This Podcast Will Poke Your Auto Enthusiasm and Tweet Your Funny Bone But Not Hack Your Intelligence

After saving the U.S. auto industry and hammering out a new CAFE deal, auto czar Rob Bloom is leaving the Obama administration.

That is probably not a terrible thing because confidence in the auto industry is high and most analysts see sales holding steady despite the stock market drops.

GM is benefiting from that positive sentiment, and from it's trip through bankruptcy, and posted great profits last week. That doesn't mean the General isn't working to slim down the number of platforms it uses.

V8 engines are old school.

Engines are also important, as Ford is learning that with its F-150. The new V6 models are outselling V8s for the first time in a long time.

The Nissan GT-R has an awesome V6 engine, and one lucky bidder scored a used one on eBay for a good price. Too good for the dealer which initially decided not to honor the deal. But after being shamed they reversed that position.

Facebook was probably used in that shaming, and now Nissan is looking to the future and replacing its phone operators with Facebook operators. Toyota is trying out Twitter to tease it's new Camry.

Crowdsourcing has great potential, and BMW is leveraging apps and drivers to generate a list of Ultimate Drives.

Smartphones are great for that, and apparently for hacking. Some clever guys figured out how to open and start a Subaru Outback. This is something that the DOT is concerned about, especially as cars start to talk to each other so they are developing standards to prevent hacking.

Many hackers move on to be valued members of society, especially in Silicon Valley, and the current tech bubble has many clever folks looking for luxury cars.

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Seen From the Commute: Mint Condition Honda Civic, First Generation

I caught this lovely first-generation Honda Civic (CVCC baby) on my drive home this week. With the success of the Miata, Mini, the New Beetle and now the Fiat 500, don't you think Honda should roll out a modern version of this little car. I would buy one. Maybe one of these Japanese market Honda Zests would do. 

Honda Civic First Generation in Bellevue, Wash.

An Automotive Podcast That Is Stupid But Kind of Nifty

Our most exciting time of the month: auto sales were reported today and we'll call it the comeback edition. Chrysler -- powered by Jeep sales -- posted big gains as well as Mitsubishi and some other recently struggling brands rebounding from last year's weakness. Meanwhile, sales stalwarts like Honda and Toyota continued to struggle.

Car sales were meh and the deals are getting better.

Well, shoppers who held off might be in great shape because analysts are expecting a surge in incentives and advertising in the fall as auto makers battle for sales and market share.

The Obama administration rolled out new CAFE regulations -- 54.5 mpg -- that will take effect in 2025. The new rules are causing concerns for automotive engineers and for those that worry about road funding. The reduction in the consumption of gas could cut the amount of gas-tax revenue that pays for infrastructure improvements and maintenance.

Speaking of concerns, the Department of Transportation is doing a study to see how drivers react to vehicles that have systems that take over the driving based on inputs.

Many parents would like these systems for their teenage drivers, and now GM is offering a way for young drivers to be tracked as an option connected to its OnStar system.

Finally, Los Angeles is abandoning its red-light camera program. Why? Because the fines were voluntary. That's just stupid.

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Overlapping Mapping? Google Street View Pulls a U-Turn at Microsoft's Redmond Campus

I snapped these shots of a Google Maps Street View vehicle (a Subaru Impreza) turning in to the Microsoft Red West campus in Redmond, Wash. A bit of delicious irony.

The mapping car turned right around and headed out of the campus, so I guess MS employees can't get a street view on Google Maps.

Of course they can with Bing Maps.

Google Maps Street View Subaru Impreza

Google Maps Street View Subaru Impreza

Google Maps Street View Subaru Impreza

Honda Civic Loses Consumer Reports’ Recommendation

Honda Motor’s refreshed Civic, a model that’s been a foundation of the auto maker’s U.S. sales for decades, failed to garner a coveted “Recommended” status from Consumer Reports.

The 2012 Honda Civic lineup

The 2012 Civic scored 61 in Consumer Report’s evaluation, down from 78 for the previous Civic, according to a review in the September issue published this week.

To my eyes, this is the danger of being conservative when competitors like Hyundai, Kia and Ford are swinging for the fences with their new models. The Civic typically gets a radical revamp in every other cycle, and this was not one of them. That has been a successful strategy for Honda over the last couple of decades. But with the U.S. market getting friendly to smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles, this wasn't the moment to play it safe, especially when the previous model was seeing a decline in interest as the Hyundai Elantra and Ford Focus received dramatic redesigns.

The loss of the recommended rating might not dent sales over the long-term, but the initial acceptance of the refreshed Civic has been tepid: Sales of the car this year through June dropped 14 percent to 127,102 from a year ago.

And Honda's earnings have been hammered by the effects of the earthquake.

Obama Announces New Fuel Economy Standards

Last week, President Obama announced the next phase in the Administration’s program to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. These new fuel economy standards will cover cars and light trucks for Model Years 2017-2025, requiring performance equivalent to 54.5 mpg in 2025 while reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 163 grams per mile.

Brilliant graphic to promote the deal

While these are pretty steep increases from today and from the coming standards in 2015, there are many compromises that mean it's unlikely car buyers will see many fuel-economy stickers boasting such high mileage.

Instead, the average new vehicle in 2025 will probably be closer to 43 mpg, based on the typical 20 percent discount from federal officials when rating a vehicle in real-world driving conditions, reports Bill Vlasic.

The system of credits has been devised to encourage new technology and better penetration of current fuel-saving equipment into the market.

Sales of vehicles that run on electric batteries or fuel cells, for example, will be given more weight in the fleet average than gas-powered vehicles, even those with efficient engines.

What do you think of the new rules?

Ford Drops Price of SYNC by $100

Ford announced both a $100 price drop for Ford SYNC along with expanded availability by offering it as an option on base trim levels for the first time.

The voice-activated infotainment systems will now cost $295 (down from $395, where optional), starting with its 2012 Edge and Explorer models. SYNC will also become standard on SEL variants for the first time -- before, it was previously reserved for Limited and Sport trim levels.

Ford plans to roll out the system across its entire lineup over the next three years, including the 2013 Ford Taurus, Focus, Escape and Flex.