Chrysler said today that when the Chrysler Aspen Hybrid arrives at dealerships next year, it will feature a 5.7 liter Hemi engine. The Chrysler Aspen Hybrid is expected to get 25% better fuel economy than a regular Hemi Aspen and is expected to get nearly 40% better mileage while driving in the city.

The Aspen Hybrid’s 5.7 liter Hemi was developed in partnership with GM and BMW and features a two-mode hybrid system that offers two transmission modes to provide better fuel economy.

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Hoping to breathe some life into struggling sales, Ford is planning on a global small-car program. Ford believes this will revive the company by reducing product development investment and increase sales by targeting 20-something year old women with stylish handbags. J Mays, Ford’s design chief, believes that while producing the new small sub-Focus global car, Ford should considerfashion’s influence on car design. 

“Although a handbag is an incredibly small thing, they (20-something year old women) are willing to shell out the bucks because it’s part of the way they see that they can be stylish,” Mays told Automotive News.

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As you know from before, Volkswagen is looking to add more new models while reducing cost. To do that, Volkswagen will be looking to take some lessons from it’s premium brand, Audi using their modular architecture strategy. Well it seems like the first vehicle from that collaboration will be a new four-door coupe Volkswagen, otherwise internally known as the CC or I/O 511.

With a length of the four-door coupe Volkswagen measuring nearly 4.90 meters, the car will most likely use the platform of the Audi A6. The base model is expected to have a 2.0 liter engine producing 150 horsepower and another 2.0 liter turbocharged engine producing 200 horsepower. The top of the line variant is expected to have a 3.6 liter V6 engine producing up to 260 horsepower.

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We don’t know if Maybach will ever build the car, but Jay-Z supposedly has one (or rented one for his video). Nonetheless, with a top speed of 220 mph the Maybach Exelero gives the Bugatti Veyron something to watchout for in the rear-view mirror.

The Maybach Exelero has a bi-turbo V12 engine that pushes 700 horsepower giving the car the ability to do 0-60 mph in just 4.4 seconds with a top speed of 220 mph. If you ever wondered what that engine looks like in action check out this awesome video of the Maybach Exelero doing 218 mph.

Porsche has officially submitted an offer to acquire shares of Volkswagen, which will give it total control of Germany’s largest auto maker. The price offered to the Volkswagen shareholders amounts to €100.92 ($137.78) per common share and €65.54 ($89.47)per preferred share, which represents the minimum price required by law.

It was previously reported that Porsche was trying to take out $46.67 billion to finance its bid to take over Volkswagen. Porsche has since raised their stake in Volkswagen above 30 percent.

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The Audi A5 doesn’t come out in the US until later this Summer but some lucky folks in California are already driving around in the beautiful coupe. A Fourtitude reader spotted this preproduction A5 cruising down the streets of Cali.

“Eagle-eyed reader Philip Dea spotted one of Audi’s North American-spec A5 preproduction cars in California recently. We’ve confirmed this car’s existence with several Audi of America representatives who’ve driven the very car. Note in particular the wheels, a new design not-yet seen but definitely due to go into production say our sources.”

Source: Fourtitude

They say actions speak louder than words and GM is all about taking action on the development of the Chevrolet Volt after much criticism. Reports started making headlines in late March that the Volt may never see the light of day due to advances in battery technology and other obstacles.

Even though manufacturing capacity for the lithium-on batteries is limited, GM has been meeting with suppliers all around the world. “There are very few suppliers in the world that not only understand how to put those cells together, but know how to manufacture those cells,” Jim Queen, GM’s group vice president of global engineering, told Automotive News.

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Hyundai is planning to bring its European 3.0 diesel Hyundai Veracruz mid-sized crossover to the United States by 2009 or 2010. ”We think this is a very good engine,” Dong Jin Kim, CEO of Hyundai Motor Co, told Automotive News. “With a little more effort we can meet the U.S. requirements. Then we will export the Veracruz with that engine.”

The Hyundai Veracruz 240 horsepower diesel engine uses turbocharging and cold-start technology from BorgWarner Inc. According to BorgWarner, the electronically controlled turbocharger results in greater fuel economy and reduced emissions while providing better performance.

2007 Hyundai Veracruz Gallery:

   

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If you’re waiting to get in the driver seat of the new Lexus LS 600h L this June, we have some bad news for you. Toyota has delayed the launch of the car until late July or early August without giving a reason. Mike Michels, a Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. spokesman, said the June time frame given to the press in March was an estimate.

“This is the most sophisticated vehicle the company has ever produced and, of course, very limited volume,” Michels told Automotive News. “For this reason, our routine final production quality checks are even more rigorous than usual.”

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While many think that Volvo stands in line with other luxury German auto makers, it’s apparent that the Swedish company was never in the business to compete with the likes of BMW or Mercedes-Benz. Well now the company is realizing that it is having a hard time making its brand stand out from the upper-class herd and has hired Arnold Communications, of Boston, and Nitro, of London, to do its marketing and ad work.

The plan is simple; keep pushing the safety factor but put a strong emphasis on brand and identity. “We cannot afford to mimic the German brands,” Ellis said. “Volvo is an underdog brand. We need to find a way to stand out and not be ignored.

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If you’re looking to buy the new 2008 Saturn Vue, keep in mind that the new Vue will cost $3,295 higher than the outgoing model. The new redesigned and re-engineered 2008 Saturn Vue will start at a base price of $21,395.

“Keep in mind that the previous model had a smaller four-cylinder engine with a manual transmission,” Robert Reuter, global vehicle chief engineer for General Motors’ compact crossover vehicles, told Automotive News.

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Ever since Ghosn took the wheel at Nissan, Nissan never had a year-to-year decline. Well there’s a first time for everything. For the fiscal year that ended March 31, operating profits fell 10.9 percent to $6.58 billion and net income fell 11.1 percent to $3.90 billion. This was the first time ever Nissan had a year-to-year decline in profits during Ghosn’s term.

When Ghosn took control, he set a goal for Nissan to reach a global sales target of 4.2 million cars in a year. “If I thought it was not within the potential of the company, I would have abandoned the plan,” Ghosn told Automotive News. He now hopes to reach that sales goal by the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010, instead of March 31, 2009.

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Toyota is set to unveil a concept for a minicar that will be positioned below its Aygo minicar at the 2007 Frankfurt IAA. Automotive News is reporting that the 3+1 concept car measures 3000mm-long and has room for 3 adults plus one child who will only fit in the cramped space behind the driver’s sear. The car is likely to be in dealerships starting 2008.

Flashback: At the 2005 Frankfurt IAA, Toyota unveiled a minicar concept called the Endo (pictured above).