Almost a week after Toyota reassessed its recall notice of almost
4M vehicles, it was found that maybe there was a little more to their
floormat theory. But wait...let's step back a bit...enter dream sequence and the faint musical
stylings of Duran Duran drift in. I am sitting behind the wheel of an Audi 5000S. Great vehicle with German prowess,
Quattro all-wheel drive, and a bad case of unintended acceleration! Pulling into a garage, the 5000S takes off like a shot, damaging the parking structure and injuring the driver. Valets have declined to park the 5000S for fear of injuring themselves and others citing
unintended acceleration. In the smoothest of PR moves, Audi cited
operator error and those mysterious
floormats. And what was the result? It
took a little over 15
years for
Audi to recover from bad press, the
possibility of flawed design, and the suffering of those injured by a perceived automotive mishap.
Much has been done to safeguard against this possible
occurrence. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche utilize throttle-by-wire or
drive-by-wire. Instead of having a mechanical throttle body with the necessary cabling, the throttle is electronically controlled by the accelerator pedal. After Audi's debacle, the German automakers implemented a smart pedal. Whether or not the accelerator is intentionally or unintentionally depressed, by stepping on the brake, the accelerator disengages. In this respect, it is similar to disengaging the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed. The development of the smart pedal is crucial to the safety of an accelerator malfunction.
Now enter Toyota. Touted with safety features and economy of design, Toyota employs the
drive-by-wire system, but there is a catch. Deemed too costly, Toyota decided to turn a blind eye to the hard-learned lesson of Audi and took a pass on
installing a smart pedal. The result,
unintended acceleration. Now with recalls underway and dealers not fully prepared to implement the multi-visit repair, the Toyota driving consumer is
afraid to take their beloved out on the road. Kudos to Toyota for being forced to make the recall...
And speaking of forced, where is Fritz?
Herr Henderson is no more. Relinquishing the reins at GM, Ed
Whitacre once again steps in to save the "we will pay back those billions in bailout money" day. Fritz, a career GM man, was deemed ineffective, having asked that management refrain from calling him an interim CEO, as that nomenclature would undermine his authority. The authority to lose money and play the corporate fall guy? No
worries Fritz, mud is your name. And keeping in the GM tradition, former
Buick guy (though recently seen in a crumpled
Cadillac Escalade), Tiger Woods, has made apologies for his indiscretion, questionable driving skills, questionable romantic associations, Caller ID, and mostly, apologies for the Buick Skylark.
Well, I made it. After complaining about the auto show in my hometown, I had the opportunity to attend the LA Auto Show. International and national vehicles debuted at the Los Angeles Convention Center. There is an air of imitation as I can see that this is the best balance in a new breed of sedans masquerading as coupes found in the Mercedes-Benz CLS, BMW 550i Gran Turismo, and yes, the other four-door Porsche, the Panamera. 
And you know? The offspring of the 928GT didn't look as awkward in person as it had on the printed page. An ugly duckling of sorts, maybe. But would I buy one? A used one? Probably. I was also impressed by Audi's products but a little disappointed in BMW. The X6 M looked eerily like a Pontiac Aztek! Could it be that Pontiac was the true visionary, ahead of its time, and sadly, just a few years too early to save itself from bankruptcy? Well, it was a GM product, and they would have found a way to ruin that success, so probably not.
There were a buzz in the air that wasn't weather induced. Known for its smog, LA actually experienced inclement weather during Friday's show. Was I impressed? Let me say this, my enthusiasm for some exhibits forced me to tour particular manufacturer's offerings more than once. Much 
love for the Audi R8 convertible and the whole wing dedicated to Porsche. The Panamera is big. Big and Tall. Like a plus man's shop with all the clothing and accessories that one could muster. There is an elegance to this heft, however. Maybe it was the color. Maybe it was the vibe (no not the Pontiac Vibe). Or maybe it was the fact that I just wanted to love the car. Well, it is a Porsche after all. Sat in the front, sat the back, had a photo taken. I was impressed, probably more so by the fact that a child's car seat fits squarely in the back without crushing any limbs (yours or a child's). And yes, an adult fits back there, too.
