Looks like a combination of high gas prices, more efficient cars and environmental concerns are finally causing people to buy less gas:

In five of the last seven weeks, the amount of gas that Americans consume has actually fallen compared to the same time last year, according to retail sales data gathered by MasterCard SpendingPulse.

More at CNN.

Sorry this is so late, I’ve been in meetings all day. The presentations were all beyond boring, but with the lights turned down, at least it was easy to sleep. Here’s the news:

• Merry Christmas to all (white collar workers)! GM and Ford are bringing back merit raises for staff. I’d have thought keeping the companies alive would have been incentive enough: CNN 
• Toyota is set to overtake GM as the worlds largest automaker. Hopefully the General takes it in stride: Blogging Stocks
• British scientist says young women who want to stop global warning should stop admiring men in exotic cars. And he’s totally serious: Wired 

A manufacturing plant in California jointly owned by Toyota and GM has been accused of intentionally ignoring defects in the vehicles that rolled off its assembly line. The plant, which produces the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe, along with the Toyota Corolla and Tacoma pickup, may have deep-sixed evidence of defects in crucial safety features including brakes and seatbelts, and then retalliated against the whistleblower, a plant employee and certified auditor. The case may be getting a shot in the arm by a new lawsuit against Toyota, which alleges that a Corolla’s seatbelt failed during a firey wreck, sticking closed and trapping the plaintiff’s elderly father, who subsequently burned to death. See Leftlane News and CNN Money for more.

Last week Chrysler announced that they are axing four models, including the Dodge Magnum. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised about the Crossfire or Pacifica. Killing off the PT Cruiser convertible seems kind of lame (and it’s even lamer that Chrysler has no plans to redesign the PT Cruiser). But stopping production of the Magnum just seems stupid. Yes, the Charger outsold the Magnum almost three to one. But the Magnum is a modern classic with a huge following–just check out all the awesome Magnums on CarDomain. More on the Chrysler situation at CNN.

It’s Monday, and today’s news packs a punch like Kid Rock:

• Hyundai, possibly in response to my repeated digs on their brand, is going to use an interactive marketing campaign to try to move their image upmarket. To be honest, their cars are getting pretty good. It’s great that they’re trying get their brand image to catch up with the product: Winding Road
• Dario Franchitti just won the IndyCar Championship. His victory speech went something like this: "Screw Disney World, I’m going to Daytona!" With that, he packed his bags for NASCAR: NY Times
• It’s really expensive, impossible to park, and has 9 ft long wing doors. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the world’s only Ferrari Modena Limo: Top Gear
• Everyone is getting green up in Frankfurt. Porsche, BMW, Volvo, Daimler, GM, Ford, and Peugeot-Citroen are all bringing fuel-sipping vehicles to the show: CNN