A glimmer of hope for GM

There is a small bright spot in the news for GM. The troubled automaker's UK division, Vauxhall, knocked Ford off the top of the UK new-car sales list in February. That's quite an achievement considering Ford has recently begun selling its all new Focus in the UK, a perennial favorite that is also the top seller for the month. Despite losing the top spot, Vauxhall had four cars in the top 10, including the Astra,Corsa, Vectra, and Zafira. Interestingly, none of these cars are sold in the U.S. No surprise there.

Have we seen the last of the Allroad?

Automotive news is reporting that Audi is still undecided on whether to bring its latest generation of the Audi Allroad to the U.S. market. Very sad for those of us who have grown to love its "luxury with an attitude." Why the debate? Audi is on the verge of introducing its first and long awaited SUV, the Q7. With the euro strong as ever, Audi is probably fearful that a tall wagon, with better fuel efficiency and a cheaper price tag, will cut into Q7 sales. European markets might be the only place to enjoy the new Allroad and that's truly a shame.

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Oh, the possibilities . . .

The Independent's review of the Smart Forfour Brabus is one of the most encouraging reviews on the bland ForFour sub-compact I have read in a while. Just when the brand was beginning to look insignificant, they release an eco friendly 177hp mini M5. Brabus, a German tuner and car manufacturer specializing in Mercedes Benzes, has taken the ForFour and turned it into a devilish little motor car. Able to do 0-60 in under 7.0 seconds, the ForFour looks like a Smart car entering puberty. While Mercedes-Benz continues to deliberate over the fate of Smart and its role in America's automotive market, we hope the positive press the ForFour is getting will help Mercedes realize that there is a market for these cars in America. Especially when they are as capable as the Smart ForFour Barbus.

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