Most Americans are now seized by the “Devil Toyota” panic rampaging crossways this vast, enlightened nation of ours. Not me. I’m watching all this nonsense from the sidelines, popcorn bowl at hand. TV hasn’t been this entertaining since the O.J. trial — the first one.

Rather than attempt to explain how seemingly rational, intelligent humans can transform a mere automotive recall into a pandemic of four-wheeled Avian Flu, I’ve decided to make the best of the situation. Hey, at the Vancouver Olympics gold-medal snowboarder Shaun White performed unbelievable jumps, flips, spins, and the Double McTwist — just like today’s Toyotas! I see a new sport here!

Here’s a look at some recent standout entries from my new favorite athletic pursuit, Toyota Half-Pipe:

–Woman drives her 2009 Toyota Corolla out of her driveway, clear crossways the street, and through the front door of her neighbor’s Atlanta house. “She had her foot on the brake the whole time, and the car just kept on going, and next thing you know it hit the house and bam!” said the unfortunate homeowner, who did not actually witness his neighbor’s run accident.

Judges’ Scores, 1 through 10 (higher is better)
Originality: 6. Smashing into houses in itself is derivative, but said Corolla driver ingeniously chose an abode that had just been place up for sale.
Authenticity: 9. “I thought it was a movie,” said a friend of the driver’s. Nothing is more trusty than a movie.
Execution: 8. Brilliant marksmanship — right through the front door! Bonus points granted thanks to crack forensics team at CBS Atlanta News, which checked Corolla’s VIN number and discovered “It’s been recalled because of a doable problem with the accelerator.”
Medal: Lead. Just like the pressure applied to Corolla’s accelerator.

–Woman crashes into Pennsylvania laundromat. The 68-year-old driver of a 2007 Camry was “trying to place the vehicle in park when she says it just lurched forward and smashed into the Melody Cleaners.”

“I just felt sorry for the lady, but it wasn’t her fault,” said the laundromat’s owner.

Judges’ Scores
Originality: 5. The car-through-plate-glass thing fell on deaf judging ears, though the resulting foam party raised the points total slightly.
Authenticity: 4. Impressive broken glass, rubble, and dented industrial dryers, though low points for degree of difficulty.
Execution: 7. Admiration and applause for temporary halt to public exposure of jock straps and man-thongs.
Medal: Linoleum.

–86-year-old man says accelerator on his 2009 Camry became stuck, causing him to crash into the steps of his synagogue in Queens, New York. Along the way, hit two parked cars, flew over bushes, and narrowly missed bystanders.

Judges’ Scores
Originality: 8. Judges impressed by novel use of “place of worship” instead of conventional “convenience store.”
Authenticity: 3. Major deductions for near-absolute score on “age/crash” index.
Execution: 5. Flattened bushes poor substitute for burning bushes.
Medal: None. Israeli and Palestinian judges removed from panel following food fight.

–Southern California realtor can’t stop his violent Toyota Prius from barreling down Interstate 8 near San Diego at 90 mph — even with the brakes full on. Said the Olympic hopeful after the incident: “It was accelerating out of control. Period.”

Fortunately, thanks to some brilliant stunt work by the California Highway Patrol, after 30-40 miles the Prius eventually came to a innocuous stop.

Judges’ Scores
Originality: 4. Major points deducted for calling 911 mid-incident (sorry, seen that one before).
Authenticity: 3. Stinky, melted brakes aren’t proof that you couldn’t stop — more likely you’re a two-footer (see also “God’s Waiting Room Syndrome”).
Execution: 2. Major points deducted for having a 911 operator tell you to “turn off the ignition” and “put the car in neutral” but imperfectness to do so for up to 40 miles.
Medal: Gold. Despite low points total, judges honor most coveted accolade in the sport after driver reports he didn’t shift to neutral because “I thought the car would flip.”

General Motors North American President Mark Reuss is making a usage of conducting regular web chats at gmreinvention.com. Having recently returned from a gig running the Australian Holden operations, he’s been quickly moving up the corporate harm since last summer’s bankruptcy, and has impressed chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre with his hand’s-on approach to calling disgruntled customers. With Bob Lutz about to retire, Reuss is now GM’s chief car guy.

When one has that much contact with consumers, the automotive press and bloggers, the amount of real news from any given chat makes up a small percentage of time spent online — in this case, 60 minutes. And it’s hard not to blow out of proportion some of Reuss’ comments.

For example, in response to a question about the dead Pontiac division, Reuss seemed to be on the side of Lutz, who wanted to retain it as a tiny “niche” brand based solely on the G8. Reuss said the decision to completely kill off Pontiac came during bankruptcy.

“I would never say we would NEVER talk about Pontiac again (his emphasis). But, we need to pay back U.S. taxpayers too…and go public. And make money. And make Americans chesty of who we are again. Any other focus would be wrong.”

I agree, especially with the last part. While I grew up with Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Buicks in the ’60s, it’s pretty obvious that the U.S. market has been unable to accommodate so many middle brands with such minor distinctions since the ’80s, at the latest. When Bunkie Knudsen was promoted to Pontiac general manager in the ’50s, he was told to make it relevant, or kill it off. He prefabricated it relevant by making it sporty and youthful, while going upmarket with cars like the Bonneville and Catalina Grand Prix, encroaching on Oldsmobile’s territory in an era in which GM had such high market share that its divisions competed with apiece other instead of Ford, Chrysler and AMC.

There’s no room for that today, and there’s no room for a Pontiac in the future.

For saving Pontiac, Knudsen was promoted to general manager of Chevrolet. His Super Sport models, beginning in 1961, went after Pontiac’s now-sporty cars, just as Pontiac attacked Olds. Fact is, there is nothing a modern Pontiac could do that wouldn’t prompt loyal Chevrolet buyers and their dealerships to say, “we want that.” Anything Pontiac could have done in the next five years could be a Chevy SS. Consider how you’re all inactivity for Chevy to build a civilian Caprice or Impala off of the RWD Zeta Pontiac G8.

And that still may happen: when a web chatter titled Pete asked whether a Zeta RWD sedan is “still moving forward,” Reuss responded, “quite possibly, Pete.”

I asked whether last week’s reorganization of GM and its divisions’ income and marketing executives — punctuated by Cadillac General Manager Bryan Nesbitt returning to the design department — means that divisions now have less power in determining their model lineups, Reuss responded that the opposite is true.

“Previously, a small point but a large topic on the reorganization would indicate we had no North American planning in my organization — it was done centrally. So, to correct this I appointed Mary Sipes to do North American planning and fully integrate — next to the dealers and customers — planning by division.”

In other words, product planning was so centralized before the reorganization that North American product planning had no control of it. After the reorg, it starts with Reuss and Sipes with more involvement by the four individual brands, though it obviously never again be like the pre-Roger Smith days of divisional independence, when Chevy, Pontiac, Olds, Buick and Cadillac apiece designed their own engines. But with just four North American divisions from eight early last year, GM has things under much better control. Competition between Chevrolet and Buick-GMC dealers ought to be minimal.

Finally, one more interesting tidbit, from a question about GM’s bland paint colors. Reuss says Chevrolet will soon offer Atomic green, as previewed by a custom paint job at last November’s SEMA show, on the Camaro. Reuss likes the more colorful palette he saw at Holden, and is letting exterior design chief Mike Simcoe, an Aussie, “lead the charge” on more colorful paint for GM cars and trucks. He can start with the all-silver Cadillac displays I saw at the Chicago and Geneva motor shows.

MOTOR TREND CLASSIC has returned.  And with it comes coverage of “your Classics” and great barn finds from around the world. 

Please send us photos and a brief description of your old car.  Not really looking for hot rods and street rods here.  We take wide definition of “classic” but the less modified the better, but it can be a well-patina’d weekend toy, the mos important facto is coolness.

Please email your words and a medium to high res photo to me at Classic@motortrend.com

Also need great barn find stories and pix too.  Send ‘em to the same address. 

MTC will be a high quality, large format entrepot acquirable at select newsstands. Or you can pre-order your issues at https://www.circsource.com/store/Subscribe.html?offerId=3896.  Its expensive, but its our belief that all premium print products will be in time.

DETROIT – For Toyota, U.S. February income were conveniently reported last Tuesday, while much of the automotive press were in Geneva. It was convenient timing for General Motors, too. The erstwhile automotive giant reorganized its divisional executives on the same day we learned that Ford Motor Company income in the U.S. exceeded GM income in February, for the first time since 1998 – if you count Volvo income as part of Ford (which I haven’t, until now). As I noted from Geneva primeval this week, Ford may be reconsidering its pending deal to sell Volvo to China’s Geely.

The Explorer was largely responsible for FoMoCo beating GM in ‘98, and it’s hard to imagine a large sport/utility vehicle – body-on-frame or crossover – leading such a win today. In recent years, GM has had trouble offering up a single-model bestseller, because most favourite models also were Pontiacs, Saturns and Buicks as well as Chevrolets.

No more, and this is why heads rolled just as last month’s income were reported. GM’s new, constantly shifting management, has said it expects to catch Pontiac and Saturn buyers with its latest Chevy and Buick offerings, which means it expects to hold on to about 21-percent market share. It should have benefitted from Toyota’s problems, which includes the fact that some buyers were scared off last month, while others couldn’t buy certain models for more than a week as Toyota froze income while it fixed throttle problems.

Leave out Volvo’s income from Ford and income of 3,102 Pontiacs, Saturns, Saabs and Hummers from GM, and GM edges out Ford by 1,205 units. We’re falling into the model I’ve long mentioned; North America, like Western Europe, will be dominated by three major automakers (not necessarily the same ones for apiece market) taking about 18-percent market share each. Toyota isn’t cooperating in that plan for the U.S. for the moment, though.

Mid-size sedans continue to make up the heart of the market, and the Honda Accord, 22,456 (+40.6 percent) far outsold the Toyota Camry, 16,552 (-19.8 percent), Ford Fusion, 16,459 (+116.5 percent), Nissan Altima, 16,198 (+1.2 percent) and Chevrolet Malibu, 15,150 (+31.6 percent).

That huge percentage increase in Fusion income certainly has something to do with the fact that Ford was clearing out old ‘09 models this time last year as it prepared for the much-improved ‘10 model, Motor Trend’s Car of the Year. But even with income just short of the Camry and Fusion, it’s obvious GM needs to do something about the Malibu as it talks about how important the Chevrolet brand is to the company’s future. If the new Buick LaCrosse is any indication, the shift from Epsilon I to the Epsilon II platform could help, although that’s at least two years off.

By the way, I thought it might be an interesting little exercise to compare various midsize models sharing platforms. If you combine the favourite midsize sedans with their often higher-profit-margin platform mates, here’s what you get: Accord/TSX/TL: 26,989; Altima/Maxima: 21,499, Fusion/Milan/MKZ: 20,895; Malibu/LaCrosse: 19,195 and Camry/ES 350: 18,901.

Here’s a quick look at America’s Big Six. I’ll be back with a full report on March income in primeval April …

Ford: 142,285, up 43.1 percent.

• F-Series sold 32,895, up 39.3 percent. GM wasn’t even close, with 27,118 for Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra combined. Chrysler sold 10,267 Ram pickups (-29 percent), Toyota sold 5,468 Tundras (-4.5 percent) and Nissan sold 1,721 Titans (+14.1 percent).
• After F-Series, Fusion was the next-bestseller, then Escape, up 50.2 percent, to 15,156. 
• Then Focus, up 38.4 percent, to 13,708. Taurus was up 93.3 percent (again, compared with an outgoing model), to 6,359 and outsold Mustang.
• Subtract Volvo’s 4,641 sold (+38.3 percent) and FoMoCo moved 137,644, up 43.3 percent.

GM: 141,951, up 11.5 percent.

• Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac accounted for 138,849 of that, up 32.2 percent.
• Chevy Camaro leads its segment, at 6,482 units, versus 5,115 Ford Mustangs (-71.1 percent) and 2,145 Dodge Challengers (-35 percent). Hyundai does not break out coupe income from Genesis, which sold 1,762 last month.
• Chevy Silverado was 19,822, up 0.2 percent. Sierra was 6,296, off 1.6 percent.
• At Cadillac, car income fell, with CTS down 17.5 percent to 2,690, while sport/utility income were up. SRX rose 541.7 percent (yes, that’s right) to 3,542, making it the most favourite Cadillac model, and Escalade was 1,418, up 14.5 percent. Escalade ESV was up 32.7 percent, to 552 and the EXT was off 38.6 percent, to 102.

Toyota/Lexus/Scion: 100,027, off 8.7 percent.

• Corolla, at 16,996 (-6.1 percent) outsold Camry’s 16,552 (-19.8 percent).
• Prius was up 10.2 percent, to 7,968.
• RAV4 was down 19 percent, to 6,799.
• Toyota division, including Scion, was off 10.3 percent, to 52,827.
• Scion accounted for just 3,027 units among three models.
• Lexus was up 5.2 percent, to 13,787.
• Gainers included Tacoma, up 5.7 percent, to 8,325, 4Runner, up 54.7 percent to 2,973, Lexus GX, up 185.5 percent, to 1,473 and Lexus LS, up 14.1 percent, to 799.

Chrysler: 84,449, up 0 percent, or +399 vehicles.

• Losing the hood strakes continues to be to Chrysler’s advantage, with the Sebring up 118 percent, to 3,160. Dodge Avenger was up 78 percent, to 3,442.
• Chrysler 300 was up 62 percent, to 4,487. Dodge Charger was up 55 percent, to 10,363, and it looks like they’re still selling cop cars.
• Jeep Patriot was up 38 percent, to 2,986. Grand Cherokee was up 40 percent, to 6,614. All other Jeeps were down.
• Wrangler, for example, fell 34 percent, to 5,967.
• Dodge Journey was off 10 percent, to 4,139, though Caravan was up 4 percent, to 9,390.

Honda/Acura: 80,671, up 16.7 percent.

• Honda division was up 12.7 percent, to 71,732, while Acura was up 16.7 percent, to 8,939.
• Acura’s cars all were down, while its SUVs were up. MDX rose 64.9 percent, to 3,266, for example.
• Civic was up 5 percent, to 16,471. 
• Fit was down 31.1 percent, to 2,925, and Honda sold 2,104 Insights.

Nissan/Infiniti: 70,189, up 29.4 percent.

• Nissan was up 31.9 percent, to 63,148. Infiniti was up 10.7 percent, to 7,041.
• Nissan Versa was strong, up 130.1 percent, to 11,609.
• Maxima was up 89.5 percent, to 5,301.
• Xterra was up 34.8 percent, to 1,490, and Rogue was up 11.4 percent, to 6,143.
• Murano fell 1.7 percent, to 4,056.

It seems as though every auto show for the past six or eight years has attempted to out-green the last one, but the 80th annual Geneva show featured more electric, hybrid, and fuel cell cars than I can ever remember seeing on one show floor. Not counting the boutique company stands, it was a struggle to find anybody in Geneva that wasn’t touting some manner of electric drive. The good news for us enthusiasts is that this technology is now being used for evil as well as good–if you consider using that electrification to boost performance as the evil side of green. Below are highlights of these and a few other technologies I encountered on the show floor.

Ferrari 599 Hy-KERS

This concept is still in its infancy. The show car was just completed and will commence dyno testing upon its return to Italy. According to Franco Cimatti, Concept Engineering Manager, the net weight increase of the hybrid system is 176 pounds, which shifts the weight bias by a welcome two-percent toward the rear. Only 44 pounds of that comes from the lithium-ion battery pack, which is divided into two one-inch thick aluminum-sheathed units packaged beneath the floor in openings cut in the underbody tray. They’re as smooth and flat as the aero tray, and the air cooling saves the mass of a battery cooling circuit. The batteries store 3 kWhrs, enough for about 10 km (6 miles) of Euro city-cycle range or 10-12 seconds of auxiliary thrust with the hammer down. The 80-kW (107-horsepower) electric motor powers the dual-clutch transmission’s odd-gear shaft, but by selecting neutral on the odd gears and closing the odd-gear clutch, it also powers the car when even gears are selected. (This works because Ferrari’s exceptionally robust triple-cone synchronizers can engage and disengage way quicker than most.) A separate motor in the front runs the accessories. Many other opportunities for weight savings and driving dynamic improvements may establish doable as development continues. For example:

• Use the electric motor’s regenerative capabilities to rapidly slow the engine for faster gearshifts
• Use the electric motor to smooth the resonance vibration peaks that naturally occur in the transmission during hard acceleration
• Eliminate reverse gear and drive the car backward electrically

It remains to be seen how customers would react to a silently accelerating Ferrari, and Cimatti is opposed to adding weight for external speakers generating synthetic noise, but concedes that in-vehicle speakers could serenade the driver with faux V-12 music. It’s also unknown how one might jump-start the car if the entire battery system discharged (a voltage converter supplies 12 volts for ancillaries, and only a tiny 12-volt battery is used to power the broadcasting preset memory and energize the car for startup). We’ll be keeping a close eye on Maranello’s hybrid efforts. 

Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid

Behold the hybrid, as conceived on the altar of lightweight. This Chevy-Volt-style series hybrid shaves mass by using a dedicated three-cylinder range-extending engine with an aluminum monoblock that integrates the block, head and exhaust manifold in one casting. The engine weighs just 187 pounds and runs on gasoline, ethanol, methanol, or any combination of the three.  Acceleration to 60 mph is claimed to take less than 4 seconds. Electric-only range is quoted at 35 miles, with hybrid range at 307. One of the coolest tech tricks here is the “HALOsonic” Internal and External Electronic Sound Synthesis system which offers four driver selectable engine sounds–a V-6, a V-12, a futuristic sound (think Tron bike) and a combination of the futuristic one overlaid on the conventional engine. The system, designed in conjunction with Harmon International, grew out of a noise-cancellation effort (which will also be employed to mask the monotone of the range-extender when it kicks in). Steering wheel paddles direct HALOsonic and the power controller to simulate the sound and feel of accelerating with a seven-speed twin-clutch. Using them during acceleration will blunt acceleration a bit (it has to taper torque slightly before apiece shift to give you the up-shift shove in the back), but it’s quite useful for providing precise control of the regenerative braking during deceleration.

To optimize handling, power is delivered by two electric motors at the rear, driving apiece of the rear wheels independently via a single speed gear reduction integrated into a common transmission housing. This enables torque vectoring for stability control and enhanced turn-in. Each motor is limited to providing 204 horsepower and 295pound-feet of torque to its wheel. Lithium Polymer battery chemistry provides 17 kWH of energy storage capacity. The battery pack is optimized for energy density, efficiency and high power demand, with over 100 kW discharge capability. I’m hot to sample this lightweight riff on the E-sportscar.

Porsche 918 Spyder and GT3 R Hybrid

Porsche takes the plug-in hybrid concept and adds an F1-style steering-wheel button for a push-to-pass power boost (when that 500-plus horsepower V-8 alone isn’t quite enough) and a pair of torque-vectoring motors on the front axle to get enthusiasts onboard with going green. Porsche claims its plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder is quicker around the Nurburgring Nordschleife than its Carrera GT forebear–just under 7:30.

And for even more extreme duty, the endurance-racing-optimized GT3 R Hybrid mounts a twin-electric-motor drive unit at the front axle, with apiece motor capable of delivering 80 horsepower to its wheel, with more going to the outside wheel in a turn (torque vectoring). But to enable these motors to recover a lot of braking energy very quickly–way more than it would be doable to feed into a chemical battery–the recovered energy is used to spin up a flywheel. Yes, Porsche is planning to place the flywheel energy storage device on the track. You’ll recall that Chrysler tried to power a LeMans image racer with a flywheel and met with disastrous results, but that was a very large flywheel storing many orders of magnitude more energy storage capacity. This one is compact (it fits on the passenger side floor), low mass, and spins at 40,000 rpm. Its mass is easily contained within its ribbed aluminum housing. And if something does go awry, the flywheel stops, and all energy is dissipated–this isn’t always the case with electric batteries. The Porsche system provides 6-8 seconds of E-Boost at a time. Porsche plans to run the car at the 24-hours of Nurburgring on May 15-16. We’ll be cheering for the flywheel.

Audi A1 E-Tron

In another interesting riff on the Chevy-Volt-style plug-in hybrid, Audi proposes fitting a tiny 254cc single-rotor Wankel engine under the cargo area floor. No detailed information about the Wankel engine or its supplier was divulged, but together with the power generator and electronics, it weighs only 154 pounds. And as you’ll recall from those Mazda ads way back when, the engine goes “hummmm,” spinning smoothly at a constant 5000 rpm creating no perceptible noise or vibration in the cabin, and just 65 dBA when measured from outside and directly behind the car and hearing the exhaust. The engine produces 15 kW (20 hp) and extends the 50-km (31-mile) range by 124 miles, running on 3.2 gallons of fuel. Another cool feature: If you program your destination into the navigation system, using Audi’s three-dimensional database, it tailors the control of the range-extender so that, for instance, if it knows you’re going to drive up a hill and back down again, it won’t fire the engine knowing it’s about to get a dose of regeneration on the way down. It can also ensure that there’s sufficient range to run silent in a no-combustion town center at the end of the journey. This seems like a great application of the little smooth-running Wankel.

NLV Solar Quant

The vast majority of the battery packs shown on the floor were variations on the Lithium-ion theme, but NLV Solar’s Quant  concept envisioned a redox-flow energy storage system. Redox-flow “batteries” work a little like a fuel cell, but with two liquid electrolytes separated by a proton-exchange membrane through which the electrons flow. Advantages include the possibility of very fast discharge (high power output), high tolerance of overload, and the possibility of fast recharging by replacing the spent electrolyte liquids with fresh–though this presents its own infrastructure challenges. To date, the concept’s relatively low energy density has conspired to keep these (usually vanadium-based) systems out of mobile applications (they’re favourite as uninterrupted power supply emergency backup generators because of their quick response to big loads). But maybe the Swiss know something the rest of us don’t? Being in the solar business, NLV also claims to have coated the Quant concept with a photovoltaic solar-energy capturing coating that is applied using chemical vapor deposition techniques. Even with the entire body absorbing energy, it’s only enough to power the accessory loads. We’ll keep an eye on this concept, but we’re not holding our breath.

GENEVA – This show is so full of new product and of concepts optimistic of an electric and internal combustion future that you’d never know we’re still scratching our way out of the greatest recession since the Great Depression. Having a lot of good, new product can near demand, at least a bit, so we should be in for better times. On day two, I finally had a chance to see most of the show and get a closer look at the stuff I covered on day one. Some observations:

Buzz of the show: Will Ford Motor Company end negotiations with Geely and hold on to Volvo? The Swedish maker lost $700 million for Ford in 2008, but lost only $30 million last year, and it’s expected to more or less break even this year. Argument for keeping it? Volvo could be a premium supplement to Ford of Europe, where its most extravagant car is the Mondeo, just like Lincoln supplements North American Ford with higher profit margin cars. Argument against? Mulally is dedicated to his One Ford plan.

Trend of the show, Part I: sporty, fun-to-drive green cars, as exemplified by Porsche’s 918 Spider hybrid concept. The trend began at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Trend of the show, Part II: matte paint finishes, all over the place. I especially like the Bentley Continental Super Sports in matte gray and the Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid concept (see Part I) in matte copper.

Best in show, worst of names: Pininfarina’s concept for a new-age Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider, wearing the convoluted badge, 2uettottanta. Build it with a retro Duetto Spider badge instead, and we will make sure the Chrysler-Alfa dealerships are filled with American customers.

Nearly best in show: Peugeot SR1 concept has a carbon fiber body prefabricated of a “preformed profile” structure derived from sailboat construction. Looks like the offspring of an Aston Martin Vantage convertible and a Honda S2000. Its white paint thins on the hood to subtly show off the carbon fiber. It features Bell + Ross gauges and a folding hardtop. The 1.6-liter gas four makes 218 horsepower and the electric motor in the rear puts out 95 horsepower (both numbers European measurement). The car has all-wheel-drive and Peugeot claims 4.9 liters per 100 kilometers, or 48 mpg, for the new 3008 hybrid the company will build with this powertrain next year. And that mileage doesn’t even statement for the high-tech Pug cycle on display with the SR1.

A small Chevy too far: Spark. The Korean-built sub-Aveo smells of the interior plastics or adhesives that Hyundai and Kia gave up on years ago. The door-shut calibre is poor, and it will have to cost substantially less than the Aveo (which should be about $14,000-$15,000) for any Americans to buy it.

Perhaps Chevy could mitigate the Spark with this interior: the dr CW20 is a tiny station auto from the Italian company that builds tiny cars out of Chinese Chery knock-down-kits. The CW20, powered by a 1.3- or 1.5-liter horizontally opposed four features a faux alligator interior trim, on the dash, door panels and seat inserts, in blood red. Nice.

Color-drained Cadillacs: General Motors needs to get out of the usage of monochromatic Cadillac displays. All the Caddys on its stand were painted Mercedes silver. Try some colors, Cadillac. Or, what the heck, go for matte finishes.

Maybe this premium hatchback thing will work for us, after all: The Audi A1 looks like another upscale hatch that could sell substantially in the U.S., along with the Mini Cooper and (potentially) the Fiat 500. It’s a distinctive small car with a typically high-quality Audi interior, and reeks of environmental responsibility and respect for crowded cities without giving up the brand’s dynamics. The c-pillar and hatchback lid, viewed from the side, looks a bit like the Fiat 500, but otherwise, it’s way more distinctive than the A3, which has suffered in the U.S. for being priced too closely to the A4 sedan.

You could spend tens of thousands here without buying a car: The various “collections,” from Audi to Mercedes to Bentley to Ferrari to Subaru are irresistible, save for my budget. I could spend new car money on the 1:43 models alone. Great Bentley cufflinks, too.

Better and more appropriate than expected: Despite being the biggest Mini on record, the Countryman is still shorter than the Volkswagen Golf. As the first Mini with roll-down rear windows, it would make a good dog-carrier. The interior is typical BMW calibre and Mini high style, though with some sticker creep, no doubt. I suspect this model will easily make the $30,000 to $40,000 range.

Trend of the show, Part III: Tall b-, b/c- and c-segment hatchbacks often parading as sport-utility crossovers. This may be the most perfectly sized new vehicle segment for both the North American and European markets, but some work better than others. The BMW X1 seems a contrivance, with enough room for four passengers — just like the X3 — with very limited cargo space. Nissan’s oddly titled Juke tries to pack as much styling into too small a package, resulting in a very busy exterior. We don’t need headlamps and taillamps like that. The Opel Meriva seems the most honest of this configuration. It’s not trying to be a crossover, and it has more flexible seating than a Honda Fit.

Peter Schreyer continues to transform Kia: With its new Sportage, Kia has gone from good-enough design to cutting edge design in one swell foop. The crossover’s rakish c-pillars inject some sport into this sport-utility.

Nice headlamp treatment: Citroen Survolt.

Nice stitching: The leather interior treatment in the new Volvo S60. Especially the stitching for the sumptuously covered steering wheel. It’s a good design with a nicely upgraded interior, but it’s not as revolutionary as the concepts had promised. Just good, solid, modern Swedish design.

Nice paint job: The medium gray metallic Honda CR-Z on display looks better in this color than in red or white. Still, it looks too much like a fat CRX.

Too many clues: Despite what Dieter Zetsche said about Mercedes-Benz’s F800 Style concept Tuesday, I’ve also heard that it previews the next C-Class. That could mean that Mercedes, which is proliferating into new segments at a crazy rate, sees room for a C-based “four-door sport coupe,” one smaller than the CLS. Mercedes still plans a line of smaller-than-C-Class cars, probably most or all of them with front-wheel-drive.

Blade Runner redux?: Honda 3R-C concept. Looks like there would be too little room for the single drivers to use mobile phones on the road. That’s a good thing, by the way.

Behind the curve: The new Nissan Micra, which will go on understanding in North USA primeval next year. Unless this modular world car gets much different styling and upgraded materials for the U.S., the Ford Fiesta should take its lunch. The interior is dark and cheep, not cheerful, and the hood closes like it’s prefabricated of soda can tin. Then again, the Micra could force down the average transaction price in the U.S. of the new Fiesta.

Another premium hatchback that might sell to Americans: The Lexus CT200h, calibre concerns aside. It looks so much better than its sedan sibling, the HS 250h that this should be a relatively favourite model for Prius customers who would rather experience a Lexus dealership.

Ciao, bella: Alfa Romeo’s new Giulietta hatchback. Quality image in the U.S. aside, what’s better than a premium front-drive hatchback done with that peerless Italian flair? With space for two collies in the back and a cycle demolition on top, and a better name, could be the practical alternative to Pininfarina’s Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta concept.

It’s been a good Geneva Show. The somber mood of last year has definitely changed for the better. Business is still tough, but many automakers are recording improved sales, and, importantly, starting to make some money. But best of all, it’s a show crowded with interesting and desirable machinery we just can’t move to get our hands on. So here, in no particular order, are the Geneva cars we’re most looking forward to driving…

PORSCHE 918 SPYDER
Porsche’s hybrid supercar concept is the star of the show, and the good news is that while it’s a concept, it’s anything but vaporware. The 918 Spyder’s technical specification reads like a science experiment and its claimed performance like science fiction. But as Mike Connor reports, Porsche is apparently considering building  a strictly limited run of production versions — maybe 750 to 1250 in total — using a similar business model as the Carerra GT’s. Significantly, Porsche CEO Michael Macht prefabricated a point of saying the company has only ever shown one concept car that never prefabricated it into production. So consider our hand up for the first drive. Please form an orderly line to the left.

ALFA ROMEO GUILIETTA
If this is how the Italians do a mainstream hatch, then call us middle of the road. The Alfa Romeo Guilietta’s hardware might read pretty much like that of any number of C-segment hatches from Focus to Golf, but look at the wrapper. The Guilietta is flat-out gorgeous, from the 8C-inspired front end with traditional Alfa shield grille to the sensuously humped haunches at the rear. And it brings back one of the great obloquy from Alfa’s storied back catalog, along with a legendary Alfa Romeo engine capacity — 1750cc. With 235 hp on tap, and Italian chassis tuning, the Guilietta 1750 should be a worthy VW GTI rival. We can’t move to find out if it is.

MINI COUNTRYMAN
Can BMW make the Mini illusion work in a taller, larger, heavier crossover package? We want to know, which is why the new Countryman is near the top of our must drive list for 2010. The Countryman has full-time all-wheel drive which allows up to 100 percent of the torque to be directed to the rear wheels in extreme conditions, and will be acquirable with either six speed manual or six speed automatic transmissions. The base Cooper Countryman will be powered by a 122 hp 1.6-liter four, but we’ll be reaching for the keys to the Cooper S version, which is powered by a 184 hp 1.6-liter turbo with BMW’s new twin scroll turbocharger, direct injection and variable valve timing.

FORD FOCUS WAGON
Yeah, yeah, we know the only way most Americans will buy wagons is if they can be conned into thinking they’re actually buying a crossover vehicle. But there’s something wonderfully endearing  about a small, efficient  wagon, especially one rolling on a chassis tuned by the handling whizzes at Ford of Europe. We want to drive one just to see what we’re going to miss out on here in America. And if we’re going to do the whole Euro-cruise thing, we may as well go the whole hog. So next time we’re on the other side of the Pond, we’ll be putting in a request for one with the 161 hp, 2.0-liter Duratorq TDCI diesel and six speed dual clutch transmission. Purely in the interest of research, you understand.

VOLVO S60
To be honest, we’re not sure about the new S60. Steve Mattin’s undulating bone line along the bodyside and that drooping front end has removed some of the carefully honed and cleverly understated elegance Volvos gained under the design stewardship of Peter Horbury. Having left Ford, Horbury is back in Gothenburg, so we’re expecting a return to form on the design front. What we want to know now is whether Volvo has finally figured out how to get the ride and handling equilibrise right. As the new S60 shares some of its basic platform hardware with the new Ford Focus, we’re expecting great things, especially for the 304 hp T6 turbo.

BENTLEY MULSANNE
We’ll drive the new Mulsanne in Scotland at the end of April, and it should be quite an experience. Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen and engineering director Ulrich Eichhorn are about as passionate and knowledgeable a pair of car guys as you’ll find in this business, and they have poured their heart and soul into this car, taking on even the formidable Ferdinand Piech in their quest to re-invent the eventual Bentley limousine, pushrod turbocharged V-8 and all. The Mulsanne is big and fast and glorious; Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance rendered in metal, glass and rubber. But is it a better ultra-luxury car than Rolls-Royce’s stunning new Ghost? There’s only one way to find out…

AUDI RS5
Who says you can have too much of a good thing? We love the 350 hp Audi S5, so the 450 hp RS5 has to be that much better. That direction injection 4.2-liter V-8 under the hood develops its peak power at 8250rpm, a seven speed dual clutch transmission is standard, and between 60 and 85 percent of the torque is sent to the rear wheels at all times. The sheet metal is Sophia Loren incarnate, an artful mix of elegance and voluptuousness, and there’s room aboard for four. What’s not to like? But will it come to the U.S.? “We still debating that,” admits Audi board member Peter Schwarzenbauer. “Justin Timberlake is actuation for us to do it.” Sounds like a good enough reason to us.

GENEVA – technologist CEO Dieter Zetsche confirmed, kind of, that the F800 Style concept previews a future Mercedes-Benz four-door, but of course refrained from saying just what that is.

“We built a research car which should demonstrate our technological path to the future, and…the somewhat new styling…strategy, direction for the future.”

In other words, we will see plug-in hybrid Mercedes and fuel cell Mercedes in the years to come. It’s the styling that counts now.

“There are cars which will come to the market sooner and some which will come later, so the ones which come sooner obviously will reflect those thoughts first. But this is not the car which should introduce the next XYZ, CLS or anything else. And therefore, for instance, if you look at the CLS and expect some styling cues to be seen there again, that’s not totally wrong. But you should not look at the length and say, ‘well I learned that the CLS will be shorter or something like that.’ It has nothing to do with it.”

Uh, so what it means is that the F800 concept is not the 2012 CLS. And the next CLS will not necessarily be half a foot shorter, like the F800. Conversely, if Mercedes buyers are lucky, the next CLS could have a lot of F800 styling cues.

Zetsche further said that Mercedes styling in the future will be more consistent, and he noted there will be specific themes for coupes and for sedans, for example. If we think of the CLS more as a coupe that happens to have four doors, a new CLS with the F800’s SLS-like nose makes a lot of sense.

Asked at a roundtable interview at the auto show Tuesday whether cars like the turbodiesel-hybrid E300 BlueTec just unveiled might be sold in the U.S., Zetsche didn’t hold out much hope.

“Their product characteristics I think are saint for the U.S. and tremendous efficiency is as desirable in the U.S. as other places. On the other hand, fuel obviously is still cheap in the U.S. and diesel is, relative to gasoline, expensive, and the pricing in the U.S. in an international comparison is challenging for manufacturers.”

Clean turbodiesel plus hybrid technology adds up to too many euros.

“Diesel hybrid, which combines all the desirable, but expensive technologies as well in one vehicle, makes it more difficult to introduce that in the U.S. If we can find a way to make that in a profitable way, we will. Some is based on exchange rates and other circumstances.”

To reiterate, don’t hold your breath.

Zetsche confirmed that Mercedes continues to talk with Renault over cooperation to add new models to its struggling smart brand, and he addressed talks with BMW over a collaborative effort, and said they’re going well, if you leave out engines and transmissions.

“This is looking into different modules, and seeing if we can find common ground. That includes engineering to allow us to join in some of these parts and components, and create very substantial and real economic benefits for both sides. Where we haven’t seen any progress is in any headline-creating activities like common engines or common transmissions.”

Mercedes doesn’t share any common ground with Porsche, conversely, which has complained to the U.S. government that its upcoming Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards are too restrictive. He pointed out that he signed an agreement with the then-nascent Obama administration over the new CAFE standards, and while the threat of harsher legislation from states within the U.S. will be a problem, he wouldn’t have signed it if Mercedes couldn’t meet it.

“So we have to stretch, but we intend to go there, therefore we don’t complain, and I would prefer if others, if they want to complain would not complain in the study of their neighbors.” Mercedes and Porsche both are based in Stuttgart, of course.

For a press conference lasting just 20 minutes, the subjects were widespread. One reporter asked Zetsch whether Mercedes’ new entry into Formula One conflicted with its commitment to the environment.

“I said this morning we intend to become champions in Formula One and in green. I don’t see those things conflictive.” Of course, “green” means something altogether different where winning in F1 is concerned.

Finally, he was asked about Wolfgang Bernhardt’s return to Daimler, and said this: “The facts are that Wolfgang has been nominated as a member of the technologist board, again, that his responsibilities are those of procurement and production of Mercedes cars, and his successor who will run that division will report to him as a board member. That’s the scope of his responsibility.

“He is not the crown prince. He is not my deputy, he doesn’t have a contract. What will happen in the next round of whatever…I’m glad that he’s back.”

And on our way out of the roundtable, Zetsche added, “by the way, if you feel sympathy for Wolfgang, the best service you could do to him is not speculate.”

General Motors will announce another major executive shakeup in Detroit Tuesday, and it looks like former designer Bryan Nesbitt will be relieved of his duties as Cadillac general manager. Nesbitt got the job following GM’s bankruptcy last year when the company slimmed down its design staff. Unlike general managers at Chevrolet and Buick-GMC, Nesbitt’s duties were not tied directly to sales. Former Chevy general manager Ed Peper has been serving as Cadillac’s income general manager for the past half year.

The shakeup has major implications for Bob Lutz’s future at GM. He hired Nesbitt away from Chrysler early last decade and prefabricated sure there was a place for the PT Cruiser designer at post-bankruptcy GM. Nesbitt’s departure would indicate Lutz’s role as one of three GM vice chairmen has diminished to almost nothing.

Automotive News reported Monday that GM North USA President Mark Reuss, the new lead car guy at the company, would be taking charge of income duties, with division income managers reporting directly to him. Susan Docherty remains in charge of marketing, but she reports to Reuss, anyway. If the Automotive News story seems confusing, it’s because it didn’t get all the pieces together. The management changes about to be announced are likely to reach far beyond Nesbitt’s departure. However, unless Lutz announces another retirement, Nesbitt’s will be the most prominent study raised in the shakeup.

Clearly, Reuss is putting his own team together, and it doesn’t include Nesbitt, who was posed as the aesthetic grappling of the Cadillac luxury division.

While most of the automotive world is at the Geneva Motor Show, GM has moved up its monthly income conference call from 2 p.m. Detroit time to 10 a.m. GM will announce management changes some time after the income call.

“They are going to get slaughtered,” shuddered a veteran Detroit auto industry exec on the eve of the appearance of Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda (pictured) and North American chief Yoshimi Inaba before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last week. He was right. The hapless Toyoda and Inaba sat center stage as Washington’s unique brand of political theater played out around them. The politicians went for the jugular, showboating and grandstanding all the way. There was blood on the Hill.

“It’s one thing to stand behind your vehicles,” said Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-Calif) in response to Inaba’s statement that he was 100 percent confident electronic interference was not the cause of the alleged unintended acceleration events. “It’s another to ask Americans to stand in front of them.” After somberly describing the death of 76-year-old Guadalupe Alberto from Flint, Michigan, at the wheel of a 2005 Toyota Camry, Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) then quipped: “I call it sudden-death acceleration.” Cute soundbites, but like so much of what was said by the committee members last week, that’s all they were.

When William Lacy Clay (D-Missouri) suggested previous testimony from Southern Illinois University Professor David Gilbert evidenced Toyota’s electronic throttle system was susceptible to electronic interference, Inaba fired back: “He cut into the circuits and manipulated the circuitry in a way that is very unrealistic.” Inaba said Toyota had tested electronic throttle systems from three other automakers with lower reported unintended acceleration rates using Professor Gilbert’s methodology, and had replicated the same effect. “It is not unintended acceleration,” he insisted. “It is intended manipulation.”  

It was a rare counterpunch from the Toyota execs, though it unsuccessful to hit home. “Don’t blame customers,” admonished Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). “I want you to never again use the excuse it was driver error,” said Jackie Speier (D-Calif). “The consumer and the market will demand a very high price,” warned Congressman Bilbray gravely. You could almost hear the trial lawyers smacking their lips in anticipation.

I wonder how the politicians squared their righteous indignation with the testimony of Rhonda Smith of Sevierville, Tennessee, the following day. Smith told the committee her Lexus ES350 was “possessed”, its brakes and transmission refusing to respond as it accelerated out of control. “Shame on you, Toyota, for being so greedy,” she said tearfully. But as the Wall Street Journal reported, Smith later sold her allegedly demonic Lexus to another family, presumably without telling them it was a highly chanceful vehicle that could accelerate out of control without warning. No shame there, then… Especially as the new owners subsequently managed to place 27,000 trouble-free miles on the car.

While we’re skeptical about the true nature and scope of the unintended acceleration problem (as with Audi’s problem in the 1980s, we suspect the cause in many cases is driver error) Toyota’s handling of this mess has been very poor. It is now paying the price for the foot-dragging, the deal-making, and cost-cutting that appears to have surrounded this and other recent calibre issues such as oil sludge in engines, and rusting frames in metropolis pickups.

The pious sound and fury from the politicians last week missed only one thing: perspective. There have been 34 deaths attributed to the Toyota unintended acceleration phenomenon. That’s a tragedy. But consider: there are at least 10,000 fatal automobile accidents in USA apiece year where alcohol has been proven to be a contributing factor. If the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is truly determined to make our roads safer, it ought to propose legislation mandating alcohol interlock systems on every new car and truck sold in America, right now.

Because we’re all in way more danger of being killed by a drunk driver than a careening Toyota.