While Chrysler has chosen to get out of the leasing business altogether after taking a bath on vehicles being returned with residual values far below expectations, Ford will reportedly be taking a different approach. Automotive News is reporting that after its finance arm recorded "extreme losses" on its lease vehicles, the automaker has decided to raise prices on its leases for the F-150, Super Duty, Ford Explorer and Sport Trac.

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Taking a lesson from BMW, who have been successfully manufacturing cars and SUVs in Spartanburg, South Carolina for more than a decade, Audi may seek manufacturing capabilities for their A4 sedan and Q5 SUV in the States. The new Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, just announced last week, may be tasked with building upwards of 200,000 vehicles per year -- including the two Audis.

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BMW has been busy with the X3, too. The compact SUV benefits from some subtle revisions inside, with upgraded materials and fresh switchgear.

There are also two new limited-edition versions, badged Lifestyle and Exclusive, which get fresh alloy wheels, interior trim options, new body
colours and storage boxes.

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If you're buying an Escalade, there's a good chance that even the Platinum Edition ESV won't be enough for you. That's why companies like Becker and STRUT exist, so that you can shine like one of the brightest stars in the multiverse. When these two companies get together on something... well, you'll probably need tinted goggles to behold it.

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The undisputed champion of hydrogen fuel cell SUVs at the Nurburgring has been crowned: the Nissan X-Trail FCV. The winning time: 11:58. Of course, it's the winning time because it's the only time -- a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has never ran the 'Ring before.

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The new RAV4 SR180 brings both sporting performance and high value to Toyota’s compact SUV range, a model that ably combines spirited on-road driving, contemporary good looks and the kind of off-road ability that more than meets the demands of most motorists.

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To say that HUMMER's launch timing for the H3T sport-utility-truck couldn't be worse seems like an understatement. Trucks which had been flying out of showrooms just a few short years ago are now languishing on dealer lots. What's more, the entire HUMMER brand could get the axe any day now from (current) parent company General Motors. Still, the H3T is coming to a dealer near you in September, and there's nothing that the General can do but price it competitively and hope for the best.

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It sure ain't pretty, though beauty, in this case, is likely in the eye of the beholder. A few years back, a new take on the taxi was provided by Standard Taxi, a company based in Troy, Michigan. The design for the purpose-built people hauler uses GM running gear and is able to haul four passengers in relative comfort. We hadn't heard a peep from the company until today when we learned that Standard is now working on negotiations with AM General to build the vehicle in its plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, where AM General builds the Hummer H2 SUV and SUT.

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The current BMW X3 will soldier on for at least the next few years until the arrival of an all-new model towards the end of the decade. Nonetheless, these are the very first spy-shots of Munich’s compact SUV, snapped undergoing road tests outside the Nürburgring.

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It comes as no surprise that Mitsubishi will be making a production version of the Concept-cX SUV first shown at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show. The design was well received and will slot right beneath the Outlander in size and price. Equipped with a new 1.8-liter, Euro 5-compliant Clean Diesel four-cylinder turbo engine, the cute 'ute will be the new flag-bearer for Mitsu's green efforts. Borrowing the twin-clutch SST transmission and all-wheel-drive platform from the latest Evo aims to put the 'sport' back in the Sport Utility Vehicle.

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Boy howdy does that camouflage make it difficult to suss out what's underneath! BMW's cooking up a new X3, expected to drop in 2011, and the changes don't look to be huge. The smallest SAV – BMW's acronym for Stupid Ass Sports Activity Vehicle – will get rhinoplasty to bring some Concept CS cues to the X3.

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Citroen today announces the C3 Picasso, a supermini-MPV it claims has the innovative magic of the company’s DS masterpiece, the ‘useful and beautiful’ approach of Apple’s iPhone and the unblinking practicality needed to wound the market-leading Vauxhall/Opel Meriva. The spacious, eye-catching MPV goes on UK sale in summer 2009. It’s based on the next-generation C3 supermini, and runs four-cylinder engines turning the front wheels. Expect a starting price just under £11,000.

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Citroën, Europe’s No.1 MPV manufacturer, has announced details of an exciting new addition to its award-winning Picasso family - the innovative, stylish and ingenious C3 Picasso. With an intrepid personality, spacious interior, intuitive layout, and nimble road manners, the Company’s newest MPV will make its debut in October at the Paris Motor Show before its UK launch in mid 2009.

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The most imposing vehicle in the Mercedes-Benz range is the GL Class. Despite its robust nature, this all-terrain vehicle is also distinguished by an ambience that captivates S Class drivers. The impression of luxury given can be refined even more at Carlsson in the southwest German town of Merzig.

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Here's the four wheeled bearded lady of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, courtesy of Kahn Design and (God help us) Cosworth. To us, spending tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle, then affixing a bodykit to it that would make an '88 Grand Am sneer seems a bit nonsensical. Then again, being of means doesn't always translate into having sense. As if that wasn't enough, even Cosworth hasn't coaxed much out of this abomination. The 3.6-liter diesel V8 gets an extra 30 horsepower, for an even 300.

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