Thinking of going green by purchasing a Smart Car? Well, you may want to rethink that. I have on occasion blogged about many topics in the past dealing with alternative-fueled vehicles and it is no secret that I am a big proponent of “Green” technologies. I must now do a flip-flop on my position just a little.

A disgruntled employee created a mess for customers after he hacked into a web-based vehicle immobilization system and remotely disabled vehicles.

Kevin Poulsen writes:

More than 100 drivers in Austin, Texas found their cars disabled or the horns honking out of control, after an intruder ran amok in a web-based vehicle-immobilization system normally used to get the attention of consumers delinquent in their auto payments.

Police with Austin’s High Tech Crime Unit on Wednesday arrested 20-year-old Omar Ramos-Lopez, a former Texas Auto Center employee who was laid off last month, and allegedly sought revenge by bricking the cars sold from the dealership’s four Austin-area lots.

“We initially dismissed it as mechanical failure,” says Texas Auto Center manager Martin Garcia. “We started having a rash of up to a hundred customers at one time complaining. Some customers complained of the horns going off in the middle of the night. The only option they had was to remove the battery.”

The Sports Car season is about to get into full-swing, the Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Orange Juice or Hair Cream or Cell Phones or something . . . is this Saturday! Eff!

The 'Shopper will be there and we will have freaking bells on! Getting the tickets we wanted didn't turn out to be such a snap, but the plans are lain and the Subie is gassed up. Now, to pound enough Unisom to make me just effing sleep until Saturday morning, March 19th. My liver has got to hate my guts . . .

The cars are more varied and exciting than ever, especially in the GT2 class. The number and variety of factory-backed full-bore GT2 cars is just astounding: Porsche, Corvette, BMW, Ford, Jaguar, Ferrari, Panoz, the list goes on.

Also thoroughly exciting, the prototype classes are going through some major changes this season. In order to emulate the fantastic LMP1 vs. LMP2 battles that took place between Audi, Penske (Porsche RS Spyders), and Highcroft-Acura. During the 2007 and 2008 campaigns, the LMP2 cars were working so well (and the then-new Audi R-10 was driving like a panel-van) that the significantly underpowered Acuras and Porsches were able to steal several over-all victories from the mightier (re: more powerful) LMP1 juggernauts.

For 2010, the ALMS has combined the LMP1 and 2 classes, and added a third, 'spec' class- LMPC. By taking weight off of the LMP1 cars, and taking the restrictors off (well, sort of; made the openings larger) the engines of the LMP2 cars, the playing field has been leveled between the two classes- essentially creating one mega-classification. The LMP2s are faster, but now the LMP1s can keep up with them in the corners . . . it's going to be very interesting . . .

Fernando Alonso is a hell of a driver. Everbody knows that. Sebastian Vettel is also a hell of a driver. Together, it appears they will out-right dominate the 2010 F1 Championship. Just my opinion, but I doubt I'm the only one who thinks so.

Now then, that being said, which car is better, the Red Bull RB6 or the Ferrari F10? Difficult to tell. In case you missed it (which I can't understand; what could possibly be better than F1 at 7:30 Sunday morning?! What, sleep??! Sleep when you're dead, Loser!) Sebastian Vettel absolutely dominated the opening stages of the Bahrain Grand Prix, first race of the 2010 Championship. Dominated. Then, as the laps wound down (49 laps this year, compared to last year's 56; more on that later) Vettel's Renault-powered land-missile began to lose time to the pursuing Alonso. Huge, fatty chunks of time. Alonso gained a full five seconds on one lap. Not good for Vettel or Red Bull. Eventually Alonso executed the finisher, drafting up to and then slicing around Vettel as if he were standing still. This lead to the first 1-2 finish for Ferrari in the opening race of season since 2004. Fillipe Massa made short work of Vettel, who also fell to Lewis Hamilton's McLaren before ending the race an embarrassing fourth position. So, "Whaa Happund?!"

Other topics discussed inside: Shui's return, the new teams, and my unholy disappointment in USF1 . . .

Yep, yep, this video has some cussin, folks - ear-muffs for the little tykes.

Here we have Saturday Night Live attacking Toyota in a manner that wouldn't really surprise me if it were real. Which, if that convoluted sentence is to be believed, means the whole world is completely effed. Have a nice day!

Smarmy, NSFW video inside the post . . .

Though relatively unknown until Gran Turismo changed all of our misconceptions of foreign car markets, Ralliart has been providing parts to Mitsubishi for over 25 years. The company has also lent its name to several Rally-inspired Mitsus, the most recognizable (for us 'Murrhikens, anyhow) being the Lancer Ralliart.

Mitsubishi doesn't seem all that worried, as now they don't have to pay royalties on a name that is already synonymous with their vehicles. The demise of Ralliart may just be the first in a wave of Jap-o-Tuner deaths, as the Japanese tuning industry has nose-dived in the last two years. The world woke up and realized that nobody wants a 400 horsepower Scion xB. Or Hummers with stoopid rims and three tons worth of stereo equipment. Oh, wait, that last abortion is a uniquely American disaster, sorry, Japan. Didn't mean to reflect my self-loathing on you guys . . . make a race car out of that CR-Z, fellahs, don't mind me . . .

Next Generation Healthcare has an infographic depicting the number of traffic accidents around the globe from the Global Status Report by WHO this year. While infograghics are interesting, and often times informative, there seem to be some flaws with this graphic. The colors in this chart are poor. It would appear to some that the colors distinguish different territories and continents. Even though Greenland has been politically associated with Europe, it is physiographically a part of the continent of North America. As is the same with Europe and Russia, for Russia is not a part of Europe. In addition, most countries in Europe are not low income countries.

It must be coincidence that Africa and North America had exactly 234,768 vehicle- related fatalities.

LLCoolT! The Lawyers Love Cool Toyota! Toyota has dug such a bottomless pit for themselves, that even instances where it is hard to believe that the Toyota vehicle caused a death, and not driver error, acquire nasty headlines like "Toyota Attempting To Block Executive Testimony!!!" I mean, I'm sorry, Toyota; I tend to side with you on this one, but that is the headline because that is what's happening.

So, just the facts, Friday. A 78-year-old woman, Guadalupe Alberto, was driving a 2005 Toyota Camry when it accelerated out of control, veering towards and smashing into an oak tree, killing Mrs. Alberto instantly. This happened in Flint, Michigan in April of 2008. The family is attempting to take Toyota to the cleaners.

Uhm, well, no offense, but the elderly may have mistaken a gas pedal for a brake pedal once or twice over the course of American history. That being said, Tough Rocks, Toyota! You sold cars that thrash, kill, and maim, youse got's dis come'n!

Germany had a small civil war on the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday. Scott Pruett was able to hold off David Donohue by .255 seconds- Pruett, behind the wheel of a BMW-powered Riley, and Donohue piloting a Porsche-powered Riley.

"This is tough competition. You never know what's going to happen until the checkered flag falls. It was pretty exciting in my seat, that's for sure. I sure didn't want to see that last caution, but I was happy for the fans," Pruett said after scoring his 23rd Rolex Series overall victory.

The caution he speaks of dissolved a healthy lead Pruett had put together, bringing the #59 Brumos Porsche right up to Pruett's wing. Pruett managed to weave through GT traffic in the infield on the final lap and maintained the lead through the superspeedway banking. Donohue was able to pull up to the back of Pruett several times in the closing laps, but was unable to get by. Alex Gurney finished third in the #99 Gainsco-Riley Chevrolet. Overall, another awesome race conducted under the banner of "Grand-Am"!

Willya stop it with the Hybrids already?! The auto industry has been pumping out Hybrid vehicle after Hybrid vehicle for the past few months, and it is making Canada and me sick to our stomachs. These things aren't viable, we all know that; none of them will be on the road by 2018, so willya just effing quit it already? Has anyone heard of the Nissan Leaf? Or Fisker Karma? Or the Honda FCX?

While I am absolutely sick of Hybrids, and the Geneva Auto Show was absolutely rife with them, there were some interesting concepts displayed in the halls of the Geneva Palexpo. Audi debuted an A1 Hybrid, whose gas-o-propulsions arrive via a single-rotor Wankel. Interesting.

So, there were some hits and some misses. You may not agree, but this is what I think are the most significant Belles and Duds of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show . . .