In a bid to improve its green image, Bentley has announced its entire Continental lineup will be FlexFuel capable for the 2011 model year. Bentley first debuted its FlexFuel technology in the Continental Supersports Coupe in 2009.

Geely may still be on track to purchase the Volvo brand from Ford, but the Chinese automaker could be struggling to source the necessary capital to keep the Swedish brand up and running once the transaction is complete.

Toyota is reporting a surge in sales in the realm of 40 percent, compared to the sales for the same time last year. As a result of the boost to sales, Toyota says it is evaluating the possibility of continuing zero percent financing and deep discounts beyond the March Sales Event.

Following a quick tease at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show, our spy photographers have spotted Buick’s upcoming Excelle sedan — both inside and out! General Motors has released one official sketch of the Excelle, but has playing details of the compact premium sedan close to the chest.

As we previewed yesterday, Ford finally released images and specifications of its long-anticipated replacement for the Crown Victoria-based Police Interceptor today. Ford says it is a “purpose-built” and toughened up version of the standard Ford Taurus, with optional EcoBoost and all-wheel drive.

Nissan has officially announced U.S. pricing for the 2011 GT-R. Marking the GT-R’s third year of availability in the North American market, the 2011 GT-R continues relatively unchanged, but does sport a few tweaks.

With General Motors’ ill-fated Hummer brand all-but-closed, some dealers are creating particularly innovative ways to clear out their remaining inventory. The latest: Lynch Hummer of St. Louis, which has gained attention over the past few years for its “free gun included” sales tactics, is now launching a new final clearance that includes a $2,000 Browning shotgun with each purchase.

Ralliart announced it would be closing its doors earlier this month, leaving the future of Mitsubishi’s performance products up in the air. Although Ralliart is technically a separate division from Mitsubishi, the tuning firm has been associated with go-fast Mitsubishi models for years.

Toyota now has produced a high quality video that clearly demonstrates how to stop any Toyota hybrid vehicle in the event of unintended acceleration, following their distribution of a low budget video, apparently created by a Toyota car salesman earlier this week. This new video demonstrates how a Toyota hybrid – any model – should function under normal conditions if the vehicle is accelerating out of control.

Although the tally is not quite yet official, the Department of Transportation says that for 2009 traffic-related deaths hit the lowest level since 1954, and the lowest deaths per mile since the statistic has been recorded. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration will deliver their complete report during a future congressional hearing in summer 2010.

Staying true to Ford’s earlier promise to release details of a new purpose-built Police Interceptor in the first quarter of 2010, Ford has confirmed to Leftlane that a new Police Interceptor will be unveiled to a special group of fleet customers in Las Vegas this Friday. The unveil is not open to the public or media, and Ford stopped short of disclosing any details on the vehicle aside from its name: Police Interceptor.

While General Motors appears to be getting its act together, the automaker’s preferred lending arm – GMAC – continues to be a black hole for government bailouts. GMAC has received $17.2 billion in government funding, but has yet to develop a viable business plan for the future.

Thanks to a leaky United States patent office, we have what appears to be our first look at the redesigned 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The Malibu will essentially be all-new for the 2012 model year, riding on a version of General Motors’ Epsilon II architecture.

General Motors and Chrysler might not be around right now if it hadn’t been for an $85 billion bailout by the United States government, but it appears as though that investment also saved the entire state of Michigan.

As several electric vehicles are entering, or at least are poised to enter global markets, Israel is establishing itself as an early leader in electric vehicle adoption. Israel is on pace to have 50 percent more charge spots and battery swap stations than fellow electric vehicle leader, Denmark, by late 2011.

The on-again, off-again talks regarding the possibility of a new small V8 diesel to power light-duty pickups have reportedly been reignited. Chrysler and Cummins have been rumored to have been developing a new 5.0-liter diesel V8 for some time, but Chrysler’s bankruptcy resulted in complications that brought the program to a halt – until now.

Toyota’s sales tumbled double-digits during the first two months of 2010 as the Japanese automaker struggled with its largest ever recall, but a new incentives program is expected to rally Toyota’s March sales in a big way.

Nissan has announced that Bruce Campbell, vice president, design, North America, will retire and be succeeded by European counterpart Alfonso Albaisa. Campbell has been with Nissan for 30 years, and will now retire to fill an advisor role Nissan’s global design division.

When we first tested the Suzuki Kizashi, we came away quite impressed. The four-door proved quite competent in the twisties and featured stylish good looks. The Kiazashi’s powertrain was the only thing that left us wanting more, but it appears as though Suzuki will remedy that complaint at this month’s New York Auto Show.

Despite vocal objections from about 200 cab drivers, the Dallas City Council unanimously voted yesterday to allow taxi cabs that run on compressed natural gas the privilege of skipping to the front of taxi queues at the city’s Love Field airport.