Ford’s "completely re-invented" Ford Explorer, scheduled to debut in late 2010, will be the first unibody Explorer in its 20-year history, and for the first time, will offer an optional turbocharged four cylinder engine, reports contributor Peter Bleakney.

The 2011 Shelby GT500’s supercharged 5.4-litre V8 gets a modest 10 horsepower increase, but more importantly its new aluminum block cuts the motor's weight by a significant 46 kg (102 lbs), says Contributing Editor, Chris Chase, "improving the car's handling abilities."

On sale later this year, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is "going to shake up a compact segment that’s generally been the domain of the imports," says Assistant Editor Jil McIntosh. "It’s a mini-Malibu," she says, "and that’s a good thing."

Porsche's redesigned 2011 Cayenne lineup includes a new hybrid model, "demonstrating that high performance and efficiency need not be mutually exclusive," says Managing Editor, Grant Yoxon. The Cayenne S and Turbo arrive in July, the V6 and S Hybrid in the fall.

Unveiled at the Detroit auto show on Monday, the production version of the sporty Honda CR-Z hybrid hatchback is the spiritual successor to the first Insight hybrid, and the original CRX hatchbacks, says contributor Brian Early. The two-seater hybrid goes on sale here in late summer.

The 5.0-litre Mustang is back! The 2011 Mustang GT gets an all-new 5.0-litre V8 engine that makes 412 horsepower, but uses less fuel than the outgoing 4.6-litre V8, thanks to direct fuel injection. Senior Editor, Paul Williams, travelled to Ford's headquarters in Michigan for a preview of the new powerplant.

Revealed to the press earlier this month, the redesigned Infiniti M56 will offer a new 420-horsepower 5.6-litre V8 while the M37 includes a 330-horsepower 3.7-litre V6. They’re scheduled to go on sale in late March 2010.

The North American version of the Mazda2 was revealed at the recent Los Angeles auto show, but curiously, journalists weren’t allowed to look inside or under the hood. Contributor Gerry Frechette was there to glean what facts he could.

Nobody really expected a 560-horsepower aluminum and carbon-fibre reinforced V10 supercar from Lexus, says Brian Early. “Angular and angry-looking, the LFA easily represents as big a leap for Lexus as Acura’s 1990 NSX did for that automaker,” he reports.