"They are trying like hell to resurrect Lincoln. Well, I might as well tell you, you might as well sprinkle holy water. It's over."

So says General Motors CEO Dan Akerson, speaking to reporters from The Detroit News. Fightin' words to be sure, though it seems the suits at Lincoln, Ford's luxury brand that competes with Cadillac here in the United States, have declined to comment on Akerson's statement.

The dismissal of the Lincoln brand seems especially interesting given Akerson's reported take on the current state of Cadillac. Akerson is said to believe that Cadillac isn't yet where it needs to be, saying the brand needs another 12 to 24 months of gestation. By that time, there ought to be bookends to the current CTS in place in the form of the ATS (smaller) and XTS (larger, replacing the STS and DTS).

Still, Akerson doesn't expect to "blow the doors off" Cadillac's competition, saying instead that "they will be very competitive." We'd think Caddy would be aiming squarely at something more like "class leading," but what do we know?

The GM CEO also weighed in on alternative powertrains, suggesting that the plug-in extended-range electric Chevrolet Volt will be "old, old technology and old news" five years from now. "In the next 10 years," he said, "this company has to break the code on advanced propulsion and that's going to be a multifaceted solution."

That multifaceted solution will apparently include dual-fuel engines that run on either compressed natural gas or gasoline along with various hybrids and electric drivetrains. What we won't see, though, are a ton of vehicles running on ethanol or hydrogen. Interesting sentiments (though we don't necessarily disagree), considering that GM currently has scads of machinery that's E85-capable and has made it through its fourth generation of hydrogen fuel cell technology.

For the rest of the tidbits uttered by Akerson, check out the complete story on The Detroit News.

First it was Eminem and the Chrysler 200. The "Imported from Detroit" campaign kicked off with one of Detroit's favorite sons. Next, the all-new 300 jumped into the spotlight with the help of Ndamukong Suh in Portland, Oregon, and John Varvatos in New York City. Now, it's time for Eminem's mentor, Dr. Dre, and the city of Los Angeles to grab the torch.

The spot is titled "Good Things", and it features Dre riding through LA at night. The format is the same as previous spots, but this time, the car shown is the 2012 Chrysler 300S, which has been fitted with a Dr. Dre-branded Beats Audio system. Click past the jump to watch the rapper-turned-entrepreneur and his pumped-up 300S.

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Talk to most car fans about V8 supercars and they'll probably start talking Ferrari and Corvette. But to Australians, V8 Supercars is a racing series – one of the most popular touring car series in the world, and one that is only gaining popularity.

The championship pits race-spec Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores against each other on road courses around Australia and New Zealand, but has been known to travel abroad as well. This year's calendar kicked off in Abu Dhabi, after previous seasons included trips to Bahrain and China. But coming years could see the Aussie series making the trans-Pacific voyage to North America.

Recent developments have given the predominantly Australian championship a more international profile. For one, the FIA has promoted it to international status, as opposed to a national series. For another, a steady stream of world-renowned racing drivers (like multiple Indy 500 winners Dario Franchitti and Helio Castroneves, four-time Champ Car champ Sebastien Bourdais, multiple touring car champions Andy Priaulx and Yvan Muller, and former F1 world champ Jacques Villeneuve) have been flying Down Under to take a crack at it. Speed's coverage of some of the series' marquee events hasn't hurt either, and the series' new owners – a private equity firm who bought it from a consortium of promoters and teams – may be eager to capitalize on their investment.

While the series' organizers have previously rejected the notion of coming to North America, with all these factors aligned, they're suddenly singing a different tune. General Motors is apparently keen on the idea, which could come to fruition as early as the 2013 season if all the stars line up just right. Just where such a race might take place remains to be seen, but a West Coast venue would be the smart bet. Organizers could, meanwhile, opt to hold a race as part of a stand-alone three-day weekend event like its home races in Australia, or pair it with an existing spectacle such as an IndyCar or ALMS race.

Jon Olsson is a Swedish skier with a passion for X-Games medals, double flips and exotic automobiles. He's owned BMW racers, an Ultima GTR, a Nissan GT-R, a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Lamborghini Murciélago Super Veloce, among other bits of precious metal.

Olsson and his Murci SV recently took part in the latest Gumball 3000 Rally, where the Italian supercar was made to do things other Lamborghini owners would never do to their prized possessions.

As part of the Gumball, Olsson and other competitors needed to go from Turkey into Greece, and the border crossing was a bit flooded with no way around it. Apparently, the front end of the Murciélago SV is perfect for fording shallow bodies of water, because Olsson entered the water and the nose of the big bull pushed a safe path back to dry land. Don't try this at home.

Click past the jump to watch the wince-worthy quick clip of the fording Lambo, and be sure to click through the gallery below for more shots of the mighty Murci.

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Alan Mulally has no plans to retire just yet. The 65-year-old Ford CEO is still going strong at the helm in Dearborn, and is working to get his company back up to an investment-grade credit rating. Still, Bill Ford, Jr. explained to reporters last week that the former Boeing CEO's replacement will probably come from within the company.

According to The Detroit News, Ford went as far as to say it would be "very unusual" if Mulally's replacement came from outside. The executive chairman elaborated, explaining that Mulally holds "Business Performance Review" meetings every Thursday, encouraging execs from different wings of the company to participate and learn as much as they can about the business as a whole. In part, the meetings are designed to help "train the next generation" of leadership for the company.

On July 1, 2011, Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon will hit theaters around the country. When it does, one automaker in particular will be smiling, as its vehicles take center stage in the film. As it did in previous installments of the mega-popular movie series, General Motors cars and trucks make up a large portion of the cars and trucks seen on the TF3 screen. Chevrolet is jumping on the tie-in, and a new ad has popped up showing the Bumblebee Camaro in action.

While your own real-life Bumblebee Camaro can't save you from an invasion of angry, shape-shifting robots, it might just protect you in a real-life shunt. Click past the jump to watch the "real" Bumblebee show off the Bowtie badge in Chevy's new "Getaway" spot – you might even catch a glimpse of a speedster version of the 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray concept.

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Daimler's Dark Knight Gets Personal


Let's be honest. We all want to save our barnacled friends in the ocean and give the whole world a great big polar bear hug. But as enthusiasts, we've all got a char-black underbelly, too. Mercedes-Benz understands. More specifically, the folks at AMG really understand. While Daimler has been working diligently this year to reduce its offerings' various footprints and curb their dependence on gas, the people there haven't lost sight of the fact that, occasionally, enthusiasts need to put away their canvas Whole Foods bags and indulge their dark side a bit.

How else to explain the 2012 C63 AMG Coupe? Not only is this new coupe bodystyle more self-absorbed by definition, Mercedes has ensured it qualifies for full homewrecker status by passing over its excellent new 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 in favor of the 6.2-liter V8 it was designed to replace. But for those interested in indulging their inner baddy, this is actually a very good thing. While the modestly downsized and significantly more efficient 5.5-liter is a wonderfully flexible and more powerful thing in Benz's spectacular new CLS63 AMG, we have yet to connect with it on the same visceral, loin-stirring level as the almighty 6.2, mostly because of its less burly soundtrack. Mercedes may have eschewed the higher-tech motor on cost-savings grounds, but it's also the correct choice for retaining the C63's chain-smoking sprinter character.

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Contact during racing is typically accidental. Sometimes, however, you can't call a crash an accident when one of the drivers involved clearly looks like he's out to inflict a little pain. Just such a crackup occurred during a GT1 race at Silverstone this weekend when Aston Martin driver Stefan Mücke was a tad unhappy with Nissan GT-R driver Richard Westbrook.

About halfway through the race, Westbrook attempted to cut inside of Mücke's Aston but the GT-R had no room, and instead went into the side of the British racecar, sending it spinning off track. Mücke regained control... but not his composure. He caught up with Westbrook and... well, click past the jump to watch the clip.

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Tesla Motors has put up some new pictures of the Tesla Model S Alpha, and its gorgeous new model looks more production-ready than ever.

The changes we can see are subtle, but compared to the prototype, the Model S now sports a different lower fascia. The new look seems slightly more aggressive and angular compared to the prototype's rounded appearance, especially the accents under the headlights. The vents(?) above the front wheel wells also appear to have been made smaller, making the car even more sleek.

What changes do you see? (Check out a gallery of the original prototype here.) Thanks to Ben C. for the tip!



[Source: Tesla]