Last month Fiat head Sergio Marchionne put Chrysler's five-year plan on everyone's plate to digest. This month he's done the same with Fiat's 2-year plan. One of the first items to come out is that the dinky Fiat 500 will get an even dinkier motor: the 0.9-liter, 2-cylinder turbocharged MultiAir gasoline engine.

Right now the smallest engine on offer in a 500 is the SOHC, inline 4-cylinder, 1.2-liter petrol with anywhere from 68 to 74 horsepower. The new unit will muster 65 horsepower in its naturally aspirated guise and 80 to 105 horsepower with the turbos on board. In addition to the reduced carbon dioxide output, the engine is lighter and more fuel efficient.

The news here isn't the output – the base three-door Fiesta, for example, has a 68-hp, 1.3-liter engine in the UK, and the Peugeot 107 has a 1-liter, 68-hp lump described as "zippy" – it's the size of the engine. While Ferrari tries to see how much power it can extract from a slightly smaller engine, Fiat, on the other hand, appears to want to see how small it can build an engine and still extract anything.

[Source: Carscoop]

Giant fullsize pickup trucks that are practically capable of pulling an entire city block off its foundations are a uniquely American invention. In most other parts of the world, people somehow find a way to move oversize and overweight objects without the use of 500-plus lb-ft of torque and a bowling-pin size trailer hitch.

That said, the sight of an itsy-bitsy G-Wiz electric car towing a double-axle trailer with a 50-foot Christmas tree lashed atop is sure to cause double takes wherever it goes. Such is the case with Greig Howe of Bournemouth, Dorset in the U.K. Howe picked up the massive tree and hauled it 15 miles to his home, making sure that his route took him past his aged grandmother's home with the tree fully done-up with appropriate decorations.

For his next trick, Howe cut the tree into thirds and placed them in such a way that it appears as if the fir is bursting through the windows and roof of his six-bedroom home. Which, of course, it sort of is. Nicely done! Thanks for the tip, Robin!

[Source: Mail Online]

So, what's a 2009 Saab 9-5 worth to you? A more appropriate question may be, What's the 2009 Saab 9-5 worth to you? What about the previous-generation of the Saab 9-3? Apparently, those two vehicle platforms (plus one more unknown platform) along with "two engine technologies and two transmission systems" were worth about $200 million to Chinese automaker BAIC.

It would seem that BAIC got quite a lot for its relatively small sum of money, as both the older 9-3 and 9-5 are still perfectly serviceable automobiles that should allow the Chinese automaker to vastly increase the quality of its own offerings in short order. BAIC Chairman Xu Heyi reportedly said that "the purchase of Saab's intellectual property can help cut short the development time for Beijing Auto's own-brand passenger vehicles by 4 to 5 years."

Xu went on to describe an ambitious plan to sell 100,000 BAIC-branded cars (no doubt relying heavily on Saab technology) in 2011. To turn that goal into reality, BAIC says it will have a production facility ready by 2011 with enough capacity to build 150,000 vehicles per year.

[Source: Reuters]

Porsche test pilot and all-around legend Walter Röhrl will be competing in next year's Nürburgring 24-Hour race for the first time in 17 years. His weapon of choice for the event: the 2010 Porsche GT3 RS. That's the rear-wheel drive one with the 450 horsepower 3.8-liter that runs up to 8,500 RPM. The one with the track-specific, lightweight lithium-ion battery and dynamic engine mounts. The one that did the Kessel Run 'Ring in 12 parsecs 7:33 in light traffic.

Röhrl says the street-legal production car is the closest thing to a race car he's ever driven, so he wants to find out what it can ultimately do from gun-to-flag. It probably won't hand comeuppance to the four-liter, $494,000 GT3 RSR, but with the same horsepower as the dedicated racer we figure Röhrl plans to keep it close.



[Source: Paul Tan]

BMW is rounding out its Detroit Auto Show premier lineup with the North American debut of the 535i Gran Turismo. The 550i GT that's powered by the 4.4-liter twin turbo V8 is already on sale in the U.S., but we won't get our shot at the six cylinder model until the spring of 2010. Like the recently-announced 5 Series sedan, the Gran Turismo is getting a new version of the 3.0-liter inline six cylinder turbo.

The current 535i and 335i both use a version of the six with two turbochargers. The version in the GT produces the same 300 hp and 300 pound-feet of torque with a single twin-scroll turbocharger. The engine also incorporates BMW's Valvetronic valve control system to reduce fuel consumption by eliminating the throttle and reducing pumping losses. The six will be mated up with the same new ZF eight-speed automatic used in the 550i and the ActiveHybrid 7. Want more details? Click past the break for the press release.



[Source: BMW]

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Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez – notable Fidel Castro wannabe, loudmouthed buffoon of the first order and apparent Cadillac aficionado – has given an ultimatum to General Motors, Fiat (i.e. Chrysler), Toyota and Ford: Share your technology with us or get out of the country. (In Toyota's case, it sounds as if Chavez wants them to hit some arbitrary quotas, as well.) The affected parties, all of which maintain production facilities in the country, kept mum in response to Chavez's demand, according to the Associated Press, which reported the story on Wednesday.

If the automakers don't comply, Chavez basically stated that he will eject them from his socialist utopia in favor of automakers from countries he's more friendly with. AP quotes him as saying, "I invite you to pack up your belongings and leave. I'll bring in the Russians, the Belorusians, the Chinese."

At least he didn't openly threaten to nationalize them (yet), as he's wont to do with pretty much any other private enterprise he thinks he could run better. Yeah, this'll definitely end well. Thanks to Roy for the tip.

[Source: AP via Yahoo! News | Image: AFP/Getty]

Having trouble deciding which of America's three latest muscle cars is right for you? Well, at least you're not alone. We ourselves at the Autoblog HQ have had lengthy debates on the merits and drawbacks of each model, and the expected ongoing series of improvements to the Camaro, Challenger and Mustang are sure to drive a wedge between GM Gearheads, Ford Fanatics and Mopar Maniacs until the end of time.

Or, as seen above, you could go a slightly different route and combine all three ponies into one model, which we've taken the liberty of christening has been christened (Whoops! We're apparently not as clever as we thought, someone beat us to the name.) the Challarostang. A Vulcan Mind Meld between the front fascia and hood of a Challenger, the bodysides of a Camaro and the hind end of a Mustang, it actually doesn't look nearly as crazy as you might imagine. In fact, we kinda dig it.

According to Robert D, the Challarostang's modeler, the automotive ménage à trois seen here took four months to complete. Next question, which drivetrain do you choose? Click here for a description of the build process from the modeler himself.



[Source: Model Cars Magazine Forum via Carscoop]

We give thumbs up to Cruden's reason for building a $191,500 F1 simulator: "Snooker rooms, swimming pools, gyms and cinemas have been done." So there. If you're over waiting for Codemasters to release F1 2009 on a real platform, or waiting for GT5 to ever show up and you have enough money to buy an SLS AMG and several weeks of track time, the Hexatech is waiting for you.

The fully-suspended system can be tailored to provide feedback based on the chassis setup, wheelbase and track, tire and suspension settings, drive train (engine, gearbox, differentials), aero loading, aero draft (slip streaming), steering, brakes and driver aids such as traction control, ABS, and more. It even has seat belt tensioners. And it isn't just for F1: the sim does NASCAR, WRC, and 24-Hour racing, too. Three 42-inch screens, or a projector and a room with at least a 10-foot ceiling will keep you in the action.

If you want one but you don't have that kind of dosh, there's still time to make a wish and be extra nice before Santa makes his final decision. Or you could ask Ferrari if you can borrow theirs...

[Source: F1 Fanatic]

We're not entirely sure what to make of reports regarding Isuzu's tie-up with General Motors for diesel engines that seem to conflict with one another, but here we go anyway. According to Bloomberg, Isuzu is considering whether it should end its joint venture with The General for the production of large-displacement Duramax diesel engines.

PickupTrucks.com adds that GM has its own excellent team of diesel engine specialists that are fully capable of designing the automaker's next heavy duty truck engines. In fact, the 4.5-liter diesel that had been planned for light duty applications was wholly engineered by GM. Okay, got it.

But wait. According to Green Car Advisor (sadly without citing sources), Isuzu has proposed that it develop a new HD diesel engine for GM. Both reports could be true; Isuzu may have decided that it should continue to work with GM, and that could have led to the proposal, but we can't say for sure.

GCA also indicates (again, without citing a source) that GM and Isuzu are also in talks that would have the Japanese company take the lead in developing new pickup trucks for Southeast Asia and South America. GM's current Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups share common underpinnings with trucks that Isuzu developed for overseas sales.

[Source: Bloomberg, PickupTrucks.com, Green Car Advisor]

As with every other automaker – heck, almost every other company – Toyota wants to save more money. Japan's Asahi business daily revealed a Toyota initiative to lower its parts expenses by 30% over the next three years, and it is one that we're all too familiar with: Toyota told its suppliers to cut their prices by 30-40%. Can anyone guess how suppliers will most likely remove one-third the cost of their parts? If you said "use cheaper materials," we have your prize backstage...

A Toyota spokesman said the company had given "various suggestions including cost reductions" to the affected portion of its supplier base, which makes it sound like at the very least the company didn't just say "Here's less money, make it work." There are more than 200 vehicle components involved the move – that might sound sizable on its own but it's a tiny fraction of all the parts in a car.

Ultimately, Toyota wants to ensure its competitiveness in emerging markets and guard against a strengthening yen. Assuming the initiative is carried out, the parts in question will be used for cars arriving for the 2013 model year. We hope that by 2014 it is clear that Toyota chose the right bets for this game of parts roulette.

[Source: Reuters via TTAC | Image: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images]