AutoWeek Daily Drive — Monday, December 6, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Monday, December 06, 2010                  The 2011 Hyundai Elantra is powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 148 hp.... 2011 Hyundai Elantra, an AW Flash Drive What is it? The Elantra could do for the compact segment what the Sonata did for the midsize segment: rattle the cages of the big-time stalwarts--the Toyota Corolla, the Honda Civic and the Ford Focus. While the 2010 Elantra sells at half the volume of the class leaders Corolla and Civic, the 2011 model could take incremental bites out of that lead as it enters showrooms starting now....   What Americans want, according to Fiat design boss Ramaciotti American cars are big; European cars are small. And it's always been that way. But that old distinction may be diminishing, says Fiat Group design boss Lorenzo Ramaciotti. In fact, he thinks that the size of U.S. and European vehicles eventually will converge as fuel economy standards become more...   End of an era for Dream Cruise landmark One of the local landmarks that adds an authentic feel to Detroit's Woodward Dream Cruise has closed. The Vinsetta Garage, an art deco repair shop that dates to 1919 and sits just feet from Woodward Avenue, was shuttered last week as the owner prepares for a new direction in life. Jack Marwil,...   Two new Hyundai transmissions boost mpg Hyundai will introduce dual-clutch and continuously variable transmissions to models for the United States as early as next year as it seeks to become a leader in fuel efficiency, a top executive says. This will be the first application of a dual-clutch transmission for Hyundai. The...   Nissan's next Sentra to look more like the Altima Nissan aims to double or even triple sales of its next-generation Sentra by offering a car with styling more in line with the mid-sized Altima. "We miss the heart of the market right now," said Al Castignetti, Nissan Division vice president of sales. "A lot of people reject the Sentra because...   Chrysler pushes Saturday service and sees Sunday as the next frontier Chrysler Group's Mopar parts and service division is ratcheting up efforts to get more dealers to open service departments on Saturday. Starting in January, Mopar will open all of its 20 North American parts distribution centers on Saturdays. In April, Mopar launched Saturday hours for its help ... You May Have Missed...   Maserati drivers Bertolini, Bartels claim inaugural FIA GT1 title Vitaphone Maserati drivers Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels won the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship title with a race to spare at the series finale in Argentina on Sunday. Bertolini and Bartels finished outside the points in 12th position in the qualifying race at the Potrero de los Funes...   Detroit auto show: Porsche concept to debut Porsche is planning to reveal a new concept car in its return to the Detroit auto show next month.Secrecy surrounds the concept, but AutoWeek sources suggest Porsche will signal its intention to produce a new halo supercar based on the same underpinnings as its early 918 Spyder, which was recently...   Honda Element Farewell: Alas, we embraced you and now you're leaving us When Honda announced that it would discontinue its boxy Element following the 2011 model year, it struck me in ways I'd not imagined.Ultimately, it was a sense of loss that had been preceded by curiosity, puzzlement, resentment and anger, much in that order.As a business decision, I was curious and ...   Camaro poised to claim pony-car sales title over the Mustang for first time since ’85 With just weeks left in the year, Chevrolet’s hot-selling Camaro looks like a lock to win the pony-car sales title in 2010, topping the Ford Mustang for the first time in 25 years.So far this year--Camaro’s first full sales year since production ended after the 2002 model year--Chevy...   Formula One: Australian Grand Prix safe for 2011 The long-running dispute over the administration of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix has finally been resolved. The race promoter, Australian Grand Prix Corp., has reached agreement over its deal with the national motorsport body, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, which has... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. IMPORTANT: Please add AutoWeek.com to your E-mail Address Book to ensure you will continue to receive our newsletters. Please DO NOT reply to this e-mail. You will not receive a reply if you use this e-mail address. Crain Communications, 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207.