Well, the holidays are over, so I’m back pretending to work. My break was long enough that I thought I might forget where the CarDomain offices are, but no such luck. Anyway, here’s the news:

• GM has canceled plans to build a new V-8 for their luxury cars. But don’t worry, remember how well the Cimarron and the Catera came out? Oh wait: Automotive News
• Mazda has released pics of the 2012 RX-9, and it looks sexy as hell. Hopefully I’ll get to drive one before the world ends: Winding Road
• A new study says that people on cell phones slow down traffic. The study also went on to point out that cigarettes are bad for you: LA Times
• The good news is that Chevy’s redesigned Malibu has garnered reams of praise from the automotive press, and dealers can’t keep them on the lot. The bad news is there might not be enough to meet demand: Detroit News

I just figured out sick days don’t carry over into the new year, so I was ill yesterday. Here’s the news:

• The Publisher of Automotive News says if Detroit doesn’t expand COBO hall, they risk losing the North American International Auto Show. Just what Detroit needs: Freep
• Car-based portable toilets? Ketchup on your tie doesn’t seem so bad now: LA Times
• A company in California was just busted for issuing fake tickets to cars parked in free lots. If there was ever a case for the death penalty, this is it: SF Times
• Thieves in Georgia just got an unexpected Christmas gift. Instead of having to scope out cars loaded with packages, the cops are now doing it for them. As Chief Wiggum would say, "that’s some nice aiding and abetting boys!" Rockdale Citizen via BoingBoing 

Not only does Unique Performance have some pissed off customers, according to Automotive News, they are facing losing their licensing agreement from Carroll Shelby. Apparently Unique Performance is sitting on $7 million worth of deposits and has a backlog of at least 50 orders. So far ten customers have sued Unique Performance for not delivering cars, and Shelby has been dragged into several of the disputes. I still can’t figure out why anyone would pay $200,000 for a restomod Mustang, but that’s me…