACING EVENT EVER AT THE GLORIOUS AND HISTORIC LOS ANGELES COLISEUM, AND LATER WORKED FOR A TIME IN THE VERY HOUSE WHERE THE MURDERS WERE TO OCCUR SOME TIME LATER.

TO SEE THE INTERVIEW JUST CLICK ANYWHERE ON THIS LINE. YOUR VIDEO PLAYER SHOULD OPEN AND PLAY IT AUTOMATICALLY. THE STORY RUNS ABOUT TWO MINUTES AND IT IS A 'WMV' FILE.

(Photo: Steve Parker talks about the verdict in the Thompson double-murder case on KPSP CBS/TV2 Palm Springs).

GOODWIN FOUND GUILTY IN MICKEY THOMPSON'S, WIFE'S, MURDERS

Michael Goodwin, for the past 18 years the top (and only) suspect in the gangland-style execution deaths of racing legend Mickey Thompson and his wife, Trudy, at their Los Angeles-area home, finally got his day in court. And as everyone who knew Thompson and Goodwin expected, and knew from the day of the murders themselves, Goodwin was guilty and was found so by this brave jury, which deliberated for a day or so before the New Year's break, and for four days afterwards. Using the powerful circumstantial evidence presented to them by the prosecutor and police detectives, and considering the fact that the two men who actually carried-out the murders were never found, Goodwin wound up taking the rap for the crime himself. (Photo above: Mickey and Trudy Thompson).

It won’t bring anyone back, but here’s how the Associated Press story ran on the wires about 3pm Thursday, 1-4-07:

Goodwin Found Guilty in Murders of Racer Mickey Thompson, Wife

PASADENA, CA (AP)  -- Michael Goodwin, a once high-living motorsports promoter, was convicted of two counts of murder in the 1988 killings of Mickey Thompson and the racing legend's wife. The jury also found that special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and multiple murder were true. The prosecution has said it will not seek the death penalty. Goodwin was a former business partner of Thompson, a racer who pursued land-speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and drove everything from dragsters and funny cars to midgets, and was a major figure in popularizing off-road contests.

I knew both Thompson and Goodwin and actually worked for Mickey for over a year in the very house where the murders were committed. Only through the tenacity of Mickey’s sister, Colleen Campbell and her husband Gary, and the bravery of witnesses such as Alison Triarsi, the only person who actually saw the murders committed (and who, coincidentally, was my producer at KCBS/TV2 in Los Angeles), was this case finally able to come to trial. And now, EIGHTEEN YEARS after the murders, this jury has absolutely, without doubt, positively, brought back the RIGHT VERDICT. (Photo: Michael Goodwin).

The only possible positive to come out of this whole thing is that Mickey's sister Colleen Campbell (who served as the mayor of San Juan Capistrano, CA for a time) created the movement for "Victim's Rights" in the United States, and her work for her murdered brother and other crime victims served as an example to people worldwide, who founded their own groups in their respective nations. This crime was also profiled more than any other on the John Walsh TV show, "America's Most Wanted".