AutoWeek Daily Drive — Wednesday, January 5, 2011

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Wednesday, January 05, 2011                  The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Cadillac CTS-V coupe are the AutoWeek Best of the Best.... AutoWeek Best of the Best 2011: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, Jeep Grand Cherokee Several decades have passed since we handed out an award whereby AutoWeek editors picked the best new vehicles in a given model year. We've dabbled in things such as "America's Best," when we've asked you--our faithful, opinionated and knowledgeable followers--to vote on the best vehicle in certain categories. We drive hundreds of vehicles each year (including all of the newest...   Ferrari is set to stun Geneva motor show with shooting brake concept Ferrari will be bringing something unconventional and perhaps a bit extreme to the Geneva motor show in March: a shooting brake. The concept, which Maranello insiders say looks strange even to them, will be based on the aging 612 Scaglietti coupe. While Ferrari is officially mum, sources have...   2011 Kia Sportage EX, an AW Drivers Log EDITOR WES RAYNAL: A wonky seat heater is not what I want when it's 20 degrees outside. I couldn't get it to stay on last night, and I couldn't get it to turn off this morning. Disappointing. Other than that, I basically feel like I did when I drove one of these a month ago: I like it for ...   OnStar units to be sold separately from vehicles Not sure what to do with those extra Best Buy gift cards left over from the holidays? Consider picking up OnStar as a stocking stuffer for next year. General Motors will sell its safety and communications technology in mirror units available at Best Buy starting in the spring. They will cost ...   OnStar and Verizon reveal camera-laden Buick OnStar and Verizon are debuting a prototype Buick LaCrosse at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that offers a range of futuristic technologies. The spy-tech features include cameras that monitor activity around the car which can be viewed from a smartphone and a computer, and an impact-...   ALMS: CytoSport switches from Porsche to Aston Martin The team that won two American Le Mans Series races with a Porsche RS Spyder prototype in 2010 will switch to an Aston Martin Racing LMP1 coupe for the coming season. Pickett Sport, which raced last year as Team CytoSport, will run one of the Lola-based AMR coupes that have raced in the 24... You May Have Missed...   Is Firestone leaving IndyCar competition? Apparently not all of the Izod IndyCar Series news in this off-season will be good.On the heels of several December announcements--Chip Ganassi's team expansion, Graham Rahal's hiring and Tony Kanaan's move to De Ferran Dragon Racing--comes news that Firestone might not return to the series....   Detroit auto show: Hyundai Veloster teased Hyundai is working to boost interest in the Veloster ahead of its debut at the Detroit auto show next week. Teased and hinted at since it debuted in concept guise in 2007, the sleek hatch was previewed on Tuesday in a shadowy shot that depicts a bit of the interior and an outline of the car. The...   Cadillac SRX loses its turbo, an AW daily video for Jan. 4 Ford and Toyota go to Las Vegas for debuts at the Consumer Electronics Show, and American Le Mans Series fans can watch races live on the Internet and Xbox....   NASCAR interview: Carl Edwards on 2010 Roush Fenway Racing star Carl Edwards fell short of winning either of NASCAR's major championships in 2010, but he is one of the sport's most outspoken drivers. He spoke with AutoWeek about several hot tops in stock-car racing.AutoWeek: Let's start with the Race of Champions, which you've...   Dakar Rally: Al-Attiyah wins stage 3, Sainz holds overall lead Volkswagen Motorsports driver Nasser Al-Attiyah won the third stage of the 2011 Dakar Rally in Argentina on Tuesday, but teammate Carlos Sainz continues to hold the overall lead.Al-Attiyah was third overall in the standings at the start of Tuesday's stage, and is 3 minutes, 34 seconds behind...   Mercury rolls into history with build of final Grand Marquis The last Mercury--a Grand Marquis--rolled off the production line Tuesday at Ford Motor Co.'s assembly plant in St. Thomas, Ontario, marking the official end of another Detroit brand.The sedan will be shipped as part of a fleet order, Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans said. Ford is eliminating Mercury...   Automakers rack up solid gains to finish 2010 Fueled by holiday and year-end discounts, as well as the introduction of new models, automakers finished 2010 on a high note by posting the year's best monthly sales in December.U.S. light vehicle demand climbed 11 percent last month to 1.1 million units--the best month of the year on a unit basis. ...   WRC: Mini-powered Brazil World Rally Team signs Oliveira Brazilian rally driver Daniel Oliveira has signed with the new Brazil World Rally Team, WRC.com reported on Tuesday.Portugal's Carlos Magalhaes also joined the team as Oliveira's co-driver. The duo first teamed up in October during a rally in Scotland. The Brazil World Rally Team will be run by...   Grand-Am: Ganassi Racing sets driver lineup for Rolex 24 at Daytona Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates on Tuesday named its two-car driver lineup for the Grand-Am 2011 season opener, the Rolex 24 at Daytona.The No. 01 Target/Telmex Riley-BMW prototype will be driven by defending series champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, along with Joey Hand and Izod IndyCar ... 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.