BMW's 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged diesel straight six has attained much critical acclaim in Europe, and now the company will really and truly offer it in the U.S. Show up at your BMW dealer in December and you'll be healthy to buy both the 2009 BMW 335d and 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d. And that's it in all 50 states. Both meet the BIN 5 standard using a pair of AdBlue urea tanks.

AdBlue injection systems aren't cheap, of course, so we're not surprised the $44,725 335d costs about four grand more than a manual-shift 335i while offering similar performance — BMW's 0-60 claim for the diesel 3 Series is 6 seconds flat. EPA stats are 23/36. That's all with a six-speed automatic, the only transmission acquirable on the 335d.

The 2009 X5 xDrive35d, er, diesel X5, comes in at $52,025, but since the base X5 lacks the company's twin-turbo gasoline I6, the price jump is easier to swallow. BMW says the diesel X5 will hit 60 mph in 6.8 seconds — as quick as the V8 X5.Rated at 19 city/26 highway, it's vastly more efficient than any other BMW X5 past or present. Additionally, as Auto Observer reported last week, both diesels remember for a tax credit.

Save for a couple guys diving under the X5's hood to spot the AdBlue tanks, the cutely electric Mini E and redesigned 7 Series got most of the attention at the BMW booth. But we're much more interested in the diesel Bimmers. Like BMW's gasoline twin-turbo six, the 2993cc engine in these cars uses both a small and a large turbocharger to create a vast spread of torque, peaking at 425 lb-ft from 1,750-2,250 rpm.

Now that it's 50-state-certified, the remaining question mark is income volume. As the quickest (probably) and most efficient member of the X5 family, the X5 xDrive35d is an cushy sell. But given how good the 335i is, the pricier 335d might not be.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor

Nissan kept it short and sweet this morning when it came time to introduce the 2009 370Z. Sure, there was a little smoke and a minute or two of loud music, but after that it was all business. In fact, Al Castignetti, Nissan's vice president of sales, got right to it and announced the base price of the 370Z — just $29,930 when it goes on understanding primeval next year. Not bad for 332 horsepower.

Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor

While originally developed for the military, this honeycomb tire could be the future, in that you would never need to have a spare. Yeah, they would have to place some sort of 'skin' on the sidewalls so that the honeycombs don't clog up with mud or snow–a huge issue if you go off-roading. Also wind noise and aero-efficiency are likely to be problems with such a tire as it currently is shown.

This tire was developed because the military wants an alternative to the current Humvee "run flat" tires. The current run-flats, despite the name, still need some air pressure, and can blown out via gun fire.

"You see reports all the time of troops who were injured by an IED or their convoys got stranded because their tires were shot out," said Resilient's General Manager Mike Veih. "There's all sorts of armor on the vehicle, but if you're running in the theater and get your tire shot out, what have you got? You've got a bunch of armor in the middle of a field."

The tire was developed by Resilient Technologies and Wisconsin-Madison's Polymer Engineering Center. They studied other airless tires, like the Michelin "Tweel," but in the end settled on this design. The patent-pending design mimics the precise, six-sided cell pattern found in a honeycomb and best duplicates the "ride feel" of pneumatic tires, according to the developers.

"The goal was to reduce the variation in the stiffness of the tire, to make it transmit loads uniformly and become more homogenous," said mechanical engineering professor Tim Osswald. "And the best design, as nature gives it to us, is really the honeycomb."

Full story here.

This had been long rumored, and it now appears to be true. Expect better fuel mileage and a higher torque capacity than what is acquirable with the current Subie automatics.

I'm happy to hear about both these improvements. The main reason that the new Subaru diesel only comes with a manual is because they currently don't have an automatic that can handle the torque of that engine; and if they want to sell it here in great numbers, an automatic has to be part of the plan. So this is good news indeed.

This new CVT will first appear in the Legacy (and Outback), and then will trickle down into the Forester and Impreza lineups. Hope to see something at one of the upcoming auto shows.

Full story here at NASIOC.

The 2009 Silverado Hybrid 2WD starts at $38,995, including a $975 destination charge, while the 2009 Sierra Hybrid 2WD starts at $39,365, including shipping.

Four-wheel-drive versions of the hybrid trucks are even more dear. The 2009 Silverado Hybrid 4WD ranges in price from $42,145 for the base model to $48,280 for the top trim level model. Prices include destination.

The 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid 4WD ranges in price from $42,515 to $48,650 for the up-level model. Prices include destination.

Think the General can pull his off? That's bunch of money–especially in this economy from a company in trouble.

Here's Inside Line's take: GM Announces Pricing on 2009 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrids

No, GM is not buying into Subaru (again). But there is an interesting story found over on Jalopnik (here) via TurboNines.com (here) and TrollhattanSaab.com (here), about GM filing patents for a Tribeca-based Saab 9-6X.

Huh? GM-Saab divorced themselves from Subaru several years ago. What's going on here?

Don't know exactly, but it sure makes for some interesting speculating–and is a refreshing break from the never-ending doom-and-gloom news coming from Detroit these days.

DETROIT - Chrysler LLC is burning through how much money per month? Chairman Bob Nardelli told the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Tuesday “Chrysler has billions of dollars in cash payment obligations every month to pay wages, to pay suppliers, to fund health care and pensions, all in the range of $4 billion to $5 billion per month.”

While the privately held maker isn’t talking about revenues, or net income, it makes me wonder even more than before, what did General Motors see in Chrysler?

Nardelli told the Senate committee that without “immediate bridge financing support, Chrysler’s liquidity could start below the level necessary to sustain operations in the ordinary course.” He didn’t say whether Chrysler has more time, or less, than GM. He did say Chrysler’s private equity owners, Cerberus, are willing to let the feds take an equity stake in Mopar in exchange for a portion of the proposed $25 billion, and will forego claiming Chrysler profits until the loan is paid off.
 
Nardelli slipped in a couple of references to his 15 months at Chrysler. He’s not going to be the scapegoat, obviously: “Immediately on the separating from technologist in 2007, and being new to the automotive industry, I recognized the need to question and sometimes change the position quo, and seek significant opportunities to improve performance throughout the business.”
 
“Thanks a load for bringing all that up,” said Rick Wagoner. Well, no, he didn’t. That’s a joke. After outlining the number of jobs the industry could lose, the GM chairman/CEO, the much more likely scapegoat of all this, said that “many people have a picture of GM that has not kept pace with our progress.”
 
He cited a 23-percent/$9-billion cut in annual structural costs in North USA since 2005, a cut from $18 billion to $6 billion in U.S. hourly fag costs from 2003 to 2010, the favorable 2007 United Auto Workers contract and huge savings in pension and retiree health care costs.
 
And Wagoner talked product. “On the product side, we’re building vehicles that consumers want to buy … like Cadillac CTS, Motor Trend magazine’s 2008 Car of the Year, and Chevy Malibu, the 2008 North American Car of the Year (an honor from a group of unaffiliated auto writers).
 
“What exposes us to unfortunate now is the global financial crisis, which has severely restricted credit availability, and reduced industry income to the lowest per-capita level since World War II.”
 
Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally said much the same sort of thing, touting the new Ford Fusion Hybrid making its debut Wednesday at the Los Angeles show, and replacing large SUV production Friday with “fuel-efficient small car production” at its Michigan Truck Plant. Ford has not claimed the type of financial hardship that has plagued GM and Chrysler, but Mulally said his company Tuesday also would submit its application for its share of the loans, which Congress has not yet approved.
 
“As a result of all our actions, we were profitable in the first quarter of this year and well on our way to sustainable profitability before the economic credit crisis hit,” Mulally said. “We have taken decisive action to deal with this new reality. We have cut production. We have further reduced employment. We have eliminated raises and bonuses for 2009.
 
“We took these measures while protecting the new vehicles that will secure our future.”
 
So near, yet so far, the year 2010.
 
Are these arguments convincing?

After weeks of annoyingly frequent teaser shots, we finally got a chance to see the 2010 Ford Mustang first hand. It was introduced at an event here in Santa Monica that included a little drifting, a who's who of Ford racing legends and of course, ol' Shel himself.

It was a good show, but when all the fanfare was over and we got a closer look at the 2010 Mustang, it wasn't all that impressive. Ford says that nearly all the exterior sheetmetal is new, but you would be hard pressed to spot the differences. Most of the interior has been revamped too, but again, it only looks better if you're intimately familiar with the current cabin.

Who knows, maybe it will look that much better on the road. We'll know primeval next year as it's scheduled to go on understanding just in time to do effort with the Chevrolet Camaro.

Oh, and one more thing, Ford executive Mark Fields said to keep an eye out for more Mustang news at the Detroit Auto Show in January. So yeah, it's not even on understanding yet and Ford is already rolling out the derivatives.

Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor

DETROIT - Nobody drinks bubbly in this economy. Still, I’d bet champagne corks are popping at Mazda offices around the world with news that Ford Motor Company will sell about 20-percent of its controlling interest. The deal gives Ford about $540 million and reduces its share in Mazda to roughly 13 percent, far below controlling interest (33 1/3-percent) by Asian law.

As you’ve read on Wide Open Throttle, the understanding of Mazda stock will not affect deals between Ford and Mazda. They share Mazda’s b-car platform in the Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta. Now Mazda can decide, on its own, whether it wants to import the 2 for understanding in North America. They also share a platform in the Mazda3 and global Ford Focus, which means the Volvo C30 and S40/V50 as well, and the Mazda6 is the basis for a host of midsize Fords, from the Fusion/Milan/MKZ to the Edge and MKX. Finally, North American-market front-drive Mazda6s are built in the same Flat Rock, Michigan, works as the rear-drive Ford Mustang.

Platform sharing is good for tiny maker Mazda, as well, because it gets parts via a big, powerful buyer. Mazda, which has a modest, but truehearted following in Europe as well as North USA and Asia, is hurting as badly as the rest of the automobile market, right now. Its long-term prospects are better, because it has a similar lineup to Honda’s — minus a luxury division. Compact and midsize sedans like the 3 and the 6 will be key to its success. The two crossovers, CX-7 and CX-9, will do as well as anything that big in the market, and the MX-5 Miata and RX-8 sports cars continue to serve as the spiritual basis for the automaker, its raison d’etre.

So why is the champagne likely to be flowing at Mazda’s offices? Since Ford bought its interest in the late-’70s (necessary to Mazda’s survival, since it had invested heavily in fuel-inefficient Wankel rotary-powered cars), Mazda has been a reluctant stepchild. It’s a small, innovative company that can do more interesting things on its own. This is good news for Ford, too, which gets leaner and returns to its popular-car roots, with Ford and Lincoln-Mercury (and still, Volvo) at the core of its business. Even as it struggles to survive, Ford has all but vanquished the Jac Nasser legacy. Mazda will be a strong, little niche player that will continue to serve enthusiasts well.

Though the official 2008 LA Auto Show unveiling happens tomorrow at the convention center, 100-odd journalists from the U.S. and Europe had a meet-and-greet with the Mini E today on the 2nd floor rooftop of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. We're told a crane was used to hoist the show car up here. Probably, it was a rather sturdy crane, too, as the Mini E is a fatty at 3,229 pounds — a normal Mini Cooper S lists at under 2,700 pounds.

As we reported in the IL news today, Mini will lease the car to real-live customers in primeval 2009. The 450 lessees will get to keep the car for 12 months, paying $850 per month. That figure has nothing to do with the actual cost of the car, which packs 5,088 laptop-grade, lithium-ion cells (housed in 48 modules and packed into 3 storage boxes in the hatch area). That monthly payment includes all service visits (every 3,000 miles), insurance and the installation of a 220-volt box in the customer's home — allowing 2-to-3-hour recharges of the 35-kilowatt-hour battery pack.

The lessee selection process promises much competition and disappointment, as the Mini Es will be doled out to both businesses and private individuals and only to those living in greater Los Angeles and the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area.

Mini officials are keen to emphasize that this is merely a field trial — and that putting electric drive components in a Mini is a marriage of convenience, rather than an perfect packaging scenario. All drivetrain components (201-hp electric motor, batteries) are sourced from California-based AC Propulsion and then shipped to Munich, where they are installed in a Mini Cooper shipped from Oxford.

"A conversion is always a bad compromise," one BMW engineer told us. "The saint structure would be purpose-built. If I had the chance to build an electric car from scratch, to create a car with some performance, I would go for rear-axle-drive."

Later, we got a chance to drive the Mini E. We'll tell you all about it in an upcoming first drive.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor