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We love mid-size sedans if for no other reason than buyers benefit from the incredibly high level of competition between each player in the segment, and Ford\’s just-revealed 2010 Fusion appears ready to compete. We only have one image, but it shows the Fusion\’s new face with an even bigger three-bar grille, nicely contoured hood, angry-eye headlights and a sharply redesigned lower bumper. There\’s also a new engine lineup with three mills to choose from. The first is an all-new Duratec 2.5L four-cylinder with 174 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque (up 14 hp/16 lb-ft from prior 2.3L). The second is a reworked version of the current 3.0L V6 with 19 more horsepower for a total of 240 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque. And finally Ford will be offering the Fusion with its new 3.5L V6 for 2010, which will make a class competitive 263 hp and… Read the rest of this entry

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No word yet on whether the minicar will make it to the U.S. (Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company)

BRENTWOOD, England — Ford of Europe has priced the redesigned Ka minicar, with prices in the U.K. starting at the equivalent of $13,050 for the entry-level Ka Studio.

The new Ka goes on sale in January in the U.K., with a choice of a 68-horsepower 1.2-liter gasoline engine or a 74-hp 1.3-liter diesel.

The midlevel Ka Style is priced from $13,850, the Ka Style+ from $14,675 and the range-topping Ka Zetec from $15,495 ($16,625 for the diesel version).

Inside Line says: Ford still hasn\’t decided whether to offer the tiny Ka in North America. —
Paul Lienert, Correspondent

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DETROIT — General Motors may be inching closer to a merger with Chrysler, as it appears to have resolved most major issues with Chrysler\’s private-equity parent, Cerberus Capital Management. However, at least one major stumbling block remains: how to finance the deal.

The outcome could hinge on a loan or a handout from the federal government, since major banks and lending institutions have shied away from extending more credit to any of the debt-ridden, Detroit-based automakers.

GM and Cerberus have been holding private talks for nearly a month on a potential GM takeover of Chrysler. Both sides have agreed that GM\’s Chief Executive Rick Wagoner and his management team would lead the combined companies, according to reports Wednesday from Reuters and the Associated Press.

Less certain are the benefits of such a combination. The only clear upside for GM would be access to Chrysler\’s modest stockpile of… Read the rest of this entry

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GM E-Flex executive Frank Weber poses with the Chevrolet Volt, which he says will have a \”highly technical\” sound that won\’t attempt to copy the noise a traditional internal-combustion-engine vehicle makes. (Photo courtesy of General Motors Corporation)

DETROIT — Do electric cars feel like science fiction still? Maybe in one respect: sound — or lack of sound, since the expected internal-combustion engine noises are absent. General Motors is thinking this over, and you will be relieved to know that the Chevrolet Volt will have a unique sound that will not attempt to imitate, say, the Chevrolet Corvette.

Frank Weber, General Motors E-Flex vehicle line executive, called the Volt\’s sound \”highly technical\” and… Read the rest of this entry

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Nissan worked closely with the game\’s developers to replicate the new Z-car in every detail. (Photo courtesy of Nissan Motors Corporation Inc.)

REDWOOD CITY, California — Nissan has teamed with Electronic Arts (EA) to launch the all-new 2009 370Z in the new
Need for Speed Undercover video game. It\’s the first time an automaker has staged the world premiere of a new car in video-game format, says Nissan.

The game, the latest installment in a 15-year-old franchise, launches in North America on November 18 and in Europe on November 21. It includes excitement such as \”breakneck cop chases and spectacular highway battles\” as well as a new Heroic Driving Engine feature that lets players experience… Read the rest of this entry

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Dodge Trazo (Photo courtesy of Chrysler LLC)

S?O PAULO, Brazil — A surprise appearance at the 2008 S?o Paulo Auto Show this week was a compact four-door sedan from Dodge, the new Trazo. It\’s the sedan version of the Tiida, known as the Versa in the U.S. market. The car will be built in Mexico by Nissan, as is the Tiida/Versa, and sold in South America badged as a Nissan. It is set for an on-sale date in mid-2009.

The Trazo will be sold in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay to start. The new model will be an important part of the Chrysler strategy to increase Dodge\’s presence in the region.

Chrysler and Nissan have been partnering… Read the rest of this entry

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(Photo courtesy of Aston Martin)

AMSTERDAM — Thanks to the Dutch Web site 925.nl, we now have our first detailed look at the 2008 Paris Auto Show.

Aston is still running silhouettes of the car on its media Web site. In Paris, it teasingly pulled the car cover up to expose a little flesh, but not much more.

We brought you details on the car from the show, but were not permitted to photograph the entire vehicle.

So take a good, long look at the $2.1-million supercar that expects to challenge the Bugatti Veyron. It appears we won\’t have to wait till next year\’s 2009 Geneva Auto Show after all to see the complete One-77.

Inside Line says: Serves those cagey Brits right for being so coy at Paris. —
Paul Lienert, Correspondent

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Ford will benefit from the multipronged publicity campaign for the new Bond film,
Quantum of Solace. The latest Bond Girl poses here with the Ford Ka she drives in the movie. (Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company)

DEARBORN, Michigan — The new James Bond movie,
Quantum of Solace, is not due for its U.S. debut until November 14. But the curious can get lots of looks at the latest Bond girl and her ride — the Ford Ka — through a number of venues, including an MTV special that features her giving advanced driving lessons.

During the MTV-made Bond Girl Special, model and actress Olga Kurylenko will help make over a woman into \”an authentic Bond girl.\” Kurylenko will tutor the candidate on martial… Read the rest of this entry

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Carbon-ceramic brake disc used for the Audi A8 shows the stark beauty of the material, which is vastly lighter and harder than conventional brake-disc materials and offers almost complete immunity to fade. (Photo courtesy of Audi)

STEZZANO, Italy — Brembo, the undisputed king of butt-kicking brakes, recently cut a deal to take over all of a joint venture it had with Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG which since 2004 had designed, developed and manufactured carbon-ceramic brake discs. Carbon-ceramic is the almost magic material that produces tremendously strong, virtually fade-free brakes.

These are all the rage for high-dollar sports cars and mega-sedans — and to now they\’ve been as scary-expensive as the cars they bring to a halt: like 100 times the price of a standard $25 brake disc.

But that\’s the intrigue with… Read the rest of this entry

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DETROIT — Emergency financial help from the U.S. government may be on the way to Detroit to support a merger between General Motors and Chrysler.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the Bush administration is looking into \”a range of options for providing emergency financial help to spur a merger between General Motors and Chrysler.\” Reuters said the two automakers have asked the feds for \”roughly $10 billion in an unprecedented rescue package\” for such a merger. And the Associated Press said the financing arms of the automakers might be eligible for federal help under the bank stock-purchasing portion of the government\’s $700 billion financial rescue package.

If GM and Chrysler were to merge, such an entity would control about a third of the U.S. auto market by sales and include 11 automotive brands from Cadillac to Jeep.… Read the rest of this entry