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With the Ford Crown Victoria out of the picture, automakers are in a fight for police car domination, and Dodge just upped the ante by adding an optional all-wheel drive system on the Charger Pursuit for 2014.

Previously, the Charger Pursuit was only available with rear-wheel drive, but adding the AWD system gives it an advantage over the rear-drive-only Chevrolet Caprice PPV and makes the car more marketable in Northern police fleets against the Ford Taurus-based Police Interceptor Sedan which also offers AWD. Dodge's system differs from Ford's mainly by being rear-wheel biased, but Chrysler also says that it features an active transfer case and a front axle disconnect system. These allow the Charger Pursuit to have great traction in slick road conditions and deliver optimal fuel economy in regular driving.

The new Charger AWD police car will only be available on the cars equipped with the V8 engine, and while Chrysler didn't announce fuel economy estimates, the regular Charger AWD gets 15 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. For top fuel economy, the Pentastar V6 is still available under the RWD Charger Pursuit's hood.

Chrysler's announcement of the Charger Pursuit AWD came on the same day that Ford announced the addition of the more powerful and more fuel-efficient 3.7-liter V6 to the Police Interceptor Sedan.

You can check out the press release below.

Up to 1,491 examples of the 2004-2006 Lamborghini Gallardo coupe and Spyder are being recalled due to potential power steering system leaks. Fluid can escape from high-pressure pipes located near the hydraulic pump, and if the fluid comes into contact with an ignition source a fire could result.

Lamborghini is notifying the affected owners, who can take their Gallardos to their dealers for repairs free of charge. For more information, read the bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration below.

Toyota, now all about getting its groove back, changed its ad slogan to "Let's Go Places." Scion, meanwhile, advertises the FR-S (Toyota 86) around the world with drift-happy regional launch videos and, in the UK, scenes of dystopian breakout. But in this corner of the world, before Scion went mature, we remember when it had hip, DJ-driven spots with editing as edgy as the image it was trying to promote.

Which brings us to this 30-second spec ad, created by YouTube users Marcus Stokes and Marko Mandaric. Heavy on the bass and VFX, it pitches the FR-S in Scion's original style. And even though the FR-S is the easy offering to slot in, we suspect the vibe might do favors for the tC and, pushing things, even the iQ simply because it's so left-field. So while we try and figure out whether the FR-S means Scion's got its goove back, you can check out the video below.

Pure driving joy, with a big open-mouthed smile. That's what we see on the face of Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima as he puts a 2012 Tesla Model S through its paces on a test drive down some curvy California roads.

Best known for winning the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb six times in a row – including in 2011 when he became the first to accomplish the feat in under ten minutes. Tajima-san attempted to top that this year in his custom-built electric Monster Sport E-Runner Pikes Peak Special, but a motor failure less than a mile from the start ended his day. That short circuit, however, hasn't seemed to dampened his enthusiasm for battery-powered cars.

Indeed, the jovial racing giant appears to have quite enjoyed his time behind the Tesla wheel, as the video below shows him piloting the all-electric fastback like one might expect a driver of his stature would. Using the whole road and with little regard for the possibility of a speeding ticket, Tajima has his passengers both bracing and grinning nervously while he guides the Model S roller-coaster-like through the twists and turns.

His assessment of the new electric American hatchback? Well, scroll down for video of a little Monster-on-Tesla action and see for yourself.

It's been a while since we got an ad from France that didn't involve techno music or events that are – outside of France, at least – just plain odd. Yet Peugeot plays it straight in a spot for its new 208 called "There are sensations one never forgets."

It's as low-key as it is touching, with audio backing provided by a retread of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Depending on the proclivities of your workplace, though, it also might be a teeny bit Not Safe For Work – of course they had to leave a few French touches in it. You'll find the video below.

The refreshed 2013 Buick Enclave arrives with a number of new features and a $39,270 price tag (*including destination charges), a figure that represents a price hike compared to the 2012 model, which based at $36,500. General Motors also priced its less-expensive Lambda platform-mate, the 2013 GMC Acadia, earlier this week.

The fresh styling and additional features offered on this luxury CUV could help shore up sales. The additional technology added, including dual-flow dampers, front-center airbag and a seven-inch screen with IntelliLink should also help.

According to Autodata, Enclave sales have slipped 5.5 percent this year. However, the Enclave remains the second best-selling vehicle for Buick, behind only the LaCrosse. A new look, freshened interior and perhaps more Marissa Miller ads should give the Enclave a fighting chance for the new year.

Honda has announced a pair of recalls that affect a grand total of 5,233 vehicles here in the United States: 5,216 Element crossovers from the 2007 to 2011 model years, and a whopping 17 Ridgeline pickup trucks from the 2012 model year.

The Element recall only concerns vehicles fitted with the accessory trailer hitch wiring harness. On these vehicles, the wire that powers the trailer turn signals was switched with the wire that controls the actual brake lights, meaning the turn signals will only illuminate when the brakes are on.

As for the Ridgeline, a faulty passenger airbag status indicator may have been installed on vehicles built on April 18 of this year. (How's that for being precise?) This causes the passenger airbag sensor to not properly illuminate, and thus not telling the driver or passengers if the airbag is, in fact, active.

Honda dealers will inspect and repair the recalled vehicles free of charge. Scroll down to read the official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statements for both models.

Bentley has announced Luc Donckerwolke will take over as the automaker's Director of Design. Donckerwolke started with Volkswagen in 1992 as a designer for Audi. Since then, he's worked with Škoda, Lamborghini and Seat in various design roles. His resume includes helping sketch out both the Lamborghini Murciélago and Gallardo among other notable models.

The designer steps into the vacancy left by Dirk van Braeckel, who has moved on to work with Volkswagen Group design under Walter de Silva.

As you may recall, van Braeckel is responsible for a number of Bentley's most successful models, including both the Continental GT and the Mulsanne. He joined the ultra luxury automaker in 1999. You can take a look at the official announcement below for more information.

Forza Horizon is set to hit shelves on October 23, and the good people at Turn 10 have been kind enough to give us all a glimpse at what their new video game will bring to the racing table when it bows. Unlike previous racers, Turn 10 says Forza Horizon will be more of an open sandbox, allowing players to race around on hundreds of miles of simulated Colorado roads while facing down oncoming traffic. We're sure there will be some sort of appropriately lengthy disclaimer discouraging players from street racing like they do in the game out in the real world.

The newest addition to the Forza library includes plenty of night racing, dirt road action and a massive in-game motorsports festival called, fittingly enough, "Horizon." At any point, players can stop and photograph the scenery and their cars within it. Looks very cool to us. You can check out the first behind the scenes video below for more information as well as plenty of in-game clips. Stay tuned for more videos as they're released.

Ford has revealed that it is updating the base powerplant on its 2013 Police Interceptor sedan. Ford's 3.7-liter Ti-VCT V6 engine will replace the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine in its Taurus cop car, and the new engine will slot under the optional twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6.

The V6 offered is a version of the powerplant found in the base Mustang and F-150, and it was already available on Ford's Police Interceptor Utility (read: enforcement-spec Explorer). With the help of twin independent variable camshaft timing, the 3.7-liter V6 makes 305 horsepower and 279 pound-feet of torque. It puts up these numbers while achieving 18 miles per gallon city, 25 mpg highway. Combined fuel economy is 21 mpg.

According to Ford, the 3.7-liter provides the highest output of any naturally aspirated V6 pursuit engine. The change should improve its 0–60 time, especially compared to competing six-cylinder pursuit vehicles. If you recall, the outgoing 288-hp 3.5-liter V6 resulted in a 0–60 run of 8.36 seconds, well behind the 7.34 of the Chevrolet Caprice PPV V6 (301 hp), and the 7.68 of the Dodge Charger Pursuit V6 (292 hp). The new 3.7-liter mill should put the Ford Police Interceptor in that range, though we do not yet have those numbers.

If a police department decides that 305 horsepower is not enough to chase down perpetrators, Ford still offers its 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine with 365 horsepower, and it's still the only twin-turbocharged V6 engine being offered in America's police vehicle fleet. For more information on the naturally aspirated V6, click below to read through the press release.

Porsche has gathered topless legends from its history, and one notorious hardtop, to show off some of the metal that inspired the 2013 Porsche Boxster. Unfortunately, they sat in the garage on the first day of filming a promo at the Barber Motorsports Park because an all-day rainstorm also decided to enjoy the track.

On the second day the sky made nice, and the interlude gave Porsche its theme for the event: Rain is not forever, but a roadster is. It's a sentiment that plenty of drivers in the UK would wholeheartedly agree with, and you can see how Porsche brings it to life in the Boxster video below.

Based on its last few concept cars, we can definitely see the styling direction that Daimler's Smart brand is taking. The new Smart ForStars concept, which will debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show later this month, certainly builds on the themes we've seen, as well. While the Smart ForVision concept was a solid indication of the next-generation ForTwo, the ForStars looks like it could be previewing a new Smart model attempting to target buyers of small crossovers.

Smart calls the ForStars concept a "Sports Utility Coupe," and the car's increased ground clearance and cargo space could resonate with buyers looking for a small car this not quite as small as the ForTwo. The overall styling of the ForStars is familiar, with reference from concepts like the ForVision and For-Us. Between the smiley lower fascia with the chubby, dimpled cheeks and the "eyebrows" above the headlights, the new Smart reminds us a bit of an evil version of Speed Buggy. Or a much cooler take on the long-dead Suzuki X-90.

The concept's bubbled roof gives it a look somewhat reminiscent of the Mini Cooper Coupe. Said roof is made from transparent glass panels, giving both occupants a panoramic upward view (it also helps explain the show car's stellar name). The concept car is painted up in a striking Alubeam Rouge exterior color with the matte gray portions of the ForStars showing off the signature Tridion safety cell.

Inside the ForStars, you'll find the same sort of flashy interior found on most concept cars. That said, we wouldn't be surprised to see this car's unique cargo floor make it to a production model. The cargo area is already generously sized for such a small vehicle, and it is made even more useful with a portion of the floor sliding back by almost a foot. One of the coolest conceptual elements we've seen in some time, the ForStars has a video projector built into the hood. Videos can be projected onto a flat surface using an iPhone, and there are speakers built into the side vents of the Tridion cell.

Powering the ForStars is the same electrical components used on the Brabus Electric Drive-as well as on the For-Us Concept – but it has a stronger 60 kW motor to go with the 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery.

Land Rover has shared U.S. pricing information for the 2013 Range Rover. While the Brits may be forking over more than $110,000 for a Rangie, buyers stateside will need to come up with $83,500 (*including destination). A top-of-the-line Autobiography edition of the Range Rover will set you back $130,950. That's an increase of $3,250 versus the current base Range Rover, and a jump of $4,285 for the Autobiography trim.

So why the disparity in base price between the UK Range Rover and the one set for the Yanks? Well, the the price for a TDV6 Range in the UK is £71,295, which includes Britain's rather substantial Value Added Tax. Conversion rates put that figure at $114,140 U.S., so that could explain most of it. There may be differences in standard equipment, too.

The North American Range Rover, along with the UK version, will feature Land Rover's new Terrain Response 2 management system, as we've previously dived into. That, combined with the 700-pound diet should make for one capable luxury 'ute.

The 2013 Range Rover will be sold in 170 markets internationally and will hit U.S. showrooms later this winter. Check out the press release below for the new Range Rover's U.S. debut.

Say this about the residents of Prince George's County, Maryland: they really don't like speed cameras. According to the Washington Post, disgruntled citizens have shot at a camera with a gun, set one on fire and even, allegedly, fired glass marbles in a speed camera's direction.

The solution? Another set of cameras, naturally.

In a meta moment of governmental decision making that we think that Xzibit meme-makers are bound to enjoy, officials in the Washington, D.C. suburb are positioning cameras to monitor wellbeing of the speed cameras.

So far, one of the new cameras has been installed, with some dozen more planned. Officials contend that the loss of a speed camera is expensive – sources cite a replacement cost of between $30,000 and $100,000 for each unit – as well as creating a safety hazard in the community. No figures were provided for the cost of installing the speed-camera-monitoring camera, however.