It may be late to the four-door coupe party, but Audi officials promise it’ll be well worth the wait. Our spy shooters caught the German brand’s upcoming A7 undergoing a battery of winter testing in Europe. Unfortunately, thanks to haste of Audi’s engineers, only two of the shots really show the car’s profile and size.

It’s poised to compete head-to-head with the Mercedes-Benz CLS and newly released BMW 5 Series GT and is something of an A6/A8 hybrid build. The platform is said to come from the next A6, while its powertrains from both the A6 and bigger A8. Inside its cabin will be all the usual high-end Audi features.

The best idea of what the A7 will look like comes via the automaker’s Sportback Concept first shown at the 2009 Detroit show. Its sleek styling was largely welcomed by both the press and public. Like the 5 Series GT, the Sportback touts a five-door hatch configuration, a feature most likely to be found on the production A7.

Despite the effects of the Great Recession on personal-use truck sales, there is still demand for pickups ready to do hard work. The heavy-duty truck market has gotten smaller, but the guys who buy those pickups are fiercely loyal to the segment-they need the extreme capability these hard-working haulers provide. Some may wonder why anyone would own a truck that can tow nearly 20,000 pounds, but for a lot of people in construction, those who transport vehicles or goods, and those with ranches, this is just a part of everyday life.

2010 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rear Three Quarters Static
 Click to view Gallery
Within the next few months, the heavy-duty category will heat up, as all three manufacturers have all-new offerings coming. The Ram Heavy Duty is the first to market, and it’s already ahead of the game. When Ford and GM’s all-new heavy-dutys come out, both new diesel engines are going to require urea injection to meet emissions requirements that take effect January 2010. The Ram Heavy Duty’s Cummins inline-six turbodiesel, which puts out an impressive 350 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, met those requirements — without urea — over a year ago.

Instead, the Ram 2500 and 3500 use a NOx adsorber with precious metals that convert the NOx into inert gases. Not only does this mean the Ram’s emissions and exhaust systems are less complex than those in the upcoming Ford Super Duty and Silverado/Sierra HD (which could improve reliability and help keep maintenance costs down), it also means that, at the dealership, the Ram will very likely have a price advantage over its competitors. And while in this size category diesel is king, there are plenty of heavy-duty truck buyers who prefer gas power. The 5.7-liter Hemi, the Ram’s base engine, has the most horsepower (383) and torque (400 pound-feet) of any V-8 in its class — and only the Ford Super Duty’s V-10 has more torque than the Hemi, but it still has less horsepower.

PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) announced today John R. Outcalt has been appointed vice president, automotive refinish, and will assume global responsibility for PPG’s automotive refinish business effective March 1. Outcalt is currently vice president, automotive refinish, Americas. He will continue to be based at PPG’s automotive refinish business headquarters in Strongsville, Ohio, and to report directly to J. Rich Alexander, senior vice president, Performance Coatings.

Outcalt joined PPG’s automotive OEM coatings business in 1983 as marketing services manager on the Chrysler account. After progressing through various marketing, marketing services, technical, sales and management positions within automotive OEM coatings, Outcalt became director of network sales for automotive refinish in 1996.

Outcalt then served as director of collision center operations and director of sales, North America, refinish, before joining PPG’s insurance and services business as general manager. In October 2005, he served as general manager, refinish, United States and Canada. In December 2007, Outcalt was named to his current position.

He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Baldwin-Wallace College.

About PPG
Pittsburgh-based PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass. The company has more than 140 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates and operates in more than 60 countries. Sales in 2009 were $12.2 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: PPG). For more information, visit ppg.com.