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Last we heard, Volkswagen was reportedly pushing forward the development of its seventh-generation (read: MkVII) Golf hatchback, with the final car being ready for public consumption as early as the end of next year. Our spy photographers recently caught this heavily camouflaged prototype for the new global hatch out testing, and though there's plenty of unknown details, it doesn't appear that the Golf formula has changed too much. (We aren't complaining.)

The size and shape of the five-door hatch looks to be nearly the same as the sixth-generation Golf that we've known and loved since its debut in 2009, but what lies under the hood will surely be different. In addition to the Blue-e-motion model that we've had the chance to sample in sixth-gen skin, new reports suggest that the not-so-great 2.5-liter inline-five base engine will be swapped out in favor of a 1.8-liter turbocharged inline-four. Good deal.

If the Golf is still on schedule to hit the streets at the end of next year, expect to see it show up somewhere in the 2012 auto show circuit.

Jeremy Clarkson may show up in a remake of a classic UK cop show. The Top Gear presenter was recently spotted loitering around a Jaguar XF during production of the show Sweeny, and it's thought that Jezza will show up in a minor cameo role. In the original production, Detectives Jack Regan and George Carter whipped around in hot metal like the Ford Consul GT or a Granada, but The Daily Mail reports that their modern counterparts will take to the streets in an equivalently tasty Ford Focus ST. The detectives will be played by Ray Winstone and Ben Drew.

According to reports, Clarkson wasn't originally slated to be part of the remake, but the show was filming near the Top Gear test track and managed to talk Clarkson into hopping in front of the camera when he stopped by to say hello.

GM may have designed the Chevrolet Volt to cancel out potential "range anxiety," but the company is responding to a new type of worry today: fear that the Volt's battery will catch fire.

• The problem? A Volt that had been crash tested in May caught fire three weeks after the crash conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This was revealed in early November.
• The cause? A ruptured coolant line in the battery, which prompted a new safety investigation that was announced this past Friday.
• The solution? GM's just-announced free vehicle loaner program and more tests.

Here are the preliminary details: Until the "resolution of the issue," any Volt owner who suffers from fire anxiety can get a free GM vehicle loan. Complete details of this "Volt owner satisfaction program" were not immediately available, but GM North America president Mark Reuss said in a statement that, "A vehicle loan program of this nature is well beyond the norm for a preliminary investigation, and it underlines our commitment to the vehicle and its owners. These steps are the right ones to take regardless of any immediate impact on our operations."

On the investigation front, GM said it would set up a senior engineering team to "develop changes to eliminate concern of potential post-crash electrical fires and work with industry to ensure appropriate electric vehicle protocols were in place." As reasonable voices have pointed out recently, the situation that happened at NHTSA has not been replicated in the real world and is unlikely to happen to any Volts out in the wild. In fact, NHTSA's official statement said that "Chevy Volt owners whose vehicles have not been in a serious crash do not have reason for concern." Still, Reuss said that, "Our customers' peace of mind is too important to us for there to be any concern or any worry. This technology should inspire confidence and pride, not raise any concern or doubt. The question is about how to deal with the battery days and weeks after a severe crash, making it a matter of interest not just for the Volt, but for our industry as we continue to advance the pursuit of electric vehicles."

Men and women are capable of amazing feats when life and death are on the line. The latest example proving this fact can be found in the video after the break, where you'll see a group of heroic strangers lifting an overturned pickup truck just enough to free a helpless passenger.

The accident happened on Interstate 10 just east of Desert Center, California, on Sunday, November 27. A cell phone-wielding bystander recorded the event while a large group of men and women lifted the mangled truck and pulled out a survivor.

Sadly, while the woman freed by the rescuers and another passenger survived, the driver suffered fatal injuries. Westbound traffic on Interstate 10 was reportedly stopped for four hours while the accident was cleaned up. See a pair of videos after the break.

Volvo is spreading the horsepower love around its fleet with a wider array of Polestar Performance software upgrades. 2011 and 2012 XC60, S60 and XC70 models equipped with a T6 engine are now available with a software upgrade that adds in 25 horsepower and 30 pound-feet of torque without impacting fuel economy. Those improvements put the engine's final figures at 325 horsepower and 355 pound-feet of torque, though the extra grunt won't come cheap. Volvo says that the software package will set buyers back a hefty $1,495 including destination when it goes on sale on December 5th.

The company isn't saying why the T6 software costs $200 more than the 23-horsepower upgrade available on vehicles equipped with the automaker's T5 engine. That boost can be had on the C30, C70 and S40, and will eventually show up on the V50. Hit the jump for the brief press release.

How do you replace the man credited by Time Magazine with managing "the biggest business turnaround of the Great Recession?" That's a very good question, and one that the Ford board of directors is grappling with as company CEO Alan Mulally edges closer to retirement age.

At 66, Mulally isn't exactly far past his prime, and Executive Chairman Bill Ford is said to be in no hurry to welcome in a successor. That said, the timing of Mulally's exit from Ford is likely to be a determining factor in the decision to hire his replacement.

Current CFO Lewis Booth, at 63 years of age, could potentially hold the seat at the head of Ford for a few years if Mulally were to retire earlier than expected. If that doesn't happen, Mark Fields, Ford's President of the Americas, is cited as the most likely choice as its next CEO.

There are two other potential candidates, reports Automotive News. Jim Farley, vice president of global marketing, is on the short list, as is Joe Hinrichs, who heads Ford's Asia Pacific and African operations.

Insiders suggest that Ford may choose to keep Alan Mulally on its payroll in some unknown capacity to help mentor his replacement. Such a move could potentially keep both the rank-and-file Ford workers and Wall Street investors satiated.

Batteries aren't the only technology mankind has invented to store electricity, and Mazda is working on a solution to the energy storage needs of electrified vehicles with a new system it's calling i-ELOOP. While we wish it didn't have such a cumbersome moniker, the technology behind i-ELOOP is intriguing.

Mazda claims that its i-ELOOP system will be featured in the first production passenger vehicle with recaptured energy from regenerative braking stored in a capacitor. The rest of the bits and pieces behind the tech include a variable voltage alternator and a DC/DC converter that sends energy otherwise lost to heat in the brakes at up to 25 volts to the Electric Double Layer Capacitor, where it's stored for later use.

There's no electric motor in the i-ELOOP drivetrain, so the capacitor releases its energy to recharge the car's battery and to help power electric components like the heating and air conditioning systems. All in, Mazda promises fuel savings of up to 10 percent over cars not equipped with regenerative braking. Read all about it in the press release after the break.

Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) met a tough crowd last week at a ceremony announcing General Motors would once again produce vehicles in Spring Hill, Tennessee beginning next year. Autoworkers attending an event at the manufacturing facility booed and jeered Corker during his speech. According to The Detroit Free Press, the senator listened to the unruly crowd for nearly 20 seconds before saying, "I think everyone knows we've had our differences in the past. And I can tell today that's fine with you, and it's fine with me." The lawmaker then went on to urge the autoworkers to strive to make GM great once again.

Corker led the fight against the federal government's automotive bailout in 2009. He also pushed for further wage and benefit concessions from the United Auto Workers as part of the rescue package. Those efforts had a direct impact on many of the workers in attendance at the Spring Hill ceremony, and The Detroit Free Press reports that many employees at the plant feel Corker's work didn't do much to keep the plant from going dark earlier this year.

If you saw a C5 Corvette pulled up next to a C6 Corvette at a stop light, would you assume that a drag race would follow? And which vehicle would win? We'd have our money on the C6 Vette, but then again, the C5 owner may have a bit extra under the hood.

While on his way home from picking up the family's Thanksgiving turkey last week, one astute driver noticed just such a scenario play out in front of his eyes, and he was smart enough to press the record button on his camera phone. Unfortunately, the Vette owners weren't smart enough to know that public drag racing is always a bad idea, even on the day before Thanksgiving.

As it turns out, the C5 did have the juice to keep up with the C6, but it didn't have very good traction. Follow the jump to watch a Bowtie battle for the ages turn into one very expensive insurance claim. With joggers, bikers and kids within a stone's throw of the road, this was a really stupid move, and the drivers are lucky only their cars - and egos - were damaged.

NOTE: There is some swearing in the video, so you may want to turn down the volume.

A Simple Black Dress With A Leather-Wrapped Baseball Bat



Yes, it's a tired trope. But if there's a pair of well-off empty-nesters, the husband drives a Mercedes-Benz SL and the wife has an SLK. Stereotypes become stereotypes for a reason: As often as not, they're true.

But to dismiss this latest SLK as yet another Executive Assistant-spec coupe/cabrio is to miss three important letters on the boot: A, M and G. Yet again, the crew from Affalterbach have butched up the smallest offering in the Benz lineup, taking the proverbial velvet hammer to the "Chick Car" cliche. The rear wheels of the 2012 SLK55 AMG are driven by V8 power and its brakes and suspension bits have been beefed up for the occasional back road bonanza or high-speed highway assault. And unlike the BMW Z4 that's simply begging for the M treatment, Mercedes actually has die Hoden to build a testosterone-infused droptop. And we can't thank them enough.

Thanks to the humbling experience of the automotive bailout, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have projected an air of amiable competitiveness over the past few years. That era may be coming to a close, however.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Ford and GM may be stoking one of the automotive industry's greatest rivalries once again. Executives within both companies have taken pot shots at their competitors over the past few months with GM CEO Dan Akerson insinuating that Lincoln, Ford's luxury arm, wasn't long for this world. Jim Farley, the head of marketing for Ford, meanwhile, let loose a torrent of vitriol toward GM in the book Once Upon A Car by Bill Vlasic, saying he hated GM and all that the company stands for.

These pot shots may be indicative of growing weariness by both automakers. GM has carved out larger profits and greater market share than Ford over the past few months, and The Wall Street Journal reports that Ford now considers GM it's largest threat. Previously, Ford has eyed Toyota as its largest competitor.

Subaru has unveiled the latest addition to the company's line of S series performance vehicles. The WRX STI S206 comes equipped with an even higher level of go fast equipment than the base STI. Bilstein shocks, a flexible strut tower bar up front as well as a flexible draw stiffener all help the vehicle hustle around your favorite road course, as do the standard Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on all four corners. Subaru has also taken the time to rework the vehicle's turbocharged 2.5-liter flat four-cylinder engine with a balanced crank, pistons and connecting rods. Combined with a ball bearing turbo and a new ECU, the lump is now good for 316 horsepower. That's a significant nudge over the 305 horsepower available in the standard STI.

The vehicle also offers a range of aesthetic tweaks inside and out. Those looking for even more exclusivity can dive into the NBR Challenge Package, which includes a carbon fiber roof and rear wing among other goodies. The WRX STI S206 with the NBR Challenge Package is designed to pay tribute to the Subaru class win at this year's 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Unfortunately, that beast has already sold out.

Both vehicles are only available in Japan, so unless you know a guy who knows a guy who can rob a guy, you're out of luck on this side of the globe.

Toyota and BMW have reportedly begun discussions on swapping their signature green technologies. The Japanese automaker would open up its hybrid tech to BMW, while the Germans would provide diesel engines for Toyotas. This is a little different than the recent memorandum of understanding signed between Ford and Toyota, since that partnership - if it comes to fruition - would see both companies jointly developing a hybrid system for trucks.

The BMW and Toyota talks are about swapping tech to save money on "core technologies." BMW's gain would be in the U.S., where hybrids are still much more in vogue than in Europe, while Toyota's interest is in shoring up its diesel position in Europe, where hybrids aren't yet the thing and the company posted a loss through the first half of the year. For instance, of the eight family cars that Toyota sells in the UK, only three can be had with a diesel.

Only talks have begun, so there's no official deal in place while Toyota works to see if BMW diesels will fit in its cars. One also has to wonder how managers at Lexus would feel about seeing their hybrid tech behind a roundel badge.

When Apple introduced the iPhone 4S earlier this year, the loudest buzz centered around Siri. Apple's so-called "Virtual Assistant" lets users make appointments, add reminders, search Yelp and Wolfram Alpha, send emails and text messages, and control the phone's built-in music player.

The obvious question for us was whether Siri would work in a car when tethered over Bluetooth. The short answer: Yup.

When you hold down the iPhone's home button, Siri is essentially treated as an incoming phone call, fading out the audio and then playing the chime indicating it (she?) is ready for a command.

We tested Siri on a variety of vehicles, including two Mercedes-Benz products, a Chrysler 300, a Dodge Charger and a Nissan Maxima. The results were mixed, with some commands going through easily and others requiring a few attempts. Based on our experience, it seems that the mic placement and the level of cabin noise present make a predictable difference, and the Maxima we shot our video in tended to provide the best results. See for yourselves after the jump.