Scientists can't classify it as an element, but soil is one of the few substances on this planet we simply cannot live without. Foliage and food sources spring from it, our modern world is built atop of it, and arguably, it provides the basis for one of the most entertaining forms of motorsport ever created: rallying.

High-performance SUVs seem to be the answer to a question no one asked. An ultrafast vehicle with a center of gravity higher than some sports cars' rooflines and weighs as much as several sports cars combined? Sounds like a recipe for a rollover. Nonetheless, automakers have found the concept rather popular -- and profitable -- and we can't deny that these vehicles can be impressive performers.

After a decade-plus run, production of well over 1-million units, and global distribution, Chrysler's spunky homage to 1930s design has ground to a halt. The last Chrysler PT Cruiser has been delivered and no replacement is likely. The chronology that follows celebrates the bright moments of its illustrious life.

Once the poster child of the traditional-SUV segment, the Ford Explorer is now a front-wheel-drive, four-cylinder, unibody crossover -- at least in base trim. It may be a strange and dramatic departure from the Explorer of yesteryear, but Ford execs are confident the new strategy can halt the icon's cliff dive from 445,157 sales in 2000 to 31,864 through the first six months of 2010. Fuel economy, they say, is the reason the segment has stalled. That explains the four-cylinder base engine, a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit generating 237 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. The numbers aren't official yet, but a 30 percent increase in fuel economy over last year's V-6 is expected, which should yield 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

Over the past five years, just about every German automaker has rushed to combine the body styles coupe and sedan, with varying levels of success. Not Audi. The automaker from Ingolstadt has more or less sat coolly on the sidelines as its rivals launched all manner of so-called four-door coupes, sport-activity vehicles, and four-door-coupe-hatchback supercars. Now, at last, we're seeing Audi's contribution to this fledgling segment in the form of the production A7.

World-class luxury and mind-altering performance, a rate combination of traits that few automakers are capable of bringing to the table. Mercedes-Benz is one such automaker and its latest creations, the AMG versions of the new 2011 CL-Class, certainly fit the bill.

In late 1990, the Ford Explorer made its debut, effectively defining the sport-utility vehicle segment that it would reign over for the decade that followed. Based on the Ford Ranger pickup, its mechanicals didn't exactly set the world on fire, but the concept of a versatile, off-road-ready family hauler did.

According to the Wolfsburg grapevine, the Volkswagen Group is set to increase its 19.9 percent share in Suzuki by ten percent annually over the next four to five years. What for? We've already learned that VW might be interested in building a low-cost, Japanese version of the Up! but now it seems that the Germans are also eyeing Suzuki's crossovers, particularly the next generation of the SX4.

The last place one would expect to find devotion to a two-decade-old, iron-block six-cylinder engine is Volkswagen. The company has developed a line of powerful turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinders, but VW remains committed to an aging engine that defies easy categorization: the VR6.

The Audi e-tron show car introduced in Detroit is powered by a couple of electric motors. But this blue beauty does not portend electric propulstion. If this car does go into production, it will most likely be fitted with a turbocharged five-cylinder, and it will be one of an exciting family of mid-engine cars.

If you often find yourself switching aimlessly among the hundreds of radio stations beamed to your car by AM, FM, and satellite radio, get ready for even more choices. Lots more.

Photographer Michael Alan Ross has been a car guy -- or maybe that's car kid -- since age four, and he has been shooting cars since he was nine. More recently, Ross met the owner of a 1932 Ford roadster with a land speed record at Bonneville, and their conversation led Ross to make his first of three trips to the salt for the annual Speed Week. "It was like stepping onto the face of the moon," he says of his first experience at the Salt Flats. "To stand in the middle of 46 square miles of salt is a pretty amazing experience."

You know the Brembo brand, which peeks out from between the wheel spokes on the world's most potent automobiles, as a boutique maker of exemplary braking components. But while you weren't paying attention, Brembo grew from a 1961 Italian upstart into the world's largest independent manufacturer of cast iron brake rotors, aluminum calipers, and carbon-ceramic-material (CCM) discs. Brembo supplies braking equipment for cars, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles worldwide with 35 manufacturing and business operations in 14 countries on three continents. This $1-billion enterprise has over 5000 employees, more than 500 engineers and technical specialists, and its fingers in more than brake rotors, calipers, and friction materials. Brembo affiliates manufacture seat belts, child safety equipment, helmets, and motorcyclist air bag jackets. This firm also assembles corner modules -- consisting of suspension linkages, wheel hubs, brake components, and ABS sensors -- for Aston Martin, Ferrari, Maserati, and Porsche.

Despite essentially inventing the compact luxury SUV segment with its X3, BMW watched as the competition quickly countered with a flurry of similar offerings. Munich is finally fighting back with the reworked 2011 BMW X3. Will the updates be enough to get it back to the top of the class?

Giorgetto Giugiaro is the Car Designer of the Century, according to 132 (relatively) young automotive journalists back in 1999. Their grasp of automotive history seems to have been concentrated in their own adult lifetimes, however. Whether GG's influence is greater than Battista "Pinin" Farina's or Harley Earl's is very much open to debate, but there is no question that he is one of the most prolific designers alive. "I have designed cars for every major company but Honda, and one day I will do that," says the Maestro. The merging of his firm Italdesign with Volkswagen may signify an end to his half century of intense activity, but he remains a powerful and highly influential force in automobile design.

After a very encouraging May, auto sales swooned in June. The month of June is traditionally a bit slow, but this year was even slower than usual. Adjusting for the usually monthly variation, June's sales figure translates to an annual rate of 11.1 million units, which is weaker than we saw in March, April, or May. Still, overall industry sales were up 14% over the pathetic figures for June 2009.

Chevrolet may be working on a hot Z28 Camaro, but for those who are sick of waiting for General Motors to launch the beast, we've come up with a few alternatives.

We all know wagons aren't exactly flying off dealer lots in the United States, but it's still an important segment for Volvo, even more so in its native European markets. Weeks after killing the slow-selling V70 in the U.S., we've been given our first glimpse of the all-new 2011 Volvo V60 station wagon, which will debut at the 2010 Paris motor show in September.

With the arrival of the 2011 CL-class, Mercedes-Benz has the opportunity to show off its latest advancements in powertrain, luxury, and safety, all wrapped in a two-door package. The big news for Mercedes' freshened coupe is under the hood of the CL550 4Matic, with the introduction of a new 4.6-liter V-8 producing 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission.

BMW's Megacity Vehicle is finally taking shape with these official sketches that tease the electric car well before its 2013 arrival. Until now, BMW's Project i has merely been vague talk about future mobility concepts and electric vehicles for major urban areas. The sketches reveal the first car that will come out of BMW's electrification program as a dynamic but practical hatchback. For now, it's called the Megacity Vehicle (MCV). BMW says the edgy shape reflects a commitment to building fun and engaging cars, while the ultrashort overhangs emphasize a minimalistic design that optimizes vehicle efficiency and range. To complete the picture, our contacts in Munich have slipped us significant information about the car's powertrain, packaging, and pricing.

Forty years ago, Land Rover took a capable off-road chassis, draped it in stylish duds, and crafted what became known as the Range Rover. The company used this same process to create the new 2011 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque -- although it may favor tarmac instead of dusty trails.

The Up!, Volkswagen's ambitious new minicar, has not been earmarked for North-America. But in the most recent planning round, we find the E-Up!, also known as NSF BEV (New Small Family, Battery Electric Vehicle), scheduled to hit select U.S. cities for 2013. Technology and range are still to be determined, but the concept E-Up!, which debuted at last fall's Frankfurt auto show, featured a 60 kilowatt-hour electric motor and could go a distance of about 80 miles, per Volkswagen claims.

We've reported recently that Mercedes-AMG was working on a smaller, cheaper SLS spin-off called the SLV, which would share the Gullwing's front-engine layout. That plan is now on the back burner. Mercedes is still interested in a derivative of its new halo model, but that prospect is currently being referred to internally as SLM. The M stands for mid-engine, as captured in the proportions of our spy illustration.

What do the Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen have in common? Answer: They date back to an era when passive safety and exhaust emissions were only vague terms instead of strict norms. Although various exemptions have helped to extend the life for these and other golden oldies, the grace period granted by the European Union ends for certain in 2015. Mercedes has no replacement in the pipeline for the G-class, but Land Rover is exploring ways to replace or overhaul the Defender in time for the 2016 model year -- and is even considering a departure from the traditional body-on-frame construction.

The Taliban had them surrounded. It was a clear, moonlit night on March 28 in Dangam district, in the Kunar River valley in eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. Army patrol, from Battle Company, Second Battalion, 503rd Infantry, was caught on a narrow road between two mountain peaks teeming with Taliban fighters. "They hit us from both sides," First Lieutenant Cris Gasperini, the patrol leader, would recall a few days after the battle.