Cars may be getting smaller, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily getting cheaper. As if to prove that point, Fiat has thumbed its nose at the Tata Nano with a special 500 that packs a big price tag in a small package.

Commemorating the first anniversary of Abarth’s return to the Dutch market, Fiat’s performance division has launched this special-edition 500 Abarth Competizione. It costs nearly $35k and only ten will be made available for exclusive consumption in Holland. The €3,000 premium (nearly $4,200 USD) over the stock 500 Abarth gets enthusiastic buyers a special little hot hatch with a black roof, black 17-inch alloys and matching black graphics, along with special bucket seats inside. The 500 Abarth Competizione also comes equipped with sat-nav, air-con and a premium audio system. Although the Competizione edition packs the 135hp turbo four, buyers can always upgrade with the 160hp EsseEsse kit. For a premium, of course.

Despite its obvious link to Thirties-era wartime motorcycles from BMW, the 2009 Ural T sidecar motorcycle can’t really be described as “retro.” Instead, the three-wheeled machines rolling out of Ural’s factory in Russia really are a direct link to the past – a bygone era of motorcycling that’s sure to intrigue some and disinterest others. Which camp you belong to depends largely on your expectations for a bike. Many motorcyclists relish the opportunity to zip away from stoplights with telepathic ease, weave through dense urban traffic and slide knees from apex to apex. If those are your intentions, the Ural is most certainly not your mount. If, however, your motorcycling passions tend to favor leisurely strolls through the countryside and you’d like to share the experience with your significant other, we suggest clicking past the jump to read about our time with Ural’s latest sidecar motorcycle.

In an action that is symbolic of the changes America’s auto industry is undergoing, the cushy “union desk job” is reportedly about to disappear for many. According to The Detroit Free Press, UAW bosses at post-bankrupt Chrysler and General Motors plants are informing hundreds of elected and appointed colleagues that their desk jobs are being sent back to the factory floor.

The Detroit 3 have always paid for union workers at each plant to support labor-management initiatives, conduct union elections, and handle grievances. Most of these “desk jobs” were not at the plant, and they were reportedly enved by those required to do labor-intensive work in the factories. As such, the news is welcomed by those on the assembly line. “These people had cushy jobs,” said Zeigler Johnson, a worker at Chrysler’s Warren Truck plant. “Some of them could use a taste of life on the floor to remind them we still make trucks around here.”

All told, the UAW is eliminating about 300 positions at Chrysler, while GM expects the change to impact less than 500 workers. The new positions are expected to take effect within the next 60 days.

The drama that is Saleen entered a new chapter yesterday with the announcement that Steve Saleen’s new company, SMS Supercars, has filed a lawsuit against MJ Acquisitions, which purchased assets from Saleen, Inc. including the right to produce the ‘S’ line and Racecraft Mustangs, as well as the Speedlab aftermarket division. Steve Saleen, who left Saleen, Inc. in the summer of 2007, claims the lawsuit was filed to “continue to protect the name, reputation, and brand value of Steve Saleen, and to reassure his loyal customers, dealers, and car enthusiasts that only Steve Saleen’s SMS Supercars performance vehicles and products are genuine and deserving to carry his name.” Much of this statement can be attributed to both Saleen, Inc’s and MJ Acquisition’s refusal to honor warranties for vehicles and parts sold before the transfer of assets between the two companies. While SMS stepped in and admirably offered to honor the warranties despite any lack of legal obligation, this lawsuit is no doubt another push for Steve’s new company to be the only one linked to his name.

Interestingly, this lawsuit comes just days after AutoWeek reported that MJ Acquisitions planned to produce two new Mustangs under the Saleen brand in the next year. Steve and SMS Supercars have already been busy launching products of their own, starting the with the 570 and 570X Challengers earlier this year, followed by the 460 and 460X Mustangs scheduled for a late 2009 debut.

Jacques Villeneuve may have his eyes set on a return to Formula One, but he isn’t about to sit around waiting for it. The former world champion has announced plans to contest the upcoming Spa 24 Hours in Belgium later this month.

In preparation, Villeneuve raced touring cars at the Spa 12 Hours, sharing a WTCC-spec Seat Leon with Jordi Gene and Pierre Yves Corthals, placing 28th overall. At the full round-the-clock event, however, the Canadian driver will be behind the wheel of a Mosler MT900R fielded by Gravity Racing International.

With the Speedcar Series mothballed, Villeneuve also announced he’ll be coming home late next month for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the circuit named for his father. A far cry from F1, but a driver’s got to work, right?

Rumors are heating up that Ferrari Formula One driver Kimi Räikkönen will walk away from the grand prix circus at the end of the 2009 season. If the 2007 World Champion does quit, it would free up his seat for two-time champion Fernando Alonso. You’ll recall that there’s been talk of Alonso making the jump to Ferrari since well before his single unhappy season at McLaren. However, the circumstances have never quite worked out for him.

According to reports from his native Finland, Räikkönen may move over to full time rallying like so many of his compatriots before him. Kimi has already competed in three rallies this year and is set to do another later this month. Räikkönen still has another year left on his contract and Ferrari may end up paying his €28 million salary in order to keep him out of any other F1 seat in 2010.

Toyota’s Bill Reinert should be better known. With so many quotable statements coming from GM’s Bob Lutz and Tesla Motors’ Elon Musk, perhaps Reinert, Toyota Motor Sales‘ national manager for the advanced technology group, is just overshadowed in the OMG series. But, during a recent conference sponsored by Fortune in Orange County, Reinert made a play to get his dramatic words out there. How dramatic? Follow the jump to read on and see exactly what he said to Automobile Magazine.

The US auto industry has traditionally been a market for large cars, trucks and SUVs. High fuel prices and increasingly strict emissions regulations have made smaller, more efficient models a must-have for any OEM, but not every automaker has a B-Segment entry, including Ford.

That changes next spring, of course, when the 2011 Ford Fiesta comes stateside, and Dearborn is hoping to attract young buyers who won’t mind paying a premium for good looks and high-end equipment. Since it’ll be months before we’ll be able to get our hands on the US-spec Fiesta, we tried out the European model for a weekend. Does the Fiesta have what it takes for Ford to turn the B-Segment on its ear?