There’s something inherently attractive about dressing a car up in police livery and gear. If doesn’t matter if its a VW Beetle or a Lamborghini Gallardo, a vehicle’s “cool factor” goes up several notches as soon as we think the men and women in blue might actually be using it to fight crime.

And while some cars could really use all the help they can get in attaining envy-worthy status, some don’t. Included in the latter list is anything from British sports car maker Lotus. Still, strapping a light bar and some graphics onto one of these light-weight wonders only raises its proverbial amp to 11.

So when Lotus released a selection of its police-liveried two-door cruisers, ranging from the modern to the nostalgic, we just had to share.

GALLERY: Lotus Police Cars

Ford’s head of marketing came out today with a brash, succinct statement that strikes deep down into the core of humanity: “f**k GM.”

Jim Farley, shown above in a much calmer demeanor, launched this shot across the bow in an early copy of the book “Once Upon A Car,” by New York Times reporter Bill Vlasic. Farley was quoted as saying, “”We’re going to beat on them, and it’s going to be fun…f**k GM. I hate them and their company and what they stand for. And I hate the way they’re succeeding.”

The book details the derailing of the Big Three during the early months of the recession, which may serve to justify this sort of motivation: after all, corporate executives usually know better than to sprinkle their public statements with four-letter words. GM was quick to respond, with one spokesman replying, “we would not have expected such crass words coming from Ford.”

In the immortal words of Officer Marcus Burnett, Miami-Dade PD: “sh*t just got real.”

[Source: Jalopnik]

Infiniti has just released the latest teaser photo of its upcoming 7-seater JX luxury crossover, giving any photoshop expert enough amo to render up a close likeness.

Set to be revealed, in concept form, at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18, between now and that date, the Nissan luxury division will reveal four more teaser photos as a part of the “Power of 7″ marketing campaign. Each photo will be posted on the brand’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Infiniti). And as an added incentive to send you to the page, Infiniti is running a contest to win a trip for two to the reveal at the Pebble Beach Concours.

After that unveiling the production model will debut at the LA Auto Show in November, with sales starting in the Spring of 2012.

GALLERY: Infiniti JX Concept

When the next generation Mercedes C-Class arrives, look for an AMG version to follow, powered by the brand’s new 5.5-liter V8.

Just announced as the go-to engine for the 2012 SLK55, this is not a revised version of the current mill, but a reworked naturally aspirated version of the twin-turbo 5.5L that’s just been added to the CLS63 and E63. While peak power is rated at 415-hp and 398 lb-ft in the new motor, it will likely be tweaked further to come closer to the current C63′s 451-hp output.

To help make up for the performance differential, look for the C-Class to shed weight over the current model.

Mercedes will also be sure to tout the significant improvement in fuel economy over the 6.2-liter engine, thanks in part to start-stop technology as well as a cylinder deactivation feature.

GALLERY: 2012 Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe

[Source: Car & Driver]

Clearing up erroneous reports, Toyota has confirmed it will sell the RAV4 EV to the public and has just singed a deal with Tesla Motors Inc. to supply the electric powertrains for the emissions free crossover.

Valued at $100 million it looks as though Tesla might actually be on the right track towards making a profit, especially with stock shares spiking 5 percent on the news. Toyota previously signed a contact with Tesla worth $60 million in order to develop the electric battery packs for the ‘ute, which debuted at the LA Auto Show last year.

The RAV4 EV is expected to go on sale as early as the first quarter of 2012.

GALLERY: Toyota RAV4 EV

[Source: Automotive News]

Some might know David Coulthard as a DTM-series racing driver, piloting a Mercedes-Benz C-class racer. Some might know him as a commentator for the Formula-One races broadcast by the BBC. However, most know him best as a Formula One driver, who has won 13-races in this elite series, and was once part of the dream team at McLaren-Mercedes with teammate Mika Hakkinen.

Now Coulthard can add another occupation to his resume, brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division.

From now on, the 40 year old Scotland native will be an active member during customer and press days, and his first duties with the brand revolve around the new 557-hp E63 AMG.

At the announcement, Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-Benz AMG said: “We are very pleased to welcome David Coulthard as a new member of the AMG family. As a fair sportsman and well-liked personality, David is perfectly suited to AMG and its more than 40 years of motorsports history. As an active DTM driver and Formula-One driver of many years standing, David Coulthard has very extensive know-how which makes him a very knowledgeable partner for our engineers when configuring new AMG high-performance models.”

Coulthard, who was also at hand for this announcement said: “I have been a member of the Mercedes-Benz family since 1996, and now I am also joining AMG as an exciting high-performance brand. This is without doubt the perfect complement to my job as a DTM driver, where I already drive an AMG C-Class of course.”

We’ve all been there – standing in front of a parking lot attendant, trying to remember our license plate number, but for whatever reason, we just can’t think of what it is. Or being stuck on the side of the road with a dead battery, not sure what to do next. When these headaches happen, just use the Jiffy Lube app to get you out of that sticky situation.

The new Jiffy Lube iPhone app lets you store and organize vital vehicle information, and offers tips such as  how to jump a dead battery, what to do if your car overheats and where you can find the nearest Jiffy Lube location.

This free app comes with a few features that will come in handy. The My Info feature lets you organize your vehicle information and gives you tips on how to jump start a dead battery or deal with an overheated car. It also offers reminders for your next oil change and inspection information.

It hard to remember things like preventive maintenance, so the “My Garage” feature takes care of it for you. You’ll get tips and basic information, and it puts you in touch with your maintenance schedule.

When it’s time to get your oil changed, the Quick Call feature puts you in touch with the nearest Jiffy Lube, from wherever you are. It will also let you know what services are performed at particular locations, if there are any coupons available and the ability to share coupons on Facebook and Twitter networks.

You can download the Jiffy Lube app for free at the iTunes Store.

Toyota is ambitious on sales of the plug-in version of its popular Prius hybrid. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, company spokesman John Hanson commented that, “We’re certainly on line to sell 16,000 to 17,000 in 2012.”

That would put the Prius Plug-in Hybrid well ahead of rivals like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. So far this year, Nissan has managed to sell just shy of 4,000 Leaf EVs, with Volt sales totaling in 2,745 at the mid-way point of the year.

Toyota is also confident that it won’t have any supply issues with the car, with Hanson commenting that they will build as many of the cars as the market demands.

When it does arrive in early 2012, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be able to travel 13 miles emissions free, before switching over to a conventional hybrid system, and achieving 50-mpg average. While the electric-only range won’t be equal to that of the Volt or Leaf, the Prius PHEV is expected to cost significantly less.

[Source: FreeP]

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid Prototype Review

Out at the annual Nardo Highspeed Test, many machines like 9FF’s Porsche 911 GT3 or G-Power’s BMW M3 came to show off their top speed. German VW/Audi tuner MTM was also on hand, with a shockingly fast car. No, it wasn’t an RS5 or some other brutish monter, but the cute and trendy Audi A1. Motivated by a 500-hp engine the little rocket hit an incredible top speed of 201-mph.

Available to consumers as the A1 Nardo Edition, the car also comes with an aesthetics package, spicing up the A1′s already good looks with a set of 18-inch MTM bimoto wheels, upgraded brakes and lowered suspension.

GALLERY: MTM Audi A1 Nardo Edition

Discuss this story at AudiA1Forum.com

With Best Buy considering selling electric cars, soon you’ll be able to charge your EV at that other blue and yellow big box retailer, IKEA. Thanks to a new partnership with ECOtality, 10 of the oversized furniture stores located in the Western U.S. will receive new Blink electric car charging stations as a part of a the EV Project, a partnership funded by both private organizations and the U.S. Department of Energy.

No official announcement has been made as to which stores will receive the charging stations, but states where locations are being considered include Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. ECOtality will install and manage the charging stations, while IKEA, “will be responsible for preparing sites for installation, keeping them orderly and reporting charging information to ECOtality.” The pilot project will run until December 2012.

“We are excited this partnership will make charging stations more accessible to the many people choosing to drive electric vehicles,” said Mike Ward, IKEA U.S. president. “Hosting charging stations at IKEA locations known for regional draws furthers our commitment to a smaller carbon footprint and technological opportunities that help protect the environment. This project is part of a global effort to promote the sustainable transport of people.”

In total ECOtality will establish 14,000 electric car charging stations in the U.S. at both residential and commercial locations.