With a twinkle in his eyes and a grin spreading out beneath his bushy moustache, DaimlerChrysler's Dieter Zetsche isn't your typical CEO. Let's face it, can you imagine GM's Rick Wagoner, Renault/Nissan's Carlos Ghosn, or Honda Takeo Fukui starring in a comic take-off on the TV game show "Jeopardy"? In the video, shown to dealers and journalists, Zetsche proved adept at translating Snoop Dogg's rap lyrics, winding up covered in bling for his troubles. While in Detroit, as Chrysler CEO, Zetsche proved incredibly game for the stunts dreamed up by his stand-up comic/PR chief, Jason Vines. And now, back in Germany as CEO of DaimlerChrysler, Zetsche is still going along for the ride - quite literally - as he demonstrated at this year's Geneva Motor Show.

Most of us journalists were still struggling to open our eyes for the first of 41 news conferences scheduled for the show's opening press day, when suddenly, Zetsche rolled onto the stage, not in a Mercedes-Benz, but on a bicycle. He circled around a few times, then vanished behind the curtains. If anyone was wondering how his new title would change Zetsche, that little vignette likely ended all doubts. This is not the same, pompously full-of-his-Teutonic-self CEO that the world knew with Juergen Schrempp. Oh, let's not be fooled by the PR fluff. Zetsche can be deadly serious when it's time to get down to business. But he also understands the light and frothy side, too, and can clearly get in on the gag.



To make things a bit easier for journalists, the Geneva show is organized into group news conferences, the first batch made up of Smart, AMG, Mercedes, and finally, Chrysler. So when the Benz brouhaha wrapped up, another figure pedaled onto the stage. Zetsche and his replacement at Chrysler, CEO Tom LaSorda, are the proverbial odd couple. But LaSorda can also enjoy a few laughs at his own expense. So as he rode up on the front seat of a bicycle built for two, Zetsche jumped onto the back.

At the Chrysler stand, it was LaSorda's show. And after a series of painful pains, he helped pull the wraps off the automaker's Dodge Hornet concept vehicle. All the while, Zetsche hovered in the background, a broad smile only partially concealed by his big moustache. But should he have been there at all, asked one of my colleagues? Isn't it time to let LaSorda run his own show? Reasonable, perhaps, but if anything, Zetsche's presence underscored the shift in relationship between German parent and American subsidiary. Despite the original claims, the DaimlerChrysler deal was never a true merger of equals. The two sides saw each other with more disdain than appreciation. Since Zetsche's return to Germany, however, he has firmly planted the Chrysler flag at DCX headquarters. Insiders tell TheCarConnection.com there's more real cooperation between the two brands than at any time since the deal was finalized, more than six years ago. So there's no reason to backpedal. If LaSorda and Zetsche can share a laugh with the media, all the better. At least they're moving in the right direction.

Whether you've got stock in the company or are simply thinking about your next new car or truck, there'll be some important news coming your way on Monday. With its market share collapsing and losses mounting on U.S. operations, Ford Motor Co. will unveil its "Way Forward" turnaround plan. The general consensus suggests we'll see as many as 10 major parts and assembly plants closed and up to 25,000 blue- and white-collar jobs cut, including some at the most senior ranks of the company. Sources indicate TheCarConnection.com was correct in reporting that marketing czar Steve Lyons is among those who've been pink-slipped.

We'll have to wait and see what happens, but for those of you who want to be in on the action, you can be listening and watching as the news breaks down in Dearborn, Michigan, on Monday, by clicking this link to Ford's Webcast.

We'll obviously follow with in-depth reporting on Monday's potentially historic events, so stay "tuned" to TheCarConnection.com.

The so-called Studio X Camaro has taken a lot of folks by surprise. We thought readers would like to get a closer look at it, and we'll post additional shots when we can get our digital hands on them. We'd be curious to hear your thoughts about this notably more edgy design. Does it look a bit too much like the Caddy XLR? Or did Chevy miss out by not opting for this alternative? Incidentally, our friends at AutoBlog have some nice TV screen grabs of pre-Detroit show Camaro concepts up at the moment.

We've been hearing a lot from readers about the Camaro that almost wasn't, including a note from one of our friends at Chevrolet. Tom Wilkinson, former journalist and now a senior PR exec, wanted to set the record straight about the sequence of events during the top-secret development of the Camaro concept:

"There was earlier discussion about a Camaro concept, but work didn't begin in earnest on the Advanced Design model until Spring of 2005. The Studio X project kicked off in June. The final bake off occurred in late summer.

Also, it is probably an oversimplification to say parts from one were grafted onto another. There was a lot of sharing of ideas back and forth. but both designs evolved in a very organic way, each in a way that was very true to the overall vision of the team. The visions were just different, with the Advanced Team bringing a modern feel to a heritage design, and the Studio X team trying to push the spirit of the 1969 design farther into the future."

Thanks for the clarification, Tom.

What's ahead for the Camaro? It's the talk of the industry, it seems, right now, and it's hard to get folks at GM to stop talking about the concept. But the caveat remains: it's just a concept for now. Several questions must be answered before a final decision is made about production:

* Can a good business case be made, especially if the base model starts in the low-$20,000 range, as car czar Bob Lutz is promising?
* Will a production version drive as good as it looks?
* Will the design still hold up in late 2007, the soonest it could likely hit market?

Let us know what you think.

If you want to get a good look at the Chevrolet Camaro concept car, you'd better get down to Detroit's Cobo Hall pretty early -- or stick with the images on TheCarConnection.com. The lines form early and last long. There's no question that the Chevy show car is the top draw at this year's North American International Auto Show. But it almost didn't get there, at least not in the form we've seen.

As TCC previously reported, an early attempt to revive the Camaro nameplate in time for the January 2005 Detroit show was scuttled by General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner, who felt it was simply too retro. Wagoner sent design chief Ed Welburn and his team back to their digital drawing boards, and "within about three weeks, maybe four," recalls Welburn, they had something serious going. Soon, the sketches were transfered to a lifesize clay model and rolled out onto the well-guarded patio behind the GM Design Center, in Warren, MI. "When I walked out onto the patio and saw it, it was obvious it was a Camaro," Welburn, himself a Camaro collector, tells TheCarConnection. But he still wasn't satisfied. "I liked it, but I wanted them to push it farther."

At that point, the decision was made to bring in a second studio, a top-secret facility located well away from the main design center, and known by the cryptic codename, Studio X. Where the first studio's work bore a strong resemblance to the relatively tame '68 Camaro, Studio X came up with an alternative that, according to Welburn, "had a lot of flare," more like the iconic '69. The photo here gives a look at the two versions. Or, if you prefer, three, as the Studio X clay model, on the right, features two optional faces. And in it, you'll get a clue to what happened next.

Digital design is a wonderful thing. The main design worked better, overall, than the Studio X prototype, which seemed a little two edgy, a bit too much like the Cadillac XLR. But it had some intriguing details lacking from the first design. Ultimately, the two competing teams were able to borrow some of each other's ideas. One of the Studio X grilles was melded onto the main design team's overall shape, and by mid-2005, Welburn and his bosses, CEO Wagoner and car czar Bob Lutz, were ready to sign off on the show car that debuted to so much acclaim early this month. Along with the running prototype on display in Detroit, by the way, a second version, with no running gear, was milled, painted, and ultimately shipped to the West Coast, for a belated presence at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Now, the big question: will they build it? "It's just a concept," Welburn repeats, open like a mantra. But after he takes a breath, he admits, "We all feel very connected with that car." Though he can't confirm production plans, he does tell TheCarConnection, "We do need to move very quickly" towards making a go/no-go decision. Considering the stir Camaro is creating, we're betting approval will come within the next several months, with production likely to begin within as little as 18 months. And obviously, we'll report the details along the way.

OK, we auto writers often talk about going topless, but we're normally thinking about the joys of putting the top down in a convertible. Apparently, some folks had a very different idea of how to approach things at this year's North American International Auto Show.

Seems sometime around 2:30 on Monday morning, a young woman snuck into Detroit's Cobo Hall, long after the show was closed to the public. She did more than peel back her, ahem, convertible top. Stark naked, she climbed atop the Dodge Challenger concept car. Civic duty be damned, a dozen or so workers decided to help out by snapping pics with their cell phones. Guards finally interrupted the impromptu modeling session, the Detroit News first reported.

As details come out, it appears two of the overnight Cobo crew, more than a little under the influence of devil rum (or was it beer?), convinced an aspiring young model that they were talent scouts. How that led to her au naturel pose, well, we'll just have to use our imagination.

No word yet whether officials at the conference center will take disciplinary action - or if any of the union workers will care.

Incidentally, while automakers have toned down the auto show skin game in recent years, there was a time when sex really was used to sell cars. Back in the early days of the Jaguar E-Type, it was not uncommon for topless models to drape the car at the old London Motor Show. Perhaps the young woman on the Challenger thought she was auditioning for a job. A few years back, Chrysler touched off a bit of a scandal with one of its typically wacky auto show previews. Models were assigned to pose in life-size recreations of classic paintings. The event generated unexpected headlines, however, when local papers learned the model's body suits were, in fact, body paint on bare skin.