No Ferrari Viper, Dodge brand chief says

Despite allusions to cooperation on the Viper with Chrysler's new Italian owners, there will be no Viper Ferrari. Hey, it was a natural question, especially since Dodge opened that door in a press release on Tuesday about a lap record set by a production Viper ACR at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (1:33.915; more on that in a minute). "When we have partners across the ocean who are known as the best sports-car makers in the world, the future opportunities are huge," Dodge brand chief Ralph Gilles said in a release.

BMW's new 5-series next for hybrid power

The new BMW 5-series being launched this winter is likely to be the next BMW to receive the ActiveHybrid system pioneered on the petrol-electric 7-series and X6 models. BMW engineers admit they can't rely on sales of the pricey hybrid 7-series and X6 to justify the development costs, even though these range-topping halo hybrids were jointly developed with Daimler and GM. Senior sources have indicated that the new 2010 5-series will be the next BMW to get an ActiveHybrid model.

Jeep Grand Cherokee debuts Chrysler V6

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be the first Chrysler LLC vehicle to feature the company's new Pentastar V6 engine. The new engine greatly simplifies Chrysler's powertrain offerings and helps the company save money by improving economies of scale. The redesigned Grand Cherokee will appear in dealerships in spring 2010 as a 2011 model.