The Detroit News reports President Barack Obama has joined Democrats in taking issue with GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s claim that he deserves credit for the resurgence of GM and Chrysler. Romney said last Monday that he pushed for a managed bankruptcy of the Detroit automakers, which federal officials eventually adopted. But Romney originally opposed the source of bankruptcy funding, in which Presidents George W. Bush and Obama funneled some $85 billion to GM and Chrysler and expect to lose around $22 billion. Obama called Romney’s claims an “Etch-a-Sketch” moment, reiterating that there was no private financing available at the time, and short of federal funding, Chrysler and GM would have gone into liquidation, sacrificing “probably a million jobs throughout the Midwest.” A Romney spokeswoman defended his structured bankruptcy plan to The Detroit News, calling Obama’s comments “cheap political attacks.”

In other news:

• Reuters reports Nissan’s quarterly profits rose 33% to $1.48 billion at current exchange rates and expects to beat global sales growth this year with 10 new models.
• Alan Mulally has been Ford’s CEO since September 2006, but The Detroit News reports the 66-year-old former Boeing executive, who’s taken the automaker from the red to 10 consecutive quarters of profits, isn’t planning to go anywhere.
• Toyota was the world’s largest automaker from 2008 to 2010, and it could regain the title this year: At 2.49 million cars, its first-quarter global sales outpaced GM (2.28 million) and Volkswagen (2.16 million), Bloomberg News reports.

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Dead may be too strong a word. The Ford Escape, Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Impala, among others, are far from dead. In fact, before long they'll be breathing crisp mountain air. But in April 2012, these and other cars saw sales suffer at the hands of a market that knew that something better is coming down the line.

The glitz and glamour of revealing cars at an auto show grabs headlines, but it also informs shoppers that something better is on the way, and they may hold off on a purchase until it arrives.

It's happened before.

The BMW 3 Series, a nameplate that routinely secures the title of America's best-selling luxury car, saw it happen last year. In 2011, as the U.S. new-vehicle market grew at a 10% clip, sales of the 3 Series slid 6.5%. True, the 3 Series stayed on as America's top-selling premium vehicle, but shoppers were all too aware of two factors.

First, there were more recently redesigned and more stylish luxury cars available. Second, shoppers knew a new 3 Series was coming. Toward the end of the calendar year, they knew exactly what it would look like, how much power it would generate and what its fuel economy benefits would be.

That dip before the new model arrived likely pained dealers, but there's a corollary effect. Through the first quarter of this year, the new BMW sedan helped 3 Series sales climb 27%, which helps offset that 6.5% drop, especially considering that coupe and convertible models hadn't been updated. Mercedes-Benz's slightly altered C-Class saw sales up 20%, mainly fueled by a new entry engine like the 3 Series. But this is a swing that BMW would gladly go through to launch such an important model. A 6.5% drop isn't that bad, after all.

This is the peril of letting consumers know early on what an automaker is going to deliver. Apple releases an iPhone, and shortly thereafter it goes on sale. Indeed, we think there will be a new Honda Accord soon, but Honda is keeping with its tradition of holding its cards close to the vest. Accord sales jumped 26% in April. Incidentally, we don't know for sure what the next Accord will look like, though we have a few hints. But they are just that, hints.

We do know what the next Nissan Altima, due in July, will look like. The midsize Nissan was America's second-best-selling car in January, February and March, but it fell to 12th after sales slid 6% last month compared with April 2011. The 2013 Altima was revealed at the New York auto show in April.

The Chevrolet Impala is currently a value-conscious, high-volume large car in a full-size market that has shrunk significantly over the last several years. It's been in dire need of a redesign for years, but it kept selling despite its age. Through the first quarter, Impala sales had risen 2% year over year. In April, sales of the current Impala plunged 29%, the worst year-over-year decline reported by any of America's 20 best-selling cars. The 2014 Impala was revealed at the New York auto show at the beginning of April, but shoppers will need to wait much longer for that car. It won't go on sale until early 2013. That's a long time for GM to be staring at percentage drops nearly five times larger than the BMW 3 Series.

Other factors were at play last month, besides the fact that potential buyers may be turned on by a newer, flashier car while outgoing 4- or 5-year-old designs sit on dealer lots with discounts. April 2011 had three more selling days than April 2012, so year-over-year percentage volume changes are skewed. GM fleet sales were especially strong a year ago. U.S. auto sales had also been unexpectedly buoyant in the first few months of 2012, and dealer inventory was limited in certain instances.

All those factors may have had some impact but don't totally explain the Ford Escape's slide, the one model that may best illustrate shoppers holding off. Ford showed the 2013 Escape at the L.A. auto show last fall, with reviews like this one singing its praise hitting the internet a few weeks ago. The current version of the Escape has been with us for more than a decade with far fewer changes than most models mentioned above. Is it any wonder Escape sales were down 20% in April when the new version was just weeks away from dealers?

New-car buyers may just be a patient bunch, or at least a bunch that's willing to consider the new car that is actually available. Honda introduced the new CR-V at the L.A. auto show in November, and the vehicle that has now taken over from the Escape as America's best-selling SUV was being stocked less than two months later.

Tim Cain is a contributing writer for Cars.com and the editor-in-chief of Good Car Bad Car, a site that analyzes both U.S. and Canadian car sales.

• After overcoming “unspecified part” issues, the Dodge Dart will begin rolling off the line in Chrysler's Belvidere, Ill., assembly plant May 3, Bloomberg News reports. Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said in a conference call last week that “if I told you the preparation for the launch has been a walk on the park, I'd be lying through my teeth,” Bloomberg notes. An Aero package, which includes aerodynamic enhancements to push the car's EPA highway mileage to 41 mpg, will come only on the base SE trim. The Aero goes on sale this fall.
• The auto industry's benchmark Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate, or SAAR, could face some doubt over the next few months, Bloomberg News reports. Why? Last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan cut inventory for most Japanese automakers, reducing the SAAR to less than 12.5 million through most of the summer. SAARs typically are calculated using recent sales history. Analysts expect April sales to hit 14.3 million SAAR, keeping even with 2012's sales rate but outpacing any figure in 2011. Nissan and Chrysler may post the biggest gains, while GM and Honda may decline, analysts told Bloomberg.
• Nissan's Infiniti luxury division expects to sell 200,000 cars globally in its next fiscal year ending March 31, Automotive News reports. That would be up 50,000 cars from the prior year. The brand expects much of the growth to come from China, where Infiniti plans to build more cars beginning in 2014. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told us earlier this month that the automaker wants to move more Infiniti production to the U.S. and China to reduce exposure to a surging yen, but the next-generation Infiniti G — the brand's biggest U.S. seller, built in Japan — will stay there, Infiniti chief Andy Palmer told Automotive News.
• GM and Isuzu could re-enter an alliance, Reuters reports via LeftLane News. GM is interested in buying a 10% stake in the Japanese automaker, which left the U.S. market after the 2008 model year. Toyota and Mitsubishi are among Isuzu's current stakeholders, and VW has an alliance as well.

When the EPA downgraded the highway mileage estimate for the new BMW 328 to 33 mpg from 36 mpg, it was a big deal. Automakers don't routinely see that kind of change from the agency when releasing a new model. The turbocharged four-cylinder engine — teamed to an eight-speed automatic transmission — is vitally important to the automaker, as it is now the base engine for the company's most popular car.

When a new 2012 328i arrived at Cars.com HQ for testing, I took it home, loaded my kids in their child-safety seats and headed off for the highway for a bit of an unscientific real-world test. I don't think the EPA got it entirely right this time out.

The destination was an indoor play place that allows two young children a safe haven to exhaust their nearly endless energy. This one is far from our house, 23 miles, but it's a favorite destination, so the ride for the kids — passing the airport and two train yards — wasn't a hardship.

Along with their car seats, I'd estimate that they accounted for an extra 100 pounds or so of weight. The weather was cool but sunny, so I had the air conditioning on at a medium level. Winds were strong, though. Heading north and later south, there were crosswinds and the buffeting was easily felt.

On the trip down and back I maintained a steady clip of around 65 to 70 mph, rarely breaking 70 mph. I did not have the optional Eco mode on, which regulates the HVAC system.

Leaving the highway after 20 miles, the trip computer registered 34 mpg and settled at 34.2 by the time we reached the destination three miles later, driving at a moderate speed with few stops.

On the trip home, the computer displayed 35 mpg about halfway through and topped out at 35.4 mpg; that was the rating displayed as we exited the highway. The few miles more to the house saw that mileage drop quickly to 34.3 mpg.

After 25 more miles of mixed suburban driving later that day and my 23-mile commute to work on Monday in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the computer showed 28.2 mpg. The 328i is rated 23 mpg city and 26 mpg combined.

But it's the highway mileage that is the question. If during my test the 328i couldn't break 35.4 mpg, perhaps the EPA was right to revise the number. But because it reached that number with some serious stress — winds, high speeds, added weight — I'm surprised the EPA didn't rate it higher than 33 mpg.

• Niche manufacturer Coda will partner with China's Great Wall Motors to build the least expensive electric car available in the U.S., company officials say. That means it would undercut the current bargain(ish) EV, Mitsubishi's $29,125 i. USA Today reports Great Wall, which has lagged on EVs, hopes to bring the car to the U.S., China and Europe within two years. Officials hope to price the car similar to a conventional car. It would expand Coda's lineup to two vehicles; the California automaker's current electric sedan costs more than $37,000.
• Speaking of California, America's largest auto market saw Chrysler-brand sales boom 222% through March, The Detroit News reports. New-car sales in the Golden State have increased 17.7% this year, outpacing the country's 13.3% gain. Chrysler has been a bit player in the state, however, with just 1% of auto sales in 2011. On the strength of the 300 sedan, 200 sedan/convertible and Town & Country minivan, the brand outpaced Kia (up 83.4%) and Jeep (up 39.4%) for the top sales increase. Still, The Detroit News notes that Detroit automakers account for less than a third of all auto sales in California, compared to 44.3% nationally.
• Ford touted yesterday that it has halved its waste to landfills between 2007 and 2011. The automaker wants to cut waste another 10% by the end of 2012, leaving 20 pounds of waste per vehicle — “roughly the weight of one tire,” Ford says — and reduce the water used to manufacture each vehicle by 30% between 2009 and 2015.
• Auto industry veteran Bob Lutz is fighting disdain among conservatives over plug-in vehicles. Lutz, who retired from GM in 2010, is working as an adviser to Via Motors, a company that retrofits GM pickups and SUVs with range-extended electric drivetrains like those found in the Chevrolet Volt. The Detroit News reports Lutz, an outspoken Republican, met last week with conservative think tanks and publications in support of the Chevrolet Volt — which one conservative group called an “exploding Obamamobile” — and EVs in general.