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“We are ready to make this car the top seller if the customer agrees.”

Nissan started Job One production for the 2013 Altima sedan at its Smyrna, Tennessee plant today.

Nissan has big plans for the fifth-generation Altima, which was the number-two selling car in the United States in 2011. The company is adding a third shift at Smyna, and shifting models around between this plant and its Canton, Mississippi plant with an eye toward the Altima passing the Toyota Camry as the top-selling model in America.

Toyota sold 308,510 Camrys last year, compared with Nissan’s 268,981 Altimas.

“We haven’t built and designed this car the way we have, and made all these changes with a goal of being number-two,” said Nissan Americas vice chairman Bill Krueger. Krueger admits that the consumer will vote on whether the Altima becomes the top selling car. “But we are ready to make this car the top seller if the customer agrees.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam chimed in on the rivalry. “We are going to give the folks down in Georgetown [Kentucky] a serious run for the money,” said Haslam, speaking of Toyota’s plant in the neighboring state.

Nissan definitely has the capacity to pass the Camry, as it builds Altimas at two plants.

Krueger says he is not willing to cut and slash profit margins to chase the top-seller number for Altima. Nissan has long been more aggressive in incentive spending than its Japanese rivals in large part because it does not have the brand cachet and reputation for durability and quality that Toyota and Honda have.

Nissan built 570,000 vehicles in the U.S. last year and is adding a third shift to Smyrna. Nissan executives, however, won’t pinpoint what total capacity is for Smyrna and Canton for competitive reasons. But it definitely has the capacity to pass the Camry’s sales, as it builds Altimas at both plants.

Driving impressions of the 2013 Altima are embargoed until May 25, but we are allowed to tell you about a new feature we think is pretty cool. The tire pressure monitoring system not only tells the driver specifically what tire is low, but when you inflate each tire to the ideal, manufacturer-specified level, the car’s horn sounds. Pretty neat, huh?.

2013 Nissan Altima production kicks off in Smyrna, aims to pass Camry for #1

It sounds like an urban legend: A serial killer posing as a police officer pulling over motorists and then murdering them in their vehicles on the side of the highway. But this is no hoax, as the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is on the hunt for a suspect after discovering two such victims, according to CNN.

The shootings both took place last week, on two separate roadways some 55 miles apart, according to the report. Police say the victims were not acquainted.

Authorities in Mississippi are advising motorists to be cautious if they’re pulled over, and to call 911 to verify that the police officer is legitimate. Pulling over into a well-lit, well-populated area is also advised. Scroll down to watch CNN’s report on the Mississippi killings.

Continue reading Why you should call 911 if you get pulled over in Mississippi [w/video]

Why you should call 911 if you get pulled over in Mississippi [w/video]

Rumors that Toyota would some day build the Prius in the U.S. have bounced around for years, with a location in Mississippi often being cited as the most likely candidate. After that plan was officially scrapped in 2008, a new version of the same story returned in 2010 when a Toyota executive vice president said Mississippi Prius production could start up in 2016. Given the on-again, off-again history of the story, we weren’t surprised when not much was officially said about the matter in the last two years. That changed today.

Koei Saga, senior managing officer in charge of drivetrain R&D at Toyota, has informed Automotive News that Toyota is now thinking of making the Prius in the U.S. by 2015 and wants to get hybrid drivetrain components – motors, inverters, batteries (likely lithium-ion packs) – from North American suppliers. The base fourth-gen Prius will probably still use nickel-metal hydride batteries, but the batteries made in the U.S. might be li-ion.

A 2015 timetable means it is likely that America would make the fourth-gen Prius model, which is due around that time. The reason this story keeps coming back is because it makes sense to build the Prius in the States. Sales are strong here and expected to grow, so extra production somewhere will almost certainly be needed to meet demand. Plus, a strong yen means that Prius vehicles built in America would likely come at a lower cost to Toyota.

Toyota currently makes the Camry hybrid in the U.S. at its plant in Georgetown, KY. The question as to whether the U.S. Prius would be made there, at Toyota’s Mississippi plant, at the Tesla plant in Fremont, CA (formerly known as NUMMI) – where rumors about Toyota and the electric car automaker building electric cars like the RAV4 EV have also floated around in the past – or somewhere else completely will need to be answered at another time.

Toyota looking for high-volume Prius assembly in U.S. by 2015

In yet another case of a carmaker hoping to get media coverage by giving a vehicle to a millionaire celebrity who probably doesn’t want it (and certainly doesn’t need it), Nissan has offered to build a Titan pickup for Peyton Manning. Or at least it has issued a press release to that effect.

The hook here is that the Tennessee Titans NFL franchise is wooing the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback and likely future NFL Hall of Famer, with owner Bud Adams offering Manning a lifetime contract, according to ESPN. Nissan, of course, relocated its North American operations to Tennessee in 2006. Manning also has roots in the state, as he attended the University of Tennessee, where he was the Volunteers’ all-time leading passer.

We suspect Manning has better things to do right now than help Nissan stage a further publicity stunt, given that he’s spent the past week working out for two other NFL teams in addition to Tennessee. That’s not stopping the PR team at Nissan from suggesting that Peyton might want a Titan, the slowest-selling full-size pickup in America, because it’s built in Canton. That’s Canton, Mississippi, rather than Canton, Ohio, where the NFL Hall of Fame is located.

And lest anyone get all up-in-arms over Nissan’s homer-ism, the company has said it will give Manning the truck regardless of which team he signs with “as a gesture of gratitude recognizing your great accomplishments and philanthropic contributions to our national community.” Click past the jump to read the full press release.

*UPDATE: If a slew of reports are to be believed, it appears Mr. Manning is headed the Denver Broncos. As some readers have noted in Comments, we, too, hope that Ford takes this opportunity to build Peyton – and the rest of us – a new Bronco.

Continue reading Nissan offers to make Peyton Manning a Tennessee Titan… sort of *UPDATE

Nissan offers to make Peyton Manning a Tennessee Titan… sort of *UPDATE

In yet another case of a carmaker hoping to get media coverage by giving a vehicle to a millionaire celebrity who probably doesn’t want it (and certainly doesn’t need it), Nissan has offered to build a Titan pickup for Peyton Manning. Or at least it has issued a press release to that effect.

The hook here is that the Tennessee Titans NFL franchise is wooing the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback and likely future NFL Hall of Famer, with owner Bud Adams offering Manning a lifetime contract, according to ESPN. Nissan, of course, relocated its North American operations to Tennessee in 2006. Manning also has roots in the state, as he attended the University of Tennessee, where he was the Volunteers’ all-time leading passer.

We suspect Manning has better things to do right now than help Nissan stage a further publicity stunt, given that he’s spent the past week working out for two other NFL teams in addition to Tennessee. That’s not stopping the PR team at Nissan from suggesting that Peyton might want a Titan, the slowest-selling full-size pickup in America, because it’s built in Canton. That’s Canton, Mississippi, rather than Canton, Ohio, where the NFL Hall of Fame is located.

And lest anyone get all up-in-arms over Nissan’s homer-ism, the company has said it will give Manning the truck regardless of which team he signs with “as a gesture of gratitude recognizing your great accomplishments and philanthropic contributions to our national community.” Click past the jump to read the full press release.

Continue reading Nissan offers to make Peyton Manning a Tennessee Titan… sort of

Nissan offers to make Peyton Manning a Tennessee Titan… sort of

The British sure love their surveillance cameras, don’t they? As if living in the police state that is modern Great Britain isn’t bad enough for motorists, what with all the speed cameras and the like, there’s a new plan afoot: Keep the uninsured from pumping gas.

According to The Mirror, a new government proposal would have surveillance cameras at gas stations determine whether a vehicle carries valid insurance and registration before turning on the pumps. Automatic license plate recognition is already in place at thousands of British fueling stations, acting as a deterrent to driving off without paying. The new measure would be as simple as allowing the systems to cross-reference databases of the national Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, according to the report.

One in 25 drivers in the UK are uninsured, according to The Mirror - some 1.4 million motorists. While the report calls this rate “one of the worst records in western Europe,” it’s far better than here in the United States.

According to data from 2009, published by USA Today, nearly 14 percent of U.S. drivers, or one in seven, has no insurance. In that report, the south stood atop the list of U.S. states with the highest rates of uninsured drivers, with Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, Florida, Oklahama and Alabama all topping 20 percent.

What do you think about this initiative? Is it it a good idea or a bad one? Would you welcome similar legislation here in the States? Take part in our survey below and feel free to leave your thoughts in Comments.

View Poll

UK to use gas station cameras to automatically stop fueling of uninsured cars? [w/poll]

This afternoon at a Detroit Auto Show media roundtable event, Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn unequivocally confirmed that Nissan will build a next-generation Titan pickup. “We are going to replace it. We are going to present in every segment in the market in the United States.” Previous news stories indicated that Nissan was pursuing a new Titan, but persistent reports indicated that the automaker would pursue an outside partner for the vehicle’s development.

A subsequent Autoblog discussion with a Nissan official revealed that not only is the company developing the next-generation Titan right now – internally and without another automaker as a partner – it’s not that far off. Our source confirms that Nissan will first show the truck “in about a year’s time” and the vehicle will likely go on sale as a 2014 model, consistent with earlier reports.

One of the chief issues the current Titan has faced, according to our source, has been its limited configurability versus competitors’ offerings. But the next-generation Titan won’t make this same mistake – it will offer multiple engines and cab configurations.

Nissan first introduced the Canton, Mississippi-built Titan in 2004, but it’s suffered from slow sales and limited updates. More recently, The Japanese marque entered the North American commercial truck market with its NV van line, but in 2011, it only managed to sell around 6,500 units.

Nissan’s Ghosn directly confirms next-generation Titan pickup

A new study by the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association has found 70 percent of Japanese vehicles sold in the U.S. were built on a North American assembly line.

According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the study found that more than 400,000 jobs have been created by Japanese automakers since Honda opened its first facility in the U.S. in 1982. Honda, Toyota and Nissan had a total of 29 plants operating in the U.S. in 2010 with a combined investment of $34 billion. Those numbers are likely to increase in the coming years.

The Japanese Three have made no secret that the companies are looking to guard their operations against an ever-stronger yen. Odds are we’ll see even more Japanese facilities open their doors in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. Toyota is slated to open a new line in Tupelo, Mississippi, and Honda is expected to begin assembling the Fit in Mexico soon.

But Toyota, Honda and Nissan aren’t just building vehicles in the U.S. for American consumers. Japanese-owned plants here are also producing vehicles for consumption abroad. Last year, a total of 145,000 vehicles were built in the U.S. for foreign markets by Japanese automakers, up from 95,000 units in 2010.

70% of Japanese vehicles sold in America are built here, too

It appears the UAW has not finished casting about for a transplanted carmaker to target for unionization. Recent months have seen small-arms fire aimed at BMW and Hyundai, now UAW head Bob King has pointed artillery at Nissan, with King “accusing the Japanese automaker of unspecified human rights violations at its factories in Tennessee and Mississippi.”

The UAW has attempted to organize Nissan’s workforce before, and it didn’t work. Supposedly it is devoting more resources to this effort, but other than King’s accusations and statements that the UAW is talking to “top leaders at Nissan,” it isn’t clear how much commitment is involved. With no publicly stated target, is this another act of probing the chances at success or truly an all-out push? Nissan North America said King hasn’t spoken to anyone there, and VP David Reuter said that King’s “attempts to disparage Nissan are without merit.”

Based on insider and outsider commentary, the UAW needs to do something soon to up its membership. With less than 400,000 members, even King feels that “If we don’t organize these transnationals, I don’t think there’s a long-term future for the UAW.”

Nissan UAW’s most likely target?

Used to be if you wanted a proper full-size van, you were looking at something made in Detroit. But just as the Japanese have taken on the full-size pickup market, so are they going after the big van segment. That currently falls to Nissan and its NV range, and the Japanese automaker is showing no signs of relenting.

After preparing the smaller NV for duty as New York City’s future taxi of choice, Nissan has now launched an even bigger version of the van. The NV3500 HD Passenger Van (that’s heavy duty, not high definition) is being built alongside its chassis-mates right here in the United States at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi, assembly plant, packing all the features and specifications you’d expect from its Big 3 rivals (or, for that matter, from the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter).

That means a flexible twelve-passenger cabin that can, with four rows of seating, be configured in any of 324 arrangements. There are two engine options on offer – a 4.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 with 261 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque and a DOHC 32-valve V8 with 317 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque – both offering variable valve timing and a 5-speed automatic transmission.

There’s also extensive mobile office capabilities on offer, plus all the electronics you’d expect to find in a smaller passenger vehicle, and class-exclusive side-impact airbags for all four rows of seats. There’s plenty more to digest in the press release after the jump, along with the images in the high-res gallery.

Continue reading Nissan unveils new NV3500 HD passenger van

Nissan unveils new NV3500 HD passenger van

Ask anyone in the country to name the state that they believe is the best place to build automobiles. We’d wager that Michigan would be the first state uttered by most – it’s the home to Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, after all). The correct answer, however, according to Business Facilities, is Tennessee, which has been crowned the champ with regards to automotive manufacturing strength. Make that defending champ, since this is the second year in a row that Business Facilities has recognized Tennessee as the top spot to build cars.

Why Tennesse? Just ask Volkswagen and Nissan about their state-of-the-art facilities, happy workers and the burgeoning crop of supply companies flocking to the state. Another major plus for the automakers is that Tennessee is a right-to-work state, which allows them avoid tangoing with unions. Both automakers employ non-unionized teams, and their employment numbers are growing.

So where does Michigan rank on the Business Facilities list of the top ten states for automotive manufacturing strength? Sixth, behind South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama. The rest of the the top spots are held by Ohio, Mississippi, Texas and Indiana.

Tennessee ranks top in automotive manufacturing strength

In southeast Michigan, there is a restaurant called Cloverleaf Pizza. Growing up, I’d ride my bike with a friend to the ‘Leaf and split an eight-slice cheese and pepperoni pizza. In fact, I liked the pizza so much that I eventually got a job there as a bus boy – in part because employees got 50 percent off their dinner order. But as much as I love Cloverleaf, the 25 mile trek from my current residence limits me to about three trips a year.

Charles Schuler is apparently a much bigger fan of his favorite pizza, as Good Morning America reports that the Mississippi resident drove 1,400 miles in his Ford Escape to Town Spa Pizza in Stoughton, Massachusetts so he can eat his favorite pie. More precisely, Schuler picked up 150 pies for the not-so-low price of $1,200.

The trick to getting all those pizzas to arrive in Mississippi without being a soggy mess is to vacuum seal them after they are partially cooked. And Schuler didn’t have to make any stops for food on the way home either, since he also brought a few fully cooked pies to munch on while on the road. Hit the jump to watch a report from GMA.

Continue reading How far would you drive for your favorite pizza?

How far would you drive for your favorite pizza?

For 2012, the Nissan Leaf mid-size electric will receive some minor upgrades and a healthy bump in price.

Moving into its second model year, Nissan’s groundbreaking hatchback will not receive any significant modifications to its exterior or powertrain. However, the decision to make standard the cold weather package – consisting of a battery heater, heated outside mirrors, heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats and an HVAC duct to the rear seating area – and the addition of a quick-charge port as standard equipment (previously offered as a $700 option) on the uplevel SL model, means that pricing for the 2012 Leaf has increased.

Nissan has set the MSRP of the base 2012 Leaf SV at $35,200 (plus an $820 destination charge) and the uplevel SL at $37,250. That’s a healthy step up from the $32,780 price tag on the 2011 Leaf SV and the $33,720 MSRP of the SL version. Of course, the $7,500 federal tax credit still applies for 2012 model year Leafs, meaning the base SV model’s after-credit cost is $27,700. Nissan says a three-year lease on a 2012 Leaf rings in at a “highly competitive” $379 a month, a modest $30 bump over the lease rate for a 2011 model.

Here’s an in-depth explanation of the complex rollout process for the 2012 Leaf: Beginning on July 25, Nissan will open up the 2012 Leaf ordering process to consumers with existing reservations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Then, on August 4, Nissan will reopen the reservation process to the general public in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and all of the aforementioned states listed above. Later this fall, Nissan will begin accepting orders for the 2012 Leaf from residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Sometime after that, Nissan will open up the process for buyers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada and Ohio. Nissan says deliveries of the first batch of 2012 Leafs will begin this fall.

Continue reading 2012 Nissan Leaf gets higher price tag, more standard equipment

2012 Nissan Leaf gets higher price tag, more standard equipment

You’re going to pay more per year for car maintenance if you live in a western state, and the cheapest states for repairs related to a “Check Engine” light are Mississippi and Washington D.C. That’s according to fresh data from the annual CarMD Vehicle Health Index, an analysis of repairs made to 225,000 vehicles with problems that led to a CEL. The average cost to fix the problem and extinguish the lamp is $305.56 in the United States, with Florida coming closest to said average at $305.05. Alaskan motorists can expect to pay the most for such repairs on average ($353.74), while Mississippi residents have been shown to shell out the least ($256.47).

Among the study’s other bits of wisdom, if you live in Alaska, you’re more likely to be stuck replacing a catalytic converter than you are an airflow sensor, a common repair item in America’s dry Southwest region.

Across the board, the most common repair is replacing an oxygen sensor, and the CarMD study breaks out its results by average parts and labor cost in each state. While informative, these results are admittedly narrowly focused on problems on OBD-II vehicles (built between 1996 and present) that cause the “check engine” lamp to alert the driver. The sample size of a quarter-million vehicles was polled through CarMD’s network of Automotive Service Excellence-certified technicians, skipping over some shops and technicians entirely and not counting problems with other systems not tied into the check engine lamp.

Still, it’s an interesting and informative look at the cost of keeping your car on the road. Check out the press release after the jump to see whether your state is cheap or expensive.

Continue reading Car repair costs ranked state-by-state… where does yours rank?

Car repair costs ranked state-by-state… where does yours rank?

Nissan Americas is offering employee pricing and delayed finance payments to victims of the recent tornadoes and floods across the southeastern U.S. The latest gesture comes after the company donated $115,000 to the Red Cross to help with the relief efforts.

Qualified buyers, meaning those from the southeast who were left without a mode of transportation after the storms, will be offered Nissans at a price normally reserved for company workers and their immediate families. To be eligible for the program, you have to live in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi or Alabama and be able to provide proof of damage to your primary vehicle. Check out Nissan’s full press release after the jump.

Continue reading Nissan donates cash, offers employee pricing and delayed payments to Southern storm victims

Nissan donates cash, offers employee pricing and delayed payments to Southern storm victims

Hyundai has been on a consistent sales tear for many months, and that means additional production isn’t far behind. Automotive News reports the Korean automaker will invest $173 million to modify and expand its Alabama engine plant. The expansion, which will make room for a new engine for the Hyundai Elantra, could be completed by March, 2012, and it will require Hyundai to add 214 much-needed jobs.

The expanded engine plant is good news for all parties involved, and according to AN, the good news could soon become even better. Sources claim Hyundai has had informal discussions regarding a new U.S. plant with at least three states in the Southeast. Hyundai CFO Lee Won-hee reportedly added fuel to the fire last month, saying that if the auto market continued to improve, Hyundai could consider building a second U.S. factory. South Carolina and Mississippi are reported to be among the states involved in early negotiations.

Hyundai’s sales have jumped by 31 percent so far in 2011, yet Hyundai CEO John Krafcik added that the only thing stopping sales from improving more are capacity restraints. We’re guessing that even if Hyundai doesn’t build another plant in the U.S., the Korean automaker will add another assembly plant somewhere else in North America.

Hyundai adding 214 jobs in Alabama to build more engines

First Drive: 2012 Nissan GT-R

Want to know what invincibility feels like? Strap yourself into the driver’s seat of the 2012 Nissan GT-R, and then press the start button.

Spy Shots: Subaru FT-86 spied again ahead of Geneva reveal

It’s safe to say that the joint venture between Toyota and Subaru is one of the most highly anticipated debuts of the year.

Video: Jay Leno throws his Corvette Z06 on the Real Car Simulator

Jay Leno takes his Corvette Z06 out for a virtual spin using the Drag Tag simulator.

Also of interest:

• Spy Shots: Kia mystery box spotted testing
• Not Fair: Paris Hilton receives Lexus LFA for 30th birthday
• Report: Mississippi under fire for considering KKK leader and Confederate hero on license plate
• 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid unveiled ahead of Geneva debut *UPDATE

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 2.16.11

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has come under fire for failing to condemn efforts by the state’s Sons of Confederate Veterans to institute a license plate commemorating Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Historically, Forrest has been both hailed for his military brilliance and condemned for his brutality both during and after the Civil War. The general infamously slaughtered black Union troops that surrendered at Fort Pillow Tennessee in 1864 and became a Grand Wizard in the KKK after the war ended.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans, meanwhile, say that the license plate is meant to commemorate those who lost their lives in the war and that a number of black soldiers served under the general during his command.

Those words apparently aren’t doing much to console members of the NAACP, however, who argue that Forrest should be counted among terrorists like Osama bin Laden for his heavy involvement in the KKK.

Mississippi currently offers a license plate to commemorate the Civil War, and funds from those plates go toward maintaining the state’s collection of Confederate battle flags and restoring Beauvoir – the final home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The current plate features the estate, while future designs include everything from the Battle of Corinth to the Siege of Vicksburg. The Forrest commemorative license plate is slated to debut in 2014.

Governor Barbour, meanwhile, says that he isn’t interest in denouncing people or the license plate proposal, even though he feels there’s little chance of the plate making its way into production.

[Sources: The Commercial Appeal, The New York Daily News, Politico]

Report: Mississippi under fire for considering KKK leader and Confederate hero on license plate

Nissan has kicked off production of its all-new 2012 NV commercial truck. Scheduled to go on sale this spring, the NV will be available in three variants; NV1500, NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD. Two different configurations will also be offered: a standard roof or high roof that offers more interior work and/or cargo space.

Power comes from a choice of familiar six or eight-cylinder engines. The 4.0-liter V6 produces 261 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque while the 5.6-liter V8 delivers 317 hp and 385 lb-ft of torque. Both engines drive the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic transmission.

Body-on-frame construction should help the NV go a long way in the rugged work truck category. Inside, a few trick features will help further set it apart from competitors like the Ford Transit Connect. The passenger seat folds flat to offer up its backside as a workspace. The large, lockable center console offers plenty of storage and 120V outlets are installed front and rear.

The 2012 Nissan NV starts at an MSRP of $24,950. Once the NV configurator comes online, we (and tradesmen in need of a new ride) should be able to elevate that sticker price significantly.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Nissan NV commercial truck production gets underway

Nissan NV commercial truck production gets underway

When old Soviet-bloc vehicles started showing up in Mississippi, mutterings about overthrow plots and secret roads began to spread. Were all these trucks being staged as part of an advance effort? The truth turned out to be far more mundane, but also ironically symbolic of the ignominious end to the U.S.S.R.

Rather than any kind of clandestine military operation, the vehicles had been sold as surplus to a businessman who planned to retrofit them for humanitarian use by the United Nations. That effort didn’t quite pan out, and the vehicles (including decrepit Zil trucks similar to the restored one above) weren’t suited for road use in the United States. Some went to Mexico, others were used by the Air Force for target practice, but in the end, a huge number of the vehicles patiently decayed in a Biloxi, Mississippi storage lot until Hurricane Katrina, a civil court ruling and continuing lack of interest sealed their fate. Off they’ve gone, leaving the tall weeds of the storage lot for the towering piles of the scrap yard, destined to be melted down into home appliances and even new automobiles.

And so perishes one of the remaining vestiges of the Cold War. In dying out, the raw materials that once fueled tense stalemate are being transformed into commodities, the raw material of capitalism.

[Source: The New York Times Image: Stephenhanafin/Flickr - CC 2.0]

Soviet vehicles stage in Mississippi?