Mercedes unveils GLA sport utility at Frankfurt

The role of the coming Mercedes GLA sport utility is clear: woo new buyers to the brand with a competent, stylish entry-level SUV. The small off-roader should do just that when it arrives in U.S. showrooms in the fall of 2014.

BMW DesignworksUSA Metro Inspiro

DesignworksUSA, the global design consultancy of BMW, has created its vision of the Metro system. Commissioned by Siemens in the summer of 2010, the BMW Group subsidiary developed the design of the new Metro Inspiro – a further chapter in the long-standing cooperation of the two partners. The Metro Inspiro assignment tasked the design team to live up to the increased demands on travel comfort and spatial perception, optimize transport capacities and provide regional public transportation services with additional possibilities for individualization.

September sales hint at improvement

A 10 percent increase in new-vehicle sales in September is sparking optimism that the year will have a strong finish. And analysts say that deals might get better over the next few months as Toyota and Honda finally recover from shortages caused by the earthquake that hit Japan in March. Those brands might increase spending on incentives to woo buyers back into their showrooms.