And the European Car of the Year 2010 is...

Newsflash: VW's Polo has won the European Car of the Year gong, it was announced today in Madrid. It beat 33 contenders, including six other finalists to the top motoring prize in Europe.The Polo narrowly won with 347 points, putting to rights its trophy-free record in Car of the Year. The runner-up was the innovative Toyota iQ, 10 points behind with 337 points.

Citroen unveils DS Inside concept

Citroen on Thursday unveiled the DS Inside concept car ahead of the its scheduled debut at the Geneva auto show in March. Sources told Automotive News Europe that the three-door hatchback concept is a near-production version of the planned DS3 small car, which will go on sale across Europe in early 2010. The DS3 will be the first element of Citroen's planned three-car "near-premium" range.

Tokyo Auto Salon pits performance autos against hybrids

The world's other big January auto show, the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, opened its doors to tuner enthusiasts in mid-month with a record 402 exhibitors. The Auto Salon fuses numerous styles, but the overriding theme this year was hybrid cars, with customized Toyota Priuses and Honda Insights at every turn. Good old-fashioned engine tuning is alive and well in Japan, where even new sports cars are being heavily modified, with cars such as the KRL Mitsubishi Evolution X and the HKS Nissan GT-R both boasting in excess of 600 hp.