Raymarine P48 Wide Fan Beam Tm W/25 Cable on 2040-parts.com

Geely Gleagle GS (w/ Gallery)

Geely revealed the GS sports coupe among a sea of production and concept car debuts at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show. The Chinese automaker showed a small electric car concept, a limousine and sports cars, off-road jeeps, pickups and SUVs. It was an elaborate effort to test customer perception to various proposals.

Listen: Upcoming Ford Focus ST to employ sound symposer

While BMW employs a digitally sanitized/perfected sound file to give M5 owners the proper sense of aggro urgency when motoring at pace, Porsche went a little more organic with its employment of a sound symposer to feed the 911's flat-six growl into the cabin of the extra-refined 991. Essentially, the sound symposer is an electrically controlled diaphragm in a tuned sound tube that brings the proper engine noises into the passenger compartment. It can be opened and closed by the car's onboard electronics to offer snarl when you want it and serenity when you don't.

Driven: Vauxhall Astra GTC

Ford, Opel/Vauxhall and VW are in perpetual battle for the C-segment title, the toughest European segment to compete in. Visual differentiation is key, but so is practicality and performance – all attributes that the respective offering must possess. And so the fight continues, heating up with the arrival of the latest contender, the Vauxhall Astra GTC.