Historically, the six-cylinder version of the Chevrolet Camaro has outsold eight-cylinder models by a margin of about 2-to-1. However, with the revival of the Camaro nameplate for the 2010 model year, General Motors is seeing far greater demand for V8 models.

Mazda hasn’t been a player in the subcompact market for more than a decade, but that hasn’t stopped enthusiasts from calling on the Japanese automaker to import its world market Mazda2 to North America. Now, just weeks ahead of its official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Mazda has released a teaser image of the car.

On the back of strong demand in Japan and China, Toyota posted a 5 percent global sales increase for the month of October, the Japanese automaker said on Wednesday. Despite recent competition from Volkswagen, Toyota remains the world’s largest automaker.

For 2010, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced a far more stringent standard for awarding its coveted Top Safety pick – and a number of the best-selling cars in America, like the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and the entire Toyota lineup, no longer qualify.

Following the recall of 1.1 million minivans last month for a faulty cruise control switch, Ford may be forced to recall another 205,000 vans due to a potentially faulty transmission. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration has opened an investigation involving 2004-05 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans.

Mercedes-Benz has purposely steered clear of the compact end of the market in the United States to preserve its up-scale image, but the German automaker will reportedly enter the premium compact segment in 2012 with at least one imported vehicle.

The Chevrolet Cruze has been on sale in other parts of the world for over a year now, but the eventual Cobalt replacement will finally make its United States debut at December’s Los Angeles Auto Show.

Chrysler’s decision of where to build a Fiat-designed 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine just got a little more complicated: The Michigan Economic Growth Authority voted in favor of giving Chrysler 10 years’ worth of employment tax credits if it decides to build the motors in Dundee, Michigan, rather than Saltillo, Mexico.

Expected to hit the market in late 2010 as a 2011 model, the redesigned Dodge Charger was previewed two weeks ago during Chrysler’s five-year product plan announcement. Based on the teaser image released by the automaker and information we’ve gleaned from insiders, our artist has put together two exclusive illustrations of the car.

Gas prices might be double what they were a few years ago, but that doesn’t seem to be putting much of a dent in pickup sales – even in the au courant surroundings of some of Amerca’s snazziest cities. The GMC Sierra Hybrid fits squarely into the genre as a mildly more eco-friendly hauler.

Hyundai has officially unveiled its first ever gasoline direct-injection engine. Hyundai launched the all-new engine earlier on Tuesday at the Ninth Annual Hyundai-Kia International Powertrain Conference.

General Motors will reduce the number of workers in its downtown Detroit Renaissance Center headquarters, although the automaker says that it will maintain a major presence at the iconic building on the city’s riverfront.

The 2010 Saab 9-5 promises to be one of the best vehicles to roll out of Trollhättan, but the all-new sedan is putting the squeeze on Saab’s current lineup. With Saab retooling for the production start of the 9-5, production of Saab’s current models has slowed to a trickle.

Although General Motors has yet to complete the sale of its Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Ltd. – the deal is expected to be finalized by December 1 — the Chinese truck maker is already planning at least two smaller models for the iconic off-road brand.

Ford Motor Company’s stock closed at a two year high yesterday, to $8.71 on the New York Stock Exchange, helped in part by a major $7.34 million investment from guru George Soros’ Soros Fund Management LLC.

Chrysler will dip directly into Fiat’s European product lineup by importing the quirky, yet highly utilitarian, Fiat Doblo van. Set to rival the recently-introduced Ford Transit Connect, which essentially recreated the small commercial van market in the United States, the Fiat will be sold under the Ram brand name.

Vehicle sales in the United States have struggled to maintain an annualized sales rate above 10 million units for the past several months, but a new study indicates U.S. sales could spike to pre-crash levels in just four years.

The terms ‘wagon’ and ‘performance’ haven’t been used to describe many American vehicles over the years – save for the short-lived Dodge Magnum – but General Motors will breathe new life into the sporty wagon segment with a V-performance version of its Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon.

BMW has revealed it will delay the United States launch of its next-generation X3 SUV. The all-new X3 was expected to hit the market in late 2010 as a 2011 model, but the revised SUV won’t surface in BMW showrooms until early 2011.

The federal government has pumped nearly $15 billion into Chrysler over the past few months to keep the automaker’s head above water, but Senator John McCain doesn’t expect the Michigan automaker to survive beyond the next few years.