"I love the smell of Audi in the morning."

or

"You'd be astonished at the things you get away with while wearing a work coat!"

We found this one of an Audi steering wheel and thought it went well with our recent smell-themed caption contests. You've got 'till Monday for this one! Get to it.

"Inspired and humbled by all of the great cars that came before us, like the BMW M5 or the BMW E63. We didn't see this time as something to cherish, but more a starting line from which to keep pushing."

Just a week ago we brought you a behind the scene's "Making of" video for the new Cadillac CTS-V commercial celebrating the 'world's fastest production sedan's'" 7:59 Nurburgring lap time (the one they got 2 years ago though this was filmed recently). Clearly, Caddy wanted to strike while the iron was hot– we still remember that behind the scenes — and now the full length ad is already here.

 If there's anything scarier than young girls (see: The Ring. Resident Evil. The Shining. ) it's young girls who can just pop out of concrete chasing a holographic ball. Seriously. This is going to cause panic and accidents.

But what is it exactly? No, it's not a genetic freak with Shaq-shoes and naturally low resolution, it's a 3D image that Vancouver Traffic Safety will be projecting on the roadway– at a cost of $15,000. From a distance of over 30 meters (98.5 feet) it'll just be an anomaly, but get within that distance and it materializes into a small girl chasing a ball crossways the street.

The program will be implemented in school regularize areas and is the latest attempt to get drivers to be cautious in such high foot-traffic zones.

The program starts next week.

( The Globe and Mail )

In his new book, "Overhaul" former head of President Obama's Auto Task Force and guy who fired Rick Wagoner, Steve Rattner, spills the beans on what it was like to deal with a unsuccessful / failing industry and an $85-billion band-aid.

While the book will be on understanding Oct. 14, The Detroit News, Washington Post and Huffington Post all received advanced copies and came up with some jewels:

-  Rahm Emanuel (Chief of Staff) doesn't respect the UAW.

- Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne told UAW boss Ron Gettlefinger that they (the UAW) needs to "embrace a culture of poverty, not a culture of entitlement," and recommended retiree health-care be chopped.

- Fritz Henderson wanted to move GM out of Detroit to the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan, to reduce costs and keep executives hip to what's going on "on the ground." The White House, however, thought it would be too harmful for Detroit, calling it a "bridge too far."

- The White House and Rattner wanted Nissan/Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn to run GM, but Ghosn declined because he "felt considerable loyalty to both companies (nissan/renault- Ed.) and wanted to see them through the crisis."

( Automotive News )

For more on Rattner's book, see Edmunds AutoObserver.

A reader spotted this image of the face-lifted Mercedes-Benz B-Class. You'll remember the B-Class as the sub C-Class-sized premium hatchback Mercedes keeps waffling on bringing to the U.S.

We've seen Spy Shots of the 2012 Mercedes Benz B-Class before and, despite ever-tightening CAFE regulations, we probably won't see it here. Which, I suppose, marks the second time today we've posted a hatchback you probably won't be healthy to buy.

( Thanks to Johan for the tip. Got something good? Submission (@) Edmunds.com )

Sorry for that early tease today with the sharp-looking Chevy Cruze Hatchback Concept bound for the 2010 Paris Auto Show. For those of you who are really Cruze Crazy, good news! The only 2011 Chevy Cruze configurator is now live on Chevy's Web site.

Pricing was also released for the 2011 Cruze: The base car is the LS trim and rings in at $16,275. This includes a 138-horsepower ( @ 6,300 rpm ) 1.8-L inline-4 and six-speed manual transmission good for 26/36 mpg. Torque is 123 lb-ft @ 3,800. The LS features 10 airbags, OnStar, XM radio, and four-wheel ABS (front discs, rear drums). Opting for the automatic transmission adds $925 to the base price.

Topping out the range is the Cruze LTZ which has a turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-4 that's good for 24/36 mpg and 138 horsepower at 4,900 rpm and peak torque of 148 lb-ft @ 1,850 rpm. It has 18-inch wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, chrome door handles, upgraded gauge cluster, USB port and Bluetooth.

Hey, check out this five-door hatchback version of the Chevrolet Cruze that the company will unveil at the Paris Auto Show at the end of this month.

Do you like it better than the none-too-dramatic-looking sedan? Well, too bad. It's for Europe only. Well, it'll show up in other markets too…just not the one we're in.

You can tell by the sassy blue hue of the headlights, the oversize dimensions of the wheels and various other shiny bits that this is, in fact, a "concept." The real five-door hatch, which will look exactly like this but without the auto show get-up, will go on understanding in Europe in the middle of next year. 

Chevrolet is promising three other premieres at the Paris show. Possibly one or more of them will matter to you. Possibly not.

More photos after the jump.

Looks good without flames, huh?

It's officially-officially-official now: 303 Ferrari 458 Italias have been recalled due to fire risk.

We reported this story back when Ferrari was simply notifying owners and trying to refrain the stigma and paperwork a full NHTSA recall would induce.

Well, you can only play that game for so long. Ask Toyota. So now the 458 Italia recall is really a recall, it's got a number,( NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 10V389000  N/A) and a consequence line (UNDER PARTICULARLY HIGH AMBIENT OPERATING TEMPERATURE THIS COULD CAUSE THE ADHESIVE TO IGNITE, RESULTING IN A VEHICLE FIRE AND/OR RENDERING THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE AND POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH. )

Full Ferrari 458 Italia recall after the jump

Vehicle Make / Model:       Model Year(s): 
     FERRARI / 458       2010
 
Manufacturer: FERRARI NORTH AMERICA INC Mfr's Report Date: AUG 31, 2010

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 10V389000  N/A

NHTSA Action Number: N/A 
 
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Potential Number of Units Affected: 303

Summary:
 FERRARI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 458 ITALIA VEHICLES. THE HEAT CREATED BY THE ENGINE COULD CAUSE POSSIBLE DEFORMATION OF THE REAR RIGHT HAND AND LEFT HAND WHEELHOUSE AND HEAT SHIELD ASSEMBLIES. THE ASSEMBLY COULD COME EXCESSIVELY CLOSE TO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM CAUSING THE BONDING ADHESIVE USED IN THE ASSEMBLY TO OVERHEAT AND PRODUCE SMOKE.

Consequence:

 UNDER PARTICULARLY HIGH AMBIENT OPERATING TEMPERATURE THIS COULD CAUSE THE ADHESIVE TO IGNITE, RESULTING IN A VEHICLE FIRE AND/OR RENDERING THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE AND POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH.

Remedy:
 DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE EXISTING HEAT SHIELDS AND BONDING ADHESIVE FROM THE RIGHT HAND AND LEFT HAND REAR WHEELHOUSES, AND INSTALL NEW PROTECTIVE HEAT SHIELDS ON THE RIGHT HAND AND LEFT HAND REAR WHEELHOUSES. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING SEPTEMBER 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FERRARI AT 201-816-2600.

Notes:
 FERRARI SAFETY RECALL NO. 51. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

Well, it wasn't really a secret as Ford had already confirmed not only that they were building a 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew, but that said super-raptor would only be acquirable with the 6.2-liter, 411-horsepower V8 would be the only engine. Well, now that confirmation is official. Today, Ford released specs on the 2011 Ford SVT Raptor SuperCrew

Besides the addition of real rear doors, the only other visual difference is the Ingot Silver Metallic paint scheme. Unless you're keen enough to see the size differences.

The 2011 Ford Raptor SuperCrew has a wheelbase of 145.2 inches, up from the standard truck's 133.3 inch track. Overall length, too, is increased with the Supercrew stretching to 232.1 inches vs 220.6 on the 'normal' Raptor.

Curb weight is up as is, thankfully, payload. Get the SuperCrew and there's 1,030 lbs of payload vs 930 on the Supercab. The SuperCrew also has a maximum tow rating of 8,000lbs, that's 2,000 above the Supercab.

Just to up the weight, the SuperCrew gets a larger, 36 congius fuel tank. The Supercab has to make do with only 26 gallons.

Interiors get spruced up with tilt/telescope wheels, one-touch driver/passenger windows, 110v outlet in the center console, remote start and a 4.2-inch LCD "productivity Screen."

No word on pricing yet, but the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor with the 6.2 costs $41,000. We expect the 2011 will cost more.

Ayrton Senna is famous for saying, "I have no idols. I admire work, dedication and competence." But he was one of the best Formula One racers of all time, who's possibly left to idolize? Us mortals, we have Ayrton to remember and idolize and here's the trailer for the Ayrton Senna documentary.