Chrysler co-president: You can either help us or burn us all down

Chrysler has come out with its second sales plea in as little two weeks, urging dealers to order more than 15,000 cars by Monday to keep the company viable. Not one to mince his words, Chrysler co-president Jim Press told dealers over a conference call that they basically have two choices: "You can either help us or burn us all down." The Chrysler exec also warned dealers: "If you decide not to do that, we've got a good memory of who helped this company make it." Roughly 70% of Chrysler’s dealers took action following the company’s first plea late last month to order 78,000 vehicles they had been allocated for February.

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100mpg Axon Automotive X Prize entry gets funding

Last year Axon Automotive, creators of 2007’s Eco-M super lightweight speedster, entered the $10 million Automotive X Prize with a new hatchback aimed at city dwellers. The vehicle features a full carbon-fiber chassis and will likely be powered by a compact turbodiesel engine. Today the company revealed it has secured funding to move forward with construction of that vehicle. The UK's Technology Strategy Board, which has previously funded advanced technology projects at Jaguar and Land Rover, among others, provided £2 million ($2.9 million) to Axon for construction of the hatchback.

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Cash for Clunkers program scrapped in Senate

Earlier this month Congress was considering a plan to offer incentives to get older, gas-guzzling vehicles off the nation’s roads. As part of the stimulus package now being built in Washington, legislation was introduced in the House and Senate called the 'Cash for Clunkers' program. Under the plan, drivers would have received vouchers of up to $4,500 for turning in their old fuel-inefficient vehicles for scrap and buying vehicles that get good mileage. The program was slated to operate for four years and involve retiring nearly one million vehicles per year, allegedly saving between 40,000 and 80,000 barrels of fuel per day by the end of the fourth year. Instead, Democratic Senator Thomas Harkin of Iowa pulled the amendment, despite strong support from domestic car building states, reports Reuters.

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ARK ReDesign reveals two-door Range Rover Sport conversion

If you can't wait for Land Rover to eventually launch its own coupe-crossover but are still burning with desire for a two door premium SUV, then tuning firm ARK ReDesign may have the solution. The British workshop currently has a two-door version of the Range Rover Sport SUV under development that it hopes to have on sale very soon. Initially offered to a factory level specification, the two door vehicle will have standard factory trim and paint options. In addition, there will also be the option to individually tailor a vehicle to meet any specific requirements.
ARK ReDesign two door Range Rover conversion

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Mitsubishi planning hot trio of cars including Evo X FQ400

Factory-upgraded versions of typically sedate sedans and hatchbacks have become de rigeur for most major carmakers. Mitsubishi's have been largely hit-or-miss, but the company's next trio of factory specials promise to be on target. The much-lauded Lancer Evolution X gets FQ400 treatment, pushing output to 400hp (298kW) and taking its demeanor further into the hardcore. Unfortunately, like other FQ variants, the model isn't slated for U.S. sale. Pricing is expected to nose up against the £50,000 mark when it hits UK streets around April. The Lancer Sportback is also due for a Ralliart variant, already confirmed for the U.S., as is the GTS version, which shares specs with the GTS sedan.

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