Tomorrow, I’m taking the day off, and for once, I’m not using the time to fly to Florida and see my folks. I enjoy going down there and everything, but sometimes, it’s nice just to stay home. Have a good weekend. Anyway, here’s the news:

• Orders for the specialized robots that assemble cars are on the decline. Generally, less machines is a good thing, but unfortunately, Skynet is still up and running, and will become self-aware sometime in the next decade. Automotive News
• Jaguar’s new supercharged XF-R has been caught in the wild. Most of the changes appear to affect the kitty’s front clip, with air scoops and bigger intakes designed to feed the 500 horsepower mill.  CarScoop
• In other Jaguar news, Tata Motors has just offered new stock to cover the cost of picking up the storied British brand, and it seems like investors weren’t happy with the decision. Hey, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Detroit News
• It appears as if Audi’s 2012 roll-out schedule has been leaked, but it’s not clear whether it’s the real deal or not. My guess? If big, scary lawyers come knocking, it’s legit. World Car Fans
• Gas prices have impacted driving habits that state governments have started to see a measurable drop in tax revenue. Auto Observer

Sure, they won’t talk back, overfill your oil, or show up for work stoned. They probably won’t even expect a tip. But there’s something unavoidably creepy about a robotic arm that fills your tank for you. Maybe it’s just because I won’t even trust my cars to a human station attendant—they don’t know how to be gentle with old cars, and those zippers on their jackets make me nervous—but the idea of surrendering your ride to a robot that can only deal with cars "whose contours and dimensions have been recorded to avoid scratching" seems to me a recipe for disaster. Good thing that, so far, the robots are experimental technology confined to the Netherlands. But I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time before they invade. I’m curious: do any of you ever use gas station attendants, or do you get out of the car and do the dirty work yourselves?

Toyota Motor Corp. has been hard at work developing a new line of intelligent robots, which were unveiled before the press yesterday. The sleek white humanoids, which resemble a cross between a Star Wars storm trooper and an X-Files alien, were shown to be reasonably adept at handwriting, playing the violin, and carrying on vacuous conversation. Toyota is a little late to the robotics game, currently trailing behind Honda and hoping to make up for lost time. But progress should be good, the automaker boasts, because the robotics technology is the logical extension of the smart automation currently used in its assembly plants, and the on-board artificial intelligence systems being developed for its vehicles. Toyota hopes to perfect its "partner robots" to assist humans, particularly the injured and elderly, and to put them to use by 2010.