Auto News 5

With the arrival of a long-term Volkswagen GTI at 120 East Liberty Street, the Mazda 3 faces increased pressure to impress us. The GTI is our 2010 Automobile of the Year and comparisons between the two compact hatches are inevitable.inline_mediumwraptextright2009 Mazda3 Sport Five-Door27057194/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1003_2010_mazda3_s_sport_5_door_february_update1003_02_z+2009_mazda3_sport+side_view_in_snow.jpgTrue

I’ve spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a V-8 Audi R8 coupe, so getting into the all-new, 2011 Audi R8 V-10 Spyder roadster created a flood of both familiar and totally new impressions. Gone is the iconic “side blade” that could be had in contrasting color or carbon fiber on the coupe; in its place is a new composite-plastic fender. But the cabin is just as gorgeous as ever, and the mix of colors and materials that are available to line the cabin are rich and enticing. Our first test car was done up in the official launch color, Teak Brown, which beautifully complemented sumptuous tan leather seats with coordinating brown stitching. The instrument panel and dash were covered in black leather with tan stitching that matched the seats. The overall effect was mesmerizing not just to me and my codriver but also to dozens of onlookers in Nice, France, where we arrived this morning to be among the very first group of journalists to drive the ragtop R8 along the beaches and on the thrilling mountain roads above the French Riviera.

Months in fleet: four
Miles to date: 12,370inline_mediumwraptextright28290352/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1003_2010_audi_q5_february_update1003_05_z+2010_audi_q5_3_2+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Tom Hoover, one of the original Ramchargers and the father of the second-generation Hemi V-8 engine, enjoyed his share of excitement during his 24 years as a Chrysler engineer, but a couple of incidents stand out. During the early days of electronic engine controls, Hoover had two brushes with runaway acceleration.inline_mediumwraptextright1957 Dodge Royal Lancer27037838/features/news/1003_sudden_acceleration_the_early_years1003_01_z+1957_dodge_royal_lancer+side_view.jpgTrue

It’s been nearly a decade since Dr. Ulrich Bez assumed the helm at Aston Martin, but instead of awarding its CEO a jewel-encrusted tie-tack, the folks at Gaydon crafted a better gift to celebrate his milestone: a special-edition DBS.inline_mediumwraptextright32469699/features/news/1003_2010_aston_martin_dbs_ub2010_special_edition1003_01_z+2010_aston_martin_dBS_uB-2010_special_edition+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

We thought owning a Rolls-Royce Ghost would be a privilege in itself, but if that’s not exclusive to you, renowned tuner Mansory may have just the solution.inline_mediumwraptextright28276762/features/news/1003_mansory_rolls_royce_ghostmansory-rolls-royce-ghost-front-three-quarters-passenger.jpgTrue

Though Audi still believes hybrid vehicles are merely a stopover on the way to full-electrification, the company is somewhat reluctantly building several hybrid models that it hopes will lead the way to full-electric vehicles in the future. One of the first results of this plan is the upcoming Audi A8 Hybrid.inline_mediumwraptextright32453100/green/news/1003_audi_a8_hybridaudi-a8-hybrid-front-three-quarters-static-passenger.jpgTrue

While we knew Porsche was planning a hybrid Porsche Cayenne for the Geneva show, news of a hybrid 911 admittedly caught us a little off guard. But the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car, which will join the Cayenne on Porsche's Geneva stand, is a far cry from your conventional hybrid.inline_mediumwraptextright28272889/green/news/1003_2011_porsche_911_gt3_r_hybrid1003_03_z+2011_porsche_911_gt3_r_hybrid+front_three_quarter_view.JPG.jpgTrue

The SR1 concept for the 2010 Geneva show is the latest in a string of hybrid show cars from Peugeot, but this roadster might just be the most attractive of the bunch.inline_mediumwraptextright28272142/green/news/1003_peugeot_sr1_conceptpeugeot-SR1-concept-front.jpgTrue

Ladies and gentleman, brace yourself for the next generation of metro mobility, at least in the eyes of Swiss boutique automaker and tuner Rinspeed and its mad scientist, Frank Rinderknecht. As Rinderknecht's company does every year, it will use the hometown 2010 Geneva Motor Show to debut its newest concept vehicle called the UC? -- short for Urban Commuter? or You See? -- an electric-powered microcar that aims to combine individual and public transport.inline_mediumwraptextright28279987/green/news/1003_rinspeed_uc_conceptrinspeed-uc-driver-side.jpgTrue

Switzerland's latest limited-volume production car made its world debut in Geneva (where else?), reviving a storied name that once adorned some of the world's most expensive cars. Striving not to break that tradition, the new car lists for 700,000 Euro ($949,300 by today's exchange rate). At first glance, that seems excessive, considering that it is largely based on the Audi R8 5.2, which tops out at 163,210 Euro ($221,300) in Germany.inline_mediumwraptextright28273573/features/news/1003_hispano_suiza_supercarhispano-suiza-side-view-passenger.jpgTrue

The Black Baron is back. After stupefying us at last year's Frankfurt show by stuffing an insanely powerful V-12 into a Mercedes-Benz E-class sedan (and dressing it like the Batmobile), German tuner Brabus announced they're offering the same prescription for the new E-class Coupe.inline_mediumwraptextright28279093/features/news/1003_2010_mercedes_benz_brabus_e_v12_coupe1003_02_z+2010_mercedes_benz_brabus_e_v12_coupe+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Hope you like that Lancer nose, because it's here to stay. It's already spread to the Outlander and the Europe-only Colt and now it's spread to the new Outlander Sport compact crossover that premiered today in Geneva as the European-spec ASX.inline_mediumwraptextright28263592/features/news/1003_2011_mitsubishi_asx2011-mitsubishi-asx-front-three-quarter-view.jpgTrue

The 2011 Volkswagen Amarok mid-sized pickup, officially revealed in December, made its first stop on the auto show circuit at an event put on by the Volkswagen Auto Group the night before the start of the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, a few months before the truck's European launch this summer.inline_mediumwraptextright28253068/features/news/1003_2011_volkswagen_amarok2011-volkswagen-amarok-front-three-quarter.jpgTrue

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn unveiled the company’s all-new Micra today at the 2010 Geneva motor show. Although the Micra itself will not be coming to America, it is built on an all-new global small-car platform known within Nissan as the V-platform.inline_mediumwraptextright27022049/features/news/1003_2011_nissan_micra2011-nissan-micra-side-view.jpgTrue