GREEN: 2010 Lexus RX450h

The RX is the best-selling Lexus, and one in five sold is the hybrid version. It's no surprise, then, that with the new third-generation RX - the second to have a hybrid powertrain - Lexus is treading very carefully.

The design is a careful evolution, both inside and out. The car is slightly longer and wider but manages to look sleeker than before. The interior retains the traditional Lexus virtues of comfort (on even bigger, cushier seats) and refinement (with available semi-aniline leather for a still more luxurious feel). Lexus has joined the Germans by adopting an iDrive-style controller instead of a touch screen for its optional navigation system. But rather than a knob you twist and push, the Lexus control (called Remote Touch) works more like a joystick that you move from side to side or forward and back, and then make a selection by pressing buttons on the side of the unit. It takes some getting used to.

Other new options don't require a learning curve, such as the head-up display and the curb-view camera; the latter is located in the right-side mirror, and at low speeds it shows an image of what's alongside the car. The hybrid model supplements its previous ECO indicator, which lights up when you're driving efficiently, with a selectable ECO mode, which changes the responsiveness of the throttle and instructs the climate control to use the A/C compressor more judiciously. There's also an EV mode, which extends the threshold before the engine starts, up to a still-modest 8 to 10 mph.

The changes aren't dramatic, but Lexus has given its cushy suburban hybrid a slightly greener tinge. Lexus engineers identify four elements that underpin the brand's hybrids: performance, quiet refinement, low emissions, and fuel economy. In this redesign, the latter received the most emphasis.

2009 Alfa Romeo MiTo

The MiTo is a brand-new, two-door hatchback minicar (only 4.06 meters, or 13.3 feet, long) that Alfa Romeo is aiming at young people in an attempt to reconnect the brand to a new generation of buyers. Alfa hopes that the MiTo's evocative Italian styling, its full range of electronic equipment, and its economical but sporty powertrains will set the car apart from the crowded minicar field in Europe and other major world markets where Alfa Romeos are sold. As the first new Alfa Romeo designed and built after the 8C Competizione (a limited-edition supercoupe of which only a few examples will trickle into the United States), the MiTo is a good look at where Alfa Romeo is heading in terms of future products. It is also a car that, in some future iteration, could herald the brand's return to the United States, although Alfa officials continue to be cagey about that matter, as they have been for years. However, Alfa's parent company, Fiat, just announced that it is entering into an agreement with BMW wherein the German company might help market and sell cars for Alfa in the United States. Under such a scenario, the next-generation MiTo could come here.

And as for the name, MiTo? It represents the historic connection between the city where Alfa Romeo was founded, Milan, and the city where Alfas have been designed and manufactured for decades, Torino (Turin).

MiTo styling: very Italian, very modern, but with a definite nod to the past.

he MiTo oozes Italian style and has a prominent shield grille that is instantly identifiable to any Alfa Romeo fan. During our test drive into the Lakes Region north of Milan, our bright red MiTo turned lots of Italian heads. Alfa designers like to point out the MiTo's styling similarities to the 8C, such as the side window profile and the three-lobed motif of the grille, the front bumper, the headlights, and the LED taillights. The MiTo makes the rest of Alfa's mainstream lineup - handsome, well-admired cars all - look a bit staid. But one wonders if the MiTo is overstyled. MiTo buyers can customize their cars endlessly, choosing among ten shades of paint, fourteen finishes for the headlight and taillight surrounds (shiny or satin chrome, opaque black and titanium gray, plus the ten body shades), and five styles of sixteen-inch to eighteen-inch wheels. Two versions of red paint are available: the traditional nonmetallic Alfa Red and a lighter Giulietta red, yet another reminder of Alfa Romeo's past.

MiTo cabin: This is no econocar interior.

ike its exterior, the MiTo's interior is a repository of modern Italian style as expressed through a bewildering array of possible color and trim combinations. Two trim packages, Progression and Distinctive, are offered, and those two styling themes also can be modified with available Sport and Premium packages. The Progression specification provides what Alfa calls a "Sprint" instrument panel finished either in black or red, while the Distinctive trim, which our test car was outfitted with, comes with a "Competizione" fabric with a faux-carbon-fiber weave. It is expertly fitted over the main instrument binnacle surround, around the circular center vents, the dash, and the door inserts. Aluminum, quality black plastics, and high-quality black leather complete the interior trim. Seating comfort in front is excellent, with good lateral support, and the rear seats have surprisingly generous foot-, hip-, and headroom. Seats for four are standard, but a middle seat in the rear, as on our test car, is optional. All seating positions have adjustable head restraints.

The MiTo keeps you connected.

he MiTo offers every conceivable electronic device that the car's young target audience might desire. Blue&Me is an optional telematics system similar to Ford's Sync; like that system, it was developed in conjunction with Microsoft and allows easy use of the BlueTooth and text-messaging capabilities of mobile phones, MP3 players, and the like. Blue&Me Map is a portable navigation system that mounts into a bracket on top of the dash; you can easily pop off the entire unit and carry it with you when you leave the car. If you've ever tried to navigate the narrow, confusingly laid-out streets of an old European city center by foot, you'll understand just how useful the portable nav system could be if you're a 22-year-old trying to find Rome's hottest new nightclub.

Going compact, green and fuel efficient

It seems that an awareness of global warming and the degradation in the quality of the environment have inspired carmakers in manufacturing their cars and encouraged them to make a green automotive innovation. Ideally, the presence of new cars will no longer worsen pollution, particularly air pollution.

Next is a common problem in cities. High mobility forces people to own private cars to support their activities. As a result, motorized vehicles have become very great in number and traffic jams can be found everywhere. In fact, this situation can be addressed by safe and adequate public transportation.

Another factor that has prompted the manufacturing of ideal automobiles is the increasing price of crude oil. It is undeniable that an increase in the price of crude oil is unavoidable. Oil resources are limited while the demand continues to soar.

The three factors above have forced carmakers to rack their brains to produce a car of a compact size that is both fuel-efficient and green. A compact size is needed to ensure that the roads can accommodate more cars with ease. A small-sized body also means high mobility as it allows the car to move between larger automobiles. Another advantage of owning a compact car is that it will be easy for you to find a parking space.

The engine used for this compact car is not large, ranging between 900 and 1500 cc. A particular technology is employed to maximize combustion. The cc of the engine also makes sure that the car can be easily driven. In addition, this car will also be more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly. A few years ago, we learned of the Suzuki Karimun as a successful city car. A short while later, compact cars of other makes were introduced such as the Hyundai Atoz, the Kia Picanto, the Honda Jazz, the Toyota Yaris and the Chevrolet Sparks, which is taken from the Daewoo Matiz.

The only trouble with this car is perhaps the size is too small to allow you to take your entire family or travel long distances. To this end, we need a car larger than just a city car. Luckily, these cars are now available in Indonesia. They use a diesel engine but are still limited in their types. Examples of these cars are the Isuzu Panther and the Toyota Kijang or the Peugeot 307 HDI in the sedan class. These larger cars can take in more passengers. Although the engines are nearly the same in their cc class, they are more fuel-efficient and more environmentally friendly.

In terms of fuel efficiency, a diesel car is slightly different to a car using gasoline engine. Engine efficiency comes from the combustion process, which uses an air compression system and fuel. Here the power to drive the car is bigger than in a car with a gasoline engine. Fuel efficiency can be seen from the fact that the gas exhaust emission contains less CO and CO2 because the combustion is perfect. In addition, the market price of diesel oil is now lower than that of gasoline.

Aside from a diesel engine, carmakers have come up with a new solution, namely the hybrid engine. Toyota uses this hybrid engine in several of its products. Its first car with a hybrid engine is the Toyota Prius and in 2008 it uses this engine in the Toyota Fortuner and the Camry. Meanwhile, this year Honda has its Civic Hybrid, in addition to the Honda Insight, which is the first generation of Honda automobiles with a hybrid engine.

Unlike a conventional engine, a hybrid engine uses two types of engines that work alternately. The gasoline engine is used when we drive the cars as usual. It is also useful to charge the battery cells for the engine. When we are trapped in a traffic jam or when we drive the car very slowly, the engine will be driven by the battery cells. The vendor claims that this car can save fuel by up to 200 percent compared with an ordinary car. If this claim is true, we can considerably cut our fuel costs.

Not only a gasoline engine but also a diesel engine can be hybridized with an electronic driver. One example is the Peugeot 308 X5 Hdi, which, according to motorauthority.com, will be launched in 2010. This new car has a turbo diesel engine of 1.6 L capacity with torque of 80 kW and 240 Nm. According to motorauthority.com, its fuel consumption is 4.9 L/100 km or about one liter of diesel oil to 20.4 km. John and Helen Taylor of Australia have even successfully covered a distance of 14,580 km using only 60 L of fuel.

Air pollution, traffic congestion and increasing fuel oil prices have prompted people to think about new options for existing motorized vehicles. A car of a compact size, a green technology and a low price will become the characteristics of an ideal car for daily purposes. Technology is not the solution to all these demands. Good behavior and a good intention are more than enough to respond to this challenge, particularly in terms of using a motorized vehicle. People, for example, should use public transportation more than their private cars for daily purposes. They can plan their trips carefully and carry out the plan with a high level of discipline so that they will not speed on the roads just because they are pressed for time.

2008 Ferrari F430 Scuderia

The Ferrari F430 Scuderia, a lightweight version of the F430 coupe, goes on sale next spring.

The F430 Scuderia, which joins the F430 Coupe and Spyder already on the market, is powered by a 510-hp, 9000-rpm, 4.3-liter V8 engine that makes almost 30 horsepower more than the standard F430 engine. Ferrari says it can go from a dead stop to 62 mph in a mere 3.7 seconds. The engine uses a carbon-fiber intake manifold and a sophisticated spark plug ionization-monitoring ignition system. A paddle-shifted six-speed semiautomatic transmission is standard on the car.

The Scuderia model is a lightweight version of the existing F430 coupe, with a few extra grilles and vents on the body for cooling, and a pair of pointed stripes running over the body from nose to tail. Ferrari says it is completely street legal in the United States, but the car has only the bare minimum of creature comforts for the weekend racer who wants the fastest version available.

Some of the exotic extra-cost features on the Scuderia version include the latest version of the F1 Superfast2 software, which reduces gearshift time down to 60 milliseconds. A new traction control system incorporates F1-Trac traction and stability control with an E-Diff2 electronically controlled clutch-pack differential. Ferrari says the Scuderia version marks the first time all three systems have been combined in a single black box control system. Carbon ceramic brakes are standard equipment.

Beijing Unveiled: 2009 Roewe 550

The 550 is much more contemporary-looking than its larger sibling.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) acquired the tooling to the Rover 75 and has been building the car as the Roewe 750, renamed because BMW had sold the rights to the Rover name to Ford, which was looking to protect its investment in Land Rover.

Now SAIC has added to the Roewe range with the 550, a slightly smaller sedan powered by a turbocharged 1.8-liter gasoline-powered inline-4. The 550 rides on a 106.4-in. wheelbase and measures 182.0 in. in overall length. This front-drive sedan was first thought to be based on the old short-wheelbase platform of the Rover 75 (the Roewe 750 is based on the long-wheelbase version), but apparently SAIC has developed an all-new platform for this entry to go along with the new sheet metal. The 550 is much more contemporary-looking than its larger sibling, with clean body sides, fluted headlamps and a compact horizontal grille as opposed to the larger vertical grille found on the 750.

Beijing Unveiled: Buick Invicta Concept

Exploring what a future LaCrosse midsize sedan might look like.

This collaboration between GM design in Detroit and Shanghai explores what a future LaCrosse midsize sedan might look like. Riding on a 114.5-in. wheelbase, the Invicta concept is powered by a turbocharged direct-injected 2.0-liter four making 250 bhp and 220 lb.-ft. of torque. It is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The design language on the Invicta is pure Buick, from its large, shield-shaped waterfall grille to the ventiports, which have been moved from the fenders onto the hood. The 4-door sedan has sharp, yet flowing character lines, including one that describes the classic Buick sweep spear cue on the car's flanks. The high beltline and low greenhouse give the Invicta a muscular stance.

The exterior's flowing lines are carried over to the interior, where the door panels, dashboard and center console are melded in a seamless wraparound design that gives the front seating area a dual-cockpit look. The cabin has an upscale feel thanks to wood and aluminum accents and LED ambient lighting.

The 5-passenger Invicta measures 194.2 in. in overall length, rides on 20-in. wheels and tires and has a fully independent suspension with 4-wheel disc brakes. The Invicta name was originally introduced by Buick in 1959 and used until the 1962 model year.

Beijing Unveiled: 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK

Meet the German automaker's first compact SUV designed primarily for the American market.

Slated for a January launch in the U.S. as a 2010 model, the Mercedes-Benz GLK is the German automaker's first compact SUV designed primarily for the American market. The GLK is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 making 268 bhp and will come in either rear - or 4Matic all wheel-drive. Riding on a 108.5-in. wheelbase, the GLK has angular lines that give it the look of a traditional truck-based SUV inspired by the larger G-Class Gelaendewagen.

Measuring 178.3 in. in overall length, the GLK stands 66.9 in. tall and is 72.4 inches wide. Mercedes has loaded the vehicle with many amenities found in its luxury cars, including dual-zone climate control, adjustable steering, power seats, front and side airbags and a 5-in. in-dash LCD display. A rear-seat entertainment system with two 8-in. headrest-mounted screens is available as an option.

When equipped with 4Matic all-wheel drive, the GLK splits torque 45/55 front to rear under normal conditions, while the multidisc clutch in the center differential will send traction to the wheels with the most traction under icy conditions. Weighing 4036 lb., the GLK is capable of 0�60-mph acceleration of 6.5 seconds, according to factory numbers, while delivering 23 mpg on the EPA highway cycle.