The Auto Writer

Matt Keegan, The Auto Writer, extends his thanks to the families of the men and women who gave their lives while serving in America’s military. I appreciate their sacrifices which have helped spread freedom and liberty around the world.

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I’m taking a break for the Memorial Day holiday and will be back in the driver’s seat on Tuesday with all-new stuff. In the meantime, please enjoy the following automotive articles I found while scouring the internet:

• Ford has gotten plenty of mileage from its American Idol sponsorship this year, by introducing its redesigned Ford Focus coupe on the air earlier this month. The company also awarded finalists David Archuleta and David Cook one Ford Escape Hybrid each and is enjoying the gushing praise that Cook has been giving his not yet arrived prize. Ford also used “Idol” to introduce its new “Drive One” campaign.

• Fisker has been getting a lot of press lately, not just for its legal battle with Tesla, but for its debut of the prototype of its $80K electric sports car. Quite frankly, the car is beautiful. Whether the car will truly be introduced later this year and capacity of 15k models annually reached is subject to debate, but the car is a step in the right direction.

• Autoblog is reporting that one aftermarket parts supplier can help convert your Saturn SKY into a Tesla fighter, but for about half of the price of the Tesla Roadster. AMP Motorworks is planning to convert 300 SKYs and promises to deliver a car that can go 90 MPH, 150 miles on one charge, and produce zero emissions.

• Chrysler, which reached an agreement with Nissan recently to produce vehicles for each other, is exploring possible relationships with other vehicle manufacturers to help advance its fleet. Chrysler may drop some of its larger models in face of the current gas price surge and hook up with other companies who could help fill important gaps its model line up.

• Finally, congratulations are in order for Scott Dixon and Kasey Kahne who respectively won yesterday’s Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600, two of the biggest motorsport races of the year.

Pictured: Henrik Fisker with his Fisker Karma all-electric sportscar.