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Photo by Ewen and Donabel. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

First,, Republican presidential candidate John McCain had the brilliant idea to prove his ignorance of the economy by calling for a gas tax holiday. Basically, he proposed, the federal gas tax (currently set at 18.4 cents a gallon) and the diesel tax (24.4 cents) should be suspended between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Not much later, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton made the wrong move and backed the plan. Thus far, Democratic challenger Barack Obama is keeping his wits about him and is denouncing the plan.

But what do people who aren’t running for president think? It’s impossible for us to keep tabs on everyone who discusses the energy issue, because everybody’s talking about it. Still, I wanted to point out one bit of media that covers the issue better than any other I’ve read/seen/heard. Earlier today on the Diane Rhem Show, three guests - Neil King, Jr., The Wall Street Journal’s international energy reporter, Roger Diwan, partner, head of financial advisory PFC Energy, Mark Cooper, director of research for the Consumer Federation of America - discussed the gas tax holiday and rising oil prices. I’m not sure which one of the three said it, but one of them called the idea “dumb on all counts.” He is not the only critic of the idea (Tom Friedman recently lambasted it); in fact, it seems like just about everyone says it’s a bad idea. Diane told her listeners that the show’s producer looked long and hard for someone to defend the idea, but couldn’t find anyone who was willing. And, while we can’t possibly point you to everyone’s thoughts on this issue, this morning’s Diane Rhem show (listen here) presents a good, hour-long discussion on why McCain and Clinton has grabbed the wrong end of this political stick. Your thoughts?

A123 Systems is pretty hot right now. How hot? It’s got more sizzle than the A123-powered Killacycle (pictured above). It’s been on the receiving end of $100 million investment dollars in a little over a year. That’s definitely hot. And it’s not all about “what ifs” and “could bes”, these guys are making all kinds of batteries for companies like Black & Decker and Hymotion. They are testing with GM’s Volt and stand a good chance of becoming the main supplier (or at least one of the main suppliers) for that model. So it seems A123, as they say, will strike while the iron is hot and issue an IPO.

According to Scott Kirsner over at Innovation Economy, the deal could put the company’s worth up around $1 billion. If you want to get in on the action you should have the whole summer to save up. Kirsner predicts September will be the magic month.

[Source: Innovation Economy via GM-Volt]

Click on the images to view the Carrozzeria Touring Maserati A8 GCS and Bellagio Fastback in high resolution

The reborn Carrozzeria Touring made a big splash at Villa d’Este. As the featured marque of the Concorso d’Eleganza this year, the fathers of the classic Superleggera construction method took the wraps off two stunning coachbuilt Maseratis. While we wait for Touring to release more information on the swoopy A8 GCS sportscar and Bellagio Fastback, the Carrozzeria has graced us with a few new images of the two cars.

The photos of the A8 GCS show the custom coupe in a much better light than the initial batch, and there’s another shot of the Quattroporte-based Bellagio, as well. As you can see in the latter, the side windows on the wagon are blanked out, but while the extension might not do any favors for blind-spot visibility, we hardly think that’s the point as the design and craftsmanship appear second to none. Check out the images in the two galleries below to see for yourself.

[Source: Carrozzeria Touring]

Click above for a gallery of the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept.

Acura is slated to release its NSX replacement sometime around the turn of the decade, but despite what you may have heard circulating the ‘Net, it’s not going to be priced to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini. There’s little doubt that Acura’s 500+hp, V10-powered super sled has Italy’s finest in its sights, along with the perennial show queen, the Lexus LF-A, but even with current exchange rates between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar, the successor to the NSX won’t be carrying a sticker around $180,000. After contacting Mike Spencer, one of Acura’s press people, he confirmed that the comments he made were taken out of context and that definitive pricing for the new vehicle is still a long way off. He would only say that the exchange rates would have an effect, but it would be unfair to attempt to guesstimate on price this early in the game. Considering that the last NSX was knocking on the $100k door before it was killed off in 2005, we’d expect a higher sticker for the next model, but pulling a number out of the air, comparing it to other vehicles in the segment and claiming it as fact, is hardly fair. As such, we’ll wait for a formal announcement from Acura so you can start saving your pennies for the NSX’s upcoming replacement.

Click above for high-res gallery of the Geely CE

Ok, the Geely car parade at Beijing is officially in full swing. One of the good-looking renderings we posted during the runup to the show was of the CE concept, a small hatchback that looked like it could just as easily be an Acura that’s slumming in the entry-level class. In the metal, it looks pretty much exactly like the rendering — a well-styled little Acura 5-door hatch. Only that’s the Geely badge on that shield-shaped grille. It It is better-looking than any of Geely’s current market offerings, and that’s about all there is to say, because we have neither interior shots nor technical details to flesh things out any further. As such, we’ll treat it as a styling exercise that’s likely got Honda/Acura designers grumbling under their breath, and Chinese showgoers and (potential car-buyers) nodding approvingly.

[Source: Autoblog Chinese]
All photos Copyright ©2007 Bin Chen / Weblogs, Inc.

There’s no doubt that there are a lot of advances in powertrain technology that will improve the efficiency of vehicles over the next few years. There are near-term features like direct fuel injection, turbocharging and dual clutch transmissions. Other features like start stop systems and electrification of accessory drives will help too. The problem is these features all add cost to the vehicle. If consumers don’t buy vehicles equipped with this kind of technology, there is no net benefit. Ernie DeVincent VP of Getrag spoke at the SAE World Congress this week and said that automakers have to do more than just put the new features on vehicles, they have to market it as well. New technology has always been something that has helped sell vehicles and it’s more important than ever now. While some of changes may not provide as much improvement as a diesel or full hybrid system, their lower cost means that far more buyers can afford it. The aggregate improvement from 7-8 million vehicles a year with a 15 percent improvement in efficiency is far greater than 300,000 cars that get a 30 percent boost.

[Source: Ward’s Auto World]

This morning, UAW workers at General Motor’s Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan have began a work stoppage, halting production of the Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. Both GM and the UAW are remaining mum on why the strike began, but it’s likely due to an unsigned contract that covers work rules. However, according to the Lansing State Journal, 2,300 workers are employed at the plant, and while hourly workers are walking the picket line, salaried employees reported for duty.

[Source: Autoweek]

Click above for a gallery of the Acura Advanced Sports Car concept.

By most accounts, Honda originally planned to show off the next generation NSX to the seething throngs at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show. But due to the less-than-positive reception the Advanced Sports Car concept garnered at the Detroit show, Honda’s designers headed back to the drawing board to redesign the front clip housing the 550 hp, 4.5-liter V10.

Now, Autocar has gotten word from a Honda insider that the NSX is bound for the 2009 Tokyo show, sporting a new front end that “has Chevrolet Corvette undertones” and is slated to for production in the fall of 2010.

The new NSX will supposedly kick off Honda’s first serious attempt at producing rear-wheel-drive vehicles to rival BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Infiniti, including new platforms that will underpin Acura’s larger sedan offerings and an S2000-based Acura sports car that takes aim at the Mercedes SLK. The launch of Acura’s 7-series fighter isn’t due to make an appearance until 2015. For Honda’ sake, let’s hope they can expedite development to make it happen around the turn of the decade.

[Source: Autocar]