Sedan

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.

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").

It's fitting that Ford's first European offering to swim over this way will bring with it another feature that The Continent can take credit for: tap-for-three-blinks turn signal operation. It will appear on the Fiesta this summer, and then migrate to other vehicles in the 2011 line-up, starting with the Super Duty series.

The 2011 BMW M5 is having its heart and reflexes tested at der Nürburgring. Thus far, the company has kept a remarkably tight lid on the details of what the buyers can expect from the forthcoming supersedan, but varied and persistent rumors all point to more power, more usability, more economy, and more edge.

Remember that small, grainy photo of the refreshed-for-2010 Nissan Altima that was making the rounds earlier this month? Forget it - because the official pics, pricing, and details are all here.

For 2010, Nissan's pivotal midsizer receives a modest but effective new bit of front clippery, including a new grille, bumper, and hood. Additional exterior changes are mainly limited to things like alloy wheel patterns and paint choice.

Hyundai isn't happy about it, but the 2010 Hyundai Sonata has been caught in the Internet's voracious maw eight days before its official launch in South Korea. Hyundai then released designer's sketches of the new car... but the pics of the actual car are better because they're the realness.