Bentley

Bentley was founded in 1919, and in addition to being known for its ultra high-end automobiles, also produced rotary engines during World War I. It was purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1931, and the two brands co-existed together until 1998 when they were purchased by the Volkswagen Group. BMW, however, retained the rights to the Rolls-Royce name, and the two brands were eventually split apart in January 2003

Launches next spring, Ford

Ford Racing has announced plans to offer a new lineup of 2.0-liter four-cylinder crate engines.

The first naturally-aspirated engine will be launched next spring and it will feature direct injection and twin independent variable valve timing. Performance specifications haven't been finalized, but Ford expects the engine to produce 160 (119 kW / 162 PS) to 175 hp (131 kW / 177 PS) and 145 to 155 lb-ft (196 to 210 Nm) of torque.

Later on, the engine lineup will be expanded to include EcoBoost (turbocharged) variants.

Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV II is the 2013

Mitsubishi is serious about its electrification efforts, it has to offer more than the pint-sized all-electric i in the States. That's where the Concept PX-MiEV II comes in.

What you're looking at is the plug-in hybrid version of the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander, something Mitsubishi confirms is set to go on sale sometime in 2012.

A traditional 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is mounted up front, but each rear axle has an electric motor that's fed power by a lithium-ion battery pack spanning the floor. Mitsubishi claims the MX-MiEV II can run up to 31 miles on electric power alone, and if you mash the gas the system switches to parallel hybrid mode by engaging the engine. All told, you should be able to make it up to 500 miles on a single tank, but if you're commute is less than 15 miles, you could go gas-free for months.

Volkswagen began building buzz for the 2012 Beetle long before we caught a glimpse of the first spy shots. The company's executives were throwing phrases like "fun to drive," "masculine" and "Porsche-derived styling" toward the would-be Beetle successor as far back as the 2010 Paris Motor Show. In this business, you either learn to read through hyperbole or choke to death on it, so it goes without saying that our hackles were quivering with skepticism at the time. Volkswagen could hardly blame us.

We had been living with the Type 1C New Beetle for nearly 13 years at that point, and the vehicle had grown into a caricature of itself. Back in 1997, the plucky bubble design was fresh and innovative, but as other automakers began to cash in on the retro design movement, the half-circle Beetle grew very tired very quickly. As a driver, it was merely adequate when it first bowed, and time hadn't been particularly kind to the chassis. Volkswagen wasn't just asking us to stretch our imaginations to cope with the notion of a sporty-looking, engaging Beetle. They wanted us to snap them in two.

Then the 2012 Beetle debuted, and sure enough, the two-door rolled onto the scene with a more vertical windshield and a longer nose. Those two attributes alone are enough to put it more in line with original Beetle design, and, as a result, give the 2012 Beetle a portly Porsche 911 appearance. Car gods help us, we like it, but what about that whole "fun-to-drive" thing? To be fair, there's much more to the 2012 Beetle than a revised nose. The vehicle is significantly longer and wider than its predecessor while riding closer to the ground as well. That's thanks in part to the fact that the hatch now makes use of the same platform as its Golf and Jetta stable mates. All told, the Beetle is six inches longer and 3.3-inches wider than the 2010 model, and those dimensions do much to give the still-retroish hatch a more planted appearance. That doesn't mean that the designers at Volkswagen have excised the pluck from the three-door, though.

Toyota Aqua concepts hint at Prius C possibilities

Toyota unveiled a handful of production and concept Aqua models at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. As you may recall, the Aqua will serve as the Prius C here in the United States when it lands at the Detroit Auto Show in early 2012. The Yaris-sized hatchback will come equipped with a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine and an electric motor, though Toyota hasn't said what we can expect in terms of total output. We do know that the vehicle's svelte curb weight and smaller engine will likely translate into Prius-besting fuel economy numbers, so buyers can look forward to over 50 mpg in the city.

The brightly-colored Aqua Kiriri Version and Aqua Piriri Version joined the production Aqua under the lights in Tokyo, giving the world a better idea of what the model could offer in terms of dealer modification. The little hatch looks sharp, and the fuel economy figures are enough to make anyone grin.