Last week, our friends from Consumer Reports got the chance to sit down with Mark Fields, Ford's vice president of North American operations, and some interesting information was gleaned. For instance, CR says Fields "implied the company isn't making money on the hybrids it sells today, and it is looking at ways to "enhance revenue" from them." Not surprising, really, but an interesting admission nonetheless.

There are a few ways Ford could try and recoup some of its hybrid powertrain R&D costs, most logically being to extend the technology across its line and into more expensive products – possibly from Lincoln, mimicking the strategy Toyota uses with its Lexus division. In addition to hybrid and electric cars, Fields says Ford is also interested in diesels but isn't currently planning to sell any oil burners in passenger cars. Instead, Ford's diesel efforts are likely to continue focused on pickups.

Speaking of which, Ford's light duty diesel engine for the F-150 is apparently still somewhat on the agenda. Earlier reports, says Fields, that said the program had been canceled aren't entirely accurate. Instead, the smaller diesel was merely "delayed," though we have no idea for how long.



[Source: Consumer Reports]

Last we heard, Nissan was rumored to be dumping its Quest minivan along with the Armada large SUV and its platform-mate from Infiniti, the QX56. Conventional wisdom suggested that the Japanese automaker may source its next SUV platform from Dodge since the two automakers had planned to tie up on their next fullsize pickups.

As you probably know, the previously-announced relationship between Nissan and the Pentastar is no longer in the works. As such, if Nissan's going to put out another large SUV, it's going to need its own platform. Somewhat surprisingly given the overall state of the SUV market in America – sales of Infiniti's oversize 'ute are down 41.2 percent so far this year – Wards Auto is reporting that Nissan is indeed readying a new QX56 for next year.

Also in the offing will reportedly be a new generation of the largely unloved Quest minivan. If you thought the QX56 was underperforming in its market, the Quest is even worse – down 56.8 percent though August – and that's from a not-terribly-impressive baseline in a shrinking segment. Still, it seems Nissan wants to compete on equal footing against the Honda Odyssey and the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country twins, so we're interested to see what they come up with the next time 'round.



[Source: Wards Auto]

Chrysler may not have a host of solid new products in the pipeline, but the upcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee looks promising. With that in mind, it shouldn't come as a great surprise that the new bosses in Auburn Hills want to take advantage of the opportunity to get an Italian version of the upcoming sport-ute on the market. According to a report from Car and Driver that goes right along with whispers we've heard through the grapevine, the 2011 Grand Cherokee could provide its underpinnings to a new Alfa Romeo SUV, rumored to be (clumsily) dubbed the Cxover/A.

While the Jeep has a rugged, go-anywhere image to uphold, the Alfa version would likely be more street-focused, taking aim at the likes of the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne. European restrictions would probably preclude the Hemi V8 from powering the Alfa, which, like the Grand Cherokee sold in Europe, would likely incorporate a range of diesel and gasoline V6 engines. As you can see from the rendering, adapting Alfa's curvaceous styling to the Grand Cherokee's classically rugged shape may prove a bit of a challenge, but we're eager to see the Italians give it a shot.



[Source: Car and Driver]

Wow. No, make that whoa. Why? More rumor and myth than car, this here is an honest to goodness Vector M12. And its yours for the taking. Unsure as to what you're about to bid on? Here's the explanation. To those of us that grew on on A-Team and Knight Rider, the Lamborghini Countach was the most positively exotic automobile ever. Forget about reality (and reliability, livability, etc.), our biggest hopes and dreams involved us in a black Countach with Paulina Porizkova and /or Kathy Ireland riding shotgun. Not that we would have known what to do with either the car or the girl, but hey – we were twelve. But there was a dark side.

Vectors. They were like evil spirits. Something cooked up by the government in Area 51 using alien technology. And not just that regular old alien tech – we're talking the crazy stuff. You simply cannot imagine how impossibility AWESOME the Vector W2 was to a twelve-year-old mind. And you should have seen the jet fighter interior. It was like the space shuttle – the evil space shuttle. Then the W8 came out and it was still basically as nasty and mind bending. Then in the mid-Nineties, the M12 showed up, and well, the a little of the luster was lost.

We've heard some abso-fab stories – guns, cocaine, barricading one's self inside a building for 30 days – about what was going on at Vector in 1995. Suffice to say there was a very ugly battle between founder Jerry Wiegert and an Indonesian company called Megatech that hostilely took Vector over and canned Wiegert. As a result, the M12 never got the 1,200 hp twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8 (or the Wiegertian top speed of 250 mph) that was planned for the never released WX-3. The M12 did however get the WX-3's aesthetics, although in reality it was nothing more than a Lamborghini Diablo with a goofy looking fiberglass body, terrible three-spoke wheels, the lowest rent interior possibly imaginable – and it weighed 3,600 pounds.

But never mind all that – you're bidding on an genuine American-Italian hybrid supercar with a 490 hp 5.7-liter V12 that can hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 190 mph. And this one has 3.900 miles on it. Not shabby in the slightest. And remember, counting the four pre-production examples, Vector only made eighteen M12s. Unlike the common-as-a-housefly W8 (fifty built). Besides, you know your inner twelve-year-old will never be at peace without a Vector. Happy bidding. A big thank you to Davis for the tip!



[Source: eBay]

We've already seen a mini-preview of the Hyundai ix35 that will be on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show in a few weeks, but we're arguably even more interested in the concept vehicles that the company is teasing today. The ix Metro and the i10 Electric will be in Germany to show off the Korean automaker's Blue Drive eco-efforts.

The ix Metro, above, a gasoline-electric hybrid with C02 emissions of just 80 grams-per-kilometer will make its world debut at the IAA. The amazingly low emissions, especially for a CUV, are the result of a small, 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine with direct injection and turbocharging mated to a six-speed dual clutch transmission that works with an undescribed battery to move the vehicle.

The i10 Electric (pictured after the jump and in gallery below) is a zero-emission version of the standard i10 city car that uses a 16 kWh battery and a 49kW motor for a 100-mile range. Using household 220V charging, the automaker says that the battery can be fully charged in five hours. Hyundai indicates that the BEV is production-ready and will go on sale in its home market in the second half of 2010.

In addition, Hyundai will also bring the Elantra LPI HEV and Blue Will Plug-In Hybrid Electric, both previously displayed, to Frankfurt, as well as the Euro version of the redesigned Tucson called the ix35. We'll have more live from the show floor on September 15th.



[Source: Hyundai]

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We learned earlier this summer that Ford Racing would be continuing its Cobra Jet program for the 2010 model year, and the new model has already taken to the strip for a testing session at Milan Dragway in Michigan. From looking at the photos released by Ford Racing, it looks like the updated CJ will get more than just new visual cues from the 2010 model Mustang. Under the hood lies a huge 3.4-liter Whipple supercharger that should be able to push quite a bit more air into the 5.4-liter V8 than the FRPP blower on the '09 version, and the interior looks even more race-oriented with the Liberty clutchless V-Gate style shifter and various gauges, buttons and toggles that adorn the instrument panel. We should have full details when the car makes its official debut at SEMA in November. Until then, enjoy a video of the 2010 Cobra Jet making a very loud and quick 1/4-mile pass after the jump.



[Source: Ford Racing, Streetfire.net]

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There are stories of people with monomaniacal vision, as well as the determination to see it through no matter what it takes. The tale of the guy who has little but his own will, who locks himself in a room, emerging years later with something that makes you go "Oh... wow..." He's the guy whose story breaks through the carapace of cynicism that accretes after years on the job and makes you say "I see!"

In this case, the guy in question is Wael Rizk (pronounced wah-ell ri-zik), and the car you see above, the RA, is what emerged from his monomaniacal vision. He didn't exactly lock himself in a room, nor did he have only his will to go on, but we can let all that go – what he dreamed and built, and what we got to drive in Monterey, still has us going "Oh... wow..."



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

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And you thought the story couldn't get more bizarre. Well, it turns out Ryan Jenkins, the now-deceased Canadian Realtor-turned-reality-TV-contestant-turned-accused-murderer may have allegedly tossed more than Jasmine Fiore in the dumpster. According to BMW, Jenkins hadn't made a payment on his leased 3 Series since March, and his account is now seriously past due.

BMW is going after Ryan Jenkins for about $11,553 (US dollars) in outstanding payments on his '07 BMW 335xi sedan (his monthly lease payments were $844, proving he was about as successful in automobile purchasing negotiations as he was with relationships). While the vehicle in question has been returned to the automaker and since sold, the outstanding amount (plus interest) still needs to be collected. Regardless of BMW's next move, the line of creditors to this train wreck's estate is likely very long.

[Source: Yahoo News Canada, photo by Gary Lester]

With every new vehicle introduced by Toyota powered by the automaker's proprietary Hybrid Synergy Drive comes a matching complaint filed by Paice LLC for patent infringement. In the latest case, Paice has filed a grievance with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington alleging that Toyota is violating a patent it holds for powertrains that feature both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor – better known as hybrids.

This isn't the first time these two companies have grappled over hybrid drivetrain patents. Back in 2005, Paice won an initial judgement against Toyota resulting in an order that the automaker to pay Paice monetary damages of $4.3 million, though the judge rejected a request to force Toyota to halt sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S. at that time. Later, Toyota was ordered to pay royalties equal to a small percentage of every hybrid sold in the States.

This time, Paice is taking a slightly different tack, seeking to get importations of Toyota's super popular Prius hybrid (along with all the rest of the hybrids from Toyota and Lexus) stopped by U.S. Customs right at the docks. According to Bloomberg, it could take about 15 months for the ITC to investigate this case, so there doesn't seem to be any reason to rush out and storm your local Toyota or Lexus dealer for a new hybrid... yet.



[Source: Bloomberg]

Back when U.S. car shoppers actually purchased the GMC Yukon in big numbers, the division's Denali designation meant that you were getting the crème de la crème of large SUVs. One summer of $4 gas later, and we were getting the impression that the name would fade away with sales of the once popular SUV.

If a sliver of news gleaned from Buick GMC Communications Group Manager Dayna Hart's Twitter feed is to believed, we're going to see another Denali, but the new one will differentiate the top-shelf Acadia crossover from its lesser brethren. The Tweet simply says "Denali version of Acadia approved and coming soon." If you head over to Hart's Twitter page, you'll have to scroll down a bit, just past news of her daughter's triathlon victory and just after some positive words about the GMC Terrain. Gotta love Twitter.

Adding the Denali name to the Acadia makes perfect sense. The Denali name has brought affluent customers into GMC showrooms in the past, and if done right, a gussied up Acadia could bring those customers back for a second tour of duty. We just wonder why it took so long for General Motors to get around to this.



[Source: Twitter]