And the Aluminum Medal for Automotive Podcasts Goes to ...

What's the story with car sales? Well, it depends on what you read. WSJ says U.S. auto makers struggled against the resurgent Japanese brands that suffered with inventory issues last July. Autoblog says that most car makers did fine when you consider there were two fewer selling days this year. GM may be boosting sales with subprime loans.

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Smart and Mini had strong months, probably because gas prices remained high, and that could also be helping Volkswagen sell so many diesels.

In whatever the Italian word for irony is: Chrysler is now helping push Fiat -- which bought it at it's nadir two years ago -- to a profit.

Gas prices remain high.

Consumers remain frustrated with gas mileage numbers and now Hyundai is getting sued for it's Elantra 40-mpg claims.

Fuel taxes are always a sticky subject, but San Francisco is considering an even more absurd tax plan that would require them to track how much people drive.

The folks who drive lightly used luxury cars should consider trading them in right now to get the best value.

Farmers are finding that genetically modified crops are creating problems for their farm equipment tires.

Perhaps GM can use it's experimental pedestrian detection technology to avoid pointy stalks.

Apparently, child-detection systems for harried parents aren't as effective as NHTSA would like. Or at all.

Finally, when you think of Winter Olympics you think of Russia, but how about road rage? Or wheeled bobsleds.

We're Driving This Podcast Into the Ground -- Like Our Cars

Home builders buy trucks. And thanks to a reviving housing market in the U.S., pickup sales are rebounding. That will be a relief for the many people who have hung on to their aging trucks for a long time, but that looks to be the norm going forward, according to a new study.

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GM hopes to kickstart sales by introducing a new program that allows buyers to return their cars and not haggle over the price. Meanwhile, Dodge is hoping a plethora of options and combinations will draw buyers to the its new Dart.

One reason to buy a newer car: They are harder to steal. Meanwhile, here are four things to avoid doing to prevent your car from getting stolen.

Traffic deaths are soaring this year, perhaps thanks to better driving weather. Or fewer angry women driving. A new study found that women suffer more from road rage.

Perhaps more coffee will help. Fiat has put an espresso maker in it's 500L. Maybe Mercedes airbag seatbelts are safer.

Finally check out Seinfeld's car, coffee, comedian video and some Florida police officers' career-ending prank.

Podcasting Like We're Inside the Comedians Camaro

Car sales for June were strong and leasing has been making a comeback with buyers, dealers and auto makers as values help drive down the cost compared with purchasing.

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Batmobile documentary

One company that isn't offering many deals is Hyundai, which is just about turning buyers away because they are limiting production.

The Volt may have had a slow start in the market, but it's catching on, with nearly 100 million miles driven by all Volts almost two-thirds are battery powered.

Technology is catching up with dealers as well, as one Audi shop putting in a fancy immersive system to drive sales. Drivers are also getting better gizmos, with a new device from Parrot that promises to be an in-car concierge.

OnStar is now helping RelayRides, a car-sharing service, make it easier to offer it's service. It's just one example of how location-based technology and apps are improving transportation.

The cure for car apathy among kids? Lego cars.

Finally, two new car-related shows: A Batmobile documentary and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, look interesting.

Classic GTI Commercial

Here is a classic VW GTI ad. It would be cool to get a classic GTI to go with the new one:

Video: Group B Monsters. Rally Car Racing at Its Apex

I'm a sucker for beautifully shot automotive films. This is a short film with great music highlighting the hyper-powerful Group B rally cars of the early 1980s. Much like the turbo-powered Formula One cars of the same time period, these vehicles were far more powerful than most humans -- and the chassis technology -- could handle.

Video by AT&T Illustrates the Perils of Texting While Driving

Ford Uses Richard Petty, Nascar and Gymkhana Genius Ken Block to Market Fiesta

Comparing two totally different kinds of cars and styles of racing, Ford has released this first video related to the 43Fiestas.com Web site to promote its new super-subcompact car, the Fiesta.