There`s an understanding in business that selling a lot means selling cheap. Unless you have a monopoly on the water supply, sales numbers don`t hit astronomical heights without stepping into volume pricing territory. Toyota spent the last decade worshiping that philosophy and consequently kept the Camry on top.

Given the Japanese automaker’s decade of domination, it is easy to assume that Ford will be gunning to take that position with their new Fusion sedan. After all, it’s sporting a sexy new look that’s eye-catching to say the least and before Toyota got hold of the spotlight, the Ford Taurus actually held that title between 1992 and 1996.

Despite the rivalry-ridden history, it seems Ford prefers to improve their product and walk a slightly different line by maintaining a balance that focuses a hair more on quality than volume. In fact, research by IHS Automotive suggests that the company doesn’t even have the capacity to outproduce Toyota.

It wasn’t so long ago that the Ford name brought snide remarks like “found on road dead” or “fix or repair daily” to mind. Well, we have yet to drive the 2013 Fusion, but based on what we saw at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month, it’s shaping up to be a real contender.

So much so, that Ford is actually looking at increasing their production capacity. In fact interest in the car on Edmunds.com jumped 49 percent after the reveal.

Toyota will be hot on Ford’s heels, though, having recovered from the damage their production suffered after last year’s tsunami. When all is said and done, Ford will have the capacity to build 400,000 Fusions per year and Toyota will be capable of producing 500,000 Camrys. Last year the Camry took the top spot by selling just over 308,000, where the Fusion moved just over 248,000 units. Neither company is expected to maximize their capacity in the coming year.

GALLERY: 2013 Ford Fusion

[Source: Automotive News]

Despite having faced criticism by hard hitting publications in recent years, Toyota appears to have redeemed itself somewhat with Consumer Reports, at least as far as the 2012 Camry is concerned.

The latest version of Toyota’s best selling mid-size car, which went on sale back in October, was evaluated by CR for it’s February 2012 issue where it drew favorable comments.

Among them was,”the [2012] Camry has a nicer interior, more responsive handling, and better fuel economy than before,” while in another paragraph the magazine remarked that in terms of fuel mileage, “the [Camry] four-cylinder model’s 27 mpg overall ties with the Hyundai Sonata for the best fuel economy among conventional gasoline-powered family sedans.”

The news is no doubt welcomed by Toyota, for since 2007, Consumer Reports has been keeping a scrutinous eye on the automaker’s products following issues it discovered on the Toyota Tundra full-size pickup, the previous generation V6 powered Camry and Lexus GS luxury sedan.

Given that other media reviews of the 2012 Camry so far have tended to be favorable, along with modern America’s attraction to boring cars, there’s every indication that the latest model will help the nameplate retain its position as the best-selling car in the US.

Given that Toyota’s highly publicized recalls and more recent supplier problems caused by natural disasters in Asia  seem to have been largely rectified, it looks like 2012 could shape up to be a much better year for the Japanese automaker than the last three have been.

Read Autoguide’s 2012 Camry Review here.

It’s quite impressive when you think about it; VW’s China operations have grown to such an extent (sales of some 1.9 million cars annually) that the company now needs to add a 10th manufacturing facility in the country to keep up with demand.

Little is known about the new assembly facility at this time, only that it will be built in or close to Urumqi, the capital city of Xingjiang province (the largest metropolis in Western China) and will be tasked with assembling two mid-size sedan models for Chinese consumption.

VW currently has two joint venture partners in China, First Automobile Works (FAW) with which it’s had a deal for more than two decades and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC, shown above). Volkswagen didn’t make clear which partner would be involved with this venture.

Nonetheless, once the new factory is up and running, it should enable Volkswagen to boost vehicle sales to over 2 million cars annually in China.

[Source: Reuters]

We’ve been hearing a lot about the 2013 Chevy Malibu of late, now GM has given us a further update. This time it concerns pricing on the Eco model, which will start at $25,995.

Said price does include a $760 destination charge but not taxes, dealer fees, licensing and others usually required to actually get a car on the road.

Chevrolet says the ’13 Malibu Eco (which will be available in dealerships during the first quarter of next year), will deliver a projected 26 mpg in city driving and 38 on the open road.

That puts it within range of other mid-size Hybrid and diesel sedans, notably the Ford Fusion (36 mpg highway), Hyundai Sonata (40 mpg) and Toyota Camry (39 mpg) Hybrids, plus the VW Passat TDI (40 mpg), while providing a lower entry price point.

Besides the EcoAssist driveline (which includes an electric motor and lithium ion battery pack in addition to a 2.4-liter Ecotec four, standard six-speed automatic transmission, stop/start technology and regenerative braking), the Malibu Eco also sports 17-inch wheels and low rolling resistance tires and a number of weight saving measures, such as an aluminum hood and rear bumper beam, lightweight carpet and dash materials, which shave approximately 130 lbs of mass.

The Eco is actually the first of the 2013 Malibus to launch in the U.S., other trim levels, the LS, LT and LTZ will follow in the summer of 2012. It’s perhaps a smart move, bringing the specialty offering to market first and then following it up with the bread and butter models. Given that approach, many are curious to see how the much touted new Malibu will fare in the market. If it follows a similar path to the Cruze, then it’s likely the recently revamped Toyota Camry will face some serious competition in the months ahead.

GALLERY: 2013 Chevrolet Eco