Abstract: Models in spaghetti-strap dresses circled Maserati's display at the show, which opens to the public on Friday, while Italian executives in fine suits talked up the Ferrari California and subdued Britons bragged that the Lotus Evora is so exquisite "it goes beyond the sense of touch."

"It's a car that you have to experience in almost telepathic terms," said Roger Becker, head of vehicle engineering for Lotus, without a trace of irony.

The display may seem improper after U.S. auto executives spent the week begging for alms in Washington. But ultra-luxury cars like those on display at the LA show are often highly resistant to economic downturns, said Erich Merkle, top auto analyst with the consulting firm Crowe Horwath LLP.

"You're dealing with the ultra rich who, even if they take a hit, a car purchase for them is a very, very fractional piece of their net worth," Merkle said. "Whether they're paying $50,000 for a car or $200,000 or $300,000 for a car, it really makes no difference in their net worth."...Associated Press      Ferrari

Abstract: Mind you, the cars that have been demanding and receiving huge money at auction have to be either restored to perfection or incredibly rare and desirable. The days of almost any 1960s muscle car being considered an object of battle are, for the most part, over.

The downward spiral began last winter and was quite noticeable at the January Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Barrett-Jackson auction is famous among the general public as the most televised collector car auction, but its meat and potatoes has been the cars of the 1950s and '60s.

In last winter's auction, there were a lot of unhappy owners whose cars did not achieve the high prices that were rampant a year earlier. A recent Barrett-Jackson auction held in Las Vegas had even worse results.

Cars sold, but, as there are no reserves allowed at a Barrett-Jackson auction, that is not surprising...Calgary Herald  Collector Cars

Abstract: Rumors of tomorrow's "important changes" at GM have approached a fevered pace, but the latest one we've heard is coming directly from someone who's directly related to someone who could be directly affected if the rumor is true. So, it must be true, right? Anyway, we've just been told by the family of a Chevy Volt engineering team member that not only is the untouchable Volt program on hold, GM's even letting some of the engineering team, aka "the chosen people," go. Hit the jump for the full rumor. UPDATE: One PR source is telling us this morning that the Volt program is definitely not on hold and another is telling us all options are still on the table. We guess we'll find out later today. UPDATE #2: We're now being told, more vigorously this time, that there's no plan to cut the program.

"My uncle works on the Volt as an engineer. He's getting laid off Friday because apparantly the project (aka VOLT) is on hold indefinitely."

We've put in a call to GM PR to ask them about the veracity of our tipsters claim, but we've yet to receive a response. We'll let you know when we've got more to tell you — but in terms of reliability, it would mean yesterday's Reuters report claiming GM was expanding R&D spend on hybrid electrics was total baloney. I hate baloney. Even when it's fried. Jalopnik

Abstract: So Mr. Young, the iconoclastic godfather of grunge, has assembled a team to turn a nearly 20-foot-long, 5,000-pound 1959 Lincoln Continental into a vehicle that will run on natural gas, electricity or some other form of clean energy. His aim is to win the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, a $10 million challenge to develop a vehicle that can get 100 miles per gallon or better by 2009.

He’s calling the project Linc Volt and he picked that Lincoln from his collection because it was his “favorite of the craziest and most out-there designs that American automobile manufacturers had come up with,” Mr. Young said. “I thought it would be a good poster child for the latest in technology.”

Mr. Young, 62, is a longtime tinkerer. He holds several patents, mostly having to do with model trains, and he once owned part of the model train maker Lionel. “I’m a transportation freak,” he said. “I like transportation devices. I like mechanical devices.”...New York Times

Abstract: BMW plans to test a fleet oft some 500 all-electric Mini models that will be made available to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey. The Mini E will give its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19 and 20, 2008. It will be powered by a 150 kW electric motor fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its power to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox.

Specially engineered for automobile use, the battery technology will have a range of more than 240 kilometres. The Mini E's electric drivetrain produces a peak torque of 220 Newton meters, delivering seamless acceleration to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 152 km/h.

Based on the current Mini, the car will initially be available as a two-seater. The space taken up by back-seat passengers in the series model has been reserved for the lithium-ion battery. When in use, the battery unit combines high output with ample storage capacity and a small footprint with power ratios that are unrivalled in this field of application so far. The lithium-ion storage unit will have a maximum capacity of 35 kWh and transmit energy to the electric motor as direct current at a nominal 380 V. The rechargeable battery is made up of 5088 cells grouped into 48 modules. These modules are packaged into three battery elements that are compactly arranged inside the Mini E. In the USA, users can recharge a battery that has been completely drained within a very short period of time using a wallbox that will ship with every all-electric vehicle. The wallbox will be installed in the customer's garage, enable higher amperage, and thus provide for extremely short charging times. Wallboxes fully recharge batteries after a mere two-and-a-half hours..ATZonline

Abstract: The New York Times is reporting that General Motors is in preliminary talks about a possible merger with Chrysler, a deal that could drastically remake the landscape of the auto industry by reducing the Big Three of Detroit automakers to the Big Two.

The talks between GM and Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that owns Chrysler, began more than a month ago, and the negotiations are not certain to produce a deal. Two people close to the process said the chances of a merger were "50-50" as of Friday and most likely would still take weeks to work out.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people it described as familiar with the discussions, says Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that owns 80.1 percent of Chrysler and 51 percent of GMAC Financial Services, proposed trading Chrysler's automotive operations to GM. The Journal says Cerberus would receive GM's remaining 49 percent stake in GMAC.

The New York Times, also citing people familiar with the talks, says the automakers were discussing a merger. The Times did not mention GMAC, a traditional auto lender hit hard by the housing market downturn...The Jackson Citizen Patriot - MLive.com, MI 

Abstract: Last month, in the US of A, all auto makers, including Toyota, cut a sorry figure, as consumers stayed away from showrooms. SUV sales were the worst hit. Ford sold around 60% less than what it usually does. And Toyota’s SUV sales slumped 38%. But closer home, most OEMs played a very different ballgame.

They decided to go niche and put their weight behind the premium SUV category (Rs 13 lakh and above). They threw in newer models; each better than the last one, got the right buyers interested, and managed to return with envious sales figures.

Sample this: YTD manufacturers have already sold around 10,030 SUVs, compared to just 6,398 vehicles last year, which translates into a growth rate of around 57%. And this comes at a time when the Indian automobile industry seems to be dragging its feet in the face of a slowdown...Economic Times India

Abstract: Domestically abundant natural gas is also beginning to prove itself a clean alternative to petroleum-based fuel, not just a cheaper one, as drivers of compressed natural gas cars pay about $1 less per gallon. The Honda Civic CNG joins the hybrids on the list with a pollution score of 9.5 and a greenhouse score of 9. The car costs about $2,000 more than the Civic hybrid and gets lower gas mileage, but proponents of CNG-powered cars note that owners can refuel at their home by tapping into the same natural gas used for home heating.

Automakers aren't entirely sold on CNG cars largely because there is no infrastructure in place to support it. There are only 800 to 1,000 natural gas filling stations located around the U.S., compared with 175,000 regular stations...Forbes

Abstract: Will the 2010 Chevy Camaro revitalize a starving American car market in desperate need of style and character. I love these retro cars from the past the Chevy Camaro, the Ford Mustang and the sleek Dodge Challenger. Damn the American cars makers for making such fine cars. The problem is this is not the 60’s, for this is times more comparable to the mid 70’s. Gas is costly and the car market is screaming for fuel efficiency, to bad we are again surrounded by gas guzenly cars that we can not afford to operate with certainty. Shoot, their just so fun to drive. Make room in your garage for your muscle car, make sure it has a eight cylinder under the hood, and park your civic in the drive way...theRoamer

Abstract: Jules Verne's belief that water would be employed as a fuel is being proven correct with the popular adaption of standard internal combustion engines to run on a mixture of gasoline and HHO. The HHO, a stable gas of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, is produced by electrolysis using the car battery and some water.

This is not the same as prototype future cars is the strictest sense, but using water as a fuel source has long been a dream, and now the dream has come true. It is reasonable to assume that someone will take up the idea and produce prototype future cars that don't use kits, but that have all they need to burn water built into their production.

In today's atmosphere of keeping the environment pollution-free, the idea of powering a car on air is an attractive one. It may therefore interest you to learn that there are prototype future cars that can do just that! The MDI City-CAT (compressed air technology) uses air as its motive force and rightly claims to be the cleanest car around...Best Syndication