Diesels are starting to make a serious push in the U.S. marketplace and while both the Japanese (Mazda) and Americans (General Motors) are planning oil burners for our shores, it’s the Germans that have always cornered the market on diesel options for passenger cars.

While VW has offered diesels for years, its Audi luxury brand has only had the A3 TDI on the market for a relatively short while. Audi is now looking to expand its diesel lineup, adding a TDI option for the new A6 luxury sedan.

According to the latest reports the A6 will get a 3.0-liter turbo diesel making between 225 and 250-hp. But that’s not all. Audi is also looking to introduce a 313-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter diesel that would produce well over 400 lb-ft of torque and deliver a 0-60 time of around 5.5 seconds.

Audi has not given any indication of when this diesel A6 might hit our shores.

[Source: Car&Driver]

The video (below the jump) is the stunt that was most voted on by fans of the Mercedes-Benz Facebook page. So if it’s not extreme enough, you have a lot of people to blame.

How about a C111 rotary gullwing jumping the St. Lawrence? Why not a bunch of E-Class convertibles and GLKs in a symphonic destructo-thon? Alas, those harebrained ideas detract from the impressiveness of this stunt already, where a C63 AMG coupe drifts figure-eights around a pair of C63 AMG sedans. It’s no Saab Suite, but it’s still pretty damn cool.

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At 20/28 MPG city and highway, Ford‘s Ecoboosted Explorer is the most efficient seven-passenger SUV on the market.

With 28 MPG on the highway that’s 3 more than a Highlander, 4 more than a Traverse, and 5 more than both the Highlander and Grand Cherokee. Not bad for a four-cylinder. Four pistons in an SUV, of course, still get the stigma of slowness, but the Explorer delivers 240 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to the miracle of turbocharging, this is more torque than the 250 lb-ft found in the 3.5-liter V6.

And all on regular gas, too!

There are some drawbacks, however. Ford is saving the 2.0-liter Ecoboost for just the front-wheel-drive model. With that combination, towing capacity drops from 1979 Continental to Miata levels, or 5,000 to 2,000 lbs. And above all, the Boosted Explorer will feature a price premium of $995 over the V6, in a reversal of cylinder count posturing.

Will consumers accept the higher price and lower towing for better mileage? Either way, it’s nice to have the option.

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Ford Explorer Review or hit the jump to watch our video review:

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Plug-in technology aren’t just the darling of shoe-shaped hybrids anymore. Ford’s F-Series heavy-duty trucks are getting the chance to ride the lightning, and it could mean sweeping changes in the commercial truck segment.

Don’t look for this on the popular F-150 yet, however. Think bigger. The commercial F-550 Super Duty will get the first plug-in technology from supplier Azure Dynamics, which is targeting a 2013 release date. The F-450 and F-350 Super Duties will be next.

“As interest in alternative energy products continues to grow, consumers are looking for more powertrain options that are both environmentally friendly and fit their driving needs,” said Rob Stevens, a Ford engineer. “The flexibility of our vehicle platforms and chassis allows Ford to develop our own alternative fuel products or work with partners, like Azure Dynamics, to deliver consumers with the power of choice when purchasing a greener, more fuel efficient vehicle.”

Previously, Azure worked with Ford to electrify the Transit Connect and Econoline. A commercial plug-in F-Series would target a market of 100,000 vehicles per year, and the conversion will be aimed at larger commercial fleets that will eventually trickle down to regional sales. Currently, the F-550 is available with a compressed natural-gas variant, as well as the usual array of diesel and gasoline engines.

If Ford has any say, the CD player could go the way of the cassette, 8-track, and the phonograph: because what are ya, some kind of Metamucil-chuggin’ geezer?

Time to throw out that David Bowie’s Greatest Hits CD, because digital media is the only route for Ford and its SYNC system. The well-publicized “infotainment hub” will allow Wifi access of drivers’ digital libraries, from Spotifiy or Apple’s iCloud. MP3 players can also plug right in via aux inputs. And with 2.15 million Fords expected to have SYNC by 2015, it will be enough to sink the CD player and falling physical media sales (down 12.4% in 2010).

[Source: Newser]

The White House announced earlier that it would be lowering its CAFE standard from 56.5 MPG to 54. The proposal, however, won’t be finalized until Friday—and until then, the White House is looking towards automakers to approve the change.

Automakers have yet to officially endorse the new limits, but many are expected to favor any CAFE lowering. Despite this, German manufacturers such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz still oppose even the new regulations, at the potential cost of stiff penalties if they don’t accept these terms and conditions.

These terms and conditions are still the same, of course: passenger cars will have to improve their mileage 5% every year from 2017 to 2025; by 2016, the average mileage standard across the industry will be 35.5 MPG.

[Source: Left Lane News]

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler Group and Fiat, announced that Maserati’s future SUV will make its world debut in September at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The concept vehicle at the show, will provide a good idea as to what to expect from the production version set to follow in 2013.

The Maserati SUV will be built on the Jeep Grand Cherokee platform but will utilize a different engine. Marchionne revealed that the SUV will feature a “rock and roll engine”, whatever that means. It has been rumoured that the Maserati may feature a Ferrari-sourced V8 or V12, but that has recently been ruled out. The most recent rumour is that of a Chrysler HEMI V8 with 465-hp being used, but nothing is certain. Europe will most likely receive a diesel variant, possibly with a 3.0-liter twin turbo Fiat engine. The engine choice will be a vital and strategic move for Maserati, in order to take on the Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5/X6 and Range Rover.

[Source: Top Speed]

The official launch of the eagerly anticipated Audi TT RS took place with the first vehicle was delivered to veteran race car driver Don Istook.

Last year, Istook was one of more than 11,500 fans that signed a Facebook petition to introduce the TT RS to the U.S. Istook was also one of the first drivers to race an Audi Quattro in the U.S in 1985, as well as driving the S4 in the Motorola Cup race series of yesteryear.

“Having raced at almost every major track in the U.S. and Canada, I’ve pushed the limits in many cars in my 34 years as a race car driver,” Istook said. “I like my street car to give me some of that thrill. With my new Audi TT RS, I not only get that thrill, but I also get that ‘race car’ sound.”

The 2012 TT RS represents the pinnacle of TT performance. The RS is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder TFSI engine that cranks out 360-hp and 343 lb-ft of torque. The TT RS has been priced at $56,850.

Ferrari announced today that the first six months of 2011 have been the best in the company’s history. The Italian automaker posted a record revenue of $1.1 billion for the first six months of this year and delivered a record 3,577 units or 11.8 percent more than the first half of 2010. Sales also increased in the U.S by 23.9 percent to 939. Chinese sales have increased 116 percent to 378 vehicles.

“These results come thanks to the success of the two 12-cylinder limited editions – the 599 GTO and the SA Aperta – and the strong performance of the 8-cylinder models with the California the standard-bearer in the GT sector and the 458 Italia the benchmark in the sports car area,” Ferrari said in a statement.

With the launch of the all-new Ferrari FF underway, the vehicle will most likely contribute to even better sales results in the next few months.

Insiders have revealed that Mercedes-Benz is testing banana wood as a trim on the next S-Class and that all wood veneers are 100 percent real. Exotic materials such as silk and cashmere are also being considered.

The current S-Class is becoming somewhat long-in-the-tooth, compared to the recently released Audi A8 and BMW 7-Series. Mercedes-Benz has prepared to launch the next-gen S-Class vehicle, to combat the rivals, sometime next year as a 2013 model. The designers and engineers are working to make the materials more durable for everyday use, which is a smartl idea considering what buyers expect from a $100,000 car.

[Souce: egm Car Tech]