I just heard Ford sales were down 28% this June! The rest of the automakers announce later today.

This could be the first month that Toyota outsells GM in the U.S. Last month, the Ford F-150 lost its top spot (to the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla) after many years at the top.

Detroit needs to figure things out fast. To make things worse, not only is Detroit's slice of the pie shrinking, the pie is shrinking, too.

Quoted: So, now what? Now, people want fuel efficiency, fuel efficiency and fuel efficiency. But not everyone wants a compact car. Plus, Honda and Toyota have the compact car business cornered anyway. Sure, Detroit needs better small cars. But to thrive General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC must go different ways than their Japanese rivals – and fast.

Didn't know this:

Quoted: While some automakers — Honda, for example — have flexible plants that can shift productions from minivans or crossovers to cars, the factories of Detroit automakers are limited to specific models.
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So while Ford has shut down its big S.U.V. plant in Wayne, Mich., for nine weeks because those vehicles are not selling, its nearby Focus plant is running extra hours.

Do you come out ahead financially by purchasing a hybrid?

Quoted: But this quick analysis misses a number of hybrids' other economic benefits.
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For starters, hybrids are holding their value better than non-hybrid cars. This means that, even if you don't recoup the extra cost of the hybrid in gas savings, you're likely to get more money out of the car when you decide to sell it.

The Honda Civic was the top-selling car in May.

Quoted: In fact, after 17 years worth of being this country's best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150 full-size pickup (42,973) has fallen for the first time to fifth place behind the Honda Accord (43,728), Toyota Camry (51,291), Corolla (52,826) and your new best-selling vehicle in the U.S., the Honda Civic (53,299).

Quoted: The weapon Fukui chose was a lineup of four models, including Honda's sole current hybrid in production, the Civic Hybrid; a new hybrid-only model yet to be named, which will be a five-door, five-passenger compact, with an exterior design similar to its new fuel cell vehicle concept, the FCX Clarity; a hybrid sports car version of its CR-Z line; and a new hybrid model for its Fit compact cars, sold as the Jazz in Europe.

Sounds very promising...

Quoted: AutoObserver reports that the next generation Prius will be four inches longer, get a more powerful 1.8 liter gas engine that when combined with electrics will do a total 160 horsepower (compared with 110hp in the current 1.5 liter setup). The kicker is that it'll be more fuel efficient, too. Using Japan's metrics for fuel economy, the current setup gets 84mpg, but the next gen has been reported to run 94 miles under the same conditions. The car is set to be unveiled in 2009.

More industry in India - good. More cars on the road - bad.

Quoted: Toyota Building Second Plant in India. - TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota, the world's second biggest automaker, is building its second plant in India to boost production in a key growing market.

See the Lexus LS460 park itself at the end of this video.

Quoted: Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, test drives the Audi R8 supercar, the 420-HP machine that even women drool over. James Tate from Traction magazine supervises. Complete video and text...