In its home market of North America, Buick doesn't enjoy the same affection as it does in China, and its current portfolio of models isn't exactly helping change perceptions. One independent designer who still believes in the marque is Marc Senger. Not only that, but he also came up with a vision on how to re-ignite passion for Buick.

A Boston-based designer who now works for product development studio Eleven, Senger says he has "never quite escaped the gravitational pull of working in Detroit", which makes him our kind of guy.

Senger sent us his work on the Buick Wildcat design study, which is named after and inspired by Buick's renowned fiberglass-bodied 1954 concept car. It's a two-seater roadster envisioned with a supercharged V8 engine (we gather in its top form) to compete against the likes of the BMW Z4 and Jaguar F-Type.

Below you will find Senger's description of the concept along with a multitude of photos and a nifty video animation. Read through and leave your feedback on the design in the comments that follow.

By John Halas




[From Marc Senger]

"GM's 1954 Buick Wildcat II concept is widely considered among the most stunning show cars in GM history. It embodied Buick's combination of effortless luxury, with a spry underbelly of raw performance worn on its sleeve.

This new Buick Wildcat aims to recapture original designer Harley Earl's instinctual take on the luxury roadster, with a thoroughly modern bias. It will compete in a segment dominated by European prestige models (BMW Z4, Jaguar F-Type, Audi TT, etc), but will deliver a truly American driving experience. An experience aided by a Buick-specific supercharged V8, spiritual '54 cues like open fenders, "floating" headlights, liquid-smooth feedback, and relatively compact proportions. The low, 35-inch high cowl is the sole, yet critical shared dimension between the '54 car and my own.

One may argue this segment is Cadillac\'s territory to fight, but I feel the Buick brand is in need of an engaging halo-car to redefine what Buick performance could be today: An oxymoronic, Jekyll & Hyde blend of brute force and buttery elegance. If Buick wants to attract a younger segment, this could be an aspirational gateway."

The carmaker is said to have asked Alcoa Inc., which produces aluminum blast shields for military vehicles, to lend some of its military-grade metal for the automaker's display. That's because Ford wants to demonstrate the toughness of aluminum to pickup buyers, along with its lightweight advantage – the next F-150 is projected to be as much as 340 kg (750 lbs) lighter than the current model.

Ford's decision to use an aluminum platform for the F-150 will help it meet rising fuel-economy standards in the U.S., which require a fleet-wide average of 54.5 mpg (4.3 l/100 km) by 2025. The upcoming F-150 will average close to 30 mpg (7.8 l/100 km), up from 23 mpg (10.2 l/100 km) in the current F-150's top-rated model.

The improvements in efficiency will be due to a new 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine (part of a family of powertrains that Ford has code-named Nano), as well as a new 10-speed transmission and light-duty truck hybrid systems.

Ford's move also involves risks, as switching to aluminum will require fundamental changes to how truck bodies make their way down the assembly line. According to IHS Automotive, Ford will need to take about six weeks of downtime at each of its truck plants to retool and swap out robots and machinery.

The report said Ford has already begun building prototypes of the model that will debut in Detroit, with the F-150 estimated to go on sale in the second half of 2014. The design of the next-generation F-150 will be inspired by the Atlas concept, unveiled this year at the Detroit Auto Show.

By Dan Mihalascu

Just like its four-door brethren that has already been revealed online, the station wagon edition of the next C-Class comes with a better looking, bigger and roomier body and interior, while dropping up to 100kg (220 pounds) in weight over its predecessor.

If not all, most of the diesel and gasoline engines will be common between the two body styles, ranging from a turbocharged 154hp (156PS) 1.6-liter petrol and possibly topping out with the C63 AMG-badged performance version that will use a new 4.0-liter bi-turbocharged V8 winking at the 500hp mark.

German media have also mentioned a frugal Bluetec Hybrid variant combining a 2.1-liter turbo-diesel with an electric motor and a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Video via Autobild

According to the agreement, the companies will reimburse American owners of about 600,000 Hyundai and 300,000 Kia vehicles from the 2011 to 2013 model years.

In November 2012, Hyundai and Kia admitted that they overstated fuel economy by at least 1mpg some of their vehicles, following an EPA inquiry that found errors for 13 Hyundai and Kia models from the 2011 to 2013 model years.

Hyundai said the lump-sum payments would cost about $210 million (€153 million), while Kia estimated payments at $185 million (€135 million). The average lump sum payment will be $320 (€234), minus any previous reimbursements payments received, Hyundai said.

However, the amount each company pays out will depend on how many owners opt for a one-time payment rather than remain in the "lifetime reimbursement" program in which owners get debit cards to pay them for the difference between actual fuel economy and the companies' original statements.

Consumers can also choose other options, such as a dealership credit of 150 percent of the lump sum cash payment amount, or a credit of 200 percent of the cash amount toward the purchase of a new vehicle.

By Dan Mihalascu

Quite possibly filmed in Russia (there's no mention of the location in the posting), the driver of the car fitted with twin-dash cams, one facing the road and the other towards the passenger compartment, was confronted with a big moose jumping out of the forest and entering the asphalt.

We don't know what happened to the large animal, but the humans in the car reportedly made it out alive and well.

The last model of the 250 series was the Ferrari 250 GT/L, also known as the "Lusso", which in my view, is the best looking Ferrari 250 and possibly the best-looking Ferrari ever.

Designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti, the 250 GT/L was limited to 350 units, with the 168th of these being available at RM Auctions' Arizona sale on January 16-17, 2014.

The exquisite elegance of the car's lines is only matched by the complex 2,953-cc single overhead-camshaft V12 engine featuring triple Weber carburetors. Mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, the unit produces 240 hp and offers grand touring dynamics to the 250 GT/L.

The car has an independent front suspension with unequal length A-arms and coil springs, and a live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, parallel trailing arms, and Watt Bar. The grand tourer was also fitted with four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.

The 250 GT/L was built on the shorter wheelbase chassis of the Ferrari 250 model range but featured chassis upgrades derived from racing. This particular example has chassis number 5215GT, matching engine number 5215GT, and was sold new in 1963 by official Ferrari dealer Charles Rezzaghi SA in San Francisco, California.

It had six owners since then and has been subjected to a complete nut-and-bolt restoration in 2007, with the engine being completely rebuilt in 2010 by the current owner. The car is offered with all its original books and tools, as well as numerous records and receipts from the car's restoration and servicing. It also has a Ferrari Classiche certification binder.

The car will be auctioned on Friday, January 17, 2014, with RM Auctions estimating it could fetch $1.7 million (€1.24 million) to $2 million (€1.46 million).

By Dan Mihalascu

For starters, despite some rumors, Mitsubishi has no plans to withdraw from the U.S. market nor will it shut down its Illinois plant where 1,900 workers are employed manufacturing the Outlander Sport.

In fact, according to the automaker's three-year business plan named "New Stage 2016", it aims to boost global sales 29 percent to 1.43 million vehicles and North American deliveries by more than a third to 150,000 units annually.

Masuko, 64, told the news agency that the key ingredient to pushing up sales will be a "back to basics" strategy that will improve the brand's foothold in SUV and crossover segments, and at the same time, place more focus on electrified and hybrid drive-trains, while also making the best of an agreement it has with the Nissan-Renault Alliance on the development of sedans, small cars and EVs.

As part of that plan, Mitsubishi is readying a new Pajero SUV (also known as the Montero and Shogun), which is the brand's equivalent to the Nissan Patrol and Toyota Land Cruiser, that will be offered as a hybrid. The series was discontinued in the United States in 2006, but Masuko said the new model might return to the market.

"We would like to bring the next-generation version [of the Pajero] that we are developing, partly because it will have a plug-in hybrid version," said Masuko.

The bad news is that Mitsubishi's new strategy doesn't give much love to the brand's livelier sporty side.

Asked about what "happened to Mitsubishi's sporty cars such as the Eclipse or the Lancer Evolution", the 64-year old executive answered:

"When you look at the global ranking of top-selling Mitsubishi vehicles, at the top are pickups, then the Pajero and Pajero Sport and then the Outlander and Outlander Sport," explained Masuko.

"We want to further enhance our strong suits. That will better secure the future of our brand. This is a simple strategy of back to basics. We have produced sports cars in the past. But we have to prioritize. When you consider Mitsubishi's size and management resources, we can't do everything on our own."

While the Mitsubishi boss didn't outright kill the brand's sports car future, his words are exactly promising, now, are they…

The aim is to make the classic 911 experience shine, with a free-revving flat-six that sounds exactly like it should (and also reportedly responds very quickly to the throttle too) and its carbon fiber body that helps cut weight, to make all of the 350-ish horse count.

Naturally, aside from the performance aspects, there's also the craftsmanship and attention to detail that is unique to the company – it's particularly visible on the inside for everybody to see, but also on the outside, though there the level of intervention is kept low and non-intrusive, yet still immediately distinguishable for those in the know.

Check out the full 20-minute video after the virtual jump, below!

By Andrei Nedelea

Using a two-color base of both silver and red, the luminous red paint is achieved through a paint process using four base coats of paint, which are then baked twice.

Lexus says layers of colored and clear coating are used to control some of the color's reflections and "establish a balance between the brightness and depth" – two elements that usually work against each other.

To prepare the color, the factory starts with a base coat of silver and then applies a clear coat that is covered by a translucent red coat, which is topped with another clear coat. The four coats of paint are then baked twice to set the color.

Thanks to this process, light hitting the paint reflects off the red layer and off the silver layer below, adding depth and a metallic highlight to the red coloration. Before using this new procedure that will debut on the Lexus RC Coupe, the factory used base coats with the same color tone (red and red).

By Dan Mihalascu

The government agency said that in its expanded probe, it looked into 114 complaints, among which, there were five reports alleging fire including one injury allegation because of this issue.

"ODI has received a total of 114 complaints reflecting an ongoing and increasing trend," said NHTSA. "In each report, one or both rear light assemblies fail completely (i.e., all lights housed within the assembly extinguish, including the stop, tail, and turn signal functions) when the electrical ground connection is compromised as a result of high resistance and subsequent thermal over-heating."

Mercedes-Benz told the agency that the over-heating of the ground wire is "caused by corrosion between the connectors in the ground circuit to the tail light".

We'll keep an eye on the issue and bring you any updates as soon as they come in.

Before that happens, the folks from XCar took a Mini Roadster John Cooper Works for a spin and found it to be "brilliant fun to drive". Lower and longer than the Mini Hatch Mk2 it's based on, the Roadster has slightly sharper handling characteristics – also due to its lower center of gravity.

Powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine delivering 208 hp (211PS), the JCW variant sprints from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 6.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 147 mph.

All in all, while the Roadster is a competent, fun to drive car, the reviewer doubts that sports car enthusiasts will prefer it over a hot hatch. It's a conclusion sales figures don't seem to contradict.

By Dan Mihalascu

Likely filmed in South Korea (judging from the YouTube video description language and a faint glimpse we get of the license plates), this dash-cam footage shows a driver of a silver Kia Optima who wasn't paying attention to the road and a parked car around a corner.

The motorist hit the other vehicle's bumper while turning, which provided enough energy and momentum to flip it over, almost in slow motion…

See the clip below the jump.

Made by FrontiArt, the scale model is available for pre-order until December 31, 2013, with production quantity to be based on the number of people interested in the car.

In related news, the crew from Crankandpiston recently had the opportunity to receive an…underground parking taste of the real Lykan Hypersport that sports a 750-horsepower twin-turbocharged flat-six mid-mounted engine for a claimed  0-100km/h (62mph) time of  2.8 seconds and a top speed of 395km/h (245mph).

The full video isn't out yet, but we do get a 40 second-long teaser clip of the car, which you can watch for yourself right after the virtual break.

The latest news is that Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has restarted negotiations with a United Auto Workers (UAW) medical trust to buy the remaining shares of Chrysler Group LLC.

According to a Bloomberg News report quoting three people familiar with the matter, Fiat executives met last week with representatives of VEBA (The Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association), the retiree health-care trust. The meeting came after the trust earlier this month rejected a higher offer for it 41.5 percent stake in Chrysler - the first proposal made by Fiat since August.

According to analysts, Marchionne wants to avoid an IPO as it may prove costlier for Fiat to buy the remaining Chrysler shares on the stock market than by purchasing it directly from VEBA. The IPO was delayed for 2014 because of tax reasons.

IPO advisers evaluated Chrysler to be worth around $10 billion (€7.3 billion), with Fiat seeking to pay about $4.2 billion (€3 billion) for VEBA's 41.5 percent stake. However, the trust asks for at least $5 billion. The gap is nevertheless narrower than the previous one of more than $1 billion.

Fiat now holds 58.5 percent of Chrysler after rescuing the company from bankruptcy in 2009. 

By Dan Mihalascu