The U.S. rally-car motorsports body formerly known as Rally USA has renamed itself RallyCar.

Why? Well, it's all part of a near to make rally-racing more visible in the United States. RallyCar is keenly focused on the late August launch of its new European-inspired rallycross series (RallyCar Rallycross), which promises wheel-to-wheel racing and potential smash-'em-up drama. (Notably, the traditional, stage-based rally series will keep its Rally USA branding.)

"We're expanding as an organization and we wanted to make a change that reflects our commitment to rally car events in 2011," JB Niday, RallyCar president said in a press release. "The introduction of Super Rally [at X Games 16] presents a perfect opportunity for us to change our study to reflect what we're about: racing rally cars – whether that's on endurance-based Special Stage courses, or through the new Rallycross short-course format."

RallyCar has actually prefabricated a commercial to promote the RallyCross series. It's after the jump, and you can bet on seeing it a couple more times if you watch the X Games.

Rallycross competition kicks off at the New Jersey Motorsports Park August 27-29. The 4WD class features the 550-hp Fiestas and WRXs you'll see in tomorrow's X Games, while a 2WD class will feature an assortment of modified cars making upwards of 450 hp; Dodge and Honda will reportedly be among the participants.

Kenny Brack won gold in the rally championship in his Fiesta rallycross car in X Games 15. He won't have it so cushy tomorrow in X Games 16 now that Travis Pastrana has an equally powerful car, but he has plenty of experience under his belt in the European rallycross series, so he'll be ready to race wheel-to-wheel in the SuperRally competition.

Here's some video of Dave Mirra taking some get-to-know-you laps at Southern California's Pala Raceway in the new Subaru WRX STI rallycross car that he'll drive in X Games 16 tomorrow. Josh already gave you full technical details on this car, which makes somewhere between 550 and 575 horsepower.

After the jump, there's a video from Vermont Sports Cars, the outfit in Vermont that built this car, along with every other Impreza rally car Mirra and Travis Pastrana have raced.

No surprises here are Mercedes-Benz announced that the 2011 S63 AMG would be equipped with a hand-built 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged direct-injection V8. The new V8 pumps out 571 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque between 2,250 and 5,500 rpm when equipped with the AMG Performance package– which ups the boost to 1.3 bar from 1.0– and 544 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque without it. The new S-class produces numbers which are only slightly higher than the 2011 CL63 AMG while using the same motor.

The new motor is, like the CL63, hooked up to the seven-speed AMG Speedshift MCT transmission. The Speedshift MCT is an automatic transmission that substitutes a torque converter with a wet start-up clutch.

Start / stop technology, second-gear starts and a kinetic energy recovery system that charges the battery are but a handful of ways Mercedes is trying to green-up its performance arm, AMG.

Mercedes estimates 0-100 km/h (62 mph) times of 4.5 seconds without the AMG Performance package and 4.4 seconds with.

More photos after the jump.

Hypercompact #1: The Bentley Biscuit.

The entries are in for Photoshop Contest #2: Hypercompacts as inspired by the Aston Martin Cygnet. All were good. Most, however, weren't as horrific as this Peel Trident with coachwork by Bentley and a Swarovski Crystal dome.

Follow the jump for the rest of the finalists and don't forget to vote for your favorite!

#2: Ferrari 229 Compatto. Fiat 500 with Pininfarina style.

#3: Ford Foal GT 0.5 

#4: LamborYaris.

Let the voting begin.

Citing "Strong public interest," GM announced that they are increasing production of the Volt by 50% from 30,000 units in 2012, to 45,000.

The declaration was prefabricated the same day President Obama visited the Detroit-Hamtramck works where the Volt is produced. Obama took this visit to declare the $60-billion dollar bailout of GM and Chrysler a success stating it prevented a "brutal, inevitable shot."

All of this comes mere days after UAW leaders released information regarding the expected IPO date for the New GM. There's nothing like "strong public interest" and "increased production" to help along a new stock offering.

If you've been to an open track day, you know this goober. His shoes are Nomex, his car's worth more than your house, he's got the most posts on the exotic forums that you need a VIN to register for and he's incredibly slow.

But don't tell him that. Money = Speed, right?

It's Friday. Kick back and watch and let us know about your worst track day goon.

Mine? An autocross in New Hampshire where a slimy guy with a silk shirt was abusing a 1G Eagle Talon AWD turbo and complaining that his time was slow because, "The nitrous isn't working. That hiss between shifts. That's the nitrous." ::sigh::

I can't place my finger on it, but something's not right with this Ferrari 458 Italia, formerly of Switzerland. Here we have the death of yet another supercar. Seems like these things just aren't fast enough to escape the reaper. If they don't sling themselves (can't be the driver's fault) off the road, they're catching fire on peaceful Swiss roads.

Using our knowledge of fire-destruction as obtained by TV cop dramas (and the photo after the jump) we'd say that the most burned area– the driver side– was where the fire started before, you know, this happened.  

Follow the jump for the aftermath….

Wrecked Exotics has more here and here.

Rumors are swirling that Porsche will show a Cayman Club Sport (CS) at the 2010 LA Auto Show. Hot on the heels of the lightweight Porsche Boxster spyder, the Club Sport version will have more power, the Boxster Spyder gets 320 to match the current Cayman and we expect this to come with over 330 horsepower.

If this is indeed following in the tracks of the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder we can expect air conditioning to be an option, the same (let's hope) Alcantara and carbon-fiber seats, cloth door pulls and racier body modifications.

And, again, based on Boxster Spyder numbers, we'd expect the hot-rod Cayman to come in right around $65,000.

( Autocar )

Tomorrow at the National Z Car Convention in Nashville, TN, Nissan will show its refreshed 2011 Nissan Rogue to a crowd of hot Nissan fans.

The new(ish) Rogue sports an egg-crate chrome grille, deeper, more angular fog-lamp shrouds, a new front and rear spoiler, chrome license plate surround side door guards and– for the Rogue S Krom (18-inch wheels, more aggressive styling and revised exhaust) and SL, new 18-inch aluminum wheels with low-rolling-resistance tires. (That should do wonders for turning and stopping.) This drives the EPA highway ratings to 28 mpg for FWD Rouges and 22 mpg for the AWD models.

Follow the jump for more photos.