General Motors promised that it would develop some innovative sales promotions this summer, and we have to say that it delivers with a newly-announced offer for Florida and California residents who buy selected SUVs and midsize sedans. Buyers will be issued a pre-paid credit card, which will be credited monthly with reimbursement for gasoline costs above and beyond $1.99/gallon until December of 2007

Check out this stat: one in every seven sales of the Ford F-150 goes to a Texan. According to this article from Bloomberg, which combines some good statistical research with anecdotal evidence culled from dealers in the trenches, that trend is beginning to change. With $3/gallon gas seemingly here for the long haul, big trucks and SUVs are spending 132 to 147 days on dealers lots since Katrina, which is up from an 89-day average early last year

According to a new Beijing Times report published Wednesday, BMW is quietly readying plans itself to open a second plant in China. The plant will be run with domestic partner Brilliance Automotive Group, and complement the company's existing Shenyang plant. On a related note, the Bavarian automaker also hopes to increase its ability to source parts locally, with plans to more than double the amount of area suppliers it uses this year

Veteran tuners know that the best sport compacts are built from base models, not range toppers. That's because base models are blank canvases ready to accept new wheel and tire combos, body kits, head units, seats, paint and every other mod in a tuner's arsenal. Scion apparently understands the tuner and is releasing a Spec Package for the tC in 2007. The 2007 tC Spec Package is a bare bones tC that starts at $15,000 for a manual and $15,800 for an automatic

In a bit of creative (if liberally stretched) cross-brand marketing, Kelley Blue Book, the folks responsible for helping consumers evaluate the value of all things four-wheeled, have teamed up with Walt Disney and Pixar to offer assessments of how much the animated stars in CARS are worth. The upcoming film, slated to hit theatres June 9 will star Lightning McQueen, a 200-mph racer KBB believes is worth $1.5 million, the most expensive valuation in the guide's history

DaimlerChrysler is still deciding whether or not to bring the brand to the U.S. and a recent Forbes article quotes Klaus Maier, head of sales and marketing at Mercedes Car Group, as saying, "I expect that we will make a final decision in June." Meanwhile, Zap began importing SMART cars in the U.S. back in March

We showed you a while back some spy shots of a Nissan mini-ute based on the Qashqai concept first shown at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show. WorldCarFans has posted some more spy shots of the small CUV that's scheduled to go into production later this year at Nissan's Sutherland plant in the U.K

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, ex-First Lady and likely future presidential candidate threw out an odd legal suggestion to the National Press Club this week: a nationwide return to the double-nickel. According to Clinton, "The 55-mile speed limit really does lower gas usage. And wherever it can be required, and the people will accept it, we ought to do it..

We now turn our attention to our test car, a four-door Outback with the LL Bean luxo option -- if that's not a contradiction in terms. And it's clear that the old Subie, which was never seen with anything but faded blue jeans on, has now turned to more fashionable designers. Our "Garnet Red Pearl" sedan just hummed down the street like the most refined of young ladies. The 3

We'll say right here and now that the Si will be strong candidate when it comes time to compile our car-of-the-year picks. It's that good. If you have a pulse and you like driving, get to a Honda dealer and try one out -- that is, if you can find one. They're in such hot demand, we understand, that some dealers have waiting lists of up to six months. Key to all this excitement is what lies under the hood -- a smooth-as-silk 2.0-liter, VTEC four that's good for 197 horsepower at 7,800 rpm