A new report from Car and Driver's German correspondent indicates that Lamborghini may be looking to return to several market segments that it abandoned back in the 80s and 90s. The sports car marquee is reportedly looking at the possibility of a new, hardcore SUV and an entry level model that will slate in below the Gallardo. On the flip side, rumors indicate that a possible four-seater is all but dead.

Back in the late 80s and 1990s, the Lamborghini we know and love was somewhat of an anomaly. The company still had the timeless sports masterpieces that the brand is recognized most for—like the Countach and Diablo, but it also had something entirely different: a large, civilian/military SUV named the LM002. Those who don't know any better might look at pictures of the LM002 today and think that the Raging Bull badge was photoshopped on. At the time, however, the 'Rambo Lambo' was quite popular, providing an entirely new dynamic to the brand. The jeep carried over the V12 engine from the Countach and offered incomparable desert performance thanks to an extra large radiator and Pirelli Scorpion tires. Alas, it was killed off in 1992.

It seems that the bar for car size keeps dropping every year. (Anyone remember when a Honda Civic looked tiny?) Big cars are almost extinct, small cars are now big cars, and the smallest cars today won't be for too much longer. If you haven't heard of the British-born company Gordon Murray Design yet, you will in the next year or two. The new kid on the block, who hasn't quite moved in yet, has designed a car that will make the current Mini Cooper look like a portly slob.  It’s called the T.25, and we believe the T should stand for 'Tiny'.  

Small does not begin to describe this car. At a hair under eight feet long (94.5 inches) and a hair over four feet wide (51.2 inches), this 1265 pound car will remind many of their childhood Power Wheels toys more than a revolutionary paradigm-shifting answer to pollution.  

In the court of public opinion it seems that the previous generation M5 (designated E60 inside BMW) was indicted on charges of impersonating a super sedan for the American public. It seemed the jury found the chassis too stiff, the sequential auto shift too difficult to use for everyday driving, the engine too… well… too racy. The Formula One-inspired, naturally aspirated V-10 produced 500hp from its five liters (100hp per liter is such a high benchmark that it is reserved mostly for those that use turbochargers or superchargers). Despite its 8000rpm shriek, it managed a peak of ‘only’ 383lb-ft of torque at a very lofty 6100 rpm. The race-inspired V-10 also had the thirst of a track car averaging only around 11/city and 17mpg on the highway.  

Add to that condemnation a haughty as- tested price of entry at around 90k and a competitor from Cadillac in the form of the mighty LS6 and the even more potent LS9-powered CTS-V, that had more torque, more horsepower, and an entry price almost 30 grand less and you have a case mounting against the German hot rod. GM all but threw the book at the E60 with a very impressive run around the Nurburgring Nordschleife (a 12.9 mile track that sports 33 left hand turns and 40 right hand turns) in the CTS-V, making the Cadillac currently the fastest sedan in the world. At the end of that trial you have a car in the M5 that is guilty of asking too much for just not enough.  

The Bavarians are not known for sitting on their laurels, however, and they quickly bailed out their V10 super car. They have been working with the M5, and began its rehab program in the hopes it will be vindicated of the defamation it suffered at the hands of critics and Cadillacs alike. Though still a year or so away it doesn’t look like a full pardon is going to be a problem.  

"Summer Release" is rather arbitrary phrasing. Here in Florida, the word "Summer" could refer to July; it could also mean March or September. Ford unleashed a doozie of a marketing campaign on Americans last year, doing anything it could to get publicity for the upcoming "Summer 2010" release of the US-ified Fiesta. Ford tried everything from grinding a Fiesta into dust to straight up giving them to hoity-toity post-grad movers and shakers. It worked. We all know what the Fiesta is and plenty of us want one. Now where in the eff are they?

According to Ford, they are right on schedule. Ford began shipping the cars this week from an assembly plant in Mexico. On Ford's Fiesta Facebook page, some customers awaiting their pre-ordered car vented about it being at least two weeks late. One complained of Ford's lack of communication about the holdup. Ford insists both accusations are inaccurate.

“We've been very transparent with our customers who've made pre-orders,” said Angie Kozleski, a Ford spokeswoman. “We have a reservations call center and a reservations hotline. In the case of this vehicle, there's been a lot of communication with them.”

Ford has approximately 2,000 early orders for the car. Ford's Kozleski said those are orders from customers who put cold, hard cash down to buy the Fiesta.

The Saab 9-2 rumor mill is just getting ramped-up, and, naturally, the parties involved have "no comment". Word is, Victor Muller, chief executive of Spyker, and Chairman of Saab, says talks with larger companies regarding the Saab 9-2 power train are well underway. One of those companies just happens to be BMW, again, according to rumors.

Both Muller and BMW were quick to deny the reports, a BMW spokesman having this to say: "We are in talks with several interested parties who have interest in our technology, but there are no contracts with Saab at the moment." A spokesman at Saab said the carmaker was looking for "possible partners" but also declined to comment on the report. A Mini-powered 9-2 would be interesting, but would it relegate the car to front-wheel drive? Would that ruin the spirit of the 9-2? I mean, the BMW four banger they're referring to isn't even a 2-stroke . . . isn't that heresy enough?

Saab has other concerns as well. "We are concentrating on the 9-5 and the 9-4X," Eric Geers, a company spokesperson, said. "A smaller Saab below the 9-3 is not in our business plan though it would be on our wish list." Another possible BMW/Saab tie-up in the near future: BMW supply the requisite diesel engines the GM-sourced 9-4x will need to be competitive in Europe. Dagens Industri (a European ‘trade’ publication) reported on Friday that there were also plans for BMW to supply a diesel engine for Saab's 9-4X, which will be launched in the European market at the start of 2011.

Victor Muller is serious about saving Saab. He plans to double Saab's annual yearly output, to 85,000 by 2012. The addition of the 9-5 and 9-4x will help, but a large-volume small car would affect Saab's bottom line significantly. More on the 9-2 as details become available . ..

The upstart car manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V. intends to sell the high end sports cars in Saab showrooms near you. According to Spykers CEO Victor Muller, they plan to offer the C8 Aileron model through 90 Saab outlets by the end of next year, almost doubling the number of dealers selling the hand-made sports cars this year.

Ever since Spyker bought Saab from GM in February, the Dutch supercar maker has been benefiting from lower prices. Generic parts such as windshield wiper motors will be cheaper via Spyker's sister company Saab, because Saab buys in volume. Spyker will also benefit from the Saab engineering resources to help the production of the supercar and, in turn, make the niche supercar profitable.

I am sure that most of you can recall a few years back—during what were perhaps some of the most tumultuous times for our US economy—when the Big Three (well, Chrysler and GM . . . not so much Ford) automakers went belly up. There was a rash of emergency meetings down in Washington, where the bigwigs from the major automakers plead their case for bailout funds to US Congress. They basically were asking for billions of US dollars in aid, from taxpayers and bonds, and some other methods of funding, like short term loans from the government. Many people saw this ‘auto bailout’ as tantamount to the housing market collapse, in the sense that there was much bickering back and forth as to whether we should have  bailed out the automakers, like General Motors, as we did.

But as it turns out, sometimes foresight is worth a few billion dollars or so. According to some recent news reports that have been surfacing and flying all over the web, GM is indeed once again a profitable entity. This has not been an easy task for the once gigantic automaker. They had to negotiate with unions. They had to close down numerous plants. They had to entirely readjust their budget. They had to eliminate some models. And the best part of all: they did these things and are making money again. GM looks to be in the driver seat to get us taxpayers finally paid off over the years to come. Hooray!

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne SUV is supposed to—according to some rumors circulating around the web, and according to bits that have been pitter-pattered online—offer a more refined exterior, a sleek and leaner interior, and, of course, that oh, so desirable, Audi supercharged 3.0-liter V-6. Last year’s model had the six-cylinder VW Group engine, but not this time around. With a bit of a lighter chass—is, according to rumors, and less weight overall, combined with a faster, more fuel-efficient and powerful engine, the Porsche Cayenne SUV is one robust off road vehicle.

A few months back Nissan and Dodge held some meetings regarding the successor to the Nissan Titan pickup. Nissan didn't want to follow in Toyota's footsteps and waste precious capital creating and engineering a Titan replacement. Nissan wanted to outsource the job. Chrysler wanted to reduce the cost of building Ram trucks. It would have been great.

Conflicting reports suggest one or both parties wound up with cold feet; Fiat's purchase of Chrysler was probably the event that killed the Ram-derived Titan. Hyundai was paying attention the entire time. Hyundai continues to gain market share at an stratospheric rate and the high-profit full-size truck demographic is one segment they have yet to enter. Considering the difficulty Toyota and Nissan have had breaking the Big Three's death-grip on the truck market, it seems logical to try to partner with an established brand for its first foray into the cut-throat world of 'Murrikenized truckdom. This strategy worked great for Mazda, right?

UPDATE, 05/14/2010

In car news, it seems that Hyundai may be shifting production of the Santa Fe SUV from the site of current assembly in Montgomery Alabama to Hyundai’s sister company (just 80 miles across the state line), Kia’s new plant in Georgia.  Kia Motors, the South Korean automaker officially opened its United States plant in February of 2010 in West Point Georgia in the hopes of expanding its presence in the North American markets.