Cars! Cars! Cars!

That Thing Got A (Free) Hemi?

Why yes it does my inbred friend! The Detroit News reports: Chrysler throws in free Hemi. Wow, free engine upgrade action! We wonder if Chrysler keeps crapping itself if they'll throw in a Caliber if you buy a Magnum. That'd be sweet.

In related news, The Detroit Free Press reports: Interest waning in hybrid cars as fuel prices drop. Fuel prices get lower so people don't want hybrid cars. Does that make sense? Are folks only buying hybrid cars because they use less fuel? Is that the only reason? Maybe it is...

-- Conspiracy machine on! --

Or maybe the oil companies are lowering prices in order to slow the major development of hybrids and fuel cell vehicles so that we'll all go back to bigger engines and then, blammo!, back to high fuel prices once we're stuck with these fuel guzzlers! Ah ha!

-- Conspiracy machine off* --

*It's never really off because, you know, what fun would that be?

Detroit: We Luv Dem Hippies

We're green, baby. We promise! The Detroit News reports: Automakers drive home the point: Time for change.

A day earlier, Rick Wagoner, chairman and CEO of General Motors, made an equally eco-friendly speech, pointing out that "it is highly unlikely that oil alone is going to supply all the world's rapidly growing automotive energy requirements," and adding that GM is exploring all the options that nearly every other automaker is exploring. He conceded that gasoline and diesel will "continue to be the principal automotive fuel source for some time." Accordingly, the first car you run into at the auto show's Cadillac exhibit, after the lavender convertible, was a $46,045 Cadillac SRX SUV that gets 16 and 24 mpg. And the SUV near it, an Escalade, gets 13 and 20.

Ha! That made us laugh.

"I agree with (Wagoner) that battery technology is the problem," said Dave Power, founder of the marketing research firm J.D. Power & Associates.

Asked to predict the next 20 years, he said: "There will be more and more breakthroughs." But Power's vice president, Charlie Vogelheim, said, "Realistically, fuel-cell-powered cars could take up to 50 years."

Whoa! Fifty years is even more pessimistic than we are! We think there will be a breakthrough that will help eliminate batteries nearly altogether. The future? Super capacitors. Are you trying to seduce us, Ms. Krauss? Rowr!

CNN reports: GM: The new green carmaker? That's a snap of the 2007 Escalade. All 13 mpg worth.

Ford To Fuse

Leftlane News reports: Spied: Ford Fusion Hybrid. Now we're talkin' money. Why Ford didn't bust ass and make the Fusion a hybrid from the get-go is beyond us. But it looks like it's finally here (ish).

This it will be able to take on these hybrids: Prius, Civic, Camry and Accord? Well, of course it'll be able to take on the Accord hybrid. That one's a turd.

That's a snap of the 2007 Ford Fusion. In all its purtiness.

Nissan: We'll Get To It, We'll Get To It

CNN/Money reports: Nissan plans to sell electric cars.

Nissan Motor Co. plans to develop and start selling subcompact electric cars powered by self-developed lithium-ion batteries in about three years, the Nihon Keizai (Nikkei) business daily reported on Sunday.

Err, uh, we'll, uh, do this in about three years. Vote Quimby!

Prius Inventor Killed

Report: Prius inventor dies in plane crash.

Dave Thomas Hates Hybrids!

Kicking Tires reports: Hybrids Not as Environmentally Friendly as Thought. In your face, Thomas! Ha! OK, he didn't say that. He said a report did. We question these reports since we don't know who is behind them and what, if any, agenda the report is supposed to represent.

We do think hybrids make a lot of sense in the whole "using less" movement. But we, too, wonder about the extra components (batteries, electric motor, etc) and their impact on the environment. However, using less fuel and polluting less (while driving) just makes sense. And the less fuel we lose, the fewer wars we have to have to ensure we have a steady supply of oil. What's the environmental impact of a war?

For the record, Dave Thomas hasn't stated if he hates hybrid or not. Or if he hates hippies. Anyway, that's a snap of the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. If you want a mid-sized hybrid, this is the best choice. You know, we went looking for a decent snap of the Camry Hybrid and were pretty disappointed by Toyota's press area (we used one anyway), but we checked out Toyota's consumer site. Check out the , it's friggin' cool!

Gas Prices Will Be Cheap Forever!

Kicking Tires reports: Small Prius Supply Meeting Lower Demand. Sigh. We don't think it's because of competition. It's because consumers aren't, in general, very smart. Gas is going back up in price soon, so buyer beware.

Why do you think Prius sales have stalled? The tax break? Or is it something else?

Hybrid Troubles For All

Autoblog reports: More Prius bodystyles on the way. That can't be good news to car makers looking to get into the hybrid game—which is currently quiet until oil companies raise prices again (which will be soon). We don't agree with Autoblog or Mr. Rich in regards to hybrids and diesels:

We'd tend to agree with Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson's synopsis: Why buy an overpriced, ugly, poorly-made Prius when most conventional diesels will return better economy and give you more for your money?

Hybrids are about: using less fuel and polluting less and giving less money to oil companies. And it's a statement. A statement that says a hell of a lot about a person, just like a rich white dude buying a Ferrari, a V-10 BMW, or a second wife.

This is a smart move by Toyota, and we look forward to seeing more hybrid body styles. So much so that we hope we can't tell whether a car is a hybrid at all.

That's a snap of a 2006 Toyota Prius. But you already knew that.

Hybrids No More?

The Detroit News reports: Gas price fluctuations threaten hybrid future. Blah, blah, blah.

It may be early to conclude that America's love affair with hybrids is on the wane, but the signs are not encouraging. It will be interesting to see whether full size truck and sport utility buyers will still show an interest in fuel saving technology when it becomes available next year.

Yes, it's too early to say for sure. And yes, we expect full size trucks and SUVs to rebound some. But to say that hybrids are in big trouble is to be as short-sighted as all of Detroit. "OH GOD, THIS QUARTER IS HORRIBLE!" or "AMERICANS ARE BUYING SUVS LIKE CRAZY, LET'S ASSUME THIS WILL HAPPEN FOREVER!"

Gas prices will go back up. And they'll go up sooner than you sell your big SUV, so be careful Mr. Shopperman. Or Ms. Shopperlady with your cell phone and 2.5 ton SUV.

Speaking of gas prices, CNN/Money reports: Hybrid vehicles top EPA, DOE fuel economy guide. All of the cars listed are pretty much a given. Good to see Ford on there since then all of makes represented would have been from elsewhere.

That's a snap of the 2007 Toyota Prius. Not a looker, but better than the first and comes as a handy hatch. Sweet!

Toyota Should Be Worried

AutoWeek reports: Slipping Sequoia. What kind of sick company tries to have it both ways? Yes, Toyota's Prius is great (and a handy hatch as a commenter pointed out) and we dig the Camry Hybrid. The Camry Hybrid is a smart move and far better choice than the Accord hybrid (don't buy the Accord hybrid). But, Toyota's not so hidden secret is that it makes a lot of big vehicles. Big. Stand next to an '06 Sequoia. It's huge!

Now get ready for the next one. 'Cause it's bigger, baby!

It's so big Toyota is now thinking:

"I worry about the Sequoia being too big and not having enough fuel economy, more than I do with the (redesigned) Tundra," said Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

In unrelated news, Mr. Esmond has been attacked by upwards of 45 ninjas and has yet to be seen since that quote. And the ninja thing.

Hey, Toyota, cut it out with the silly-big shite and get back down to Earth. Heh, ninjas.

That's a snap of 2007 Camry Hybrid. With some mountains. Man, Toyota's gotta work on its press site... the photo section is really awful. Anyway, want a bordering-on-large family car that gets good gas mileage? Look no further. And don't look at the Accord Hybrid... what a mistake Honda made. Fix it already, Honda!