General Motors will rush its next-generation full-size pickup line to market nine-months sooner than planned to counter Ford’s lightweight 2015 F-150, a new report has revealed.

Supplier sources revealed to Reuters on Monday that GM is now planning to launch its next-generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup truck models in the fall of 2018, or about nine months ahead of schedule. Revised version of the company’s full-size SUVs will follow about a year later.

The lightweight truck program has been given the internal codename “T1XX.”

Despite the expedited overhaul, GM will still trail the market launch of Ford’s aluminum-bodied F-150 by about four years. Ford’s new F-150 is roughly 700 pounds lighter than its predecessor, allowing for better fuel economy and greater payload capacity.

In order to make up lost ground, the 2018 Silverado and Sierra are expected to launch with a new line of powertrains that will feature direct-injection, turbocharging and auto stop/start technologies. The trucks will also use a new 10-speed automatic transmission being co-develop with Ford to further boost fuel economy.

GM has delivered a combined 333,870 units of its Silverado and Sierra truck models through the first six months of the year, trailing the F-150′s 365,825 year-to-date sales.

Federal scientists have reportedly invited volunteers to drive while drunk and stoned, helping researchers quantify the potential effects of marijuana.

Federal scientists for the National Institute on Drug Abuse set out to observe the effects of marijuana consumption on driving abilities, potentially shedding more light on the hotly debated topic.

Study participants were required to consume various combinations of marijuana and alcohol, or a placebo for the control group, before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle in the National Advanced Driving Simulator at the University of Iowa, according to USA Today. The simulator experience included 40 miles of virtual roads and parking lots, complete with unpredictable motorists and jumpy deer.

After completing the course, the drivers submitted both blood and saliva samples to serve as dosage references. Data is now being analyzed to find relationships between the various combinations and their effects on driving abilities.

Prohibition supporters have focused on drugged driving in their campaign against legalization, arguing that marijuana is just as bad as alcohol and will result in more traffic deaths. Such extreme views have been widely dismissed, as alcohol and the psychoactive compounds in marijuana have different effects on the brain.

Crash data suggests that drivers with illegal drugs in their system are more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than ‘clean’ drivers, but at a far lower rate than drivers intoxicated by alcohol.

“While some studies find that cannabis consumption prior to driving increases the risk of collision, this is not true for all studies,” wrote Dalhousie University associate professor Mark Asbridge in a policy analysis published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health. “In fact, some studies suggest that those driving under the influence of cannabis may be less at risk for collision or injury compared to drug-free drivers.”

Further complicating enforcement proposals, separate studies have shown that levels of marijuana compounds in the blood of a regular user — measured days after the last use — can be much higher than the levels detected from an occasional user at peak impairment shortly after consumption. Impact on motor skills has also been observed to vary greatly between individuals.

With medical-marijuana provisions in nearly half of all US states, and full legalization in Colorado and Washington, legislators are under pressure to hastily implement drugged-driving restrictions and field tests modeled similarly to those for alcohol.

Most legalization proponents support restrictions on actual impairment, however many argue that roadside blood and saliva tests, combined with arbitrary thresholds, will likely result in charges against drivers who are not driving with reduced motor skills or attention difficulties.

“I can’t tell you if one joint is going to make you high to the point where you can’t drive,” Colorado State Trooper JJ Wolff told USA Today. “That’s a really hard question to answer at this point.”

Officers already have the ability to identify impaired drivers without relying on chemical tests, thanks to the NHTSA’s Standardized Field Sobriety Test system. By observing eye movement and asking drivers to stand on one leg and walk heel-to-toe in a straight line, officers can estimate intoxication. Many agencies are also training “drug recognition experts” that can be called in to help determine what category of drugs are causing impairment. Blood, saliva or urine samples can then be obtained to corroborate the officer evaluation.

The NIDA has been working on its study for three years, without hinting at any preliminary findings. Final results are expected to arrive on October.

Volkswagen has announced a voluntary recall campaign for its 2015 Golf and GTI hatchbacks.

The company has identified an assembly error that can allow the stabilizer links to detach from the front of the vehicle, potentially interfering with steering and requiring increased steering effort.

“Unexpected increased handling effort may lead to a crash without warning,” the company wrote in its defect notice to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The problem was first spotted during test drives, after drivers noticed a noise coming from the front axle. Engineers traced the problem to loose stabilizer fasteners, which had not been torqued to the proper specifications by factory workers.

Service centers have been instructed to completely replace the stabilizer links and install new mounting nuts to the proper torque specs. The vehicle has not been on the market for very long, limiting the campaign to approximately 2,000 vehicles.

Strong demand from the United States and China helped Nissan to a $1.2 billion profit during the first quarter of its fiscal year, the Japanese automaker announced on Monday.

During the April-June period Nissan recorded revenue of $24.13 billion, representing a 10.4 percent improvement over the same quarter a year earlier. As a result of that increased revenue, Nissan’s operating profit spiked 13.4 percent to $1.2 billion during the first quarter.

Nissan’s results were spurred by increased demand from the United States and China, where sales increased by 14.1 percent and 21.1 percent respectively.

“Nissan continued to make progress in the first three months of the fiscal year as encouraging demand for new products, benefits from recent plant investments, and improving market conditions in North America, China and Europe combined to lift both revenues and profits,” said Carlos Ghosn, president and chief executive officer. “Nissan is well placed to deliver on its outlook given our continued product offensive along with measures to enhance competitiveness, build market share and the ongoing benefits of our Alliance strategy.”

Nissan sold 1.24 million vehicles worldwide during the three month stretch, marking a 6 percent increase over Q1 of 2013.

For the year, Nissan expects to pocket $5.35 billion in profit off of 5.65 million deliveries.

Hyundai has issued yet another recall for its 2015 Sonata after discovering a manufacturing error.

A problem with the aluminum casting process for a batch of brake calipers has negatively affected fatigue resistance in some parts, making them susceptible to fracture.

At least one customer brought their new Sonata back to the dealer because the pedal “went to the floor at stops.” A subsequent investigation determined that the caliper had fractured, and a deeper analysis of cars produced on the same date suggested approximately 2,256 calipers may be prone to the same failure.

The issue is believed to be limited to calipers manufactured during one day’s production. Caliper date codes could not be tracked to specific VINs, forcing the company to recall and inspect all vehicles produced over a seven-week span between April and June.

The caliper recall arrives less than two weeks after the company issued another recall over a defective wiring harness that can cause problems with the steering assist.

Photo by Nat Shirley.

The Infiniti G37 will live on for 2015, but it will be renamed the Q40 for its final model year. The luxury sedan itself soldiers on, largely unchanged.

When Infiniti famously changed their entire model line to the letter-Q-plus-number format for 2014, the G37 was the sole survivor from the old naming regime. Though the sedan, technically a rebadged Nissan Skyline, was succeeded by an all-new Skyline called the Infiniti Q50 stateside, Infiniti decided to keep the G37 around as a lower-cost alternative for lessees.

The all-wheel-drive G37x sticks around too, and will be known as the Q40 AWD. Only two checkboxes will be offered, a Navigation Plus Package and a Moonroof Package. The G37′s current slate of four exterior colors — black, white, silver and gray — carry over, as does its 328hp, 3.7-liter V6 with 7-speed automatic transmission. During the Q-ification of the lineup, the G37 Coupe became the Q60, which still enjoys a full buffet of colors and options.

Though pricing has yet to be announced, the G37′s staring price of $32,950 is considerably less than the Q50′s $37,150 and the Q60′s $40,950. The 2015 Infiniti Q40 goes on sale in August, though it’s unknown whether the Q40 nameplate will continue beyond 2015.

BMW will be auctioning a one-off version of the i8 at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance next month.

The plug-in hybrid sports car will be slathered in Frozen Gray, a limited edition color first seen on a limited run, US-only 2011 M3 Coupe and a matte so delicate BMW had to institute a warranty exception for the paint.

The cabin will be finished in a somewhat more durable Dalbergia Brown leather with BMW i Blue stitching and seat belts, part of the “Pure Impulse Tera World” interior package. Each headrest will have the words “BMW i8″ embossed while “Concours D’Elegance Edition” will be laser etched on an undisclosed interior surface.

The special edition will also be the first US i8 to feature laser headlights, on the condition that the feds approve the technology. It will also be the first to come with a Display Key, which is a fancy way of saying a key with an LCD screen to show the driver information such as remaining battery charge and range.

The bespoke i8 will cross the block on Saturday at the Gooding & Co. Auction, with proceeds going to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Renault Sport has confirmed it is developing a performance-focused variant of the rear-engined Twingo city car (pictured) that was introduced last March in Geneva. The hot hatch could wear the storied Gordini nameplate when it is introduced at a major auto show next year.

Power for the Twingo Gordini will reportedly come from a turbocharged evolution of the 0.9-liter three-cylinder engine that powers the stock Twingo and the upcoming 2015 smart fortwo. Mounted directly over the rear axle, the engine will send over 120 horsepower to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

The Twingo Gordini will ride on a chassis tuned by Renault Sport. It will also feature bigger disc brakes and gain numerous suspension upgrades such as larger anti-roll bars and stiffer springs.

Visually, the Twingo Gordini will stand out from its stock counterpart thanks to a more aggressive front fascia, model-specific alloy wheels wrapped by wide tires and twin exhaust pipes out back. The sporty treatment will continue inside with bucket seats for the front passengers and an extra set of gauges.

Look for additional details about the upcoming Renault Twingo Gordini to emerge in the coming weeks. It goes without saying the hot hatch will not make its way to the United States, but a similarly-powerful variant of the smart fortwo tuned by Brabus is expected to arrive here shortly after the regular model makes its debut.

A small Brazilian company named Troller has published a full set of details about a new SUV christened T4. Founded in 1995, Troller has been a division of Ford’s Brazilian arm since 2007.

The T4 was previewed by a thinly-veiled concept that bowed at the 2012 edition of Brazil’s San Paolo Motor Show. Penned by Ford’s local design center, the T4 takes the form of a compact SUV with a rugged design that seemingly borrows styling cues from the Jeep Wrangler and the Toyota FJ-40 of yore. The SUV boasts a generous amount of ground clearance and a tough body-on-frame construction, but it lacks the outgoing T4′s removable hard top.

The boxy, function-over-form design continues on the inside. The new T4 remains a decidedly Spartan SUV but it can be ordered with 21st century tech features like Bluetooth connectivity with audio streaming and a dual-zone automatic climate control system at an extra cost.

Power comes from a 3.2-liter five-cylinder turbodiesel engine sourced directly from the Ford parts bin. The oil-burning mill sends 200 horsepower and 346 lb-ft. of torque to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission and a permanent all-wheel drive system.

Short overhangs on both ends give the T4 remarkably high approach and departure angles, while sway bars that can be quickly disconnected and an available snorkel help the SUV take on even the roughest terrain Brazil has to offer.

The Troller T4 is scheduled to go on sale across its home country in the coming days. Sources indicate Troller is not planning on selling the off-roader outside of Brazil.