In spite of the high cost of diesel, Audi is anticipating the US passenger car market to be approximately 10-20% oil-burning in the next few years. Economic arguments to the side, Audi has announced its diesel product plans for the US in the near future. A 3.0 liter common rail V6 diesel engine, with 211 hp and 406 lb ft of torque is headed for the Q7 crossover and the new A5 coupe. In the A5, Audi claims it'll make 0-60 in 5.9 seconds. The A4 will also get this engine down the road. But in addition to the diesel V6, the Audi Q7 will also have oil-burning options of a V8 and V12. The V8 has 326 horses and 560 lb/ft of torque and Audi claims it will get 24 mpg combined. And if you really want to go the nose-heavy route, the diesel V12 with 500 horses and 737 lb/ft of torque will warp time and space as you hit 60 in 5.3 seconds. Since diesel fuel has suddenly shot up in price (oil manufacturers realized diesels get better mileage, and as such represented lower profit per mile?), Audi's right to argue the performance aspects of these engines rather than prioritizing their efficiency, which is still respectable considering the performance you'll get.

The rumors around the rumor mill are that the next super-hot version of the Ford Focus – the RS – will get 4WD or AWD and 350 horsepower from a six cylinder engine. If you've been following the development of the RS (and as North Americans, you probably haven't), the story until now was that it would be 300 hp, from a highly tuned 5-cylinder engine, and front wheel drive with a trick diff to tame torque steer. But the latest info seems to take that a step further, with a blogger claiming he has actually seen the rear differential on the RS test car at the Nurburgring confirming its 4 wheel power. Yours truly still doubts the 6-cylinder engine for packaging and weight reasons, but only time, spy shots, and "accidental" PR leaks will tell the full story.

In America, the Rogue is Nissan's compact crossover. The Qashqai (nicknamed Kumquat by Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear) is the Rogue's overseas fraternal twin (shared DNA with some substantial differences). Nissan is rolling-out a long wheelbase, seven-passenger version of the Cash Guy in the near future; pictures have hit the Internet. Does this development portend a rogue Rogue coming to the U.S. in a stretched version? Probably. Toyota's RAV4 offers a seven-passenger option; or reasons I can't quite grasp, American consumers seem fairly hung-up on the notion of three row vehicles. Nissan, of course, has made no official announcement re: the Rogue. The spinmeisters would probably tell you there are currently no plans to sell a stretched Rogue in North America and that it's always looking at new market segments. Admirers of Turik nomenclature are advised to watch this space.

[Click here for Photobucket Gallery]

With its polarizing oddball looks, premium price tag and questionable need to exist, BMW's new "Sports Activity Coupe" (their PR speak, not ours) isn't for everybody. But with a choice of twin-turbo engines– a 306 hp 3.0-liter I-6 from the 335i or an all new 407 hp 4.4-liter V8– more electronic aids than Stephen Hawking and bigger rubber than a Z06 (315/20s at all four corners), the X6 is going to make some customers very, very happy. Here's the skinny on the Bavarian fat: both the Infiniti FX50 and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo have something to worry about. Despite the X6's bulk (more than 5k lbs of it), this X5-spin off can dance the dance. Grip is endless and there ain't no body roll either. Do I like it? Yeah. Is it perfect? Far from it. Get all the dirt, plus find out which engine's better, on Monday.

Auto Motor Und Sport reports that Toyota boss Katsuaki Watanabe has told German TV that his company will decide by the end of the year whether or not to introduce an entry-level model for the developing world. Watanabe revealed that Toyota has been working for two years now on development of the entry-level model, but that more work has yet to take place. "Success in developing markets like Brazil, Russia, India and China are the keys to growth for the entire industry," says Watanabe-san. He sees developing markets as an issue of decisive importance to the industry on par with the environment, energy and safety. The "interplay of cost and quality" is the major unresolved issue in the proposed entry-level car, meaning we don't yet know if ToMoCo has the Tata Nano in its sights, or if it is aiming higher to protect the brand's reputation for quality. We'll be watching.

By now you might have heard from Autoblog or Edmunds' Inside Line the shocking, incredible news that Mercedes is developing a blown 4-banger in the C-Class for sale here in the U.S. I say good. Apparently some "other" blogs have forgotten that Mercedes has, until this latest generation, always offered a 4-cylinder engine in the C-Class in the U.S. The last generation had a supercharged 1.8 and a supercharged 2.3 at different times. Before that there was the C230 Kompressor in the first-generation C, as well as the C220 and C230. And of course the original baby Benz, the 190E was named for its little 4 pot, as well as the 190E 2.3. So now that we've got the history out of the way, is this a smart business idea? Hell yes. Buyers of entry luxury cars tend to be wary of running costs — that include fuel consumption — and then there's the importance of appeasing the CAFE gods. Not to mention,there's something nice about a luxury car focused on ride, rather than keeping up with the Joneses (and the Hondas). If/when it debuts, expect the blown 1.4 liter to make 150-170 horses and to come with Benz's 7-speed auto.

We've never known quite what to make of the A3. Sure, sure, it's a great car with the DSG and the AWD and the big engine, but then the price tag can bump $40k and well, STI please. Those in the know also know that underneath the A3's pretty skin sits the guts of a Volkswagen Golf, er Rabbit. Even at "just" $25K, that's expensive. However, those that don't know, don't care and the A3 has been selling well. Well enough in fact that Motor Authority is reporting Audi will be developing a number of A3 variants. These include but are not limited to a 3-door hatch, a convertible, an S3, a wagon, a small sedan, a sportback and an A3 Allroad. Also, one can never forget that Audi is a German company, meaning that each successive must be bulkier than the previous. And since the new A4 has swelled to nearly BMW 5-Series proportions, expect the 2011 A3 to compete size-wise with the Bavarian 3-Series. If not price-wise, too.

We've been flagging the fact that the sexy (to some) prototype electric – gas plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt failed its wind tunnel test by a mile. In other words, it will NOT look like the chopped roof show car still trotted-out at auto shows and featured heavily in GM's ads. (TTAC ME Frank Williams is convinced it'll look like a squished Malibu.) The Detroit News reports that "Larry Burns, GM's vice president for research and development, said that aspect of the vehicle's development is officially complete. But a group of reporters and analysts from around the country who will converge in Warren today won't likely get to actually see the car's design, even though they're in town for the latest news on GM's ambitious attempt to build an electrically driven car for the masses." Go on, give us a clue… "Designing the Volt was especially tricky because GM needed to fit a battery pack 'the size of a linebacker' into a car essentially the size of a Chevrolet Cobalt, with enough room for four passengers to fit comfortably inside, Burns said." Another one! "The finished Volt will bear a 'clear family resemblance' to the sporty vehicle initially shown at last year's Detroit auto show, Burns said. 'But it won't be a twin.'" TTAC will pay $500 for an exclusive first picture of the new Volt. 

When the E63 platformed 645i first debuted I personally had high hopes. Like all car guys, I irrationally loved the 633CSi. In my mind's eye, I pictured a lean, mean touring machine. Instead BMW dished out an average-powered porkapotamus with very questionable looks, awkward handling and far too many electrical gizmos and doodads. And guess what? They've sold over 80,000 of them and the E64 convertible. Not wanting to mess with (relative) success, Motor Authority is reporting that the next generation 6-Series will have it's shark-suit looks toned down. While the face will look more like the CS Concept, much of the Bangle will be brushed out. They also claim that the new 6 will be longer and lower than the current car. Expect an 8-speed tranny with (of course) paddle shifters and the usual litany of iDrive-themed overkill. One last thing — the next M6 should get a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V10. Insert Tim Allen-like snorting here.

Click here for TTAC photochopper Andrei Avarvarii's take on the next 6-series

You might remember Ernesto Freitas from such automotive adventures as the non-Ferrari Dino and the Dutch supercar that wasn't, the Hansen GT-R. Well friends, Senor Freitas and his Portuguese pen are back and this time he's reviving Voision. Perhaps. First, Voisin? Oui, Voisin. Back in the day (think Jazz Age), engineer extraordinaire Gabriel Voisin was cranking out some of the most sophisticated yet beautiful cars in du monde. See, before he got bit by the car bug, Gabriel was into airplanes. And he used his aviation knowledge to the advantage of his vehicles. Voisins may not have had the stump-yankin' thrust of a Bentley, but they were constructed (in Paris) of lightweight aluminum and were aerodynamic. Contrast this philosophy with Rolls-Royce, who at the time was making rolling bricks out of pig iron. Sadly, the depression wiped Voisin out. C'est la vie, as they say. Until now. Maybe, but probably not. See, Mr. Fretias has done a rendering of a vaguely Veyron-like car. He would like to drop one of Audi's diesel V12s in the middle and call the result a Voisin. Bon chance, mon ami.

I've been kvetching about the overcylinderization of BMWs M cars for a while now. The first M3 had an inline four. The next two gens holstered straight sixes. And now the M3 has a high-revving V8. BMW's mighty M5 went from two generations of straight sixes to a V8 to a high-revving V10. All this horsepower excuses BMW from having to lighten its cars and focus on improving dynamics. It seems that BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer is thinking along the same lines. Speaking to the German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport, Reithofer said he wants to trim down to fewer cylinder engines in the M cars and the rest of the BMW range. In particular, he said that BMW's diesel V8 (which is rather popular over in Europe) would be replaced with a twin turbocharged I6. And he indicated that the M range would also probably be downsized as well. Turbocharging, not displacement and cylinders, would be the path to improvements in M cars' horsepower and weight distribution. (Not to mention CO2 emissions.) Hey, if it works for the Nissan GT-R…

Rumors are flying that Chrysler is in talks with a second Chinese manufacturer. They already have an agreement with Chery to rebadge subcompacts for Mexico and South American markets markets and develop a subcompact for the U.S. (all under the Dodge brand). Now Reuters says they're looking into an alliance with Great Wall. Great Wall builds small SUVs, a small CUV and pickup trucks with some of the coolest model names going: the Wingle (say "Great Wall Wingle" fast three times) and the Socool. Obviously, Chrysler doesn't need more SUVs or CUVs. However, Chrysler hasn't had a small pickup since the rebadged Mitsubishi pickup they sold in the previous century. With sales of the Dakota "midsized" pickup in the cesspool, and big truck sales circling the toilet, they could be looking at Great Wall to provide a small truck– a vehicle Chery can't supply. So if the rumors turn out to be true (and inside sources say they are), the next small Dodge truck could come from the People's Republic of China. And pave the way for… the end of domestic car production.

"Uh oh." That's the unofficial line out of Ford Australia today in response to FoMoCo's announcement that they're developing a rear wheel-drive (RWD) platform in America. Officially, the Australians have responded with "it's too early to speculate." Ford OZ already has a RWD platform underpinning the Falcon. Thanks to a lack of engineering foresight (i.e. international beancounting), the Falcon can't be built as a left hand drive car for the U.S. market. Since the dollar is weak and engineers plentiful, Ford chose to keep the new platform's development stateside. The Australians are hitting the Pepto-Bismol over [entirely justifiable] concerns that all of Ford's RWD operations would be relocated to the U.S., denying the Blue Oval's Australian subsidiary a chance to design the next Falcon– or much of anything else, really. Roughly a thousand engineers' jobs are at stake. 

On Monday, when we reported on Audi's newly revised turbocharged four-cylinder engines, commenter Joshvar said "Still no DSG?" Well, according to Ward's Auto, now there is. Audi is finally moving ahead with a dual clutch transmission (DCT). Supposedly, they developed the new box completely in-house (BorgWarner makes the current DSG in the A3 and GTI). Ingolstadt's version offers seven (count 'em seven) gears and can handle up to 406 ft.-lbs. or torque. On top of that, it's been specifically engineered for the longitudinal setup of engines throughout Audi's lineup. This writer's guess: as soon as they can make enough of them, there will be a DCT available in every car Audi sells. Meanwhile, Tiptronic my ass. Where the Hell's Porsche's paddle-shifted semi-manual miracle?

In a move sure to annoy potential GT500KR owners– who were banking on the supply – demand equation to protect their $65k-ish (plus premium) investment– Ford has announced they're gonna build more examples than previously announced. The original plan, from the caption of their PR photo: "Featuring classic Shelby KR design cues and Ford Racing performance upgrades, the GT500KR will be produced in a limited-run of 1000 units arriving spring 2008." Ward's Automotive reports the new plan: an additional 746 GTK500Rs. "Of the additional 746 units, 571 will be allocated to U.S. customers, thus equaling the 1,571-unit production run of the original ‘68 Shelby GT500KR." So that's alright then. “I’m glad we can share it with more Mustang enthusiasts,” 'Ole Shel says in a statement. “This car is really special to me and my bank account demonstrates that when Shelby Automobiles gets together with Ford SVT and Ford Racing, we can deliver a Mustang that will compete with the best in the world.” Roush and Saleen would agree, albeit through gritted teeth.