VW Beetle Dune at the Detroit auto show

Of all the production-leaning concept vehicles at the Detroit auto show, the Volkswagen Beetle Dune's the sort of flight of fancy nobody was looking for. Nissan's Sport Sedan heralds the look of the next Maxima, which will likely trickle down in some way to future Altimas, Sentras and Versas. It looks as if Nissan will put one of its techno-retro RWD IDx concepts into production.

Mercedes CLS Grand Edition

Mercedes CLS Grand Edition - Lots of Designo features The CLS had a mid-life freshen-up in 2008 to keep it on the ball, and we now see this special edition launched from today – a typical manufacturer response to a model getting near the end of its life – the new CLS, based on the new E-Class, is due next year. Despite its E-Class underpinnings, the CLS has never felt like an E-Class. Its looks are its ace – it is probably the best looking Mercedes for a very long time.

Hyundai puts Michel Nandan in charge of WRC effort

Hyundai has appointed former Peugeot WRC technical director Michel Nandan to head up their assault on WRC. As Hyundai matures in to a credible mainstream force, improving brand perception is crucial to its long-term goals and 2012 is all about improving Hyundai’s brand experience and perceptions of the brand. A part of that focus is to take Hyundai back in to WRC rallying with a much modified i20, where Hyundai are hoping for a better experience than they had when they went rallying a decade ago – which should be a given considering the big strides Hyundai has made in its cars in the last few years.