Hyundai's Genesis sedan is much improved for 2012, yet its position in the market won't change one bit. The Genesis will continue to give engineers and product planners at Mercedes-Benz and Lexus fits, thanks to the sedan's upgraded V-6 engine, revised suspension tuning, and a new eight-speed automatic transmission -- not to mention the 429-horsepower R-Spec model.

Download First Look: 2012 Hyundai Genesis Sedan

I'm a minivan guy. I don't own one and I don't want one, but in my prior career I helped design Chrysler's second-gen minivan, and that exercise involved a whole lot of benchmarking and voice-of-the-customer research. That experience sticks with me when I do minivan comparisons like the one we ran last December, and I still stand by our finishing order. But because this was one of those rare holiday seasons that had the families from both sides of our household visiting over two weeks, I reckoned a real-world rematch of the top-finishing Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna might be in order.

Download Minivan Rematch: 2011 Honda Odyssey vs. 2011 Toyota Sienna

It's time to officially put the wagon on the U.S. endangered vehicle species list.
Just this year, we learned that Volvo's new V60 won't be making the trip stateside, nor will the BMW 5 Series Estate. But despite the bad news, Cadillac is boldly going where other U.S. automakers are no longer going with its new CTS Sport Wagon. And the Germans, bless their hearts, continue to bring over (at least for now) models like the Audi A4 Avant quattro. Alas, we recently said farewell to a 2009 Avant quattro after just over a year in the MT fleet.

Download Verdict: 2009 Audi A4 Avant Quattro

At the 2010 Paris Auto Show, Lotus unveiled the impressive Elan concept with the full intention of bringing it back in production form by 2013. Be it blind passion or just a mere oversight, Lotus failed to notice that their new concept bared a strong resemblance to their Evora model, so the company is putting the concept on hold indefinitely.

Download Lotus drops plans for Elan; Moves forward with other models

It's not often that one gets to drive an example of every generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL. And if road testing all five decades of Stuttgart's SL-Class in one day is uncommon, partaking of such motoring merriment on the Spanish island of Mallorca could rightfully be described as a singular experience.

Download First Drive: 2007 Mercedes-Benz SL550, SL600 and SL55 AMG

Inside Line spent 12 months with one of the least successful Mercedes-Benz products in recent memory. Our long-term review of the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R500 is complete following more than 25,000 miles on the road.

Download Long-Term Test: 2006 Mercedes-Benz R500

Jeep purists hate the 2007 Jeep Compass. Well, not all of them. Some loathe it, many despise it and quite a few have settled on simple unadulterated detest.

Hard to believe, but it isn't even the styling of Jeep's first car-based crossover that has the brand's loyalists retching all over the Rubicon. Instead, it's the fact that the Compass is Jeep's first car-based crossover, the first Jeep with absolutely no real off-road ability.

Download Full Test: 2007 Jeep Compass Limited 4x4

I'm parked alongside the road to Castellet, España, in a spanking-new 2007 Mini Cooper — an S version, for the record — when Officer Jose Lopez of the Policía Local de Catalunya rounds the corner. Instantly, his roof lights snap on as he angles his cruiser across the one-and-a-bit-lane road, ending up nose-to-nose with my Hyper Blue example of the freshly redesigned two-door hatchback.

Download First Drive: 2007 Mini Cooper S

Early next year, Mercedes-Benz will launch the all-new 2012 SLK-Class. The agile sports car will feature a bold, new design, exceptionally high levels of comfort, as well as plenty of open-air driving pleasure. At the same time, it will also set new safety standards for convertible sports cars. The third generation of this trend setting roadster will make use of a whole host of the latest assistance systems to support the driver, including the drowsiness detection system ATTENTION ASSIST, developed by Mercedes-Benz and fitted as standard equipment; available occupant protection system PRE-SAFE®, which is unique in the world; and the PRE-SAFE® Brake, which can apply the brakes autonomously in the event of an impending front-end collision. With the 2012 SLK-Class, Mercedes-Benz continues to set new standards of automotive safety.

Download 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK Sets New Safety Standards

General Motors recently announced that it will be offering an eight year or 100,000 mile warranty on the battery that will power the electric Chevrolet Volt.

Download GM announces warranty for Chevy Volt battery

Suzuki's North American arm introduced the most highly developed version of General Motors' GMT 360/370 SUV a few years ago. Its timing would be comic if it weren't so tragic. The Suzuki XL7 was a new 2008 model, which meant it rode the body-on-frame midsize SUV wave far beyond its crest, first into the collapse of the truck-based SUV market amid rising gas prices, then into the collapse of the auto market itself.

Download VW and Suzuki Aren't Getting Along

Toyota Motor Corp agreed today to pay a record $16.4 Million fine to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is the highest ever and the most allowed by law.

Download Toyota Agrees to Pay 16.4 Million Dollar Fine, Largest Ever