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Ford has announced that it will combine the American and European high-performance divisions it currently has into one. Rather than working simultaneously on different high-performance versions of Ford cars, the talents of both divisions can be combined to bring better cars onto the market faster. This seems like a real no-brainer, until you realize that Ford has sold completely different cars in Europe and America over the past few years. Ford is changing that, and according to Autoblog, the first Ford car in a years to be built for the entire world, the Focus, will also be the first target of Ford`s new high-performance division.

Ford recently unveiled the next generation of the Focus, which will be a “global car” that is basically the same all over the world. A global Focus will save Ford a ton of money that would otherwise have been spent designing, engineering and manufacturing a different Focus for each different market. Ford caught a lot of flack from automotive journalists and car enthusiasts for the decision to develop a new Focus for Europe and not renew the American version.

No details have been released about the hotrod Focus, but Autoblog is pretty sure that it will be a hatchback. The souped up Focus will probably use Ford`s new EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. It`s a good bet that Ford will try to beat the Mazdaspeed 3`s horsepower, which would put the new Focus near 300-hp. The name of the high-performance Focus also remains to be seen. SVT, RS and ST have all been used recently.

Picture via Autoblog.

Each year, Consumer Reports recommends Top Picks for a variety of car and truck segments. Vehicles on the Top Picks list combine high scores from Consumer Reports` tests with above average reliability, as reported by Consumer Reports readers. Consumer Reports also compiles a list each year of American made Top Picks for consumers who are concerned with spending their dollars on American products (remember that even though many foreign cars are manufactured in America, the design and engineering is usually done in the company`s home country, and designers and engineers make a lot more money than factory workers).

The list is dominated by Ford, mostly because the Blue Oval is the only of the Big Three that has had the money to develop quality new cars over the past few years.  GM would have been better represented on the list, but poor reliability kept the Cadillac CTS and Corvette Z06 from being picked over the Lincoln MKZ and Ford Mustang.

Consumer Reports 2010 American Top Picks:

Small Car                         Ford Focus
Family Sedan                 Ford Fusion & Mercury Milan
Sporty Car                       Ford Mustang GT
Small SUV                       Ford Escape & Mercury Mariner
Family SUV                    Chevrolet Traverse
Sports Sedan                  Lincoln MKZ
Green Car                        Ford Fusion Hybrid
Pickup Truck                 Chevrolet Silverado

Consumer Reports could not recommend any minivans as Top Picks because while the Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan scored very well in tests, they scored so poorly in the reliability surveys that they could not be recommended.

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid was the most recommended car on Consumer Reports Top Picks of 2010 list.

Arizona started using cameras to fine speeders on its public highways in October of 2008. When the cameras spot someone driving more than 11 miles per hour over the speed limit, a photo is taken and sent along with a $181.50 ticket to the vehicle owner.

Traffic cameras, like the ones under attack in Arizona, are capable of issuing tickets without the trouble of forcing speeders to stop or even slow down.

Despite the free photo shoot, Arizonans who have been sent tickets are less than thrilled about the speed cameras. According to Autoblog, only 38% of all tickets issued so far by the photo enforcement cameras have been paid. The program was projected to bring in $80 million in its first year, instead it has only raised about $20 million for the state.

So many Arizona drivers issued tickets by the automated system are fighting the validity of their tickets that the wait for a court date has stretched into 2011. One judge has thrown out every one of the 7,000 camera-issued speeding tickets he`s presided over because he believes the cameras are unconstitutional.

Other Arizonans have taken matters into their own hands. The speed cameras have been covered by post-it notes, silly string and even wrapped up like Christmas presents, bow and all. One angry gentleman attacked a camera with a pick-axe.

The public outcry has not been ignored, Governor Jan Brewer is encouraging the state`s legislators to allow citizens to vote on the speed cameras in November. If the public is allowed to decide the fate of the speed camera system, it`s a pretty good bet that the automated system will be abandoned. Then the public will have won and democracy will triumph and Arizona will have to go back to taxing speeders with state police and highway patrol officers like the rest of the country does.

Picture via Edmunds.

GM has issued a press release saying that it will discontinue the Hummer brand. Hummer was set to be sold to Chinese company Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., but since that deal wasn’t able to be completed, Hummer will be closed.

GM’s press release says that the company will be working with dealers and suppliers to conduct and orderly wind-down of Hummer, but does not give a time frame for the closing.

“One year ago, General Motors announced that we were going to divest HUMMER, as part of focusing our efforts on Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac going forward. We have since considered a number of possibilities for HUMMER along the way, and we are disappointed that the deal with Tengzhong could not be completed,” John Smith, GM vice president of corporate planning and alliances, said in the press release.

The 2010 F-250 Lariat with a diesel engine may be the least fuel efficient vehicle you can buy this year. Consumer Reports has listed the top 10 most and least efficient cars and trucks it tested this year and of all the cars and trucks that were tested, the F-250 had the dubious distinction of guzzling the most gas. Consumer Reports averaged just 11-mpg with the F-250, which is a long way away from the most frugal car of 2010, the Toyota Prius, which got 44-mpg.

The 2010 F-250 scored lowest marks for gas mileage despite the fact that the model tested was Diesel powered, which is typically the more efficient engine choice. The F-250 was the only truck on the the list of top 10 least efficient vehicles that wasn’t observed at 13-mpg. The list includes some reputable guzzlers like the Hummer H2, Cadillac Escalade and Ford Expedition. The only Japanese vehicles to make the bottom 10 were the Nissan Titan and Armada twins.

The list of most efficient 2010 vehicles includes five hybrids, one diesel and the miniature Smart Fortwo. There was a much larger range in the best mpg list. Consumer Reports observed the number one Toyota Prius at 44-mpg and the number 10 MINI Cooper at 33-mpg. The only American car on the list was the Ford Fusion Hybrid.

When Ford put the 2010 SVT Raptor on sale, the company didn’t think the truck would amount to much more than a rolling advertisement. People would see the SVT Raptor and love it, then go out and buy a regular F-150. With the new car market in rough shape, you could be forgiven for assuming that there’s not much demand for a pre-runner style truck capable of jumping dunes out of the box. You’d be wrong. Ford has received more than 5,300 orders for the new Raptor pickup truck, and the top-of-the-line 6.2 liter version hasn’t even gone on sale yet.

The 2010 SVT Raptor has 320-hp with the 5.4 liter engine, so it’s hardly underpowered. It’s also hardly cheap, since one will cost you $38,995. Still, Ford used the 5.4 model as a placeholder before the 6.2 liter engine was ready to be unleashed.

The SVT Raptor 6.2-liter engine will make 411-horsepower and 434-pound-feet of torque, and will cost $41,995 when it goes on sale this spring. Ford is currently taking orders for the new 6.2-liter SVT Raptor, so you might want to get in line now.

Ford has already built more of the lower powered 5.4 models than it initially planned, according to Inside Line. That bodes well for the future of the SVT Raptor, and if the SVT Raptor does well, maybe Ford will be enticed into bringing the Special Vehicles Team back on full time.

Picture via Inside Line.

Investments in the stock market and real estate have tanked over the past few years, so if you’re looking for a more stable way to invest your money, you might want to try cars. The problem is that most people don’t have the money for an original Shelby or a numbers matching Roadrunner. So how can a normal person get into collecting cars? CNN Money has a list of ten cars available for under five thousand dollars that will most likely increase in value over time.

1985-93 Ford Mustang 5.0 HO – $3,000
1975-80 AMC Pacer – $4,300
1974-80 Triumph Spitfire 1500 – $5,000
1975-78 Datsun 280Z – $5,000
1989-91 Ford Taurus SHO – $3,400
1977-83 BMW 320i – $3,900
1968-76 Volkswagen Beetle – $5,000
1986-88 Pontiac Fiero GT – $5,000
1979-81 Fiat Spider 2000 – $5,000
1956 Buick Roadmaster Sedan – $5,000

Despite the oddly specific prices on some of these cars and very optimistic prices on others, the advice isn’t bad. Investing in cars is always a good idea because even if your investment turns out worthless, it will still be a car that’s fun to drive. The only problem is that if you do go searching for cars on this list, there are some things you need to know.

CNN points out that the 85-93 Mustang was a budget performance car when most cars were neutered gas sippers. That’s true, but the unfortunate consequence of the fox-body mustang’s popularity is that it’s nearly impossible to find one that hasn’t been modified, usually by an amateur mechanic with more ambition than skill.

The Triumph, BMW and Fiat listed are surely iconic cars that are fun to drive. Unfortunately because they’re European cars, parts aren’t always easy to find and are usually expensive. Add to that the reputation Triumph and Fiat have for being unreliable and your $5,000 investment could prove much more costly.  That being said, the roadsters are two of the three cars on this list that might actually result in a woman asking you for a ride (the other is the Buick Roadmaster), so they may be worth the extra cost.

The Lamborghini Jota will replace the Murcielago as the Italian supercarmaker’s flagship model in the next few years. Lamboghini hasn’t released any details about the Jota yet, but according to Jalopnik’s source, saving weight is a priority for the next big bull.

According to Jalopnik, Lamborghini will be taking advantage of its new parent company Volkswagen’s experience building cars using aluminum rather than steel. The Murcielago uses steel for its frame and roof, so if the Jota uses aluminum for those parts, it should be considerably lighter.

The Jota will obviously have more horsepower than the Murcielago. That’s pretty much a given with every new version of a car. The Jota will reportedly have about 700 horsepower, which is almost 40 more than the most powerful Lamborghini ever, the Murcielago LP-670-4 SuperVeloce. The Jota should have no trouble beating that car’s amazing 3.2-second 0-60 time and top speed of 213 miles per hour.

The Lamborghini Jota will also possibly have an all-wheel drive system developed by Haldex. Jalopnik speculates that Haldex’s latest accomplishment, torque vectoring differentials, could come to the Jota. How torque vectoring works is similar to traditional traction control systems in that it senses wheel-spin and quickly adapts to prevent a loss of control. Unlike most traction control systems, torque vectoring systems add power to restore traction rather than subtracting it. That means the Lamboghini Jota will be able to harness those 700 horses much better than previous Lamborghinis.

Porsche has announced that it will be testing a hybrid 911 race car to see if the hybrids can be effective in endurance races. According to Autoweek, Porsche will probably announce soon that the 911 GT3 R Hybrid will compete in the 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race. If the technology proves successful on the racetrack, it maybe used in Porsche’s street cars.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid will have a 480-hp engine powering the rear wheels and two electric motors attached to the front wheels, capable of providing an eight-second long boost of power. The electric motors will be powered by a flywheel that sits where the car’s passenger seat would normally be and will be charged by the 911 hybrid’s brakes.

Porsche believes that the extra fuel efficiency provided by the hybrid system in the 911 GT3 R Hybrid will be effective in endurance races like the 24 hours of Le Mans race. Fuel efficiency is a key factor in long races, and Audi made headlines a few years ago by winning the 24 hours of Le Mans race with diesel cars.

If Porsche is successful with the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, the hybrid technology may be used in a street 911. Racing is often used by car companies to develop new technology that is then used in street cars. One of the most famous examples of this is the Porsche 959 rally car. The lessons Porsche learned while developing and racing the 959 allowed the rear-engine 911 to remain competitive with more balanced mid-engine cars from Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Picture via Autoweek.

Toyota’s reputation as a reliable car brand has been damaged pretty severely by the recent recalls the company has issued to fix quality and safety issues. Now the carmaker is considering plans to issue longer warranties and large incentives in order to entice buyers, according to Bloomberg.

Toyota may offer a 10-year warranty similar to the one Hyundai has been offering for years. Hyundai started offering its 10-year warranty in order to fix the company’s reputation for building unreliable cars. Toyota currently offers a 5-year, 60,000 mile powertrain warranty on new vehicles.

Toyota will almost definitely need to start offering heavy rebates and incentives from now on. Before the recalls, Toyota did not need to use heavy incentives to sell cars, while most car companies did. Toyota’s reputation for reliability helped the company sell cars during tough economic times. With that reliability in question, Toyota will have to do something special to convince buyers to consider its cars.