Motor Authority has a preview of the 2009 Mk VI Golf, which was set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year. The new Golf will debut at Paris this fall, after VW CEO Martin Winterkorn ordered a strategic review of the Golf/Scirocco/Tiguan. The next generation of Golfs will boast a new range of engines, including a 1.6-liter TSI making 200hp (for the GT version) and a 2.0-liter four making 260hp (for the GTI). Given the lag between European and American introductions, and the already-delayed release, the neue Golf's stateside debut could now be several years away. Whether the raw, inefficient 2.5-liter mill currently offered in the base North American-market Rabbit will make an unwanted return is likewise a matter of speculation. In any case, the new Golf exhibits the evolutionary design changes one expects from this model. (Zen masters reveal that VW isn't done developing a Golf until it "looks like a Golf.") Mk VI shares much of the heft and proportion of the Mk V, with only mild updates to the headlights, grille and rear quarter. Perhaps if VW had gone just a bit further, the new hatch could have enjoyed the slightly fresher yet still-evolutionary looks of the Mk VI GTI photochopped by our own Andrei Avarvarii. 

Autoca reports that the new-to-Europe Infiniti brand wants to compete with the BMW 1-series and the Audi A3s of the world in the hot "premium compact" segment. But don't expect a carbon-copy of the German whips, as Autocar hints that Nissan's luxury marque will unleash an entirely unique model on the segment. Speculation has centered around a baby-SUV model (rendered here) that would slot under the new EX35, currently the smallest Infiniti model. But wait, it might be a coupe-cabriolet with a folding hardtop. Actually, Autocar has no idea what the model will look like. But they do know that it will launch in 2010 (as will everything) at a price point around $40k. We'll be checking out forthcoming Infiniti concept cars for hints at the final design of the "Infant-iti." And here's hoping it's not a "small, high-end SUV crossover." 

Green Car Congress reports that GM is road testing a Saturn Aura equipped with a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. HCCI technology compresses a lean air-fuel mixture in the cylinder, which ignites without spark plugs, creating low-temperature, flameless combustion. GM says HCCI combustion reduces NOX and particulate emissions and offers 15 percent better fuel efficiency. The 2.2-liter modified ECOTEC engine is set up to use traditional spark ignition when starting, driving over 55mph and other low-temperature or high-load circumstances. It switches to HCCI mode for most driving. The modified mill makes 180hp and 170 lb/ft of torque, with additional help from direct injection, variable valve lift, dual electric camshaft phasers and individual cylinder pressure transducers to "control the combustion as well as deliver a smooth transition between combustion modes." Props to GM for developing technology which doesn't require them to reinvent the wheel battery, but it'll be a while before HCCI is ready for prime time. That said, direct injection– as seen on the new Porsche Cayenne and other, more prosaic VeeDubs– had a rocky start.

According to The Economic Times, your local Audi will be singing the car body electric 2018. In fact, Audi chairman of the board Rupert Stadler says he expects diesel and battery technology "to dominate" automotive propulsion in the next five to ten years. "By then we will offer cars without exhaust emissions," Stadler promised, revealing his evil plan to transfer all the carbon burning stuff to power plants. When asked if he felt Audi was "falling behind" rivals Mercedes and BMW in the whole lithium-ion battery-powered hybrid thing, Stadler claimed Audi has a greater [flux] capacity for research than its German competitors. So… Stadler claimed "electric cars offer great opportunities, which we have already seized on." Ooooh. We LIKE hints. But then we're not stock manipulators. 

News of Toyota and Subaru's joint $20k-$25k RWD coupe has Nissan scrambling to develop it own pocket rocket. 7tune.com reports that Nissan is testing a compact rear wheel-drive (RWD) coupe based on the new Z-car platform. The spiritual successor to Nissan's JDM Silvia is likely to be motivated by either the 2.0-liter NA engine, or a 1.6-liter or 1.8-liter turbo four (possibly equipped with Variable Compression Ration technology) making between 150 and 225 hp. The coupe should be about the same size as the last (S15) Silvia, offering the Z's wheelbase with shorter overhangs for "enjoyable handling." No word on whether the $23k-ish coupe will be offered stateside, but it will be available in Japan in the latter half of 2010. As far as we're concerned, the more light, zippy RWD coupes the better… no matter where they're sold.

Volvo's set itself a lofty, laudable goal: banishing all deaths and injuries from Volvo vehicles by 2020. That's right, the company that invented three-point seat belts, crumple zones and side-impact airbags is looking to recapture it's lost Grim Reaper-aversive mojo. Reuters reports the main development upon which Volvo is banking: a radar/sonar system which provides early-warning information (to the car) so that it (the car) brake and/or steer out of trouble, reducing impact speed to about 10mph. Volvo's long-term goal: building an "uncrashable car." As Volvo safety team leader Jan Ivarsson says, "We as a community will not accept that we have injuries."At least not in Volvos. PC pollyanna utopianism aside, why would Ford dump a ton of money into Volvo's safety rep if it's trying to sell the Swedish safety swamis? Unless, of course, this is just a "buy us please" PR exercise. Perish the– I mean, as if.

Toyota's iQ city car is coming to Europe next year, competing in the "small but premium" category. (Translation: Toyota's pricing the not-so-mighty midget be priced between Fiat's 500 and BMW's MINI.) But the folks at Autocar UK thought that Toyota was too smart to develop a unique platform for just one car, so they asked "senior sources" if there was more iQ to come. Too right, mate. ToMoCo will also use the iQ platform on a (somewhat) larger car, which will compete with VW's forthcoming up! city car. Meanwhile the iQ will not be offered in hybrid trim; Toyota's boffins reckon a hybrid drivetrain would be too heavy. Thus the Yamaha-sourced one-liter, two-cylinder motorcycle engine (what, no R1 mill?) equipped with start-stop technology, and a diesel. Sometimes the highest IQs favor the simplest solutions. And the worst jokes.

AutoWeek reports GM's downsizing models to meet the new federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regs. Buick is thinking of a Corolla-sized "Buick luxury car" to be based on China's Buick Excelle. The baby Buick would be built somewhere in North America on the rear wheel-drive Alpha platform currently under design in Germany. Given Buick's past history with badgineered small cars (Apollo, Skylark, Skyhawk) and the Beyond Precision people's current three cars per month dealer average, this one is doomed. Doomed I tell you. Doomed. A more interesting prospect: an "economy" Hummer smaller than the H3 called the… wait for it… H4. Since the H3 is already built on the smallest truck GMNA offers (Colorado/Canyon), upon what platform will Hummer (or its designated hitter) build this bad boyette? The HX concept supposedly previewed the H4– but we all know what happens in the Journey from concept to reality. Will the H4 end-up a testosterone-laced Theta (Equinox/Vue)? Or will our 2006 prediction come true: a tricked-out Aveo-based super-economy SUV?

The last time we heard from Chrysler's Camcord-fighting "Project D" development team, we learned that Chrysler "star engineer" and Project D leader Mike Donoghue had bailed, amid rumors of an Acting Chief Innovation Officer ego-trip. To assure themselves as much as anyone else, Cerberus rolled out a little hype information to the Detroit News on its midsize do-over. There's little talk of the actual cars themselves in the story, as most of the ink is spilled on the importance of the segment to Chrysler and how miserably its efforts have failed to capitalize on demand. "The problem is everyone is getting really, really good in that segment," says Todd Turner of consulting firm Car Concepts. "Chrysler's current entries are probably the weakest in the marketplace, not just in terms of sales, but in customer satisfaction." Ouch. But fear not, because Chrysler gets it... just don't ask for any specifics. Without revealing any details of the actual products which will make it to market (besides the fact that there will be sedan and crossover body styles… shocking!), Project D's new leader Mike Chernoby wants everyone to know that the new D-segment offering will totally rule. "We will manage the time line accordingly to always make sure we have a product that will satisfy the market place," says Chernoby. "You can take that to the bank." Sounds great, as long as Cerberus foots the overdraft charges.

While I don't care for the Prius, I can't deny that it has been successful in America. Not just at sales or income for Toyota, but for having one of the highest profiles of any car on sale here and for legitimately changing the automotive game. But it looks like the Prius's developmental future is a lot more conventional. Michele Krebs, writing for Edmunds' Auto Observer, reports a number of unfortunate developments for the next generation Prius, to be revealed at Detroit in January 2009. It's bigger – 3-4 inches, although not much heavier. The engine grows to 1.8 liters, and combined gas and electric power is up from approximately 110 horses to 160. But don't worry, fuel economy is up. So it's all okay, right? Wrong. Most successive generations of automobiles are able to make improvements in all areas. That does not mean the distribution of those improvements – which are often compromises and tradeoffs – is ok. Fuel economy will be up in the next Prius? Imagine how much more it could be up if they weren't trying to squeeze another 50 horses out of the car, or adding 4 inches to the body. Ms. Krebs also confirms that the Prius model range will grow (hopefully a smaller, lighter coupe is included), and reminds that a Lexus version with a 2.0-3.0 liter engine is still on the table. This is an example of Toyota losing the plot, trying to make the Prius appeal to more people – and in so doing, diluting the one of the single most focused products on the automotive market. But hey, it's all in the pursuit of sales numbers. [Thanks to starlightmica for the tip]

Motor Authority reports that AMG is ditching its 6.2-liter V8 and 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12s in favor of a new 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8. As with Audi's recently-announced downsize from V8 to V6 in the S4, Mercedes claims they're losing the big bore mills to increase fuel efficiency. Not only do Merc's massive 12-pots struggle to break 15 mpg in typical (for a V12) driving conditions, but they lack the low-end shove of previous AMG engines (notably the old supercharged 5.5-liter V8). The "entry-level" version of the new V8 twin turbo– replacing the normally-aspirated 6.2 unit (called a 6.3 for nostalgic reasons)– will boast 570hp and 665 lft.-lbs. of torque. A higher performance unit will get turbo upgrades to create 700hp and 885 ft.-lbs. of torque (to replicate turbo V12 shove). Apparently a "BluePower" (not a Smurf racist group, it turns out) version will offer epic hybrid performance from the same V8. If you just have to have yourself a V12, fill out a pre-order now for the SLC Gullwing, launching in 2010. The tasty retro-coupe will be the last application for Ye Olde 6.2, cranking-out over 600 horsepower, mated to an 8-speed automatic.

Is GM abandoning hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle hype development in favor of battery-powered electrics? Newly enriched Car Czar "Maximum" Bob Lutz seems to be hinting in that direction. In an interview with PetroZero.org, the Volt's godfather indicated The General is considering building a Volt. No seriously. Building a Volt "without engine and all the plumbing" to meet California's new Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate. The engineers responsible for the test fleet of hydrogen-powered Equinox will be delighted to learn that Max Bob "agreed" that "pure EV was the most sensible route [to meet the ZEV requirements] compared to expensive hydrogen powered fuel cells." But MB didn't stop there. (As if.) He concluded if GM builds an EV Volt, they'd have "a pure electric with more range." More range than what? The EV1? And does this indicate that GM's already working on an all-electric Volt, or is Bob just putting his bid in for next year's Bob Lutz Award? Or both? But definitely not neither.

VW recently released details of its forthcoming North American-market diesel engine, known as Blue TDI, at the Viennese Auto Symposium. The common-rail turbodiesel boasts the latest and greatest in clean-diesel technologies, like a particulate filter and a maintenance-free NOX catalytic converter. Of particular note: the first-ever application of both high- and low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation systems on a diesel engine. VW says all the new-fangled diesel wizardry delivers a 90 percent reduction in acid rain-causing NOX emissions while delivering 140 hp and 320 nm of torque. Oh yeah, and meeting Euro 5 as well as U.S. 50-state, Bin 5 tier 2 emissions standards. Look for the Blue TDI as an option on US Jettas starting this summer.

Car and Driver reports that the Audi S4 will ditch its normally-aspirated 4.2-liter V8 for a 3.0-liter V6 in the name of fuel economy (of all things). The uber A4's new six will feature some form of forced induction. "At the very least, we expect the new V-6 to be supercharged," C/D says. "Although what will allow the S4's version to generate 50 or so more horsepower is still a mystery." Twincharger? I just met her! Seriously folks, the brainy boys at C/D add that the new Audi mill "will generate something close to the 340 horsepower found in the outgoing S4's 4.2-liter V-8." Ya think? Apparently, the new S4 will get 23.3mpg, compared to a V8-powered S5's 19.4mpg. So the S4's reduced cylinder count not only improves S4 fuel economy (this does matter for CAFE) AND it makes the V8 RS4 and S5 that much more special. The bad news? The S4 will shed only "20-100 pounds" to make up for the cylinder envy. 

Peugeot will be making a production version of its double-bubble-roofed 308 RC Z Coupe concept, shown at last year's International Automobil Aufstellung in Frankfurt. Auto Motor und Sport says the 2+2 coupe will keep the styling shown in the concept, which is no bad thing. An earlier Auto Motor und Sport report says the concept sported a 1.6-liter turbo-four with 218hp and up to 300nm of torque with overboost. Whether that engine makes it to the road remains to be seen, but let's hope the production model doesn't gain much weight beyond the 2,600 pound concept. The 308 Coupe will go on sale in the spring of 2010, although not in the states (of course). Even so, we'll be keeping an eye out for photos from this year's IAA where the 308 Coupe will debut, 'cause we unrequited love is love nonetheless.