Italian Grand Prix 2012: McLaren lock out the front row.

McLaren has locked out the front row for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza with Lewis Hamilton on pole and Jenson Button second. Lewis Hamilton grabbed pole position in Monza this afternoon for McLaren  in qualifying for the 2012 Italian Grand Prix, with a second place for Jenson Button locking out the front row for McLaren. It had looked throughout Q1 and Q2 that it would be Ferrari who were dominant and likely to take pole, but Alonso suffered a rear roll bar problem at the start of Q3 and ended at the bottom in tenth place.

Redesigned Ford Focus expected to get 40 mpg on the highway

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will get an estimated 40 mpg in highway driving with an all-aluminum 2.0-liter engine mated to a six-speed, dual-dry-clutch automatic transmission. The normally aspirated engine combines variable camshaft timing and high-pressure direct fuel injection to crank out 160 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. That compares with 140 hp and 136 lb-ft from the aluminum 2.0-liter engine used in the current-generation Focus.

Subaru Impreza

Another follow up from an earlier teaser shot is this, the 2012 Subaru Impreza, which is making its debut at the NY auto show. Digressing further from its infamous rally-bred history, the latest Impreza is being billed as the most economical AWD car for sale in the US market, and Subaru is also keen to stress the increased ride comfort and interior space of this model, which is claimed to offer unprecedented levels of refinement from an Impreza. The cars exterior, however, does have some nostalgic references, with the bold arches said to 'emphasize its sporty roots and standard All-Wheel Drive performance'.