The Times of London has a test of the new Vauhall/Opel Insignia, possibly destined for the US as the 2010 Saturn Aura, and the Mondeo-fighter apparently isn’t living up to the hype. What is the Times’ biggest beef? The beef, apparently, as the Insignia weighs a hefty 3,300 pounds, some ten percent more than the Vectra it replaces. Times scribe Andrew Frenkel is not amused, noting that the Insignia “also uses more fuel, pumps out more CO2, has slower acceleration and a lower top speed. They call this progress.” Much of the review gripes about the Insignia’s placement in the Euro-market, but it does note that the Vectra replacement does look terrific. Too bad that will likely change when if it comes Stateside, since the program to bring it as a Saturn is on hold. Handling and ride quality receive high marks, though engine performance and economy are blunted by the weight gain. One of the biggest letdowns noted by the Times is the poor interior build quality, with its “preponderance of cheap, hard plastic” and several functionality issues ranging from wiggly handbrake to disappearing (!) mirror control assemblies. Frenkel fears that beyond attractive looks and “keen pricing.” the Insignia doesn’t offer anything the Mondeo doesn’t, particularly in the crucial categories of dynamic abilities and efficiency/running costs. If its sleek looks are lost in translation to the Aura, it might not be too early to call Saturn’s last best hope DOA. If they bring it here it all.

Car Magazine (UK) reports that Porsche is developing a mid-engined “budget” sportscar to compete with the Mazda MX-5, and sharing platforms with forthcoming Audi and VW versions. With Audi’s R4 having been canceled for competing too closely with Porsche’s Boxster and Cayman models, the new mid-engined platform is being developed to fight in the $35k-$45k segment. The Audi version will likely replace the TT, finally bringing RWD dynamics to its fashion-forward coupe, along with 220hp and 280hp performance trims. The VW version would pack smaller 1.2 and 1.4 liter engines, while details on a Porsche version are still forthcoming. Since an aluminum spaceframe is off the table thanks to high costs, the roadster/coupe could end up weighing as much as 2,200 pounds. So, should Porsche even be considering a version of this VW/Audi sportscar? Product strategy in the new Porsche/VW will be a tricky proposition for some time as the newly unified firm struggles to maintain brand appeal while leveraging its new partnership. For Porsche, the question goes to volume versus brand dilution, and the possiblity of bringing back the 356 brings this dynamic to the forefront. Would a baby-Boxster bring more fans into the Zuffenhausen fan club, or will it degrade the brand and cannibalize TT sales? As usual, the issue comes down to execution. If Porsche can offer a model with vastly superior dynamics than the VW version, it may be worth it. If the new 356 doesn’t differentiate itself enough from VW and Audi verisons, Porsche’s sibling rivalry could bring yet another challenge to the already-tenuous VW-Porsche anschluss.

Ford’s popular European Ka car might be coming to America after all. The Associated Press reports (via Yahoo) that Ford decided to “give the Ka another look due to high fuel prices pushing up demand for small cars and the response to introduction of the Fiesta subcompact.” Perhaps the sudden availability of tens of billions of taxpayer-backed bucks to retool domestic factories for fuel-efficient vehicles had a little something to do with this change of heart. Ford has recently written off $8b worth of previous investments in truck and SUV production lines. It’s currently sitting on $25b of highly explosive long term debt. So yes, a little boost from Uncle Sam (that’s you) would be just the thing to get Ford to sing “Baby you can build my Ka.” Yes, but– can Ford get the kind of price premium for the Ka that Mercedes somehow cons people into paying for the Smart car? CAFE be damned; the idea of driving next to full-size SUVs from the driver’s seat of a Ka-sized car sets my teeth a chattering.

In uncharacteristic style for anything French, Renault wants to expand into new territory. Still. They are “itching to get back into the U.S.,” according to a Wall Street Journal report. Despite a 55 percent drop in stock value this year and rumblings about Carlos Ghosn possibly stepping down from his dual-CEO post, someone at Renault thinks it might be a nice idea to return to the U.S. market. And it might be nice for Scarlett Johansson to tell me the next time she’s going to elope with someone better looking, funnier, taller and richer than I am. But as the philosopher Jagger said, you can’t always get what you want (credit to David Shore for that line). Nissan’s already slumping in The Land of the Free. Renault’s current lineup can’t meet U.S. EPA and crash standards which are different (though not necessarily better) than the Euro NCAP variety. Renault’s diesels wouldn’t have a prayer here without expensive testing or licensing the Bluetec system from Mercedes. And there’s the dealer/distribution problem, which can’t be magically solved by a hypothetical perfect Chrysler tie-up. And then there’s the whole “Americans don’t buy French” thing. And it’s all too bad, because I would love a Renault. But with even Renault saying that they would need to develop three new models specifically for the American market, you’ve got to wonder why the hell they’d bother.

Fiat and the European Auto Makers Association want an American-style multi-billion handout, STAT! Marketwatch reports that FIAT is leading the charge, demanding $55.22b in European Commission loans to “help Europe’s car makers make better environment-friendly vehicles.” Did I say demanding? Yes, I did. “All European car makers agree on the [€40 billion] demand,” a spokesman for Fiat said Saturday, confirming earlier remarks by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne. The final details of an agreement remain unclear, another person familiar with Fiat’s proposal said.The clock’s ticking on European Union’s 2012 mandate to reduce CO2 emissions; very little progress has been made… Which explains why the EU’s auto companies are also looking to move the new regs’ deadline forward to 2015. Meanwhile, E.U. member states have agreed to relax the rules governing the amount of money individual states can borrow, so they can address their own credit crisis (i.e. bad paper), hampering new car sales. Over to you, Japan.

Take that, GM. Formerly-sick car company Mitsubishi Motors has a working electric car; they’re already testing a fleet of a few hundred units in Japan. The Mitsubishi innovative Vehicle promises a 75mph top speed and a 100 mile range. It’ll take seven hours to recharge the battery using a normal socket (220V). If you’ve got high voltage, figure an 80 percent recharge within 30 minutes. Being a totally new car, the iMiEV benefits from the packaging advantages inherent to electric propulsion. The Li-Ion batteries are located beneath the passenger department, and the small electric engine is rear-midships. Thus, despite a sub-four meter’s length, it’s roomy enough for four. The Innovative Vehicle’s interior is airy but spartan/simple– no expensive materials for a lightweight car that wants to be affordable for commuters. I could only take the Mitsu EV for a few-minutes’ spin in a parking lot, so I can’t verify any of company’s range or speed claims. But acceleration is strong, smooth and silent, the steering is pleasant, and it brakes in a solid fashion. It feels like a proper, developed car, not like a prototype. No magic-year nonsense; commercial sales will begin in 2009. If Mitsubishi can keep their performance promises, this one’s a winner, at least for urban early adopters.

Carl-Peter Forster, president of General Motors Europe, is mad as Hell and he’s not going to take it (free market capitalism) any more. Yes, the European auto industry needs help “from political leaders to turn the situation around. At the EU level, and within the political leadership of individual countries, action must be taken to stimulate the economy, relieve the credit crunch and restore consumer confidence. Only then will consumers have the means – and the confidence – to invest in a new automobile.” While Forster waits for [yet more] government intervention in EU economies, the GM suit trotted-out a very GM-like list of reasons why his company’s sales are in the crapper: surging oil and commodity prices, the risk of recession due to the ongoing credit crunch, unfavourable currency rates, new CO2 regulatios and increasing fuel prices. So what about, you know, the desirability of GM’s products? Nein! “In Germany, 10 to 15% of the cars are more than eight years old. We know there is pent-up demand for our Opel products.  And we have local initiatives in place to spur cash sales. But our efforts are being stifled by a serious cash shortage.” Whose?

Nissan’s concept cars have been pretty impressive for the past few motor shows. There was the Pivo, a toyish-but-feasible city car that had electric motors in the wheel hubs, enabling it to do 360-degree turns. It was a bubbly, friendly vision of driving in the future. Then Nissan presented the Mixim, which looked like Darth Vader’s mask on wheels. The idea was to make an urban electric car that looked serious, even aggressive. Both owed their design language to Mangas, guaranteeing a certain attractiveness to teenagers. Today in Paris, Nissan unveiled the Nuvo which is equally electric and inspired by Japanese comic books, but in addition integrates nature-oriented themes such as flowers, and recycled materials. I like it, despite its megalomaniac motto claiming it’s “the future of the city car”. Any car that sports a new design language has my sympathies. The Nuvo is a 3+1, comparable in packaging to the Toyota iQ. Nuvo is to be rolled out in the context of the Better Place pilot projects in Denmark and Israel 2011. The Nissan guy I spoke with claims the agressive style of the Mixim doesn’t work for urban drivers, so they had to go for something softer. This may be true for Japan and some countries in Europe, but otherwise I would beg to differ: Germans find cuteness alarmingly unserious, and Americans feel emasculated by anything distinctly unmacho. Still, it’s a fine design.

Speaking to reporters at the Paris Auto Show, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn revealed that his company would seek a portion of the $25b in bailout loans recently passed into law. Automotive News (sub) reports that Winterkorn hopes his firms new Tennessee plant would qualify for loans. “We will raise our hand when the time comes,” said Winterkorn. But has Piech’s hatchet man had time to read the fine print between rounds of anti-Porsche pugilism? A quick look at Section 136 (g) of the Energy Independence Act of 2007 reveals that “The Secretary shall, in making awards or loans to those manufacturers that have existing facilities, give priority to those facilities that are oldest or have been in existence for at least 20 years.” It’s great that Mr Winterkorn would like his brand new plant to qualify for the loans, but he fails to understand that their rules have been written to exclude nearly everyone other than the Detroit 2.3. And with the regulatory rules still to be written (with help from Detroit lobbyists), the likelihood of VW getting a penny in government loans is only going to shrink.

This motor show is about hybrids, electrics, the financial meltdown, whatever you want. But what attracts the crowds, what makes the most noise (figuratively), is what always has been the best point of motor shows: exciting cars. And man, the Lamborghini four-door is exciting. It looks positively evil in matte grey, and has a stance and an attitude that is stunning. I’m not sure about the RX-8ish front, but never mind. It’s the wrong car for the wrong time, but when has the time ever been right for this kind of vehicle? It’s great that Lambo isn’t hiding behind some feeble “efficiency” greenwashery. Let plutocrats drive cars that look beautiful and special and mean, is what I say. And if you saw the new Lambo in the flesh, I think you’d agree.

The Chinese water torture-like drip of Lambo Estoque teaser shots is finally over, thank God. The newest bull from Sant’Agata has been revealed in full ahead of the Paris Auto Show. Color me peu impressionné with Lambos me-too entry into the burgeoning four-door sportscar segment. Sure, entering any new segment can present styling challenges (especially when Aston is prepping a draped-in-sexy competitor). But having inherited a love for the Espada from my father, I simply can not help but be disappointed with Lambo’s new four-door design. Like Porsche’s Panamera, the Estoque eschews the bespoke look, modeling itself after a stretched Gallardo with overly-restrained headlights and an Aston-aping rear quarter and flank strakes. [ED: Not to mention an Enzo-like intake.] At least in preview pictures, it comes across as derivative, bland and wholly lacking the instant impression created by truly special cars. Boasting the all-aluminium frame of the next-gen Audi A8, and the V10 engine from the Gallardo, the Estoque should haul and handle when it hits the streets in, yes, 2010. But will it have the undeniable curb appeal that’s de rigueur for a new Lambo? Not likely.

For the Paris Auto Show and 2009 model year, Volkswagen subsidiary Skoda has updated its Jetta-based Octavia sedan. The refreshed car gets new headlights and tail lights; engineering changes are unlikely, even though this generation was introduced in 2004. This means it continues to be much cooler than the Jetta, by being cheaper (though having tragically bad resale value), offering the same engines and transmissions, and coming only in 5-door hatch and wagon configurations. I have argued for a news-cycle-eternity that VW should be selling the Octavia in the US with a VW logo right on the grill. This won’t happen, first and foremost because Volkswagen hates freedom and liberty. But also because … I’m not sure why. Have a look at the refreshed Octavia, and here’s to hoping the next gen Jetta (probably out in about a year) looks better than the current Corolla wannabe.

This morning, Bloomberg took a look at Renault’s epic implosion in the past year. Financially, the big French carmaker saw its stock nosedive 55% in the past twelve months. Sales are down, and Renault’s European market share has fallen from 9.7% in 2005 to 7.7% so far this year. And Renault’s traditional strong market segments (i.e. mini-minivans) have been taking a beating from other companies, including French rivals Peugeot and Citroen. To make matters worse, VW is about to come out with a new Golf three weeks before Renault releases its new Megane, and the Golf gets better fuel economy than the Megane across the board. Nissan – of which Renault owns 44% – is at huge risk in the US economy (goodbye Murano, Pathfinder, Xterra, Armada, QX56, FX35, and Quest sales). Oh, and Renault’s big hope for making their estimates for the year is a €160 million royalty payment from Russian manufacturer AvtoVaz for licensing the design of the supercheap Dacia Logan. And speaking of which, Renault is facing declining sales for the Dacia Logan as the global economy gets crappier and people in places like Eastern Europe and Latin America have less money to spend on a new car. With all this in mind, Ghosn – once considered Nissan’s savior – may have to step down from the CEO position at Nissan as a bargain with irate shareholders so that he can keep his Renault job. And you thought things were bad for Chrysler.

George Clooney, the celebrity noted for breaking into Casinos, bringing a little compassion to Fred Friendly, breaking out of prison, double-killing vampires, and being a pretty lousy Batman is expanding his resume. This time, he’s doing an ad for the Japanese domestic market Honda Odyssey (completely different from the American version) over in Milan. And that’s a global world for you: American actor, Italian film set, car that’ll be sold only in Asia.

The Mazda3 is a perennial TTAC ten-bester, and a top pick for those who want some fun with their practical transportation. Now Mazda President Hisakazu Imaki worries aloud to Automotive News (sub) that introducing its Mazda2 subcompact could cannibalize sales of its long-soldiering Mazda3. “The Mazda2 is a very good product, and we’ve received very strong requests from dealers. But it is still under study,” says Imaki of the 2’s chances at a North American debut. “But I must also say that I don’t regret that we haven’t been able to supply the car thus far.” Beyond cannibalization of the 3 in the short term, Imaki worries that a moderation in fuel prices could slacken demand for the 2. Mazda sister company Ford has already commited to bringing the Mazda2-based Fiesta to America, but then it doesn’t have to worry about squeezing its volume sales leader to fit the Fiesta into its portfolio. Still, Mazda would be crazy to not bring the Yaris/Fit Fighter stateside. The 3 has set a consensus standard for fun-to-drive compact cars, and bringing the Zoom-Zoom attitude to the (on fire) subcompact market could only expand Mazdas brand. Honda’s Fit sells briskly even with dealer markups, in large part because it’s economical, practical and fun to drive. For some reason, nobody at Honda worries about it munching into Civic sales. Dear Mr Imaki, your concern is well taken, but it’s largely unnecessary. For a textbook example of real automotive cannibalism, please reference GM’s Lambda Platform. And bring on the 2 already!