By AutoWeek

OK, here's a first glimpse of the redesigned SRT Viper. The full reveal of Chrysler Corp.'s new sports car is set for the New York auto show in early April.

Chrysler has been coy about the new Viper but has said that it will have stability control. Prototypes spotted last summer included a Bilstein Sport button on the center console.

The next generation Viper is expected to be run in international GT racing, and Chrysler has signed Riley Technologies to analyze the potential.

By Michael Bettencourt for MSN Autos

New York City, N.Y. – Nissan’s plug-in Leaf hatchback has been crowned 2011 World Car of the Year, marking it as the first all-electric vehicle to do so.

When Chevrolet won the honours for World Green Car of the Year, it didn’t bode well for the all-electric Leaf. After all, if an all-electric car was beaten out by a gasoline-powered plug-in hybrid for an environmental award, what might that say about Nissan’s hatch? Furthermore, having been trumped by the Volt in the green stakes, few expected the Nissan to overcome larger, faster, and more luxurious World Car of the Year rivals, namely the Audi A8 and BMW 5 Series.

By Julian Rendell, AutoWeek

Unveiled in New York in top-spec XFR trim, the revised 2012 Jaguar XF is a substantial facelift with all the visual parts new in front of the A-pillar.

“This is definitely the best facelift I've done at Jaguar,” design chief Ian Callum said.

In front is a new hood, wings, bumper, headlamps and grille. The hood features a more prominent power bulge, which will be standard on all models, from European diesels up to the XFR.

A key change is slimmer XJ-style headlamps, which were first seen on the C-XF concept but weren't production ready.

By Jonathan Wong, AutoWeek

The collaboration between Toyota and Subaru to develop a rear-wheel-drive sports car hasn't been a secret. It's been common knowledge that the car would feature a boxer four-cylinder engine, but there were questions about what badge the Toyota version of the car would wear when it hit the U.S. market. Would it be a Toyota or fall to the company's youth-oriented Scion brand?

Last fall, word leaked out from a Toyota dealer meeting that the car (known then as the Toyota FT-86) would be sold as a Scion in the United States. With the world debut of the Scion FR-S Sports coupe concept at the New York auto show on Wednesday, that fact has now been confirmed.

By Jonathan Wong, AutoWeek

With prices at the pump on the rise again, Nissan is better positioning itself to take advantage of the small-car movement that is sure to follow with the new 2012 Versa sedan.

Carrying over from the previous Versa sedan, value remains a key argument for the new model with a base price of just $10,990. However, Nissan plans to break some of the "entry-level" stereotypes by offering a range of technology features such as Bluetooth, navigation with a five-inch touch screen, satellite radio and an iPod/USB interface.

By Jamie LaReau, AutoWeek

The redesigned 2012 Subaru Impreza made its debut in New York on Wednesday with a more refined look, a longer wheelbase and a new four-cylinder engine.

The Impreza's horizontally opposed 2.0-liter produces 148 hp and returns 36 mpg on the highway, even with all-wheel drive. Fuel economy is maximized with electric power steering and low-rolling-resistance tires.

The 2.0-liter engine replaces the previous 2.5-liter flat-four and has a longer piston stroke, leading to smoother operation, Subaru says. Hydraulic engine mounts also filter out engine vibrations. Buyers can choose from a five-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission.

By Jamie LaReau, AutoWeek

Ford Motor Co. will launch a restyled 2013 Taurus sedan less than four years after the current Taurus went on sale. It will be the first vehicle in Ford's lineup to offer two direct-injection turbocharged EcoBoost engine choices.

The 2013 Taurus will offer a re-engineered version of the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine currently available in the Taurus SHO. It also will offer the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine used in the Ford Mondeo sedan in Europe. The 2013 Taurus with the 2.0-liter engine is expected to achieve 31 mpg highway.

"This signals our commitment to EcoBoost," said Moray Callum, Ford's executive director of design. "EcoBoost delivers two different things--it delivers performance, and it can also deliver fuel economy."

By Jonathan Wong, AutoWeek

Following a one-year hiatus, Jeep is returning the fire-breathing Grand Cherokee SRT8 to the lineup for 2012, which made its world debut at the New York Auto Show.

Central to the changes is a new 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine producing 465 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque--a 45-hp and 45-lb-ft improvement over the outgoing 6.1-liter unit.

Jeep says the SRT8 is good to hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, cover the quarter-mile in the mid-13-second range and reach a top speed of 155 mph. A five-speed automatic transmission helps route power to all four wheels with a manual-shift mode offered through the standard steering-wheel-mounted paddles or center console shifter.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Volkswagen just shown its new New Beetle at the New York Auto Show, only now without the capitalized ‘New’ for 2012. The updated Bug only shares a passing resemblance with its rear-engined original, but I’m hoping that Volkswagen finally lets loose with the kind of ad campaign this new car really deserves.

The Beetle’s print campaign starting in the ‘60s was smart, funny, and ground-breaking, the sort of stuff that VW recaptured in the ‘00s, but without the quality product to back it up. My favourite has to be the Theory of Evolution ad, where 15 identical Beetle profiles highlight how little the car had to change from 1949 to 1963 to better accommodate customers. The company was so proud and confident of its design that they openly boasted of not changing a nut or bolt for 15 years! Imagine if Honda never stopped evolving the Civic, or Mazda the MX-5, or... you get the idea.

So what’s your favourite auto ad campaign? Doesn’t have to be a Volkswagen. Perhaps the Nissan 280ZX Black Gold is more your style?  Or maybe the new-for-’84 Corvette?

By Greg Migliore, AutoWeek

After weeks of hinting, Chevrolet has fully revealed the redesigned Malibu sedan.

The eighth generation of one of the most recognizable nameplates is set to go on sale in spring 2012 as a 2013 model. But plenty of buyers will share this taste of America.

For starters, this car will be sold around the world. The current model is sold in about 20 markets, while the new one will reach nearly 100 countries. And it's a big car. It looks big. It has gravitas. The front end says "Chevy" in familiar yet no uncertain terms.