By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

Hybrid vehicles are about to get a lot more interesting over the next little while. Sure, there’s the new Prius and the Insight, as well as the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, but also consider Mercedes-Benz’s electrified S-Class, and BMW’s upcoming hybrid X6. There’s also Fisker’s Karma, which will be on sale during 2009.

One of the slickest looking plug-in hybrids to be conceived, the production version of this four-door coupe will be making its grand debut in Detroit next month. However, the Karma isn’t the only vehicle that Fisker is showing off at North America's biggest auto exhibition: It’s also launching a new model called the Karma S – S for Sunset.

By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

The new 2010 Jaguar XF S is all about numbers: 275 horsepower. 443 lb.-ft. of torque. 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. 6.7 l/100 km in a mix between city and highway.

But best, and perhaps most surprising of all - it’s a diesel.

To put this into context, this latest version of the XF provides the performance and swiftness of the 300-hp gasoline-powered 4.2-litre V8 Premium model, but offers nearly 70-per cent better fuel economy.

Powering the S is a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 diesel engine, a highly engine derived from a unit that was co-developed by Jaguar’s previous owners, Ford and France’s PSA group.

By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

Buick is GM’s number-one selling brand in China. The thought’s a little odd, but nevertheless true - it sold 330,000 cars in 2007, more than twice the number of vehicles it sold in the United States that year. Since that time, GM of China has launched a number of vehicles for its Chinese customers which would help improve the brand's standings here. They include the Park Avenue (an elegant, long-wheelbase RWD sedan genetically related to the Pontiac G8), a facelifted version of the LaCrosse that’s sold here, as well as this, the new Regal.

The Regal is a new midsize sedan that will sit below the LaCrosse sedan in Buick’s Chinese lineup. Those that know GM’s European product lineup well should be able to see beyond the traditional waterfall grille and Buick badges - this is a re-badged version of the Opel Insignia. Of course, that’s no bad thing as the Insignia won 2009 European Car of the Year.

By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

Whether you’re at home, killing time at work, or waiting for your car’s service to be completed, building a vehicle on an auto manufacturer’s website is always entertaining. Ticking off the boxes, choosing the exterior colour… it’s all great fun.

If you happen to share this view point, you might want to drop into your local BMW dealership in the near future as the German luxury car maker is giving the process a technological overhaul. BMW is introducing the Product Navigator, a new vehicle configuration system that features Microsoft’s Surface technology. This enables dealership visitors to build a virtual car using a hands-on interface.

By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

It turns out that the new 2010 Prius won’t be the only vehicle that Toyota will be debuting in Detroit this coming January. Yesterday afternoon, the Japanese giant unveiled a sneak peek of its latest concept car's... badge.

The official word from Toyota is that details on the EV concept will follow in the coming days, but a few publications including the New York Times have hinted at a few of the EV’s particulars. The newspaper suggests that the concept is a preview of a subcompact-sized vehicle which Toyota is prepping for sale.

The production car is expected to have a fairly small range, but the upside of the is that its price tag is expected to be genuinely affordable. The New York Times pegs the road-going version as costing less than $20,000 - about the same price as the new Honda Insight hybrid.

By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

Ferrari might’ve pulled the plug on its display at the North American International Auto Show, but its fellow luxury brand, Maserati, will be attending and debuting a special version of its Quattroporte sedan.

Called the Quattroporte Sport GT S, it celebrates the 70th anniversary of Maserati’s first win at the Indy 500. It features a handful of alterations to help set it apart from other members of the Quattroporte family. 


Firstly, the Sport GT S has more power. Its 4.7-litre V8 engine generates a bit of extra power - 433 hp, which is up by a few ponies. For the record, the standard Quattroporte Automatica with the smaller 4.2-litre V8 makes 400 hp. It should sound pretty good too as the car’s been fitted with a new sports exhaust system with pneumatically controlled valves.

By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

Recently, scientists at UCLA announced a new strain of E. coli. Cool, I suppose, but you’re probably wondering what this has to do with the motoring industry.

While the bug, formally known as Escherichia coli, can be responsible for the occasional bout of food poisoning, this resident of your lower gut has been tweaked to produce biofuel which can power vehicles.

Under normal circumstances, E. coli is capable of producing short-chain alcohols (ethanol and methanol) from organic matter. The big breakthrough here is that this new strain of bacteria is capable of producing alcohols that are five or six chains long. This alcohol has a much greater energy density, making it more ideal for fuel.

By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

As consumers downsize into smaller vehicles, the compact SUV and crossover segment has become increasingly crowded. In order to remain competitive and stand out, Chevrolet has redesigned its Equinox to match evolving tastes.

The 2010 Equinox eschews its previously plain look for one inspired by the new Traverse. Chevrolet’s corporate styling works well here; it is bolder and more stylish, which should help draw customers into the showroom. Top of the line LTZ models include projector beam headlamps, twin chromed tailpipes and 19-inch chromed alloy wheels.

Overall, the Equinox remains roughly the same size as the current model - the length of its wheelbase remains unchanged, width is up by 25-mm, and overall length is down by 25-mm. Due to a raked roofline, cargo space is reduced to 889L with the rear seats up, down from just under 1,000L according to U.S. specs.

By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

It’s a well known fact that General Motors is running out of cash, and that it’s taken cost-cutting measures including shutting down factories, delaying projects and more, but this latest bit of news is surprising. In a bid to raise capital, GM will be putting some of the vehicles from its Heritage Collection on the auction block.

Various GM enthusiast websites have reported that GM will be selling 252 vehicles – more than a third of the entire collection, which is on display at the GM Heritage Centre in Michigan.

Most of the vehicles that will sold are customized production cars built for SEMA such as the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Big Red (pictured right), the 2004 GMC Envoy Water Sports and 1998 Buick Regal GNX. Also on the list are various racing vehicles like the 2007 Red Bull Pontiac Solstice GXP drift car, a NASCAR Silverado racing truck, and a pair of Indy race cars.

By Justin Couture, MSN Autos

After working together on the track and on the street for years, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren called it quits earlier this year. But before the two firms head their separate ways, they’ve agreed to launch one final vehicle - the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Stirling Moss.

The primary goal of this SLR is to pay tribute to legendary race driver Stirling Moss who piloted vehicles such as the SLR 300 to victory during the ‘50s.

This SLR seeks to capture the look of the car Stirling piloted but with modern engineering and technology.