For all the aiding and abetting taking place on behalf of the automobile industry — the transfusions, the transformations and the TLC — one thing remains constant: It’s all about the cars. The quest, as just about everyone sees it, is to figure out how Detroit automakers and their global competitors can build smart, compelling and reliable vehicles that appeal both to our pragmatism and passions — and do so profitably and more ecologically. That’s the basic drill, right?