Ford Fiesta Sport :: Click Image to View Larger ::

While we're waiting around for the standard model to arrive, Ford of Europe is already busy tweaking the Fiesta hatchback. Today it announced a new Sport+ model for European customers only.

Don't get too jealous though as this is nothing more than an appearance package, there are no mechanical upgrades. Still, it looks pretty good for an inexpensive hatchback.

Basically the Sport+ adds a full body kit, 17-inch wheels and is limited to either white with blue stripes or blue with white stripes. The interior gets black leather and a couple "Sport" badges.

Chevrolet CruzeCheck out this little nugget General Motor's North American president Mark Reuss let slip during a recent web chat:

"[...] 2 door cruze is a nice idea, and it may show up in the global market. As we have 2 door Cobalts currently, [North America] would naturally look at a Cruze 2 door, but I believe our small car portfolio will be WAY beyond what it is now, so a 2 door something still is needed."

Quite interesting, no? Especially as the Cruze will eventually replace the Cobalt as Chevy's C-segment car. We suspect there will be a bit of overlap between the two cars (GM's high-volume models die hard), but the idea of a Cruze SS Coupe is quite tantalizing. To us at any rate.

2010 FIA GT1 World Championship PreviewThere are quite a few changes coming for the FIA GT this year. For starters, the GT1 series will become a true world championship, as the FIA has announced an expansion that includes races on four different continents. Unfortunately, the Canadian race has been dropped from the schedule, but Silverstone, Nürburgring, Spa and Interlagos are all on the roster.

In addition to the new venues, the GT1 category will also focus solely on privateer teams with cars that meet new regulations for 2010. Many of the teams recently headed to the Paul Ricard circuit in France to test out their new cars including an imposing duo of Nissan GT-R racecars. Between sessions, the teams gathered on track for a brace of group photos. Enjoy!

One of the most interesting sidebars that came out of Toyota's recent recall woes and the subsequent Congressional hearings on the subject was the Japanese automaker's relationship with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Actually, the interesting part of the relationship with the regulatory body had more to do with the fact that Toyota hired former NHTSA employees who subsequently negotiated terms of safety investigations with former co-workers.

While current federal law prohibits an employee of the Executive branch from leaving a government post to represent a matter in the private sector in said employee's previous official area of responsibility, at least one former NHTSA executive feels tougher standards are in order. ABC News reports that Joan Claybrook (in pink, above), who ran NHTSA during the Carter administration, feels that the Obama administration needs to crack down on her former department because it's become too cozy with the auto industry it is tasked with overseeing.

Nissan 370Z Roadster by Bruce Campbell When we first met Nissan's vice president-design for North America Bruce Campbell, we were amused by his name. Hey, we've seen Evil Dead II at least fifty times. But after a few minutes of conversation with Nissan's highest-ranking U.S. designer, we were deeply impressed by his humor, ideas about design ("The Corvette looks fast standing still, the 370Z looks fast at speed") and his soft-spoken grace. Sadly, Mr. Campbell is disembarking from the Nissan ship after more than thirty years at sea, reports Wards Auto.

Hemi-powered drone: V8 Dodge Challengers will come with $2,000 in Mopar bucks as an incentive to buy a new muscle coupe through April 30. The SRT8 is shown flexing its muscles with a burnoutDodge is offering a go-fast promotion for the 2010 Dodge Challenger: If you buy a V8-powered version of the muscle coupe, you get $2,000 in Mopar bucks to customize your new ride.

The incentive is for new customers of the R/T, R/T Classic and SRT8 models. Sorry, V6 guys, you have to get the Hemi to get the cash. The offer is good through April 30, just in time for spring cruising. R/T models are rated at 376 hp churned from the 5.7-liter Hemi, while the 6.1-liter SRT pushes output to 425 hp.

The cash can be used for a variety of enhancements, including a factory-installed exterior package with hood scoop and rear wing, and interior trim with special sills, pedals and shifter. The exterior enhancements cost $1,995.

2012 Ford Police Interceptor :: Click Image to View Larger ::

Later today, Ford will officially unveil its new Police Interceptor at a private fleet sales event in Las Vegas, but the first images of the new vehicle were posted this morning on the company's website. As has been rumored for some time, Ford will be adapting the Taurus to take over for the aged Crown Victoria, which is finally being euthanized in September 2011.

At this point, we don't have any mechanical details on the new cop car. We wouldn't be surprised if Ford offers the Interceptor in two forms: a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 version with front-wheel drive could serve for all those local applications like liaison officers, supervisors, etc. where extra performance is not needed. The true Interceptors for highway patrol applications will probably use the SHO powertrain with the 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6 and all-wheel drive.

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid :: Click Image to View Larger ::

As we remember, it probably happened about 2004 when Volkswagen had just introduced the U.S. to the Wolfsburg company's first SUV, the Touareg. We found ourselves crawling over the red rocks of Moab, Utah, and the Touareg really impressed us with its standard all-wheel-drive system, which had an off-road-ready dual-range transfer case.

But Volkswagen has always had trouble selling the Touareg in the U.S. Did you spend your childhood years dreaming of someday owning your very own Volkswagen-built Jeep or Volkswagen-built Land Rover? Neither did we.  View all the details after the jump..

Holden-Based Performance Chevy Gains Momentum Among Key GM Execs Several senior General Motors executives are pushing for the Holden Commodore-based Pontiac G8 sedan to come back to America as a high-performance Chevrolet. GM Vice President Bob Lutz describes it as a "four-door Corvette."

"There's a possibility of [the Pontiac G8 coming back as] a high-end Chevrolet sedan that would be sold in limited numbers," Lutz told international media at the Detroit auto show. Volume would be limited because "with the U.S. fuel economy legislation, we just can't afford to sell too many of them."

Lutz is a great fan of Holden's rear-drive Commodore sedan, which is available in several high-performance variants. "The thrill of high-performance driving is unmatched by anything that doesn't have rear drive, bags of torque, and a nice transmission," he says. "I think of it as a four-door Corvette."