Ford's aging Crown Victoria is barely relevant to most consumers, but cabbies and police officers across the country will bemoan its demise once production ceases next fall. The Transit Connect van may satisfy the livery fleets, but to appease law enforcement officers, Ford crafted its new 2012 Police Interceptor.inline_mediumwraptextright27176507/features/news/1003_2012_ford_taurus_police_interceptor2012-ford-police-interceptor-in-action.jpgTrue

One year ago was the nadir. February 2009 was the low point last winter, when auto sales all but ground to a halt. So the fact that February 2010 sales are up versus last year is good, but it's not saying much. What's more encouraging is that the percent gain over one year ago was pretty healthy: 13%. That's much better than January's 6% increase over similarly sickly 2009 totals, and close to December's 15% gain over year-ago figures. But while December sales are always goosed by the year-end deal-a-thon, February's boost seems more organic. Particularly since it was achieved despite an ongoing publicity nightmare for Toyota and, for much of the country, several days of bad winter weather. The only real qualifier for February is that it did reflect increased fleet sales (up from a very low level last winter) - and the fact that the February's annualized sales rate of 10 million vehicles is still far off the 17 million of just a few years ago.inline_mediumwraptextright24626542/features/news/1003_2010_february_auto_sales0908_04_z+2010_ford_fusion_sport_aWD+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

GMC has always been about "Professional Grade" trucks, but the Denali trim level takes it up a notch or two -- it's the package for people who work hard but like to do it in style, too. Now, the folks in the big trucks will get their own pampering as GMC reveals the new 2011 GMC Sierra Denali Heavy Duty.inline_mediumwraptextright28350700/features/news/1003_2011_gmc_sierra_heavy_duty2011-GMC-sierra-denali-heavy-duty-front.jpgTrue

For the past decade the commercial van segment has been idle with the same stale vehicles: Ford E-series, Chevrolet Express, and Mercedes-Benz (formerly Dodge) Sprinter. So the addition of another player to the game with a whole new model is big news.inline_mediumwraptextright28357939/features/news/1003_2011_nissan_nv1003_01_z+2011_nissan_nV+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

A new seventh-generation (C7) Corvette is at least three years away. That means the current C6 Vette will have to soldier on for nine, possibly ten, full model years. To keep the old girl fresh, Chevy will continue coining limited-edition packages and model variations to juggle the storehouse of engines, transaxles, frames, bodystyles, and chassis components developed for the sixth generation.inline_mediumwraptextright28344964/features/news/1003_2011_chevrolet_corvette_z06_carbon_edition1003_01_z+2011_chevrolet_corvette_z06_carbon_edition+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

This August, Alfa Romeo will celebrate its centennial at Pebble Beach, where it is a featured marque at the Concours d'Elegance. Rumor has it that the Italians will cap off the festivities by unveiling the 4C, a compact, lightweight sports car concept. Says one insider from parent company Fiat's headquarters: "The 8C has been a very successful halo car. What we need next is a more affordable follow-up model that spreads the message over a wider customer base."inline_mediumwraptextright28091446/features/news/1004_alfa_romeos_centennial_anniversary1004_02_z+alfa_romeo_4c+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Tom Hoover, one of the original Ramchargers and the father of the second-generation Hemi V-8 engine, enjoyed his share of excitement during his 24 years as a Chrysler engineer, but a couple of incidents stand out. During the early days of electronic engine controls, Hoover had two brushes with runaway acceleration.inline_mediumwraptextright1957 Dodge Royal Lancer27037838/features/news/1003_sudden_acceleration_the_early_years1003_01_z+1957_dodge_royal_lancer+side_view.jpgTrue

It’s been nearly a decade since Dr. Ulrich Bez assumed the helm at Aston Martin, but instead of awarding its CEO a jewel-encrusted tie-tack, the folks at Gaydon crafted a better gift to celebrate his milestone: a special-edition DBS.inline_mediumwraptextright32469699/features/news/1003_2010_aston_martin_dbs_ub2010_special_edition1003_01_z+2010_aston_martin_dBS_uB-2010_special_edition+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

We thought owning a Rolls-Royce Ghost would be a privilege in itself, but if that’s not exclusive to you, renowned tuner Mansory may have just the solution.inline_mediumwraptextright28276762/features/news/1003_mansory_rolls_royce_ghostmansory-rolls-royce-ghost-front-three-quarters-passenger.jpgTrue

While we knew Porsche was planning a hybrid Porsche Cayenne for the Geneva show, news of a hybrid 911 admittedly caught us a little off guard. But the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car, which will join the Cayenne on Porsche's Geneva stand, is a far cry from your conventional hybrid.inline_mediumwraptextright28272889/green/news/1003_2011_porsche_911_gt3_r_hybrid1003_03_z+2011_porsche_911_gt3_r_hybrid+front_three_quarter_view.JPG.jpgTrue

Though Audi still believes hybrid vehicles are merely a stopover on the way to full-electrification, the company is somewhat reluctantly building several hybrid models that it hopes will lead the way to full-electric vehicles in the future. One of the first results of this plan is the upcoming Audi A8 Hybrid.inline_mediumwraptextright32453100/green/news/1003_audi_a8_hybridaudi-a8-hybrid-front-three-quarters-static-passenger.jpgTrue

Ladies and gentleman, brace yourself for the next generation of metro mobility, at least in the eyes of Swiss boutique automaker and tuner Rinspeed and its mad scientist, Frank Rinderknecht. As Rinderknecht's company does every year, it will use the hometown 2010 Geneva Motor Show to debut its newest concept vehicle called the UC? -- short for Urban Commuter? or You See? -- an electric-powered microcar that aims to combine individual and public transport.inline_mediumwraptextright28279987/green/news/1003_rinspeed_uc_conceptrinspeed-uc-driver-side.jpgTrue

The SR1 concept for the 2010 Geneva show is the latest in a string of hybrid show cars from Peugeot, but this roadster might just be the most attractive of the bunch.inline_mediumwraptextright28272142/green/news/1003_peugeot_sr1_conceptpeugeot-SR1-concept-front.jpgTrue

Switzerland's latest limited-volume production car made its world debut in Geneva (where else?), reviving a storied name that once adorned some of the world's most expensive cars. Striving not to break that tradition, the new car lists for 700,000 Euro ($949,300 by today's exchange rate). At first glance, that seems excessive, considering that it is largely based on the Audi R8 5.2, which tops out at 163,210 Euro ($221,300) in Germany.inline_mediumwraptextright28273573/features/news/1003_hispano_suiza_supercarhispano-suiza-side-view-passenger.jpgTrue

The Black Baron is back. After stupefying us at last year's Frankfurt show by stuffing an insanely powerful V-12 into a Mercedes-Benz E-class sedan (and dressing it like the Batmobile), German tuner Brabus announced they're offering the same prescription for the new E-class Coupe.inline_mediumwraptextright28279093/features/news/1003_2010_mercedes_benz_brabus_e_v12_coupe1003_02_z+2010_mercedes_benz_brabus_e_v12_coupe+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Hope you like that Lancer nose, because it's here to stay. It's already spread to the Outlander and the Europe-only Colt and now it's spread to the new Outlander Sport compact crossover that premiered today in Geneva as the European-spec ASX.inline_mediumwraptextright28263592/features/news/1003_2011_mitsubishi_asx2011-mitsubishi-asx-front-three-quarter-view.jpgTrue

The 2011 Volkswagen Amarok mid-sized pickup, officially revealed in December, made its first stop on the auto show circuit at an event put on by the Volkswagen Auto Group the night before the start of the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, a few months before the truck's European launch this summer.inline_mediumwraptextright28253068/features/news/1003_2011_volkswagen_amarok2011-volkswagen-amarok-front-three-quarter.jpgTrue

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn unveiled the company’s all-new Micra today at the 2010 Geneva motor show. Although the Micra itself will not be coming to America, it is built on an all-new global small-car platform known within Nissan as the V-platform.inline_mediumwraptextright27022049/features/news/1003_2011_nissan_micra2011-nissan-micra-side-view.jpgTrue

If you were wondering whether Porsche's premiere 911 Turbo S model was going to make a return in 997 guise, you can now sleep easy. Porsche has announced that it will bring back its popular 'Turbo S' variant for the 2010 911 range and the car will make its debut at the Geneva motor show.inline_mediumwraptextright32466378/features/news/1003_2010_porsche_911_turbo_s2011-porsche-911-turbo-s-side.jpgTrue

Nearly two years after appearing at the 2008 Geneva auto show in concept form, Opel has recently revealed its second generation Meriva. Called a "small, affordable monocab" by the GM's European arm, the Meriva boasts what Opel calls "FlexDoors," more commonly known here in the U.S. as rear-hinged suicide doors. They open 84 degrees, providing more room for passengers when entering and exiting. A standard B-pillar maintains chassis rigidity and side-impact safety.inline_mediumwraptextright27013808/features/news/1003_2010_opel_meriva2010-opel-meriva-side.jpgTrue

The I.D.E.A. institute is coming to Geneva again this year, and this time they're bringing a four-door, four-seat hybrid concept sure to encourage comparisons to the Fisker Karma.inline_mediumwraptextright28271932/green/news/1003_2010_idea_institute_sofia_hybrid_conceptidea-institute-sofia-rear-three-quarter.jpgTrue

The Aston Martin Cygnet, a tiny four-seat city car based on the Toyota iQ that's making its public debut at the 2010 Geneva show, is said by Aston to encompass the creativity and prestige of the luxury brand while exhibiting an environmentally conscious approach.inline_mediumwraptextright28273897/features/news/1003_aston_martin_cygnet1003_02_z+aston_martin_cygnet+front_three_quarter_view.JPG.jpgTrue

We first laid eyes on Ford's Focus-based C-Max multi-activity vehicle as a concept at Frankfurt, and it now makes its production debut at the Geneva motor show.inline_mediumwraptextright32469234/features/news/1003_2012_ford_cmax2012-ford-c-max-front-three-quarter-driver.jpgTrue

It's hard to believe, but Lotus' pint-sized sports car has soldiered on with only minor changes for the last 10 years. For 2011, more small changes are on the way to give the Elise a fresher look for the new decade.inline_mediumwraptextright32458719/features/news/1003_2011_lotus_elise2011-lotus-elise-front.jpgTrue

Ferrari's HY-KERS concept, shown at the 2010 Geneva auto show, is a bit tough to swallow. The world's most iconic sports car marque, known for screaming V-8s and V-12s, is playing around with the gas-electric technology epitomized by the Toyota Prius. Yet it gets even more dramatic than a hybrid concept. Eventually - maybe ten years from now - all Ferrari's will be saddled with batteries and an electric motor. Hybridization or electrification of the Prancing Horse lineup is inevitable.inline_mediumwraptextright28251037/green/news/1002_2010_ferrari_599_hy_kers_hybrid_concept1003_01_z+2010_ferrari_599_hY-KERS_hybrid_concept+top_view.jpgTrue