new york

During yesterday's North American debut of the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid at the New York Auto Show, VW's North American CEO, Stefan Jacoby, let slip that the yet-to-be-named Passat replacement - currently known as the "New Mid-Size Sedan" (NMS) - will be available with a diesel in both the U.S. and Canada when it goes on sale in 2011.

While the New York Auto Show is under way at the Javitz Center, on the opposite side of the globe the Big Apple came up in an entirely different context. Speaking with Italy's sports journal La Gazzetta dello Sport during this past weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone revealed that negotiations are underway to bring a grand prix to the New York area.

The day after mashing around an ice course in Park City, Utah, we sat down with one of Subaru's product planners to discuss what the automaker has in store in the near-term. Our questions ranged from Subaru's thoughts about adopting torque-vectoring all-wheel drive ("We're looking into it.") to what, if any progress was being made on the Toyobaru front ("No comment").

The original BMW X5 marked Bimmer's first entry into the then-burgeoning SUV segment, and it remains a strong seller for the company, trailing only the 3 and 5 Series. The time has now rolled around for the X5's mid-cycle refresh, which brings two new gas engines and some mild visual updates. The lower front fascia has been reshaped with the larger outboard air intakes inspired by the X5 M. Similarly, the rear bumper is re-sculpted and both ends get more of their bodywork painted the car's main color instead of black.

Volkswagen is building swanky new digs on New York City's west side for its VW and Audi brands. The automaker has purchased a 256,000 square foot space currently occupied by Potamkin GM (the Potamkin family has been synonymous with car sales in NY for decades), which stretches between 55th and 56th Street along 11th Avenue.