Ford Kills V-8 For New Lincoln

Ford's struggling Way Forward turnaround plan won't include a planned V-8 version of the coming Lincoln MKS. The 4.4-liter V-8 was to have been built in Ohio and installed in the new sedan, starting in 2008. But Ford's recent revamp of the turnaround plan-including accelerated job cuts and a big cut in production through the end of this year-means the money to tool for the V-8 production has been moved elsewhere. The MKS is the production version of a Lincoln concept bandied about the auto-show circuit; the production model will arrive in showrooms in 2008 with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine of about 250 hp, which is now being installed in the smaller Lincoln MKZ sedan.

Porsche Passes on '07 Cayenne

Ample dealer stocks of 2006 models and a facelift in the offing have given Porsche all the excuses it needs to skip the 2007 model year of its Cayenne sport-utility vehicle. Automotive News says that the company is passing on the 2007 model with a 51-day supply of 2006 models in its pipeline and a desire to avoid confusing its customers with a short run of 2007 models. The facelifted Cayenne appears for the 2008 model (as does a similarly facelifted VW Touareg and a revised Audi Q7) in the first half of 2007.

Mechanic's Tale: The Big Cat

"I recently acquired, repaired, loved, and lost, what I now consider the most comfortable car ever built," TCC's Doug Flint writes in the latest installment of The Mechanic's Tale. "About 18 months ago one of my customers brought in his son's 1995 Mercury Cougar. It had been owned since it was two years old by the father, who had passed it on to his son who, unfortunately, ran it out of oil, so now it had a severe connecting rod knock." The Cougar became his new favorite-until the customer needed his wheels back. "It makes me wonder why Ford ever killed those wonderful Thunderbirds and Cougars from the Nineties."

TheCarConnection Drives: 2007 Saturn Aura

There's something new in the air at Saturn, but can the new Aura sedan finally give General Motors' maverick brand the kick it has long and desperately needed? Arguably, the Aura could be Saturn's single most important new product in years. At first glance, you might dismiss it as just another mid-size sedan. But with American buyers fed up with record fuel prices and growing bored with big trucks, the timing of the Aura might be close to perfect.

FROM THE SOURCE headlines from the latest press releases

Over 3,300 Mini Owners Nationwide Hit the Road to Drive Cross Country in Their Minis for 'Mini Takes the States'

Name	Symbol	Last	Change
Autobytel, Inc.	ABTL	2.97	-0.02 (-0.67%)
Autoliv Inc.	ALV	56.86	+0.56 (+0.99%)
AutoNation Inc.	AN	19.75	-0.13 (-0.65%)
ArvinMeritor Inc.	ARM	14.51	-0.33 (-2.22%)
American Axle & Mfr. Holdings Inc.	AXL	15.91	-0.74 (-4.44%)
Ballard Power Systems Inc.	BLDP	6.09	-0.12 (-1.93%)
BorgWarner Inc.	BWA	56.98	-1.67 (-2.85%)
Cummins Inc.	CMI	121.17	-0.93 (-0.76%)
DaimlerChrysler AG (ADR)	DCX	52.87	-0.43 (-0.81%)
Dura Automotive Systems	DRRA	0.42	+0.02 (+4.87%)
Eaton Corporation	ETN	66.44	-0.86 (-1.28%)
Ford Motor Company	F	7.47	-0.53 (-6.63%)
General Motors Corporation	GM	30.54	-0.01 (-0.03%)
Gentex Corporation	GNTX	14.51	-0.33 (-2.22%)
Goodyear Tire & Rubber	GT	11.47	-0.22 (-1.88%)
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR)	HMC	33.54	-0.46 (-1.35%)
Johnson Controls Inc.	JCI	73.35	-1.55 (-2.07%)
Lear Corporation	LEA	20.13	-0.88 (-4.19%)
Magna International Inc.	MGA	70.65	-0.36 (-0.51%)
Motorola Inc.	MOT	23.63	-0.17 (-0.71%)
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR)	NSANY	22.36	-0.13 (-0.58%)
Sonic Automotive Inc.	SAH	21.97	-0.28 (-1.26%)
Siemens AG	SI	84.75	-0.29 (-0.34%)
Sirius Satellite Radio	SIRI	3.89	-0.02 (-0.51%)
Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR)	TM	110.19	-1.61 (-1.44%)
TRW Automotive Holdings	TRW	25.65	-1.39 (-5.14%)
Tower Automotive Inc.	TWRAQ.PK	0.095	+0.003 (+3.26%)
United Auto Group Inc.	UAG	20.96	-0.28 (-1.32%)
Visteon Corporation	VC	8.27	-0.79 (-8.72%)
XM Satellite Radio Hold.	XMSR	11.24	-0.19 (-1.66%)