Ram truck gets new V6, eight-speed transmission

The Ram pickup scheduled to be introduced in April will offer both the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 and an eight-speed transmission, according to a Chrysler Group filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The voluntary annual filing--which appeared Tuesday on the automaker's corporate Web site, chryslergroupllc.com--laid out many new features of the upcoming version of the automaker's top-selling vehicle. The new eight-speed transmission "reduces fuel consumption by up to 12 percent over our current five-speed transmissions," such as the one now in the Ram, the filing said.

One Lap of the Web: Life with an E28 M5, Senna's NSX and the taxi of the future

-From our friends at Motoring Con Brio comes this report on BMW E28 M5 ownership. Early observations suggest that the car likes to go fast and burn a ton of gas in the process. -Bring a Trailer has an eBay listing for a Honda NSX that was supposed to have been gifted to Ayrton Senna by his sponsor Antonio de Almeida Braga.

Tesla teases Model S prior to debut

Prior to its world debut on March 26, Tesla has decided to whet the appetites of green-car fans by releasing a teaser image of its upcoming Model S sedan. Under the direction of former Mazda designer Franz von Holzhausen, the Model S features a rounded front nose, a front fender plate with an affixed Tesla emblem and a noticeably shorter hoodline. Unlike the Fisker Karma, the Model S will be powered solely on battery propulsion and do without a range-extending engine, which helps accommodate the shorter hood.