Ex-VW exec named head of Fiat North America

She helped put together the 50th Anniversary Barbie New Beetle and is now in charge of reintroducing Fiat to the United States as they make a return after 25 years to the land of the free. Fiat’s return to North America is something several critics question? Do they think that they can do well in the car market that is already pretty saturated? Even though American car companies seem to be dying out, Fiat somehow thinks that they can do well here. I am sure they are not going to be as cheap as our local cars. They don’t seem to have better sales figures in Europe as compared to Toyota and Honda. I guess time will tell how they do in North America.

Soaves’ will have an official title as Head of the Fiat Brand for North America. That puts her in a very “high” position as she will answer directly to Servio Marchionne. Full Press Release below. Read more

BREAKING: Mini Countryman official photos leaked [w/video]

Here is your new Mini Countryman, the latest model from the ever expanding Mini range. As you can see, the Countryman (also sometimes called the Mini Crossover) is a bit bigger than other Minis, and sports four doors – five if you count the hatch. You’ll also note the “All4″ badge on the back, indicating that the Countryman is AWD, a first for the brand. Which means it will be great in the snow!

I don’t know about you but I know I am excited for the new mini. It is a little chunkier, it feels like a tiny SUV. There’s definitely a bit of baby Porsche Cayenne going on up front and in the stance, though it’s clearly still a Mini. Read more

Spyshots: 2012 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Successor

The test mule was again spotted, but still nothing is really known about this perticular model driving around near Modena.

You will definitely spot the bulge on the hood, but what it exactly holds is unknown. The rumours suggest this model is due for 2012 and is in the early phase of testing. However, previous stories suggest Ferrari is developing a hybrid system or even a new V12 engine with a twin turbo setup. WorldCarFans even suggests it could be that Fiat’s MultiAir system is temporarily fitted to this test mule in order to see how much performance enhancement can be pulled from that. Read more

Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing Further Details and Prototype Photos Released

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing is the first car developed in-house by Mercedes’ performance division AMG. It is meant to be one of those beyond-super supercars that we’ve simply run out of adjectives for. So you can have a look at the details here and decide for yourself on the best word to describe it.

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Cash for Clunkers Suspended Indefinitely: $1 billion Already Gone

White House officials and lawmakers were studying late Thursday how to keep alive the government’s cash-for-clunkers incentive program because of concerns the program’s $1 billion budget may have been exhausted after just one week. Read more