Before the global economy started to circle the drain, it was natural for premium vehicle buyers to progress through the model hierarchy – that is to move from a vehicle like the BMW 3-Series to the larger and more luxurious 5-Series. However, the recent economic downturn has changed the way most American’s think, with vehicle downsizing becoming increasingly popular.

Road Atlanta would have been a most appropriate place to test out the freshly redesigned Volkswagen GTI. But the fact that this track, nestled in the rolling hills of Braselton, Georgia, is already booked for a little driving clinic called “Le Petit LeMans” makes such testing impossible. No matter, though, as the roads leading to the facility are almost as good as the track itself.

After a record third quarter spurred by government stimulus and a rebounding economy, China surged towards annualized sales surpassing 11 million vehicles. Should China continue at this pace as expected, it will unseat the American auto market as the world’s largest for the first time on an annualized basis. China displaced the U.S. market as the world’s largest car market on a monthly basis in January 2009.

Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen recently confirmed that a version of the Audi e-tron concept was heading to production, with more details on the program surfacing on Thursday. The all-electric e-tron concept debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

In honor of its 40th anniversary, Nissan has announced a special edition of the Fairlady Z — better known to us as the Nissan 370Z. Dubbed the Fairlady Z 40th Anniversary Edition, the limited edition model commemorates the car’s October 1969 market launch.

General Motors has sold about 150,000 vehicles since its 60-day money-back guarantee kicked off on September 14th, but GM marketing boss Bob Lutz says that only one customer has returned a vehicle during that time. The program is slated to run through November.

With the downtrodden global economy still taking its toll on top-tier vehicle sales, Lamborghini has announced a new finance program that should make it a little easier for the super wealthy to get behind the wheel of one of Sant’ Agata’s finest.

In sync with its 230mpg rating, General Motors announced on Wednesday that it will spend $230 million on four plants around the Flint, Michigan area to support production of the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in vehicle. The funds will also be used to help build the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, a platform mate of the Volt.

Following closely on the heels of its Hummer sale to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company, General Motors will reportedly announce the sale of its German Opel brand to Magna and its Russian partner on Thursday.

With a significant update in store for the Ford Edge, Lincoln designers are also working on a revised version of the MKX crossover — a sister vehicle to the Edge. Our spy photographer manged to snag a few pictures of the updated MKX earlier this morning. The updated MKX is expected to bow as a 2011 model.

With the 2011 model year quickly approaching, our spy photographers have once again caught up with Ford’s updated Edge CUV. In addition to the standard model, Ford is also believed to be working on a Sport version of the Edge, complete with 22-inch wheels and a body kit.

Subaru may have its hands full with the development of a new entry-level coupe based on the Toyota FT-86, but that isn’t stopping the Japanese automaker from starting work on a new two-door performance car that could rival vehicles like the BMW M3.

General Motors hasn’t seen positive growth in the United States market for some time now, but the Detroit automaker expects to outpace the overall market growth in China next year. GM has seen strong growth in China this year and expects that trend to continue into 2010.

Toyota officially took the wraps off its Tokyo-bound FT-86 Concept earlier this month, but our spy photographers have just nabbed the first spy shots of the two-door at Germany’s Nurburgring. Clearly in the mule phase, the production version of the car is little more than a cobbled together unit at this point.

The UAW is planning to present changes to the existing four year labor agreement it has with Ford Motor Company to its National Ford Council delegates later today in Detroit. If the delegates agree to the changes then the agreement will be put to a member vote.

About 4.5 million vehicles have been added by Ford to an existing recall over a faulty cruise control switch. Of the 4.5 million vehicles recalled, Ford says that they only believe 1.1 million vehicles pose an actual safety risk with the other 3.4 million being recalled as a precaution.

Even though the brand is officially dead, General Motors is recalling 10,119 Pontiac Vibe hatchbacks over brake vacuum components that can freeze in very low ambient temperatures. The recall covers Vibes sold or currently registered in 19 northern states.

That youthful, playful and slightly rough around the edges Subaru we once knew has passed through its awkward puberty stage to become a fully grown up automaker. No longer cranking out the outlandish, like the Brat or Baja, Subaru has chosen to focus on the mainstream with its redesigned Legacy.

British high-performance car manufacturer Aston Martin has hired Michael van der Sande as its new chief commercial officer. Van der Sande previously served as head of Harley-Davidson’s European operations before taking over as Tesla’s senior vice president for marketing, a job he held for less than a year.

Rental car giant Dollar Thrifty says that it will cut the proportion of Chrysler products in its fleet from 76 percent to just 30 percent in an effort to cut costs and to diversify its fleet as a way of protect itself from any future challenges in the auto industry.