Consider yourself a DIY-er?  Have an inclination to change your own oil, open your own hood once and a while, and maybe make your own fuel?…maybe.   It would be the green thing to do, now, right?  Stake out fast food spots, get left over vegetable oil, and convert it to fuel a diesel engine. 

It sounds cushy enough, and green, too.  All you need to do is buy an old ‘Benz 240/300D or VW diesel car, convert the fuel system for the dual tanks, and…well, it’s a bit of a complicated system, but doable if the result is worth it.  The real question: Is using vegetable oil to run a car a smart, environmentally friendly undertaking?  Hey, it has the word “vegetable” in it; it must be good for the environment. 

There are two aspects to fuel usage that  require consideration: sustainability and emissions.  There is no doubt that using vegetable oil reduces the need to drill/barter our way into oil acquisition, so on that front we’re covered.  As far as emissions go, however, things get a little…smoky.

Vegetable oil has a higher viscosity (vicscosity is the technical term, sludginess is the coloquial synonym) at lower temperatures, so the car must first be started running off of the diesel tank, heat up the veggie tank, and make the switch.  Some of the commercial acquirable systems out there use only one tank, and employ a fuel line heating system to keep the veggie oil from turning to jelly.  Because vegetable oil doesn’t burn as well, it is likely to cause more pollution than other types of auto fuel.  The diesel combustion process inherently produces more particulate matter.  So, in this respect, it’s a bit of a messy process. 

Additionally, vegetable oil emissions don’t produce french fries…despite what the smell suggests.  The study, Emission characteristics of diesel engine running on vegetable oil with elevated fuel inlet temperature, found “the CO production with heated fuel is a little higher than the diesel fuel at higher loading conditions. The CO concentrations in the exhaust were higher for unheated oil operation compared to other fuels. The heated oil showed marginal increase in CO2 emissions compared to diesel fuel…The fuel consumption was a little worse when running on plant fuel.”

That green goddess of fuel produces a lot more smoke and smog in the carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide forms than good old petroleum.  Also, the car needs to burn through more vegetable oil than gas to run, so the emissions from vegetable oil really add up.  Although we’ve not done any research, its likely that even the reviled Hummer H2 puts out way less emissions than an old, pre-catalyst Rabbit diesel does snorthing along on reconstituted fry oil.

As far as pricing goes, if you opt not to go the fast food leftovers route, which involves purifying the veggie oil, you can buy a Bakers and Chef’s 35 lbs box of vegetable oil at Sam’s Club for $19.88.  That evens out to be 4.71 gallons, or $4.22 a gallon.  Not a price saver…at least, right now.

Oh yeah, and it’s illegal, too. Vegetable oil is not registered by EPA for legal use in vehicles.
Certification is the only assurance that protects fuel converters from a tampering violation, but the EPA cannot certify for vehicles outside EPA’s defined useful life (about 10 years).  So, it’s illegal to convert something older than 10 years…and if it’s newer, get it certified. Traditional fuels (gasoline and petroleum diesel) include taxes to help with road work, so using fuel without paying taxes is considered tax evasion, too.

I’m not knocking the pros of using vegetable oil. The notion of sustainable, non-petrolium-based fuel sources are attractive, and maybe a full developed, infrastructure supported, EPA-approved version of this now-backyard tech has a future.  But it’s important to realize that its not the illusion bullet that some would have you believe. 

Source: EPA

Ford says it’s the only full-line maker to post a third-quarter income increase over 2008. It was up 5 percent over a year ago. It had a particularly bad Q3 of ‘08 however, which makes this year’s percentage change look more positive. Toyota sold 80,000 more cars and trucks in this third quarter and about 17,000 more for September, compared with Ford.

The new Taurus had a successful launch, with 5,077 sold in September, up 60.1 percent. That’s still half of Fusion sales.

Hyundai reported 31,511 cars and trucks sold, up 27 percent compared with last September. For the year so far, Hyundai is up 1.4 percent. If it combined its income with Kia, it would be just 3,000 units short of Nissan North USA sales, which includes Infiniti.

GM remains the biggest U.S. seller, moving 30,000 more units than Toyota for the month, although income fell 45 percent compared with September ‘08. Sales chief Mark LaNeve points to an employee pricing promotion that supported GM income in August and September ‘08, just before its 100th birthday. He says that because October ’08’s income nosedived, off 45 percent for GM to 170,576, October ’09’s year-over-year change won’t be nearly as bad. Next month’s percentage-change should be much closer to Ford’s for this month.

Amidst GM’s bad news, it claims market share rose to about 21 percent for September 2009. FoMoCo (Ford, Lincoln and Mercury – Volvo is counted separately) also saw market share getting stronger, and claimed 15 percent for the month.

Ford estimates September’s industry Seasonal Adjusted Annual Rate in the low-9-million range and GM says the quarterly SAAR was about 11.7 million, bolstered by the strength of the Cash for Clunkers program of July and August.

F-Series had a strong month, up 3.5-percent to 33,877 to remain the nation’s bestseller, while Ford sold just 10,834 Fusions, up 9.0 percent. That midsize sedan has been a strong seller in recent months, sometimes breaching 20,000. In light of how well small, fuel-efficient cars sold during the C for C period, GM says luxury income had something of a rebound. Cadillac income were off just 8.8 percent, to 11,339, and it sold 2,866 SRXes, up 238 percent.

GM has about 12,000 ‘09 Saturns left. At September’s income rate, it will be out of vehicles in four months. LaNeve says Wednesday’s declaration that Penske Automotive had cut off negotiations to buy Saturn hasn’t yet affected GM’s production plans for Saturn for 2010.

Chevrolet Camaro remains the bestseller in its segment, at 7,961, versus 4,917 Ford Mustangs (+0.1 percent) and 1,778 Dodge Challengers (-25 percent).

And so, to the numbers …

GM: 156,673, off 45 percent.
*Of Old GM, Saturn was off 83.8 percent to 2,993 sold, Pontiac was off 52.5 percent to 11,079, Saab was off 72.6 percent, to 484 and Hummer was off 81.5 percent, to 426.
*GMC was off 53.0 percent, to 18,359, Chevy was off 40.7 percent to 102,583.
*Cadillac was off just 8.8 percent, to 11,339, outselling Buick, which was off 33.0 percent, to 9,455.
*Chevy Malibu, off 46.9 percent to 10,479, nearly caught Ford Fusion’s 10,834.
*Chevy Equinox was up 93.7 percent, to 6,840.
*Big modern wagon/crossover faceoff continues: Chevy Traverse, 6,863; Honda Pilot, 5,438 (+0.5%), Toyota Highlander, 5,216 (-12.6%), Dodge Journey, 2,989 (-38%), Ford Flex, 2,033 (+3.8%).

Toyota-Scion-Lexus: 126,015, off 16.1 percent.
*Toyota Camry was off 16.2 percent, at 25,745 sold.
*Corolla was not far behind, off 6.6 percent, to 20,741.
*Prius was off just 3 percent, to 10,984.
*Scion xB was off 51.4 percent (1,539), xD was off 63.4 percent (912) and tC was off 55.9 percent (1,232).
*Tundra fell 21.3 percent, to 6,308.
*Lexus sold 1,242 of its new HSes; its IS was up 5.5-percent, to 3,346 units.
*All other Lexus models lost sales, save for the new RX crossover, up 70.3 percent, to 8,228.

Ford-Lincoln-Mercury: 109,939, off 5.8 percent.
*While Fusion was up 9 percent, Ford Focus income fell 11.3 percent, to 9,182.
*Ford sold 1,527 Transit Connect vans.
*Lincoln had no gainers. Total division income was 5,980, off 21 percent.
*Mercury Milan was off 5 percent, to 1,574.

American Honda (includes Acura): 77,229, off 23.3 percent.
*20,826 Honda Accords sold, off 10.6 percent.
*Civic was off 28.4 percent, to 16,093.
*Fit was off a whopping 51.6 percent, to 3,284.
*And Odyssey fell 48.9 percent, to 5,735.
*Acura had no gainers. Sales fell 30.3 percent, to 7,259.

Chrysler LLC: 62,197, off 42 percent.
*Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger continue to far outsell what should be the volume models, Sebring and Avenger.
*Nearly every nameplate was down severely, often thanks to low inventory.
*Chrysler claims a 56-day supply, which is a good, below-average number.
*Jeep Grand Cherokee was up 23 percent, to 5,601.
*But Compass was off 90 percent, to 101 units.
*Dodge Caliber was off 89 percent, to 654.
*Ram was off 35 percent, to 13,452.
*And combined Dodge Caravan/Chrysler T&C sold 7,723, versus 20,285 a year ago.
 
Nissan-Infiniti: 55,393, off 7 percent.
*Nissan and Infiniti had a relatively good month, with several models posting income increases, but several were low-volume models anyway:
*Maxima, 5,901 (+18.1%).
*370Z/350Z, 802 (+53.1%).
*Frontier, 2,164 (+41.1%).
*Xterra, 1,480 (+8.7%).
*Pathfinder, 1,481 (+37.3%).
*Rogue, 5,089 (+0.7%).
*Quest, 558 (+36.1%).
*G sedan, 2,831 (+5.8%).
*G coupe, 1,281 (+14.3%).
*QX56, 677 (+52.1%).

OTHERS …

Hyundai’s total was 31,511, up 27 percent. It sold 1,665 Genesis sedans and coupes, up from 1,029 sedans a year ago. It sold 7,010 Santa Fes, up from 4,676.

Kia announced its best-ever quarter and a 24.4-percent rise in income for September, to 21,623 for the month. It sold 4,449 of its new Forte compact models.

Volkswagen was up 1.5 percent, to 17,358; Subaru was up 1 percent, to 14,593 with the new Legacy up 24 percent and the new Outback actuation income up 63 percent; Mazda was off 12 percent, to 14,234; Mitsubishi sold 4,712 vehicles.

Of the premium manufacturers, BMW Group, including Mini, had a positive month for the first time this year. Sales rose 3.6 percent, to 19,175. BMW brand sold 15,047, up 2.1 percent. Mini was up 9.7 percent, to 4,128. technologist AG sold 17,799 units, off 13.4 percent, with Mercedes-Benz off 9.6 percent, to 16,985 and smart USA off 54.2 percent, to 814. Volvo, which FoMoCo counts separately, was up 16.3 percent, to 4,716. At 828 units, the new XC60 was its third-best seller, behind S40 and XC90. Jaguar Land Rover fell 14 percent, to 3,106. Land Rover income were off 15 percent, to 2,226 while Jaguar income fell 9 percent, to 880. Jaguar/LR is down 23 percent for the year to-date.

The Kia Sorento is coming back for 2011, after taking MY2010 off, and it's nothing like the original. It's finally a unit-body crossover SUV that's in step with the times. It has the grappling of a Forte, thanks to Kia's designer in chief, Peter Schreyer, and it's the first Kia to be built at the company's new plant in West Point, Georgia.

Engineering Editor diplomatist Kavanagh had the pleasure of driving it in Atlanta's recent monsoon, and he reports that it's an agreeable five-passenger crossover with the ability to carry two additional kids in an optional third-row seat that's just large enough not to be silly. Like the Toyota RAV4 and Chevrolet Equinox, it offers both four-cylinder and V6 engine options, and like those two, its overall demeanor is decidedly car-like.

Perhaps best of all, Kia plans to keep prices within $200 of the tired, body-on-frame 2009 Sorento, whose base MSRP range stretched from $21K to $27K.

First Drive: 2011 Kia Sorento

Here are the final 15 cars and, after the jump, the final 10 trucks (and SUVs and vans) under consideration for the 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. As always, a jury of senior-level automotive media will vote on the two awards, and the results will be announced at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

BMW 335d
Buick LaCrosse
Cadillac CTS Wagon
Chevrolet Camaro
Ford Fusion/Fusion Hybrid
Ford Taurus
Honda Insight
Kia Soul
Mazda3/Mazdaspeed3
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Porsche Panamera
Subaru Legacy
Suzuki Kizashi
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf/GTI

Back at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, Mitsubishi showed a Lancer-based crossover SUV that was smaller than the production Outlander. It was called the cX. This is the production version of Mitsu's compact crossover.

It still doesn't have a real study but sources close to the project say it will go on understanding in Nihon soon. It's also a go for the European market later in 2010, and the production version will be at the Geneva Auto Show next spring. And the U.S.? We hear we're still a maybe.

The more extravagant show-car aspects of the original cX have been relaxed in favor of a more conventional package with strong Lancer overtones — the corporate grille is impossible to miss. The size of this image appears to place the cX in the crosshairs of the Nissan Rogue.

The concept cX had a 1.8-liter turbodiesel four, rated at 134 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 207 pound-feet of torque at 2,000 rpm, which we imagine the European production version will get. For Japan (and maybe the U.S.), though, either the global 2.0-liter or 2.4-liter gasoline inline-4 is more likely. The optional all-wheel-drive system should be similar to the Outlander's. 

It still needs a proper name, though.

Another photo after the jump.

Photo source: Geoff Robinson Photography via Daily Mail

It happened during filming of a stunt for Top Gear, of course, and saint May was aboard a camper van held aloft by an airship, or blimp, or if you prefer, dirigible. Strong winds blew the blimp off course, and it ended up on its side in a farmer's field off the A428, the Daily Mail reported. May emerged unharmed, but the winds evidently precluded shooting another take. Thanks to Bob Holland for the tip.

Daily Mail

The Nissan Micra/March is the B segment Nissan most of the world gets instead of, or in addition to, the larger Renault-based Versa and the Cube. Today Nissan released sketches of the next March/Micra hatchback.

They're very preliminary, obviously, but the importance of this car is undeniable. It will be sold everywhere, and given tightening fuel economy standards, it's doable a version of it might come to the U.S.

So far, all we know is some information out of Thailand that 1.2-liter and 1.3 gasoline engines will be offered in the version sold there, along with a 1.4-liter diesel. The smallest gas engine would evidently be good for 47 mpg, but it's likely the diesel would top that.

The second sketch is after the jump.

IL News: Nissan Offers First Look at Future Global Compact Car

Among U.S. cities with a population of 1 million or more, Detroit had the highest unemployment rate at 17.9 percent as of August 2009. Not surprisingly, this is the highest figure ever recorded for the Detroit metro area (Warren and Livonia included) since the Department of Labor began keeping tabs 26 years ago.

Metro Detroit's unemployment rate increased 7.9 percent year-over-year from August 2008 — also the highest in the nation.

Bureau of Labor Statistics via Christian Science Monitor

Though we've covered the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V8 for the 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty quite a bit lately, Contributor Mark Williams takes a much closer look at the details of this redesign in our official First Look article.

He tells you why the the new Power Stroke diesel should be more refined, and hopefully, more reliable than previous Power Strokes, and he tells you why the new 6.2-liter V8 gas engine is a bit like the famed Boss 302.

Perhaps the most useful thing about this Super Duty revamp, though, is the attention Ford has given to this heavy-duty series truck's number one activity: towing. It goes well beyond the new six-speed automatic's tow/haul mode, and extends to a new productivity interface that allows you to accommodate drivetrain settings for the weight of your trailer, monitor transmission temp in real time, and even confirm that your trailer lights are working.

First Look: 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty

Penske Automotive called off discussions to buy Saturn from GM Wednesday because it could not find a new supplier. The move has effectively killed the Saturn brand dead.

Here’s the pertinent sentence in Penske’s statement announcing its decision to nix the deal: “Penske Automotive Group negotiated the terms and conditions of an agreement with another manufacturer; however, that agreement was rejected by that manufacturer’s board of directors.”

Which manufacturer was it? Most news accounts had Penske buying GM-Saturn replacements from Renault, which would have sourced the cars through its South Korean affiliate, Samsung. Another possibility was a Chinese automaker, rumored to be either SAIC, Chery or FAW.

I still believe Penske’s deal would have instead involved Renault’s alliance partner, Nissan, which has too much excess capacity here. Roger Penske was said to prefer his Saturns be built in North America.

GM had previously indicated that it would have supplied the current Saturn Aura, Vue and Outlook to Penske Automotive for another two to three years. But Penske has apparently run out of time to find its post-GM supplier.

So what does this mean for GM and for Penske?

GM says any proceeds from the understanding of its Saturn division would not have seriously affected its bottom line. CEO Fritz Henderson’s plan to take GM stock public next year and to start paying back U.S. government loans will not be affected.

With the Penske deal off, GM’s dealer wind-down agreements stand. About 350 Saturn dealers will close by the end of 2010. There will be no 2011 Auras, Vues or Outlooks.

For Penske Automotive, it means its namesake, Roger Penske, will not become an automaker. Even if Penske had continued to run Saturn by sourcing cars and trucks from other automakers, he would have eventually needed some number of designers, engineers and marketing people to distinguish the Penske Saturns from his supplier’s cars, whether Nissans or Samsungs.

This isn’t the time to get into the auto business, even if you’re as smart and disciplined a businessman as Penske. For the next decade at least, Saturn would have been a modern-day American Motors or Studebaker, if that. It’s almost impossible to think of the man whose team has won more Indianapolis 500 than anybody, who has saved Detroit Diesel and Hertz truck leasing and who brought Daimler’s smart cars to U.S. as someone who would accept hand-me-down car designs.

Even the smart car deal, which doesn’t look like a great success right now, will probably benefit Penske in the future in his dealings with Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz. He is already among the most prominent Mercedes dealership owners worldwide.

The Penske-Saturn deal nearly fell apart back in August. Post-GM sourcing always has been the biggest hurdle. It’s not surprising that this deal fell through. The only surprise in this story was when GM and Penske signed the Memorandum of Understanding in the first place.