Mooted Cadillac flagship could be mid-engined sports car

Car and Driver is reporting that the often-reported Cadillac flagship is at a crossroads. There have been many rumors that the planned range-topper will wind up as a rear-wheel drive, high-end luxury sedan slotting above the production version of the XTS Platinum (the concept version of which is shown above). Now C/D has apparently been hearing whispers that it may in fact show up as a mid-engined sports car.

While the thought of a luxurious, mid-engined ZR1 sounds appealing, we’ll file this in the don’t-hold-your-breath category. Although, if the company is brassy enough to build the ultra low-volume CTS-V Sport Wagon, then perhaps anything is possible.

Honda says it’s sticking by Ridgeline

We’ll admit it – while it has its virtues, the Honda Ridgeline certainly isn’t our first (or second… or third) choice as the best truck currently on sale. Apparently, consumers agree. In fact, Honda only sold 16,142 Ridgelines in 2010, and when you compare that to the fact that General Motors sold 24,642 of the somewhat underwhelming Chevrolet Colorado pickups, the business case for the Ridgeline seems very weak, especially in lieu of the recent death of Honda’s other offbeat all-terrain offering, the Element.

According to USA Today, however, the Ridgeline isn’t headed for the Great Parking Lot in the Sky just yet. Quite the contrary, actually. American Honda’s executive vice president, John Mendel, says the Ridgeline has developed a very strong following over the years, telling USA Today that Honda believes it has “a ways to go on the Ridgeline.”

This in mind, we’d expect to see a refreshed version of Honda’s truck within the next few years. If Honda is seriously committed to offering the Ridgeline, let’s hope the automaker can broaden its appeal to truck shoppers, because if dismal sales numbers continue, Honda may have no choice but to change its tune and reach for the axe.

2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost rated at 16 city, 22 highway

It’s official: Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, as seen in the 2011 F-150 pickup truck, has been rated at 16 city and 22 highway by the EPA. And it’s also officially the engine to get if you’re shopping for a new Blue Oval workhorse.

To put it all into perspective, the 365-horsepower, 420-pound-foot EcoBoost-equipped F-150 offers 3,060 pounds of payload and 11,300 pounds worth of towing capability – both of which are best-in-class – and it gets better fuel mileage than any comparable engines offered by Ford’s competitors (see the graph after the break).

All this baked-in, twin-turbocharged goodness won’t even cost the buyer all that much money, as the EcoBoost engine option adds just $750 to the cost of a truck that would otherwise be equipped with the perfectly acceptable 5.0-liter V8, or $1,750 over the cost of the base 3.7-liter V6.

Money well spent, we’d say, especially considering that the more powerful EcoBoost beats the 5.0 when it comes to fuel efficiency (15/21) and nearly matches the 3.7′s 16/23 rating. Probably not when smoking its tires, though…

Want to know more? Feel free to check out the complete press release after the break.

VW eying expanded SUV lineup for U.S.

All signs may be pointing to ever steeper gas prices by the end of the year, but according to Bloomberg, that may not be enough to stop Volkswagen from unleashing a new wave of SUVs (or more than likely, CUVs) on the American market. VW head honcho Jonathan Browning has been quoted as saying that the company wants to expand its portfolio of compact SUVs in short order, and that eventually, there may be room for growth in the larger SUV market as well. Of all the vehicles sold in the U.S. last year, SUVs and crossovers made up 29 percent of the mix.

As of right now, Volkswagen only offers two utility vehicles in the States – the compact Tiguan crossover, which, according to Bloomberg, sold 20,946 units last year and the larger Touareg SUV. Volkswagen only managed to move 4,713 Touareg models in the U.S. in 2010, but the new model (shown above) is expected to help the line’s fortunes. The company’s planned expansion of its SUV offerings is part of a larger offensive designed to net the company U.S. sales of one million vehicles by 2018. Doing so would mean tripling the company’s current sales, so the automaker is invested in exploring new ways to bring buyers to the showroom.

Ford Focus Electric ready to steal the EV spotlight

The Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf may have stolen the show for electric vehicles in 2010, but Ford is hoping to make big waves in 2011 with its first EV passenger car, the Focus Electric. The zero-emissions Focushatchback makes its official debut at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show and Ford says the car will officially launch at the end of 2011 here in North America, with European customers expected to take delivery sometime before 2013.

Visually, the Focus Electric has an improved aerodynamics package to improve drag, incorporating a new front fascia that looks like something right out of the Aston Martin school of design. (Too bad thisisn’t theCygnet, huh?) The only other major design changes are the addition of a charging port with an LED ring to the left of the driver’s door and a new set of 15-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in low-rolling resistance tires. And speaking of LEDs, while the gasoline-powered Focus’ LED eyebrow above the headlamp is only available in Europe, Ford tells us that the North American-spec Focus Electric will wear this bit of accent lighting when it hits production.

GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept is ready to play dirty

Cars are cool, but we certainly love ourselves some big, bad, hardcore pickups – you know, like the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. General Motors’ conceptual answer to Ford’s desert-blasting pickup is this, the Sierra All Terrain HD concept, which we’ll be seeing for the first time at the Detroit Auto Show next week.

GMC’s brutish pickup relies on The General’s 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 for power – 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque, to be exact – and higher ground clearance, a wider stance and serious suspension upgrades make the All Terrain concept capable of storming through, well, all types of terrain.

Word on the street is that if GM gets up the gall to produce such a truck, it will likely be outfitted by a second-tier firm outside of the GM production lines (like a Roush F-150, for example). Regardless, we want this thing to be built, and badly. See a whole slate of new high-res photos for yourself in the gallery below. Oh, and don’t forget about the Ram Runner, Chrysler’s foray into the niche.

BYD to unveil Lexus RX-influenced S6 hybrid in Detroit

Whenever we hear that a Chinese automaker is working on a vehicle that’s “influenced” by some other successful model from an established global company, we wince a little. After all, we’ve seen quite a few less-than-convincing attempts to go along with a few couldn’t-tell-the-difference carbon copies. And neither of those options are acceptable.

From what we can tell, BYD’s S6 (shh – don’t tell Audi) DM crossover could be considered a little of both. From the profile, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for a couple-year-old Lexus RX. From the front, we see clear influence from General Motors’ European arm, Opel. That said, it appears to be a passable effort on the styling front, and it’s what’s underneath that derivative skin that’s what really counts.

The DM in the ‘utes name stands for Dual Mode, as in a hybrid that can be powered by electricity only or a combination of the electric motors and gasoline engine. The drivetrain consists of a 14-horsepower electric motor that powers the front wheels and a 102-horsepower gasoline engine powering the rears. That’s not a lot of power, but at least the two systems can work together to offer all-wheel drive.

We’ll be on the lookout for this machine at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show next week. In the meantime, check out a few images in our gallery below.

2011 Chrysler 300 priced from $27,995*

The most recent debut in Chrysler’s 2011 model year refresh onslaught, the 300 flagship sedan, will make its official public debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week. It won’t be long before the new 300 hits dealerships, and Chrysler has just revealed that its redesigned sedan will be priced from $27,995 (*including $825 in destination charges).

Four trim levels will be available from the get-go. The 300 and 300 Limited use the automaker’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, rated at 292 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, mated to a five-speed automatic transmission and routed to the pavement through the rear wheels. Base 300s come standard with things like cloth seats, 17-inch aluminum wheels and new LED headlamps and taillamps; Limited models add leather trimmed seats, heated from seats, Uconnect voice command, a rear backup camera, premium audio system and 18-inch chrome wheels. Opting for the 300 Limited will set you back $31,995.

The higher-end 300C, priced from $38,995, uses Chrysler’s well-liked 5.7-liter Hemi V8, and comes standard with amenities like a heated steering wheel, power-adjustable pedals, LED interior lighting, power folding mirrors and a host of more luxurious interior options. Adding all-wheel drive to that equation nets you 19-inch wheels wrapped in wider 235/55-series tires and pricing starts at $41,145. Available on 300 Limited, 300C and 300C AWD models is a new SafetyTec Group option ($2,795) that includes HID headlamps, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and a slate of beeping park aids.

The full details are available in Chrysler’s press release after the jump, and keep your eyes peeled for the 2011 Chrysler 300 to debut at the Detroit Auto Show in just a few days.

2011 Ford Edge EcoBoost

Can you have your cake and eat it too? Ford thinks so. The Dearborn darling is in the middle of unleashing a slew of turbocharged, direct-injection engines for its products in North America, and we recently had a chance to sample a few. We were most interested, however, in one particular vehicle: the 2011 Edgeequipped with Ford’s new 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine. After some seat time with the Edge EcoBoost and a quick shake of our automotive journalist-issued Magic 8-Ball, we can confidently sayOutlook Good for this Blue Oval-badged mid-size crossover. Outlook good, indeed.

Are you the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe?

We’ve been told to expect to get our first glimpse of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, but a few photos of the German two-door may have leaked out ahead of time. The images you see above were sourced up by the team at GMotors. From what we can tell, the vehicle in the stylized photos lines up pretty well with the spy photos we’ve seen of the 2012 C-Class Coupe so far, which leads us to believe that this may actually be the real deal. If so, the new coupe will wear the new beak of its updated four-door compatriots.

That includes the new slightly restyled front fascia. Interestingly enough, this particular set of photos ditches the quad fog lights we saw in the spy photos in favor of LED units. we’d say that seems like a fairly reasonable change given the popularity of the diodes in automotive design at the moment. Word is that this particular machine will get the same rash of engines as the sedan, meaning that buyers can expect to get their hands on either a 3.0-liter V6 with 228 horsepower or a 3.5-liter six-pot with 268 ponies. The question is, will we get an entry-level four-cylinder model like the 2012 C-Class sedan? Something tells us we’ll know a little more as we get closer to Geneva.