The next-generation Juke may be Nissan’s first model offered as a range-extended electric vehicle.

An executive recently confirmed production plans for the technology, which it refers to as Pure Drive e-Power. The drive system made its debut in the wild Gripz concept, propelled by the Leaf’s electric motor and a mechanically-decoupled gasoline engine that kicks in as an electric generator when battery capacity has been depleted.

The company has dismissed the idea of adding a gasoline range extended to the Leaf, leaving the next Juke as a likely platform to introduce the technology, according to Australia’s Motoring.

If the speculation proves accurate, the range-extended Juke will likely deliver performance similar to the Leaf with 107 horsepower and 187 lb-ft of torque. It will also presumably be offered with traditional poweretrains, likely topping out with a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder mill that delivers more than 200 ponies.

The next-gen Juke is expected to bring a toned-down bodystyle with a bit less quirkiness than the current edition. Nissan’s V-motion grille and boomerang headlights will keep the crossover consistent with the company’s latest design language, and a few styling cues will likely be borrowed from the Gripz concept.

Nissan has promised to detail launch plans for the technology in an announcement next year. Despite the seemingly solid rumors surrounding the Juke, the company could also be preparing an entirely new nameplate to showcase the Pure Drive e-Power system.

Volkswagen Group’s ongoing diesel scandal has not discouraged Audi from hitting its long-term sales goal.

The company wants to sell two million units globally by the end of the decade. Its 2014 numbers reached 1.74 million, up 11 percent from the previous year, while 2015 sales have already hit 1.5 million units in the first 10 months of the year.

“We have to look at the global economic scenario, such as what is happening to the interest rates in the U.S. or the ‘new normal’ in China’s growth pace,” Audi chief Rupert Stadler told Automotive News Europe. “Right now, we are quite positive, so the 2020 target remains.”

The diesel fiasco expanded in early November to include the 3.0-liter TDI engine used for certain Audi models including the A7, A6 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5. Despite the sales halt for offending models, the company posted a 0.4 percent sales gain in the US market for the month — the brand’s 59th straight month of record US sales.

The V6 TDI engines take advantage of a urea-injection (AdBlue) system to minimize nitrogen oxide emissions, unlike most of the VW-badged cars powered by four-cylinder EA189 diesel engines. A simple software fix is consequently expected to bring Audi’s lineup back into compliance with US environmental regulations, likely allowing the company to quickly resume sales and minimizing negative impact on long-term growth.

Audi was already on track to hit its 2020 goal ahead of schedule. Following the double-digit gains in 2014, the company’s growth rate could be halved to five percent and still hit two million global units in 2017.

General Motors is may be considering a production version of the Malibu Red Line concept that debuted last month at SEMA.

The show car featured a silver body paint and a slew of contrasting accents including a black bowtie kit, dark grille, black roof and gloss black nameplate. The theme continues with tinted windows and smoked lenses for the headlights and taillights.

Consistent with the other Red Line models, the customized Malibu features modest red accents on the foglight surrounds and red stripes on its unique 19-inch wheels.

“Chevy is taking a look at creating a Red Line series that goes across different models,” Malibu chief engineer Jesse Ortega told Edmunds.

The Red lineup also included the Camaro, Silverado, Spark and Trax, however the Malibu is said to have been particularly well received by SEMA attendees. A production version would presumably offer many of the same visual enhancements as the concept, though its lowered suspension is not expected to be offered as a factory option.

The company has not yet confirmed a final green light for the Malibu Red Line.

Beijing has issued a ‘Red Alert’ and placed limits on car use as smog continues to shroud the city.

Levels of dangerous airborne pollutants known as PM2.5 have approached nearly 40 times the limit considered safe by the World Health Organization, according to a New York Times report. PM2.5 refers to particles smaller than 2.5 microns that can travel deep into the lungs.

To help mitigate the problem, the city’s first-ever Red Alert requires residents to drive on alternate days based on odd/even license plate numbers. Schools will be closed, while certain factories will be forced to temporarily halt operations.

The current measurements are said to be the worst of the year, though far below the city’s worst on record. The WHO cites a PM2.5 safety threshold of 25 micrograms per cubic meter. Beijing’s current measurements are expected to exceed 200 micrograms per cubic meter for more than three consecutive days. The Liaoning Province city of Shenyang recently surpassed 1,400 micrograms per cubic meter, according to a BBC report.

China has spent billions to curb smog, however the country’s reliance on coal for energy production has been blamed for the persistent problems.

A fresh round of spy shots taken in Dearborn indicate that Ford could be getting serious about plans to sell its pint-sized EcoSport SUV in the United States.

The sub-compact utility vehicle market is booming right now, with vehicles like the Kia Soul, Jeep Renegade, Honda HR-V and Nissan CX-3 seeing strong consumer demand. However, Ford is missing out on the action because it doesn’t currently have a utility offering smaller than the Escape.

But that could soon change thanks to the EcoSport. On sale in other global markets for the last few years, Ford engineers were spotted testing an updated version of the SUV in Ford’s own backyard.

The prototype seen here is an updated version of the EcoSport currently sold in other parts of the world. Although still covered in some camo, it looks as though the new EcoSport will adopt some of the styling cues laid out by the larger Escape and Edge. In a nod to its rugged nature, the updated EcoSport retains its exterior-mounted spare tire.

Although it’s possible that we could eventually see this EcoSport on our shores, it’s more likely that Ford will hold off on U.S. sales until an all-new version of the SUV lands in 2018 or 2019. Like the current model, Ford’s all-new EcoSport will share its underpinnings with the sub-compact Fiesta.

It’s unlikely that the EcoSport name will carryover to the U.S. market given Ford’s EcoBoost branding strategy for its turbocharged engines. What Ford might call the EcoSport, however, remains a mystery.

It’s also unclear where the U.S.-spec EcoSport will be built. Asia is currently the main production hub for the EcoSport, but it’s possible U.S. vehicles could come from a North American production facility.