As a former local newspaper journo myself, I take great joy in being able to kick this morning’s round-up off with a report from one of New York City’s fine community papers.  This particular headline caught my eye Sunday morning as I was waiting in line to grab a coffee before taking in the NYC Marathon from the streets of Williamsburg and the sheer absurdity was too much for me to leave the paper on the rack.  Perhaps you’ll share my incredulity or maybe you’ll reach for your checkbook when you read about the latest money-making opportunity in the world of cars. Either way, feel free to let me know.  FOLLOW DAILY NEWS AUTOS ON FACEBOOK. 'LIKE' US HERE.  We’ve also got more trouble for Volkswagen and some patriotic ride-hailing apps in this Monday edition of the Daily-Drive Thru.  Parking has long been at a premium in New York City, particularly along the ostensibly-gilded streets of Manhattan though increasingly so in Brooklyn’s posh neighborhoods as well. One woman believes that parking spaces are so valuable that they can be commodified to the tune of $185,000 per spot. Only in New York. Scratch that, only in Brooklyn.  The idea behind the Parking Club in Cobble Hill is to turn parking structuring spaces into car condos that, instead of being rented on a monthly or yearly basis, are sold outright and held as investments. Like residential condos, the spots come with annual taxes between $800 and $920 as well as a monthly common charge of $140. Sure, services such as crosstown valet pick-up and delivery, a fueling station, car washes, maintenance and in-house inspections come with the spaces, but the real value is in the real estate, according to Parking Club owner Lindsay Barrett.  Owning property in New York has long been one of the only sure-fire investments out there, but like cars that park in them, I believe these spots are only destined to depreciate in value. With car ownership dropping among younger generations, the advent of car-/ride-sharing and the disruptive promise of autonomy, the number of personal vehicles in New York is likely at or nearing a peak.  Now, there’s something to be said for the logos of the luxury world that says if you sell it they will pay, especially in a place with as many millionaires and billionaires as New York, but I remain skeptical.  The so-called “Dieselgate” scandal has made its way to the doorstep of Volkswagen supervisory board Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch. Having served as the company’s chief financial officer before taking the helm as chairman, Pötsch is accused of failing to let shareholders know about the financial risks of the automaker’s diesel emissions hiding in a timely fashion.  German prosecutors believe Pötsch knew about the regulations cheating during the year-long cover-up that preceded last fall’s bombshell scandal but said nothing about it to investors. If true, this revelation would give credence to the criticism of the company’s controlling families, the Porsche and Piëchclans, and strengthen the cases of investors looking to sue the company for losses.  Volkswagen has already agreed to pay roughly $15 billion to vehicle owners, dealerships and government agencies in the U.S., not to mention the cost of recalling more than 10 million other vehicles worldwide. Any further expenses could prove crippling for the world’s number two car manufacturer.  America’s two candidates for supreme ruler of the ride-sharing realm, Uber and Lyft, are both offering special features in their respective apps to help voters get to the polls on Election Day. Lyft is offering a 45 percent one-way discount intended to help riders get to voting stations and Uber, with a little help from its running mate Google, is offering a location service that will point out where users’ polling places are based on their registered address.  Lyft’s offerings are not without caveats, however: return rides will still cost full price and the discounts only apply to a select few cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New Orleans, New York/New Jersey, Orange County, California, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, Raleigh, North Carolina, San Diego and Washington, D.C. It’s also worth noting that the discounts are not restricted to polling places and they can technically be used to get anywhere.  Reports that the United Kingdom will provide assurances to Nissan’s British manufacturing operation drew attention not only from other automakers but also officials in the European Union. While the U.K.’s so-called Brexit vote over the summer has the country poised to sever ties with the international trade group, it still falls under the E.U.’s jurisdiction for the time being, and headlines from the past few weeks have raised some questions.  E.U. officials have begun launched inquiries in London to make sure authorities there aren’t offering Nissan a sweetheart deal that’s not available to other countries, something that’s strictly prohibited in the European trade bloc. If the E.U. finds that the U.K. is acting unethically or unlawfully, it might disrupt Britain’s plan of keeping trade lines open for the automotive industry.  While you were watching football, going to church or doing your weekend shopping, Ford’s Canadian auto workers were signing off on the deal struck by their employer and their labor group, Unifor, earlier this month. With 58 percent of the union’s members voting yes, the approval ends Unifor’s quadrennial negotiations with the Detroit Three automakers.  About $1.2 billion worth of investment from the automakers was secured by the union, including more than $530 million from Ford, the bulk of which will go toward a new engine program at its Windsor plants. Ford’s deal also secures more than 500 existing Canadian jobs and promises as many as 75 more.  Check the Daily Drive-Thru every weekday morning to get the latest on the most important news and trends in the automotive world.  You can find Friday’s installment of the Drive-Thru hereand view the rest of our archives here.  Got a news tip or a comment? You can find me on Twitter where I go by @ByKyleCampbellor email me at kcampbell@nydailynews.com.  Did you find this article helpful? If so, please share it using the "Join the Conversation" buttons below, and thank you for visiting Daily News Autos.
We've also got a ride-sharing companies helping voters, more questions about Nissan in the UK and more in today's Daily Drive-Thru.