Rather than let the Fusion expire on the proverbial vine, Ford is rolling-out updates to the midsize, Gillette-faced sedan that racked-up 149,552 sales last year (up 4.9 percent from '06). The Fusion's 2.3-liter four-cylinder workhorse is headed for a condo in Florida. The new four-pot: a 2.5-liter I4 mated to a six-speed automatic (booya!). No word if a manual will still be available, but the magic 8 ball says "don't get your hopes up." Meanwhile, Ford was raising dealers' expectations, promising best-in-class fuel economy for Ye Olde Fusion. That'd be north of 32 mpg highway. Power also rises from 160 to 170 horsepower (the unrevealed torque curve will really tell the story of the bump in displacement). Ford also announced they're preparing a more powerful V6 mill for the Mariner and Escape SUVs, most likely a version of the corporate 3.5-liter V6. If true, the Fusion and Milan would also probably upgrade to the new V6 (although this was not announced at the dealer event).

VW's Lavida Chinese-developed sedan looks about as exciting as a postage stamp (apologies to philatelist pistonheads). Worse, the car's interior lacks VW's trademark style and quality, what with the world's worst fake wood trim (excluding the press-on plastic wood from the '60's). Never mind. Based on the VW MkIV Jetta/Golf platform, the Lavida will be cheap as chips to build. The selling price is a rumored  150k – 190k RMB ($21k to $27k). Talk about product overlap: China's version of the current MkV Jetta sells for 120k – 180k RMB. So, dollar for dollar, yuan for yuan, Lavida or a Jetta? Meanwhile, if VW could bring a lightly-contented version of this car to the US for say $10k – $15k, even if it had only 120 horses, it'd be a huge hit for a company that's abandoned its cheap and cheerful brand reputation stateside. It could happen…

Pixamo gallery includes the press photos and live pictures from the Beijing Auto Show.

After testing BMW 135i and 335i coupes back-to-back, I can reveal that there are only two good reasons to purchase the smaller, cheaper car. Either you need a track day machine or you're an idiot. Otherwise, spend the extra bucks and buy the 335i coupe. The 335i coupe is more attractive, more enjoyable to drive, holds its value better and offers far more real road usability than the 135i. If BMW had made the 135i as a lightweight, no-frills, Bahn-burning turbo rocket ship, they would have created a truly unique, desirable automobile. But they didn't.

As discussed in the last General Motors Death Watch, GM is reorganizing into four divisions: Bugmontiac (Buick, GMC, Pontiac), Summilac (Saab, Hummer, Cadillac), Chevy and Saturn. Automotive News [sub] reports that the internal realignment has begun. Scorecards ready? "The [new] channel heads report to Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing. Meanwhile, GM is eliminating much of GM's central sales organization. When Brent Dewar, North America vice president of field sales, service and parts, moves to become marketing chief of GM Europe, that position won't be filled. Regional sales manager jobs will be eliminated, with regional sales staff reporting to yet-to-be-named sales managers for the channels. Those jobs likely will be in Detroit. That gives added power to channel heads, three of whom also become vice presidents of GM North America: Peper, Docherty and McNabb." Hey! No VP (with jet) for Saturn? "Marketing chief LaNeve says that is because Saturn is a smaller-volume channel than the others." Just what GM needs right now: a bureaucratic power struggle. As TTAC commentator Robert Schwartz said, "Deck chairs. Titanic."

After the Chevy Volt makes its U.S. debut, GM plans to sell the  gas – electric hybrid worldwide. GM Car Czar Maximum Bob Lutz has already announced Australian Volt sales will begin "one or two years" after the car's U.S. launch. GM also has their corporate eye on the "very important" European market. But just as the rest of the U.S. will have to wait for California to get their Volts, the rest of the world will have to wait for China. Rick Wagoner says his employer's targeting The People's Republic as the Volt's second market– with one big "if." According to Reuters, GM is "lobbying China's government to provide subsidies for the development and sale" of alternative powerplants. Wagner wants China to provide tax credits and (while they're at it) develop a hydrogen refueling infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles. Of course, much of GM's credibility in such matters (and everything else) depends on a successful Volt launch in 2010, which Rabid Rick admitted is running "down to the wire." God forbid they should release a not-ready-for-prime-time vehicle just to make the deadline…

If I were Toyota, I'd be shaking in my boots right about now. Sure, Scion seemed like a good idea few years back when ToMoCo realized its buyers' median age was seeping into Buick territory. Being charitable, one could call Toyota's youth brand an interesting experiment. Being honest, Scion is schizophrenic. And the kids ain't buying. And now they have some soon-to-be serious competition. Autoweek is reporting that Honda is launching a new "sub-brand" called Li Nian, which apparently means "subject" in Chinese. You're looking at an unnamed concept built off the global City/Fit platform in conjunction with Honda's Chinese partner Guangzhou Honda. The new brand will launch first in emerging markets (China, India) before eventually showing-up here in the States. Getting back to Toyota being frightened — kids might actually enjoy driving a sporty, inexpensive Fit-derivative– as opposed to a de-contented, lousy to drive Corolla hand-me-down. Li Nians should start rolling into dealerships near the guy that took your job in 2010. [There's that date again…]

Less than three weeks remain before the start of the big race. And if Team Black Metal V8olvo happens to crash during the Altamont leg of the traveling 24 Hours of LeMons circus, at least we won't burn. Plus, since our donor car is at least 79.2% Volvo (what, you missed the Fiero wing?) you know we're totally safe. My Grandma always told me that when a cat poops on your car it's good luck. I'm sure after 700 years of near constant pogroms, a little kitty turd was a pleasant turn of events. I mention this because while I was doing my best Tommie Smith/John Carlos impersonation in the above pic, I stepped in dog shit. Yup, brand new flame-retardant shoes on my feet for less than five-minutes and they're already covered in crap. That's too much Passover wine for you. Still, I'm thinking about not washing the Pyrotech sneaker and changing my racing name from "Necrobutcher" to "Count Stinkfoot." Oh, and for the four of you paying attention, we finally got our team motto figured, "Most Grim and Frostbitten Necrowrenches Bloodlustfully Blaspheming the Forbidden Forsaken Fjord Sacrilegiously Perched Atop the Unholy and Inverted Mountain of Altamont." Mehta, Solowiow, consider your gooses pre-cooked.

Inside baseball-types will recall that erstwhile automotive magnate Malcolm Bricklin's dreams of importing a Chinese-built Chery car into the American market hit the rocks back in December '05. Into the breach (dear Horatio) rushed Chrysler. Last year, the American and Chinese automakers signed an agreement to produce an economy car for U.S. Dodge dealers and world markets. And now… nada. According to the AP , ChryCo's Chief of Asian Ops admits that a Chinese-made U.S. import is "not ready for the U.S. market." How not ready? "We have no progress to report," Phil Murtaugh told reporters at the Beijing auto show. "But we really are satisfied with those discussions." Discussions that lead nowhere being a good thing? Sure! "I don't think we're too far away," Murtagh assured skeptics concerned with the theoretical car's price, safety, performance, quality, reliability, ability to meet U.S. federal regulations and profitability. "But neither one of us are ready to say 'Let's go' yet..'" 

In February, Porsche built their 200,000th Cayenne. Come August they'll be building their most bat guano. Meet the new Turbo S. True, the old Cayenne Turbo S had 521 horsepower. But you can barely go across the Gobi desert with that, let alone show your face in the mall parking lot. That's why the new Porker is squeezing 550 horses out of its 4.8-liter twin-turbo mill. Oh, and you want to talk twisting force? The Motor Authority reports that torque's up as well, from 531 lb-ft to 553, allowing you to crush all the other SUVs at the PTA meeting with a flick of your ankle. Actually, forget SUVs– you could totally waste the homecoming queen's 335i to 60 mph (4.7 seconds for the former versus 4.8 seconds for the latter). Sure, her little brother might be driving an equally quick Bimmer 135i, but at least your deformed Touareg is better looking. More good news: the ultimate suburban assault vehicle comes standard with 21 inch donks, way bigger than the 20 inchers found on your neighbors' 'Slades and Benz GL420s. Toss in voice activated Nav, a TV plus a (presumably) killer 14-speaker Bose sound system and there is no question who's the king of the Burger King drive-thru. 'Cause it's you. Most importantly, the new Cayenne Turbo S gives you the option of massive 16 inch carbon-ceramic brakes up front and 14.5 inch gob-stoppers out back. God forbid you should run over little Timmy's Big Wheel. Remember, it's a jungle out there.

"We've just got to get behind the doors and get these things resolved, which I'm sure we can do." So what is Rick Wagoner waiting for? God knows. But not Automotive News, which is happy to report (without further questioning) GM's Beancounter-in-Chief's belief that his back room boys can resolve the ongoing strike at American Axle, currently idling some 30 GM manufacturing facliities. And the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike over two-tier wages at GM's Delta Township factory. And, while they're at it, the possibility of a UAW strike at Fairfax, Kansas; the plant that makes the Chevrolet Malibu. And, at the same time, figure-out the mess at bankrupt parts supplier (and former GM division) Delphi. "Wagoner also said the work on Delphi's restructuring since it entered bankruptcy in 2005 provided 'a good base' for a revised exit financing plan. 'I hope it doesn't take an extended period of time,"'he said. 'The fact that they were able to arrange the debt side of the financing would suggest that the restructuring can be done.'" So much for a sense of urgency. 

When The New York Times hired Detroit News writer Bill Vlasic, they acquired one of Motown's most enthusiastic cheerleaders. To be fair, Vlasic has raised his game. Today's tribute to Ford Marketing Maven Jim Farley is an epic hagiography that all but nominates the RI high school grad for sainthood. The lead paints Farley as a tortured (as in deeply caring) soul: "Yet as he sat in an empty conference room before his keynote speech, Mr. Farley was introspective. 'How am I doing? You know, I can’t answer that question, how am I doing,' he said. 'It’s too complicated.'" Not for Vlasic it isn't. Farley's doing great! "A mop of tousled brown hair and a boyish smile lend a disarming youthfulness to a 45-year-old executive who has already put together an enviable track record during his 17 years with Toyota. Despite that unassuming demeanor, Mr. Farley is zealous, driven to resurrect Ford’s image in the American marketplace." Vlasic puts one barb in his love letter: the then-Toyota exec's reaction to GM's criticism of Scion. “I couldn’t care less about Detroit,” he said in 2003. “My prediction is that they will follow us.” Pysch! It's a set-up for Farley's Road to Damascus moment. "'What do I want to be?' he recalled thinking. 'What do I want my legacy to be? Do I want to spend two weeks in Japan debating the price of a new Lexus, or do I want to make a real difference?'" And, lest we forget, real money. But hey, I'm cynical. After reading this four-page puff piece, you would be/will be too.

According to Fox News, Florida Governor Charlie Crist recently signed a bill allowing gun owners to keep their [licensed] firearms in their car– even if their employers previously banned firearms from their property. There are exemptions: schools, prisons, nuclear power plants, military facilities and buildings that store explosives. Boca Raton Democrat Ted Deutch wasn't happy with the new law. "This is an attempt to trample upon the property rights of property owners and attempt to make it more difficult to protect the workers in a workplace and those who visit our retail establishments." Columnist Neil Boortz (Somebody's Got to Say it!) rejects the notion. "I’m sorry, but the individual right to self defense trumps private property rights." Agreed? And if you're a licensed gun owner who exercises proper gun safety, is their anything inherently wrong with keeping a gun in your car? 

When a Chrysler PR flack called to ask about the source for the leaky-roofed Dodge Journey tested by TTAC reviewer Michael Karesh, I asked him why his employer would re-launch itself as the "New Chrysler" before it eliminated a third to a half of its tri-branded lineup. Surely they should make the cuts and then tell the world  Chrysler's reborn; losing a bunch of models does nothing for a carmaker's rep (not to mention owners' residuals). A long silence followed. That was February. This is April. And we still don't know which models are going away. That said, ChryCo's executive vice president for North American sales is dropping hints. According to The Detroit Free Press, Steven Landry told students and alumni at a Northwood University event that "What we'll do in our business model is not build similar vehicles on the same platform that kind of look and act like they have the same DNA… To give you an example: Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro, basically a similar vehicle with different skin and a little bit of different interior; Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango, same platform; Sebring, Avenger, same platform. We're not going to have vehicles like that. We're not going to have twin vehicles, one for one brand and one for another." Does this mean the end for TTAC Ten Worst Autos winners Chrysler Aspen (9) and, more importantly, Jeep Compass (1)? Watch this space.   

I suppose that's no big deal, right? I mean, a Jaguar is, ostensibly, a car that provides drivers with imperious wafting rather than ultimate driving. On the other hand, Caddy's CTS is working the European sports sedan thing for all it's worth, as are the Japanese luxury makes and European sports sedans. Strangely, Healey dismisses the Jag's sporting aspirations because of its super-smooth power delivery– rather than any handling deficit. (TTAC's Justin Berkowitz described the XF as "Ali-light on its toes, whisking you around bends with enough neutral attitude and tarmac-clawing grip to satisfy all but the most suicidal driver.") Moving on, USA Today's resident car critic has a bigger nit [sic] to pick on the all-important build quality side of the equation: "Alas, the front edge of the driver's door panel creaked in the Supercharged, and the driver's door pillar in the Premium Luxury had a faint tapping or creaking." Oh dear. After Healey's usual debate with himself ("The rear fold-down armrest has only a cup holder, no storage for, say, a first-aid kit. Hey, rivals do the same things, Jag says. And next time your kid says, 'Everybody else does it,' you'll accept that excuse, right?), he delivers the usual generally positive summation: "Power, gorgeous body, tasteful interior, a few silly gadgets." 

Although spy photographers have captured exterior shots of the next E-Class floating around the net, the cars are so heavily camouflaged that it's hardly worth looking. There are, however, two fantastic pictures of the interior of the car. One comes by way of the UK's AutoExpress, the other is of unknown origin (and slight blurriosity). The interior is a fair split between the boxier, more traditionally robust interior in the C-Class and the leather-covered lunar module in the S-Class. And the same "hood" that covers the LCD screen in the S-Class (not to mention BMW's cars) appears here too. In all honesty, I'm not wild about it. But I don't get wild about much. Maybe an E250 CDI. Anticipate a formal debut for this car in the fall at one of the major European auto shows.