We obsessively cover the auto industry

Strip, plank or parquet, it will all start to look the same after a while. One Shelby Cobra (well, most likely a replica Cobra at least...) owner must've gotten bored with the style and color of his wood flooring, so he decided to mix things up a bit. We're not sure if he is sanding or sealing, but we do know that his Cobra is getting the job done, regardless of what his objective may be.

If you thought rubber-soled shoes left marks on a floor, we've got something to top that. Click past the jump for the clip.

Cadillac Racing hadn't won a race since the finale of the 2007 World Challenge season when Andy Pilgrim took the checkered flag at Laguna Seca driving the team's previous-generation Cadillac CTS-V sedan. This past weekend, the Wreath and Crest's factory team finally won again since returning to the sport this season after a three-year absence, but this time at Mid-Ohio with Andy's teammate, Johnny O'Connell, behind the wheel of the team's new CTS-V Coupe.

We happened to be at Mid-Ohio for race one of this past weekend's World Challenge double header in which O'Connell was running second and could've easily won had his car not spun off the track after contact with another GT Class Corvette. We just happened to catch the CTS-V Coupe's off-track excursion, including how O'Connell passed the Corvette that contacted him after returning to pavement (check out the video after the break).

O'Connell finished eighth that race, but had an opportunity for redemption in race two of the double-header on Sunday. Things went Cadillac's way this time when, after working his way up from seventh to third, O'Connell took advantage of last-lap contact between the two race leaders to take the win.

Cadillac Racing hasn't had the same level of success yet that seemed to come so much easier with the previous generation CTS-V sedan. We've discussed at length why, which has more to do with added weight and restrictor plates mandated by the governing body than the racing abilities of Pilgrim and O'Connell or the vehicle's ultimate potential. Now that the team has tasted success again, it probably won't be as long between victories.

There are plenty of numbers between three and eight, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that BMW's recently unveiled i sub-brand will expand after the i3 and i8 go on sale in the next two to three years.

A few reports and our own sources indicate that the next two models will be the i4 and i5; a smaller coupe and a family focused four-door.

Both models will be based around the carbon fiber reinforced plastic "Life" structure to keep weight in check and use variations of the drivetrains fitted to the i3 and i8.

The i4 will supposedly be based on the i3's architecture, but will nix the extra set of doors and seats to become a two-seater with a sloping roof, wider track and a more sporting demeanor. Power will likely come from a variant of the i3's electric motor, with the same optional range-extending engine mounted out back. BMW wants to have at least one affordable i-branded two-door within the next five to six years, and considering the i8 will likely crest $100,000, the i4 will be a more attainable entry point for the marque.

Less is known about the i5 aside from the fact that it will be a more conventional four-door sedan with a coupe-ish profile and power provided by the same plug-in hybrid drivetrain as the i8. That could mean up to 400 lb-ft of torque when the turbo'd 1.5-liter and electric motor work in unison, creating one incredibly compelling hybrid sports sedan.

However, both models are a ways off. Concept versions should arrive sometime after the i8's launch in 2014, so don't expect either to arrive until late into the decade.

Toyota Motorsport GmbH has announced its intention to smash the existing electric vehicle lap record at the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife on August 29.

Some speculate the on-track demonstration by Toyota Motorsport GmbH is a prelude to Toyota's racing division inking a powertrain deal for an electrified Formula 1 racing series. Whether or not that's true remains unknown, but Toyota says its lapping of the Nürburgring will prove that "green thinking motorsport" generates emotion, just as fossil fuel racing has done for more than a century.

The current electric vehicle lap record at the 'Ring stands at 9:01.338, a time that Toyota says it has already beaten during informal testing. On August 29, it will hit the track with a battery-powered two-seater that can reach a claimed top speed of 162 miles per hour, rip from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds and is loosely based on the radical Alpha-1 SRF, a vehicle developed by Toyota Motorsport GmbH for the German firm e-Wolf.

Rob Leupen, Toyota Motorsport's director of business operations, told the Charging Point, "We are extremely confident we can break the record by some distance, which is an indication of how electric vehicle performance is continuously improving." We'll let you know if Toyota's attempt to tame the 'Ring blows a hole through the existing record, which is held by the spectalur Peugeot EX1.

Ford has big plans for Lincoln. The luxury brand from Dearborn has been producing solid machinery as of late, but its vehicles often seem to get lost in the shuffle. The cars look too much like their Ford-branded siblings, and that means a major injection of new style is in order, and quick. That's just what Ford has in mind, and Lincoln will now have its own in-house design studio working right alongside the product development team.

Our friends at Autoline Daily got a sneak peak of the future styling and, while they can't reveal anything yet, say that Lincoln is moving into a design space of its own. The automaker will utilize fresh styling alongside Lincoln-specific interiors and powertrains. Autoline says that the new engine and transmission options will also result in huge jumps in fuel economy. New styling, upgraded interiors and more efficient vehicles? Sounds like a smart plan, and it shows that Ford understands that Lincoln needs help.

It's also worth noting that Ford recently announced a $1 billion investment into the improvement of the Lincoln brand. It seems we'll have Lincolns to get excited about in as little as three to four years.

We record Episode #242 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we're joined by Autoline host and Autoblog columnist John McElroy. Drop us your questions in our Q&A module (below) and check out our discussion topics or chime in to helm determine what the crew chats about this evening. You can subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #242
Pagani Huayra makes its U.S. Debut
General Motors back on top as world's largest carmaker
Will the confirmed Cadillac XTS and ATS help maintain momentum?

Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast and hear your questions asked:
[UStream] Interact LIVE at UStream - 10PM Eastern on Monday, August 08, 2011
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Underground Racing takes your "everyday" Lamborghini Gallardo, and then turns it into a twin-turbocharged exotic beast that burps fire and destroys rubber. Robert Himler is a young man that is fortunate enough to own such an automobile, and his example produces 1,250 horsepower... at the wheels.

That sounds awesome. It also sounds terrifying, and Himler's mom would agree. She recently rode shotgun with Robert while the driver had a dash-mounted camera rolling to catch her reactions to the ride. The fun starts at just over a minute in, but the video is fairly boring after that. Skip to the funny, then check out the other clip we have for showing Himler's Gallardo pretending it's a flamethrower. Both videos are yours for the watching, after the jump.

BMW is apparently the Ultimate Selling Machine. The German automaker has retained the title of top luxury brand after its most successful July in history, moving 108,721 units for the month. Overall sales are up 17.9 percent for the entire BMW Group through the first seven months of the year.

One of the BMW products moving off lots quickly is the redesigned X3. Sales of the compact crossover rose 193.2 percent, which equates to 9,763 units finding a new home in July. The X5 also helped total volume numbers by improving 51.7 percent in July, with 24,196 examples sold.

With 106,000 total sales in July, Audi isn't very far behind, and it hopes to stand in the top spot ahead of BMW by 2015. BMW is aiming for 1.6 million in sales this year, while Audi is shooting for 1.2 million. Mercedes-Benz came in at number three with 100,391 units sold in July.

Facebook's never-ending quest to unseat Google and officially take over the world may soon get a boost from a somewhat unlikely source: Nissan.

The Japanese automaker created its Facebook page way back in 2009 and, as of today (August 8, 2011) has close to 300,000 fans. And, as you may expect, 300,000 voices on the internet can be both a blessing and a curse for a huge brand like Nissan.

Erich Marx, Nissan's Director of Marketing Communications, is responsible for the automaker's social marketing efforts (including Facebook, natch), and he apparently has a team of 15 employees dedicated to social media. These men and woman keep track of the comings and goings of the company's Facebook fans and monitor the comments left on its page.

Not all of the comments are favorable... and they are all very public. While the automaker's policy is not to remove or delete any negative commentary, postings that are negative or outright customer service complaints need to be responded to. Says Marx:

Based on what I've seen in 90 days, I can realize that this is something we are going to have to deal with in the future. As opposed to operators or help desks just waiting for a customer to complain, we need to have a Facebook presence to solve issues before they get bigger, and take a more proactive role in identifying consumer issues or question.

So, does this mean Facebook will take over telephone-based customer service at Nissan? Not anytime soon, but we'd certainly expect, as social media continues to grow in importance for all automakers, that Nissan's 15-strong staff will grow right along with it. And that number will surely include employees whose job descriptions include resolving customer complaints. It's a brave new world out there, folks.

We've got to hand it to Mercedes-Benz. The Australian arm of the German automaker was so convinced that its iconic G-Wagen is one of the world's most capable off-road vehicles, it decided to stage a demonstration run that would have seven of its boxy SUVs traveling from Halls Creek in Western Australia to Wiluna – a distance of 1,150 miles.

As it turned out, the distance, though definitely a long way to go in the wild's of Australia in just 14 days, wasn't the real issue encountered by the intrepid group of drivers. You see, the trip was organized along the historic Canning Stock Route, which was created at the beginning of the 20th Century as a way to get cattle from remote ranches in Kimberly to Perth, where it could then be sold.

Suffice it to say that driving cattle along the Canning Stock Route was a treacherous undertaking, and deaths were not uncommon. Today, the Route is considered one of the world's greatest adventures and can only be tackled by serious four-wheel-drive machinery. Like the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, right?

Well, sorta. As MB Australia found out the hard way, no amount of planning can guarantee a successful journey, as six out of its seven G-Wagons have been crippled by broken rear shock absorbers seven days into the drive. The lone undamaged vehicle is actually a specially modified military-spec vehicle called the G-Professional that the German automaker is considering importing into Australia... might not be a bad idea, eh?

For their part, MB's reps are taking the damage in stride. While all machines remained drivable (of course, that term just means the machine is capable of moving under its own power...), new shocks were flown in on chartered airplanes at significant cost. Sounds like there's absolutely no way in the Australian Outback Hell that this demonstration drive will end up a failure.

We're in the middle of yet another slow striptease of prototypes from BMW, this time starring the 2013 6 Series Gran Coupe. We've seen patent filings and two sets of spy shots, not to mention the original 'concept' that – unsurprisingly – looks very, very similar to the almost-ready development cars caught out on the road.

For round three, we're getting our first glimpse at the four-door 6 Series' M Sport package, complete with the usual performance-ish upgrades like larger wheels, a more aggressive front fascia and revised exhaust. Truth be told, we like the M Sport additions to the awkward 6 Series nose, and we're sure the finished product will be quite a looker (especially in black). Scroll through our attached image gallery to see the sporty Sixer for yourself.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) recently unveiled new window stickers that are going to be present on all vehicles starting in 2013. All future window stickers will feature a Quick Response (QR) code, which can be read by the smartphone of a prospective car buyer. Nissan elected to stay a step of ahead of the new window stickers, and is the first automaker to implement QR codes in its 2012 model year lineup.

On Nissan lots right now, the 2012 Altima and Sentra display the data-rich boxes that work with the camera on your phone. Once scanned, the QR codes can provide:

• Specific vehicle information, including grade walk, key features and available accessories
• Video based product overviews
• Image gallery
• Incentive offers
• Dealer inventory
• Request a quote capability
• Join mailing list request
• Dealer location support

Nissan will continue to add the codes to the rest of its 2012 lineup. Click past the jump for more information on the QR codes, and to read the full press release.

We're waiting patiently – very patiently – for the 2012 Focus ST to show up in the showroom of our local Ford dealership. Meanwhile, our friends around the world have been able to play with the top-tier Focus RS, and they're already waiting on the next generation. They won't have to wait much longer, though, as Ford in Australia has reportedly confirmed the next-gen RS.

The current Focus RS boasts 300 horsepower, all of which is sent to the front wheels. It sounds like a recipe for an intense forearm workout, but the Focus RS utilizes the revoknuckle front suspension setup to quell torque steer. Ford insists they can push power figures higher, and the next generation RS will aim to prove just that.

Look for the current RS' Volvo-sourced, turbocharged, 2.5-liter inline-five to be replaced with a higher-output version of the company's 2.0-liter EcoBoost four – the same engine that we'll be getting in the less-powerful Focus ST. As for exact power numbers, Ford's Australian bosses have said that output numbers as high as 350 or 380 hp are possible.

It's not official – yet – but Car and Driver caught Porsche executives discussing a new addition to the lineup. Rumor has it that the German automaker is looking to add a mid-engined supercar to the family, slotting above the 911 range, but below the upcoming 918. This new model will be Porsche's answer to the Ferrari 458 Italia.

Early estimates on the price tag? Somewhere in the neighborhood of €400,000 – about $568,000 based on current exchange rates (yikes!). Car and Driver speculates that this exotic supercar will utilize a powerplant that produces over 600 horsepower, which should help push 0-60-mile-per-hour times into the three-second range, while top speed could hover as high as 220 mph.

This move should help keep Porsche purists happy, with the knowledge that a high-performance coupe will join a lineup of vehicles they're entirely in love with. Still, those vehicles (read: Panamera and Cayenne) supply the cash to build super sports cars. You can't have the sweet without the sour... and in this case, the sour is actually pretty sweet, too.