Vintage Firestone Tire Ashtray on 2040-parts.com

Snow cars: The AW list of winter warriors

Having the proper gear is important when it gets cold and the snow starts to fall--coats, hats, gloves and cars. With that in mind, AutoWeek offers this list of sure-footed rides for the winter. Some have higher sticker prices--we're looking at you, Range Rover--but most are fun, economical rides that will get you through the deepest doldrums of winter.

2012 Jaguar XF: New XF & XFR New York reveal

2012 Jaguar XF - the XF comes of age Update: We now also have video of the 2012 Jaguar XF and the 2012 XFR below. Exactly as expected, and with pretty much all the changes we predicted, Jaguar has launched the 2012 Jaguar XF and 2012 Jaguar XFR at the New York Motor Show. Probably best to start with the biggest news, certainly in terms of future sales, which is the arrival of the 2.2 litre Diesel XF, a move which should see sales of the already hugely successful XF double.

MINI First introduced

MINI has a new budget model - The MINI First With all things Eco the flavour of the month, and with budgets stretched in households everywhere, a cheap, entry-level budget MINI is a tempting prospect. You still get the iconic shape, and you still get a very good chassis – which translates in to good handling and a decent ride – but you’re not paying a fortune for the fripperies. After all, there are MINIs that will set you back £25k (the MINI JCW Cabriolet), but the new MINI First is a very tempting £10,950.