As Chevy brings out its new line of small cars over the next two years, it will also move them upmarket a bit by adding additional content that is now optional, according to Automotive News.

The Chevrolet Cruze, which replaces the current Cobalt, will add features such as air conditioning and power windows which cost extra on the Cobalt. The smaller Aveo will also include a wider range of standard equipment than the current version and will boast sportier styling and handling, as well. The new Spark, which hits the market in 2012, will be GM’s smallest and least expensive offering in the U.S.

Chevy’s old rival, Ford, has made headlines with its soon-to-be-released Fiesta and the upcoming Focus replacement, both of which promise to be faithful reproductions of their highly praised and high-content European counterparts. Chevy appears ready to meet this challenge head on with its own small car offerings and will up the ante by adding the tiny Spark as a bargain priced mini-car at the bottom of the line up.

Will the strategy resonate with buyers? Probably so. Fuel economy concerns seem to be moving buyers into smaller cars but those buyers won’t want to give up features and comfort to which they have become accustomed. And they seem to be willing to pay a bit more. Stripped down price leaders such as the Nissan Versa Base aren’t exactly setting the market ablaze, particularly when reliable, late model used cars can be had for the same money.

--M.D.

At a press conference in Turin, Italy, last week, Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne vowed that the Italian car maker will increase its stake in struggling Chrysler from the current 20% to 35% within 24 months.

Fiat was given its initial 20% stake essentially for free and can up the ante in 5% increments by fulfilling certain conditions such as bringing production of new fuel-efficient technologies to the U.S. (MultiAir engines in Michigan: check) and building a new small car here. Fiat will also be expected to expand distribution of U.S.-made products in foreign markets.

So far Fiat’s labors have produced Powerpoints and press conferences but little else to boost Chrysler’s sagging fortunes. Interestingly, though, the Detroit Free Press quotes Marchionne as saying that “[t]he most important thing is that Chrysler is proceeding on a turnaround plan; the results are good.”

So there.

--M.D.

On a recent visit to the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana, I spotted this one-of-a-kind motor home sitting in a corner. This flashy beast is the Star Streak II, the brain child of Paul Jones of Cape Coral, Florida, and was actually the second of two that he built. It combines the chassis from a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado with a 455 cid engine from an Oldsmobile Toronado and lots of creative sheet metal work. At 270 inches long and 83 inches tall, it was designed to fit in most standard garages.

As practical as it is tasteful.

--M.D.

Craig Bierley, product marketing director for Buick, introduced a group of journalists to the 2011 Regal today. Built on the same platform as the European Opel Insignia, the Regal will be built in Germany at first but production shifts to a GM plant in Oshawa, Ontario, early next year.

Two engines will be offered, a base 2.4-liter I-4 producing 182 horsepower and a 2-liter turbocharged I-4 rated at 220 horsepower. Both get a 6-speed automatic though the turbo engine will offer a 6-speed manual at a later date. The turbo version of the Regal will also be available with a new Interactive Drive Control System featuring driver-selectable suspension settings and automatic driver suspension setting adaptability. Bierley said that on-board yaw sensors will be able to monitor driver inputs and adjust settings on the fly.

“Make no mistake,” he noted, “this is a true European sports sedan.”

All Regals will include four-wheel disc brakes with four-channel anti-lock braking system, brake assist and electronic parking brake, StabiliTrak stability control system and full-function traction control and standard dual-stage frontal air bags and side-curtain air bags.

The Regal, and to some extent the LaCrosse, move Buick in a new direction and away from its traditional buyers. Bierley said that one-third of LaCrosse buyers are under 55 and it is likely that the Regal will skew the demographics younger still. Even so, Bierley said that dealers report fairly positive reactions from existing customers and it seems that Buick believes that it can hang on to those older, traditional buyers even as it aims for a more youthful target.

--M.D.

Not satisfied that GM’s sales are growing fast enough, CEO Ed Whitacre is shaking up the executive ranks once again and will bring some previously axed dealerships back into the fold.

The latest victims of his impatience are Cadillac’s marketing and sales departments. Bryan Nesbitt, who headed the brand’s sales and marketing and who starred in the Cadillac presentation at the Detroit car show just eight weeks ago, has been demoted back to the design department. Other execs at Cadillac were let go altogether.

Recognizing that you can’t sell cars from empty lots, GM also announced that it will let more than 600 dealers who had been flagged for termination back into the tent. The move will also reduce by half the number of arbitrations that the company will face over the closings.

Was GM stung by Ford’s sales lead in February? Does management think they should be picking up more disaffected Toyota owners in the wake of that car maker’s recall problems? GM officials, of course, won’t say one way or the other, but apparently there is no such thing as status quo at the Ren Center right now.

--M.D.

At the end of this month, Chrysler will begin building the last 500 Dodge Vipers, the brand’s halo sports car that has been in production for nearly twenty years. A number of special package versions as well as 50 ACR models will be included in this last batch, according to the Detroit News.

The Viper was first introduced as a concept car during the 1989 car show season and was championed by none other than Bob Lutz, who was working at Chrysler at the time. Chrysler surprised the automotive world when it announced that the Viper would actually be produced for sale in 1992 and would include a V-10 engine that it developed with Lamborghini. From the beginning, the Viper’s hallmark was its brute force.

It is not certain if or when the Viper might come back. Dodge chief Ralph Gilles told reporters at the Chicago Auto Show that his team is working on a new version of the Viper but it is too soon to know whether it will see production. Given that Chrysler’s parent company, Fiat, also owns Ferrari and Maserati, a 21st Century version of the Viper could be an interesting exercise.

--M.D.