By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Perhaps forgotten or ignored during last week's all-out NAIAS content avalanche was a release from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) revealing the top-three finalists for the body's 2012 Canadian Car, Utility Vehicle and Design of the Year awards. 

For Car of the Year, Hyundai has both the Accent hatch and Elantra sedan, the latter of which was also recently named North American Car of the Year at NAIAS. The Kia Optima rounded out the contenders, making it the first all Korean category in the award's history.

For Utility Vehicle of the Year, the BMW X3, Dodge Journey and Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel caused less of a stir, mainly because there are only three Utilility categories to pull favourites from...

Finally, Design of the Year finalists are the funky three-door Hyundai Veloster, the brutal racecar-themed Jaguar XKR-S and the futuristic Range Rover Evoque.

Bing: Learn more about the Canadian Car of the Year awards

It would be silly to be against the Elantra for COY thanks to its obvious popularity with Canadian customers, but I've been wrong plenty of times before. For Utility Vehicle, my pick would be the Journey if only for its value-for-money argument. And the Jag gets my vote for best design.

Which would you choose?

Photo courtesy Michelle Siu for Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

By Diana T. Kurylko, AutoWeek

Jaguar is expected to add a sports car based on the C-X16 concept shown in September at the Frankfurt auto show. Executives said the car is nearly ready for production.

Work also is under way on a compact sedan but that car is a few years away from production, Jaguar officials said.

One of Jaguar's disadvantages: Its main engine is the 5.0-liter V8 used in all three models--the XJ, XK and XF. New engines are in development but are unlikely to arrive for a few years.

Bing: More images of Jaguar's new E-Type successor

By Dale Jewett, AutoWeek

Jaguar is bringing a sleek, sports coupe concept to the Frankfurt motor show in September, and on Tuesday, the marque provided a first glance via a design sketch.

Jaguar says the C-X16 is "a precursor to future Jaguar sports cars that will aim to set new class benchmarks in design, vehicle dynamics and technology."

Design chief Ian Callum headed the project. In a press release he said, "Great Jaguar cars have always been beautiful, innovative and have looked firmly to the future. The finished C-X16 concept has the potential to do these things while retaining the ability to surprise, excite and invigorate."

Full details of the C-X16 will be released on Sept. 7, Jaguar said. The auto-show unveiling is set for Sept. 13.

By Jeremy Sinek for MSN Autos

Just one Jaguar XK-E mixing it with Toronto traffic on a busy workaday morning would be sure to swivel heads. Four of them driving in convoy, with a police escort, twisted enough necks to keep the province’s chiropractors in business for years.

Widely regarded as the most beautiful car of all time, if not the outright sexiest, the XK-E (a.k.a. E-Type) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, four pristine examples were driven to the heart of hogtown’s financial district on Monday. As the feline foursome posed on the Bay Street sidewalk outside Brookfield Place, Megan Fox could have walked by in her birthday suit and nobody would have noticed.

By Greg Migliore, AutoWeek

The Jaguar C-X75, the breath-taking hybrid supercar that stole the spotlight at the Paris motor show, will become reality in late 2013.

Jaguar announced plans on Friday morning in London to build a production version of the car, and it will make just 250 examples from 2013 to 2015 as part of a partnership with Williams F1. Pricing will start at about $1.1 million, and more ordering and technical information will be available on Sept. 1.

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 Michelle Koueiter, AutoWeek

Jaguar plans to use this month's New York auto show to roll out its 2012 lineup.

Among the changes:

-- Revised front and rear styling for the XF and XFR sedans.

-- New interior options for the XK coupe and styling changes for the high-performance XKR to help it stand apart from the XK.

-- The new 550-hp XKR-S coupe will be on display, after a debut at the Geneva motor show. It runs from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and can reach 186 mph.

By Greg Migliore, AutoWeek

With Jaguar marking the 50th anniversary of the reveal of the celebrated E-type sports car at the Geneva motor show, speculation centered on what the brand's next great speedster might look like. But executives were quick to point out that Jaguar will claw forward with new stylings, rather than look to the past.

"The danger is by looking at the E-type, you miss out on the market today," said Carl-Peter Forster, CEO of Jaguar owner Tata Motor Group.

He added for emphasis: "If there are any similarities with the E-type, they're almost by accident."

By Greg Kable, AutoWeek

Struggling Italian design house Bertone is planning to unveil a concept car previewing its ideas for a new entry-level Jaguar.

The new sedan, known as the B99, is said to hint at a new BMW 3-series-rivaling model currently in the early stages of development at Jaguar and code-named the X760.

The concept which will make its public debut at the Geneva motor show.

By Diana T. Kurylko, AutoWeek

Jaguar may develop a small sedan to compete with BMW's 3 Series--something it tried a decade ago with little success.

Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar's new global brand director, says Jaguar is considering a small sports car that could also be offered as a sedan.

"We need different models. We need lower priced models," said Hallmark, former head of Volkswagen brand in the United States.