After speaking directly with Hyundai, Leftlane has learned that, despite yesterday’s reports to the contrary, the Korean automaker does not have any intention to open a plant in Mexico.

It’s fitting that we traveled to Half Moon Bay, California, home to a massive seagull population, to test a new type of gull. The 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, one of the most exotic, outrageous new cars to debut in recent memory, harks back to the days when Sir Sterling Moss piloted its spirtual father, the ’50s 300SL Gullwing.

General Motors will likely begin repaying of its federal bailout loans early, but that might not be good enough for the Obama administration. The White House is pressing General Motors to speed up its first public stock offering.

Ford has long said that selling off Volvo would be difficult given the way the Swedish automaker and its technologies are so integrated into the Blue Oval’s product development and marketing programs. Earlier this month, Ford announced that Chinese automaker Geely was its preferred bidder for Volvo, and now the three entities are meeting together in Sweden to hammer out some final details.

BMW will give the go-ahead to a project that will see a super-luxury version of the MINI Cooper created by Rolls-Royce at the company’s Goodwood factory, a new report finds. Word of the MINI-Rolls tie-up first surfaced in June.

Pricing for BMW’s 5-Series Gran Turismo has been released. The base model 550i Gran Turismo will list from $63,900, with a laundry list of options just waiting to push that price well north of $70,000, including a $4,200 sport package and a $3,950 luxury rear seating package.

Chrysler has come to terms with the fact that the line has suffered from quality shortcomings, and says it is openly discussing and tackling problems in a new light. Chrysler has set ambitious goals to become a quality leader by 2012, and has already begun significant changes to help make the lofty goal a reality.

Mercedes-Benz and Hughes Telematics have partnered to create their own iteration of Ford’s Sync, and GM’s OnStar offerings. This new technology will be known as “mbrace,” and will feature 18 unique services.

With Ford finding itself trailing the Chevy Camaro in sales for the first time in a long time, they are understandingly keeping a tight seal on the upcoming 2011 revised Mustang information to avoid causing a dip in sales for the current model. However, an anonymous tipster has released some interesting finds on the new pony car from Ford – ahead of the official release.

BMW says that its upcoming X6 ActiveHybrid will list from $89,725, including destination, when it goes on sale on December 5. That’s a hefty premium over the X6 xDrive50i, but it does include most of the goodies in the standard V8’s Premium Package.

Despite a 60 percent ownership, President Barack Obama says his administration will not “meddle” with General Motors’ day-to-day operations. The federal government took a majority interest in General Motors following the company’s bankruptcy filing.

Toyota Motor Sales USA president Jim Lentz said in an interview that he believes the company’s Prius dedicated hybrid could take the crown from the Camry sedan as the company’s best selling product in the United States.

The United Arab Emirates has become known for its conspicuous consumption – just take a look at The Palm Islands in Dubai — but the Abu Dhabi police department’s latest purchase seems a bit over the top — even for the UAE’s capital city.

Volkswagen’s decision to build a new production plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee is looking positive for the German automaker. Volkswagen recently closed the application process to staff the new plant, receiving about 65,000 requests for employment.

BMW’s M division has started testing of their seriously fast M5 sedan and we have the most revealing photos fresh from Germany’s legendary Nurburgring. While other photos have shown this prototype with fabric covering the front end, that camouflage is not present in our photos.

Once, compact pickups were truly that: Light duty, nimble versions of those hulking behemoths called half-tons. Over the years, however, the big ‘uns got more car-like and the little ‘uns got, well, bigger. Case in point: The Dodge Ram’s little Dakota brother, which is quickly outgrowing its sheetmetal as it tries to play with the big boys.

Mercedes-Benz’ next-generation CLS has headed back out for testing and we have very revealing photos fresh from Europe. The next version of the four-door coupe that started it all is expected to hit the market sometime during the second half of 2011.

The Internet Car of the Year awards, which include Leftlane’s Mark Elias as a member of the 12-person jury, will be announced in February of next year at the Chicago Auto Show. To accommodate the new, later announcement date, general public voting for the award has been extended to December 11.

Electric car manufacturer Aptera says that its new 2e three-wheeled two-seater will not hit the roads until 2010 due to development that has outpaced funding for the small California company. The company’s co-founders are also pulling back their involvement in the program to focus on other activities, leading many to question the future of the aerodynamic electric vehicle.

Historically, the six-cylinder version of the Chevrolet Camaro has outsold eight-cylinder models by a margin of about 2-to-1. However, with the revival of the Camaro nameplate for the 2010 model year, General Motors is seeing far greater demand for V8 models.