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Kia has taken the company's K9 to Northern Sweden for a little winter testing, and our spy photographers were on hand to catch a glimpse of the vehicle as it went dashing through the snow. The vehicle will borrow from the rear-wheel drive architecture pioneered on the Hyundai Genesis, though will likely boast design cues inspired by the Kia GT Concept. Judging by these photos, full LED headlights will make their way to the model, at least on some trims. Odds are the K9 will boast power from both a 3.8-liter V6 and a 4.6-liter V8 as well as a more powerful 5.0-liter V8 engine borrowed from the Genesis R-Spec.

A standard eight-speed automatic transmission is likely to handle gear-swapping duties, but rumor has it Kia is also working on a new 10-speed transmission, and there's a chance that gearbox will be available in the K9 in the near future. Look for the vehicle to make a full debut later this year as a 2013 model.

It's getting harder and harder to purchase a genuine stripped down vehicle these days. Manufacturers have discovered that it's both cheaper and easier to offer every model with a surprisingly high level of content rather than build multiple variations on the same theme. That's why tricks like power locks and windows are all but ubiquitous, even on bargain-basement models.

Not so in Japan. Toyota is offering buyers a stripper version of the company's new GT86 sports coupe. The vehicle comes as a blank canvas just waiting for your personal touch. Outside, the stock 17-inch alloy wheels are replaced with 16-inch steelies, and the bumpers, side mirrors and door handles all arrive unpainted. Don't expect to find any fog lights, either.

Indoors, niceties like a stereo, air conditioning and even trim work around the steering wheel and shifter are nowhere to be found. Toyota even went so far as to ditch the plastic intake cover under the hood. The vehicle doesn't come with a limited-slip rear differential, but the sacrifice seems worth it to us. For starters, the GT-86 RC carries a price tag of 1.9 million Yen, or $24,601 at current conversion rates. That's significantly less than the standard model. Then there's the fact that the RC weighs nearly 100 pounds less than the base GT-86.

Sadly, we doubt either Scion or Subaru will offer a similarly stripped-down version of their respective FR-S or BRZ models, though history disagrees with us. Scion did, in fact, offer a stripper version of the tC back in 2007 called the tC Spec Package.

General Motors unveiled the company's refreshed GMC Acadia at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show yesterday, and if you were paying attention, you may have noticed something curious about the vehicle. While the new Acadia looks considerably better than its predecessor, a few components of the design looked more than a little familiar. Upon closer observation, it appears that GM has simply repurposed elements of the now defunct Saturn Outlook crossover on the 2013 Acadia. Both vehicles seem to share the same wrap-around rear glass, back hatch, tail light openings and exaggerated, squared-off fender arches.

While the vehicles are differentiated by badging, tail lamps and a rear valance, there's no denying the similarities toward the vehicle's rear. Up front, both share similar fenders, though adjustments have been made for the varying headlight designs.

That's good news if you just can't imagine life without the Saturn Outlook.

GM isn't the only automaker to pull something similar. Parts sharing is a smart way to keep costs as low as possible, and recouping the design and manufacturing costs the automaker poured into the Outlook is a smart way to keep GM's earnings headed in the right direction. For example, Chrysler famously reused Dodge Grand Caravan tail lights in the first-generation Dodge Durango. We just aren't accustomed to seeing this sort of recycling on such a grand scale or after so much time has elapsed.

The performance profile of the turbo four may have doomed it to being merely a footnote in Honda's illustrious history.

When the 2013 Acura RDX launches this spring, Honda will quietly close down a spur line of its Anna, OH, plant. Since 2006, it had been building the 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine used in the first-generation RDX there. These engines were unique, the company's first to be fitted with a turbocharger from the factory. But the redesigned 2013 RDX will be available only with a V6, and with no other application for the turbo four, Honda's most impressive performance engine will die an ignoble death.

The 2.3-liter turbo was a variation of the 2.4-liter four used in the Honda Accord and the Acura TSX. Rated at 240 horsepower, it was the 260 lb-ft of torque that made things special. Honda's traditional approach to engine design had favored high-revving, small displacement engines that made generous power thanks to variable valve timing technologies – but at the expense of torque output. So when Honda announced that it would be producing a turbocharged engine for the first time, it seemed to herald the next wave of Honda performance. Finally, some torque to match the howling VTEC power. But sadly, it was the performance profile of the turbo four that may have doomed it to being merely a footnote in Honda's illustrious history.

Kia has taken home the first ever Kelley Blue Book award for Total Cost of Ownership among consumer brands. As you might expect, the award goes to brands and vehicles with the lowest projected ownership costs. KBB examines depreciation, fuel costs, fees associated with finance and insurance, maintenance costs and state fees. Both the Optima sedan and Sportage CUV helped Kia cinch the win this award's inaugural year.

Kelley Blue Book also examined the cost of ownership among luxury brands, and Audi took the top nod in this category. KBB specifically pointed to the German automaker's low depreciation and good average fuel economy as reasons for the brand's win. The A3, A4 and Q5 all helped the automaker in the total cost of ownership evaluation.

The award is also broken up by individual vehicle categories, and there were some surprises among the winners. The Honda Insight took the Hybrid Car award while the Chevrolet Volt nabbed the Electric Car win. We would have expected to see the Toyota Prius and Nissan Leaf take those categories, respectively. Follow the jump for the full press release that reveals individual winners in each model category.

Remember when we said that the Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV II (worst name ever) shown in Tokyo was basically the next Mitsubishi Outlander? We weren't lying. The 2013 Outlander will debut next month at the Geneva Motor Show, and Mitsubishi has released the first photo of the new crossover. What's more, the fancy PX-MiEV II concept apparently wasn't a vaporware showcase; Mitsubishi says that a plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander will join the roster later in 2012.

The Euro-spec Outlander launches this summer with 2.0-liter gas and 2.2-liter turbodiesel power, three seating rows, and an eco-driving coach feature designed to help drivers eke out the best possible fuel economy. Furthermore, the diesel version will offer an automatic start-stop feature to help maximize efficiency and minimize emissions.

Available driver aids include Forward Collision Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning, and Adaptive Cruise Control systems. There's not much else to tell right now, other than that Russia gets the new Outlander first, followed by a global rollout that includes North America. Follow the jump to read the press release, and click the image above to see a larger version.

While the current A-Class has stood as something of an odd man out from the rest of the Mercedes-Benz line-up, the new A-Class promises to be a proper Mercedes. And fortunately, with that territory, all signs point to the German automaker planning on including an AMG version.

The trouble is that while AMG has a wealth of experience boring out big engines, the small sort of mills capable of fitting under the hood of something as compact as the A-Class is outside its realm of expertise. Fortunately, Mercedes has another division that thrives on getting the most out of compact powerplants.

That division is Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, the Northamptonshire, England-based firm formerly known as Ilmor that constructs the F1 engines for McLaren, Force India and Mercedes' own F1 team. It happened to have been run by Ola Kallenius until he switched over to AMG. Although HPE has until now been operated largely as a stand-alone business, Mercedes has been integrating it into its broader operations, and this – according to reports – could be the first road-car project on which it's called to work.

Until recently, F1 was expecting to switch to small, turbocharged four-cylinder engines, leading HPE to work on such a unit. Since that was scrapped in favor of a V6, the development work is reportedly being applied instead to a new high-output engine for the AMG A-Class.

Tipped to be called the A25 AMG, the veritable hot hatch is targeting the 335-horsepower Audi RS3, only is expected to carry even more power. The engine is also expected to find its way into the new CLC25 AMG, which bodes well for the B-Class-based four-door coupe and shooting brake.

Aston Martin has pulled back the sheets on the first images of its production V12 Zagato. The road car is headed for an official debut at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March.

Following in the tradition of the automaker's ultra exclusive One-77, the V12 Zagato will take more than 2,000 man-hours to manufacture thanks to hand-hewn body panels, including the hood, roof and doors. Not surprisingly, Aston Martin has committed to building just 150 examples. The V12 Zagato will also make extensive use of carbon fiber, with the front and rear fenders, trunk lid and door sills all constructed from the composite.

Aston Martin created four new colors especially for the V12 Zagato, and paint alone takes 100 hours to complete. Indoors, it takes a full seven hides to cover the cabin in hand-stitched, quilted leather.

The V12 Zagato effectively rides on the same underpinnings as the V12 Vantage, which means buyers can look forward to a 6.0-liter V12 engine with 510 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, while a six-speed manual transmission puts the power to the ground. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Ford Motor Co. today made several big-name executive and boardroom announcements, including the appointment of a former Republican presidential candidate, but none changed the almost certain succession of CEO and President Alan Mulally.

Mulally said Thursday with a snicker, "I looked over the press release very clearly and saw that my name was not among those retiring."

Mulally announced Thursday that Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth (above, middle), 63, and Group Vice President and Global Product Development Chief Derrick Kuzak (above, left), 60, are retiring effective April 1. Booth will be replaced by Vice President and Controller Bob Shanks, and Kuzak will be replaced by VP of Engineering and Global Product Development Raj Nair. Both successions involve executives who have long been groomed for the top jobs, and represent orderly transition at Ford.

Ford's board of directors, which cleared the new executive appointments in their Wednesday meeting this week, also announced the addition of former Utah Governor, U.S. Ambassador to China and recent Republican presidential candidate John Huntsman Jr. (above, right) to the board. Huntsman represents an addition, and their were no board retirements.

This is the new Chevy Cruze station wagon, which will debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show and then arrive in European showrooms this summer. At 184 inches, it's longer than both the Cruze sedan and hatchback (by three and seven inches, respectively).

Inside, there's 17.6 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats up, and up to 52 cubic feet with the seats folded. Drivers will get to choose from a range of gasoline (1.6, 1.8, and 1.4T) and diesel (1.7 and 2.0) powertrains, and the long-roof Cruze arrives with Chevy MyLink available.

Australians will get a Holden-badged version, but as for us? Sorry, guys. Don't expect anything in the near future. Chevrolet spokesman Michael Albano says, "No plans on bringing the wagon to US at this point. But we'll continue to evaluate market as needed."

The official press announcement is pasted after the jump, and you can click on the image above to see a larger version.

The rumor is back: Infiniti is considering a top-dog model based on the Nissan GT-R. The GT-R running gear is impressive with its 500-plus turbocharged horsepower and sophisticated all-wheel drive system, but anyone who's driven Nissan's supercar will tell you that it lacks the finesse you'd expect from an Infiniti.

"We have three or four proposals we are looking at right now." Infiniti Advanced Planning chief Francois Bancon told CAR. Of course, automakers create lots of internal proof-of-concept models that never see the light of day, so having proposals doesn't necessarily have any bearing on what might make production. "It would have to be softer than the GT-R," continued Bancon, acknowledging, "You can't easily tweak the GT-R to deliver the sophisticated, more refined performance we would need on an Infiniti." Whether an Infiniti version of the GT-R is mere rumor or eventual reality, there's going to be a wait. For now, Infiniti is focused on launching a smaller model for 2015, and a GT-R-based halo car would come after that program is successfully under way.

With the first test session of the season now under way in Jerez, Spain, the remaining teams – that is, at least, the ones that have their cars ready – are presenting their new designs for the 2012 Formula One World Championship. The latest among them: Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Long known as the Red Bull B-squad, STR positions itself as something of a training squad for new drivers moving into F1 as an extension of the company's young driver training program. And for that reason it axed both of its drivers (Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastian Buemi) in favor of fresh talents Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Like most (make that all so far except McLaren), the new STR7 which they'll be driving this year is distinguished from last year's field by a rather unsightly, platypus-style stepped nose and tighter sidepods and hindquarters. Ferrari once again provides its Type 056 V8 engine, driving through a seven-speed gearbox and assisted by a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) and Drag Reduction System in the rear wing.

With its new drivers and car, Toro Rosso hopes to finish sixth or seventh in the championship this year; an ambitious goal considering that the last time it finished that well was in 2008 when Sebastian Vettel won the Italian Grand Prix against all odds – a victory that still stands as the only podium finish out of the 108 races the team has contested in its six years of racing. We'll be watching to see how they fare.

Modern advertising has conditioned us to associate a wide array of strange images with beer in a can. The Rocky Mountains, silver bullets, Clydesdale horses and blue ribbons all do their best to peddle cheap brew, but Chinese drinkers now have a new mascot for their favorite cold one. Hubei Jeep Brewery Corporation has turned out a new light beer featuring everyone's favorite off road machine. The logo even features a Jeep Wrangler silhouette, complete with the brand's iconic/trademarked seven-slat grille. What does Jeep Beer taste like? Fresh mountain streams? Muddy hill sides? Licking a Chrysler interior? No one is saying for certain.

Hubei Jeep Brewery Corporation has completely adopted the Jeep brand as an emblem of rugged manliness, and the company even went so far as to giveaway a Jeep Compass to the highest-selling distributor. The winner managed to move 60,000 liters of suds to take home the prize.

Don't get us wrong. Beer and vehicles go together about as well as fenders and telephone poles, but we're just curious enough about the notion of Jeep Beer to want a bottle or three. Besides, you can't argue with a tag line like, "JUST FOR MAN."

The Science Committee in the House of Representatives has a approved a bill that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from allowing the use of gasoline with a higher ethanol content without additional study.

According to The Detroit News, the bill was sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin and passed 19-7 along party lines after numerous groups spoke out against E15. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the American Petroleum Institute, the Friends of the Earth, the Milk Producers Council, the American Bakers Association and the National Turkey Federation all pushed for further E15 study.

Last year, the government estimated more domestic corn was used for ethanol than to feed farm animals, and opponents of ethanol argue E15 would only lead to steeper food prices across the country.

Congress just recently ended a 30-year tax subsidy on corn-based ethanol and put a stop to tariffs on the fuel imported from Brazil. The subsidy alone reportedly cost taxpayers $6 billion annually. All told, Congress has awarded the ethanol industry $45 billion in subsidies since 1980.