Ford Model T 16" Steering Wheel on 2040-parts.com

First Sight: Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe

The third installment of Mercedes-Benz's ‘small' car family will receive its global preview with a close-to-production concept set to debut at the Beijing motor show next week, but Car Design News has gained an early peek of the official images and details. The Concept Style Coupe heralds the much-vaunted ‘mini-CLS' compact four-door coupe production car (rumored to be dubbed BLS or CLA) that's slated to go on sale in the second half of 2013. It's based on the same new platform – called MFA for ‘Mercedes Front-wheel drive Architecture' – that has already spawned the new A- and B-Class cars.

Volkswagen Cross Coupé: VW compact hybrid SUV Concept at Tokyo

Volkswagen Cross Coupé Concept at Tokyo Volkswagen to debut the VW Cross Coupe Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, a compact hybrid SUV that’s smaller than a Tiguan and bigger than a golf. Volkswagen are taking the VW Cross Coupe to the Tokyo Motor Show this week, and it looks a bit like they’ve taken inspiration for their new car from every successful current car niche, in the hope the cross coupe will strike a chord with buyers. From the name – which VW used for the concept version of the Q3 – to a bit of SUV, a small dose of swoopy coupe all wrapped up in a crossover, the Cross Coupe appears to be conceived to be all things to all car buyers.

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.