We know that Ford is working to reconcile its European and American performance-car lineups. The declaration at March's Geneva Auto Show of a new global performance Focus, based on the small car we get next year, is proof of that.

Ford in Europe is upping the enviousness bourgeois in the meantime by planning to produce the flat-black terror you see here, the Focus RS500. And no, it will not be acquirable in the U.S.

The RS500 is higher-performance version of the already absurdly-high-performance Focus RS currently sold in Europe. The RS500 is powered by the same turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder as the "standard" RS. But Ford has cranked the output to 345 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. That's about 40 more horses than the regular RS and about 14 lb-ft more torque.

All that power will travel through the front wheels via a Quaife limited-slip differential and Ford's torque-steer-fighting RevoKnuckle modified strut front suspension. The wheels will be 19 inchers. That's about all we know on the vehicle right now.

It'll be sold in 20 European countries. If you were paying attention in geography class, the United States is not, in fact, in Europe.

We knew this was coming some time ago. Then we saw Cadillac photographing a CTS-V Sport Wagon in LA. And, honestly, we've been pining for just such a vehicle for, oh, forever.

Still, we find ourselves unnaturally excited at seeing images of the 556-hp super wagon. And we anticipate spending a clean amount of time at next week's New York Auto Show staring at it, sitting in it making engine noises with our mouths, pretending it was ours.

The annual income won't even make the tiniest of blips on the income charts. In fact, we anticipate Cadillac will sell fewer CTS-V Sport Wagons than the number of horsepower the CTS-V Sport Wagon makes.

Whatever. The auto version is mechanically same to the sedan and upcoming coupe versions. That Includes, of course, the 556-hp supercharged LSA motor (with 551 pound-feet of torque), the choice of a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission, the limited-slip differential, the 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 performance tires, the attractable ride control and everything else that's prefabricated the CTS-V sedan one of our favorite four-doors.

The blacked-out grille, silver-blue paint and the finish on the wheels are unique to the show car and are not for immediate understanding on the vehicle, which should hit dealer lots late this year. Instead, those unique finishes and that unique color are intended to gauge public reaction of Cadillac's future style. Again, whatever. All we know is that we are right now negotiating with Cadillac officials to take the mother of all grocery-getting trips.

The CTS-V wagon, which will also be sold in the Middle East and in Europe, should cost about $64,000. 

Yep, those are some pretty ridiculous numbers, which in turn should yield some even more ridiculous numbers when the Hennessey Venom GT actually hits the test track. For now, all we have is a new set of photos and promises that Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) will build up to 10 Venom GTs a year for customers willing to part with roughly $600,000 for the privilege.

A pretty expensive proposition for sure, but then again, the Venom GT will likely be one of the fastest supercars ever built given its power-to-weight ratio. The monstrous horsepower number is delivered by none other than the supercharged LS9 V8 that provides a mere 638-hp to the Corvette ZR1. And if 750 horses isn't enough, HPE says it will offer twin-turbocharged versions with 1,000 and 1,200 horsepower as well.

The feathery curb weight is due to an all carbon fiber body and an aluminum chassis. The cars will be built in England after HPE ships over the finished engines from  its artefact in Texas. Expect to hear more as the Venom GT get closer to production.

Most manufacturers move until a model is actually on understanding before coming up with special versions of said car. Well, the new GM is apparently not just any car maker.

The long gestation of the U.S.-market Chevrolet Cruze necessitates keeping the public interest up on Chevy's new bread-and-butter midsize sedan. And the company will try to do that with a double-bill of special Cruze versions at this week's New York Auto Show.

Make the jump to read more.

The first, pictured above, is the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze with the optional RS sport appearance package. It'll be acquirable on both LT and LTZ trim levels and, as the study indicates, it is strictly about looks. The RS gets different bumper covers front and rear, rocker moldings, a rear spoiler and fog lamps. Inside, the RS comes with what Chevy is calling "an uplevel instrument cluster," which includes chrome rings in place of standard silver-finish pieces and "opaque cluster bezels," to replace what are apparently transparent cluster bezels on the standard car. We'll let you know what all of that might mean as soon as we find out. Otherwise, the RS is powered by the same 1.4-liter turbocharged four cylinder as other LT and LTZ Cruzes, which puts out an estimated 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque. (LS models make due with a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter four cylinder).

The other special edition is the Cruze Eco model which is the model that will make good on Chevy's early claim that the Cruze could deliver 40 mpg on the highway. The Eco looks pretty much like all the other Cruzes we've seen, except that it's blue instead of red. That 40 mpg number is for the Eco with the six-speed manual transmission. Numbers for the six-speed automatic-equipped version were not released. The Eco achieves its fuel economy improvement through aerodynamics and low rolling resistance. The lower front grille air shutter closes at higher speeds to reduce drag and opens at lower speeds for engine cooling. Also aiding the aero: The front air barrier is lower, some of the upper grille is blocked off, there's extensive underbody panels and the ride height is lowered. The Eco rides on low-rolling resistance 17-inch Goodyear tires and will get to 60 mph from a stand still in 10 seconds, according to Chevy.

BMW’s own research shows that 80 percent of customers who buy the 1 Series think their new car is front-wheel-drive. The automaker’s chief executive officer, Norbert Reithofer, revealed this in an analysts’ conference call. Presumably, Reithofer was speaking about all customers around the globe, not just the Americans that embraced the brand as a yuppie-mobile in the ’80s.

Reithofer’s statement is self-serving, of course, coming shortly after reports that BMW would soon build a small front-wheel drive car despite the company previously making it clear that rear-wheel-drive was part of the brand’s DNA, with front-wheel-drive reserved for its Mini brand.

With those oft-cited draconian European CO2 and U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards on the way, we’ll soon see a float of sub-1 Series BMWs and of sub-C-Class Mercedes-Benzes, most or all with FWD. The Toyota FT-86 and its unnamed Subaru sibling notwithstanding, FWD is the way to go for interior space packaging and cost, especially if you can share the sub-1 Series platform with the next-generation Mini. Or, in the case of Mercedes, update and expand the A- and B-Class platform.

It has become painfully clear since General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler shifted most of its mainstream models to FWD from the 1980s and primeval ’90s that maintaining a fleet of both FWD and RWD is costly and difficult. Getting rid of unibody RWD wholesale by the ’90s, so that the automakers would have to re-start from scratch is one of the bigger mistakes Detroit has prefabricated in recent decades. Ford has wiped out its RWD unibody models, save for the live-rear-axle Mustang. Chrysler went back to RWD for its big Chrysler and Dodges only with the help of Daimler, so you can’t say that “merger of equals” was entirely fruitless. And GM has struggled to return to rear-drive large cars since the primeval ’00s.

In our story on GM’s new Alpha platform, which supplies RWD to the future Chevy Camaro, Cadillac ATS and CTS, and perhaps one or two more cars, I report that the taxpayer-owned maker needs to decide whether to develop a new eight-speed automatic for FWD or RWD.

I know what many of you will say: why not both? The answer is that doing both would just about double its cost. It could be the difference between spending $1 billion on FWD only and $2 billion — yes, that’s with a “b” — on FWD and RWD. And while you’d think the logical solution would be eight speeds for the more prestigious rear-drive cars, the plain economic fact is that the new tranny would pay for itself much more quickly if adapted for the higher-volume FWD models.

While you and I do care about which wheels motivate the car, the fact is, most buyers, the ones who create the volume at GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda et. al. — and even BMW, apparently — don’t, unless they live in a snowy state. In this case, most would prefer to have front-drive to buying a second set of tires. Lineups consisting purely of FWD-based cars and crossovers would be by far the most cost-effective strategy for any full-line automaker.

RWD is more dynamically pleasing, at least on mid-size to large cars and sports cars. There are plenty of fun FWD cars out there, such as the Volkswagen GTI, the original Honda CRX, and the Mini, both old and new. But RWD has an aesthetic advantage, too, particularly on larger cars, making for a better proportioned dash-to-axle relationship. Of course, Audi has solved that problem with its unique engine-transmission layout. Try explaining a new A4 quattro to that 80 percent of BMW 1 Series owners.

I’ve tried to make the case for RWD for large cars. I’ve often cited the Mercedes-Benz E250 Bluetec, an E-Class with a 2.2-liter turbodiesel four projected to get a combined 32 mpg. That’s just 3.5-mpg shy of the 2016 CAFE standard, easily offset by fleets of A- and B-Classes. Hyundai has managed to add two rear-drive cars to its North American lineup, with a third, the Equus, on the way, plus one in the works for Kia. John Krafcik says the RWD cars will be of such low-volume that they won’t hurt Hyundai in its goal to be the most fuel-efficient brand in the U.S. But that really points to Hyundai’s success and its ability to spend big money on low-volume cars, compared with GM and Ford, these days.

If you consider Ford’s newfound success with its mostly FWD and FWD-based all-wheel-drive lineup of unibodies, it’s rather amazing that GM has a RWD strategy at all. Considering the success of the new FWD/AWD Cadillac SRX, which replaced a RWD-based model, and that its new large XTS sedan also has a transverse-mounted engine, it’s almost a surprise that the new, leaner company didn’t simply pull the plug on its Sigma and Zeta platforms. Cadillac asserts that its “flagship” is RWD, by the way, because it’s the Escalade. But that huge SUV won’t make Cadillac Standard of the World again.

Replacing Sigma and Zeta with a highly flexible Alpha RWD platform is a smart, BMW-like move that comes just as BMW backs into FWD platforms. Let’s hope that unlike, say, the Kappa RWD sports car platform, Alpha is a platform that GM can efficiently update, so that Chevy, Buick and Cadillac can use it for decades to come. If not, we’ll always have Hyundai.

Thanks to davis0577 for amusing us this Friday afternoon. Swayze references always have us rolling on the floor, but honestly we didn't see Elliot Gould coming… nice.

And, as usual, there were several other funny entries worthy of honorable mention:

Hey, man! Get off my car phone! That costs me $5 a minute! (technetium99)

"Road & Track House" starring Patrick Swayze (ergsum)

On the MacGyver set, Richard Dean Anderson vehemently protests the use of yet another stunt double. (rick8365)

Come back! I need that to elevate my position as a 1980s yuppie! (xprojected)

Chris Bangle is left behind, but he will get his revenge. (lmbvette)

"Long Live The Mechanical Throttle!" (roadwolf)

An action shot from the BMW Driving Experience, Duran Duran Enthusiasts Weekend. (rick8365)

Spy photographers spotted the next-generation Chevrolet Malibu putting around in the snow this week. At first glance, it's hard to see much of a difference over the current generation (red car), which debuted for the 2008 model year.

However, if you scrutinize the photos, you'll see that the redesigned Malibu has a little more attitude to it — a slightly curvier beltline, sassier rocker panels, perhaps a slightly more prominent lip on its rear deck.

The new sedan doesn't appear to be any larger than the current Malibu, and the wheelbases appear to be very similar. This makes sense given that today's Malibu already has plenty of room for four adults. Moreover, GM undoubtedly hopes to keep curb weight in check in the grappling of rising fuel economy standards.

In a similar vein, we expect Chevrolet to offer direct-injected four- and six-cylinder engines (rather than today's port-injected engines) to reduce fuel consumption in the 2012 Malibu. Look for a six-speed automatic transmission to be standard crossways the board.

The current Chevrolet Malibu debuted in the start of 2007, so don't look for the new sedan to show up any sooner than late 2011.

Whereas the normal 2011 Hyundai Sonata appears to have a relaxed smile, the Sonata Hybrid will greet the world with a look of surprise in New York on March 31.

This updated fascia design is apparent in the teaser shot Hyundai released today ahead of the New York show. No new information was released. We already know the car will use lithium-polymer batteries, and undoubtedly those will power a front-drive electric motor joining forces with a direct-injected four-cylinder engine.

The Sonata Hybrid goes on understanding later in 2010.

IL News: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Teased Ahead of 2010 New York Auto Show

We say we like wagons, but the depressing truth is we just don't buy them. And so Volvo will stop importing its midsize V70 auto to the U.S. this May. Only 1,800 V70s found homes in the U.S. in 2009, saint Hope, Volvo product communications manager, told us, compared to 10,000 back in 2004.

This new comes in the wake of BMW's declaration that it won't bring the 2011 5 Series wagon here.

Volvo, though, isn't leaving this niche completely unfilled. A front-wheel-drive version of its XC70 (the Outback-style V70 with raised suspension) will be added to the U.S. lineup soon. It's aimed at buyers drawn to the XC70's all-terrain look but who don't want to pay the premium for all-wheel drive.

In addition, says Hope, "should the demand for wagons once again become strong, we have the flexibility to offer the V70 and the V60 in the U.S. market."

The V60 is a new auto based on the redesigned 2011 S60 sedan. Look for it to debut this start in Paris right before in goes on understanding in Europe.

Tip of the hat to Autoblog for digging up this story yesterday.

Relax, relax, not all of the 2011 Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition cars will be orange. Some will be white, black and Matte Black. But these special-edition cars, which commemorate the car's third appearance in the Nurburgring 24 Hours race this May, will statement for 50 units of the total 500-unit worldwide production run.

Each Nurburgring Edition LFA will get a larger front spoiler, fin-type side spoilers and fixed wing on the back. They also get a revised engine map said to liberate at least another 10 horsepower from the 4.8-liter V10 — now worthy of "over 570 PS," which is 562 hp.

Meanwhile, the laggardly shift times that would slow you down in a conventional Lexus LFA decrease by 0.05 second in the 'Ring Edition, so now it takes all of 0.15 for the car's rear-mounted, six-speed sequential gearbox to complete a gearchange.

Also standard is a "sports tuned suspension," plus the wheels you see here and stickier-compound tires. The package also includes individual instruction on the Nurburgring Nordschleife ("should you require it," says Lexus gently) and a 1-year pass on the Nordschleife.

Pricing? Well, hmm, not just yet.

Inside Line News: Lexus LFA Special Edition Is Revealed

2011 Lexus LFA: 10 Things You Don't Know About the Supercar