Open Mic

Bloomberg News reports: Toyota's Watanabe Comments on Interest Rates, G.M., U.S. Market. At a mid-year press conference, Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe offered his thoughts on several topics, including General Motors:

"The Nummi factory is a very important venture for Toyota. Operating the factory with GM really helps us learn a lot."

"We haven't even thought whether we will participate in a GM-Renault-Nissan alliance or not. We are not considering how we can participate."

Not knowing his microphone could still be picked up by the Cars! Cars! Cars! audio techmologists, Mr. Watanabe was also (not really) heard saying, as he buttered a lap dancer:

Yo, Fukui! See the irony is that what they [GM] need to do is get their heads out of their arses and stop building this shit.

All this despite Mr. Watanabe's doctors saying to lay off the butter.