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Renault says Saturn supply deal ‘just didn't add up'

In the eleventh hour of Roger Penske's venture to acquire Saturn from General Motors Co. to keep the brand alive, Renault's executive committee in France concluded, “Ca fait deux.” Rough translation: “It's not going to come together.” Despite Penske's statements that his organization had been in discussions with automakers around the world, ultimately his hopes had been pinned on only one: Renault SA. Penske and Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn are friends and talk frequently.

Dealer Demons: Dodge customizes Vipers for select stores and enthusiasts

We’ve seen many special-edition Dodge Vipers for the car's final year--the ACR-X, the Vooodoo Viper, the 1:33. It's almost as if every Viper is a special edition. With that in mind, Chrysler is now letting dealerships get into the act.

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.