AutoWeek Daily Drive — Thursday, December 2, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Thursday, December 02, 2010                  The 2011 BMW M3 Sedan... 2011 BMW M3 Sedan, an AW Drivers Log MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: This is one of my favorite real-world performance cars, even if it has become relatively heavy, bloated and overcomplicated in recent years. It probably means a lot that driving this E90-series M3 reminds that a) the car has come a long, long way (if you personally are capable of accepting that it is possible for a car to grow larger and heavier and still...   Confused? So was I, I think . . . Last week, the EPA rated the all-electric Nissan Leaf at 99 mpg and rated its range at 73 miles, 27 less than Nissan's claim of 100 miles. That'll be on the Leaf's window sticker. Nissan will also include a window sticker from the Federal Trade Commission that rates the Leaf's range at 96 to 110...   Winter warriors: An AW list of vehicles in which to tackle the snow Now that cold weather has arrived in many parts of the country, the Corvette Stingrays and Plymouth Barracudas are being tucked back into their garages. With that in mind, AutoWeek offers this list of sure-footed rides for the winter. Some have higher sticker prices--we're looking at you, ...   Geneva auto show: Rinspeed BamBoo concept suited for the beach Swiss design company Rinspeed will debut its new BamBoo electric concept car at the 2011 Geneva motor show. The BamBoo was designed by Rinspeed owner Frank Rinderknecht. The BamBoo, as its name says, incorporates bamboo in the interior of the four-seat vehicle. Rinderknecht's latest creation... You May Have Missed...   2010 Saab 9-5 Aero Sedan: What I drove last night This is hands-down the best Saab I've ever driven. For more than 25 years I've been a fan of Saabs, especially the wagon variants. I love the way they heat up, how quickly the seat heaters work on a frigid morning, and how well they plow through the snow. I liked the turbo motors, hated the gawd-...   November auto sales jump 17 percent as market gains strength U.S. car and truck sales jumped 17 percent last month, raising hopes the industry will end 2010 on a high note while creating momentum for the new year.Light vehicle sales rose to 873,407 units in November, for the market's 11th advance in the past 12 months. The industry's sales total through...   New venom for Viper It appeared onstage for a few fleeting moments, more phantom than future sheetmetal. But like a ghost that won't go away or a car company that refuses to die, a reborn Viper has been penciled in for Dodge for 2012.A concept version of the next American supercar was shown in September in Orlando,...   Lincoln hires ex-Cadillac designer Lincoln has hired ex-Cadillac designer Max Wolff to be its design director starting on Jan. 3. Wolff, 38, will oversee the look of Ford's luxury brand as it plans to launch seven new vehicles over the next four years, including its first C-segment small car.Wolff's portfolio includes working in...   Porsche 911 GT3 R racer rockets to America The potent Porsche 911 GT3 R is bringing its vaunted blend of 480 hp and lightweight construction to the United States. But here’s the rub--only three are en route.The race car replaced the 911 GT3 Cup S in Porsche’s motorsports line and has become a staple of European competition. It...   Marchionne's dilemma: To sell or not to sell Alfa to Volkswagen? Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's self-confidence has helped him tackle problems that lesser executives would duck, but he may have met his match.In a public test of Marchionne's faith in his own turnaround strategy, in September Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech bluntly announced that he wants to buy ...   Formula One: Williams confirms GP2 champ Pastor Maldonado for 2011 To no one’s great surprise, the Williams Formula One team finally confirmed on Wednesday that 2010 GP2 Series champion Pastor Maldonado will join the team in 2011.The team’s plans became crystal clear when it confirmed the day after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that it would...   IndyCar: Penske lands Meijer as sponsor Penske Racing on Wednesday announced that the Meijer chain of stores will join Team Penske as a sponsor of its three-car Izod IndyCar Series program, beginning with the 2011 season. Coca-Cola will also play an integrated role in the sponsorship package, thanks to its status as one of Meijer's key...   Grand-Am: Segal, Assentato return to SpeedSource in 2011 Reigning Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series GT class cochampions Jeff Segal and teammate Emil Assentato will defend their title in the No. 69 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 GT for the fourth consecutive year in 2011.The announcement of Segal’s return came on Wednesday during the opening day of a two-... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. IMPORTANT: Please add AutoWeek.com to your E-mail Address Book to ensure you will continue to receive our newsletters. Please DO NOT reply to this e-mail. You will not receive a reply if you use this e-mail address. Crain Communications, 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207.