It’s Tuesday morning and the auto show is like a ghost town. After the marathon of press conferences yesterday, it seems that both journalists and industry types are in need of physical and psychological rehab. Even one of my more energy-infused colleagues told me “It took me all of about two seconds to fall asleep last night.” Perhaps to combat yesterday’s 12-hour full-court press, Hyundai was giving out those small bottles of 5-Hour Energy. Of course, that would mean you’d have to pound more than one to make the math work. But the only thing worse than feeling dead on your feet is finally getting the chance to go to bed but being too hopped up on caffeine to fall asleep.

During the VW press conference announcing the new Passat, I grew concerned when the words “affordable” and “cheaper than its predecessor” were used to describe it. Later, a CR writer mentioned that he saw a basic metal prop holding up the hood (instead of using hydraulic rods). We’ve noticed how VW cheapened the current Jetta. Which brings up something the company said yesterday about the new Passat: the company’s goal, it seems, is “German engineering for all.” We can only hope they aren’t taking the same path for the Passat they used for the Jetta.