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So far in 2012, we've witnessed a 22% rise in sales within the subcompact and minicar categories. Several models were redesigned in the last year, and consumers seem to be digging them.

The Chevrolet Sonic is off to a good start, outselling the outgoing Aveo by 54%. The new Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio are also doing well, outscoring the previous-generation model's performance from last year. Even the Toyota Yaris with its freshly facelifted hatchback is doing better with a 35% increase, while Honda is moving out more units of the Fit.

2012 Hyundai Accent GLS Hatchback (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Fairly new, the Fiat 500 is at last gaining some momentum. Hell, even the Scion iQ minicar isn't doing too bad, given the car's size and versatility.

But the Koreans are still way ahead of the pack; the Hyundai Accent outsells the third-place Kia Rio by almost two to one. The Nissan Versa, with an 11% hike in sales, rounds out the podium in second spot.

Who's losing ground? The Ford Fiesta and the Mazda2, although still selling well, boast lower sales numbers this year, while the smart fortwo is still stuck in a downward spiral.

	2012 (first 4 months)	2011 (first 4 months)
Chevrolet Aveo	95	1,708
Chevrolet Sonic	2,629	-
Chevrolet Spark	-	-
Fiat 500	3,272	1,315
Ford Fiesta	3,402	3,987
Honda Fit	1,332	1,013
Hyundai Accent	7,298	6,781
Kia Rio	3,875	2,301
Mazda2	2,454	3,055
MINI Cooper	1,232	913
Mitsubishi i-MiEV	68	-
Nissan LEAF	94	-
Nissan Versa	4,174	3,750
Scion iQ	353	-
Scion xD	341	325
smart fortwo	393	542
Suzuki Swift+	-	1
Toyota Yaris	3,229	2,390
TOTAL	34,241	28,081

Despite his immense popularity in the paddock with fans, Frenchman Jean Alesi is having a tough time out on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The former Formula 1 driver has decided to contest the prestigious Indy 500 this year, having accepted the offer his good friends Claudio Berro and Gino Rosato (formerly with Ferrari and now at Lotus) made him last Fall.

It took a long time to find a team that was capable of running Alesi. Initial contacts were made with Newman-Haas Racing and then with HVM. Both fell through. A deal was finally made with the new Fan Force United team.

Jean Alesi, Fan Force United Team. (Photo: IMS)

The main problem is that the Dallara DW12 is powered by a Lotus Judd engine, which is well known to be down-on-power. In every practice session, Alesi's name appears constantly at the bottom of the time sheets.

To go along with the media attention that Alesi, Lotus, and Fan Force United team has generated, some controversy has been stirred by Alesi's reaction to the events.

Wednesday, Alesi declared: “Right now, I feel very unsafe, being quite slow in the middle of the track. So I am quite concerned for my fellow drivers, if we are not able to get the speed that we need. I am flat out and I have reached 205 as the maximum that I can see. So it is not a comfortable position right now.”

The poor Alesi confirmed his concern for his fellow competitors, saying that he believes the situation as it stands to be one that is unsafe, simply due to the speed differential.

Jean Alesi. (Photo: IMS)

In a press release, the Frenchman said that he is not necessarily saying that he fears for himself, or that he feels a lack of safety in the car.

“Jean has made it quite clear that he is very comfortable in the car, and is simply desirous of going faster. All of this makes sense, as he is a determined racer that wants to be competitive. Jean remains fully confident in his team, and continues, along with the Fan Force team, to work hard to do all he can to find improvement in every possible area,” the press release said.

The only way Alesi can make his under-powered car to run faster is to trim it down (by reducing the amount of downforce). However, as this will make the car go faster in the straightaways, it will also make the car very delicate to drive in the four corners, is not impossible.

The Porsche Carrera 4 has some serious German competition, for about $30K less.

Audi's TT RS apportions 360 horsepower to all four corners while the Carrera 4 shares 345 horsepower among its four. Advantage: Audi.


Audi cites a 0-100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds for its TT RS while Porsche claims 5.0 seconds for their Carrera 4. Advantage: Audi.

The TT RS lists a base MSRP of $67,600 while Porsche tags the entry Carrera 4 at $97,400. Advantage: Audi.

Both cars have a folding rear seat -- barely. Advantage: no one.

Enough of the comparisons - you get the point
The RS version of Audi's TT Coupe is an amazing machine that's unlike any TT I've previously experienced; this is a racecar parading itself as an upscale sports car.

One could also refer to the most powerful TT ever as the modest man's R8, but that would be an injustice to the TT RS. You see, it's faster to 100 km/h than the V8-powered Audi R8 4.2.

Whatever the label, the TT RS will live up to it, and then some.

The heart and soul of this car is its turbocharged 2.5L TFSI 5-cycliner 20-valve engine. Along with 360 hp @ 5,500 rpm, this renegade cranks out 343 lb-ft of torque from just 1,650 rpm, maintaining the full juice through to 5,400 rpm.

While I have bemoaned 5-cylinder engines in the past, Audi's version leaves me breathless. Never would I have expected such outrageous performance from a mill with an odd number of cylinders whose total displacement is only 2.5 litres.

This powerplant is a significant accomplishment in the world of stock production engines. And it likes to boast about its credentials through an exhaust note that would send shivers down the spine of Lambo owners.

Hard to believe that the howl produced by TT RS at full throttle doesn't belong to something from Italy with twice as many cylinders.

And to make the experience just that much more visceral, there's a button next to the shifter with an "S" on it.

The heart and soul of this car is its turbocharged 2.5L TFSI 5-cycliner 20-valve engine. (Photo: Rob Rothwell)

Palpitation-inducing Sport Mode
The TT RS is a wild beast with a gentle streak; that is, until you hit the "S" button. Activating the Sport Mode revises throttle mapping, steering response, suspension calibration, and exhaust channeling.

Suddenly, any sense of benevolence is lost. The car sounds angrier, rides harder and reacts with the immediacy of a racecar. Simply feathering the throttle produces astounding performance accompanied by an intensified auditory experience.

Deactivating Sport Mode returns the TT RS to a slightly more civilized machine cloaked in a thin veil of normalcy. This is actually a car that one could live with day to day. While its ride quality remains on the taut side and it's not the quietest of sports cars, it is tolerable.

I'm not sure I could survive with the Sport Mode permanently activated though. Of course, my teenage son wonders why anyone would ever switch it off.

On the Sport mode, the car sounds angrier, rides harder and reacts with the immediacy of a racecar. (Photo: Rob Rothwell)

Behind the flat-bottom wheel
My tester was equipped with Audi's 6-speed manual gearbox, which made me ecstatic. While the S tronic dual-clutch automatic-shifting transmission is an amazing piece of F1-inspired technology, I relish the occasional opportunity to mix my own gears. Besides, the automated gearbox isn't offered in the Canadian-spec RS.

Audi's stick delivered the full driving experience that I craved. Its throws weren't the shortest I've ever worked, or its clutch the lightest. Swapping cogs actually required some arm and leg effort to accomplish with any kind of authority and precision.

The antithesis to shifting was brake performance. A mere breath on the pedal produced strong, smooth braking action thanks to four-piston calipers and huge, 370-mm front brake rotors. There's no doubt that Audi equipped the TT RS with enormous stopping power, which despite its potency, was linear and easily modulated.

Seat time on a closed course is needed to fully experience the extreme capabilities of the TT RS, which I look forward to in October during AJAC's Test Fest program. If my road test is any indication, the TT RS is going to dominate the track.

A mere breath on the pedal produced strong, smooth braking action thanks to four-piston calipers and huge, 370-mm front brake rotors. (Photo: Rob Rothwell)

Nothing I could legally throw at it this week challenged the raging coupe. It simply responded with complete control and composure, as if to say, "Yeah, right, call me when you have your big-boy pants on."

This car is unflappable in the handling department. A slight dip into the throttle while cornering puts traction to all four-corners, pulling the TT RS around a curve with absolute, unconditional stability.

The TT RS wrapped
I suspect a number of the usual suspects in the high-end sports car club will be running for cover when the TT RS shows up. This car has set new benchmarks in both performance capabilities and bang for the buck.

I don't want to give my red rocket back - ever. It's that good.

BMW Z4 sDrive35is

Ford Mustang GT Convertible

Infiniti G Convertible

Based on spy shots and CGI renderings, we can tell that the new Porsche Macan will look like a smaller Cayenne.

Photo: PS-Garage

The headlights appear similar yet slimmer and a bit more stretched, while the vent-integrated LED fog lights are not unlike those of older 911 GT models.

This Porsche Macan's curvier tail and more swooping roofline probably aim to give the vehicle a more urban look than the Cayenne.


_{Source: PS-Garage}

Kia has dropped its

Subaru said today it will expand its Lafayette, Ind., plant to boost production of the Outback crossover and Legacy sedan and wagon.

Also in this episode: General Motors pulls ad dollars from Facebook, Lola Cars goes into bankruptcy and we check out the

The list of manufacturers that offer launch control is getting a bit longer. Ford is joining

Britain is on the cusp of securing a deal that would see General Motors Co. build the next generation of its Astra compact model at Ellesmere Port rather than in Germany, sources said Wednesday.

Britain is on the cusp of securing a deal that would see General Motors Co. build the next generation of its Astra compact model at Ellesmere Port rather than in Germany, sources said today.

McLaren MP4-12C, Lexus LFA, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

The death of metal.

That massive hunk of steel in your driveway is slowly corroding into obsolescence -- both figuratively and literally. About the time that rust finally eats through the floorboards of your shiny new 2012 model, you'll be able to purchase -- no, afford -- a plastic car.

Photo Gallery: The Death of Metal: McLaren MP4-12C, Lexus LFA, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: The Death of Metal: McLaren MP4-12C, Lexus LFA, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - Automobile Magazine

McLaren MP4-12C, Lexus LFA, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Ford Motor will lead the industry in introducing new or refreshed vehicles in the United States at the fastest rate for model years 2013 through 2016, according to a Bank of America Merrill Lynch report today.

We could debate the aesthetic merits of Mark Heidaker's Ford GT all afternoon, but his modified supercar's performance credentials are indisputable.

On the eve of Facebook's wildly anticipated initial public stock offering, General Motors said May 15 that it will stop buying advertisements on Facebook--about $10 million a year--but "remains committed" to the social network as part of "an...

As detailed in two previous postsand#8212;which can be found here and

Most of us who have been pulled over a couple times have known the horror of the flashing lights and the and#8220;license and registrationand#8221; protocol that John Law throws down when standing at our window.

Autoweek spotted this manufacturer-plated Fiat 500L earlier this week on the streets of suburban Detroit.

BMW reveals that the ActiveHybrid 3 Series will cost from £40,255 and return almost 50mpg

BMW reveals that Active Hybrid 3 Series will cost from £40,255 and manages almost 50mpg

The automotive-enthusiast community is still mourning the loss of racing and performance legend Carroll Shelby, who died on May 10 at the age of 89.