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While many roadside tributes include crosses, signs and flowers, the friends and colleagues of Daniel Toops found a more unusual – yet seemingly fitting – way to honor him. Toops, the owner of Toops Performance in London, Ohio, passed away early Thanksgiving morning as the passenger in a single-vehicle accident, and on their way to his viewing, a convoy comprised almost exclusively of tuned diesel trucks stopped in front of Toops' shop with a soot-spewing, tire-smoking tribute which was all caught on video.

According to mydailyregister.com, Toops was a self-taught diesel mechanic with a flair for innovative solutions, and his shop's Facebook page shows that he was competitively involved in truck pulls. The 13-minute video is posted below showing more than 50 trucks laying rubber on a stretch of rural Ohio backroad, along with a second, more conventional tribute video. Note: There's a brief bit of explicit language right at the end of the first video.

It was the perfect storm: three Model S fires in six weeks were enough for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to start an investigation into the two US fires in mid-November, but as it turns out, the German government was paying attention too. According to Tesla, Germany's Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), or Federal Motor Transport Authority, already has completed an investigation into the two US fires and the one in Mexico, found no manufacturer-related defects and will not take further measures.

According to a statement issued by Tesla, the automaker says it was contacted by the KBA about the post-crash fires, and it "provided the KBA with data and additional information regarding each of these incidents." The KBA subsequently sent a letter in German to Tesla saying the investigation was complete and that no manufacturer-related defects could be found. (Take a look at the letter here.)

With the arrival of the new X4 in March, BMW will expand its crossover portfolio by one more model. But while some enthusiasts may have been disappointed by the news that the Bavarian automaker isn't likely to authorize an M version of the compact slantback crossover, this latest development could help bridge the gap.

Although the line used to be quite clear between standard BMWs and M models, Munich has been blurring it with the M Performance treatment. Those have included models like the M135i hatchback and M235i coupe, the diesel-powered M550d sedan and wagon and X5 and X6 M50d crossovers. Now word has it that BMW could follow a similar formula with the X4, creating a sub-M performance model.

What's more is that the X4 M Performance model could go diesel, following a similar formula that Audi undertook with its first performance crossover, the SQ5 TDI. The major difference here is that when Audi brought the SQ5 to these shores, it ditched the diesel for a gasoline engine. Could BMW do the same?

It looks like Lamborghini is going to need a new executive to run its North American operations, as the man who's held the job until now has parted ways with the exotic automaker.

That man is Michael Lock, who has held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Automobile Lamborghini America LLC for nearly two years now. We don't know what the reasons are for his departure, or for that matter whether the departure was instigated by Lamborghini or Lock. However, Lamborghini's official notice released yesterday does state rather flatly: "as of today the collaboration with Michael Lock, COO of Automobili Lamborghini America, is terminated" even as it thanks the executive for his efforts and wishes him the best moving forward.

For the moment, Lock's post will be assumed by Thomas Felbermair, Commercial Director at Automobili Lamborghini, while site operations will be handled by Renè Sueltzner, who is also in charge of after sales at Automobili Lamborghini America.

Prior to joining Lamborghini, Lock (pictured above at the opening of a dealership in Vancouver) ran the US offices of Ducati and Triumph, and served more recently as chief marketing officer at the now-defunct EV producer Think.

Prices for most goods and services have risen substantially since 1967, but apparently monthly dues for the United Auto Workers union have stayed exactly the same. All that might change, however, as Reuters reports that UAW members could soon pay a little more for their union representation.

Though still in the discussion phase, the union is faced with dwindling membership and cash, so a rise in dues could help the latter. Presently, union dues are equivalent to 2 hours of wages per month, but officials are considering raising the rate to the equivalent of 2.5 hours. Reuters says that for an auto worker making an entry-level $15.78 an hour, dues would climb from the current $31.56 per month up to $39.45. A veteran worker making $28.125 per hour would get a bigger hike from $56.25 to $70.32.

In 1979, UAW members totaled close to 1.5 million, but recent numbers show that America's largest union is comprised of only about 382,500 members – a 30 percent decrease since 2005 alone. According to the report, union membership across America's workforce is down to just 13.1 percent overall – lower than it's been in over three-quarters of a century.

Smartphones are expensive yet delicate - a single impact on a hard surface can shatter their touchscreens, often damaging them beyond repair. Fitting a case offers only so much protection, but what about an airbag? Honda has explored the concept with the airbag-equipped Case N and even made a video about it. But alas, it isn't real.

For some reason, we really want it to be. Honda has a knack for surprising us with nearly unbelievable inventions designed to improve mankind's quality of life, contraptions like the Walking Assist Device and the UNI-CUB personal mobility devices, so the Case N isn't as far-fetched an idea for the company as you might think.

Head below to watch the video, where you can see the Case N concept in action. You'll also see its generous proportions, which is one reason why it's just a case of Honda humor - not (yet) a market reality.

BMW and Mini recently shuffled top personnel in their design departments, and now BMW of North America will reorganize its management to improve customer relations. Peter Miles (pictured), currently the executive vice president of operations, will take a newly created position, vice president of sales channel development and customer relations, while Jim McDowell, vice president of Mini of the Americas, will retire.

Chris Koenders, president of BMW Group Netherlands, will move take Miles' spot as executive vice president of operations. David Duncan, western region vice president, will take McDowell's job as vice president of Mini of the Americas. Finishing off the management switcharoo is Peter Witt, who will move from his current position as Managing Director of BMW Sweden to take Duncan's job as western region vice president.

"We are intensifying our customer-driven focus and these changes will influence the entire organization to continue improving all phases of the customer journey from prospect to purchase and throughout the ownership cycle," says Ludwig Willisch, president and CEO of BMW NA. For more information on the management reorganization, check out the press release below.

As tributes to Paul Walker and Roger Rodas continue to pour out from across the automotive and entertainment spheres, the investigation into the fatal crash of the Porsche Carrera GT being driven by Rodas continues. Both Huffington Post and USA Today have information on causes of death for both Walker and Rodas. For those that are sensitive to such things, we've included information about that after the jump.

In other news related to Walker's death, The Hollywood Reporter has a statement from Universal Studios that production of Fast and Furious 7, which Walker had a starring role in, has been suspended indefinitely as grieving continues and plans are made to salvage a film that is without its lead actor. The statement follows rumors that production would be put on hold. Universal said in a statement:

"Right now, all of us at Universal are dedicated to providing support to Paul's immediate family and our extended Fast and Furious family of cast, crew and filmmakers. At this time we feel it is our responsibility to shut down production on Fast and Furious 7 for a period of time so we can assess all options available to move forward with the franchise. We are committed to keeping Fast and Furious fans informed, and we will provide further information to them when we have it. Until then, we know they join us in mourning the passing of our dear friend Paul Walker."

It is illegal to plug your cell phone into an available outlet on public property? It is illegal to do so with an electric car? In Georgia it is, apparently.

Nissan Leaf driver Kaveh Kamooneh, of Dekalb, GA, went to watch his son play tennis at school last month and plugged his EV into an outlet on the outside of the school. A police officer saw him, but didn't arrest him on the spot. Instead, the officer filed a police report and troopers went to Kamooneh's house 11 days later, arresting him and putting him in the slammer for 15 hours. The total value of Kamooneh's 20-minute refueling? Five cents, but the local Chamblee police Sergeant Ernesto Ford said the arrest was absolutely the right thing to do, telling local TV news station 11 Alive that, "he broke the law. He stole something that wasn't his." In his defense, Kamooneh said that he was at the school on a Saturday and there was no one to ask for permission to plug in his car. We've embedded two videos from 11 Alive below.

In 11 Alive's interview with Kamooneh we can see he has a good attitude about the whole incident, laughing at times. But 'free' public charging like this is an interesting question. It may not be legal, but is it really wrong? No one seems to have problems with people plugging their gadgets, so why is it wrong to plug in a car? We'd love to hear if anyone has had a similar experience in the comments. And it's good to see that, while it's not a scientific poll, at least 11 Alive readers are voting 93 percent to seven percent that the arrest was overkill.

I've struggled with diesel technology. It's not that I have a problem with it or dislike it, but rather that I don't particularly understand what stops its wider-spread adoption. Sure, memories of rust-prone, smoky, sluggish and uneconomical Oldsmobile diesels aren't exactly easy to erase from the collective memory of the North American motoring public, but I'd think that a few years into the latest crop of clean diesels, there'd be wider adoption – or at least consumer consideration – by now.

Part of the issue is the still limited number of segments that diesels are available in. The Volkswagen Golf/Jetta TDI is finally getting a challenger in the form of the Chevrolet Cruze Diesel, and the BMW 328d is bringing something new to the entry-level sports sedan, but there are still a huge group of segments where diesel-power has no representation.

The small, luxury crossover realm is not one of those. It has the Mercedes-Benz GLK250 Bluetec, a stylish crossover with a silky-smooth 2.1-liter, turbodiesel four-cylinder that can return the kind of fuel economy that makes people take notice. And while the GLK250 is quite good, economy will only spread the diesel's appeal so far. People need to experience the seat-flattening torque that these mills can produce, and for that, we most humbly recommend the new 2014 Audi Q5 TDI.

Driving Notes

• Rather than the 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine from the Audi A3/VW Golf/Jetta, the Q5 makes excellent use of the Audi Q7's 3.0-liter, TDI V6. The only issue we have with this engine in this car is that it took so long for Audi to pull the trigger on it in the US market. With 240 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, the ability to hit 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and a promised highway fuel economy of 31 miles per gallon, you'd be silly to consider the Q5 and not at least test drive the TDI variant.
• The Q5 TDI is officially rated at 31 mpg on the highway and 24 mpg in the city. Hogwash. Driving carefully, I saw an average in mixed driving of 29 to 30 mpg, besting the 27-mpg combined rating. A 240-mile highway road trip, meanwhile, saw my average climb up to 34 mpg while doing roughly the 70-mile-per-hour speed limit. What makes the Q5 TDI's driving character special, though, is that so long as I wasn't a total boob with the gas pedal, netting those numbers was a snap.
• Ignore all the polar bears the Q5 TDI's fuel economy can save by diving into the skinny pedal, though, and the 428-pound-feet of torque are quick to rear their head. There's some turbo lag, which we've come to accept from diesel engines, but it's followed up by a huge surge of torque. Power is super accessible, making the Q5 TDI quicker than it really seems on first glance. This is especially evident on the freeway, where passing maneuvers are a snap.
• Joining the 3.0-liter V6 is an eight-speed automatic transmission that feels perfectly suited to this oil-burning application in the Q5. It's smooth, predictable and fast in both upshifts and downshifts, delivering the sort of unobtrusive power that further enhances the waves of torque that the diesel engine generates. The manual mode is snappy, but to our eyes, it's a bit unnecessary in this setting.
• Ignore the graphics you see in the images up top - not every Q5 TDI will be adorned with ridiculous billboard-sized promotions meant to ballyhoo this car's different powertrain. The CUV that will be on dealer lots will be indistinguishable from a model with the 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder or the 3.0-liter, supercharged V6, aside from a small TDI badge on the hatch lid.
• Opting for the diesel model doesn't limit you to a few optional goodies, either. Like the supercharged Q5, the TDI is available in the mid-range Premium Plus and top-end Prestige trims (the base Premium trim is for 2.0-liter gas models only), and then has a number of packages and optional extras on top of that, including navigation, adaptive dynamics, 20-inch alloy wheels and a Bang & Olufsen stereo. Really, Audi has gone to some lengths not to penalize Q5 TDI buyers.
• Pricing for the Q5 TDI starts at $46,500 for the Premium Plus model, which makes it pricier than both the similarly equipped 2.0 TFSI ($41,200) and 3.0 TFSI ($44,400), but cheaper than the more complex and less entertaining Q5 Hybrid ($51,300). (All prices subject to a $895 fee for destination and delivery).
• The latter is similar in price to our tester's Prestige trim, which adds additional features like the B&O stereo, navigation, adaptive xenon headlights (the Premium Plus comes with just regular xenons), blind spot monitoring and a power tailgate, among other features, will ding its new owner for $51,900.

It's rare to see an entire racing team's collection go up for auction at once, but that's just what happened this past weekend at Bonhams' new headquarters in London, where the above Ecurrie Ecosse collection brought in top dollar (or pound, anyway).

The collection, whose consignment we first reported on back in September, included a smattering of Jaguars, other classic racers and an iconic transporter truck, all decked out in the same blue and white livery of the Scottish flag. After reportedly feverish bidding on Sunday, the 1952 Jaguar C-Type sold for £2,900,000 ($4.75M), the '56 short-nose D-Type for another £2,600,000 ($4.26M), and the transporter for a shocking £1,800,000 (nearly $3 million) – all to the same unnamed American collector. A 1952 Jaguar XK120 roadster went to another buyer for a record £707,000 ($1.16M).

With Ringo Star's Facel Vega selling for £337,500 ($550k) and Michael Schumacher's Benetton B194 fetching another £617,500 (just over a million), the auction total skyrocketed to £16,861,630 ($27.6M), which Bonhams described as "a roaring success." Scope out the press release below for more info.

If the 50-year-old Chicken Tax were repealed, there would undoubtedly be an influx of foreign-made light trucks and vans available in the US. In addition to imported midsize trucks like the global Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton, this would also leave the door open for Volkswagen to someday offer its Amarok here.

Following the introduction of the 2015 Chevy Colorado at the LA Auto Show, Motor Trend sat down with VW's American CEO Jonathan Browning who said that the automaker still does not plan to offer its Amarok pickup in the US but would "reevaluate" that decision if the 25-percet tax were dropped. The 1960s-era tariff would likely be killed off if Japan joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and while that opens up a bigger can of worms for car US car exports, it would help bring more truck and van imports to our shores.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV has long be the Spartan contender in the US plug-in vehicle scene. It's basic electric transportation with a low-ish price tag. If you don't want any frills with your zero-emission car, the i was the way to go.

The i started its sales life in 2011 with a $27,990 price tag, but that was jacked up by $1,135 a few months later because of "unforeseen changes in market conditions." Even with the increase, the i was on the lower end of the available EV price list and there were times when the Mitsubishi i was an even better electric bargain. Earlier this year, some dealers put $10,000 rebates on the hood, but that wasn't a national program.

2013, though, was the year for plug-in vehicle price drops, with the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt both losing thousands from their MSRPs. So, it really shouldn't come as a surprise that the i is also shedding dollars: Mitsubishi has announced that the 2014 i will starts at a price that's $6,130 less than the outgoing 2012 model. The new, pre-incentive price? $22,995. Factor in the $7,500 federal tax credit and you can be looking at a brand new EV for $15,495.

To go along with the price drop, Mitsubishi is adding many standard features, making the plain car a little less difficult to enjoy. Heated front seats, a charge port lamp, leather steering wheel and "numerous decorative color/trim upgrades" should make the i more comfortable. On the technology front, a Chademo DC quick charge port and a battery warming system should help with range questions. You can see a full list of upgrades in the press release below.

Oh, and the company is now calling the i the i-MiEV in the press release, so we should assume that shortened name is finished, then?

For the first time ever, Motor Trend has named a back-to-back winner of its Truck of the Year competition, handing the crown to last year's winner, the Ram 1500. Ram's entry to the pickup battle bested a range of new or heavily improved models, including its big brothers, the Ram Heavy Duty and Ram ProMaster van.

Other contenders included the twins from General Motors, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, the Toyota Tundra, the Ford Transit Connect, the Nissan NV200 and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Just how did a truck that technically hit the market in 2012 best a range of vehicles from 2013? With new technology.

MT wasn't testing the same Ram it tested in last year's competition - it was driving the new EcoDiesel V6, complete with an eight-speed automatic transmission. When ran through the battery of testing, the torquey diesel Ram proved to be the victor for its ample torque and excellent fuel economy, while the team at Motor Trend also highlighted its air suspension and overall sense of style and luxury.

"Not only did [the Ram 1500] withstand our rigorous testing, it thoroughly impressed our judges with its vast array of standard and optional equipment, and, most notable, its fuel-efficient, segment-exclusive EcoDiesel V-6. With 420 pound-feet of torque and up to 28 'Real MPG' highway, the EcoDiesel is a true game-changer," said Motor Trend's Editor-In-Chief Ed Loh.

With the naming of the 2014 Truck of the Year, MT has completed its testing that saw the 2014 Cadillac CTS named Car of the Year and the 2014 Subaru Forester as SUV of the Year. The full story on the Ram and the other trucks will be published in Motor Trend's February 2014 issue. Until then, scroll down for a full press release from Ram about its victory.