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I spent a weekend with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata SE and found it to be just as appealing as the more expensive 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited that we recently had in the fleet. As the mid-priced Sonata model, the SE gets a mid-line but still appealing interior; it features seats that are upholstered with both cloth and leather. The base Sonata GLS gets cloth, while the Limited gets leather. At first the combination seemed strange but I quickly grew to not mind it at all.inline_mediumwraptextright0027622409/reviews/editors_notebook/1004_2010_hyundai_sonata_se1004_09+2010_hyundai_sonata_sE+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

Blame it all on Corvette patron saint Zora Arkus-Duntov. Roughly half-way through his too-short 21 years at GM, Arkus-Duntov concluded that a mid-engined Corvette was the ideal way to keep performance on an upward swing. His experiments and project cars investigating that approach should have paved the way to a production model with the engine positioned closer to the drive wheels. Unfortunately, when Arkus-Duntov retired at the end of 1974, most of the passion for the mid-engined Corvette departed with him. While successive chief engineers have periodically toyed with the idea, none have succeeded in aligning the necessary technology with a business case and corporate politics.inline_mediumwraptextright0027593993/features/news/1004_mid_engined_chevrolet_corvettes1004_06+chevrolet_corvette_cerv_i+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue

When did you start leasing the Mini E?
The car debuted in November 2008, and we opened up applications - we got about 1800 for 450 slots. We started deliveries in May and June 2009.inline_mediumwraptextright0032825136/green/news/1005_rich_steinberg_interview1005_z_06+rich_steinberg+with_mini_e.jpgtrue

If you live long enough, old friends occasionally make something out of their lives.

Ambition is essential for any new enterprise. If that were all it took to succeed, Chinese-American start-up automaker Hybrid Kinetic Motors would be a sure thing to outsell General Motors - which is, in fact, one of its goals.inline_mediumwraptextright0028663330/green/news/1005_hybrid_kinetic_motors1005_01+italDesign_quaranta+hybrid_kinetic_motors.jpgtrue

To some people, the sound of a rotary engine revving at 9000 rpm is like nails on a chalkboard. Not me. But its constant, high-pitched hum sounds similar to that of a busy beehive. It's one of the most distinct sounds in the automotive world and has experienced great success both on the road and on the racetrack.inline_mediumwraptextright0027594569/reviews/editors_notebook/1004_2010_mazda_rx8_r31004_04+2010_mazda_rX-8_r3+side_view.jpgtrue

Parent company General Motors tried to sell Opel, but then thought better of it and decided to keep its German subsidiary. But even though Opel's ownership situation as part of the GM family may be settled, the diminished scope of the GM empire means there's much about the brand's future that is still challenging.inline_mediumwraptextright0025374416/features/news/1004_opels_future_product_portfolioopel-ampera-front-three-quarters-view.jpgtrue

Today was the fourth time I've driven on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the famously challenging, 13-mile racetrack in the Eifel Mountains of Germany. I had only two laps, but they were among the best I've had there, and they were in the unlikeliest of cars: the new 2011 Buick Regal. Yep, a Buick at the 'Ring. Who woulda thunk?inline_mediumwraptextright0027609932/reviews/driven/1004_2011_buick_regal2011-buick-regal-on-nurburgring-front.jpgtrue