I enjoy an occasional...

I enjoy an occasional early morning ritual of reading newspapers, post and E-mail while negotiating a giant, freshly cooked breakfast at the Village Market Pump and Grille located in "my" quiet, car-mad corner of the US. The modest little eatery conveniently sits a few minutes" drive away from my humble States-based office and studio, which is also home for my faithful and astonishingly fault-free 10-year-old 4.0-litre Jeep Cherokee. Crude but strangely appealing, the US box on wheels is still very efficient and reliable - despite the fact that I abuse it terribly and often park it up, exposed to the elements, for months on end.

After all, if the parent company doesn"t pull through its current crisis, heaven forbid, the consequences for its Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin subsidiaries could be lethal

Back at the diner, crispy bacon strips, sausage links, eggs-over-easy, country fried potatoes, rye bread, fruit and unlimited coffee served by friendly staff cost the equivalent of about three quid - the same sort of money that"s demanded of me whenever I order a large cup full of latte at many garages in Britain.

So with that in mind, some questions need answering. Aren"t some motorway-based hot drinks outlets in the UK enjoying almost illegal monopoly status, and should they be allowed to get away with charging motorists such extortionate prices? How come Britain"s Little Chef, on the brink of collapse, charges so much more for its considerably smaller and inferior breakfasts than virtually every roadside diner in the US?

Anyway, on the morning of 27 December, my bargain brekkie was entirely spoiled by the giant headline on my American newspaper that screamed simply: FORD DIES. Trembling, I dropped the paper on the floor of the diner and froze with fear, assuming the worst. I was well aware of the recent corporate bankruptcy talk as the blue oval boys continue to lose money, and recently had to take out a mortgage-style loan of around чЈ9billion in an effort to survive. But the death of Ford I wasn"t expecting - not yet, at least.

How relieved I was a few minutes later when I realised that the Ford in question was 93-year-old Gerald, the former US president who I think it"s fair to say, enjoyed a long and fruitful innings. But in the same week, and on the eve of the Detroit Motor Show, there was no way that I or anybody else could get the wrong end of the stick over worldwide headlines that read TOYOTA TO BECOME WORLD"S NUMBER ONE CAR MAKER IN "07. Neither was there much doubt about the tone of Motown"s highly respected newspapers and motor industry magazines just a few hours before the opening of the show.

TURMOIL IN DETROIT read one. AILING AUTO INDUSTRY another. Not for the first time, BASKET CASE was used inelegantly to describe Ford. Cruel and disturbing words, but some would argue that they are entirely accurate. Ford boss Alan Mulally has been busy lately, travelling with cap in hand to Toyota HQ in Tokyo. Exactly what he wants from the rich Japanese company that is helping to kill off his cash-strapped firm is beyond me. If he"s hoping for a financial handout or trying to put some of his many redundant plants and workers Toyota"s way, I think he"s in for a disappointment. Mulally should be on the front line back in Detroit, making sure that we see no more scary FORD DIES headlines. After all, if the parent company doesn"t pull through its current crisis, heaven forbid, the consequences for its Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin subsidiaries could be lethal. Or have you already forgotten what happened to MG, Rover and the Longbridge factory now that they"re dead and buried, out of sight, out of mind?

Mike Rutherford writes for the Times, Daily Telegraph and Independent, presents ITV"s Pulling Power and is founder of the Motorists" Association