For the first time since 1999, Ram pickups have outsold Chevy pickups, but just by a hair. Chevy moved 42,247 units in March, while 42,532 new Rams found owners, a spread of just 285 trucks.

Both companies campaigned high profile sales promotions in March, but according to Automotive News, Ram’s victory came at the cost of cash incentive offers. This prompted GM spokesperson Jim Cain to fire off this sarcastic statement: “The 1980s called. They want their marketing strategy back. It’s really easy to deeply discount your truck, mine the subprime market and offer cheap lease deals to buy market share.”

And if taken in conjunction with GMC Sierra sales, which totaled 16,863, General Motors comes out far ahead of Chrysler, but the soundbite of “Ram outsells Chevy” has still enraged a northeastern region Chevy district manager enough to send out an angry email imploring dealers to “take the gloves off and go back and take back what rightfully belongs to every one of you … Silverado truck sales.”

This news comes on the wake of a series of high-profile GM recalls. Included were the newly launched Silverado and Sierra pickups, in which a defective transmission oil line fitting could cause fires, an issue that forced GM to halt sales late last month.

While Chevy and Ram duke it out for second place, the Ford F-Series is still the reigning champ, with 70,940 units sold, a figure that is up 5% from this time last year.

Chevrolet’s plans for the New York International Auto Show later this month will include three never before seen models, including a “new variant of the seventh-generation Corvette.”

Joining the ‘Vette is a reworked Chevy Cruze compact, possibly the 2016 redesign recently spotted outside a GM factory in China, and a yet-unnamed third car that the General says is “an important new addition to our small-vehicle lineup.”

As for the Corvette, GM is playing its cards close to the chest, but early speculation indicates this could be the eagerly awaited Z06 convertible. The fixed-roof Z06, which debuted at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, is a performance version of the C7 Corvette, offering a performance bump of 170hp and 175 lb-ft of torque over the base car’s 455hp and 460 lb-ft.

This comes thanks to a 625hp supercharged 6.2-liter V8 sporting aluminum cylinder heads, titanium intake valves, forged aluminum pistons, and a dry sump lubrication system. The body makes use of carbon fiber for its aero bits, and overall the fenders are flared 2.2 inches in front and 3.15 inches out back to accommodate wider wheels and tires.

It is well known that the standard Corvette Convertible did not require any additional body stiffening (and thus added weight) when engineers lopped off the roof, and the Z06 droptop is expected to likewise offer a similar performance advantage over the standard convertible.

Photo by Mark Elias.

Nissan’s reborn Datsun division has lifted the veil off of a new sedan called on-DO at a private event held in Russia. The on-DO is based on the no-frills Lada Granta that was introduced in Russia in 2011.

Designed exclusively for the Russian market, Datsun’s latest sedan stretches 170 inches long, 67 inches wide and 59 inches tall, dimensions that make it roughly the same size as a Toyota Yaris sedan. The on-DO wears a look of its own up front thanks to an angular front fascia dominated by Datsun’s trademarked hexagonal grille, but the Lada genes are more pronounced at the back end of the car. Alloy wheels are offered on select models.

Staying true to its low-cost positioning, the on-DO packs a no-frills cockpit with just the bare minimum level of equipment and acres of hard plastics. Upmarket models can be ordered with power windows and a USB port, while all on-DOs regardless of trim level come standard with front airbags and ABS brakes.

The only engine offered is a 1.6-liter four-cylinder unit that sends 87 horsepower to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. At the time of writing Datsun is not planning on offering a diesel-burning mill.

Built in Lada’s Togliatti, Russia, factory, the Datsun on-DO will go on sale this summer with a base price of 400,00 Russian Rubles, a price tag that converts to roughly $11,300.

A facelifted Nissan Versa could be appear at the New York International Auto Show this month.

Though Nissan is gearing up to launch the next-generation Murano, which it has already teased, a minor model change Versa could share the stage, according to Autoblog. The 2012 redesign of Nissan’s subcompact, known for its cabin volume and status as the cheapest new car you can buy in the US (starting at $12,800), debuted at the NYIAS three years ago.

Styling is expected to mirror the recently refreshed Chinese market Nissan Sunny (photos shown). If that proves correct, the grille would adopt slight curves and a ridged surface for its vertical sides. Headlights would be larger at the base with sharper points at all corners. The rear would see new, more geometric taillights as well. Hard points and surfacing would remain largely unchanged.

The interior would see some upgrades as well, with higher quality satin inserts on a revised center stack. The passenger side of the dash would get an additional parcel shelf above the glove box.

No mechanical upgrades are expected, meaning the Versa would still be powered by Nissan’s 109hp 1.6-liter inline-four, mated with either a 5-speed manual, 4-speed auto, or CVT.

Overall, the Versa would fall more in line with the styling of the mid-sized Altima sedan in an effort to bring the Nissan lineup together visually.

Subaru is pondering a hatchback version of its WRX performance sedan due to strong interest from the US market.

WRX project manager Masao Takatsu made the statement at the Australian launch of the WRX sedan earlier this week, as reported by Motoring.au.com. According to Takatsu, 50 percent of WRX sales in the United States were of the hatchback variant.

By contrast the hatch comprises only 15 percent of the Australian market, according to Subaru Australia’s managing director Nick Senior. Oddly enough, Australians tend to prefer hot hatches like the Volkswagen GTI and Ford Focus ST in the rest of their performance car segment, whereas despite a strong percentage of Subaru hatches sold, American buyers prefer sedans in general.

Nevertheless, the US is Subaru’s largest market, says Takatsu, with Japan and Australia rounding out the top three. This bodes well for American enthusiasts who were critical of the sedan-only WRX decision at the time of the WRX launch last fall.

Takatsu cites limited resources as the reason for a lack of a WRX hatchback at launch, as well as the absence of an automatic STI.

If produced, the WRX hatch would likely share the same drivetrain — a 268hp turbocharged 2.0-liter boxer with either a six-speed manual or CVT auto putting power to all four wheels — as the recently launched sedan, which starts at $27,090.

BMW has announced the 2015 M4 Convertible that will bow in New York later this month will carry a base price of $73,425, making it $8,300 more expensive than its hardtop counterpart. The price tag includes a mandatory destination charge.

Based on the 4-Series Convertible that bowed in Los Angeles last year, the M4 Convertible wears a muscular look thanks to deep bumpers with wide air dams, flared wheel arches all around, wide 18-inch light alloy wheels and four prominent exhaust tips integrated into an air diffuser out back.

The M4 Convertible’s cabin is similar to the one found in the standard 4-Series, meaning it features four easy-to-ready analog gauges, upscale materials and a tablet-like 6.5-inch display screen mounted on top of the center stack. Cars equipped with the optional navigation system are upgraded with an 8.8-inch screen.

A three-part metal hardtop retracts at the push of a button in 20 seconds and at speeds of up to 11 mph. The hard top features a noise-absorbing headliner that BMW says noticeably reduces wind noise at high speeds.

Power comes from the same 3.0-liter straight-six engine found under the hood of the M4 and the M3. Fed with two large turbochargers, the mill sends 431 horsepower and 406 lb-ft. of torque to the rear wheels via either a standard six-speed manual transmission or an optional seven-speed dual-clutch unit. The M4 comes standard with a limited-slip differential designed by BMW’s M division regardless what gearbox it is ordered with.

France’s Citroën will travel to this month’s Beijing Motor Show to unveil a performance-focused show car based on the recently-introduced DS 5LS compact sedan.

Dubbed DS 5LS R, the concept is billed as a follow-up to the DS3 Racing and the DS4 Racing hot hatches. It draws on Citroën’s WRC expertise with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that sends 300 horsepower and 295 lb-ft. of torque to the front wheels via a sequential gearbox controlled by shift paddles.

Upgraded brakes on all four corners and a stiffer chassis keep the extra power in check.

The DS 5LS R is lower and wider than the regular-production sedan it traces its roots to. It is also lighter thanks to the widespread use of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and aluminum.

Visually, Citroën’s latest concept wears an unusually dynamic look thanks to a deep front bumper with a wide air dam and a carbon fiber body kit that runs all around the car. 20-inch alloy wheels and bespoke emblems on the hood and on the trunk lid wrap up the look.

Interior pictures are not available but the automaker promises the sporty treatment continues in the cabin with real carbon fiber trim on the door panels, a stopwatch integrated into the center console and a three-spoke steering wheel. The front passengers are treated to sport seats upholstered in a combination of leather and Alcantara.

Citroën hints the DS 5LS R could be added to its lineup as a limited-edition in the near future. If given the green light for production, the sports sedan will be exclusively built and sold in China.

Stay tuned to Leftlane for live images of the DS 5LS R straight from the Beijing show floor.