Nutson's Nuggets: Last Week's (October 17-21) Automotive Factoids - In Case You Were Sleeping

Each week Larry Nutson, The Auto Channel's Chicago Bureau Chief, gives you last weeks automotive news highlights you may have missed, or you can catch up on the past 16 years of automotive news in The Auto Channel Autmotive News Archive.

* Veteran IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, who won the Indy 500 for the second time this year, died from injuries suffered Sunday in a 15-car wreck in the final race of the Indy Car Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

* Did you ever hear about the story behind the Detroit 3 dumping dealers during the crash and bankruptcies? We sure did. Just published is the behind-the-scenes story written by one of the dealers effected and a veteran Detroit automotive journalist. You'll find the book Outraged - - How Detroit and the Wall Street Car Czars Killed the American Dream by Tamara Darvish and Lillie Guyer at Amazon.com and bn.com.

* Ford workers ratified the new UAW contract by a 63% margin this week after much divisiveness. It looked as if the deal might go down in early voting. Workers would be able to strike at Ford, unlike GM and Chrysler where binding arbitration would be the only option because of government involvement in the relationship. Voting at Chrysler continues.

* The cute new Fiat 500 tiny car earned the "top safety pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety this week based on side, rear and rollover crash tests. The Ford Fiesta is the only other car in this minicar class to earn the honor.

* Mercedes-Benz announced this week that they are working with Renault on the development of the next Smart ForTwo. Expected to share a platform with the Renault Twingo and be a 2014 model. M-B took over U.S. distribution from Roger Penske last year.

* Jaguar product plans include a new sports car based on the C-X16 concept we saw in Frankfurt which will come soon and a new compact sedan a few years later. Jaguar and Land Rover are classic British brands now owned by Tata of India. Automotive News reports that Tata will be investing $2.45 billion in product development for the two brands over the next five years.

* BMW unveiled the sixth generation of the BMW 3-series. Featuring a 2 inch longer wheelbase and a new eight-speed automatic the new 3-series goes on sale in the U.S. in February. The U.S. is the biggest market accounting for 24% of sales. Powering the 328i will be a twin-scroll turbocharged 4-cylinder engine instead of the previously used 6-cylinder. An electric-hybrid is due in late 2012.

* The 2012 Honda Insight hybrid bowed on Monday with refreshed exterior styling, more standard features and improved fuel economy--with a base price of less than $20,000. On the exterior, a new grille design is flanked by restyled front and rear bumpers. Reflectors inside the headlights and brake lights also are changed. Inside, the rear-seat area offers more legroom and headroom; a redesigned gauge cluster adds a more sophisticated look; reshaped center-console beverage holders accommodate larger drinks, and the LX and EX models have improved armrests.

* General Motors Co. confirmed it will build a diesel version of its popular Chevrolet Cruze at its plant in Lordstown, Ohio, alongside the gas-powered model. The Detroit-based automaker will retool through 2012, sinking $5.5 million into the factory to upgrade the body shop and general assembly line. The plant will start building sellable Cruze diesels in early 2013, said GM spokesman Tom Mock.