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A near-production prototype Bugatti Chiron on special Michelin tires has broken the 300 mph barrier in Germany at the Ehra-Lessien proving ground. Though full specs were not announced, but it is suspected to have 1,578 horsepower, carbon fiber components, taller gearing, lowered suspension, and specialized Michelin tires. The test mule received a clip on rear tail with a more aggressive diffuser. If the car makes it into production, it will hold the record as the fastest production cars. The current holder is the Koenigsegg Agera RS that maxed out at 277 mph. Just after the record setting run, Bugatti's president Stephan Winkelmann has said that the brand is done chasing speed records. He added, "From now on, we will focus on other areas".

The Fiat 500 that helped re-launch the brand in North America has been dropped from the 2020 Fiat lineup according to FCA. The 500 has lingered on with poor sales for years, selling just 1,692 copies in the first six months of 2019. Existing supplies of the Fiat 500 will sustain what demand there is for the little car for months. Continuing on, though unsure as to why, will be the 500X, 500L, and 124 Spider. Why any of those vehicles are continuing while the 500 gets the scythe is unknown... all of them sell even worse than the 500 does. The 500 first came to the US in 2011 when gas prices were in the $4.00 range in certain parts of the country. It initially enjoyed a bit of a sales rush with over 43,000 sold in 2012, the first full year on the market. That year, however, also turned out to be the best year as sales have been downhill since. We think this announcement, along with the fact that there is unlikely to be a followup to the 124 Spider, could be the beginning of the end of Fiat in the U.S..... again.

Last week we reported that Toyota and Suzuki are forming an alliance to share technology and small-car platforms between the two companies. The deal, however, looked great for Suzuki but with not much in it for Toyota. Today brings some clarity to the arrangement. India is currently the 4th largest new car market and is expected to leapfrog Japan to number 3 in the near future. Being such a large and growing market has outsiders clamoring to get in, but one company is already there in a big way. Suzuki's local subsidiary Maruti accounts for 46 percent of the sub-contienent's new-vehicle sales. We reported earlier that Suzuki agreed to provide Toyota with two compact vehicles to sell in India and will produce one of its SUVs in a Toyota factory in India. Toyota has taken a rather hands-off approach to the companies it buys a stake in. Subaru, Mazda, Daihatsu all enjoy relative autonomy from the Toyota juggernaut. The same remains to be seen with this tie up with Suzuki.