You like the contemporary urban styling of Audi’s A4 Avant wagon. You’re concerned, however, that you might get stuck for lack of ground clearance, scratch your bumper on a steep incline, or even tear off your oil pan as you climb over rocks and boulders during off-road excursions. Nope, can’t risk it—time to shop for a burly off-roader.

Trans Sport Show never ceases to amaze the staunchest car fanatics or hobbyists with prized possessions themselves.

The Volkswagen Touareg and its Porsche Cayenne sibling serve as the perfect example for the synergies between VW and Porsche. Porsche developed both SUVs, while VW builds them at its Bratislava, Slovakia, plant. Porsche fits V-8 engines into the SUVs’ bodies in its Leipzig, Germany, facility, while the V-6 engines of the entry Cayennes are fitted at VW’s plant in Slovakia. The partnership has worked well: the Cayenne has served Porsche's existing customer base while bringing new buyers to the brand, and the Touareg bolstered VW's claim that it is a premium carmaker more convincingly than the ill-fated Phaeton.

Don’t let the badge mislead you. The Jeep Commander commands its brand only in name. It is among the youngest nameplates in the Jeep lineup, and its sales figures command little more than an exasperated groan. From a 2006 high of over 88,000, yearly sales fell to 28,000 in 2008. Like the disaster that beset another beleaguered commander, General George Custer, at Little Big Horn, what happened to the Jeep’s sales is well chronicled: The price of gas bloated, killing demand for SUVs; and then the value of everything else imploded, killing demand for cars of all types.

THE Tokyo Motor Show, which opened to the public in this suburban city on Saturday and runs through Nov. 11, is a showcase of the automobile industry’s split personality. The industry indeed seems increasingly to be of two minds, and the split between them is becoming more like a fracture.

The Ford Focus RS is the world’s best hot hatchback. A sweeping statement, to be sure, but if you look at Car and Driver’s favorites among these sporty but practical small cars—the Mazdaspeed 3 and the Volkswagen GTI—the latest and greatest Focus beats them in all respects. Except one: You can’t buy it here. Yet.

This weekend’s running of the 24-hour endurance race at the legendary Nürburgring is not just playing host to racing dreams, but also to the launch of the Volkswagen Scirocco R. The third and latest generation of the VW Scirocco is not for the U.S., but it's still fun to keep tabs on, especially since the R gives us a glimpse of the Golf R that should arrive on our shores later this year.

The International Geneva Motor Show (Salon International de l'Auto) is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show started in 1905. The show is held at the Geneva Palexpo, a giant convention center located next to the International Airport.

Lexus is throwing another dart at the blue-and-white bull’s-eye that is BMW. Toyota’s luxury division knows that 30 percent of BMW 3-series sales are coupes and convertibles, and it wants a seat at that buffet. Introduced nine years ago and well into its second generation—Toyota doesn’t act without exhaustive study, apparently—the entry-luxury IS sedan finally gets an additional body style: a hardtop convertible.

Here are a couple of rules sane people live by. First, never eat a stick of butter in less than a minute, even if there’s money involved. And second, never buy a V-6 family sedan. We’ve been tempted by the butter thing, but what about that second one?

I suppose really, that Autosport is not about the cars. F1 plays a very limited role in the show, with only the occasional team showing up to take part. You couldn’t really say that you were going there for F1. What you could say you were going for is the girls and the gifts. Walking around the arena, it’s almost impossible to find a stand without a scantily clad girl holding out a bag full of bits and pieces for you to take.

Volkswagen bills the Routan as a “stylish alternative to the minivan,” and we have it from no less an authority than actress Brooke Shields, who in Routan ads claims that its German engineering drives women to motherhood (to qualify for ownership). The TV spots starring Ms. Shields, herself a mom, were clearly zunge in der wange (German for tongue in cheek), but we confess that this minivan alternative looks a lot like a real minivan (German for minivan) to us. If it weren’t for the VW fascia and big VW logo (six inches in diameter), you might even mistake it for, say, a Dodge Grand Caravan. Which, of course, it is. Mostly.

Walter de'Silva, Volkswagen's chief designer, is wasting no time deploying his new styling language across the VW lineup. After the debut of the Golf VI, VW needed to pull the Golf Variant—known in the U.S. as the Jetta SportWagen—forward to match the base model's new looks. VW is now launching the new Golf Variant in Europe, and its new nose (if not its powertrain lineup) will transfer to the U.S. later this year.

The Manila International Auto Show is the Philippines’ biggest motor show in terms of visitor count, cars on display, and exhibitors. The show, previously known as The Manila International Motor Show, is an annual venue for car buyers and enthusiasts alike to take a closer look at the latest models and significant concepts from the Philippines’ premiere auto makers.

The arrival of the MKS sedan last year spurred hopes that it might revitalize Ford’s historically uncompetitive luxury brand, helping Lincoln to better compete with Cadillac, Lexus, and other aspirational marques. Most of the hype stemmed from the stunning MKR concept that debuted at the 2007 Detroit auto show; it floated the idea that future Lincolns wouldn’t be dowdy, livery-service specials like the current Town Car.

Usually, we herald the introduction of a brand-new BMW. Even when it challenges our preconceptions about the brand—as did the 1999 X5, the 2002 7-series, and, more recently, the oddly appealing slant-back X6—we try to keep an open mind. But BMW is pushing the limits of our love with its 2010 5-series Gran Turismo, aka 5-series GT, which we first saw in concept form at the Geneva auto show. BMW claims the inaptly named GT's pragmatic sheetmetal will attract Lexus buyers.

I don’t think it will be any surprise to you to hear that we weren’t the first people knocking at the door of the NEC in Birmingham. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know we’re always late. If you’re new to Sidepodcast, that’s everything you need to know about us.

There are luxurious cars, and there are fuel-efficient cars. There are even some that offer moderate levels of both characteristics. But no vehicle has managed—or even attempted—to take luxury and fuel economy simultaneously to such high levels as has the 2010 Lexus HS250h, the industry’s first dedicated luxury hybrid. Think of it as the Prius of Lexuses or the Lexus of Priuses—your choice—and you won’t be far off.

The GTC Speed is a more sporting version of the “entry level” Bentley convertible, just like the Speed models of the 1920s were higher-performance variants of cars such as the 3-liter and the 6 1/2-liter. Outwardly, it’s distinguished from a Continental GTC by striking 20-inch wheels, a trunklid lip spoiler, and a matte-finish grille. Inside, you’ll find a three-spoke sport steering wheel, a knurled-chrome and leather shift lever, drilled alloy pedals, and diamond quilting on the leather that adorns the seats, rear quarter-panels, and door pads.

The North American International Auto Show (previously called the Detroit Auto Show and often abbreviated NAIAS) is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.

When gas prices spiked last summer, carmakers started talking about downsizing. They would fast-track the production of lighter cars with lower-displacement engines, and we’d use less gas and have smaller carbon footprints. World peace would follow shortly thereafter. Less than a year later, downsizing is here: The Audi S5 cabriolet will be among the first vehicles to hit the market with significantly reduced engine displacement and fuel consumption compared with the model it replaces. (In this case, that’s the 4.2-liter V-8–powered 2009 S4 cabriolet, since this is the first-ever S5 droptop.)

“It’s a game changer.” “It’s an environmental champion.” “This car will revolutionize the way we think about transportation.” We hear this kind of hopeful hype about a lot of vehicles—off-hand, we can think of the Tesla roadster, Chevrolet Volt, and Fisker Karma—and sometimes, it even rings true. But few pieces of fanciful transportation have seemed as far-fetched, at least at first glance, as the 2e, scheduled to be produced just six months from now by California-based Aptera Motors. We recently paid the company a visit to take a quick spin in two of its latest prototypes and to see how close this wingless bird is to hatching.

In terms of sheer news impact, the North American International Auto Show 2009 is poised to keep pace with NAIAS 2008, which featured a total of 58 vehicle debuts—44 worldwide and 14 North American. You can expect plenty of thought-provoking new technologies and head-turning designs as well as across-the-board participation from international and domestic manufacturers alike.

SuperVeloce, or SV, is a storied name in Lamborghini’s history, seen most recently on the 1995–99 Diablo SV. The moniker is usually applied to a more powerful, gussied-up version of a car that’s near the end of its life cycle, which is what we have here in the Murciélago LP670-4 SV.

There are few greater automotive thrills than hurling a Lotus Elise down a bendy back road—or around a racetrack. But it’s almost not fair to compare the intense and delightful responses of the Elise or the related Exige with other street cars because, with curb weights that hover around 2000 pounds, there aren’t really any other street cars like them.

This year, the 4tuning anniversary was held at the Romexpo Hall in Bucharest RO. There were over 150 modified cars from the best car tuning companies like AC Schnitzer, MBM Tuning, Maff Tuning or Hertz Tuning.

With its 2007 models, Maserati incensed a lot of old-school, sports-car fans by doing away with traditional manual transmissions, with their clutch pedals and stick shifts. Maserati went over, along with a herd of other automakers, to what lovers of great Italian sports cars today refer to as “freakin’ automatics,“ or words close to that.

Sixteen is a perfect square, in terms of integers. It’s the age you can get a driver’s license. The number of ounces in a pint. Joe Montana’s number. The fourth number in the ominous number sequence from Lost. Or, to a Ferrari Formula 1 fan, it is the number of constructor’s championships the manufacturer has won since the award was created for the 1958 season.

Autosport International is the world’s best Motorsport show. It delivers excitement for the motorsport fans outside of the normal racing season and includes elements from every area of motorsport from karting to Formula One. First held at the NEC, Birmingham in January 1991, Autosport International is now in its 19thyear, taking place annually. It is widely regarded as a showcase event for the UK and European motorsport industry.

Ford has been touting its EcoBoost engine technology for more than two years now. The buildup began when the Lincoln MKR concept debuted at the 2007 Detroit show, hinting at the automaker’s plan to employ smaller engines equipped with turbochargers and direct fuel injection. In the same timeframe, early adopters such as Audi, BMW, and Porsche have been much praised for how the technologies have improved the power delivery, fuel economy, and emissions of many of their vehicles.

You don’t have to twist our arms very far to get us to write about roadsters, particularly those of German descent. This explains why we have composed three separate drive stories on the slick new 2009 BMW Z4 since March.

With the development of Chinese and international automotive industry and accumulating experience of 20 years, the Auto Shanghai has grown into the most authoritative automotive exhibition in China as one of the most influential international exhibitions.

The first event to kick off the show to the public is the annual charity event, Sneak Preview Night, which tales place on the Thursday night before the first public day. General and gold area tickets are available to purchase for this festive event and all proceeds are donated to Homeless Healthcare Los Angeles and One Voice.

Remember how the Rabbit Cup cars of the early '80s would lift an inside rear wheel in tight corners? How the first imported '83 Volkswagen GTIs would dance around that tight road course in the commercials set to "Kleine GTI," the German version of the Ronnie and the Daytonas song? Sure, the original Rabbit GTI's live rear axle is long gone. Still, there's something in the character of the GTI that suggests an affordable, yet well-balanced hot hatch -- the original hot hatch -- that leaps about corners with an attitude defying and yet celebrating its front-wheel-drive.

When Subaru's product developers responsible for the 2010 Legacy began probing Legacy loyalists about their likes and dislikes with the current model, the loud-and-clear message was: "We want more space!" And by far the loudest shouts from the chorus were to expand its rear legroom. Well, Subaru has gotten the hint -- and then some.

The Import scene or Import racing scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars (commonly referred to as imports), especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing in foreign countries.

Whenever General Motors has too little cash to serve too many divisions, the result is too much badge engineering. The 2010 GMC Terrain doesn't suffer badge engineering like its predecessor, the Pontiac Torrent. Based on the second-gen Chevrolet Equinox on sale soon, the Terrain has distinct sheetmetal and a slightly upgraded interior featuring lots of red ambient lighting, including along the center-stack-control outline, the CD player opening, and in the door handle openings.

"When I get hot, I go topless." So sayeth the license plate frame of many a convertible. Though it's typically employed as a double entendre, the cheeky adage actually describes the new 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster quite well. The new Z Roadster is making its world debut on the eve of the 2009 New York auto show alongside the 2009 Nismo 370Z.

Held every two years in the neighborhood of Pudong in Shanghai, China, each successive show demonstrates a large incremental effort to be an influential, large-scale international show with auto makers stepping up the quality of their exhibits and with greater international participation.

When Land Rover introduced the current-generation Discovery, there was a global split, and what became our LR3 was the world's Discovery 3. It made sense once the LR2 came out-the nomenclature implied smaller model, smaller-number designation. That's not the case, as evidenced by the new LR4. For Land Rover, a different number simply means it's that significant a change from the LR3 -- and this is the fourth generation of the vehicle. (Of course, they have it much easier where it can be called Discovery 4.)

Acura calls the ZDX a "sports coupe." Seeing as it's built on the same platform as the MDX SUV and shares its powertrain, all-wheel-drive layout, and high seating position, the purists might argue. But in the context of BMW's new X6 M, and Infiniti's FX50, Acura might have a point. These days, almost anything with a cabin where space has been deliberately compromised for the sake of style is called a sports coupe.

Limited portions of specific events have been shown on the G4 program, Street Fury and on HINtv. During such segments, the host mingles with the owners of the cars, speaks with them about the modifications made to the vehicles, and takes the opportunity to interview show goers.

Short answer? Yes. Those who love what the Range Rover stands for -- being able to experience genuine off-roading surrounded by a luxurious cabin -- will be absolutely thrilled with the latest generation of Land Rover's flagship model. And the 2010 contains technology you can't find anywhere else.

Nismo, Nissan's in-house high-performance division, has been churning out factory-tuned enthusiast rides for more than two decades now in Japan and has recently been gaining a foothold here in the U.S. Back in 2007, Nissan offered its first complete U.S.-spec Nismo model based on the last-generation 350Z, and its latest Z-based creation is the 2009 Nismo 370Z.

Auto Shanghai is an international automobile show that alternates each year with the Beijing Auto Show and dates to its inception in 1985. Auto Shanghai became the first UFI approved Chinese auto show in June 2004.

In 2007, the Mazdaspeed3 was the most powerful front-driver under $25,000. Yet, it was the deft combination of power and utility that made the hatchback irresistible. The 2010 Mazdaspeed3, fortunately, relies on much of the previous generation's hardware -- engine included -- but gains Mazda's smiley-face aesthetics, an updated suspension and driveline, and reworked electronics to improve upon an already stout platform.

A week after unveiling its bigger and better Legacy, Subaru is now letting the other shoe drop. Or should we say letting its hiking boot drop. Since 1994, the Outback has been the Legacy's rough-and-tumble alter ego. Their Indiana Jones to the Legacy's tweedy Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. And like Harrison Ford himself, the Outback has gained in both savvy and physical size since his swashbuckling debut, though neither one appears to be any less willing to tackle genuine adventure.

In addition to a large number of vehicles, Hot Import Nights events typically feature a number of promotional models. These models promote the products of individual companies/magazines/websites with booths at the event, some participate in fashion shows, and others dance on stage with a DJ playing the music selections.

Last year, Chrysler showed the automotive press an interior-free fiberglass mockup of its long-awaited Jeep Grand Cherokee, an icon of the late '90s and early '00s. It looked like little more than vaporware at the time. At the 2009 New York International Auto Show, the audiences will be the international press, Fiat Auto and U.S. Treasury and the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is no longer a mockup.

As a general rule, adding weight to a car is to be avoided if at all possible, as it's a detriment to performance and fuel economy. Adjust your goals, though, and it becomes a reasonable tradeoff. Take for example the 2009 Infiniti G37x S, an all wheel-drive version of Infiniti's star entry-luxury car.