Jim O’Donnell, the man in charge of BMW North America has said that the next iteration of the company’s 6 Series will be the “best-looking BMW in years.” O’Donnell made the comments to Automobile magazine prior to the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Calling it, “really stunning,” O’Donnell said that both the coupe and convertible models will be radically different than the current car, which has been harshly critiqued for everything from its enormous “Bangle-butt” rear end to its plane-Jane design that is somewhat unbecoming of its price tag.

The move seems to be the latest in a long list of changes the company has made over the past few years to quietly correct its mistakes with the previous generation of cars. From all-but eliminating the iDrive system to de-Bangleing its designs, BMW is making big changes. And if the new look of vehicles like the 7 Series and Z4 are an hint, we’re sure to love the new 6.

As for when we might see such a car; it is expected to make its official debut at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show, although a concept version could most certainly appear long before then.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

Chrysler only has one product set to launch in all of 2010 and now one of its 2011 vehicles is in jeopardy. The all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee may be delayed due to a parts dispute with the company’s former owners at Daimler.

Daimler was supposed to supply axles for the new Jeep SUV, but is withholding the parts due to another financial dispute. In that case, Daimler is claiming $80 million in compensation after a Chrysler agreement to purchase diesel engines from Daimler did not go as planned. Chrysler, however, is claiming that all old contracts are now irrelevant as the company’s previous financial matters were settled through bankruptcy court.

In a sign of hope that the Grand Cherokee may  make it to market without much delay, both parties have agreed to see if they can settle the dispute outside of court. Still, the timing is tight as the parts are reported to be needed before the end of the month in order to build prototype vehicles that need at least 6 months of testing.

The axles aren’t the only item in question either, as court documents revealed that Daimler is also scheduled to supply transmissions and steering columns for several future Chrysler vehicles, including the next Dodge Durango, as well as the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger.

[Source: Detroit News]

For several months Chinese automaker Geely has been touted as the front runner in the bid for Volvo, but  now a U.S.-based group has emerged with a credible offer.

Calling itself the Crown consortium, the group consists of several private equity firms and is fronted by two industry experts: Michael Dingman, a former Ford director; and Shamel Rushwin who held executive positions at both Ford and Chrysler.

Crown is also seeking additional funding from Swedish investors, which it hopes will help garner favor with the Swedish car maker. It is also seen as a sign of good faith that Crown wants to keep Volvo in its native country.

Crown’s offer is, however, not as significant as Geely’s almost $2 billion bid, but in many ways dealing with the U.S. group would be easier due to the lack of Chinese government involvement. Both companies are reported to have plans that would front an additional $3 billion after their initial purchase price.

Ford is rumored to be preparing to make a choice within the next few weeks, after which it would agree to hammer out the final details of a deal with the preferred party.

[Source: Financial Times]

Yesterday Chrysler’s new owners at Fiat announced that the Chrysler brand would now be under the stewardship of Lancia brand head Olivier Francois. Today it is more evident why, as both Chrysler and Lancia will share product platforms in the future.

The alliance will see Lancia get a redesigned version of the 300C as a new flagship, replacing the unattractive Thesis (pictured above). Chrysler’s first Lancia-based product is likely to be a small premium hatchback. The Lancia brand is also scheduled to get a version of whatever the Chrysler/Fiat alliance can dream up to replace the Sebring.

So far, it looks like Fiat is likely to benefit more from this relationship than Chrysler, although we’re not sure if you can classify hand-me-down Chrysler products as a good thing. Still, the 300C is one of the best things to come out of Chrysler in recent history and its easy to see why Lancia wants it.

Fiat has declared that it wants to make Chrysler a brand that can take on Cadillac, meaning that Francois certainly has his work cut out for him. Francois has, however, proven to be quite good at changing perceptions, having restored faith in one-struggling Lancia brand.

[Source: Automotive News via LeftLaneNews]

When Porsche first introduced the Boxster it was a fun and reasonably affordable (if somewhat underpowered) sports car. Since then it has grown in pretty much every way, with more power, larger engine choices and a significantly higher price tag.

Numerous rumors have emerged hinting that Porsche is looking at bringing in a sub-Boxster model more along the lines of the entry-level 914. Now Automobilwoche magazine is reporting that Porsche’s R&D boss Wolfgang Duerheimer has said that such a car is a priority at the German sports car maker.

Duerheimer didn’t give any information on the upcoming vehicle but it is expected to be based on the Volkswagen BlueSport Roadster concept (pictured above). There was always a strong possibility of this happening and now that VW owns Porsche and has made it clear that increasing production numbers is a priority, this higher volume affordable Porsche seems like the perfect solution.

[Source: Automobilwoche via Drive.com.au]

Officially unveiled last month at the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany, Toyota is now set to give the Prius plug-in hybrid concept an official unveiling in its native land and in front of a more welcoming audience.

Toyota has said that the Prius PHV Concept will be able to travel up to 12 miles on pure electric power before the gasoline engine kicks in. Using a version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and lithium-ion batteries, the automaker says the Prius PHV will be able to reach highway speeds on pure electric power. Even more impressive is the claim that it will be able to recharge fully in just 90 minutes.

Later this year Toyota will deliver 500 Prius PHV vehicles, 150 of which will be sold in the United States.

GALLERY: Prius PHV Concept

Toyota will take the wraps off an updated version of its FT-EV electric car at the Tokyo Auto Show in just a few weeks. Called the FT-EV II, the car is designed for urban use with a total range of 90 km (56 miles) and a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).

This news comes just days after Toyota Europe’s R&D boss downplayed the significance of electric cars.

Toyota says the FT-EV II is even smaller than the iQ city car, and yet has more interior room with seating for four people. Sliding side doors also make it easier to use in tight urban settings.

As for the operation, Toyota says all aspects of the car can be controlled though a joystick, including acceleration, braking and steering. In fact, part of the reason for the four-person space is the removal of the pedals, giving extra leg room for the driver.

The FT-EV II is still a concept car (like the strange Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea-themed  joystick didn’t give that away), but Toyota is moving closer to bringing an electric city car to market in the next few years.

Toyota will also showcase its Prius PHEV as well as the FT-86 sports car concept at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show starting October 21st.

GALLERY: Toyota FT-EV II

Official release after the jump:

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Hybrid cars and not electric vehicles, are the future of mass market environmentally-responsible transportation, says Toyota Europe’s R&D boss Masato Katsumata.

Obviously we would expect any Toyota representative to toe this line, as competitors like Nissan are focusing on the future of electric cars – like the Leaf EV.

Speaking at a conference in Cologne, Germany, both Katsumata and colleague Dirk Breuer, did make many valid points, however. While ideal for small city cars that only travel short distances, the ability to travel any significant distance is limited and no breakthroughs in battery technology are expected. Heating and cooling is also a significant problem as both processes would drain a car’s battery power. As for quick-charging stations, Breuer claims they cost up to $44,000 to install and up to half of the energy stores is low in the transfer process.

Breuer is less impressed by diesels, which is surprising considering Toyota sells s many diesel cars in Europe. He states that current gasoline hybrids are already cheaper to manufacture than diesel engines and that with the upcoming EU6/BIN5 emissions regulations diesels will only get more expensive. “At that point, we need an 11-step cleaning process, basically a chemical factory attached to the engine,” he says.

[Source: Car & Driver]

Until today, if someone asked you what the best looking Toyota from the past decade was, you’d have a tough time thinking something up. As of today, the answer is the FT-86 Concept, which is set to officially debut at the Tokyo Auto Show later this month.

The name FT-86 brings together Toyota’s past and future, with the “FT” coming from the FT-HS hybrid concept from a few years back, while the “86″ is donated from the AE-86, a small rear-drive, two-door Corolla-based sports car (called the Hachi-Roku), made famous by drifters.

Other than the design of the car (which is certainly impressive with plenty of Lexs LF-A inspired goodness), we don’t know a lot about the FT-86 concept yet.

What we do know is that it will be light weight, with “racecar-like handling” and be powered by a 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder engine. While Toyota hasn’t said as much, this is most likely donated from the boxer-engine experts at Subaru – meaning that the FT-86 is the mysterious Toyobaru.

Toyota hasn’t said as much, but you can be certain this concept car is headed for production in the very near future.

GALLERY: Toyota FT-86 Concept

Get more FT-86 News Here

Official release after the jump:

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With yesterday’s announcement of the Chevrolet Caprice police cruiser, General Motors was clear to indicate that a civilian version of the car would not be offered. According to a report by the GM know-it-alls at GMInsideNews, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that no rear-drive full-sized sedans are coming.

With GM back on track, the company is reportedly re-examining the possibility of building one or even two vehicles on the full-sized Zeta platform. Product boss Bob Lutz is particularly interested in using the platform to underpin two new sedans: one for Chevy and one for Cadillac. GM does already have plans to build the Cadillac XTS, but it be offered as either a front-drive or all-wheel drive model, with no rear-drive option available. GMI’s sources indicate, however, that there has been considerable discussion on this topic by GM execs as many people doubt Cadillac can ever achieve top-tier luxury status without a true rear-drive S-Class/7 Series competitor. The discussion has even moved into action as several individuals within the company have been tasked with proposals for the car.

A new Caprice model in Australia is due out in 2013, so if GM does bring back a civilian Caprice or create a new rear-drive full-sized Cadillac, it would most likely have to wait until then.

[Report: GMInsideNews]