Ford may be preparing a Fiesta-based mini-crossover, judging by the looks of this prototype we just spotted undergoing warm weather testing. The vehicle could become a junior sibling to the slightly larger, Focus-based Kuga. That European-designed small crossover is rumored to be arriving in the U.S. next year.

Mazda global design boss Ikuo Maeda's nickname is "Speedy." Though he earned the moniker on the racetrack as a keen amateur racer, Maeda is also quick in the design studio. Since succeeding Dutchman Laurens van den Acker in April 2009, Speedy Maeda has masterminded a complete rethink of Mazda's design direction.

Another prototype of the wagon version of the Hyundai i40, known to us as the Sonata, has been spotted while undergoing pre-production testing, this time in Southern Europe.

Our spy photographers are at it again and they have spotted what appears to be the future M6 lurking around the Nürburgring.

Audi's 2013-model A6 will be a bigger car than the current one. Like the latest A4, it will contain its weight with some aluminum exterior panels. High-tech drivetrains will enhance the mass reduction to improve economy and performance. And it will come with a raft of standard and optional driver aids.

Gordon Murray, chief design engineer behind the McLaren F1 and several championship-winning Formula 1 cars, has revealed his microcar. The T25 is a demonstration for a new-car construction method. He says his new method can take 25 percent out of a car's weight, whether applied to a sedan, sports car, or minivan of any given seating capacity, without compromising safety.

When Toyota's CEO Akio Toyoda wrote in a recent blog that he and his company "would pick up where Hiromu Naruse left off," we believe he meant it. Naruse was Toyota's chief test driver and spiritual head of the Gazoo Racing tuning house who was tragically killed in June in an accident in Germany while test driving a Lexus LFA near the Nurburgring.

At the technical briefing for Nissan's revolutionary new Leaf electric vehicle in Japan recently, the press department nearly caught us off guard by flashing some unexpected images between reams of diagrams and figures expounding the virtues of the Leaf. Luckily we had our trusty camera at the right moment and were able to capture three sketches that help bring the company's future electric vehicle plans into focus.

Mercedes and Audi may have drawn first blood in the electric-powered supercar wars with their SLS AMG E-Cell and e-tron prototypes respectively, but Toyota is reportedly set to take the fight to the Germans with an all-electric super sports car program of its own -- possibly with help from its new partner, Tesla.

Back in March, we confirmed that a new entry-level “Sports Coupe” would soon be coming from Mercedes-Benz, namely a new C-Class Coupe expected to go on-sale sometime in 2011. Months later, we’ve finally had our first look at the new two-door.

Maserati is set to build a midsize sport luxury sedan to rival the likes of the BMW 5 Series/M5, Mercedes CLS/AMG, Jaguar XF/XFR, and Cadillac CTS/CTS-v. The car is smaller than the Quattroporte, which will continue. It will go on market about 2014, probably as a '15 model in the U.S. Although it's in the product plan, there's no frozen design (one possible look is depicted in the illustration), and running prototypes would be years away. Maserati wants to become a "relevant player" within its chosen luxury segments. Adding the new model would allow it to strengthen dealer coverage and brand visibility. The all-new car is part of Maserati's 2010-'14 business plan, which Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne recently revealed to investors.

As fuel economy pressures on supercar makers grow, Ferrari has no intention of squelching its line of ultra-extreme supercars. In the same month the 599GTO launched, Ferrari confirmed a limited edition "New Enzo" in 2012 and a 458 Scuderia in 2013.

Now that Saab has finally gotten the new 9-5 into production, Trollhattan is turning its full attention to the next big challenge: a new 9-3 for model year 2013. At least it should look good -- Saab has just employed one of the world's hottest designers.

This is how Ferrari intends to manage its four mainstream model lines: At four years old, an M or modificato model will replace the original, with revised design and powertrain and chassis improvements. The completely new model comes four years beyond that. With four models in the range, one all-new or M model will be launched every year, plus such variants as Scuderia or Spyder. There will be a new top-end Enzo-type car once a decade or so.

The Honda S2000 was recently killed and the Honda Beat 660cc minicar of 1991 all but forgotten, but in a strange comeback story, they both may live again -- fused into the one car. We have just caught word from a source close to Honda that the company is busy at work 'molding' the two together in a radical new project that is taking shape inside the halls of Tochigi's R&D Centre just north of Tokyo. Dropped onto a modified Fit (Jazz) platform, the new roadster will apparently employ a rear mid-engined layout. An illustration of what the new car could become is depicted.

At the confluence of GM paying off its initial federal loans (which doesn't count the $52 billion in U.S. Treasury funds in exchange for 60.8 percent of the company) and Bob Lutz's retirement as the automaker's chief car guy, the latest buzz is Cadillac has revived work on designing a flagship. The project has been on again/off again since Cadillac showed its V-16-powered Sixteen concept (pictured) at the 2003 Detroit show.

A Nissan Z powered by a Mercedes diesel, hybrid, or even a Diesotto engine? It may sound like we've been sniffing too many fumes, but as the dust from the Renault-Nissan/Daimler deal begins to settle, a source close to Nissan has revealed to us that the next-generation Nissan Z will likely be among the vehicles fitted with Daimler-sourced engine options.

In April, Fiat rolled out its latest strategy for the revival of the Chrysler Group and loosely outlined the products the automaker is expected to roll out over the next several years both in Europe and the U.S. One interesting tidbit in the presentation was the announcement of a new seven-seat multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) being developed for the U.S. market that is slated to roll into showrooms sometime in calendar year 2012.

Mercedes-Benz is reworking its coupe strategy so its two door models are aligned with the sedans that are the backbone of the company's portfolio. That explains the E-Class coupe, which was originally to be the next generation CLK -- and is built off mostly C-Class sedan hardware, like previous CLKs. Next, the CL-Class is to be renamed S-Class coupe. And finally, there's to be a new C-Class coupe as well.

BMW has announced its Megacity Vehicle will be released in 2013. Designed for use in the world's biggest metro areas, the Megacity is an electrically driven vehicle lightened by a lot of carbon fiber in place of steel. The launch date announcement shows how serious the Munich automaker is now taking electric vehicles -- previously BMW had only said the Megacity would be out before 2015.

The 2009 Volkswagen Polo had to have a stylish design -- after all, it competes against the boldly designed Ford Fiesta. As Paul Horrell notes in Motor Trend's First Drive, "because tend to be younger and less bound by family-car considerations, they choose with more emotion, less cold rationality."

Scenes from the Toughest Eight Days of Racing through the lens of Motor Trend Senior Photographer Brian Vance. Check back often, as we'll be adding photos throughout the event.

The refreshed 2010 Mazda CX-9 SUV sports a mildly updated interior, new wheels and, yes, Mazda's happy grille. Actually, on the CX-9, the restyled grille is not nearly as visually intrusive as the Mazda3. Like that compact sedan and hatchback, the Mazda CX-9 receives boldly styled fog light surrounds.

The 2010 Subaru Legacy is much more than just a refresh: the new design shares little with the smaller 2009 model. Length, height, and width have all been increased while the interior is a significant 12% larger.

After a seven-year nap, the Chevy Camaro has finally been reawakened, restyled in a mix of retro and modern cues. The last-generation Camaro still appears fresh, especially for a car whose bodystyle was introduced more than 10 years ago. The new 2010 Camaro recalls the '69 Camaro, but in an effectively modern way.

Styling has never been Kia's forte, but with the Forte, the automaker presents a freshly chiseled compact entry to compete against vehicles like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Ford Focus.

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe has an impressive 0.24 coefficient of drag, something that's hinted at by the slim and stretched greenhouse. Of course, the 2010 E-Class Coupe's predecessor -- the 2009 CLK -- was also a B-pillarless coupe, but we think the E-Class Coupe carries the design trait better.

Cadillac's 2010 SRX is so boldly styled, you almost forget it has become a FWD-based SUV with 9.5 cu ft less interior room than inside the first-generation vehicle.

The last-generation BMW Z4 was such a dramatic update from the original BMW "007" Z3 roadster it got its name bumped up a number. Along with the number and more power, the Z4 was the subject of flame surface styling, a feature you can't miss from the side.

When it was released in 2007, the Audi R8 became an instant sensation. But seemingly before the car even turned a wheel the inevitable follow-up question was asked: when is the more-powerful variant coming? After all, Porsche is never content with just a base 911 and with comparisons aplenty between the Stuttgart legend and upstart rookie from Ingolstadt, it was obvious Audi would eventually up its R8 game.

The conservatively styled 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class now shares a greater resemblance to the smaller C-Class, especially in its profile. Unique to the E-Class, though, are the extensive arches over the rear wheel wells -- an homage to the 1953 Mercedes-Benz W120 "Ponton." We imagine that's a design detail that might show better in-person.

The 2010 Ford Taurus melds Mondeo exterior styling touches with a refined Flex-like interior. Outside, the Taurus eschews the Fusion's three-bar grille and sports lower fascia clearly inspired by the Mondeo. High-end wheels appear to be inspired by the base wheels on the Lincoln MKS, but otherwise, the two fullsize sedans won't be confused.

Just like the Beetle and the Mini, the Fiat 500 is back. A new version was launched on July 4, 50 years to the day since the 1957 original. True to that car, it's small -- just 140 inches from lips to hips and 2150 pounds -- but enthrallingly desirable. Unlike the hyper-minimal original, it's sophisticated in its engineering and finish. So much so that Fiat bosses are seriously considering selling it in the U.S. through Maserati boutiques, sometime around 2010.

The 2010 LaCrosse might just be the vehicle Buick needs to double the number of truly competitive vehicles it sells. The Enclave crossover has been a success in lowering the average age of Buick buyers and, by the looks of it, the 2010 LaCrosse could do the same.

Buick won't recapture its glory days, which hearken back to the late 1930s to mid-1950s -- far too long ago for target buyers -- with the 2010 Buick LaCrosse. Still, the LaCrosse represents a nice second step in its renaissance, begun two years ago with the Enclave crossover. The Buick LaCrosse is General Motors' first North American car based on its second-generation Epsilon platform, shared only with the Opel Insignia, for now.

With a big push from CEO Alan Mulally, the 2010 Taurus has been redesigned to target aspirational buyers once again. Families go elsewhere for their utilitarian transport these days -- mostly to crossover sport/utilities. The new Taurus looks longer, lower, and wider, because it is lower, at least, and its styling borrows side surfacing from the rear-drive Interceptor concept, which proved too costly for Ford to build in these trying times. Overhangs are shorter than the Lincoln MKS's. Like the '10 Fusion, the new Taurus mixes the North American three-bar grille design with Ford of Europe's three-trapezoid lower fascia.

Under the 200C EV's hood is the struggling automaker's now familiar ENVI extended range electric powertrain. It works in a similar fashion to GM's Voltec system, with an electric motor as the primary source of power and a gasoline engine acting as a range extender. Chrysler says the system is capable of 40 miles in all-electric range, meaning no fuel consumption and zero emissions. Chrysler pegs total range at some 400 miles.

The Insight was America's first and best hybrid. It's easy to forget that the tadpole-shaped, first-generation Insight came to America in Y2K. Though Toyota's first-gen Prius was the first hybrid ever sold (Japan only, beginning 1997), it didn't make it here until 2001. The Insight's feathery weight, slippery aerodynamics, and abstemious Integrated Motor Assist system helped it return a whopping 70 mpg on the highway, a feat other hybrids have yet to equal. So why didn't it sell? Its two-seat configuration certainly didn't help, but the real issue was that, back then, gas prices hovered around $1.15/gallon nationwide, making Insight the answer to a question no one was asking-yet.