Auto News 5

The 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo has a new trim level, the R-Spec, which is making its debut at the 2013 Los Angeles auto show.Product planner Mike O'Brien says the R-Spec is perfect for "tuner-oriented buyers and people who want to do their own accessories." The idea is to offer a cheaper Veloster Turbo with less standard equipment for people who want to modify the hot hatchback as soon as they get it home from the dealership.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA -- Revealed to the public at the 2014 Los Angeles auto show, the 2014 Honda Civic Coupe is revised in every important way, from it looks to the kind of mpg it gets on the highway. But more important, it is more like itself than ever. And this is a very good thing, as we were reminded during a short drive.

Nissan surprised us with the Nissan Sentra Nismo concept that makes its debut at the 2013 Los Angeles auto show. We knew the company’s Nismo performance division would be showing a Nissan Juke Nismo RS, but this modified Sentra compact sedan appeared out of the blue with a turbocharged engine and aggressive appearance package.

Nissan has followed up the lightly warmed-up Juke Nismo with the Juke Nismo RS. As we reported last month, the 2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS has more serious performance upgrades than the non-RS model that went on sale this summer.

There are few maxims more durable than race on Sunday, sell on Monday. Or, in Infiniti’s case, sell on Wednesday, race on Sunday. That’s how Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel wound up behind the wheel of a 2014 Infiniti Q50 last week to tout the retuned sport sedan’s handling prowess days before he won the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

TOKYO -- It certainly won't be called the Vezel when Honda begins building the new Fit-based crossover/utility vehicle in the Mexican town of Celaya, Guanajuato, in the spring of 2014, though that's how it was unveiled at the 43rd annual motor show here. The Vezel, as it will be called in its home market, is based on the Honda Fit b-segment and wears sheetmetal reminiscent of its slightly bigger sibling, the CR-V.

Talk about a loophole. Mercedes-Benz still won’t sell its turbocharged A 45 AMG hot hatch in North America, but judging by this thinly-disguised concept shown at the 2013 Los Angeles auto show, it will sell the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG on our shores.