Among enthusiasts, there is an indescribable, almost universal appeal in owning a simple, basic daily driver. It’s the kind of car that can be your closest companion as you slog through traffic trying to get to work during all four seasons, yet you won’t feel bad when you grant it a single annual scrubbing at the $5 wash-o-matic.

Today, Honda announced that it has already managed to record 7,000 orders for the all-new CR-Z “sport hybrid” in Japan. Honda says its annual target is just 12,000 units, and the CR-Z has accumulated nearly 60 percent of expected orders since it went on sale on February 25, 2010.

New reports suggest that Subaru may be forced to abandon its attempt at fitting an all-wheel drive system into the automaker’s FT-86 variant. Subaru has been mostly quiet in regards to the progress of its next sports coupe, but the latest report suggests that costs have taken all-wheel drive out of the equation.

We have a set of fresh spy photos showing off a never-before-seen Ram Power Wagon truck, identical to one of the vehicles shown in Chrysler’s recently released sketches for the upcoming 44th Annual Easter Jeep Safari. Chrysler hasn’t revealed its intention for the vehicle yet, but it looks to have the makings to be a Ford Raptor-fighting lifted off-road pickup.

Off road icon Jeep will make a big splash at this year’s 44th Annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, by unveiling three off road-oriented concept vehicles. Two are based on the venerable Wrangler, while the third takes the decidedly on road-oriented Jeep Patriot in a rugged direction.

Although Toyota’s Lexus luxury brand is now sold in a number of world markets, the up-scale brand is still largely tailored to American tastes. However, with Lexus now looking to expand its presence in Europe, the Japanese automaker is reportedly taking a more worldly approach to its next-generation IS line.

Earlier this morning Orange County, California, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced that he will be filing a suit against Toyota Motor Sales USA in order “to enjoin them from continuing to endanger the public through the sale of defective vehicles and deceptive business practices.”

A set of leaked patent office drawings gave us our first look at the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Convertible, but left plenty to the imagination. Given the lack of detail in the leaked drawings, we decided to hand things over to our in-house artist, giving us a far more realistic preview of the upcoming SLS AMG Convertible.

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.