For 2011, Ford’s taken the 2010 Shelby GT500, added in a new aluminium engine which dropped 102 lbs from the nose and 120 lbs overall.

Power is also up 10 HP to 550 HP and torque remains unchanged at 510 Lb-Ft. Electricity replaces hydraulics for the power steering and there’s a new Z-brace for the steering rack that ties into to the radiator support, similar to the one employed on the 2011 Ford Mustang GT.

It has been reported that Pirelli have just started talks with Formula 1 teams about tyre supplier deals. Pirelli chiefs this week gave the green light to evaluate a return to grand prix racing.

Most teams are currently weighing up offers from Michelin and Avon Cooper about supply deals for 2011, but now Pirelli might be able to jump in and grab a few lucrative deals.

Pirelli’s director of motorsport, Paul Hembury, says the company’s stance has been prompted by the fact that F1 could switch to 18-inch rims, and that teams are now ready to accept proper commercial terms for an F1 tyre supplier.

“Nothing is concrete yet, but we understand that with the possibility of 18-inch tyres, and the fact that the commercial reality has changed compared to the previous environment, then F1 is something that we are now looking into,” Hembery told AUTOSPORT.

“We are always in contact, and remain in contact, with the FIA and the F1 promoter – and that is something that continues year on year. We’ve been aware of the ongoing situation in F1 and that is really what has led to our latest situation.”

Although Michelin has made it clear that it is most interested in a return to F1 if it faces a tyre war, Hembery says Pirelli would prefer to become a standard supplier.

“We wouldn’t rule out a tyre war at this moment, but at this current time I don’t think there is a huge appetite to spend large sums of money developing tyres to go faster,” he said. “Of course these things go in waves and at some point that may be the correct approach, but at the moment teams are more interested in bringing costs down.”

Mercedes Benz has confirmed that the 2011 C-Class Coupe is coming very soon. Mercedes announced it will build the two-door C-Class at its massive Bremen plant, with production scheduled to begin in 2011.

The addition of the Coupe gives Mercedes Benz three different variants of the C-Class, with a convertible almost certainly to follow. The impressively flexible Bremen plant, which employs 12,600 workers, also makes the C-Class sedan, wagon, GLK, two E-Class variants, the SL and SLK.

The new 2011 VW Touareg Hybrid features a V6 TDI engine and is rumoured to be able to travel up to 31 MPH in an all-electric mode.

All the engines now come with 8-speed autos designed, like all other 8-speed autos, to ensure that you’re always in the wrong gear and the transmission will need to kick down at least 3 gears to deliver meaningful acceleration.

A lot of that weight’s been shed by dropping the locking diff, but don’t worry mythical VW off-road enthusiast, there’s a “Terrain Tech Packet” with locking center and rear diffs, and a button to select low range gears.

Toyota has just released the pricing for their 2011 Toyota Sienna minivan. Prices range $24,600 for the standard model to $30,500 for the sport model, while the top of the range is at $39,770.

V6 models will only be available initially, with the four-cylinder base Sienna and LE joining the lineup in April, along with the SE. It looks like the V6 will add between $1,250 and $3,555 to the price of the base Sienna and LE, the only models available with the Venza’s four-banger. In fact, the four-cylinder LE undercuts the V6 base Sienna by a few bucks.

The new Cadillac CTS is doing huge things for the brand. Who would have ever thought a Cadillac would be lapping the ring and giving the Germans a hard run for their money? Either way, Cadillac officially released the coupe version today, and is saying a CTS-V version is to come along for 2010. Two less doors with the same performance and power of the current V-model sound very enticing–do we smell another challenge?