Volkswagen has confirmed that the company’s new compact sedan will retain the Jetta badge. Until now it has been known only as NCS (New Compact sedan) and is part of a two-pronged attack that Volkswagen will be making on the U.S. market (and on Toyota). Volkswagen plans to increase almost four-fold, growing its sales from 220,000 to roughly 800,000 units by 2018.

A new version of the Jetta will also be offered but only in GLI trim, once the new version of the traditional Jetta debuts. The new Jetta will arrive in June of 2010.

The second part of VW’s plan involves the NMS (New Mid-Size Sedan), which will debut at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. It will be larger, less-premium than the company’s current mid-sized sedan (the Passat). It will also be less expensive as both it and the new Jetta will be manufactured at VW’s new Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant. Despite previous reports to the contrary, VW has not yet confirmed if it will then eliminate the current Passat from the North American market. In all likelihood, the Passat isn’t likely to survive.

According to a report in Car & Driver, Volkswagen continues to be indecisive on the future of the Polo for the U.S., despite the recent introduction of the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2. VW North America boss Stefan Jacoby did, however, tell C&D that the return of the Phaeton is likely for 2014 (something that has already been reported). He also dropped an important bit of new info - the German automaker is looking to show a new notchback coupe concept in the near future with a series production version in mind. Could this be a competitor to the Toyota FT-86?

[Source: Car&Driver]

Aston Martin has just announced that its new four-door model, the Rapide, is officially on sale with pricing starting at $199,950 ($215,000 CAD). The cost for the four-seater is vastly higher than segment rivals the Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Panamera. The Quattroporte starts at $119,750 and tops out at 133,700, while the 500-hp Panamera ranges in price from $89,900 to $132,600. Plus, the Rapide will be offered with plenty of exclusive upgrades.

Under the hood of the Rapide is a powerful 5.9-liter V12 engine that makes 470-hp at 6000 rpm with 443 ft-lbs of torque at 5000 rpm. The Rapide will be offered exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission.

As for the design of the car, it’s all Aston up front and even the rear maintains Aston’s signature subtle duck-tail spoiler, which is integrated into the rear hatch. And of course, all four doors flip slightly upward, just like the rest of the Aston fleet. The cabin of the car seats four with 10.6 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats or 26.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

Unlike all past Astons, the Rapide will not be manufactured in Great Britain, but in Graz, Austria.

GALLERY: Aston Martin Rapide

Official release after the jump:

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Baring a miracle, Honda will pass Chrysler to become the fourth largest automaker by sales in the United States for 2009. Due mostly to Chrysler’s dramatic month over month sales decreases, Honda has managed to pull ahead of the American automaker with a healthy lead of roughly 200,000 units. As as no automaker managed to sell more than 200,000 vehicles in the month of November, the likelihood of Chrysler making up the difference during the last month of the year is essentially impossible.

Once in the top three, Chrysler has been slowly pushed out of the top ranks as Toyota surged ahead to take the top place, now followed by General Motors and an increasingly strong Ford Motor Company.

Honda also looks to grow its share of the market with new vehicles like the Accord Crosstour (pictured above) and the upcoming CR-Z.

Fifth place might not be the bottom for Chrysler either as it was the only major automaker to suffer a sales decline in the month of November – a rather serious decline too, at 18.5 percent. If Chrysler’s slide continues, Nissan is close to catching up, with the Japanese automaker selling just under 50,000 units in November as compared to Chrysler’s 65,000 units.

Kathy Graham, a representative for Chrysler, told Automotive News that the company is, “taking the steps that are necessary to have a good foundation and to build consumer confidence,” commenting that along with increased advertising spending in the coming months it intends to reverse the downward trend.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

Lexus continues to probe the U.S. market to see if it is ready and willing to accept a premium hatchback model. At the LA Auto Show, Toyota’s luxury division is displaying the LF-Ch hybrid hatchback concept that the company first introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Lexus has confirmed the model will inspire a production model but company representatives initially insisted it would only be offered in Europe. Now execs in the U.S. are openly commenting that if there is interest, the car could see dealerships by as early as 2012. Lexus has already confirmed that the car will see production in Europe in 2011.

While the LF-Ch concept is a hybrid, recent reports suggest the production model might not be. However, Lexus has applied for a patent on the name CT200h – which certainly sounds like a hybrid to us.

In production form the LF-Ch would compete against vehicles like the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and Volvo C30.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-Ch Debut in LA

Volvo’s entire product lineup is in a state of change as the Swedish automaker works to update models with new curvy designs inspired by the brand’s revolutionary XC60 luxury crossover. The latest two models to receive the stylistic upgrade are the C70 convertible and C30 hatchback.

The C30 gets a new front end with a new bumper, grille and headlights. There’s also a new rear end using colored panels, as opposed to black plastic ones, while on T5 models large 90mm exhaust tips will be included. A new Orange Flame Metallic paint job (shown here) will also be offered, as will white wheels. In addition a sport chassis will be offered with stiffer bushings, a tighter steering ratio (by 10 percent) and springs that are 30 percent stiffer as well.

As for the C70, it gets a similar redesign and will now be offered in a new Flamenco Red Pearl paint (shown here). Out back, the C70 now also gets LED tail lights. Inside, a slight dash redesign helps keep things modern and luxurious.

Along with updating the rest of its product lineup over the next few years Volvo has said it will introduce diesel engines as well as diesel-hybrids to North America in an effort to meet the new 2016 CAFE standard of 35.5 mpg. Volvo has already announced a plug-in hybrid vehicle will arrive in Europe in 2012 and we’re likely to see diesel-powered models (which are big sellers for Volvo in Europe) soon. In Europe Volvo now offers its new C30 1.6D DRIVe diesel model, which gets an incredible 74.3 mpg.

GALLERY: 2010 Volvo C30

GALLERY: 2010 Volvo V70

There was no pomp and circumstance surrounding the unveiling of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition at the LA Auto Show. In fact, the car didn’t even get an unveiling. We thought it would be best to snap a few pics of it, however, as when Volkswagen announced the car a few weeks back they only release one photo. (So be sure to take a look through the gallery below).

The Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition takes its name from VW’s Jetta TDI Cup racing series, which has been visiting major racing venues around the United States and Canada since 2008.

Sold as a “TDI Cup Edition Kit” the package includes a full four-piece aero kit as well as sway bars, a sport suspension (the same found on the Jetta GLI) and larger brakes with red painted calipers. (Sadly, these are not the R8 calipers the race cars get). Additional features include 18-inch Charleston wheels with performance all-season tires, sport seats with Interlagos cloth, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls and paddle shifters (with the DSG).

Under the hood there’s a familiar 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine with 140-hp and 236 ft-lbs of torque. The package will be available on cars with either the six-speed manual or six-speed DSG automatic transmission.

The Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition will be available starting in January with an estimated price of $25,000. The car also qualifies for a $1,300 Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle Federal Income Tax Credit.

GALLERY: Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition

The seconds of two production hybrids to get their North American debut at the LA Auto Show, the X6 ActiveHybrid joins the ActiveHybrid 7 in using the new green technology to make ridiculous amounts of power with modest (very modest) improvements in fuel consumption. In fact, BMW’s engineers have chosen to exploit hybrid technology to develop a vehicle that sits, performance wise, half way between the current twin-turbo V8 model and the new X6 M.

Using a 400hp twin-turbocharged V8 engine from the X6 and combining it with two electric motors, the X6 hybrid achieves a massive 480-hp and 575 ft-lbs of torque, enabling it to hit 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds. By comparison the X6 M makes just 500 ft-lbs of torque. It, however, can hit 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds.

As a two-mode hybrid system, the X6 ActiveHybrid will be able to travel on pure electric power up to a speed of 37 mph. Unfortunately it can’t drive on electric power long, just 1.6 miles at speeds up to 37mph, before the gasoline engine kicks in.

Interestingly the X6 ActiveHybrid makes use of a 7-speed automatic transmission that can be shifted by the driver. BMW says the tranny is “based on” a CVT transmission and works in two separate modes. There is one mode for around town where one electric motor operates and when the speed is increase or more power is called for the second electric motor kicks in an engages the gasoline engine. That second electric motor then powers the vehicle’s electric systems (power steering, radio, etc.).

When the hybrid crossover debuted in Frankfurt BMW claimed a fuel-economy rating of around 23.8 mpg (average) on the European cycle. The EPA’s numbers aren’t so impressive, at just 17/19 mpg (city/highway), which is only slightly better than the V8’s 13/18 mpg rating.

The X6 ActiveHybrid is priced from $89,775.

GALLERY: BMW X6 ActiveHybird Debut in LA

At the LA Auto Show, Swedish automaker Saab had on display for the first time on U.S. soil, its new 9-5 sedan, which was touted by many to be the struggling automaker’s savior. The only problem is, with Saab current instability, this baby might just be stillborn. Recently the leading candidate to buy Saab, Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg, pulled out of the deal, putting not just the car’s future, but the entire automaker’s future in jeopardy.

GM has announced, however, that it will continue to look for a new buyer for the brand.

As for the car, well, it will be offered with five different engines in total, although few of them are likely to make it to the U.S.  All five engines are turbocharged and relatively small, meaning fuel-economy should be quite good. Also helping in the fuel-economy department is the fact that all five engines will be paired with six-speed transmissions.

When the car first goes on sale in Europe three of the five engines will be available: a 160hp 2.0-liter turbo diesel, a 220hp 2.0-liter gasoline engine and a range-topping 300hp turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 – the same engine found in the Cadillac SRX. Both front-drive and AWD models will be avaialble.

Later on, Saab will also offer a 180hp 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine as well as an E85-capable 2.0-liter motor.

The car’s proportions are somewhat awkward, but the interior is definitely luxurious and original.

Notable features on the new 9-5 include a heads-up display driver information system, adaptive lighting, adaptive cruise control, Saab DriveSense adaptive suspension, keyless entry and starting, tri-zone air conditioning, dynamic parking assistance and the option of AWD with Saab’s impressive eLSD system.

Saab has yet to set pricing and while a specific on-sale date has not been set, the car will be release some time in 2010.

GALLERY: 2011 Saab 9-5 Debut in LA

First shown in concept format the New York Auto Show earlier this year, Mitsubishi has just officially debuted the new 2010 Outlander GT compact crossover at the LA Auto Show.

Most noticeable is the EVO-styled front grille, however, there are several other minor changes to update the Outlander to GT status. For starters there’s a revised 3.5-liter V6 with 230-hp and 215 ft-lbs of torque mated to a new six-speed automatic tranmission also results in improved fuel economy numbers, but the big-for-its-class Outlander still doesn’t get good results. At best Outlander models are rated at 21/27 mpg (city/highway) with the AWD V6 GT rated at just 18/24 mg.

What really sets the GT trim apart, however, is the addition of Mitsu’s Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) system to deliver improved performance. The system comes with three settings, including Tarmac, Snow and Lock, for AWD grip to suit each situation.

Other GT trim highlights include standard 18-inch wheels, Bi-Xenon headlights and a 710-watt audio system.

GALLERY: 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT

More 2010 Mistubishi Outlander GT details after the jump:

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With California being an important market for BMW’s MINI brand, the LA Auto Show would have been a perfect place for execs to spill a few more details on the planned production versions of the MINI Coupe and Roadster Concepts. Would have been…

Se we got yet another opportunity to look at the funky new designs, but still no word on official powerplants or what exactly makes these cars all that different from the Cooper models. Even the interiors are quite similar, although a clock for tracking lap times might hint that these will be even higher performance models than the Coopers.

Both concept cars are powered by the same John Cooper Works turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder as the current line of top-level MINIs, making 211hp and 192 ft-lbs of torque, with a bump to 206 ft-lbs possible thanks to an overboost function.

GALLERY: MINI Coupe, Roadster Concepts