We rarely hear from the Musketier tuning firm, but that doesn’t mean that mean these guys have fallen off the face of the earth. Recently, the German tuning company that specializes on aftermarket works done on Toyota, Citroen and Peugeot vehicles unveiled their latest work on the Citroen C3.

Download 2011 Citroen C3 by Musketier

Pitting the ghost of Nicolae Ceausescu against the legacy of Lee Iacocca, an electric vehicle based on Romania’s Dacia Logan pickup has made its debut at a former Chrysler dealer in Iowa.

Download Electric Dacia Debuts in Des Moines

For 2010 the Lincoln MKX is offering available all-wheel-drive, standard heated-and-cooled front seats and available heated rear seats. And for 2010, its 265-hp engine and six-speed automatic transmission have been extensively refined to increase fuel mileage. Prices for the MKX start at $38,345 for the FDW version and at $40,195 for the AWD version.

Download 2010 Lincoln MKX

Mercedes press releases are usually long, drawn-out affairs, delving into the minutia concerning each specification of all the individual features of a new model. While tedious, they're exactly what you expect from a company that obsesses over every automotive detail. Surprisingly, the release for the all-new 2012 Mercedes- Benz C63 AMG Coupe is short and concise, especially by Mercedes standards. Coming in at a wafer-thin five pages, it could be the preface of past releases.
A few years ago this wouldn't have needed mentioning, but in the era of "four-door coupes" such as Mercedes' own CLS, the Volkswagen CC, and Audi A7, the difference between C63 Sedan and the new coupe is the lack of rear doors. (The C-Class Coupe lineup as a whole is the first two-door for the C lineup since the departure of the unloved C-Class hatchback in 2007.) Mercedes hasn't given any specifics, but we imagine the coupe will be the stiffest of the C family. We also expect the two-door to be the lighter of the two, but digging through Mercedes technical data shows that may not be the case. We're waiting to hear back on specifics from the automaker.



Download First Look: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe

Don't feel bad about it. I don't. Few mortal men are truly man enough to drive the Z06. In fact, if the phrase "Professional Race Car Driver" doesn't appear on your resume, don't even bother. (And "race car driver" doesn't apply to your Spec Miata, or that clunker you and your friends drag to LeMons. If it ain't televised, it doesn't count.)

Download First Test: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Associate Web editor Kirill Ougarov has spent plenty of time in traffic in the Fusion. "The omnipresent traffic jams do sometimes present some unique opportunities, and when I'm stuck on the Great Parking Lot that is Interstate 405 in our long-term Ford, one of those is the ability to stay in fully electric mode for extended periods of time. The trick to keeping the Fusion in EV mode is extremely gentle application of the throttle. Electric-only acceleration performance isn't much slower than that of an automatic transmission in Drive. On some occasions, I was able to stay in EV mode for almost a mile. Staying in EV mode from a stop all the way to 20-25 mph is slightly harder than when accelerating from 25 to 35 mph or so, and keeping the gasoline engine off at speeds higher than that usually requires a nice tailwind or downhill slope."
And for those hybrid skeptics out there, ours has provided an impressive 35.7 combined mpg over the past 11 months.

Download Long Term Update 5: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

May 2011 has been a very big month for Americans. Not only is it "National Military Appreciation Month," but our military even succeeded in killing one of the most hated men in America - Osama Bin Laden - as a bonus. Now, in honor of all of the soldiers that have protected us for all of these years, General Motors is expanding their $500-$4,000 discounts off of selected Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles to include military spouses and retirees. Vehicles purchased by these families will get an “Honor” badge and donations of $100 will be made to Cell Phones for Soldiers for each eligible vehicle sold with a military discount.

Download 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Honor and Valor

Audi has taken their E-tron concept a step forward with the unveiling of the E-tron A3 concept - a compact car featuring a powerful electric motor and a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery. Although the concept looks almost identical to the production A3, there are a few elements that will help distinguish it. The concept has received a revised instrument cluster, leather Alcantara seats, a heated windshield, and an optimized air conditioning system.

Download 2011 Audi E-tron A3

Jaguar brought out the XF back in 2008 as a replacement model for the old S-Type in 2008. Three years later and it’s time for the luxury sedan to get a little refreshing in the form of a facelift. The revised XF made its debut today at the New York Auto Show and will be followed by diesel and station wagon versions at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Download 2012 Jaguar XF

As we wondered about the need for such a lovably absurd vehicle as the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, we could almost hear the gruff voice of Patches O'Houlihan of Dodgeball fame. "Necessary?" he'd exclaim with one eyebrow raised. "Is it necessary to have 420 horsepower in a Grand Cherokee? Probably not. But it looks and sounds mean and I like the performance." And after a week in this road-bound hyper-Hemi SUV, we'd have to agree with the crusty son of a gun.

Download Follow-Up Test: 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

If you haven’t already surmised from the influx of Mercedes SLS AMG coverage as of late, the new Gullwing seems to be one of the most popular cars at the Geneva Motor Show among tuners this year. One reason undoubtedly is because the SLS AMG offers the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 engine along with its technical resemblance to modern race cars. The latest to turn their attention to the SLS is German tuning company MKB, who went under the hood of the model and managed to raise the power from 571 hp to 638 hp – a nice boost for the power hungry among you. Along with the increased horsepower is increased torque, growing from 650 Nm to 710 Nm.

Download MKB Tuner Pulls Additional Power From the Mercedes SLS AMG

Throughout the economic conditions, it is interesting to note luxury car sales have been brisk as some customers were apparently able to achieve a financial footing more quickly than others. Enjoying sales up 17.1% in 2009 and 22.9% in 2010, luxury brand Audi boasts amazing US sales thanks to a desirable portfolio of vehicles. Starting with the entry-level Audi A3 before progressing right up to the supercar Audi R8, those cars as well as the choices in between is both tempting and indulging motorists. For too many, the upfront price of these vehicles leaves the inner desires of some automotive lovers unfed despite their hard work. After taking into consideration fuel, state auto insurance, as well as your whole financial well-being, the prospect of leasing a new or previously-owned Audi vehicle could be a sound opportunity to absorb the thrill of possessing German luxury. With Audi, they have been making the goal of luxury car motoring surprisingly accommodating but does require foresight.

Download Leasing Luxury, Audi Style

The ability to detect pedestrians on the road and highlight them on the display in the instrument cluster to warn the driver has been a feature of the Active Night View Assist Plus since 2009. Now Mercedes-Benz is presenting the latest development stage of the system as a world premiere in the form of a spotlight function. The new assistance system goes a significant step further: it highlights the possible source of danger in the driver’s immediate field of vision by specifically directing light on people on the road. A positive side effect of this is that the pedestrian is also alerted to the presence of the approaching vehicle. The new spotlight function will be included as a standard feature of the Active Night View Assist Plus in a luxury class Mercedes model from the summer of 2011.

Download Mercedes Active View Night Assist Receives New Safety Feature

The 2009 Detroit auto show saw the reveal of the gorgeous BMW Z4 roadster, one of the best recent designs to come from the company. In nearly a year since then, we’ve also been impressed with the car dynamically, awarding it a second-place finish in our most recent comparo of four luxury droptops, just behind our longtime favorite Porsche Boxster S. For the 2010 Detroit show, BMW is bringing along a new range-topping Z4, one with a massaged engine, subtly modified looks, and a load of M Sport touches.


Download 2011 BMW Z4 sDrive35is - Official Photos and Info

If you still identify Volkswagen with the uncomplicated—and mechanically simple—original Beetle, it’s time to update your thinking. Times have changed, and the focus at VW is now on technology and modern design. The recently launched Golf VI provided a strong hint of where VW is headed with its high-volume cars, but it’s this new Polo that really lights the way. See, the Golf VI is burdened with many carry-over parts from the Golf V, a.k.a. Rabbit, whereas the Polo is the first all-new car from the latest leadership group at the helm of Vee-Dub. “What you see here is VW design for the coming 10 years,” the company told us at the car’s launch in Sardinia. “This car we designed from scratch. A simple, crisp design leading to the future—which will be a lot different from the present.”


Download Volkswagen Polo - First Drive Review

The large public retail groups pushed hard for more F&I business after new-car sales collapsed three years ago. Now that demand is improving, they say they're focusing on sales volume -- without letting up on F&I.

Download Public groups' dual focus: Car sales, F&I