Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday is an old cliche from the golden years of motor racing and car sales. Some folks just can’t see that in today’s politically correct, recessionary world. Fortunately, the folks at Ford have a deep history of sales resulting from wins so today’s news should not come as a surprise.

As part of their Fiesta Movement to build hype for the upcoming Ford Fiesta, Ford is entering 3 rally prepped Fiesta’s in the 15th edition of X-Games at the end of this month in Los Angeles. Prepared by Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution race team, these 3 cars will be piloted by a trio of superstar drivers. The Olsbergs MSE branded car will be driven by Swedish IndyCar driver Kenny Brack while a pair of ROCKSTAR Energy Drink cars will be entered for drift star Tanner Faust and 10 time X-Games Moto X medal winner Brian Deegan.

Unlike traditional motorsports, X-Games is wildly popular with the video game generations, who are drawn by the extreme action of bikes, boards and rally cars. A win at X-Games pretty much guarantees interest from a whole new crowd of car buyers, a demographic which Ford desperately needs in the showrooms.

This post is our first for a contest Ford is hosting to invite non traditional media to a product launch later this month.

Full details of the Fiesta X-Games attack after the break
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Here at The Garage we typically don’t get into much detail about the monthly sales reports we receive from various manufacturers, but when I received an e-mail from Volkswagen of America about their June 2009 sales, I took notice.

Taken in whole, VW sales last month compared to June of 2008 are down 18%, but the real story here is that Jetta sales are up, thanks in large part to its TDI diesel engine. In fact, one out of four VW’s that left the dealer’s lot was powered by a diesel. An overwhelming 81% of all Jetta SportWagens, 40% of Jetta sedans, and 29% of Touregs sold wore the TDI badge.

Intriguing numbers, to be sure. So, what gives? I see a couple of things-first, VW already has a loyal following of diesel buyers who had to go without for awhile. These strong numbers could suggest they have returned to the showroom now that VW has a product to offer them. Second, the press has been positive about the VW TDI engines, and American’s opinion of the diesel may finally be turning the corner. It’s possible the VW diesel faithful and early adapters together account for these numbers, but time will tell if Americans are embracing the idea of owning a diesel powered car.

*Please look for our driving impressions of the VW Jetta SportWagen TDI in an upcoming post.

Welcome to another chapter in the strange world once called GM Europe. Within a week the deal for Opel with Magna International and their  Russian partners seems on the rocks. Saab is waiting for a loan from the European Investment Bank and is seeing production slow in comparison to orders.

GM has rankled negotiations by insisting on a buyback clause which is strongly opposed by the government of Hesse the state in which Opel is headquartered.  Roland Koch prime minister of Hesse has backed Magna’s bid. Sources say that Sberbank and Magna may withdraw their bid due to General Motors latest demands. GM has raised the price of Opel.  GM is looking for an investment of 7 billion euros in Opel which is 14 times greater than the Sberbank initially offered.

GM is now looking to sign a non-binding agreement with Belgian holding company RHJ International and Beijing Automotive as a second option should the deal with Magna and partners fail.

Some of the sticking points on the Magna deal are:

1. GM is concerned that Magna is planning significant changes in engineering and design which would eliminate parts sharing with other GM cars.
2. GM is pertubed by Magna’s Russian partners. GM is worried that they will use Opel’s designs to help improve the Russian car industry.

Fiat also doesn’t seem out of the picture. Following a meeting with Fiat CEO Segio Marchionne, Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi told reporters the Fiat deal is “still on the table”.
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My first introduction to the BMW 3 series came way back in the first half of the Eighties when a buddy’s private school girlfriend arrived at our public high school to pick him up in her new 320i. The car was small and sporty yet actually held 4 people. Even better, it was priced low enough that us poor high school students could actually envision the possibility of affording one. Unfortunately, this is the image I had in my head when I picked up our 2009 BMW 335D tester.

Normally, when I review a car I don’t look at the press kit prior to driving the car. In this case, I had laid it on the seat and something jumped off the page at me. Price as tested: $62,200.

We’re not in the Eighties any more Toto!

It took me a couple of days to get over the shell shock of having my perception shattered. Lest the dear reader think that tainted my view of the car, I’ll be clear that the 335D is one of the most stunning sedans I’ve driven on many levels. It just took me a few days to get there.
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Our “Driven” series highlights the several cars I was able to sample at IMPA’s Spring Brake 2009 event. These short takes are summaries of my driving impressions of the cars on the roads surrounding Bear Mountain State Park in Rockland County, New York.

The calling card for Honda’s new Insight is that this is a hybrid car for everyone. Taken at face value, that’s a vague statement, so let’s distill what Honda is really telling buyers.

Let’s start with the looks. The body is aerodynamic to maximize fuel efficiency, yet the Insight doesn’t look like it has landed here from another dimension. Simply put, the styling is  quite user-friendly. I’ve seen a few Insights in person, but I thought the car I drove in a metallic grey (to match the grill, which is grey regardless of color) looked smart.

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Car museums can be a tad boring for kids, even those who are certified junior gearheads. All these really cool cars, but you can’t actually get in them. Of course the Porsche museum has some priceless machines and ice cream hand prints just wouldn’t do. Still, it is so important that Dad and Grandpa bring the young kids out to see the cars that have generations of enthusiasts have lusted after.

The Museum Rally gets kids excited about the history of the cars as they scour the displays looking for clues to get them to the end. Lucky kids have a chance to win a monthly prize. This is pretty cool because it takes the boy behind the rope and puts him right in the action, ensuring that he’ll inherit that lust for Porsche.

Full details after the break
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I remember the last time I went trick or treating: I was 13ish and cruised through the neighbourhood attempting to look somewhat like one of the members of KISS. Thanks to my feeble memory, I can’t recall which face I attempted to imitate. Fast forward a few decades and my world comes crashing into the KISS legend once again.

Gene Simmons has been named the Grand Marshal of the upcoming Honda Indy Toronto. Toronto has always been one of the jewels of Indy racing, and was never lacking in glitz but our fair city has been off the circuit for a season so maybe kicking things up a notch isn’t a bad thing. We’ve already got Andretti’s galore coming to Toronto next week and now we have one of the biggest rock gods of all time coming too. Ok, so I put in the rock god bit just to stroke Gene’s ego a little!

One thing is for certain: With Simmons around, you can be sure that our pit girls gallery will be hotter than ever!

Official press release after the break complete with info on fan events leading up to the race.
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Michael’s writing can also be found at vLane.com, an extensive automotive community site.

You can keep your Audi R8 V10, and your Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. Post photos of a wrecked Ferrari F430 and I won’t shed a tear, ditto for videos of a BMW M3 getting its undercarriage smoothed over. The only muscle car I’d buy from Barrett-Jackson is a Hemi Cuda Convertible … and afterward I’d place a brick on the accelerator pedal so it floors right into the closest immovable object.

I don’t hate horsepower, excess, or innovation: it’s just that the bar for innovation is so low that today’s hot cars are judged on numbers and marketing, not merit.

Aside: I bet very few Gallardo Superleggera owners know the term “Superleggera” — super light — was coined by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring. The first car they penned? The Alfa Romeo 8C. The last? The Jensen Interceptor.

To find truly interesting production cars, you have to do a little digging — but nearly every manufacturer has a few.
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Its always fun when someone new comes to hang out in The Garage, swap stories and bench race. This weekend, fellow Canadian auto writer Michael Banovsky dropped by and has decided to tell a few tales.

Michael is a bit of a new thing in automotive media: a young guy who has worked in traditional print. While he has been published in the Toronto Star’s Wheels section, he has been far more prolific online. Banovsky has been published at AutoGuide.com and is currently a contributor at vLane. As an early participant on Twitter, @michaelbanovsky has become one of the most influential auto peeps on Twitter which led to a guest spot on AutoBlog’s Autoline.

Like most auto writers, Michael’s personal set of wheels is a little bit offbeat. I have a feeling that his old Volvo 740 is probably almost as old as him!

Oh yeah, Michael takes photos of cars too and you can see them at his Flickr page. Man, this guy pops up in more places online than I do!