Autoline Daily

Move over Nano, there’s a new ultra-cheap car in town! Indian automaker Bajaj introduced a new low-priced vehicle called the RE60. Fiat just increased its stake in Chrysler. It now controls 58.5 percent of the Auburn Hills-based automaker. Tata had a big day at the New Delhi Auto Expo, showing off several new products and concepts. All that and more, plus a look at December sales.

Bentley sales are back to pre-recession levels and the super-luxury brand is considering building an SUV. The price tag? At least 140,000 dollars. Ford will unveil a redesigned version of its popular EcoSport B-segment SUV at the New Delhi Auto Expo this week. It's an important product for the company and CEO Alan Mulally will be on hand for the reveal. In related news, German supply giant Bosch is making a big investment in India. All that and more, plus a look at the North American Truck of the Year finalists.

The Polk company says worldwide car sales could hit 77.7 million units in 2012, about a 7 percent gain compared to 2011. Mopar is set to unveil a couple of new packages at the Detroit Auto Show next week. A man in Southern California is looking to shatter the current land speed record of 763 miles an hour, by hitting 2,000 MPH! All that and more, plus John McElroy and two of his fellow NACTOY jurors predict which of the three Car of the Year finalists will win the award.

Hyundai just named Christopher Chapman as its Chief Designer in the U.S. He’ll be responsible for new vehicle and concept designs. Biodiesel incentives are set to expire at the end of the year in the U.S. Edmunds predicts that car sales will end up at 12.8 million units in the U.S. this year. All that and more, plus a look at the brand new Buick Verano.

The National Transportation Safety Board recently recommended that all mobile phones be banned in cars, even hands-free phones. But in a startling outbreak of common sense, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he does not support the ban. Rumors are swirling around Italy that Luca di Montezemolo might run for prime minister. GM engineers are working to eradicate noisy brakes. All that and more, plus a look at the new Volkswagen Golf R.

Audi will introduce an all-wheel-drive, limited-edition version of the A1 which goes on sale next year, but not in the U.S. Pricing and a few technical details on the Tesla Model S have finally been released. Mercedes just started exporting the E-Class out of China and Honda is exporting Fits built in China to Canada. All that and more, plus John answers your questions and comments in the “You Said It!” segment.

Two former UAW officers were just sentenced to prison for extortion. A company called True Car is infuriating dealers because the method it uses to turn leads into sales is killing profits. The next-generation Audi A3 is going to share some pretty significant parts with Skodas . . . and tens of other vehicles! All that and more, plus a look at how Lexus is getting the word out about its brand-new GS sedan.

Well, as we’ve been predicting for over a year, Saab is filing for bankruptcy and will likely liquidate its assets. Chevy will debut an RS version of the Sonic at the Detroit Auto Show next month. Car sales this month in the U.S. could reach 1.23 million units, which is a 15 percent gain from November. All that and more, plus a look at the all-new Hyundai Accent.

The finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards were announced. Former DaimlerChrysler CEO Tom LaSorda will join Fisker and Mercedes-Benz USA announced its replacement for former CEO, Ernst Lieb. Google was granted a patent for a vehicle that can switch from being human driven to autonomously operated. All that and more, plus Mark Fields, the head of Ford in the America’s, explains how Ford is reacting to all the negative publicity its been hit with regarding MyFord touch and its dual clutch transmissions.

Opel has been struggling for some time now, but it looks like the situation will get worse before it gets better. Sergio Marchionne says he expects Fiat and Chrysler to post a 3 billion dollar operating profit in 2012. Tomorrow, the final Cologne V-6 will be installed in the last Ford Ranger pickup. All that and more, plus guest host Christie Schweinsberg from Ward’s Auto fills us in on the winners of their annual 10 Best Engines List.