1947 48 Ford Tudor Sedan Streetrod Car Automotive Art Print Blackcherry on 2040-parts.com

VW to intro Passat BlueMotion Concept at Detroit auto show

While performance heads are anxiously awaiting the North American debut of the hot-heat Mk VII Golf R at the Detroit auto show, Volkswagen's Passat BlueMotion Concept offers never-before technology in the Yank/Canuck family sedan segment: a four-pot motor with cylinder deactivation. Based on the EA211 1.4L turbo motor we sampled last year in the Euro-market Audi A3 sedan, the Passat BlueMotion Concept's engine is capable of shutting down the middle two cylinders during cruise, and features the Jetta Hybrid's gearbox, a twin-clutch unit capable of decoupling from the engine during off-throttle coasting. In the Passat's application, the 1.4 puts out 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque; VW suggests its highway fuel economy will stand at 42 mpg.

Toyota Yaris Hybrid (2012) first official pictures

This is the new Toyota Yaris Hybrid, and although it’s been unveiled on the same day as the world’s motoring media descends upon Detroit for the 2012 North American International Auto Show, it's not there. Instead, the new Toyota Yaris Hybrid won’t actually appear until the Geneva show in early March 2012. Presumably the Toyota Yaris Hybrid is even cleaner and greener than the pious Prius?

A Fiat Accompli: Rodeo Drive, Italian style

The annual Father's Day car celebration, the Rodeo Drive Concours, has feted many a marque over the years, from the inaugural show in 1993 honoring the Ferrari 348 Spyder to one year that celebrated the first 100 years of the automobile by bringing one representative car from each of those 100 years. But this year, it was Fiat. Yes, Fiat, the humble little car that put Italy back on wheels after the war.