2013 European Car of the Year finalists announced

The finalists for the European Car of the Year have been announced, a total of 5 finalists from a total of 34 nominees. It’s coming to the end of another year, so we’re going to be inundated with ‘Best Car of the Year’ awards for the next few weeks from all on sundry. Out of the gate today comes the final list for the European Car of the Year’ with a selection of eight cars (it was too close to call for the normal seven finalists) with the only real surprise perhaps being the inclusion of two French cars – the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208.

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Convertible Previewed

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG was instantly captivating for its looks and soaring gullwing doors. Now comes the roadster variant, which Mercedes is previewing in these shots illustrating the car during testing. The car will officially bow in September at the Frankfurt motor show.

First Fiat 500s will have stick shifts

The 2012 Fiat 500 , heading to U.S. dealerships later than first expected, is enduring another hiccup: The first units arriving in dealerships in late February will have manual transmissions, the company said. Moreover, only about 20 percent of the 130 Fiat dealerships will be open when those first cars arrive, said Laura Soave, head of the Fiat brand in North America, at the Detroit auto show last week.