Auto News 5

It's no secret Ford wants to race its 2012 Focus in events around the world, but the automaker has taken a significant step towards realizing that dream at this year's Geneva Motor Show. The company is using the Swiss show to unwrap the new Focus Touring Car, which will soon compete in the 2011 British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

In North America, the new 2010 Hyundai Sonata has been nothing short of a success story. Sales in 2010 jumped to 196,623 units, helping the company to set an all-time sales record in the U.S. while giving giants like Toyota, Honda, and Ford a serious run for their money.

Showing that a minivan can never be too small, Ford has unveiled it's Fiesta-based B-Max people mover in Geneva just ahead of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

The Audi A2 will return to market in 2015 with an aluminum body and electric variants but will be more affordable than its predecessor. The original Audi A2, built from 2000 to 2005, had an influence beyond its somewhat limited sales. With an advanced aluminum spaceframe that kept the curb weight below 2000 pounds plus an extremely low coefficient of drag, it achieved about 80 mpg (on the European test cycle) without the benefit of electric or hybrid assist. Design editor Robert Cumberford credits its Kammback profile with inspiring the now-ubiquitous shape of the Toyota Prius. And yet, for all its significance, the A2’s exotic construction priced it out of the small-car segment -– only 175,000 A2s found buyers in six years on the market, and it was never sold in the United States.