Toyota offered an official rebuttal to Professor David Gilbert’s claim of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles last week, but offered little in the way of actual evidence. However, Toyota has made its findings known, hosting a Webcast earlier on Monday.

German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a myriad of new safety features, and among them is an advanced application of airbag technology that is used to help slow vehicles in the event of an imminent frontal collision.

Lexus announced pricing today for its 100-unit limited edition IS 350C F-Sport Special Edition. Starting at $57,500, plus a $875 destination fee, the IS 350C F-Sport Special Edition will arrive in dealers later this month.

New reports based on a discussion by Audi’s CEO are suggesting that the world will see the return of the Audi A2. Audi has not offered a vehicle with the A2 nameplate since the last model was discontinued in 2005.

Mercedes-Benz hasn’t offered a true entry-level model in the United States since the C230 hatchback, but the German automaker is readying as many as three compact models to launch in the United States over the next few years.

With Saab now under the full control of Spyker, the Swedish car maker is rekindling thoughts of an entry-level premium model to take on the vehicles like the Volvo C30, Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series.

Although there are only a few months left in the 2010 model year for most manufacturers, you can’t really blame Saab for getting a late start. The brand that almost vanished into the history books is back with just one model range until the summer release of the 2011 9-5, although a new slushy road-oriented 9-3X finally joins the lineup.

The Chevrolet Corvette has held the title of “America’s sportscar” for more than six decades now, but General Motors is going global for the design of the next-generation two-seater. GM has requested Corvette design studies from 10 of its global design studios.

With Geely’s rumored February 8 deadline to acquire Volvo long a thing of the past, some questions have arisen about the Chinese automaker’s ability to make good on the deal it tentatively made with Ford. However, the company’s chairman, Li Shufu, reaffirmed that “everything is moving as planed.”

In Renault’s latest move to recruit top talent to its revitalized design department, General Motors designer Anthony Lo has reportedly accepted the post as VP of Exterior Design at the French automaker. Lo, whose best-known design is the Saab Aero X show car, will work under former Mazda designer Laurens van den Acker at Renault.

General Motors doesn’t have any corporate jets of its own following the 2008 bankruptcy restructuring, but that hasn’t stopped GM CEO Ed Whitacre from taking advantage of his AT&T retirement package that allows for limited air travel on AT&T’s own private jets. Given the fact that Whitacre calls San Antonio, Texas, his home, this perk has been particularly useful for the auto exec.

556 horsepower in a station wagon? For sale in the United States? From General Motors? Yes, it’s hard to believe — but soon it’ll be a reality, and we’ve got the pictures to prove it. This car has never been spied before, let alone shown without a shred of disguise — until now.

Earlier reports have suggested that new CAFE standards would force Subaru to fast track its plans for diesel and hybrid options and possibly drop standard all-wheel drive as well for the U.S. market. Now, inside sources are claiming that the first hybrid may in fact end up being an Impreza – not the Subaru Legacy hybrid that has been expected since it was announced in 2005.

Just days before taking the stand at a Congressional hearing involving Toyota’s recent safety problems, Professor David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University claimed to have recreated an electric malfunction in Toyota vehicles that resulted in unintended acceleration. While the claim blindsided Toyota at the time, the Japanese automaker has since conducted its own study of Gilbert’s work, offering a final rebuttal on Friday.

Only in China could a 45 percent sales increase be seen as a down month. Following a fantastic January that saw sales surge 84 percent to 1.22 million, China’s sales slipped to just 881,085 units in February. Although down 39 percent for January’s figures, that tally still represents a year-on-year sales increase of 45 percent.

Extending its global hybrid reach, Lexus has confirmed the CT 200h premium hybrid hatchback will be headed for a U.S. showroom near you. The CT 200h will stand as Lexus’ entry-level model in Europe and will do battle with the likes of the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 – and according to a breaking report, will also be coming to the U.S. for a simultaneous global launch.

As production nears for the upcoming 2011 Ford Explorer, news of plant upgrades and new jobs continues to flow. The latest positive news for the struggling job market comes as Lear Corp. said it will hire an additional 285 workers in order to help produce seats for the next Ford Explorer.

General Motors announced last year that it planned to shutter 1,350 of its U.S. dealerships, but a new reports indicates about a third of those dealerships will be saved via the company’s arbitration system.

Following this weeks’ substantial adjustment of personnel and personnel structure for North America, GM has now named Kevin Williams as the new president of General Motors Canada. The former president, Arturo Elias, moves to GM’s public policy center.

Following its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show, Audi has released the first video of its new RS5 in action. Breaking the mold of the sleek-yet-safe styling that Audi is known for, this latest Audi boasts an aggressive front fascia and an equally aggressive rear fascia and automated rear spoiler.