Pranksters Install Swings on BART Public Transit System in San Francisco

May 6, 2009 at 2:42 pm

(Source: Laughing Squid via TransitFan@Twitter)

swings on BART

photo by Audrey Penven

Some brilliant pranksters installed beautiful swings on BART last night. What apparently happened, according to witnesses, was a team of six or so people hopped on to a north-bound train from 24th Street station in San Francisco around 8:30 p.m. last night, installed three matching red swings, and then exited at 16th Street leaving their swings behind for public consumption.Luckily, photos were taken to record the event.

BART Swings

photo by Neiltron

Note: TransportGooru, though amused by this prank, is definitely happy for the BART riders who had a little more “fun” on their trip, courstey of these pranksters.  Now wishing for some of these folks to show up here in DC’s Metro system, which sorely lacks any form of entertainment (inside and outside).   Commuting by metro in DC, though tranquil, lacks the fun element, except when some frustrated passengers get into fist fights.

Scoopful of GM and Chrysler News – May 6, 2009

May 6, 2009 at 2:14 pm

GM adds shift at Oshawa to keep up with Camaro demand…enough that GM has asked workers at the assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario, to work through the week of June 29, which had previously been scheduled as mandatory time off. Furthermore, Camaro orders are expected to be strong enough to keep the Oshawa plant’s flex line humming along on Saturdays in June, July and August, and that means overtime fo…

 Rumormill: Buick Astra coming in 2011?…products from GM‘s European Opel division are reports from GM Inside News indicating that a small car based on the Astra platform – initially planned for the now-defunct Saturn brand – has been transferred to Buick’s entry-level luxury division.Assuming these rumors are true, we can expect to see the new Buick in North America in late 2011 as a ..

REPORT: Renault after Saturn, Geely after Saab …deal with GM would allow Renault and its South Korean subsidiary, Samsung Motors, to sell its wares in the States though the existing retailers, possibly marketing the new vehicles as Saturns and building some of the vehicles using the General’s underutilized plants. How the deal would flesh out financially remains to be seen, but there’s a chan…

GM Oshawa Plant Adds Shift To Build More Presumably Non-Faulty Camaros [Chevy Camaro] GM‘s adding one more shift at its Oshawa, Ontario plant due to high demand for the recently released Camaro. Does this mean we’ll be getting more electrically-faulty Camaro SS units? Presumably not. The Peterborough Examiner reports demand has been so high that GM has scheduled the week of June 29th as a work week instead of the previously plann…
REPORT: GM voluntarily recalling Camaro for battery cable issue …but GM is reportedly offering two options for owners: a temporary fix that requires a second visit to a dealer and a permanent fix. The temporary fix involves wrapping the battery cable with protective insulating tape and rerouting it to ensure enough clearance between it and the starter. The permanent fix involves the same thing, except will us…
What’s The All-Time Greatest FWD Car? [Question Of The Day] GM wanted to compete with the Thunderbird and try out their newly-designed FWD platform. It just so happened a designer for the company put together a gorgeous coupe concept. One of the advantages of FWD is, theoretically, improved fuel economy. But this was the 1960s, so they stuffed a 7.0-liter “Super Rocket” V8 with 385 HP and 475 lb-ft of to…
REPORT: Renault A “Serious Suitor” For Saturn [Carpocalypse] …for GM‘s Saturn. Say that ten times fast. [WSJ]
GM trying to sell Opel, but will keep Ampera (the Opel Volt) …coming from GM troubles (Saturn hybrids? Say what?), there is one thing you can count on: GM is keeping the Volt. Of course they’re keeping the Chevy Volt – that was never in question – but things were just a tiny bit less clear regarding GM‘s possible sale of Opel. Whatever happens with the brand, the Opel Apmera, the European version of the Vo…
Camaro SS Recalled For Battery Cable Issue [Chevy Camaro] …now told GM‘s officially issuing a recall for the problem on the Camaro SS. UPDATE BELOW. Although we’re told it only takes about 30 minutes to fix, we’re being told GM‘s now issued a voluntary “official recall” on the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS over the battery cable issue that caused one Camaro5 member’s new Bumblebee-yellow mullet-mobile to die les…
Saab CEO Claims Not In Talks With Fiat [Carpocalypse]Saab CEO claims not in talks with Fiat. They’re the only brand that’s not. [Reuters] 
GM pledges to use plug-in hybrid tech in only one brand GM, SaturnThe Saturn Vue was supposed to be GM‘s first plug-in hybrid, but the pending loss of Saturn leaves the General’s upcoming plug-in tech without a vehicle or brand. The Vue plug-in was originally going to arrive in 2011 in a cooperative demonstration test fleet with the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) and nonprofit Electric Power Research Ins…
 GM Plans To Wipe Out Current Shareholders [Carpocalypse]GM plans to wipe out current shareholders. Wait, more than they already have? [Reuters]
Plug-In Hybrids: More Hype Than Hope?…automakers like GM and Nissan. In the meantime, drivers like Morrison say they ferret out electrical outlets in parking garages and behind buildings so they can plug in as often as possible. EV advocates are quick to note the Prius wasn’t designed to be a plug-in hybrid, and in fact makes a lousy one. The biggest problem is the electric motor i…
Gallery: Goin’ Down the Road in Defunct Car Brands GM commissioned a young stylist named Harley Earl to design the car. What he came up with is widely considered the beginning of modern automotive styling. Photo: Flickr/Brian Toad Photography: Photo: Courtesy Nash MotorsNash may be the most innovative company only an auto geek has heard of. Wind-tunnel testing, flow-through ventilation systems,…
GM Will Apply Plug-in Hybrid Technology To One of Its Remaining Four Core Brands, Delivery Still in 2011
…post on GM’s FastLane blog, Vice Chairman Tom Stephens said that the company will apply plug-in hybrid technology to one of the four core brands remaining after the restructuring: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. Saturn currently sells two hybrid vehicles (VUE and Aura with GM Hybrid System) and was scheduled to begin initially offering a …
Plug-in Saturn Vue not dead, will be revived (sorta) by 2011 …now own GM, it turns out that AutoblogGreen readers and GM executives think alike. In a poll we ran yesterday, the most popular choice for what to do with the Saturn hybrid powertrains was “Move the powertrain to the Equinox.” A GM spokesperson said today that, although the brand itself will indeed be sold, the powertrain – both the standard and…
Saab denies talks with Fiat…to acquire GM Europe while working on its partnership with Chrysler, according to Saab CEO Jan-Ake Jonsson, the Swedish automaker isn’t part of the deal.Jonsson said Saab is currently being courted by ten potential buyers, but Fiat isn’t one of them. Saab spokesman, Eric Geers went on to tell Reuters, “We now have ten very serious interested par…
Chrysler launches May incentives worth up to $6,000 Chrysler, LLC., Dodge, JeepChrysler doesn’t have time for assurance programs and payment protection plans. So unlike General Motors and Ford, the Auburn Hills-based automaker has launched a new incentive program for May that gives consumers back what they want most: money, and lots of it. Beginning today, Chrysler is offering $4,000 Consumer Cas…
Chrysler Offering $4,000 In Incentives On 2009 Models [Carpocalypse] Chrysler is offering up to $4,000 worth of incentives on 2009 model year vehicles in a bid to reduce inventory and counter its prolonged sales slump. One discarded sales idea? Building better passenger cars. The company says the incentives, which begin Wednesday, focus on the bottom-line price of the car as opposed to, you know, the interest con…
UAW will eventually sell Chrysler stock to keep VEBA going …New New Chrysler for very long. Outgoing UAW president Ron Gettelfinger confirmed in a press conference yesterday that the union’s Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA) will likely sell part or all of its 55% stake in the newly formed automaker once its stock appreciates, that is, if its stock appreciates. And why would the UAW want …
Gallery: Goin’ Down the Road in Defunct Car Brands…least until Chrysler goes under. : Photo: Flickr/Wigwam JonesThe Checker Marathon may be second only to the original VW Beetle as the most recognizable car in the world. The cars were ubiquitous as taxis and, like the Beetle, the first one to roll off the line in 1962 looked pretty much like the last one to roll of the line in 1982.: Photo; Cour…
Chrysler Maybe Not Canceling Wrangler So Much [Carpocalypse]…post on Chrysler considering killing the Jeep Wrangler, we circled back and actually read the source material Edmunds InsideLine links to and decided maybe Chrysler wasn’t looking at killing the golden goose after all. After looking over the statements from Robert Manzo, the executive director of Capstone Advisory Group LLC who’s been hired to c…
Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 5.5.09…What does Chrysler‘s restructuring plan have in store for the Viper?Long before bankruptcy and a Fiat partnership, Chrysler was looking to offload the Viper line. According to new bankruptcy documents, the Snake-badged stunner may finally face the axe. Rumormill: Nissan 370Z Hybrid for 2011?Reports ou…
Chrysler and Fiat: A merger of equally unreliable product?Chrysler, LLC., FIAT Familiarizing ourselves with Fiat – Click above for a high-res image gallery Chrysler‘s reliability ratings from Consumer Reports have been less-than-stellar in recent years. In its 2008 survey, where CR tallied up its subscribers’ experience with some 1.4 million vehicles among 34 brands, Jeep came in 28th, Dodge took the 3…
Court documention reveals which Fiats and Alfas are destined for U.S.Chrysler, LLC., Alfa Romeo, FIAT Fiat 500 – Click above for a high-res image gallery Curious which of its models Fiat plans to send over to the United States to sell through its planned partnership with Chrysler? Wonder no more. The most recent set of documents filed in Chrysler‘s Chapter 11 proceedings offer a number of intriguing clues as to w…
REPORT: Chrysler unlikely to pay back most recent $4.5 billion gov’t loanChrysler, LLC., UAW/UnionsRepayment of the $4.5 billion life-line in U.S. and Canadian loans that a federal bankruptcy court allowed yesterday is “highly unlikely,” according to Ron Manzo, a top company adviser. To Chrysler‘s bankruptcy legal team, that is not the issue. Urging the court “to let this company live,” automaker attorney Corinne Bal…
Saab denies talks with Fiat…partnership with Chrysler, according to Saab CEO Jan-Ake Jonsson, the Swedish automaker isn’t part of the deal.Jonsson said Saab is currently being courted by ten potential buyers, but Fiat isn’t one of them. Saab spokesman, Eric Geers went on to tell Reuters, “We now have ten very serious interested parties which have visited us in Trollhattan …
REPORT: Next Chrysler CEO salary capped at $500,000Chrysler, LLC., Earnings/FinancialsThe next chief executive of Chrysler will be tasked with bringing the company out of bankruptcy, restructuring into a profitable business, repaying government loans (if and when they do so at all), integrating Fiat technology and retaining jobs wherever possible. Oh, and he or she will have to do it all on no m…
REPORT: Chrysler pursuing clause to award Fiat $35 million if deal falls apartChrysler, LLC., Earnings/Financials, FIATThink Fiat’s getting a pretty sweet deal with Chrysler? The Italian automaker is, after all, gaining a 20% stake in the troubled American automaker, plus local manufacturing capacity and access to its dealer networks, all without paying a thin dime. Not a bad deal, but Chrysler‘s hard at work trying to ma…

Reauthorization and Reorganization in the works for USDOT – House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar wants to reorganize the U.S. DOT to streamline infrastructure spending programs

May 6, 2009 at 1:55 pm

 (Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON- The U.S. government would overhaul how it plans and manages big-ticket highway and transit projects in an ambitious proposal being drafted by a senior Democratic lawmaker who oversees transportation.

 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar told the Reuters Infrastructure Summit on Tuesday that his plan would reorganize the U.S. Transportation Department in order to streamline infrastructure spending programs.

“It’s a complete restructuring of the thought process, the delivery system, the delivery mechanism, and the funding for it,” Oberstar, from Minnesota, said in his Capitol Hill office.

Oberstar’s proposal would be the centerpiece of a six-year highway and transit construction bill Congress will consider this year.

He estimates funding at $450 billion, but the figure has not been finalized. Oberstar, who will manage the highway bill in the House, hopes to propose his plan in the coming weeks.

The Senate is working on its own version.

The Oberstar measure would retain current federal funding sources as well as give more spending discretion to states. In addition, it would make room for private investment in infrastructure programs.

Lawmakers face a September 30 deadline to pass a long-term spending blueprint for new U.S. highway construction, road and bridge repair, and public transit.

That legislation, known as the highway bill, would be separate from the economic stimulus bill passed in February that provides $48.1 billion for transportation.

The current highway/transit construction law was approved in July 2005 with a price tag of $286.4 billion. That amount was considered by many in Congress and industry as inadequate to upgrade the country’s aging transportation infrastructure.

Industry leaders are pressing for the next bill to exceed $500 billion.

Highway spending is funded through a federal trust which draws from taxes on motor fuels. But recent shortages in gas tax receipts due to higher pump prices that have reduced driving and more fuel-efficient vehicles have prompted calls to find alternatives.

Oberstar’s plan would keep the Highway Trust fund, but would allow states to determine their spending priorities.

“They’ve had these responsibilities. They’ve just been straight-jacketed,” Oberstar said about the states. “We’re going to give the states broad discretion.”

Click here to read the entire article.

The Road Worrier: A Time To Stimulate, And A Time To Innovate

May 6, 2009 at 1:29 pm

(Source: Glenn Havinoviski, Columnist @ ITS Virginia)

Glenn N. Havinoviski is an Associate Vice President and ITS Group Director for HNTB Corporation in Arlington, Virginia.  In his recent column on ITS Virginia’s quarterly Newsletter, Glenn discussed his views on the stimulus funding towards transportation projects and their impact on ITS, jobs, etc.  Here is an excerpt from the PDF version attached here.  

You gotta hand it to the new President. In less than four weeks,he got his way, running roughshod over a political opposition unableto develop or convince others of their own vision and ideas. Uncle”O” signed into law a $785 billion stimulus, an ode to the power ofhope, change and the ability to print lots of money. In Virginia alone,some $700 million will be provided for “shovel-ready” transportationprojects, to be selected in the next few weeks by state officials.Among those projects will be several initiatives related to trafficmanagement, operations and ITS. While the purpose of the stimulusis first and foremost the creation of new jobs, closer to home I knowit may preserve some existing jobs.While I believe this example of Federal largesse will end upbeing more a historical exception rather than the rule, we’ve alreadythrown a like amount at the banks and the struggling auto industry,courtesy of Mr. Obama’s wayward predecessor.So far, it is unclear what that money has gotten us. Banks stillwon’t make loans, GM still can’t sell cars, and too many bank executivesare still partying in Vegas and elsewhere. The toxic assets arestill toxic, and still dwindling in value, seemingly by the hour.

With the horrendous transportation funding cut-backs at thestate level and limited support from elected officials, VDOT hasbeen forced to create an austere vision, one which emphasizesoperating what we have, as opposed to ramrodding a programcontaining projects which in many cases have been deferred acrossseveral lifetimes. The new-look Federal government may be seekingto bankroll a future transit and clean-energy vehicle utopia. But Virginia, as with many other states, has been economically forcedto be more pragmatic with their own money and make very hardbut practical choices.

With all the excitement over a suddenly activist Federal government,what is in danger of getting lost in the mix has been theprogress made in the last decade toward innovative use of resources- including partnerships to leverage both government and privateinvestment, using tolling and road pricing both as revenue streamand as demand management tool, and development of a networkof vehicle-roadside communications for both safety and mobilityapplications.Such approaches to transportation improvements heavily dependon collection and monitoring of real-time information, alongwith electronic payment services and dedicated short-range communications(DSRC). They also create new opportunities for jobs,as well as new markets for information and technology services.No question that they could benefit from, but are not completelydependent on, the largesse of the young handsome Uncle “O” anda largely (but not completely) sympathetic Congress. “

Environmental cost of corn-based ethanol rings alarm bells – 50 gallons of water needed to make enough corn-based ethanol to move a vehicle one mile

May 6, 2009 at 12:29 pm

(Source: Autobloggreen)

The nail in the coffin of corn-based ethanol might be made of water. The magazine Environmental Science & Technology has published an article that pegs the amount of water needed to make enough corn ethanol to move a vehicle one mile at 50 gallons. That’s pretty high. 

ES&T calculated the amount of water needed to grow the corn as well as the water that is affected by agriculture. From the article:

As biofuel production increases, a growing need exists to understand and mitigate potential impacts to water resources, primarily those associated with the agricultural stages of the biofuel life cycle (e.g., water shortages and water pollution) herein referred to as the water footprint.

The worst case scenario, ES&T found, would be irrigated sorghum grown in Nebraska and turned into ethanol. This would use up to 115 gallons per mile. Corn grown there would require 50 gallons of water per mile. Say good-bye to “food vs. fuel,” say hello to “Drink or drive.”

Click here to read the entire article.

Chief executive of speed camera firm banned from driving for speeding at 100mph

May 6, 2009 at 12:16 pm

(Source: Guardian & Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA)

‘Embarrassed’ Tom Riall caught by police flouting 70mph limit

Tom Riall, speed camera boss admits speeding

The chief executive of the company that installs the majority of speed cameras on Britain’s roads was banned from driving for six months today after admitting driving at more than 100mph.

Tom Riall, the boss of Serco‘s civil government division, which supplies and installs the Gatso fixed radar cameras to police forces, was travelling at 102.9mph on the A14 in Newmarket, Suffolk, just before 1pm on 4 January, magistrates in Sudbury heard. The speed limit on the dual carriageway is 70mph.

Riall, 49, had two other driving convictions from the last three years, including another speeding offence, the court heard, meaning the six-point penalty imposed by magistrates took him past the 12-point mark, incurring the ban. He was also fined £300.

Riall, who took part last year in a road safety campaign called Safe Drive Stay Alive, told the court he would like formally to apologise, saying: “In my role I am all too aware of the consequences of speeding.” Riall said he was driving to visit friends in Newmarket before a business meeting in Norwich and the road was clear.

He asked magistrates not to impose a ban, saying it would cost about £30,000 to employ drivers to take him on business trips during the six months, and that the speeding offence had already caused “some considerable personal embarrassment”.

He said: “Of course, while I have had a number of fixed penalty notices in the past, this is the first time I have exceeded the speed limit to this degree.” The magistrates rejected this, saying a six-point penalty was fair.

Statutory Warning! British Labour MP says cars should carry climate health warnings

May 6, 2009 at 12:06 pm
(Source: Autobloggreen & Guardian)

Way back in 1965, the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act required cigarette manufacturers to place those little blurbs warning smokers of the dangers of using their products. Might a similar label be placed on advertisement from the auto industry? Don’t laugh – if Colin Challen, chair of the all-party climate change group in the UK, gets his wish, just such a thing might happen. He says:  

You maybe have 25 or 35% of the space of any promotional material given over to a health warning. These warnings would be graded depending on the emissions from the vehicle, with the worst gas-guzzlers carrying the most severe warnings. It would have to counter the impression given by some manufacturers that their vehicles are greener.

In his column on Guardian, Colin writes:  “So why can’t we do more to encourage immediate, low-tech behavioural changes? If there were a conspiracy theory as to why a government that has recently committed itself to a massive renewal of the nuclear power industry would want to promote the idea of electric vehicles, then the cynical explanation is obvious. Alternatively, without spending a penny the government could introduce tobacco advertising-style health warnings on all car promotional material. That might introduce some honesty into the green claims made by manufacturers. I discovered that the motor industry before the recession spent £800m a year on advertising in the UK alone. In the three-year period of the government’sActOnCO2 campaign, which cost £12m, the competition will have spent £2.4bn. It’s no contest and wholly counter-intuitive to expect people to change their behaviour when most of the daily messages they receive tell them it’s business as usual.

We are in a four-stage process of addressing the challenge of climate change, as Britain was in a four-stage process meeting the challenge of Adolf Hitler: denial, appeasement, phoney war then total war. I believe we are staggering between appeasement and phoney war at the present time. Our effort is improving, but in dribs and drabs, suggesting that we’ve not entirely convinced ourselves that the threat is real. It is as if we have grasped that the scientific debate has been settled but the hard, practical choices still have to pass through a multitude of sceptical arguments.”

Scoopful of GM and Chrysler News – May 5, 2009

May 5, 2009 at 5:36 pm

 Rumormill: Vauxhall going after city car market with Trixx EV?GM‘s European arm put a toe in the water of the rapidly expanding city car market with its Opel Trixx concept. A few years later, though, GM‘s Carl-Peter Forster indicated that the automaker would not be entering that microcar market after all. Fast forward another couple of years and (surprise!) it looks as if GM may be once again reversing tha…

 REPORT: Penske lines up as potential Saturn suitorGM, SaturnThe typical relationship between automakers and dealerships, of course, is for the dealers to sell the cars that the automaker produces. But with General Motors shedding like a dog in springtime, it’s the dealers who have been looking to buy the brands themselves. Following interest expressed by German dealers to acquire Opel and a gro…

Test Drive A Chevy Traverse, Get A Massage [Carpocalypse]GM]

GM updates state of Saturn, potential buyers being reviewedGM, SaturnGeneral Motors is busy putting the finishing touches on its third (or is it fourth?) viability plan, part of which involves the sale or shut down of the Saturn division. While many were expecting GM to close down Saturn, GM has released a press release to tell the world that the fledgling marquee is on the block, and there are several …

GM Testing Indicates 2010 Chevrolet Equinox Will Offer Best-In-Segment Highway Fuel Economy of 32 mpg
…Internal GM testing of the new 2010 Equinox indicates that the front-wheel drive models with the direct-injected 2.4-liter I-4 engine will offer an EPA estimated 32 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg city. GM expects final official EPA estimates shortly. The 2010 Equinox will likely carry a 32 mpg highway rating. Click to enlarge.At 32 mp..

Magna Confirms Involvement in Potential Opel Transaction…acquisition of GM Europe.

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 5.4.09
…Chrysler and GM EuropeFiat’s alliance with Chrysler is only the beginning, as the Italian automaker makes a bid at acquiring General Motors’ European operations, including Opel, Vauxhall and Saab. Other news of import Chrysler begins “New Car Company” ad campaign in newspapers 2010 Chevy E…

GM hopes to sell Saturn by the end of 2009
…That GM would sell Saturn has been floating around for what seems like ages now, but the most recent word from GM on the fate of the brand was that the “resolution” had been bumped up in the schedule to the end of 2009. GM just released a statement about the Saturn sale, saying that, “A number of potential buyers have surfaced and expressed inte…

Chrysler Predicts Profit by 2012 Chrysler lost $16.8 billion last year and expects to lose another $4.7 billion this year before turning profitable in 2012, a court filing shows.

Saab denies talks with Fiat…partnership with Chrysler, according to Saab CEO Jan-Ake Jonsson, the Swedish automaker isn’t part of the deal.Jonsson said Saab is currently being courted by ten potential buyers, but Fiat isn’t one of them. Saab spokesman, Eric Geers went on to tell Reuters, “We now have ten very serious interested parties which have visited us in Trollhattan ..

REPORT: Next Chrysler CEO salary capped at $500,000Chrysler, LLC., Earnings/FinancialsThe next chief executive of Chrysler will be tasked with bringing the company out of bankruptcy, restructuring into a profitable business, repaying government loans (if and when they do so at all), integrating Fiat technology and retaining jobs wherever possible. Oh, and he or she will have to do it all on no m…

Chrysler pursuing clause to award Fiat $35 million if deal falls apartChrysler, LLC., Earnings/Financials, FIATThink Fiat’s getting a pretty sweet deal with Chrysler? The Italian automaker is, after all, gaining a 20% stake in the troubled American automaker, plus local manufacturing capacity and access to its dealer networks, all without paying a thin dime. Not a bad deal, but Chrysler‘s hard at work trying to ma…

One Thing Separating Chrysler HQ From Most Malls [Carpocalypse]…explained earlier Chrysler‘s Auburn Hills, MI Headquarters was designed to easily convert into a mall if it needed the dues. However, there’s one thing we neglected to mention separating Chrysler‘s HQ from most malls. As you see below, if you scroll your Google map a little bit to the right you’ll find the 1.8 mile-long test track that sits adja…

What does Chrysler’s restructuring plan have in store for the Viper?Chrysler, LLC., Dodge, FIAT Dodge Viper SRT-10 – Click above for a high-res image gallery Long before factors like bankruptcy and Fiat’s involvement, Chrysler was looking to offload the Viper line. Several potential buyers were reportedly being considered, but months down the line no deal has been announced. In the meantime, of course, Chrysler …

Chrysler To Kill Jeep Wrangler? [Carpocalypse]…from the Chrysler bankruptcy cast doubt on the future of the Jeep Wrangler. Is somebody in Auburn Hills taking crazy-pills? Killing off weak models in order to save the strong is something Chrysler is going to have to do if it ever wants to be a profitable automaker again, but considering putting the Wrangler on such a sacrificial altar is somet…

Chrysler HQ designed for mall duty if automaker leavesChrysler, LLC., Humor Chrysler HQ a mall? Click above for high-res image gallery Leave it to our friends at Jalopnik to discover this most interesting fact about Chrysler‘s headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The 500-acre site that’s crowned by a glass tower with a 35-foot tall Pentastar window visible from I-75 was reportedly designed in su…

Fiat Delivers Custom Ducato For Papal Service [Custom Cars]…of the Chrysler faithful, Fiat has delivered a customized Ducato van to the Papal motorpool for use in touring parts of the Italian countryside destroyed by the recent earthquake. From the outside, the Ducato appears to be any other run-of-the-mill Italian Civil Defense Force vehicle, wearing the proper paint job to fit right in, but inside it’s…

Chrysler HQ Designed To Convert Into Shopping Mall [Carpocalypse]
Chrysler’s corporate headquarters in Auburn Hills appears to be a shopping mall. This is not an accident. BusinessWeek published an article two weeks ago about the value of Chrysler’s various assets in anticipation of its bankruptcy, which has since happened. Here’s the most interesting bit: The Chrysler headquarters building is a spectacular si…

UAW Wants To Get Rid Of Chrysler Share Quickly [Carpocalypse]
…t want Chrysler either. [Reuters]

President Obama & U.S. House members reach compromise on “cash for clunkers” deal

May 5, 2009 at 3:52 pm

(Source: Detroit Free Press & Image: Jalopnik)

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration and U.S. House members have reached a compromise over a “cash for clunkers” bill that would offer as many as one million vehicle buyers a voucher for up to $4,500 each to spur car and truck sales.

The bill still must pass Congress and its price tag was not immediately available. But the compromise gives the bill backing from Michigan representatives, several automakers and other groups who might have had enough opposition to block it.

The vouchers would apply to passenger cars, trucks and work vehicles. The old passenger cars and trucks being traded in under the plan would have to get less than 18 miles per gallon in combined driving. 

New cars would have to get at least 22 m.p.g. to qualify for a $3,500 voucher; if the new model gets 10 m.p.g. more than the old one, the voucher would increase to $4,500.

New trucks would have to get at least 18 m.p.g., and get at least 2 m.p.g. better than the old model to get the $3,500 voucher and 5 m.p.g. better for the $4,500 voucher.

The vouchers would be available for one year and up to one million customers.

Click here to read the entire article.

 FYI,  NY times has made available the following documents that can help you understand what vehicles are eligible in the competing version of the Cash of Clunkers legislation

List of Eligible Vehicles Under the Rep. Steve Israel Plan (from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy)

List of Eligible Vehicles Under the Rep. Betty Sutton Plan (from Representative Sutton’s office)

G.O.P. Résumé, Cabinet Post, Knack for Odd Jobs – NY times profiles “Professor of Cocktail Situations” USDOT Sec. Ray LaHood

May 5, 2009 at 1:06 pm

(Source: NY Times)

WASHINGTON — Ray LaHood, the secretary of transportation, is not one to toot his own horn over how much he knows about planes, trains and automobile bailouts. On the contrary.

“I don’t think they picked me because they thought I’d be that great a transportation person,” Mr. LaHood says with refreshing indifference as to how this admission might play if, say, he were ever to bungle a bridge collapse.

Yes, transportation is Mr. LaHood’s day job, a post that a few days ago required him to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for a highway in New Hampshire, speak to a group about the dangers of tailgating trucks and discuss “bird strikes” on CNN.

But one of the astonishing things about Mr. LaHood, 63, is how limited his transportation résumé is, how little excitement he exudes on the subject (other than abouthigh-speed rail) and how little he seems to care who knows it. So why exactly did President Obama pick this former seven-term Republican congressman from Illinois to oversee everything that moves?

Mr. LaHood posits a theory. “They picked me because of the bipartisan thing,” he explained, “and the Congressional thing, and the friendship thing.”

The “bipartisan thing” and the “Congressional thing” are self-evident: Mr. LaHood is a Republican with close ties to Capitol Hill. One White House insider described Mr. LaHood as “a master of odd jobs,” whose knowledge of Washington allows him to take on assignments as varied as lobbying lawmakers on the budget and helping political novices in the cabinet navigate Beltway social rituals (“cocktail situations,” as Energy Secretary Steven Chu calls them).

In the White House, Mr. Chu describes Mr. LaHood, a former junior high school social studies teacher, as a source of “fatherly advice” for Washington newcomers like himself.

One “cocktail situation” occurred recently at the annual Gridiron Club dinner. Mr. LaHood was seated at the head table near Mr. Chu, and between Arne Duncan andTimothy F. Geithner, the education and Treasury secretaries. The men asked Mr. LaHood if they could flee the dinner before the interminable speechifying ended. No, Mr. LaHood counseled.

“I said, ‘Look, you’re window dressing,’ ” Mr. LaHood said. “ ‘You’re more of a prop. But it’s part of what we have to do.’ ” Mr. Chu and Mr. Duncan heeded the advice; Mr. Geithner did not.