Nissan’s CEO says that the automaker may build inexpensive vehicles bearing the revived Datsun nameplate in Mexico for export primarily to South America.

“We’re launching Datsun in India and Indonesia, and we feel it’s going to be very successful,” CEO Carlos Ghosn said. “So we say, why not in South America?”

Speaking at Nissan’s new plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico, where production began last month, Ghosn indicated that Datsun-badged vehicles could eventually be built there to supply South America and potentially other markets in Latin America. Since Datsun’s resurrection has just begun, Nissan hasn’t dedicated any assembly plants to the brand.

Instead, Datsun-badged vehicles like the $6,500 Datsun Go that will launch in India in February, are being sourced from other Nissan plants elsewhere. A larger model called the Go+ was also recently announced.

Mexico is gearing up to be an even bigger producer of Nissans, however. Over the next few years, Nissan plans to be building a staggering 1 million vehicles in Mexico to primarily supply markets in North, Central and South America.

Ghosn didn’t give any hint that the Datusn nameplate might eventually return to the United States, however.

The United States’ bailout of General Motors saved about 1.2 million jobs and helped preserve $39.4 billion in personal and social insurance tax collections between 2009 and 2010, a new study finds.

Released by the Center for Automotive Research on Monday, the study found that the effects of the bailout were even more profound when Chrysler was included, with the government’s intervention saving 2.6 million jobs and $105.3 billion in transfer payments and personal and social insurance tax collections. The bailout also saved an estimated $284.4 billion in personal income.

“Any complete cost-benefit assessment of the federal assistance to GM in its restructuring must consider the total net returns to the public investment…” researchers Sean McAlinden and Debra Maranger Menk wrote in “The Effect on the U.S. Economy of the Successful Restructuring of General Motors.”

McAlinden and Menk added: “If the U.S. government had refused to assist (GM and Chrysler)… in a financial crisis of unprecedented proportions, then the whole U.S. economy was operating without a safety net, with the exception of course, of the banking system.”

The Treasury Department expects to lose $9.7 billion on its $49.5 billion bailout of GM.

Lexus has released a single teaser image that previews its next F performance model, which will be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in January.

The image was not accompanied by any details concerning the car, leaving its identity in doubt.

It’s possible that the mystery machine could be the next generation of Lexus’ IS F sedan, or the long-rumored BMW M5-rivaling GS F. However, given the overall shape and LED design of the headlight, as well as the prominent parallel character line, it seems more likely that the teaser depicts the F version of Lexus’ recently-unveiled RC (a closer look at the resemblance is available here).

The RC is a sleek coupe based off the IS compact luxury sedan that’s intended to do battle with models like the BMW 4-Series. The F variant could feature a high-powered V8 similar in concept to the current IS F’s 5.0-liter unit. An eight-speed automatic would likely be the sole option for routing power to the rear wheels.

Lexus hopes to one day build its F division into a genuine rival for BMW M and Mercedes AMG. The Japanese luxury brand has enjoyed success with its latest round of F Sport offerings – essentially sport packages with a number of different aesthetic and handling tweaks depending on the model – but it currently has only one dedicated, full-bore offering, the aging IS F.

However, the upcoming F model should breath new life into the F division and better establish it in the automotive performance pantheon.

Although the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray launched with a carryover six-speed automatic, the sports car will soon benefit from a new eight-speed transmission, a Society of Automotive Engineers technical paper has confirmed.

A preview of the paper, briefly posted to the SAE’s website and subsequently removed, revealed that the eight-speed automatic will arrive on the Corvette’s options list for the 2015 model year.

Dubbed the 8L90, the rear-wheel-drive gearbox will offer an overall ratio spread of 7.0 and a shorter first gear for quicker acceleration. As the current Corvette six-speed automatic is capable of 28 mpg on the highway, the octa-cog unit could boost freeway mileage to 30 mpg or higher – not too shabby for a 455-horsepower performance machine.

The SAE paper also notes that the eight-speed will be able to handle torque output of up to 738 lb-ft. That means it could potentially be offered in the next iteration of the Corvette Z06, which to this point has only been available with manual transmissions. Of course, we’ll have to wait until next month’s Detroit Auto Show to see what Chevrolet decides to do.

While pure speculation at this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if the new gearbox eventually found its way into GM’s full-size pickups as a counter to the Ram 1500 eight-speed.

Photo by Andrew Ganz.

Brabus’ latest creation is an 838-horse wagon. Based off an already potent Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon, the German tuner tweaks the base Bahnstormer to new heights, including an estimated 186 mph top speed.

Brabus says the 850 package contains its most powerful engine yet, built from the E63′s 5.5-liter V8, bored to 5.9 liters with forged internal bits and a billet crankshaft. Twin turbos and custom manifolds help bring the torque up to 1,069 lb-ft, but Brabus says it’s had to electronically limit it to maintain engine longevity.

As is the custom, Brabus has designed its own add-ons, in the form of an aggressive chin, rear diffuser, 19- or 2o-inch wheels and garish “B” logo where the three-pointed star once stood. The interior has been redone as well, with grid-stiched leather upholstery and Brabus branding throughout.

Available for either rear- or all-wheel-drive E63 estates, the new 0-62 time clocks in at 3.1 seconds. Mercedes-Benz’s stock 155-mph electronic speed limiters are removed, allowing for the increased top speed. Brabus has already produced a sedan version of the E63, which is capable of 217 mph.

The striking Lexus LF-LC concept revealed at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show may go into production as a follow-up to the LFA supercar.

According to Autocar, the LFA’s chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi and Lexus’ Executive Vice President Mark Templin both hinted that we have not seen the end of the LF-LC.

Tanahashi, in typically cryptic Japanese fashion, said that “I have the expectation that the car will be launched,” said Haruhiko Tanahashi, “I personally hope the LF-LC will be built. I think most of Lexus’s concept cars have been turned into production cars.”

Templin played his cards closer to the chest, saying in broader terms that Lexus is preparing a range of F-badged performance models with a “car like the LFA” as the range topper. However, Templin was quick to couch his statement by saying, “It doesn’t mean we have something on the drawing board.” He also suggested that the F brand would be united by a hybrid performance theme.

If Tanahashi and Templin’s words prove true, the LF-LC would slot above the RC300h recently revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show, but sit below the $375,000 LFA in price and performance. Something in the Porsche 911 Carrera range is expected.

Citroën has published two teaser images that preview an upcoming premium compact sedan likely dubbed DS4 Sedan.

Based on the long-wheelbase C4 L distributed throughout China, the DS4 Sedan will gain a more upmarket front end that will borrow styling cues such as squared-off headlights and chrome trim around the radiator grille from the close-to-production Wild Rubis concept that was presented in Shanghai earlier this year. Out back, the car will gain a set of horizontal LED tail lamps and a discreet spoiler integrated into the trunk lid.

Expect the DS4 sedan to offer a lavish interior with leather upholstery on the seats, door panels and dashboard and the latest generation of Citroën’s touch screen-based infotainment. Chrome trim around the air vents and on the center console will finish off the upmarket look.

Reports indicate the DS4 sedan will be powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine available with either 163 or 200 horsepower. Power will be sent to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

Built in China by a joint-venture operated by Citroën and Dongfeng Motors, the DS4 will be sold locally through the automaker’s growing network of stand-alone DS showrooms. Like all Chinese spec DS models, the sedan will not wear Citroën’s trademarked double chevron emblem in an effort to widen the gap between the firm’s regular C-badged lineup and the more opulent DS-badged models.

Official information about the DS4 Sedan will emerge in the coming weeks, and the sedan is scheduled to go on sale across China next March with a base price of about 180,000 yuans, a figure that converts to about $30,000. The DS4 Sedan will only be distributed in its home country and it will not be available in Europe.

A new report finds Nissan will begin production of its all-new, Golf-fighting five-door hatchback in Barcelona, Spain, next July.

The hatchback will likely be dubbed Almera, a moniker used from 1995 to 2006 on two generations of a similarly-positioned hatchback. Its overall styling will be influenced by the design language found on the 2014 Rogue (sold as the X-Trail in the U.S.) and the new Qashqai, meaning it will be fitted with angular headlights, a shiny V-shaped grille and horizontal tail lamps out back.

Mechanically, the Almera will be offered with a wide range of four-cylinder gasoline- and diesel-burning engines including a frugal 1.2-liter and a time-tested 1.5-liter oil burner. Power will be sent to the front wheels via either a six-speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The Almera will help Nissan regain a much-needed foothold in Europe’s passenger car market.

“We cannot just be a crossover brand. We can make the Almera work. Getting it right is not an easy or quick answer, but the results of the Qashqai have bought us time,” explained Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s design chief, in an interview with English magazine Autocar.

Official details about the 2014 Nissan Almera will emerge in the weeks leading up to its public unveiling at next March’s Geneva Motor Show. While Nissan has not commented on this, rumors indicate the Almera is being designed exclusively for the European market and it has not been earmarked for U.S. sales.