Our heads are still reeling from one of the most tumultuous financial weeks on record, and the auto industry was far from immune. But despite our best efforts to drown our concerns in Racer5 IPA, the hits keep coming, and this time it's courtesy of the New York Times.

The Gray Lady is reporting that General Motors and Chrysler have been in talks about a possible merger for the past month, that "negotiations are not certain to produce a deal," "would most likely still take weeks to work out" and that two unnamed sources say that the chances of the merger going through are "50-50." Obfuscate much?

The rumormill is a funny thing, and sometimes it can run amok. This appears to be one of those times. The DigitalCorvettes.com forum posted a note earlier this evening saying that Corvette ZR1 production has been halted (Bowling Green is shut down this week, so no Vettes are being built at the moment) and suggesting that the ZR1 may be cancelled. A post on dealer Rick "Corvette" Conti's blog, linked in the referenced DigitalCorvettes thread, added to the intrigue.

At 9AM Eastern on Monday morning, a fleet of 23 diesel-powered Audis will roll out from Manhattan's Tavern on the Green on a trans-continental trek to demonstrate diesel efficiency. I'm in Manhattan this afternoon preparing to spend the next week in an Audi Q7 TDI on the way to Denver and will be checking in regularly from the road as we pass through Washington, Cleveland, Chicago, Memphis, Dallas and Amarillo along the way. Audi plans to launch its fifty-state-legal Q7 TDI in the US market next spring and it seems likely that some of the other vehicles on this trip may not be far behind.

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the MINI Crossover Concept

Aston Martin said it would have a "property" here in Paris, and indeed it did. The Aston Martin One-77 made its "debut," but it looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer to see the British automaker's $1,000,000+ super coupe.

Judging by the limited upskirt shots in our gallery, the length of the One-77 easily surpasses the DB9 and the stylized front end, with blacked-out headlamps, ensures that the One-77 will spend more time in the comfy confines of heated and carpeted garages then out on the track where it's 7.3-liter V12, carbon fiber monocoque and massive brakes will be put to good use.