1967 Ford Galaxy Taillight Lamp Lens on 2040-parts.com

Forecasters see slow auto-sales recovery through 2011

U.S. auto sales in 2010 and 2011 will continue to crawl -- not walk or run -- out of last year's recession, according to forecasters at the Auto Industry Hot Topics Conference here. “It's going to be a long crawl out of this, but we're crawling in the right direction,” said David Wyss, chief economist for Standard & Poor's, which co-sponsored the conference along with J.D.

How VW's XL1 will make your next Golf lighter, faster and more frugal

VW will only build 250 examples of the XL1, its super-streamlined two-seater than scores a combined 314mpg thanks to its plug-in hybrid diesel engine, lightweight construction and low-drag design. Each punter will have to put up around €100,000 for the privilege of saving money on fuel – but don’t worry, because every car across the VW Group will benefit from the lessons learned, all by 2020. Is my next VW likely to be a hybrid?

The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa will debut Monday

Porsche's bringing the 997-generation 911 Targa to the Detroit auto show and you can watch it debut live at 11:45 AM EST on Monday, January 13. We've been told to expect a "retro" look, "Echoing the design of the original 911 Targa of 1965..." though we're not expecting to see a soft rear window. To watch the debut on Monday, click here.