Of course, Maeda, who took over the design position almost a year ago, has other credits making him seem a natural heir to the brand heritage. For example, he’s the man behind the shape of the Mazda RX-8 sports car – and he’s the son of the man who designed the original Mazda RX-7. That’s a pretty impressive auto design lineage.

“I was a real car lover long before I started designing cars,” Maeda told the press, in an interview at Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan. He continued, “”There are lots of car enthusiasts at Mazda, but I think I’m at the top.”

And what’s his top priority? Keeping Mazda cars zoom-zooming is definitely near the peak. He races one of the company’s MX-5 Miatas, when he can find the time, and in his private garage, a Lotus Elise sits in wait. Even more, he says he wants to bring back the RX-7.

“I do have a strong yearning to revive the RX-7 during my tenure,” he said. “But in order for that to happen, we need the U.S. economy to come back, first and foremost.”

Meanwhile, Maeda is concentrating on a less racy Mazda, the Mazda5 minivan with wavy side paneling (meant to invoke fluidity). It may not be a sports car, but it’s inspired, in part, by a series of concept cars known as the Nagare, which he inhereited from his predecessor Laurens van den Acker, originally of Ford Motor Company. Of the Nagare, which means “flow” in Japanese, Maeda says, “”It is like a Japanese garden. It encapsulates nature in a restricted area. It re-creates nature in something man-made.”

Specifically, the index stood at 118.1 in February, 2010, up from 117.6 in January, and 105.5 from February last year.

Tom Webb, Manheim’s chief economist, said that fewer sales of new cars and the trade-ins associated with them have helped contain used-car inventories. At the same time that new car sales have continued to be low, independent auto dealers sold 561,431 used vehicles in February,2010, an increase of nearly nine percent over February, 2009, web added, citing data from CNW Marketing Research.

In addition to independent sales, there were 584,982 used vehicles sold by franchised dealers last month, though this number is roughly three percent lower than it was in February, 2009.

According to Webb, the biggest threat to used-vehicle values in the immediate future is the increase in new-car incentives being offered by various automakers (likely a strategy to counter the incentives Toyota is offering). Such incentives typically reduce used-car values, especially late models.

“A lot depends on how aggressive the incentives get; 0 percent financing — it will depend on how far down the credit scale” automakers are willing to go, Webb told the press. He also said that Toyota’s residual values for recalled models have weakened as compared to the rest of the market, which isn’t surprising considering the publicity attached to the recall, and the sales suspension. He added, however, that Toyota’s prices were underperforming compared with the company’s history, which was due to lease programs in place before the recall, and because of lenders reducing loan amounts to stay withing strict guidebook predictions.

The practical upshot of all this, says web, is that, “We expect part of the recent decline will be reversed.”

The Manheim index began in January 1995 at 100 and is adjusted for model mix, mileage and time of year.

The two-cylinder Twin-Air was unveiled earlier this year at the Geneva Auto Show, and will be used on 500 units of the automaker’s signature 500 minicar beginning in September. The choice to equip their trademark car with a new, superclean fuel engine is part of the company’s plan to increase emission reductions and remain one of the most eco-friendly carmakers in Europe, according to a statement made by brand head Lorenzo Sistino on Tuesday.

Sistino elaborated, “It has taken the car sector 15 years to cut CO2 emissions by 20 percent. With the new Twin-Air, the world’s most ecological fuel engine, Fiat will cut CO2 by a (further) 30 percent in one stroke.”

The Twin-Air uses improved technology to offer four-cylinder performance from a two-cylinder engine, and is just one more facet of the Italian auto company’s efforts to build and sell small, efficient, green cars that retain their brand’s style and flair.

“Twin-Air is another step ahead for eco-technology and can represent a giant leap for the environment,” Sistino said.

Mitsubishi’s director of franchise development, Joe Delello, explained to reporters, “We’re looking to add dealers in targeted markets.” Such markets include primarily major metropolitan areas, such as Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washingong, D.C. Delello added, “These are open points where we believe there will be sufficient units in operation for service business. These are not buy-sells.”

As with most automakers, Mitsubishi has seen diminishing returns over the past few years, with sales falling from 261,254 in 1999 to 53,986 last year. The company has spent the last three years regrouping, devising new-product strategies like focusing on smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Recently, at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Orlando, FL, Mitsubishi representatives networked with potential dealers, and also displayed the new, small, i-Miev electric car, which will be coming to the United States along with a gasoline-powered twin.

Chicago-area Mitsubishi dealer, and chairman of the company’s National Dealer Advisory Board, Scott Grove told Automotive News reporters that he believes the brand needs to put more stores in markets where dealerships have recently closed. He also said that the factory is exercising caution when it comes to recruiting new dealers, however.

“We are not in boom growth,” said Grove. “We will make better decisions on where we approve points.”

According to a report posted under the “rumors” section of Automobile Magazine’s blog, however, there’s a possibility that we may see a shortage of Subarus by Spring.

Here’s the deal: Both the Legacy and the Outback are built in Subaru’s plant in Lafayette, Indiana, a plant that has its employees working overtime and on weekends in order to keep up with an increasing demand for all-wheel-drive vehicles. As of February 24th, the supply for those two models was enough for about ten days, and when reporters spoke with the company, COO Tom Doll said that the company’s “biggest challenge” was to keep dealers well stocked, so that they could continue to increase sales.

When asked for confirmation of the actual number of Outbacks and Legacies in stock, Phil Porter, chairman of the Subaru National Dealer Advisory Board told representatives of industry authority Automotive News that it was impossible to say, “…because we don’t have excess inventory.”

Speculation abounds, with auto-industry bloggers all offering their opinions on the actual availability of these two Subaru models. (As the driver of a ten-year-old Forester myself, I can attest to this: Subarus are absolutely worth the money, and they live up to the hype).

So what do we know for sure? Here’s a rundown:

• Current inventory of other Subaru models is at a 30-day supply, which is half the industry standard.
• The Lafayette, IN, plant is being modified for greater production capability this April.
• In January, 2010, Subaru had already realized sales that were 28% greater than January of 2009.
• Mr. Porter believes the plant refit and resulting production increase will allow the Japanese automaker to surpass last year’s record.

One other thing we know for sure: Subaru is one company to watch over the coming months.

Granted, the Lexus line has not suffered from the braking and acceleration issues present on models branded directly with the Toyota name, but what really gives pause here is the message the selection sends in the middle of a recession with unemployment hovering around 10% nationally and exceeding that figure regionally and by socioeconomic class. The LS 460L has an MSRP of $76,572.

Sure, it’s a great vehicle, scoring 99 out of 100 on the survey’s rating scale. Sure, the description on the survey page talks about a luxury sedan that “pampers passengers with a comfortable ride and luxurious driving environment.” Sure, you can get a spiffy, optional self-parking system. Yeah, it has a 380hp V8 and gets 21 miles to the gallon overall. Oh, and there’s a hybrid version.

But the truth of the matter?

The vast majority of Americans will probably never be able to afford a car like this again — if they ever could. This is a best overall pick that speaks to the bygone days of credit fueled excess that landed us where we are — in national and international financial hot water. Is this really the best message to send to Americans who just want a reliable, fuel-efficient, affordable car?

Yes, you can drill down through the list and find that the Hyundai Elantra SE at $18,695 was named the top Small Sedan, but clearly reviewers still have their eyes on luxury in a land of famine. Shame on you, Consumer Reports. Stick the Lexus models over in the pie-in-the-sky dreamer list where they belong and find a car all of us can realistically hope to own. Showcase that car and you encourage carmakers to put their creativity and their excellence where it solidly belongs — in cars that operate cleanly and efficiently and are affordable.

Speaking at an event on February 5 to promote the all-electric Nissan Leaf, Houston mayor Annise Parker said, “We are the Petro Metro, but we are also a car city. To have an electric vehicle that appeals to a car culture will make the real difference for market penetration.”

The Leaf, a five-passenger vehicle that can travel 100-miles on a single charge, hopes it will be that car, not just for Houston, but for other cities like San Francisco, that are actively forging alliances with car makers and power companies. These metropolitan areas don’t just want to bring EVs to their streets, they want to see electric charging stations to their street corners.

In Houston, Nissan has brokered a deal with both the city and Reliant Energy to construct public charging stations. These efforts are key in overcoming the doubts of would-be buyers fearful of being stranded with no juice under the hood.

General Motors will be debuting its much-anticipated Chevrolet Volt later this year, and partnerships like the one Nissan has struck with the city of Houston could be key to the car’s success. The Houston metropolitan area has about 4.5 million cars and trucks ticking off approximately 86 driving miles a day.

Promoting the EVs in tandem with charging stations is a win/win for all concerned. Thanks to the recession, power utilities in the United States have seen demand drop off about 5% over the past two years. Widespread adoption of electric vehicles serves multiple masters:

• It gives the auto industry exciting new products.
• Electric vehicles cater to environmental concerns.
• EVs will help lessen our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
• Charging stations will generate jobs in cities where they are located.
• Cities like Houston with air-quality problems will gain access to more federal funds if they can cut emissions.
• A new area of electrical use will reclaim some lost profits for the power utilities.

Critics of electrical vehicles have long pointed to the lack of infrastructure as a significant stumbling block to the cars’ practicality. Partnerships with cities and power companies who have their own problems to solve could make that criticism go away, and give products like the Leaf and the Volt the leg up they need to be real contenders in the world of alternative-powered vehicles.

Speaking in Orlando on Monday, February 15, 2010, the Texas billionaire emphasized natural gas as the first step toward energy independence for the nation. He, like many natural gas advocates, are counting on the Barnett Shale Formation of North Texas, a field spreading over a minimum of 17 counties, as the source of all that fuel.

In a story for Automotive News by Chrissie Thompson, Pickens is quoted. “I’m not here to sell the guys today on switching over to natural gas,” but then tailored most of his remarks to the National Automobile Dealers Association in that direction — with a sideline or two into saying electric powertrains would be okay too, but with an interesting caveat.

“We’ve got to make sure that we don’t get off Saudi oil and end up with a Chinese battery.”

These comments went along with predictions that the price of oil, currently at $77 a barrel, will hit $300 or even $400 in ten years time.

Pickens said he supports pending legislation in Congress that would grant tax credits of $65,000 on purchases of new heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks powered by natural gas.

The fact that Pickens made his money on oil and gas and is promoting natural gas as the alternative fuel of the future with a side dish of xenophobia is troublesome. Certainly the United States has a dangerous degree of dependence on foreign fuel, but energy isolationism is not the answer either.

Truth be told, a wide-range of alternative fuel vehicles are likely in our future, and “Chinese batteries” will play a role in that. There’s going to be a great deal of money to be made in the green economy of the future, but if that economy is run with nothing but the wildcat oil ethics of the last century, the problems will just shift from one commodity to another and no real progress will be made — environmentally or politically.

Vancouver is already home to Ballard Power Systems, which manufactures fuel cells, and it serves as the northern terminus of the “Hydrogen Highway” which runs up the west coast of North America. Given these two factors, it should come as no surprise that the Olympics and Paralympics are being used to showcase hydrogen fuel cell technology and vehicles.

How are they doing it? Well, there’s a fleet of 20 buses powered by fuel cells, and operated by BC Transit, in Whistler (site of many of the skiing events). The buses were built by New Flyer Industries of Winnipeg with fuel cells provided by the afore-mentioned Ballard, and hydrogen storage supplied by Calgary-based Dynetek Industries. The hybrid drive system came from ISE Corp, in California. Each of the low-floor buses has a top speed of roughly 55 mph, and can carry up to 60 people. Even better, these buses have zero tailpipe emissions, and are twice as efficient as their smelly diesel counterparts

BC Transit’s Whistler Transit Centre, which cost $89.5 million to build, is the world’s largest hydrogen refueling station, as well as being a joint venture between the governments of British Columbia, Canada, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, and the Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association. In addition to the buses, there is also a fleet of eight Chevrolet Equinox SUVs, being used to ferry VANOC officials, media representatives, government officials, athletes, and other VIPS back and forth between Olympic venues. These Equinoxes were built by General Motors Canada.

Also provided by GM Canada is an extensive fleet of vehicles that includes several thousand fuel efficient Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles, over 30% of which sport green technology, like flex fuel or hybrid systems.

Clearly VANOC has gone for the gold when it comes to green tech at the Olympics.

Introduced just this morning, the Kia Ray is a plug-in hybrid that, according to company claims, can travel 50 miles in electric mode, with a total range of 746 miles. It’s actually being marketed via EcoDynamics, the Kia sub-brand designed to develop and showcase technology to cut emissions and stretch fuels. Under that label Kia as introduced more than one concept car, with power sources as diverse as fuel cell electrics, diesel engines, and hybrids.

Kia spokespeople say that the Ray demonstrates the combination of exciting design and fuel efficiency, rather than cutting corners or producing copy-cat car designs.

In a news release published by Automotive News, Peter Schreyer, chief design officer at Kia Motors Corp., said, “It is important to imagine what people will want in the future from a green perspective early in the design process. People want to reduce their carbon footprint without driving carbon copies.”

Despite the sportscar-sounding name, the Ray is a compact four-door sedan based on the Forte design platform. It’s powered by a 153-horsepower, direct-injection 1.4-liter gasoline engine mated to a continuously variably transmission, working in tandem with a 78-kilowatt The Ray is a four-door compact sedan based on the Forte vehicle platform. Power comes from a 153-hp, direct-injection, 1.4-liter gasoline engine attached to a continuously variable transmission and linked to a 78-kilowatt electric motor. It also has solar cells embedded in the glass roof panel, which can power the climate control system, or fuel extra lighting.

This concept car is the fifth such design created by Irvine, California-based Kia Design Center America, in the last year. The others are the 2010 Forte, Forte Koup, and Soul, and the 2011 Sorento.