Auto News 5

Another year, another special-edition Scion. The 2010 Scion xB Release Series 7.0 will debut this week at the 2009 Los Angeles auto show, and it carries some interesting special equipment.inline_mediumwraptextright31553223/features/news/0912_2010_scion_xb_release_series_70912_03_z+2010_scion_xB_release_series_7+front_three_quarters_view.jpgTrue

The nameplate "Giulietta" resonates with generations of car enthusiasts in Italy and elsewhere in the same way that "Corvette" and "Mustang" do here in the States. It was used, quite famously, on a sedan and coupe between 1954 and 1965 and then again on a sedan from 1977 to 1985. Just affixing it to a new product, as Alfa Romeo is doing to its all-new five-door hatchback set to debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March, is making a big statement about the company's expectations for the car and for the expectations that potential customers should have for it. Alfa Romeo's press release states: "In the Centenary year, the name is a tribute to an automobile myth and Alfa Romeo. The Giulietta is a car that, in the fifties, caught the imagination of generations of car enthusiasts, making the dream of owning an Alfa Romeo and enjoying the high level of comfort and technical excellence accessible for the first time. The Alfa Romeo Style Centre has produced a new Giulietta, a sports car capable of expressing both great agility on the most demanding routes and providing comfort on everyday roads."inline_mediumwraptextright27361885/features/news/0912_alfa_romeo_giulietta0912_AR_Giulietta01.jpgTrue

Crack as many jokes about the name as you want, but the Personal-Neo Urban Transport -- or P-NUT -- concept is another take on an ultra-futuristic Honda coupe.inline_mediumwraptextright2009 Honda P-NUT Coupe Concept26109119/features/news/0912_2009_honda_p_nut_coupe_conceptHonda_P-NUT_Concept_01.jpgTrue

Hyundai's upward climb will be bolstered by the addition of the 2011 Sonata to showrooms this January. Riding on the success of the Genesis sedan and coupe, the Sonata finally gives Hyundai a very competitive entry into the hugely important midsize sedan segment -- and it doesn't hurt that this time, the Sonata looks great.inline_mediumwraptextright27335461/features/news/0911_2011_hyundai_sonata0911_11_z+2011_hyundai_sonata+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

If you were to merge Volkswagen’s L1 and E-Up! concepts shown at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show, you’d likely have something quite similar to the Up! Lite concept, which debuts at the 2009 Los Angeles auto show.inline_mediumwraptextright2009 Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept31552716/green/news/0912_2009_volkswagen_up_lite_conceptIMG_1885.jpgTrue