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If you're trying to weather the lousy economy by being fiscally responsible and not splurging on crap that you absolutely do not need, please stop reading now. Because if you like movies, cars, and movie-cars especially, the wall candy offered by MovieCarPosters.com will have you reaching for your wallet before you're halfway through the photo gallery.

These posters are ridiculously cool. Each combines a vehicle silhouette with iconography and color themes pulled from the films and television shows said rides starred in.

In addition to the stuff you'd expect to see, like the BTTF DeLorean, KITT, and the Batmobile (Barris, Furst, Animated, and Tumbler, at that), you'll find killer posters paying tribute to films like Better Off Dead, Big Trouble in Little China, and The Cannonball Run (two varieties), plus TV shows as varied as Arrested Development, Initial D, and Firefly. Gamers, you're represented as well. Even Bronies get some love.

You can browse all the designs in the gallery above. Can't figure any out? Head over to MovieCarPosters.com, where each has a signature quote listed as a hint. (Face it, you'll be going there anyway to place an order.)

What's great is that there's room for so many additions to the series in the future. For example, we're suggesting that Kojak's Buick, Priest's Eldorado from Superfly, and the APC from Aliens all get posterized.

Any suggestions of your own? Sound off in the comments. Likewise, if you place an order, let us know which posters you picked up.

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.

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 52.9 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.

All summer, I make it a point to hit the local cruise nights, and while there are plenty of regulars on hand week to week, a few cars make just one appearance and vanish. Way back in May, the car you see above, a surf-themed 1964 Ford Falcon Squire dubbed "Tiki Taxi", showed up. Immediately smitten, I snapped a bunch of photos, all of which are now gallerized here. Good thing, because the car never materialized again.

Fast-forward to today. Turns out, the "Tiki Taxi" is for sale. The coolest '64 Falcon station wagon in the known universe has a 289, three on the floor, and a JVC cassette deck to play your Martin Denny tapes during the ride to Trader Vic's. Current high bid (as of post time) is $6,600, and you still have two days to get in on the action. Check out the photo gallery to see just how beautifully turned out this wagon really is. You can also download full-resolution shots here.

The new Ford Fusion. The 2012 BMW 3 Series. The Lexus LF-LC. The Craftsman CTX-series... lawn tractor? Indeed, as odd as it sounds, you can count the latter among the many debuts scheduled for the 2012 Detroit Auto Show when the doors open to the public.

Craftsman's new premium tractors go on sale in February and will range in price from $3,000 to $6,500, with two yard tractor and two garden tractor models available. (The garden tractors are the most flexible, able to accommodate the full spectrum of towed, front-mounted, and ground-engaging attachments, which are sold separately.)

Power comes from Briggs & Stratton, whose available 30-horsepower engine allows for a top forward speed of 8 miles per hour (3 mph in reverse). It's mated to a hydrostatic automatic transmission. Key features include electronic fuel management, automatic traction control (power is independently split between the rear drive wheels), a quick-release mowing deck, electronic cutting height adjustment, digital instrumentation, cruise control, tilt steering, and the obligatory cupholder. The evolution of creature comforts for these rigs will continue as well. In an interview with The New York Times' Jim Motavalli, a Craftsman spokesperson says that an iPod jack is planned as a future enhancement for its tractors.

The Craftsman CTX will be displayed in the concourse/lobby area of the COBO Center, so Dodge needn't be concerned about it stealing the Dart's thunder on the main show floor. Regardless, that placement ensures plenty of eyeballs for the new tractor as the public files in and out of the exhibition. And if you think the CTX seems like an absurd product to showcase in Detroit, consider this: it's at least more viable and relevant to American consumers than the Chinese-car vaporware that has occupied premium floor space at the venue in the past.

You can read the full press blast from Craftsman after the jump.

It's no secret that the Toyota FT-86 will finally make its production-spec debut next week at the Tokyo Motor Show, and ahead of that, the automaker's UK office has released the first official photos and some initial specs. In Europe, the car will officially be called the Toyota GT 86. In Japan, however, the car will simply be called 86.

Cutting right to the chase, here are the specs that are now official, from the Toyota UK announcement. Obviously, there's more to come:

• 2.0-liter boxer with D4-S injection (direct and port injected)
• 197 hp @ 7,000 rpm and 151 lb-ft (205 Nm) @6,600 rpm
• 6-speed manual or automatic transmissions
• 17-inch wheel/tire package standard
• 4,240mm (167 in.) long, 1285mm (50.6 in.) high, 2,570mm (101 in.) wide
• 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution
• 475mm (18.7 in.) center of gravity

As demonstrated in the photos, everything is basically in line with what we've seen so far in the various leaked materials. So, start getting excited. In addition to the sharp styling outside, the interior looks the business, and the "86" fender logo is just plain cool. The GT 86 goes on sale in the UK next June.

We'll be on hand in Tokyo for the official reveal at the end of the coming week, with plenty more then. In the meantime, peruse the photo gallery, then hit the jump for a video and the full press release.

The updated 2013 Ford Mustang has already been spied driving around in its seizure-inducing camo patterns. The ponycar's formal introduction is imminent, and Ford wants to make its Facebook fans part of the process.

Right now, if you "Like" the official Ford Mustang Facebook page, you can then clutter your friends' news feeds with share a Mustang badge. Ford's tallying each share, and for every 5,000 of them, it'll unveil one of four 2013 Mustang photos that are so zoomed and cropped that you can't really see anything teasers.

So, if you want to start unveiling the 2013 Mustang, surf over to Facebook and start sharing. Just remember to go "Like" the Autoblog.com page while you're there, too.

Contract negotiations between General Motors and the United Auto Workers have led to a tentative agreement on a new labor deal, pending ratification by membership.

Specifics of the four-year contract, agreed upon last night at around 11:00 PM, have not been released, but in an official announcement on its website, the UAW says that the deal includes improvements in both health-care coverage and profit sharing for its 48,500 GM workers. UAW boss Bob King also said that the proposed contract will lead to the rehiring of laid-off workers, the creation of new jobs, and the repatriation of some jobs that had been moved offshore.

In its coverage of the GM/UAW labor agreement, Bloomberg says that it's not yet clear whether higher-than-usual signing bonuses will be used to help ensure the contract's acceptance by the union rank and file.

With General Motors out of the way, Bloomberg reports that the union will likely shift focus to Chrysler. It appears that Ford, which has not received a no-strike pledge from the UAW, will need to wait until the Chrysler contract is settled to work on its new deal with the union.

UPDATE: In a follow-up to its initial article on the new GM/UAW deal, Bloomberg reports that sources with knowledge of the contract's specifics say that pay for entry-level workers will rise by $2.00 to $3.00 per hour.

Furthermore, UAW members will reportedly be paid a signing bonus of $5,000 each if the tentative contract is ratified. That would be a new record signing bonus (workers received $3,000 each for signing the 2007 contract), but well short of the $8,000 to $10,000 number that had seen speculation last week.

Next summer, when The Avengers opens to packed multiplexes, playboy billionaire Tony Stark will be rolling in a trick new ride. After driving an Audi R8 in the two Iron Man features, Stark apparently switches to a never-before-seen Acura sports car (in keeping with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s use of all Acura vehicles, as seen in this summer's Thor and Captain America films).

The new ride appears in a series of on-set photos published at SuperHeroHype.com (borrowed from WENN.com) showing Robert Downey, Jr. standing next to it as Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) look on. Another shot, posted at WorstPreviews.com (we've posted a cropped version here), shows the mystery Acura convertible by itself, parked on the set in New York's Central Park.

Note to the spoiler-averse: the WorstPreviews.com report explicitly details the scenes that were filmed, and they're reportedly for the the conclusion of the movie. So, you've been warned.

We also have a note in to Acura to see if they'll give up any other information. We'll update the post accordingly if and when we know more.

UPDATE: Acura spokesman Gary Robinson has gotten back to us. Follow the jump to see what he had to say.

The debut is OFFICIAL! Click here to view official specs and images.

Today, Ferrari is unveiling the 458 Spider, and official video of the new sports car's roof operation has already hit YouTube. It's as simple as it is slick. The rear-hinged tonneau flips up, after which the Superamerica-style roof panel rotates back into the space behind behind the seats. After extending two small trim elements, the tonneau comes back down. It's elegant and fast, and the car, predictably, looks beautiful. Keep an eye out for additional info on Ferrari's newest addition later today. In the meantime, hit the jump to see the roof in action.

A Minivan-Shaped SUV Minus The Ground Clearance



The last-gen Nissan Quest minivan was an oddball. It had good power, handled quite well, and was unconventional-looking. The thing is, unconventional isn't necessarily the best thing for a vehicle as mainstream as a minivan. Nissan pulled the plug on the funky-looking Quest after the 2009 model year, promising to return after skipping 2010.

So here we are with the new 2011 Nissan Quest, which is essentially a less dramatic-looking Nissan Elgrand (as it's known in Japan). It arrives in a minivan segment that's as competitive as ever and stacked with new products. The excellent 2011 Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna lead the class. Chrysler punted the gimmicky in-car card tables, banished the trashy interiors, and released the greatly improved Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country. We grabbed the keys to a new Quest to see whether it really hangs with the A-listers.

Toyota was busy introducing all flavors of the 2012 Toyota Camry to the media earlier this week, but since all that stuff's embargoed, there's not much to tell. Yet. But what isn't under embargo is this collection of spy photos showing the 2012 Camry Hybrid in its birthday suit while shooting a television commercial.

The new Camry's familiar roofline communicates practicality overall, but the updated sheetmetal has more crisp lines, with new fascias fore and aft. The hybrid's grille treatment apes that of the facelifted Highlander Hybrid, and yes, those headlights are indeed the ones Akio Toyoda teased a few weeks ago.

In a nutshell, it's still a conservative look, but decidedly less frumpy than before. Now, let's see what changes Toyota's made below the surface to bring the Camry in line with the current midsize family-sedan competition.

Last month, following an IM conversation between myself and Autoblog's Test Fleet Manager, Steve Ewing, I tweeted this. I love the Supersonic Blue paint GM offers on the Chevrolet Corvette, you see, and I think it'd look killer on the Cadillac CTS-V. I hadn't given it much thought until yesterday, when I attended a Cadillac event at the Monticello Motor Club. Parked outside the clubhouse next to the pit road, was the car you see above, a new CTS-V sedan finished in Supersonic Blue with satin graphite wheels. Inside, the Recaro seats and door trim matched the exterior. It's wicked.

I immediately asked Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell if this was a new paint color for the 2012 model. It's not. Not yet, at least. Caddy prepped the car and brought it out to Monticello to gauge reaction to the color before a final decision is made. If it winds up happening, it'll likely be a new special edition, in the vein of this year's Black Diamond package. Personally, I think this is a no-brainer, and said as much to the Caddy reps on hand. Maybe you think differently, though, so here's your shot to weigh in.

Use the poll below to tell Cadillac if you think they should have the CTS-V go Supersonic. Before you vote, just imagine the Sport Wagon done up like this. Got that mental image? Good. Now go vote.

Fortune joined this weekend's parade of all things USA with its list of "100 great things about America." Be forewarned: the list itself is exceedingly dopey. After all, Clif bars, 60 Minutes, GEICO commercials, and LeBron James are among the things that Fortune somehow manages to rank ahead of the men and women collectively serving in our armed forces. (They're number 64, for whatever that's worth. Fortune separates out the SEALs, ranking them #5.)

Thanks to our nation's obsession with them, cars and car-related items dot the list as well. A few even crack Fortune's top 25: Detroit (#14), the Ford F-150 (#11) and interstate highways (#2). NASCAR sits at #51, drive-in movie theaters (the remaining few) occupy the 87th spot, Kevin Spacey's Honda commercial voice-overs rank 41st (not making any of this up) and Exxon Mobil comes in at #88.

To read the whole facepalm-inducing list, head over to Fortune, where you'll also learn that duct tape (#16) ranks ahead of the Bill of Rights (#17).