Doing things The Honda Way involves as much blind faith in one’s methods as it does a quantifiable formula for success. While the company has had many successes (the 1973 Civic right up until the most recent Civic), there have been mis-steps, like the first-generation Odyssey and the lack of a V6 in the 1994-1997 Accords. The one common denominator is that no matter what, Honda remains convinced that their way is the best and only way of doing things, and they’re not interested in hearing any other opinions.

As much as the 2012 Civic takes its lumps in the public arena, the first-generation RDX is a great example of “The Honda Way” gone awry. The 2.3L turbocharged engine was hailed by Autoblog in today’s editorial as “Honda’s Best Performance Engine”, but they apparently forgot about the K20, F22C and the B-Series and H-Series VTEC motors of a previous era. The K23A1 was laggy, erratic in its power delivery and mated to an uninspiring 5-speed automatic transmission for most of its life. The 6-speed transmission was improved, but not enough that most consumers would know or care or even use the paddle shifters. A dismal 17/22 mpg rating was the official number, anything that slightly deviated from a perfect EPA test cycle (i.e. sudden lane changes and merging situations, uphill driving, cold climates, snow tires) saw a noticeable drop in fuel economy and a thirst for premium gasoline didn’t help. The RDX later offered front-drive to go along with its SH-AWD system, a lovely feature that was ultimately wasted on the small crossover clientele, and the bespoke platform Acura engineered to accommodate the RDX.

The new RDX has been criticized by the B&B as being little more than a re-badged CR-V with a V6 engine. I haven’t heard confirmation of that, but it wouldn’t be so bad. The new CR-V won’t cause tachycardiya, but it’s a fine car to drive and full of practical features that will make people’s lives easier, like a low load floor and one-touch folding rear seats – the kinds of things that matter in the crossover segment rather than lateral g numbers and 0-60 times. Power is up to 273 horsepower and 20/28 mpg (city/highway) for front-drive models and 19/27. The SH-AWD will be missed by few, and the K23A1 even fewer.

Not content with being the best selling compact car and third best selling passenger car in the United States, the Honda Civic is not only Canada’s best selling car for 2012, but it absolutely crushed the competition – outselling the #2 Hyundai Elantra and #3 Toyota Corolla combined.

Both of those cars mustered only 4736 units, while the Civic sold 4928 units – and that’s without the year-end blowout lease specials where Honda offered a $0 down, 48 month lease at 0.9 percent interest, allowing punters to walk away with a Civic LX sedan for $199 a month. Of the top 10 cars offered for sale, 9 were compacts, with the Toyota Camry being the sole mid-sized offering. Let’s see what happens when the Elantra GT and Elantra Coupe go on sale – as it is now, 20 percent of Elantra’s sold are Elantra Touring models.

Former Republican Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. is joining Ford’s Board of Directors. Huntsman previously served as U.S. Ambassador to China and Utah’s Governor.

Ford also announced the retirement of veteran executives Derrick Kuzak and Lewis Booth. Kuzak, who held the title of Group Vice President and Global Product Development Chief, led Ford’s push to develop global models rather than region-specific varities. Booth, who retires as CFO, will be remembered for selling off Ford’s Premier Auto Group (which included Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin) as well as his leadership of Ford’s finances during their recovery. Replacing Kuzak and Booth are Bob Shanks, formerly Vice President and Controller, and Raj Nair, who held the title of  VP of Engineering and Global Product Development.

Fans of the station wagon rejoice – Chevrolet has a new product for those of you seeking an alternative to the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, in the form of the Chevrolet Cruze station wagon.

While Europe and Australia will get this vehicle, Americans will be shut out, as Chevrolet has officially denied that we’ll get the Cruze station wagon. The same 1.4 turbo, 1.6 and 1.8L gasoline engines and 1.7 and 2.0L diesel engines will carry over from the sedan and hatchback, as well as Chevrolet’s MyLink infotainment system. At 184 inches long, the Cruze wagon is about three inches longer than the sedan (and 7 inches longer than the hatchback that we also don’t get) while offering 17.6 cubic feet of cargo room with the seats up and 52 with the seats down. Look for the official real at the Geneva Auto Show in early March.

Subtract two doors and a back seat from the Kia Soul and add a 250 horsepower and all-wheel drive and you have the Kia Track’ster concept. The initial sketches of the Track’ster were pretty underwhelming, but this car looks much better in photographs. A one inch longer wheelbase and a Brembo brake system with 14 inch rotors up front, 13.6 inches in the back and a combination of 6 and 4 piston brake calipers (front and rear) add to the Track’ster’s spec sheet. Instead of the rear seats, there’s a compartment for spare tires and safety gear like helmets.

Acura showed off their 2013 RDX, featuring a 3.5L V6 with 33 more horsepower than the outgoing model and substantially improved fuel economy.

At 273 horsepower and MPG ratings of 20/28 mpg for the front-driver and 19/27 mpg AWD version, quantitative performance is up for Acura’s small crossover. Pandora Radio, an ELS sound system, a power liftgate and a longer wheelbase/wider track are the big news for 2013. We’ll have more information tomorrow when our team starts live coverage of the Chicago Auto Show.

Fisker Automotive has laid off a total of 66 people, including 20 at a former GM plant in Delaware, and another 40 contractors in California. The layoffs come as Fisker attempts to re-negotiate loans from the Department of Energy that were contingent on Fisker meeting sales targets for its Karma sedan, which Fisker failed to do.

While the DOE loaned Fisker $509 million, Fisker has only $193 million so far. The money was earmarked to help engineer a new vehicle, dubbed the Nina. Fisker had hoped to employ 2,000 people at the Delaware plant. The Karma has been hampered by a series of delays and false starts, leading to speculation that the project was little more than vaporware. Fisker is also pursuing private equity financing in lieu of government loans.

The small crossover segment is heating up, with the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Mazda CX-5 squaring off as this year’s new entrants in an already crowded field. Starting at $20,695, the CX-5 will get class leading fuel economy numbers of 26/35 mpg thanks to the SKYACTIV 2.0L 4-cylinder engine – and a 6-speed manual gearbox.

A 6-speed automatic and AWD will set you back another $1,400 and $1,250 respectively. The Touring model costs  $23,895 and $25,145 for FWD and AWD respectively while the Grand Touring runs $27,045 and $28,295 for the GT AWD. A Technology package, featuring items like in-dash TomTom navigation, pivoting HID headlights and rain-sensing wipers adds another $1,185 ($1,325 for the GT model, which also adds keyless entry) while a Bose stereo/moonroof package is $1,130. A destination charge of $795 is not included in the price.

The Honda Civic is moving up its planned refresh of the 2013 Civic to fall of 2012, after just over a year on the market. The confirmation came at a Honda dealer meeting, and the refresh will apparently go beyond just cosmetic changes inside and out.

Despite being panned by critics, sales of the Civic remain solid. The Civic was America’s third best selling car in January 2012 even with parts and inventory shortages related to natural disasters in Thailand and Japan, and the best selling compact car. While Honda sold “only” 221,000 Civics in 2011, the Chevrolet Cruze only managed to sell 231,700 cars, and the Corolla/Matrix, lumped together, moved 240,000. Critical favorites, like the Ford Focus, managed 175,000 (and 45 percent of Foci were sold to fleets anyways).

I’ve managed to book both an Si Sedan and an EX sedan for a week each in April. I’ll have a 2000 Civic and my grandma on hand to help evaluate just how good (or bad) the 2012 Civic is. But for Honda to restyle their crown jewel after roughly a year on the market suggests that something is amiss at the Big H, even if consumers don’t seem to care.

Our coverage of the 2012 Chicago Auto Show will kick off Wednesday, but preparations begin tomorrow, as our team, headed up by hizzoner Jack Baruth, makes its way to the Windy City. We’ve got a brief rundown of what you can expect to see from the TTAC team of writers and photographers on site at McCormick Place.

Acura: With Acura having debuted “concepts” (read: barely disguised versions of the production car) of the RDX crossover and ILX sedan at Detroit, the two cars will bow officially at Chicago. The RDX gets a V6 to replace the thirsty but punchy turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, which should deliver more power and much better fuel economy. The ILX (which may be re-named the IL, following Acura naming conventions) will also get its debut, and will be crucial to Acura’s plans for picking itself up off the floor and getting the attention of new customers.

Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/Fiat: The Marchionne-ruled conglomerate will show off a few products with minor revisions. Mopar versions of the Jeep Compass, Dodge Dart and Fiat 500 will debut alongside a Ram Laramie Limited Edition pickup. Chrysler will also introduce the Mopar ’12 300, a tuned 300S with some cosmetic changes and slightly quicker acceleration times.

Ford: The droptop version of the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 will debut. No word on whether this car will get the coupe version’s insane 200 MPH top speed rating. The 650 horsepower should be enough to blow the hair transplant right out of most owner’s scalps.

GMC: The 2013 GMC Acadia will show off its all-new design, as the first of GM’s Lambda crossovers to get any changes since their 2006 debut. New sheetmetal, powertrains and interior changes are expected. The Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave will follow later this year.

Hyundai: The Korean automaker continues its imperial deathmarch towards industry dominance with the debut of two variants of the Elantra. A two-door coupe, looking very similar to the sedan, will debut, as well as a 5-door hatchback based on the European i30. This is the car featured in the infamous video featuring VW boss Martin Winterkorn freaking out over the vehicle’s build quality – it’s promising, to say the least.

Kia: Kia will show off the Trackstar concept, supposedly a performance oriented version of the Soul. Early sketches look goofy.

Nissan: A refreshed 2013 model 370Z will bow alongside the NV200 passenger van. Unlike the commercial versions of the NV already on sale, the NV200 will be the next New York City taxi, and can seat up to 12 passengers.

Toyota: Because civillians, as well as UN peacekeepers and medicins sans frontiers workers buy the Land Cruiser, Toyota will show off the refreshed 2013 version in Chicago, with sales starting immediately.

Volkswagen: A TDI powered 2013 Beetle will debut, featuring the familiar 2.0L TDI engine making 140 horsepower, with a choice of 6-speed manual or DSG transmissions.

Today, the Volvo 760 celebrates 30 years on this planet. Concieved in an uncertain time in the auto industry and launched in 1982, the 760′s various incarnations lasted until the S90 and V90 were laid to rest in 1998.

Like so many great cars, the 760 was built with whatever happened to be laying around at the time.  Cost-effective was the operative word, and the 240′s basic architecture was lengthened slightly, while losing 220 lbs in the process. A 2.8L V6 (the famous PRV motor) was available, as well as a diesel, but the 760 Turbo would live on in the hearts and minds of enthusiasts.

My friend Chris, who took the above photograph, grudgingly gave up his own pristine 700-Series Turbo this summer, for a Lexus IS250. I only got the chance to drive it once, but reveled in the massive turbo lag and equally entertaining turbo boost and the utilitarian nature of the cabin. The 760 Turbo was arguably the last idiosyncratic Volvo (though the 740 and 900 Series carried on its lineage despite re-skins and name changes), with a host off oddities like the self-leveling Nivomat suspension, a turbo boost gauge without any calibration, and the “4-Speed plus Overdrive” manual gearbox.

The introduction of the 850 range in the early 1990s marked the end of an era, as front-wheel drive and transverse engines asserted their dominance in the Volvo lineup. While I’m a fan of the current cars (the S60, XC90 and XC90 are solid vehicles), the old, boxy rear-drivers are iconic vehicles and arguably the heart and soul of the marque.

How do you say “grace, pace and space” in Mandarin? Jaguar Land Rover is apparently partnering with Chinese automaker Chery to build cars in China. While an announcement wont come until April’s Beijing Auto Show, the two companies have applied for permission from China’s regulators.

Jaguar Land Rover sales are up in China by 92 and 63 percent respectively, and the country is on pace to become one of the top 3 markets for both brands. Locally built cars would avoid hefty import duties and allow for extra supply. Some smaller displacement engines for Jaguar (such as the 2.2L diesel) will be necessary to help boost sales, and don’t be surprised if we see a crossover at some point in the future.

Last night, while driving out to look at a Heritage Golden Eagle archtop, I got into an argument with Motor Trend’s Ladyboy-In-Chief, Edward “Cop Killer” Loh. During that argument, Loh repeatedly refused to admit that he was proud of his work at Motor Trend. I have to admit that I can’t blame him: that’s the kind of job where you just lie there and take it. Having been bullied out of teaching by super-scary high-school children, Loh really doesn’t have much else he’s qualified to do. Jalopnik’s Matt Hardigree saw the slapfight and decided to test the adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

This whole thing is a bunch of inside baseball crap and not really worthy of TTAC’s readers. So, I’d like to use the comments section of this article for something else. Unlike Mr. Loh, I’m personally proud to be affiliated with my media outlet — TTAC — and I’m interested in providing content that our readers want to see. Tell us what you want to see, and we will do our best to provide it. Unless you want to see me taking a shot at little Edward’s mom. I don’t get paid enough to do that.

About a month and a half ago, a group calling itself “Consumer Watchdog” targeted Hyundai in what we indicated could be a shakedown operation. Their claim: Hyundai is gaming the EPA tests. Or faking them. I’m not sure, really. To get to the bottom of it, I set up a thinly veiled excuse to drive to another state and seduce a gorgeous single mother real-world test of the Elantra’s capabilities. I was satisfied by the results, but the folks at Consumer Watchdog, by contrast, were just getting started…

In a press release put out this morning, “Consumer Watchdog” announces that Hyundai will remove any claim of “40MPG” from their Super Bowl Ad. According to the release,

Consumer Watchdog’s letter sent Wednesday asked for a response from Hyundai by noon PDT Thursday, offering to stop the promotion of the guerilla video that disputes the Elantra’s MPG claims and counts up the multi-million dollar cost to drivers. The letter also challenged Hyundai’s U.S. CEO to fill up the tank of Elantra and either match the company’s mileage claims or leave himself stranded on the road to the Super Bowl.

A “guerilla video” countering Hyundai’s claims? Yes, apparently such a thing exists. Consumer Watchdog went through the trouble of creating a “counter-ad”.

Making TV-quality advertisements, even if they are “guerilla counter-videos”, costs serious money. As any journalist who doesn’t spend the majority of his time driving complimentary Cadillac CTS-V wagons knows, following the money is a good way to get to the truth of the matter. How was the video funded? Was it a grassroots effort from Consumer Watchdog’s contributors? A calculated investment from the pocketbook of a Consumer Watchdog bigwig, based on the idea that Hyundai would pay them not to run it? Was it… (dramatic pause) the UAW? Clearly, some sort of watchdog organization is required here, to keep an eye on other consumer watchdog organizations. Who will watch that organization? There’s something in Latin to that effect. I think it’s Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo. No, wait: if this really is a shakedown, a different Latin phrase applies: Pecunia non olet.

Foreign OEMs put on a dog and pony show at the Washington D.C. auto show in anticipation of President Obama’s visit, but were ultimately snubbed when the President decided to check out some American iron instead.

Bloomberg reports that Honda, Toyota and other foreign car makers flew in executives from across the country and brought in their most fuel-efficient cars at the request of the White House. While Obama checked out a display of American cars, including a Dodge Dart, a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, a Chevrolet Silverado, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, a Ford C-Max Energi and a Chevrolet Malibu, execs from the foreign OEMs waited in a “bullpen” for a chance to talk to Obama, and answer his questions about their products.

But they never got face time with the Commander-In-Chief. While a Honda FCX and a Kia Optima Hybrid were on hand (brought in specially for the visit), Obama only paid attention to the American brands – and some of their less-than-efficient products. While Obama was ostensibly checking out the newest wares of the automakers that got bailout money, many of the foreign OEMs have invested a lot of money in American manufacturing (as much as $43 billion, according to a trade group known as The Association of Global Automakers) – an economic sector in dire need of rejuvenation, and one that surely adds more value than a Facebook IPO.

One month is far too premature to make any predictions about 2012′s sales race, but we still got our hands on the data, thanks to independent analyst Timothy Cain. As usual, the Ford F-Series and Toyota Camry were the top dogs.

The top 5 best-selling cars were the Camry, followed by the Nissan Altima and the critically panned Honda Civic. The Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Impala rounded out the Top 5, though I’d bet my life on the vast majority of Impala sales being fleet-based (Cain claims that it’s impossible to get the data, but GM mysteriously stopped publishing it some time ago, once reports on the fleet/retail breakdowns were being published by analysts such as himself). Just missing the cut is the Chevrolet Cruze.

On the truck side (or shall we say, truck/utility) the F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado and Honda CR-V are atop the podium, followed by the Dodge Ram and the Ford Escape. The re-designed CR-V is evidently off to a strong start, and it will be interesting to see how buyers take to the 2013 Escape when it launches later this year.

Check out the full breakdown here

Some of the B&B doubted the veracity of early renderings, but it turns out they were accurate. This is the Fiat 500L, the car that’s supposed to boost Fiat sales here in the USA and carry on the legacy of the very unique looking Multipla. Despite carrying the “500″ moniker, the 500L, like the Multipla, is a B segment car.

The 500L uses the Fiat Punto’s platform and delivers what Fiat calls the “…feel of a small SUV on the road”. Conventional logic suggests that any sporting pretensions should be put to bed with that statement. Further buttressing the “function follows form” ethos is another quip stating  that the 500L is “…is a ‘first car’ for those who won’t settle for anything less than Italian style.”

So, does that mean that the 500L is a starter car for yuppies too proud to buy a Chevrolet Sonic? Fiat gave only vague plans for engines, but a TwinAir powerplant (not for American consumption) and a 1.4L Multiair engine were mentioned – hopefully it’s not the asthmatic naturally aspirated version. It’s still astounding to think that Europe will get a 7-seat version of this car, when it’s only a couple feet longer than a regular 500.

I may be the only auto journalist who hates the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. Funny, because I like station wagons. And I like the CTS-V. A lot.

At the CTS Coupe launch in June of 2010, a Cadillac exec told me that only 5 were needed to be built to break even, making it effectively a wonderful bribe for journalists. Say nice things about GM products (and hell, maybe even bash the competition) and you can have one of these for a week. Or a year.

I’ve only seen one privately owned CTS-V Wagon ever. By comparison, I’ve seen three separate Mercedes R63 AMG wagons, a vehicle that could only be ordered, not purchased off the lot. It wasn’t long before even menswear fashion bloggers were driving this thing for a week, delivered to their door with a tank of gas and insurance provided. The world kept on buying Camrys. CTS sales were marginal.

Taking a page out of Cadillac’s PR playbook is Mercedes-Benz. A friend of mine uploaded the above Facebook photo – a brown E63 station wagon. The E63 wagon is a special order car. You cannot just walk in and buy one off the lot. The one pictured above is obviously a press car, so somebody at Mercedes PR knew exactly what they were doing – AMG customers, as a rule order their wares only in silver, black or white. So why brown? Simple, car geeks love brown. Liking brown cars gives you a weird, hipster-like status. Precisely because brown cars are considered repulsive to society at large, those who pledge allegiance to brown cars must be true enthusiasts to love such an obscure hue.

Our first review of the $111,665 Teutonic Turd (really, that’s what it looks like) comes from the world’s foremost expert on high performance  wagons. A cursory glance at the article suggests that the E63 wagon is awesome. I may be the only auto journalist to have never driven an AMG car at 10/10ths on an autocross course, but I do know that nightclub floozies from the Commonwealth of Independent States absolutely adore them.

While we at TTAC mock the idea of flying “social media influencers” on charter jets across the country, there’s actually a much cheaper way of bribing social maladroits to say nice things about your company – give them a press car that’s tailored to their geeky, self-satisfied sense of sophistication. Having manufacturers send ringers into the press fleet is nothing new, but tailoring press cars just to suit the tastes of a very small cadre of automotive autistics is something that hasn’t been seen before.

The broader issue here has nothing to do with ethics, or Motor Trend’s relevance, but the evolution of PR tactics in an age where someone with 1,000 Twitter followers (half of them bots for X-rated wbesites) can be considered someone of influence. Pandering to the automotive press used to mean sending call-girls up to their rooms on press trips. Now it means ordering a very narrow interest presser in the hopes that it pays dividends in future.

Is $111,665 really such a big sum to ensure some good press? Compared to the millions of dollars spent on advertising, marketing, PR and/or damage control when one of your execs is caught committing dipping into company funds for personal uses, or bribing 22 foreign governments it’s not such a big figure. Or maybe a drive in the E63 means that your products will get good press, your competitors will get slagged and all of that will help you capture some imaginary, arbitrary bragging rights?

I saw Dave Chapelle in 2007, right after his “breakdown”, and during the performance, he explained why he turned down Comedy Central’s $50,000,000 offer. Dave said that the execs wrote the check and then metaphorically “laid their dick across the table, over the money. To get the money, I’d have to grab their dick, lift it up, and take it.” We all know Dave didn’t take the money. But someone took the keys to the E63.

Volkswagen unveiled their most important new platform, dubbed MQB (a German acronym for “Modular Transverse Matrix”). The MQB will underpin everything from the Up! to the next (European) Passat, and all points in between.

While the wheelbase can be adjusted to fit different sized vehicles, all motors, whether gas, diesel or hybrid, will use the same mounting points and transmissions. Photos appear to show a raised rear bench seat for better leg room, and stronger steel and more aluminum chassis components will help vehicles like the next Golf shed lots of weight.

The first MQB car will be the new Audi A3, which will debut this summer and be sold only as a sedan in the United States. The new MK7 Golf should follow after that, getting a reveal at September’s Paris Auto Show.

Even though it’s been revived more times than Pete Doherty, the Volkswagen Bluesport roadster is apparently back on track at the insistence of Uli Hackenberg, VW’s chief engineer.

Hackenberg feels that the upcoming Toyobaru twins and the Mazda MX-5 will fuel demand for more sports cars on the lower end of the market. While dealers felt that the market was too small to justify the Bluesport, Hackenberg feels that the demand has been artifically supressed due to a lack of options.

If Volkswagen does go ahead with the project, expect Audi or another subsidiary (SEAT? Skoda?) to market their own sports car using the platform. The big question is whether Porsche will go back on its word and create its own version, or cede the lower tier to its downmarket cousins.

Bob Lutz took Fox News and other media outlets to task in his latest blog for Forbes, titled “Chevy Volt and the Wrong-Headed Right”, with Lutz taking shots at Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh.

Lutz’s article lists a number of facts regarding the crash tests and data on vehicle fires. But Lutz does claim that the Volt is

 ”…the most technologically advanced car on the planet, was conceived by me and my team well before any federal bailout of GM…”

Whatever you think of the Volt, the damage done by the fire stories is undeniable. While charging a Volt in public this past December, a passerby made a remark warning me to steer clear because “those things catch fire”. The story has undoubtedly permeated the public conscience, regardless or whether it’s legitimate or just hype.

The shifty definition of “truck” for the NACOTY Truck of the year awards means that car-based vehicles like the Ford Explorer and Range Rover Evoque are eligible to win the “Truck of the Year Award” – but not for much longer.

The NACOTY jury has given crossovers an out, by re-branding the award as “Truck/Utility of the Year”. Let’s face it – if the award were restricted to just body-on-frame type truck or SUVs, the pool of candidates would be pretty limited. If you’re a die-hard truck guy, there’s still the Texas Truck Rodeo.

Panther fans, grab your heart medication. Cadillac and Lincoln will be unveiling their entrants into the livery car market next week at the International LCT show in Las Vegas, based on the front-drive Cadillac XTS sedan and Lincoln MKT crossover.

The “W20 Livery Sedan Package” appears to be a trim level on its own, with distinct extended wheelbase and sedan chassis variants offered later this year. The W20 looks like  comes loaded with every option available, including the Brembo brake package. Lincoln has previously shown their MKT livery car concept. For my money, nothing beats a nice Signature L. The full press release is below.

Cadillac, Premier Sponsor at 28th Annual International LCT Show Produced by LCT (Limousine, Charter and Tour) Magazine, Set to Debut New Livery Vehicle

LAS VEGAS, NV–(Marketwire – Jan 26, 2012) – Annual International LCT Show produced by Bobit Business Media, with media sponsor, LCT (Limousine, Charter and Tour) Magazine announced a Premier Sponsor, Cadillac, will debut new their newest livery vehicle during the event, taking place February 13-15 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Cadillac jump-starts a changing limousine market with a long-awaited premier luxury sedan it hopes will catapult it ahead of longtime livery rival Lincoln. Once unveiled Feb. 13, the Cadillac XTS will go head-to-head with other luxury brand sedans in the industry. Buyers will need to choose between the multiple luxury sedan offerings and the crossover-styled MKT Town Car that Lincoln is showing.

While a successor to the former DTS/DeVille line of luxury sedans, the XTS heralds a revamped design that emphasizes a sportier, younger luxury image suffused with advanced technology and intuitive connectivity. “This new vehicle will help dispel some of the myths out there about Cadillac,” said Ray Bush, Cadillac Professional Vehicles Program Manager. “The Cadillac of old was from the standpoint of large, floaty vehicles. Cadillac has moved away from that with its new products launched over the last 10 years. The XTS will further that with outstanding ride characteristics that compare favorably with Cadillac vehicles of the past.”

Standard features include: illuminated door handles, push-button start, Brembo brakes, rear vision camera and obstacle detection, and OnStar. Optional features include: Navigation system; a Luxury Package with a memory driver’s seat, heated/cooled front seats and a premium audio system with surround sound; and a Rear Comfort package with heated seats, side-window and backlight sun shades and Tri-zone HVAC controls.

The XTS “W20 Livery Sedan Package” will be unveiled in the Cadillac booth at the International LCT Show, with the extended sedan and limousine chassis available later this year. Special pricing and incentives are expected be announced at the show as well. All vehicles for the chauffeured transportation industry are covered with PVPP extended warranty for 3 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

For more information on the International LCT Show, visit www.LCTSHOW.com.

Over the past few weeks, I have taken you on trips through The Entire World (yep!), France, Germany and Czech Republic. This week we fly over to the Sultanate of Oman…

Now if sand, rocks, blue sky and very sugary candy are not your thing, I don’t believe you – but hey that’s fine because I have prepared 159 additional countries for you to visit in my blog, so don’t be shy and click away!

Oman consumers have decided: they will only buy one brand of cars…

…well almost.

168,789 new vehicles were registered in the Sultanate of Oman in 2011, that 61 per thousand inhabitants, compared to 41 in the USA.

For most of the year the Toyota Hilux was the best-selling model in the country, but a weak month of December due to Thai supply issues brought it down to #2 with 18,996 sales and 11.3 percent market share.

The massive Toyota Land Cruiser, an icon in the Persian Gulf region, finishes the year as the best-selling model in the Sultanate in 2011 with 19,444 units sold and 11.5 percent market share.

In third place we find a Toyota: the Land Cruiser Pick-up sells 13,896 units for a 8.2 percent market share

In 4th position is a… Toyota, the Prado at 6.3 percent,

The 5th best-selling model this year in Oman is a… Toyota, the Hiace at 3.8 percent. Did I mention Oman loves Toyota? No? That’s awkward because the #6 best-selling model is also a Toyota, the Corolla at 3.6 percent share…

… as well as the #7: the Camry at 2.9 percent.

Yes, you read it right! The 7 best-selling models in Oman in 2011 are all Toyotas! Talk about a love story…

But wait there are also non-Toyotas in the ranking: first of them is the Kia Cerato at #8 with 4,485 units and 2.7 percent but it is the Nissan Sunny (#9 at 2.3 percent) that reached the highest monthly ranking for a non-Toyota in Oman this year at #4 in December.

Notice also the Lexus LX at #13, bringing the Land Cruiser family’s market share in Oman to an insane 28 percent!

Oman 2011 Top 30

You can see the Oman 2011 Top 100 best-selling models Ranking here.

Now for the golden nugget so you can shine at posh dinners this year: Oman is one of four countries in the world with Bahrain, Qatar and possibly Somalia (my estimation on that last one) where the Toyota Land Cruiser is the best-selling model!

Over and out for this week!

Thanks for listening.

Matt Gasnier, based in Sydney, Australia, runs a blog named Best Selling Cars, dedicated to counting cars all over the world.

With Audi offering an A4L in China, BMW naturally has to get in on the act. Now that a new, locally made 3-Series is debuting, BMW will offer a 335Li for customers who want to be driven, rather than drive the…erm…Ultimate Driving Machine.

The car will be made in collaboration with local joint venture partner Brilliance. The 335i was apparently an import in previous generation, but the 335i will be made locally. While the A4L starts at RMB272,800 (about $43,000 USD), pricing for an E90 3-Series (not the F30 pictured above) starts at RMB299,800 ($47,000 USD) all the way up to RMB626,200 ($99,000) for an imported 335i. Expect the new F30 cars to start below RMB300,000.