Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger to Live on Until Late 2012

The Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger midsize sedans were pretty much dead under Chrysler's former owner, Cerberus Capital Management, but now that Chrysler has a new owner, the sedans have a new lease on life.

Cerberus had originally planned to kill the Sebring and Avenger at the end of 2010 and close the Sterling Heights, Mich., factory where they are built. The factory could still be closed, but the sedans will continue to be produced until the end of 2012.

The Sebring is slated to get an extensive face-lift in 2011, while the Avenger is slated to get a milder refresh, which may bring it to the market sooner than the Sebring.

Audi R8 Spyder

A 5.2 litre V10 behind your ears. A massive 386kW (525bhp) at your feet. And the wind rushing through your hair. Does it get any better? Well, yes, if your new R8 Spyder is a more tasteful colour than the one shown in these pics it quite possibly does. Thankfully, there are 10 other colours to choose from. Apart from that, though, this has to be one of the better hardtop to roofless conversions in some time.

The lightweight cloth top opens at the touch of a button in around 19 seconds, and can be operated at speeds up to 50km/h. Despite the lack of a metal roof, Audi reckon the road noise heard inside is only a smidge louder than in the Coupé.

Even with the light roof, the R8 Spyder is still on the porky side, weighing in at 1720kg. That can’t stop rapid progress, however, with 0-100 being dealt with in just 4.1 seconds. Fast!

But, the real beauty in this car is in its styling and details. There’s a big, big photo gallery after the jump, along with everything you wanted to know about the R8 Spyder in Audi’s press release.

Oh yeah, when you get the photo of the seatbelt and you wonder what that’s about, it is showing the seatbelt mounted microphone that supposedly makes phone calls with the top down a breeze, if you’ll pardon the expression.

2010 Lincoln MKT gets the ‘Top Safety Pick’

The luxury crossover 2010 Lincoln MKT has just been recognized a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. It doesn’t come as a surprise since Ford installed all of its latest safety gadgets into the already structurally sound car. The 5,000 lb MKT is mechanically identical to the Ford Flex.

The MKT scored a “Good” rating in each category, including structure, injury measures and restraints. Dummy movement was well controlled, according to the IIHS. It said, “After the dummy moved forward into the airbag, it rebounded into the seat without its head coming close to any stiff structure that could cause injury.” Standard equipment on the Lincoln MKT is based on an advanced structural safety system that combines octagonal front frame rails, tunnel rails and support members designed to absorb and redirect crash forces away from the passenger compartment. Aside from standard equipment like side curtain airbags, Ford offers optional safety equipment like Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Warning Brake Control and a Blind Spot Information system.

Volkswagen E-Up Concept

This is the so-called €8500 electric car from Volkswagen. Dubbed E-up, the new car shows us how the ‘car of tomorrow’ will look like and promises to be a real hit in 2011, when it will hit the dealerships. According to the manufacturer, the new car features an 82 hp (60 kW) electric motor capable to offer a range of 130 km and a top speed of 135 km/h. Vw will also offer this car with a new three-cylinder TDI engine but also with the brand new 1.2 TSI engine which will make its debut in the Audi A3 at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Regarding the performances, these are modest of course: 100 km/h in 11.3 seconds and a maximum torque of 210 Nm. The charging time will be around 5 hours but we do expect a fast recharge that will take up to 30 minutes.

2010 Volvo C30 Gets a Facelift

Just like the C70 convertible, Volvo has given the C30 a facelift for the 2010 model year. The revised front end is very similar to the new C70 and the S60 concept.

"The front of the Volvo C30 has become more dramatic and expressive. The angled lines of the front bumper together with the new headlamps, which are drawn offset and up, reinforce the impression of speed and sportiness," says Fedde Talsma, Exterior Chief Designer at Volvo Cars.

In addition to the styling changes, the new C30 also gets new color and wheel options and a new optional sport chassis, which lowers the car 10 mm.

2010 Toyota 4Runner Hit the Web

Toyota has yet to officially release any full photos of the 2010 4Runner, but here are some photos of the body-on-frame SUV that is going to be unveiled in a few weeks.

The fifth generation 4Runner sticks to its body-on-frame roots and gets all-new styling that emphasizes this. The 2010 4Runner will be available with either a 161-hp 4-cyl or a 268-hp V6 engine. The V8 will no longer be offered.

2010 Ford Grand C-Max Pics Leaked

At the Frankfurt Motor Show this year Ford is going to show off the new C-Max and the extended version shown here, the Grand C-Max. The new C-Max and Grand C-Max are based on Ford's new global C-platform architecture that will also be the basis for the next Focus. The both models will be powered by a new 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder.

The 2010 Grand C-Max looks very similar to its smaller sibling, but has been stretched to accommodate three rows of seats. The extra length also adds sliding rear doors, instead of the conventional rear doors on the C-Max.