With U.S. dealers complaining that VW's new Tiguan SUV is too small and too expensive, the Boys from Wolfsburg are planning to launch a new Passat-based ute. Autocar reports that the new seven-seater will slot between the Tiguan and the Touareg, with Volvo's new XC60 as its main competitor. VW opted against doing a Nissan Quashqai +2 style stretch of the Tiguan or an Audi Q5 reskin in favor of adapting a next-generation Passat platform. We're talking shared components (especially with the Golf), transverse engines and the possibility of Skoda and Seat versions. Volkswagen has dispatched a crack team of marketers to scour the globe for the weirdest names the planet has to offer. (They set the bar with "Tiguan.") Any suggestions?

Is there anyone Chryslerberus isn't trying to strike up a deal with? According to Reuters, Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper claims Chrysler is in "quite advanced" talks with Fiat to produce Alfa Romeo cars in the U.S. using Chrysler's factories. The newspaper cited "industry sources" (can you  be any more vague?) as saying "the talks are moving forward." Hang on; isn't that Toyota's tag line? Anyway, Fiat had no comment on the rumor. Chrysler's spokeswoman called the story speculation (ya think?). But she admitted what everyone in Christendom already knows: "there could be other partnerships with other automakers." The questions yet to be answered: will Alfisti accept an Alfa that doesn't come from Lo Stivale? Who has the worse reputation for quality? And why didn't anyone use the date 2010 in this story, except us?

Ouch, the metablogging is hurting my face. Toyota posted to their Open Road blog today with a post so genius they may not even know what it is.

A New Small Sports Car on the Horizon
– Scott Deyager, Corporate Communications

You may have heard that as part of strengthened corporate ties between Toyota Motor Corp. and Fuji Heavy Industries in Japan, Toyota and Subaru, which is owned by Fuji, announced plans last week to collaborate on a new small sports car.
We pay by the period here. Semicolons are also expensive. That's why I will continue to use plastic forks, knives, and commas I stole from the diner downstairs.

While the market introduction for this vehicle apparently is targeted for the end of 2011,
Apparently! Ha, I so nailed you new media! I'm implying that you have set a release date without info! Booya!

speculation on blogs, and in newspapers, already is vibrating along nicely.
Screw you, "blogs." And I guess you newspapers, too.

A report last week
Really leveraging the speed of blog posting to your advantage, I see…

in Japan's Asahi newspaper
Which readers of this American Toyota site probably know nothing about, since we had to explain that a company called "Fuji Heavy Industries" is in Japan.
But seriously folks, that's Toyota's great example of assumptions going overboard? Japanese publications are notorious for predictions, concept sketches and photoshops.

speculates
There's that word again.

that this car will be powered by one of Subaru's flat-four engines.
Yep, let's mock them for being optimistic that a 4-cylinder engine with a low center of gravity, which is easily configured to run power to the back wheels, would be the engine in the car. Rather than the cynical assumption they should have made that we're going to stick a Subaru logo on a Scion tC, and then take the rest of the day off.

Other speculation suggests
Okay, seriously, try a thesaurus.

that it will be rear-wheel drive, that it could go on sale as early as 2011, and that it will sell for less than $20,000.
Which we at corporate know would be too expensive (rwd), our engineers need to sleep (2011), and are you monkey crazy (<$20k)?

Stay tuned for updates surrounding this exciting new collaboration.
I'll bet you thought we were going to tell you some information. Validate or invalidate one of the rumors. Or even give you corporate vague-speak about how mostly one company's parts will be used. Well YOU THOUGHT WRONG, baby! High five! I got you so good! Oh also, please continue to come to our site again. When? Every day. Gotta convince the bosses that this blogging thing has legs.

CAFE standards could rise as far as 75mpg by 2030. So sayeth the director of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Transportation and Air Quality, speaking to (at?) the Society of Automotive Engineers. The Detroit News reports that Marge Oge told the assembled throngs that making a 50 percent (from 2000 levels) cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050– a widely-held goal amongst the green movement's chattering classes– would require steady improvements in vehicle efficiency. Ya think? She think. "The political, economic and regulatory landscape in the United States and globally has changed dramatically over the past year," said Oge. "The reality is the pace of change will not be letting up anytime soon." With one billion cars projected to be on the road globally by 2030, and oil demand by China and India set to double in the same period, Oge says the industry "needs to be thinking of those investments for the long term basis." Oge also revealed an internal EPA study which concludes that automakers will be able to meet the 2020 35mpg CAFE standard by 2018 with cost-effective measures, despite industry grousing. How's that then?

That's right, today Chrysler sent out a press release announcing the introduction of its six-speed dual clutch transmission (a la VW's DSG), developed jointly with Getrag. Chrysler reports that it will "provide consumers with a fuel economy improvement and CO2 emissions reduction by 6%." The new cog swapper's going in the Avenger, Sebring and Journey in international markets, initially paired with a 2.0-liter diesel engine. Wait a second… we don't have that 2.0-liter oil burner in the United States. Does "international markets" mean "places that aren't North America?" Why yes, it does! Chrysler's biggest and most important market is not getting the dual clutch transmission from the git-go. But don't kvetch. Were you really considering buying a Sebring anyway? I didn't think so.

I've always greatly admired Hennessey. Any tuner that even thinks about boring-out a 500hp Dodge Viper mill to 9.5 liters gets my respect. And one that straps a brace of  turbos on the result– boosting horsepower from a "mere" 800 to a Veyron-beating 1200–gets what Sajeev insists on calling mad props. According to Motor Authority, the Texas-based tuner is now turning its tuning talents towards Japanese metal. Specifically, the two hottest cars to come from the Land of the Rising Sun: the Lexus IS-F and Nissan's world-beating GT-R. While I have a slightly different opinion of the IS-F than Mr. McCombs (I friggin' love it), I think we can both agree that the last thing the lunatic Lexus needs is more power. So naturally Hennessey is going to bolt on a supercharger and fit the beast with headers, exhaust and a new intake. No word on the power, but you can bet it will be, "adequate." And by adequate I mean seven kinds of bonkers. Look for it later this year. As for Godzilla, it won't show up until 2009. I'm thinking the sky [line] will be the limit. Either that, or there won't be any limit whatsoever. The No Limits GT-R. Sign me up.

For the last thirty years, Mercedes has manufactured the car we Americans know as the "G-Class" or "the Mercedes that looks like a brick shit house." The Geländewagen was originally built in the year the Shah of Iran skipped town (1979). Since then, Mercedes' truck has been regularly upgraded– provided you think giving an army truck a sedan interior represents an improvement. Someone does; the brand sells a fair number of these mucho macho SUVs into the U.S. luxury market. With this go-round, the G gets a new grille (to keep it consistent with the rest of the lineup) and a major engine upgrade. Out goes the G500's 290 horsepower V8. In comes Benz's ubiquitous 5.5-liter 388hp V8. Rappers and other off-road enthusiasts can also order some new toys, like a reverse camera and a Harmon Kardon stereo (perfect for soothing lions, gangstas and other savage beasts). Although some pundits had predicted that the urbane-in-comparison seven-seat Mercedes GL would replace the G-Wagon, the $90k+ style statement lives on. And yes, there is an AMG version.

We reported yesterday that Autocar UK had "found" top secret renderings of a forthcoming RWD coupe being jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru. Well, today we have confirmation from the two firms that the new coupe is definitely in the works. A joint press release tells us, "The compact rear wheel-drive sports car is envisioned to offer a new 'fun to drive' experience based on an all-new vehicle platform." The release also confirms that Subaru's boxer four will be the only initial engine offering, and that production will begin in 2010. [Ed: there's that number again.] Subaru will launch first, sometime late in 2010, while the Toyota version will not be available until 2011. Watch this space for official images and further details as they become available.

The ties between Tata Motors and Fiat are plentiful; Ratan Tata sits on Fiat's board, and the two firms run several joint manufacturing ventures in India. And with Tata's recent purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover comes an opportunity for Fiat's performance brand Alfa Romeo to piggyback on Jaguar's existing rear wheel-drive sedan architecture. Fiat development boss Harald Wester tells Auto Motor und Sport that the two firms are already discussing details of the possible platform share. "We have diverse worldwide cooperations with Tata," said Wester, "because of this, it makes sense for us to seek opportunities with Jaguar and Land Rover. Naturally, a properly-dimensioned rear-wheel drive platform would serve Alfa well, and we're working on that. But there are more options. One alternative is developing a unique platform for Maserati, Alfa and Lancia. Another is that Maserati would get a unique platform, while the other two brands would share with a partner (Jaguar)." A Jaguar XF in a sharp Italian suit with Alfa badges could be exactly what the brand needs when it launches stateside in 2010, while platform-sharing would help Jaguar improve its profitability.

Auto Motor und Sport  has a sneak-peek at a CLK Shooting Brake concept set to debut at the Paris Auto Show this October. The coupe-wagon previews the new look of the CLK, which will premier early next year as a 2010 model. The next-generation of Mercedes design aims at positioning the E-class and CLK closer together in terms of both construction and styling. The Shooting Brake shows many of the design features of the next generation of MB styling. Look for those sharper creases and the four sharp-edged headlights to dominate the new look, taking cues from the latest S-class to their logical conclusion in the rest of the Benz family. Although Benz is remaining stum on the production chances of the Shooting Brake, the Germans reveal that the forthcoming E-class will get a hybrid V6 powertrain making 224hp. Sehr Gut!

We reported earlier that Toyota had upped its stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, maker of Subaru cars. We mentioned one possible fruit of that merger: a jointly-developed rear wheel-drive (RWD) sportscar. Autocar has "top secret" sketches of what the Toyobaru lovechild might look like. The coupe will use Subaru's 175hp boxer four as a base engine motivating the rear wheels only (to keep weight down and handling sharp). Apparently, there is also talk of an all wheel-drive 2.5-liter turbo-engined top-of-the-line model; a throwback to Celica GT4s of yore. With the Miata squarely in its sights, the Japanese-built coupe's could sticker as low as $20k. The United States is pegged as the main market for this tasty little slice of hoon, which should hit dealers sometime in 2010.  Could this possibly be the RWD Scion tC that's hit the rumor mills?

According to Nihon Car, the Scion tC "is one of those boring 2 door coupé made for the U.S. market and powered… with only 161hp, pretty lame both in and out." Now that we have that less than flattering (if accurate) assessment out of the way, Nihon Car reveals that Scion has "succeeded at stunning us this morning" by unveiling "its gorgeous Formula Drift version" of the tC. Exhaust and suspension manufacturer RS*R created this monster, which shares its platform with Toyota's Japanese-market Avensis and Caldina cars (i.e. it's been converted to rear-wheel drive). Blessed with a turbo and intercooler, the engine now offers more than 400hp. Twenty-one-year-old Ken Gushi will helm the modded Scion in U.S. Grand Prix Professional Drift events. Could an RWD tC be coming to a Scion dealer near you? "At this time we do not have confirmed plans to produce a tC rear wheel drive, but a lot of people will want to take one home," says company VP Jack Hollis. Ya think?

Nissan is switching production at its Canton, MS factory from the Quest minivan and Infiniti QX56 SUV to light commercial vehicles (LCV). USA Today reports that the commercial-grade trucks will start rolling off the line in 2010, and that Nissan has yet to decide if the outgoing Quest and QX56 will be replaced. "When we get to the end of each vehicle's cycle, we look at the market" and decide the fate of each vehicle, says Nissan spokeswoman Frederique Le Greves. "The decision has not been finalized. The intention is to continue them, but we don't know where we will manufacture them." Parse the PR-speak, and you get "maybe we'll replace them if minivan and SUV sales pick up." Canton will continue to produce Titan pickups and Altima sedans, while the $118m production switchover takes place. New LCVs will be built for the US market in the eight-ton gross vehicle weight class, powered by 50-state emissions control compatible Cummins turbodiesel engines.

We're not quite sure how one of TTAC's Best and Brightest got ahold of this image of the new Ford Taurus, but ours is not to question why (ours is to do and, uh, that's it). It sure is a handsome beast– throwing the new new Taurus' (né Five Hundred) Audi-aping shape into the bin where it belongs. Imagine if this car turns into a mega-hit for Ford? How ironic would that be? The car that saved Ford before saves Ford again, birthed by the exec who's career was inspired by the tale of the first Taurus' birth. At this point, all we know is that Ford's legal department is very busy this morning. Or it could be a head fake; an intentionally leaked shot. We'll give you more information as it arrives.

Audi may be right on target with their plans to import diesels . A study by J.D Power (via the Detroit News ) shows diesels and gas-electric hybrids will have 17 percent of the U.S. market by 2015. Surprisingly, Power thinks diesels will outsell hybrids because of the higher cost of admission to the hybrid club; they predict by 2015 hybrids will increase to seven percent of the market (from the current 2.2 percent) while diesel vehicles will make up ten percent. Sales of four-cylinder gas engines are also expected to rise sharply as the automakers scramble to meet the new 35mpg CAFE standard. They don't think hydrogen fuel cells and pure electric cars will have much impact as they won't be available in any significant numbers during the years covered by the study. But what about E85? The proportion of vehicles available that can run on corn squeezin's will nearly double but few of them will be using it because it still won't be available in most places. That won't matter to the manufacturers, though, if the new CAFE standards have the ethanol loophole the current one does.