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.

This Automotive Podcast Is Hefty, But Not Obese

Car sales are back and they are confusing. While things didn't look as good as they have, the reality is that there were three fewer selling days. Still, most brands posted gains and the annual sales rate continues to rise for 2012.

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David has been doing some more intense car shopping and while a manual transmission hasn't been a priority, more drivers are choosing to shift themselves again.

Classic electric

One reason to shop: the rising cost of owning a car -- especially one that gets poor fuel economy. The annual cost rose to $8,946, up 1.9% from last year, mostly due to higher fuel costs.

Hefty drivers and passengers are also pushing up costs because they take more energy to push around, and that means more gasoline: $4 billion worth.

Obese drivers probably aren't well suited to scooters, but in China, dual-mode transportation like a car plus a scooter, is a solution to crowded roads and limited parking.

David got a chance to drive a Chevrolet Volt recently, and while he was impressed, we're not sure it's going to be a classic like this 1909 electric vehicle.

Finally, New Jersey wants you to chill out behind the wheel after making road rage a more serious offense.