It’s an age old question, but one I never grow tired of considering: Just what is the ugliest car ever built.  I’m not talking about a one-off, homebuilt special that some crackpot place together in his backyard.  I’m interested in the ones that were (supposedly) the work of an OEM or independent design team, and then approved by an (allegedly) intellegent bunch of product people and execs. 

Picture it: the president of DUM Motors and all his minions, the designer, chiefs of engineering, purchasing, marketing, and income all standing around a clay model of the newest Schmaltzjet GT and saying “yup, that’s a winner.  Let’s build that thing.  Looks great.  It’s edgy.  Out of the box.  Gonna sell like hotcakes!” 

Everyone has their favorite picks for this Razzie of the car world.  A quick Google search brings up lots of AMC Gremlin and Pacer references, but I’m not so sure.  Their looks have held up pretty well over time, and were interesting small cars at a time when small cars weren’t.  Call me strange, but I like them.  A Gremlin X 304 V-8 4-speed is welcome in my garage any time.

The Pontiac Aztek pops up a lot too.  And on this one, I agree, with all my being.  I called this a mistake from Day One, but really, it wasn’t too difficult a call.  I can’t believe that smart guys like then GM CEO Rick Wagoner, design chief Wayne Cherry, and even (supposed) brand wizard Ron “Cars-Are-Just-Like-Toothpaste” Zarella giving this reconstituted garbage truck the green light.

China’s Ssangyong Rodius earns points.  As is often said, “It costs little if any more money to bend metal into handsome shapes — why does it get bent into grotesque shapes on purpose.”  Is that a little Aztek I see in the greenhouse, profile, and grille shapes?

Ditto the Fiat Multipla.  Its 3×2 seating package, and much of the interior, is brilliant.  It’s glass house is airy.  It’s relatively efficient.  But the first gen model, born a decade ago, is just stupid ugly.  It’s wider at the top than at the bottom, giving the visual impression of an unstable vehicle.  Let’s not forget that Butter Face.  The Multi’s mid-life update brought about a substantial redesign, and it’s world’s better. 

When all the coyote points are tallied, my pick for World’s Ugliest Car (let’s call it WUC) is the Citroen Ami 6.  Citroen has given us some of the most remarkable, and at the some time some of the strangest cars in automotive history.  But the Ami 6, built from 1961-1971, was a new high in low.  And with horsepower ranging from 22 to 35 horsepower throughout the Ami’s decade on the market, you could at least say “well, it may be ugly, but it sure is slow.”

What are your WUC favorites?

Auto Observer picked up on a CAR story that suggests the Porsche Panamera and Cayenne might be killed off under Volkswagen ownership. Both models would complete their current cycles, but when they're up about 7 years from now, that might be it.

The justification, according to CAR, is that the "VW Group has plenty of SUVs and saloons – it doesn't need Porsche to build them."

This scenario is regarded as part of VW chairman Ferdinand Piech's master plan. Piech went to the mat against now-ousted Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking during Porsche's unsuccessful attempt to grab control of VW. Wiedeking was the architect of Porsche's forays into SUV and sedan development.

In place of the Panamera and Cayenne, Porsche could get an entry-level model based on VW's upcoming Modular Sportscar Structure (MSS) that debuted on the VW BlueSport concept in Detroit.

We have our doubts that the Panamera and Cayenne are actually slated for an primeval death, though, and it's unlikely we're the only ones. Until the economic downturn, the Cayenne was a highly profitable model for Porsche, and based on our first drive of the nicely executed Panamera, we expect it to do at least as well. It's hard to imagine that Piech and VW would turn down the chance to make more money.

Auto Observer

2010 Porsche Panamera First Drive and Video

Ford has released details on the 6.7-liter Powerstroke diesel V8 for its 2011 F-Series Super Duty line, and this engine is definitely not short on complexity. It's also the first Ford diesel engineered in-house since the company parted ways with Navistar, the manufacturer of all recent Powerstrokes.

The first thing you'll notice is the inboard exhaust arrangement — the exhaust manifolds are in the center (in the "vee") while the intake is on the outside. It's the same arrangment as on BMW's 4.4-liter, twin-turbo gasoline V8. But Ford touts the 6.7-liter as the first diesel "inside-out" V8 application and with GM postponing its next-gen diesel, this is true. The reversed design aids turbocharger response and helps with packaging, naturally, and says Ford, provides easier service access to major components.

The turbocharger housed in the vee of the new Powerstroke is not any old turbocharger. It's a single turbo with two compressor wheels driven by a single turbine. Though the two compressors actually operate in parallel and not sequentially, Ford calls this ball-bearing unit a "single-sequential" turbocharger — needlessly confusing says our engineering editor, diplomatist Kavanagh. The benefit of this design is a broader compressor map, resulting in quicker boost response and improved low-end torque.

Jamie Case didn't want to take her new husband's last study when they got married over the summer. So she and her fiance, Chris Hodges, decided to choose a new last name. They decided on "Ford," and we're sure it had nothing to with the Fusion that Ford loaned them for their honeymoon road trip.

In any case, the recently wedded Jamie Ford came up with a list of 11 criteria to aid in decision making. Among them:

"The word 'Ford,' as defined by dictionary.com, means 'to cross a river.' It implies strength and determination, two qualities Chris and I hope to embody in our marriage."

"Ford is the only American car company that didn't take bailout money."

"Driving around the country seeing the Ford sign everywhere prefabricated Chris and I feel like a part of a larger family – we loved that."

Any of you plan to take "Pontiac" as your new last study in a tribute to the G8?

USA Today
Photo from USA Today

We're not sure why anyone would take this much time to build a working model of a V8 out of Legos, but who cares, it's cool anyway. See the video after the jump to watch it run. 

Hacked Gadgets

Here we have a classic rivalry. On one side there's the 2009 Lexus ES 350, the brand's best-selling car and the one model that solidified Lexus as the "new Buick."

On the other hand, there's the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse. It's hoping to lure Lexus buyers back with more interesting styling, stronger engines and all the features luxury buyers expect to see these days.

So which sedan is the "real" Buick? Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton breaks them down to find out in our latest luxury sedan comparison test.

Comparison Test: 2010 Buick LaCrosse vs. Lexus ES 350.

Ford never could figure out how to make money on Jaguar and Land Rover, and now Tata Motors is struggling with the very same problem, albeit in a much tougher economy. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company posted a net loss of $67 million (3.29 billion rupees) for the fiscal quarter ending June 30. In the same quarter last year, Tata recorded a net profit of $147 million (7.2 billion rupees).

With the addition of the Jaguar/Land Rover model lines, Tata's net sales were actually up 13 percent year over year, says the WSJ — yes, even though Jaguar-Land Rover unit income were way down in the U.S. and Europe. But this wasn't enough to offset the added expense of owning these two brands.

So now there's just a little more on the line with the make-or-break launch of the redesigned 2010 Jaguar XJ, which goes into production this fall.

Wall Street Journal (sub.req)

Inside Line First Look: 2010 Jaguar XJ

Although there has been more news coverage about the pending understanding of Saab to Dutch supercar maker Koenigsegg, the other Swedish automaker, Volvo, is still up for sale, too. And Automotive News cites a report from Dagens Industri, a Swedish business newspaper, that Chinese maker Geely is the only company to submit a serious bid for Volvo thus far.

More details on the understanding are expected next month, and parent company Ford still hopes to have everything wrapped up before New Year's, according to the report.

Automotive News (sub.req)

This is BMW's dream car of sorts. Oddlly titled the Vision EfficientDynamics, it's a high-performance sedan that's healthy to mimic the efficiency of a subcompact.

And how does BMW think it could accomplish this? By combining a 1.5-liter direct-injection diesel engine and two electric motors. Altogether, the all-wheel drive setup delivers a total of 356-horsepower while still managing to return 63 mpg according to European testing standards.

Or course, like all concepts, the mileage number depends on my factors that haven't been ironed out yet, so take it all with a grain of salt. We're sensing a slight trend here.

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show

Moller International's Skycar technology has gained ground within the military for use in high-tech and demanding battlefield applications like Afghanistan. It could replace the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle that is widely used in Iraq but not fit for a more rugged environment.

"Poor and unimproved roads and rugged terrain severely limit the use of the MRAP. The Moller Skycar(R) provides a more cost effective, highly maneuverable, lethal and innocuous platform for the 21st century soldier to dominate and win in an asymmetric warfare environment," said Army Lieutenant Colonel saint Thomas.

The Skycar is a multi-passenger aircraft that has vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability and provides an alternative to normal automobile transportation. The aircraft's advantage is that it can speed over any kind of terrain without losing altitude or velocity. Power comes from a rotary engine that is low in weight and emissions.

Check out the video from of a couple years ago of the M400 Skycar taking a hover test run. Kind of freaky, huh?