This is the Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parcel it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?
1st Gear: Will The Mitsubishi Evo XI Be A Hybrid?
Autocar reports this morning that — as we first reported over a year ago — the next Mitsubishi Evo will be powered by a hybrid powertrain and will go on sale within three years — this, according to an interview with company president Osamu Masuko has confirmed to Autocar. Although Masuko did not reveal the full technical details, it is understood that the Evo XI will switch to a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain, saving it from tightening emissions regulations while preserving its trademark mid-range shove. "We will start work on the project next year, and it will be ready within three," said Masuko. "I have set the goal of developing a sporting car featuring electric power." I have... no words.
2nd Gear: Saab CEO Won't Back Down, Will Stand His Ground
Saab CEO Victor Muller has promised that the company's chiefs will "never give up in our fight for a healthy and profitable Saab" despite more uncertainty over the company's future. Yesterday the car company learned that the administrator in charge of its affairs, Guy Lofalk, will apply to the Swedish courts for a termination of the reorganization process. That process is currently protecting Saab from its creditors to give it time to seek new investment, but Lofalk does not have confidence that the funding is sufficient to continue reorganization. In a counter-move, Saab is applying to have Lofalk removed as its administrator. Because, you know, if you don't like the news — you try to kill the messenger. Sure, makes sense.
3rd Gear: Chrysler Rams More Power Wagons, Curious Names Into Lineup
Chrysler's welcoming two new models to its Heavy Duty Power Wagon family today at the Texas State Fair, along with a limited-edition Mossy Oak version of the Ram Outdoorsman pickup. Yes, that's right — a "Mossy Oak Edition" Ram Outdoorsman. This anything-but-a-rolling-stone Ram 1500 will arrive as a 4x4 Crew Cab model and include features designed to cater to the hook-and-bullet crowd. According to Ram officials, 42% of Ram owners camp, 44% fish and 30% hunt. Also, 90% of them positively love their trucks having fabuloys names that sound more at home coming from the mouth of a Bravo style show host. But, OK, at least Ram's making up for it with the Heavy Duty Power Wagon. It's coming in two new variants: the ST and Laramie models. The basic ST model starts at $42,620 and the Laramie edition will get Chrysler's 383 HP, 5.7-liter Hemi V8, but also get all of the luxurious features found in other Laramie models, such as leather seats, high-end audio system and wood trim on the dash and doors. The Laramie Power Wagon — you know, for those who want power, off-road capability, and luxury —gets a starting price of $51,995.
4th Gear: Cadillac XTS Heads To LA Auto Show
We saw the concept version of the exterior at last year's Detroit Auto Show. We've even seen the gorgeous-looking interior and Apple-like infotainment system. Now we're told by Edmunds' InsideLine that GM plans to introduce the production version of the new full-size 2013 Cadillac XTS this November at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
5th Gear: Audi Wants To Double Chinese Production
According to Automotive News, Audi may be looking to more than double production in China over the next four years to meet rising demand for high-end passenger cars, its China chief said. The multi-ringed brand plans to expand annual manufacturing capacity in China to as high as 700,000 vehicles by 2015 depending on market demand, that's up just a touch from current capacity of 300,000 units, Dietmar Voggenreiter, Audi's China president, said. The automaker is considering building a second plant in addition to the one in Changchun, he said, declining to specify the investment amount or the plant's location.
6th Gear: Chevy Cruze Diesel Gets Ohio Home
We already knew the Chevy Cruze gas-powered models would be joined by an oil-burning powertrtain in 2013, but now LeftLaneNews has confirmed that General Motors will invest $5.5 million into the existing Cruze plant in Lordstown, Ohio, to accommodate the new 2.0-liter diesel engine.
Reverse:
⏎ GM launches global creative ad review for Chevrolet. [Automotive News]
⏎ As Documentary Rolls Out, Elon Musk Considers His ‘Revenge'. [New York Times]
⏎ Hey Rube, So Long For Now… [Jalopy Journal]
⏎ Hyundai Veloster Turbo packs 204 hp. [CarScoop]
⏎ Toyota Launches New FT-86 App for Apple iPhone and iPod Users. [CarScoop]
⏎ Our Visit to BMW M: Talking M with Herr Biermann. [BimmerFile]
⏎ Daimler to invest $350M to build fifth Mercedes model in Alabama. [Automotive News]
⏎ In Manhattan, the Hyundai Veloster Greets Its Public. [New York Times]
⏎ Auto dealers await study on showroom standards, cite 'financial pressure' [Detroit News]
Today in Automotive History:
On this day in 1929, the 50th birthday of the incandescent light bulb, Henry Ford throws a big party to celebrate the dedication of his new Thomas Edison Institute in Dearborn, Michigan. Everybody who was anybody was there: John D. Rockefeller Jr., Charles Schwab, Otto H. Kahn, Walter Chrysler, Marie Curie, Will Rogers, President Herbert Hoover-and, of course, the guest of honor, Thomas Edison himself. At the time, the Edison Institute was still relatively small. It consisted of just two buildings, both of which Henry Ford had moved from Menlo Park, New Jersey and re-constructed to look just as they had in 1879: Edison's laboratory and the boarding-house where he had lived while he perfected his invention. By the time the Institute opened to the public in 1933, however, it had grown much more elaborate and today the Henry Ford Museum (renamed after Ford's death in 1947) is one of the largest and best-known museums in the country. [History]
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