Hyundai Motor America has announced prices for the all-new 2011 Sonata. The completely redesigned 2011 Sonata delivers best-in-class fuel economy, an EPA-designated Large Car interior, 198 horsepower and a starting price of $19,195 for the well-equipped GLS model. The 200-horsepower SE model starts at $22,595 and the top-of-the-line Limited model is available for $25,295.

“With the 2011 Sonata, our focus was a no-compromise engineering approach that would allow Sonata owners to have their cake, and eat it too.

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BMW is really testing our memory and powertrain-matching skills with its 2011 lineup. One of our favorite current engines is the N54 twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six, which produces 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque in nearly every model in which it’s installed.

But, as you probably know, it is being gradually replaced by an evolution of that mill, the N55 single-turbo inline-six, which still displaces 3.0 liters and produces identical horsepower and torque figures.

The new engine is showing up first in the 535i Gran Turismo, and also will appear in the 2011 135i, 335i, and 535i. Now there are plans to shuffle it into the 2011 X6 xDrive35i, too.

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The most spectacular Golf of all is fantastic but pricey. Will we get the chance to buy one?

Volkswagen sure knows how to please. The new, sixth-generation Golf is one of the better compact cars, a great-handling hatchback that’s comfortable, too. And we think the sportiest Golf, the 200-hp GTI, is even better—witness its inclusion on our 2010 10Best Cars list. (The previous GTI, based on the Golf V, made the 10Best roster the three years before that.) Now Wolfsburg is adding the Golf R, an all-wheel-drive variant that is the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive Golf ever.
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General Motors announced on Thursday a more confident forecast for U.S. industry sales this year and said it expects to end January with higher sales compared with a year ago.

GM projects the industry would sell 11.5 million to 12 million vehicles nationwide this year, up from the previous projection of 11 million to 12 million sales, according to Mike DiGiovanni, executive director of global market and industry analysis.

The Detroit automaker strengthened its forecast because of signs that the economy is strengthening, he said.

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The story behind the all-new 2009 Lincoln MKS was that you had this wonderfully attractive vehicle that looked the part of a luxury sedan but didn’t quite have the upgrade engine available to make it an outstanding luxury performer.

However, with the base model priced at $40,870, the MKS had a really competitive starting point.

Enter the 2010 MKS EcoBoost. This newest version of the MKS comes in front- or all-wheel drive with a new 355-horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine. Mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, this EcoBoost engine option pushes the MKS into direct competition with some of the best sedans in the class, but at a much lower price.
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When Nissan revived the Z in 2002, the car was a revelation. Unmistakably a serious sports car, the 350Z had power to spare and it handled like a dream. As good as the 350Z was, the new generation of the Z – now called 370Z – is that much better.

Nissan kicked off the new generation of its affordable sports car in 2009 with a redesigned coupe. With a wheelbase almost 4 inches shorter than that of the 350Z, the new car actually handled better. And with a far superior interior, buyers of the last-generation model had to be kicking themselves for not waiting a little longer to buy a Z.
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Subaru today announced pricing on the 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition model at $32,995 plus $695 D&D. The new model is priced $2,000 lower than the base price of the 2010 WRX STI and will be limited in production. The vehicle features an upgraded performance suspension from the Japanese domestic market WRX STI spec C and spec C wheels.

The 2010 WRX STI Special Edition is aimed at the driving enthusiast who is willing to trade a few amenities to gain an extra measure of handling performance over the already extraordinary WRX STI.

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BMW announced pricing today for the 2011 ActiveHybrid 7models during their North American debut at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

BMW’s first hybrid performance/luxury sedans will arrive in showrooms in Spring 2011 with a base MSRP of $103,125 including destination and handling for the ActiveHybrid 7 and $107,025 for the long wheelbase ActiveHybrid 7L.
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In 2010, a revolutionary new Tucson joins the rapidly evolving Hyundai product line. The sleek crossover from Hyundai, with its athletic European design, strikes a stark contrast from its predecessor and improves in every functional area, from its roomier cabin with extra cargo space to its leap in fuel economy and technology.

Tucson features the company’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design language and is the first vehicle in Hyundai’s 24/7 version 2.0 product initiative (seven all-new models by the end of 2011).
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Volkswagen – Europe’s strongest automotive brand – is setting standards worldwide when it comes to efficiency with its clean high-tech TDI and TSI engines.

Now this is being followed up by latest coup at the Los Angeles Auto Show (December 4 to 13): the world premiere of the Up! Lite A progressive, fuel efficient and in all details cleverly designed four-seater with a hybrid drive.

Combined fuel consumption: 2.44 l/100 km or 70 mpg/highway! No other car is more sustainable. With a drive concept consisting of a TDI (turbo-diesel), electric motor and 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) as well as top aerodynamics (Cd value: 0.237), Volkswagen is driving CO2 emissions down to a sensational 65 g/km.

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The quest for high fuel efficiency and lower CO2 greenhouse gas emissions is bringing an increasingly diverse array of ‘green’ cars to our highways. We’re seeing environmental performance becoming more mainstream in vehicles of all types, from entry level to luxury cars.

Plus, there’s greater emphasis on advanced clean diesel, which typically offers abundant power at the ready along with greater mpg. Nowhere is this more evident than with the 2010 Audi A3 TDI, which has just been named Green Car Journal’s 2010 Green Car of the Year® at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show.
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Hyundai today introduced its all-new 2011 Sonata at the Los Angeles Auto Show. This marks the North American debut of the latest version of the popular midsize sedan, introducing Hyundai’s “Fluidic Sculpture” design language and an all four-cylinder engine lineup to the U.S. market.

Sonata is the second vehicle in Hyundai’s 24/7 version 2.0 product initiative (seven new models in the next 24 months) following on the heels of the all-new Tucson. Production of Sonata will begin later this month at Hyundai’s U.S. plant in Alabama with retail sales beginning in January.
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Magazine-thin laptops, MP3 players and bite-size candy bars are just a few examples of good things that come in small packages.

Now, for the first time in North America, Mazda is introducing its own affordable, fun-sized creation – the 2011 MAZDA2 at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto show.

A stylish, eco-friendly, fun-to-drive five-door hatchback, the MAZDA2 is Zoom-Zoom in its most concentrated form – compact and efficient, yet packed with style and substance. It will launch into the North American market in late summer, 2010.
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The 2010 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicle (PHV) will make it’s North American debut today at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Built specifically to support a global demonstration program that begins this month, the Prius PHV is based on the third-generation Prius. The vehicle expands Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive technology with the introduction of a first generation lithium-ion battery that enables all-electric operation at higher speeds and longer distances than the conventional Prius hybrid.

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Volkswagen of America, Inc. today, at the 2009 Los Angeles auto show,  announced the 2010 New Beetle and New Beetle convertible Final Editions, which will mark the last of Volkswagen’s current generation of the iconic models.

Available in U.S. dealer showrooms beginning in the Spring of 2010, the Final Editions will be limited to only 1,500 units each. The Final Editions will receive a host of unique upgrades and touches that will truly set them apart from others cruising across the country.
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