We obsessively cover the auto industry…

The timetable for next-generation Ford F-150 may be in trouble if a report from The Truth About Cars is true. The next F-150 is slated to make extensive use of weight-saving aluminum in its body, but the aluminum alloy provided by suppliers hasn't met Ford's requirements in the earliest phases of pre-production, according to the report.

The F-150 represents a huge portion of Ford's profits and is the best-selling truck in the US, even in the face of increased pressure from cross-town rivals General Motors and Ram. While the current truck is treading water against its competition, we'd be lying if we said the F-150 weren't growing quite long in the tooth.

If production of the next-generation of the Ford cash cow, said to be based on the Atlas Concept from the 2013 Detroit Auto Show (pictured above), is delayed, it could be bad for Ford. Production at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant is already set to be delayed six to ten weeks, missing an internal on-sale deadline of Memorial Day.

As TTAC explains it (and without digging too deeply into chemistry and metallurgy), the issue with the aluminum alloy provided has to do with its elastic modulus - defined by the minds of Wikipedia as "an object or substance's tendency to be deformed elastically (non-permanently) when a force is applied to it." The elastic modulus in the aluminum provided to Ford is about a third of what's found in steel, making it difficult to form.

We reached out to Ford and were told by a spokesman, "We don't speculate on future products." We'll be sure to follow-up and let you know as more information becomes available.

Following the crash that claimed the lives of Fast and Furious star Paul Walker and Roger Rodas, we reported on the effect that Walker's death may have on the latest installment of the wildly successful (and profitable) movie series.

At that time - mere days after the crash - it was unclear how Universal Studios would handle the death of the star of its franchise. Numerous reports claimed that the film would go on hiatus (it did, indefinitely) and that only about half of Walker's scenes had been shot, leaving the cast and studio in a difficult position regarding the future of the film.

Now The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Chris Morgan, the man that crafted the film's original script, is at work on rewrites that the studio is hoping can give Walker a proper sendoff while still salvaging a film that Universal has poured $150 million into. According to the story, if the rewrites are signed off on, the cast and crew could be filming by January.

Scenes Walker filmed before his death would still be used, although it's unclear how Morgan will write in the exit of Walker's character, Brian O'Connor.

Satoshi Ogiso, dubbed "the grandfather of the Prius," said in a recent interview in Tokyo, "Earlier would have been better, but it's taken a long time to get to this point." The point Ogiso was talking about was the arrival of representative prototypes of Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the precursor to the production FCV that the Japanese brand will offer for sale "around 2015."

It is intriguing that the company that broke open the hybrid vehicle segment and is now the go-to brand when car shoppers want to be green is regularly lambasted for its push into hydrogen. If bullying were a concept one could apply to cars, the Prius would be Exhibit A in support of the victim. But Toyota stuck with it, losing money on every one of them for years until, in a role reversal worthy of George McFly and Biff from Back to the Future, now it's, well, the Prius. And that's Prius, sir, to you, thank you.

What drives Toyota's hydrogen push is not an idealistic worldview, but a business case.

Toyota is not walking away from hybrids – in fact, it sees them playing a role for a long time into the future – but the company believes that unless there's a quantum leap in battery technology, hydrogen-powered vehicles will be the greater part of a diverse mix of vehicles used for medium- and long-range applications. What drives that idea is not an idealistic worldview, but a business case.

Said Toyota Technical Center Principle Engineer Matt McClory, "This is always a kind of mythical issue and I really don't know where it comes from. We could never have started – not only Toyota but all the major automakers – we would not have started doing fuel cells back in the '90s if we thought it would not make sense to come to market as an economical and sustainable solution."

We have now had a chance to drive Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell car twice, once earlier this year in California, and once a couple of months ago in Japan. We were repeatedly told in California, "The future is fuel cell." And in Japan, just a few months away from the car's introduction at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, we were told by John Hanson, Toyota's national manager of environmental, safety & quality communications, "The powertrain's been invented, making it a real car."

Episode #360 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Jeff Ross discuss the 2015 Ford Mustang, reports of the latest plan to bring Alfa Romeo back to the US, Chevrolet leaving Europe and Holden closing down in Australia, and the price barrier that's holding down potential EV buyers. Dan also interviewed Jacques Brent, Ford's marketing manager for the 2015 Mustang and Sebastian Ruta and Joe Oh from Blipshift. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #360:




Topics:

• 2015 Ford Mustang
• Alfa Romeo's latest US launch plan hinges on new RWD platform
• GM to shutter Holden and pull Chevrolet out of Europe
• $25K price barrier is problem for EVs

In the Autoblog Garage:

• 2014 Toyota Tundra Platinum
• 2014 Cadillac ATS

Hosts: Dan Roth, Jeffrey Ross
Guests: Jacques Brent, Sebastian Ruta, Joe Oh
Runtime: 01:58:49

---

Get the podcast:
[UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com

Review the show in iTunes

In case you haven't heard, there were some controversial changes to the Formula One rulebook made recently, adding things like double points for the season-ending race and the ability for each driver to choose their own number (previously, a driver's finishing position in the previous season was used).

The new rules have been met with some degree of disdain, though, and have led a number of sources to come up with their own satirical additions to the F1 rules. Lotus F1, which has one of the cheekier Twitter presences in the sport, has come up with 18 additional rules it thinks would add to the sport.

While some of them make a fair amount of sense, like rule nine ("The team who designs the ugliest car of the season will be deducted 15 percent of their final points tally"), the rest are certainly on the silly side of things. For example, Lotus proposes that drivers aren't fined for doing donuts after a victory, but it does suggest drivers will need to eat the same number of donuts during the course of the post-race press conferences.

Lotus also suggests that any driver named "Sebastian Vettel" complete their own pit stops, without help from mechanics, and that "loophole exploiting devices can only be used if they have a cool name." We've posted the entire list below, so scroll down and let us know what your favorites are, as well as what you think should be added.

We may still be several months off from next year's Geneva Motor Show, but with Frankfurt well behind us, European automakers are already counting down the days. And you know what that means, boys and girls: that's right, another outside-of-the-box concept from Rinspeed.

This year's concept is called the XchangE, and it focuses on autonomous driving and advanced infotainment to keep occupants busy while underway. Frank M. Rinderknecht and company aren't saying much in the way of details at this point, but the concept looks similar in form to a Tesla Model S, but with a drive-by-wire cockpit that allows the steering wheel to slide out of the way and the seats to be either reclined or swiveled around to create a mobile living room of sorts, with a Carl F. Bucherer clock in the dashboard.

We'll have to wait to find out more, but for now you can scope out the pair of renderings in the gallery and the initial press release below to see what Rinspeed has in store for us this coming March.

The latest Porsche 911 may still be a newer car, but that hasn't stopped the German company from starting development of a facelifted version of the rear-engined sports car, testing in what looks like southern Europe.

Due to hit the market in 2015, our spies think what we're seeing here is the new GTS variant, which, following the evolution of the last-generation 911, will make its debut on the facelifted car. Featuring the wider rear haunches of the all-wheel-drive Carrera 4, the GTS should enjoy a slight power boost, to 408 ponies.

Aesthetically, there are some additional vents in the rear bodywork, along with a revised front bumper and tweaked day-time running lights. The taillights get some attention as well, and will likely grow over the current car's skinny rear lamps.

We have five images of the new car testing up top. Let us know what you expect from the facelifted 911 down in Comments.

With Ford and General Motors both announcing an end to production in Australia, the country's auto industry is in a bad way. With the exit of two big players, there's increased concern that a third Australian manufacturer, Toyota, will be forced out, as well.

"We are saddened to learn of GM Holden's decision. This will place unprecedented pressure on the local supplier network and our ability to build cars in Australia," Toyota Australia said in a statement. The GM closure of Holden production will be the direct end to 2,900 jobs, but will also force a dramatic reduction in the size of the country's supplier network, as there will simply be fewer cars to build.

In the same statement, Toyota Australia said it would work with suppliers and local government to figure out whether continuing production Down Under was even feasible. According to Automotive News, a representative for the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union told reporters it was "highly likely" that Toyota would also close up shop within the next few years.

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 130 SL-Class roadsters built between January 16, 2013 and April 30, 2013 over concerns that the vehicle's airbags won't fire if a very light person is in the passenger seat. The issue rests with what's called the Occupant Classification System.

The OCS is a system that figures out if there's an occupant in a seat based on the amount of weight being exerted on a sensor, and will arm or disarm the airbags accordingly. The affected models – SL550, SL63 AMG and SL65 AMG – might not detect a very light person, which could increase the chance of injury were the car to get in a wreck.

Naturally, Mercedes will be notifying owners and replacing the passenger-side OCS free of charge. Take a look below for the bulletin from NHTSA.

Ever since Gran Turismo 4, Jay Leno has had at least one of his cars included in the popular racing simulator (starting with the Tank Car), and more of his machines appears in Gran Turismo 6. They include this nose-heavy, front-wheel-drive V8-powered muscle car. Yes, that aptly describes a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado - except Leno's is rear-wheel drive. And it has a Cadillac CTS-V race engine modified to pump out 1,070 horsepower.

For the latest Jay Leno's Garage episode, he takes his real Toronado out for a cruise and then drives the virtual one like he stole it, accruing some body damage along the way. Leno also drives the virtual supercar Mercedes-Benz designed for GT6, the AMG Vision Gran Turismo Concept that debuted at the LA Auto Show, along with the real one, which is a 1:1-scale model. The model is radio-controlled and equipped with a small electric motor, sufficient to move it on and off of auto show floors.

Head below to watch the episode, which includes a few words from GT6 creator Kazunori Yamauchi.

There will forever be a soft spot in my heart for the Jeep Wrangler. The last one I owned was red, and, as a 1990 model, had the square headlights derided by Jeep enthusiasts who grew up on the Civilian Jeeps that descended from their General Purpose military ancestors. As a teenager, I couldn't have cared less what shape its headlights happened to be – to me, a Jeep Wrangler represented freedom; a carefree do-it-all machine equally at home with the top stowed away in the summer or with the heater on full blast in the snowy clutches of Old Man Winter. In Dr. Seuss parlance, my square-headlighted Sneetch was just as worthy as any round-headlighted Sneetch.

All that said, I'll be the first person to advise against buying a Jeep Wrangler of any sort for owners who don't plan to use it as its makers intend. There's no good reason to punish yourself with a stiff and springy ride, a loud and somewhat drafty (though generally water-resistant) interior or the poor fuel economy expected of a block-shaped vehicle if you don't enjoy its other, more exciting benefits.

Of course, Jeep has done its darndest over the years to make the Wrangler as civilized as possible while keeping it as capable as federal law will allow. The 2013 Jeep Wrangler Moab edition is one of Jeep's latest attempts to attract attention from the upper reaches of the active lifestyle set, and I spent a week with one to see what makes the Moab special.

Driving Notes

• While the stylized hood that comes as part of the Moab package doesn't have any actual effect on the vehicle's capabilities, it certainly looks good. In fact, it's such a cool design that it might be worth choosing a Moab over the Sahara model that it's based on for truly style-conscious buyers.
• Similarly, the new 17-inch Rubicon alloy wheels look great on the Moab. Plus, their black finish complements all of the other black trim on the Moab, which includes the door handles, side mirrors, wheel flares and running boards.
• Fitted to those wheels are Goodyear Silent Armor off-road tires with Kevlar reinforcement, measuring in at 245/75R17 at all four corners. These treads have a deep, blocky pattern that does a good job of digging in the dirt... or hauling you and your Wrangler up a massive pile of rocks. They proved much quieter on the road than I expected, too.
• While there's simply no comparison to be made between the current Wrangler's soft top versus the medieval torture device that was the factory top in 1990, I'd still opt to pay an extra thousand dollars for the three-piece hardtop. The various zips, sliding wedges and ties that hold the Wrangler's roof to its folding apparatus remain a pain in the butt to fiddle with when all you want to do is hit the road and bask in the sun.
• Included in the Moab package is an anti-spin rear differential, and I'd certainly recommend the optional electronic locking unit for serious Jeeper Creepers.
• New bumpers front and rear featuring integrated tow hooks look pretty cool, and they'd look even better with a proper winch mounted front and center in the slot that Jeep has kindly made available.
• While many Jeep owners bemoan the death of the 4.0-liter High Output inline six-cylinder engine, the reality is that the 3.6L Pentastar is a much more refined and powerful engine. I would, of course, choose the standard six-speed manual transmission, but this test vehicle was fitted with the optional five-speed automatic unit. It shifted through the gears with nary a complaint, but it's a few cogs short of true satisfaction.
• If you want to be noticed, look no further than a Wrangler painted in the hue you see above, known to Jeep buyers as Gecko. If you'd rather be a bit more chameleon, consider black or white and avoid the similarly bright Rock Lobster, Dozer or Crush paint.
• With a base price of $22,395, the Jeep Wrangler is one of the cheapest ways to enjoy open-top motoring in the United States in 2013, at least if you're buying new. Wrangler pricing jumps quickly as you pile on options, though. A 2013 Wrangler Moab lists at $33,095 in two-door guise, and a four-door Unlimited starts at $36,595. A fully loaded Moab can crest $40k.
• As I said in the introduction, there's no reason to drive a Wrangler if you're not going to use it. That applies even more so when you step up the ladder to something like the Moab, which costs more because it can do more and go farther. And if that's your goal, there's no better way to do get to where other people can't than in a Jeep Wrangler.

As Ford celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Mustang with the unveiling of the all-new sixth-gen design, one Chicago women can lay claim to a piece of Mustang history. According to CBS Chicago, Gail Wise was the first person in the US to buy a Mustang in 1964, and she did so two days before the car was even unveiled to the public.

Wise, then a 22-year-old teacher, went into the Chicago Ford dealership wanting to buy a convertible, and a salesperson ushered her over to car covered by a tarp. That car was a baby blue Mustang convertible, which she still owns today – along with the documentation. After sitting for almost 30 years and undergoing a full restoration, the car now looks to be in original condition. The report says that this $3,400 purchase could be worth anywhere between $100,000 and $250,000. While this worked out well for Mrs. Wise, we wouldn't recommend anyone going into a dark, back room of a dealership hoping to get a jump on the purchase of a 2015 Mustang.

Scroll down to watch the video report.

By their very nature, rare classic Ferraris draw big headlines when they're about to cross an auction block. Take, for example, the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM that we wrote about last month or the record-shattering 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider that sold for $27.5 million at the 2013 RM Auctions at Pebble Beach. But every so often, a car from the good ole' US of A pops up that looks capable of drawing similarly large bids at auction. Cars like this 1961 Chaparral 1.

For those not in the know, Chaparral Cars was a manufacturer of racecars during the 1960s; cars renowned for their advanced features and cutting-edge technologies. While cars like the 2J - affectionately known as the "sucker car" for its two, rear-mounted 17-inch fans, which were used to create a ground effect that gave it incredible aerodynamic grip at any speed - draw all the attention, it was the Chaparral 1 which started everything off.

Unlike other Chaparrals, the 1 was not particularly cutting edge. It was a pretty racecar, but it lacked the aerodynamic and technological features of later models, instead taking advantage of a 318-cubic-inch Chevrolet V8, a low curb weight and a fully independent suspension. Only five Chaparral 1s were built which adds to the rarity. Of those five cars, two were owned by company founder Jim Hall (no, not this Jim Hall). This is one of those cars.

Chassis 1-003 took a class win in its first outing at the 1962 12 Hours of Sebring, and then captured an overall win at the Road America 500. Its third and final appearance was at Sebring in 163, although it failed to finish. This particular car has had a series of owners since then, and was most recently sold in August 2004 for $1.1 million. It'll cross the block again this January, at RM Auctions' Scottsdale event, where it's expected to bring in anywhere from $2.25 to $2.75 million.

Volvo is in the midst of a three-stage design revolution. The first stage came with the reveal of the Concept Coupe in Frankfurt just this past September. What you see here is our first glimpse at the second stage.

The Volvo Concept XC Coupe previewed here will be unveiled in full on January 8 in advance of the Detroit Auto Show. While the previous concept was all sleek, the Concept XC Coupe takes a more rugged, utilitarian approach with a hatchback roofline, higher ride height, knobbier tires, lower body cladding and a rooftop box. From what we can see, it looks like a cross between the previous concept and an XC70 wagon that could preview a soft-road replacement for the C30 hatchback.

That's about all there is to say at this point, but you can scope out the press release along with the video below and the trio of teaser images in the gallery above.