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Although many pro-domestic-production fans are snickering at the current problems facing Toyota, this scenario really shouldn’t have surprised anybody. It’s been going on for thousands of years.

The people in power get too caught up in the attempt to be the biggest and most powerful that they stretch the lines of supply and communication too far, and problems that could be easily and quickly dealt with are often left unattended until they become monumental and sometimes even insurmountable.

When you look back over history, all the super powers have had to deal with issues related to the drive to become all-powerful everywhere in the world, instead of taking care of business close to the home office.

The Roman Empire had to continuously battle disorder in its far reaches and subdivided itself several times in order to attempt to control its vast territory; but stretched out around the Mediterranean, it was slowly eroded by the hordes of barbarian invaders.

One of those, the Huns, had itself crafted a mass empire that stretched throughout Europe. But they were basically a bunch of roaming tribes who went forth to wreak havoc with the belief that what they’d already conquered would remain submissive.

At its peak, the Mongol empire encompassed all of modern Asia, save for China and India but its downfall was civil strife that initially subdivided the territory into manageable provinces, but then fractured it outright.

And closer to home, Ford had built up its empire to include conquests in Scandinavia and Britain by the turn of the century, to the point that many saw it taking the world’s top automaker mantle from General Motors, who was stretching out its tentacles to southeast Asia and Scandinavia, while maintaining a grip on Australia and Europe.

And so, like the Romans who were unable to effectively supply the far reaches of their territories (workforces and suppliers in North America), the Huns who believed that those in the fold would overlook transgressions (past buyers who would live and die by the Toyota reputation for quality) and the Mongols who had to deal with divisions within their ranks who felt they knew what was best for the whole (the push to large trucks and SUVs to satisfy the North American buyer), Toyota had to eventually succumb to the pressures of maintaining its “top dog” status.

Whether it will overcome the strife and continue its dynasty remains to be seen but don’t be too surprised if a new conqueror comes along.

Some observations from the morning commute ...

Ontario has recently passed a law against the use of handheld devices while driving, so that means no fiddling with MP3 players or PDAs; but primarily it targets cell phone users.

California has had such a law for some 19 months and people are regularly seen driving with cell phones held up to their ears. Both Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver have had their pictures taken scofflawing in this manner.

That brings up an interesting point – if I were to take a picture of somebody in the act of holding a cell phone up to his/her ear and send it to the cops, would we both get charged with breaking the law?

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You’re exiting one highway and entering another and there’s a long line-up of cars using two lanes, because they merge 50 metres ahead into one lane. Question: is it faster to exit the cue and go some 800 metres out of your way only to turn around and come back 800 metres in the back-up that’s causing the slow up of your original merge?

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You’re crawling along in one of three lanes of stop and go traffic because there are two other lanes merging from the left. From the right lane, is it really sensible to force your way across four lanes of traffic, in order to end up in a lane that is forced to merge right into a lane that is later forced to also merge right into the three lanes of cars you’ve just inconvenienced with your bonehead manoeuvre? Do you really expect them to willingly let you back in again? How many car lengths do you foresee gaining with such a passing exercise? One or two? Seeing as I let you in and ended up some five or six cars ahead of you by the time you rejoined the stream, I’d say your elementary school math needs a refresher.

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And finally, pedestrians. Just like it won’t kill drivers to stop for a red light, it won’t kill you to not jump into the intersection before the little walking-man light comes on or sprint into the road thinking you can make it across before it gets really, really red. You’re not only in the wrong by doing that. You might end up being dead wrong.

Do you ever wonder what an award signifies in the recipient?

Is that recipient actually better than the competition or simply just able to buy the award or influence the judges? Is the award earned or bestowed? Are the judges biased in some way?

The auto industry is used to this kind of speculation over favouritism, mostly because its media members hand out so many awards. Just about every media outlet and organization hands out an annual award to some manufacturer, and those that don’t are usually exploring how they can, in light of what their competitors are doing.

I’m usually sceptical about awards from a sole media property because there is always the possibility that said award results from the amount of advertising the recipient buys in the outlet handing out the award. It may not be the case, but the relationship is there so there’s that “guilt by association” thing.

Motor Trend magazine started the Car of the Year award trend back in the ’40s and continued unchallenged for some time. Today, there are so many awards, it’s hard to think of a vehicle that hasn’t won an award in any given year.

On the one hand, it proves that there’s a vehicle to suit every need. On the other, it dilutes the value of awards in general.

In Canada, we have a pretty good program through the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. Based on some of the better auto awards programs from various countries, it features judging by 60+ car reviewers like me – who drive the vehicles week in and week out – so there are no publishers or managers trying to swing the vote toward companies that advertise in their outlets. Further, we work for competing media outlets and disciplines, so even though some may vote along advertising revenue guidelines, they are but drops in the overall bucket of votes.

The votes themselves are weighted in various ways to attempt to level the playing field for all entrants, and some vehicles are subjected to different types of evaluation (SUVs off road, for example, and sports cars on a high-speed track).

And all the testing is done back-to-back over the same route on the same day, so it removes influences of terrain and weather.

So if you’re going to put your purchase faith in an award winning vehicle, you can trust the weight of the AJAC stamp of approval.

What a difference a year makes!

In 2009, the North American International Auto Show was permeated with statements about falling automotive fortunes – the bottom had just fallen out of new car sales and every company was reeling, wondering how to present products that were meant to bring the industry out of its tailspin while attempting to present them in a way that didn’t display a waste of the cash that was becoming so hard to come by.

After all, the industry rides on its product – bad or undesirable product can sink a company faster than cement overshoes, but good or desirable product can at least be a life raft in choppy seas (witness the Chrysler MagicWagons in 1983 or the Ford Taurus of 1986).

So, for 2010, it’s good to see manufacturers again taking pride in their products and getting buyers again excited about the prospects in development (it’s a lot like a sports team that has to tank and build up its farm teams in order to again climb the championship ladder), while keeping the presentation subdued but still professional.

Gone are the song and dance routines of previous years and even some of the high technology from previous shows. We live in a technology-intensive era so you can’t totally get away from the virtual games such as putting you in a picture with your favourite car or virtually seeing what your energy drink says about the kind of car you should own. But it’s good to see cars standing on their own merits – here I am; here’s what I do; here’s how you can take me home – without the glitzy and glamorous masks.

The message that comes across is one of confidence – yes, we had a rough go of it lately but this is what we’re moving forward with – and it’s evident in every corner of the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit that manufacturers have that spring back in their steps and it’s understandable, given the vehicles on display.

Detroit paves the way for every other show on this continent, so the message that’s going to be rolling out over the next four months is that the industry is moving on and the road ahead looks pretty smooth. But it still comes down to the consumer to decide, and that’s what auto shows are for – they’re staffed by local auto retail sales personnel and offer a comprehensive showroom.

I’m hoping for a revival in Detroit at the 2010 North American International Auto Show.

Last year’s show left a lot to be desired. Sure it had everybody saying all the right things - “We know it’s not going to turn around overnight” … “Everybody is feeling the pinch” … “We hope to come out of this strong” – but there wasn’t that buzz from past years.

Hopefully we’re done with the sleepy days of recession and we can get back to some good old fashion auto show excitement.

Mind you, one of the companies that could be counted on to provide a lot of that excitement was Chrysler and it’s literally not the same company it was in those hey-days.

Back then, Bob Lutz was in charge and he can always be counted on to bring light up the fireworks. But it was a different time, too – when excess was often rewarded with better press, rather than frowned upon as wasteful.

Back in 1992, Lutz picked up the mayor of Detroit, Coleman Young, in a new Jeep Grand Cherokee, and drove him to Cobo Hall. He actually drove him INTO Cobo Hall, driving up the steps to the hall and through a plate glass window (rigged to explode on contact, of course).

Some 15 years later, new chief Tom Lasorda repeated the stunt in reverse, with the new Jeep Wrangler breaking free from a cage set up on the stage and out of Cobo Hall through another plate glass window. That same year at the New York show, a group of firemen blasted away six tons of dirt to unveil the Unlimited Wrangler, in perhaps the messiest show introduction ever.

In 1993, it was new Ram pickup. It looked boxier than we would have thought, sitting up there on the stage under a silk tarp. When it came time to unveil it, the sheet wasn’t pulled way … it was squashed down as the new pickup came crashing down from a box some 15 feet above the covered cutaway on the stage.

And then there was the round up a couple years back, which saw a herd of long-horns ushered up the main boulevard in front of the show venue by a group of cowboys. It was also for the newest Ram and attending journalists were treated not just to the wild west roundup but also an amorous bull who wasn’t shy about snuggling up to the heifer he’d had his eye on probably for the whole rustling route.

So, Fiat … top that!