Autoblog

There's a Looney Tunes cartoon where Bugs Bunny is in charge of Yosemite Sam's inheritance, and every time Yosemite Sam loses his temper at something Bugs has done, the rabbit subtracts money. By the time Yosemite gets his act together... he's out of money. Substitute GM for Yosemite Sam and the buying public for Bugs Bunny, throw in a little credit crisis, and all we can say is that it would be a shame if the Pontiac G8 GXP fell victim to this scenario: GM running out of money just when it gets its act together. Because we're here to tell you – and you can quote us on this – the Pontiac G8 GXP is @#$%&*! Awesome.


All photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

There have been so many different arguments for why The Detroit 3 should or shouldn't get a bailout that we could make a casserole out of them. One argument against a bailout -- or at least, a reason for the futility of a bailout -- that we don't recall hearing yet is "vehicle density."

The argument is put forth by Anthony Mirhaydari at MSN Finance. Basically, he says that with 981 cars per 1,000 people of driving age in America and new cars being sold faster than used ones are taken out of service, there simply isn't enough room for U.S. auto makers to sustain the volume of sales necessary to avoid factory closures and layoffs.

As an argument against the bailout, though, we find it tenuous. No one is saying that Ford, GM and Chrysler won't need to cut a lot of fat whether or not they get bailed out. But the bailout is to aid the survival of the companies at all, not to prevent layoffs and shuttered factories, which, again, will happen with our without money. According to Mirhaydari, Detroit's only option is to go forth and colonize other markets. Well, except for Chrysler, because "Chrysler as we know it will cease to exist very soon."

[Source: MSN]

The points system used by Formula 1 has been the subject of debate for years. When the system was expanded after 2002 and began offering points up to eighth position, people thought that would create more suspense since Michael Schumacher was running off with the trophies every year. It didn't work, and now with Schumacher gone, all the points system tends to reward is consistency over winning. Lewis Hamilton won five races this year and Felipe Massa won six, but Lewis Hamilton is the world champion because he scored more points.

F1 impresario Bernie Ecclestone wants to move to a medal system next year, awarding gold, bronze and silver to the top three finishers. The guy with the most gold at the end wins the championship. If that had been in place for this year, Felipe would have won the championship. If Lewis had won the last race in Brazil, he and Felipe would have been tied on gold medals and tied on silver medals, but Lewis has one more bronze medal (third place) than Felipe, so Hamilton would be champion. Will it happen? Bernie says the teams are behind it, so it only awaits a vote from the World Motorsport Council.

[Source: F1 Live]

This is Volkswagens entrant in this weekend's Baja 1000: a spaceframe-chassis Touareg TDI with 75 cm of suspension travel competing in the top-dog Trophy Truck class and utilizing an oil-burning V12 with nearly 550 hp. That's a long way from the first VW win in 1967 that came courtesy of a VW Beetle converted into one of the soon-to-be-ubiquitous dune monsters. Driver Mark Miller won the Baja 500 last year in the first Race Touareg. Aided by helicopters and eight support vehicles, we'll find out on Sunday if he and navigator Ryan Arciero can take The Big One this year.


Live photos copyright ©2008 Sebastian Blanco, Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, former entrant in the marathon to win the White House, and current automotive industry expert (who knew?) had a few things to say in the New York Times today on the potential auto industry bailout. The opening paragraph says it all: "IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won't go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed."

Romney is not rooting for the end of the biz, but he believes that bankruptcy is the only way to save it because it will force a reset, and that will be the only way for the Detroit 3 to rectify entrenched structural problems. These include UAW contracts -- "a new direction for the UAW," executive perks -- "sanity in salary and perks," getting rid of old blood -- "management as is must go," just for starters.

Romney believes that the auto industry is crucial to America's national interest in more ways than one. And he isn't against helping the U.S. automakers, but believes that a shock to the system is the only thing that can rescue it, long term. Have a look at the piece and let us know what you think -- but no need to make a decision yet; give it another few minutes, and we're sure someone else will have another prescription. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: New York Times, Photo by Mario Tama/Getty]

It's almost hard to believe that a few months ago Mercury was headed for the River Styx. Now it's slated to live, although life is only slowly returning. The Mercury Milan sat up on its plinth at the LA Auto Show today and didn't do much – not even turn – but it didn't look too bad. The revamped model has a new grille, fenders, hood, front and rear fascias, and a cleaner underbody for aerodynamic reasons. Inside gets more leather – embossed skins on the Premier Edition – and backlighting for the gauges.The 3.0L V6 gets an extra 19 hp to touch 240, and you'll get up to 5 mpg more than those other, previous-gen Milan owners. Sorry, no 3.5L V6 for the Milan though, as that larger, more powerful engine is exclusive to the new Fusion Sport. But the Milan has also been filled with more electronic doodads than the CES convention. Check them all out after the jump, and check out the gallery of high-res photos below.



Live photos copyright ©2008 Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs, Inc.

There isn't much more to say about the 2010 Ford Mustang, so we'll keep this brief. The new coupe and convertible, as standard versions, will get some of the upscale Bullitt treatment from the current Mustang, so life should be even better for even more. We'll let the press release after the jump, our definitive overview, video synopsis and the gallery of high-res shots below do the rest of the talking for us.



Live photos copyright ©2008 Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs, Inc.

The Bentley Azure T sits on its raised, hardwood decking like it's about to dance with the stars. At 18 feet and 5,700 pounds, it probably won't be pulling any Thriller moves, but we bet it could do a mean tango. The lowered stance and larger wheels make the car gentlemanly mean, and the 6 3/4-liter engine is good for 500 hp and 738 lb-ft. and a 176 mph top-down speed for your hair's pleasure. We could tell you how much it costs, but there are far more interesting things to talk about. Frankly, all you need to know is, as AB'er Alex Nunez wrote: "It comes with everything. Bring money. "

Live photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85

The Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85, which we'll call "Tiger," is officially out and about. Spyker has released more images of the Audi-engined, 400-hp, 6-speed manual Le Mans-inspired road car, and to our eyes it could be the best looking Spyker we've seen. The blacked-out mirrors do it a lot of favors and don't remind us any more of carry handles, and it has even retained 19-inch wheels secured with one lug nut and will apparently get you a combined 15 mpg on the EPA cycle. Not bad for a leathered up race car. Check out the press release after the jump and the galleries of high-res shots in our galleries below.

Live photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

The Cube is ready for America, and it's coming in three flavors just to make sure it has all... sides... covered. Each of them gets the 1.8-liter engine good for 122 hp and 127 lb-ft., with trim levels being just 1.8, 1.8 S, and 1.8 SL. The little box with the slightly droopy rear end is packed with goodies including ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, VDC, TCS, TMPS, and six airbags, and you can get it with Nissan's CVT or a six-speed manual. Opt for the CVT, and it will return something beyond 30 mpg. When it comes to accessorizing, there are 20 colors on offer, illuminated kick plates, a rear cargo organizer, and, um, pet blankets. Follow the jump to watch the video and read all about it, and check out the high-res photos of the "bulldog in sunglasses" below.



Photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk, Jonathon Ramsey, Frank Fillipponio / Weblogs, Inc.