Opel/Vauxhall's Insignia sedan debuted this weekend at the London Auto Show. The first Epsilon2-based car in GM's portfolio appears to be off to a great start. The biggest surprise so far: the Insignia looks stunning. Needless to say, there was some suspense when Maximum Bob Lutz was asked to confirm that the Insignia is coming stateside as the next gen Saturn Aura. Which was closely followed by stunned disappointment as the Man Of Maximum revealed that the Insignia IS the new Aura– but only under the skin. "We've researched the Insignia around the world, including the U.S., as an internationally spectacular new design, but the Saturn version will be its own car," says Lutz. So GM builds a mid-sized, front-wheel drive car that even Jeremy Clarkson likes (inside and out), and The General sends it to America to be fitted with (doubtless) tacky American couture. Why is GM spending money to redesign the looks of a perfectly desirable car? 

Automotive News [sub] reports a Turin [Italy] court has banned the Great Wall GWPeri from European sales. The court agrees with Fiat's assessment that the car "is a (Fiat) Panda with a different front end." The court ordered Great Wall to pay Fiat about $24k for the first imported model, and nearly $80k for each future import. Great Wall's lawyers say they'll appeal the decision. Fiat is also suing Great Wall in China, where the Panda isn't even sold. That case is still pending. It's been rumored that Great Wall has been interested in the U.S. market for some time, so let me be the first to say, bring the GWPeri here! The Panda's supposed to be a fun little car, and our own struggling automakers could use a captive import or two right now. Bring it as a Chevy, and let Fiat angrily nurse its $2b of GM's money. Either way, this is clearly a sign of things to come. Up next, lawsuits over this (Great Wall) Scion xB, this (SG) RX300, this (Lifan) MINI Cooper, this HUMMER, etc, etc. Hell, Great Wall even stole its GWPeri ad from an old Citroen C4 spot. Talk about incorrigible.

We often get accused of diesel-bashing. But there's no getting around the fact that the decline of the diesel market penetration in Europe has begun. With diesel now costing the same as gasoline in Germany (we should be so lucky), the higher up-front costs of most diesel versions just doesn't pan out. Auto, Motor und Sport (print version only) has done an analysis of the minimum km per year required to amortize various diesel versions of popular cars. A few examples: 38k km (23k miles) for the BMW X-5; 30k km (18.3k miles) for the Opel Corsa, 25k km (15.3k miles for the MB E-class). In may, diesel's Eurozone market share dropped to 44 percent, from 47 percent in April. One study predicts that diesels will eventually lose fully half their market share. Another study shows that at least one-fourth of current German diesel drivers are seriously considering switching to a gas car with their next purchase. It looks like the party's over before the States could find the address. 

While its competitors were bought out (Volkswagen – Audi) or formed abortive alliances (Daimler – Benz), BMW has long been fiercely, proudly, publicly independent. So much for that, then. These days, The Boys from Bavaria are embracing global alliances, developing EVs with Magna, MINI engines with PSA, and sharing small car platforms with Fiat. Und now BMW is partnering with longtime nemesis Mercedes-Benz. Auto Motor und Sport (AM&S) reports that BMW and Daimler plans to share components across each other's car lines. BMW development boss Klaus Draeger says ja, it's a logical extension of BMW and Daimler's hydrogen fuel-cell technology development thingie (available never). At the mo, we're talking air conditioning units and brakes. Soon, it'll be hybrid technology and robot tanks [just kidding, I think]. With so much technology to share, so much brand image to protect and Daimler's history of stiffing Chrysler, this is promises to be a genuine disaster.

Automotive News [sub] reports that the plug-in electric – gas hybrid Volt will be sold as a Chevrolet in the U.S. only. When they go on sale in Europe in 2012, they'll have different styling and wear Opel and Vauxhall badges– even though they'll be built on the same assembly line in Michigan. So why, with GM's push to make Chevy their "global" brand, are they rebadging the Volt for their Euro-brands? GM claims Opel and Vauxhall have larger dealer networks than Chevy. But let's face it… with Chevy's image as a bargain-basement brand in Europe and their current offerings of rebadged Daewoos, how many people would consider buying a high-tech, high-priced electric hybrid at a Chevy dealership in Europe? About as many as would consider buying a Corvette at one. Which is why Corvette is marketed in the Eurozone as a separate brand with Hummers and Cadillacs, and why Volts will become Opels and Vauxhalls. Stimt?

We've been pointing out for some time that lighter cars are more fun to drive and more eco-friendly than, uh, heavier cars. Enter the Lotus Eco Elise show car. The Lotus boys have still managed to shave another 70 lbs. from the donor Elise S' 1896 lbs. frame (ouch). And really, that's the sales pitch. Sure, the body panels are made of hemp-based composites (smoke 'em if you got 'em), there are photovoltaic panels on the roof (to power what?), the paint is water-based (woo-hoo!) and its production has more environmental credentials than Greenpeace. But the buzzword-laden materials and production techniques wouldn't mean a thing if this Lotus couldn't take wing. While other manufacturers struggle to reinvent the internal combustion engine, Lotus is simply following founder Colin Chapman's dictate and adding lightness. But not luggage. Nope. Not a bit.

Auto Motor und Sport has some stunning news out of Europe, where the Chevrolet brand is *gasp* kicking ass. That's right folks, GM has sold 318k fewer vehicles on the year in America, but in Europe the General's sales are actually up by 375k units on the year. And no, those numbers are not coming from the newly "upmarket" Opel (-1.7 percent), or established SAAB (-13 percent) brands either. Rebadged Daewoos sold as Chevrolets are what's been (sort of) saving GM's bacon on the continent that invented the car, up a staggering 23.7 percent on the year. Most of those sales come from Eastern Europe and Russia, where people realize that the American brand's connotations of obesity, pollution and warmongering were properly earned in the Cold War. And speaking of brand connotations, Chevrolet isn't even the fastest-growing GM brand in Europe. Sales of the real "America's Brand" HUMMER are up a staggering 29 percent on the year so far. Of course, that's a not-so staggering total of 1,325 HUMMERs sold. But still, who'd have thunk it? In summary, the former Evil Empire is crazy for Chevrolets, Europe still loves it some HUMMER and we're tracking a cold front moving through Hell this weekend. Details at Eleven.

It turns out that Fiat and BMW's axis of platform-sharing may help facilitate Alfa's stateside arrival. Automotive News [sub] reports that the Fiat version of the automakers' joint agreement states that "as part of possible cooperation, BMW Group will provide Fiat Group Automobiles with support in launching the Alfa Romeo brand in the North American market." And really, it's perfect. BMW already has a chain of boutique dealers in the more "sophisticated" American markets: MINI. And sure enough, Fiat spokesfolk tell AN "Mini U.S. dealers would have the possibility to also sell Alfa Romeo cars." Official details of the agreement have not been publicized, nor has BMW officially commented on MINI becoming a multi-brand retailer. Still, it's hard to think of too many downsides. MINI stores are already located in the markets that will be interested in Alfas, and the idea of an 8C Competizione gracing a MINI showroom is hardly the stuff of MINI salesman nightmares. Though the two brand's FWD offerings may not be as coordinated as they'd like, the platform-sharing plans mean that the two brands could grow around each other. Besides, a MINI-Alfa dealer would hearken back to the good old days of "import specialty dealers." Only without the horrendous products and service support. We hope. 

With The Land of The Free deep in auto-market hell, our cheese-eating  surrender-monkey pals look set to follow suit. PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) has enjoyed relatively brisk metal moving thus far this year. But the automaker expects sales in its Euro-market bastion to start dropping through the rest of the year. Sales in Western Europe (where PSA gets its fattest profits) are down two percent year-to-date, and headed south– despite French-market tax incentives (where 22 percent of PSA sales originate). The Wall Street Journal reports that price increases set to go into effect this summer may help PSA's bottom line, but only at the expense of sales. At Renault, CEO Carlos Ghosn's ambitious ten percent sales growth target has been halved. "Realistically we are dealing in an environment which is very uncertain and we have to be very transparent in the fact that it can get better or worse," says Ghosn. Analysts say profitability goals are also likely to be abandoned. C'est la vie.

Fiat makes some really wonderful small cars. But as always, it's more fun to do it with someone else! And so Fiat likes to take lovers, much like the Italian Prime Minister does (e.g. former topless model/current Minister for Equal Opportunities Mara Carfagna, Ministers of Parliament Gabriella Giammanco, Micaela Biancofiore and Nunzia De Girolamo and Venezuelan Model Aida Yespica). Consider: The Fiat Panda and 500 share a platform with the upcoming Ford Ka. Fiat partnered with PSA Peugeot-Citroen for the (these are real names) Fiorino, Bipper, and Nemo small vans. In Europe, Fiat sells the car us North Americans know as the Suzuki SX4 as the Fiat Sedici. And Fiat has been rumored to be talking to Tata about accessing Jaguar's RWD platforms for future models. And now, BMW! Automotive News reports that Fiat is looking to hook-up with BMW for future platform engineering and powerplants. In particular, BMW and Fiat may co-develop the next gen Fiat 500 and MINI. Considering the 500 is reported to be not the most phenomenal car to drive, this would be good news for the Italians. For its part, BMW realizes the importance of collaboration. The current MINI Cooper's 1.6-liter mill was co-developed with PSA Peugeot-Citroen, which also makes a home in a number of small French car-things. And BMW has declared that future BMW branded 4-cylinder engines will be shared with PSA. So how long is it, really, before there are just two car platforms in the world: one RWD, one FWD, with 30 different badges?

AutoExpress reports that Ford has prepped a not-so-mean but oh-so-green Fiesta ECOnetic for the British Motor Show. While not officially confirmed for production, odds are it will eventually hit (love tap?) the streets of The Land of Hope and Glory. The ECOnetic Fiesta will have a 1.6-liter turbodiesel powerplant with all of 89hp, as well as loads of aerodynamic mods. Equally important, the UK-market Fiesta will have low enough CO2 emissions to evade London's congestion charge. ECOnetic trim recently debuted on a European Ford Focus, with a claimed 55mpg. As Edward Neidermeyer reported, in real-life testing, the Focus ECOnetic that number dropped to some 37 mpg. If we saw a proportionate drop for the ECOnetic Fiesta, that would mean about 44 real world miles per gallon. That's still very impressive. The new model Fiesta isn't on sale yet, although it is coming to the US with gasoline engines about 12 – 18 months from now. [All numbers are US miles per gallon]

Last year, France introduced a system known as "bonus-malus." Under the scheme, people who buy gas guzzlers have to pay a €200 – €2600 penalty. Consumers option for something more "environmentally friendly" get a €200 – €1,000 bonus. Automotive News [sub] reports Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo plans to "amplify" the program. Car buyers who purchase "extremely polluting" vehicles will soon pay an additional annual fee. As in carbon tax. Borloo didn't say when he plans to start the extortion new program. But here's the best part: "Borloo has said in the past that the system of penalties and rewards applied to vehicles could be extended to other products such as electronic goods." Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité!