The Volkswagen R performance sub-brand isn't just a niche cog in the massive machine known as the Volkswagen Auto Group. If R GmbH's heads are to be believed, it's an instrumental component of the German automaker's push to offer something for everyone. And after speaking with the two men shepherding R into the future, it appears that good things are on the way.

At the end of the day, every mass-market automaker is nothing more than a company looking for profits. And while you can have a great-looking vehicle that performs well and draws critical acclaim, but if it doesn't sell and it doesn't have decent margins, it doesn't do the company much good. So when it comes down to pure profit, what automobiles are the biggest cash cows?

You know, we can live without the Laguna and the Scenic. We really can. But when it comes down to the hot hatches, well... we kinda wish we could get out driving gloves on some Renault models on this side of the Atlantic. Certain models in specific, like the Megane 265 Trophy.

Of all the major international auto shows on the calendar each year, the Bologna Motor Show may not rank among the most important. But it is vital for the Fiat Group, whose numerous brands make up more than just one lion's share of the Italian auto industry. As such, it's not a show for Fiat to take lightly, and this year, it's coming with a whole mess of new debuts.

When society finally crumbles and the human race vanishes from the face of the Earth, the cockroaches will still be passing around certain automotive rumors. Their antennae will twitch with whispers of an independent-rear-suspension Mustang and a mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette. Now it appears that they'll have a new story to chew on. The rumor of the V10-powered Zach Bowman

We know that the Fiat Doblo is coming to the Ram brand as a cargo van, but what about a passenger-hauling variant? Automotive News reports that the Ram team is debating just such a move.

The droptop version of the Jaguar XKR-S – the one introduced to the U.S. at the LA Auto Show that's already sold out – has been thrown around the Nürburgring by test driver Sascha Bert, and the recipe contains all the basic ing

While the 2014 Chevrolet Equinox may offer the eAssist hybrid system, there's now word that the Detroit giant has already built a nine-strong all-electric demonstration fleet of its super-popular crossover. Calling on the E-Car Systems unit of Magna to do the technological heavy lifting – the same folks who helped Ford develop its Focus

The 2012 Fiat 500 seems to be having trouble gaining sales momentum. Automotive News reports that the Italian hatch is likely to fall well short of its admittedly very ambitious 50,000 unit sales target this year. The model hit the market back in March and has only sold 15,826 units through October. The report also says that of the 150 Fiat dealers in the States, 29 didn't sell a single one last