When any manufacturer, but particularly an industry titan like Toyota, rolls out a new vehicle that they say is “in a new class”, well, the hairs on any journalist’s neck stand up a bit. That was certainly the case as we listened to Toyota’s executives and engineers roll out the new Venza.  But after a couple of days of driving it, talking to Toyota about it, and reviewing the data, we think they have a point. It’s a subtle point, but a point nonetheless.

You’ll notice that so far we haven’t said what the Venza “is”.  We haven’t put it in a category. Before we discuss the category the vehicle belongs in, we invite you to do the same experiment we performed with some of our colleagues at the launch.  Take a good look at the pictures of the Venza. What would you say this is?  Just for fun, make a mental note of that, so you can compare your reaction to what a group of journalists said in response to the same question.

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Oh, the Porsche Boxster. As we recently reaffirmed in our latest comparison test, the little two-seat roadster from Porsche is one of our favorite topless road cars, and now there's more to love. The much-anticipated Boxster Spyder won't make its official debut until December 2nd at the Los Angeles Auto Show, but the details and images have already leaked out ahead of time.

This lightweight, hardcore version of the Boxster starts with the well-received 3.4-liter, direct-injection flat-six engine, though power has been increased by 10 horsepower for a new total of 320. Combined with Porsche's PDK gearbox and Sport Chrono package, the Spyder will jaunt from a stand-still to 60 miles per hour in just 4.6 seconds and will do 166 mph flat out (with the roof off, of course). "Roof," though, is a figurative term with the Spyder, as the Boxster's standard folding lid has been replaced with a lightweight soft top that acts as more of a sunshade than anything else.

Other modifications include a special sport suspension which lowers the ride height by twenty millimeters, a standard limited-slip differential, and exclusive wheels. Aluminum door skins and lightweight interior door panels (from the GT3 RS) aid in reducing the Spyder's weight by 176 pounds over the standard Boxster S, and with a lower center of gravity, we're confident in saying that this thing will be well-suited for hot laps at your local track.

Look for the Boxster Spyder to hit U.S. showrooms in February of 2010 with a starting MSRP of $61,200. Click through the post to read the official press release from Porsche.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec, which we've been eagerly awaiting since the launch of the 2010 Genesis Coupe, will debut at SEMA and, more importantly, is now arriving at dealerships.

The tuner-friendly R-Spec deletes all the convenience features we don't want or need, giving drivers a lighter, less expensive vehicle ($23,750 MSRP). It also features the Track model perfomance equipment, such as a tuned suspension, 19-inch alloy wheels with summer tires, Brembo brakes, and a Torsen LSD. It also gets a set of front strut camber adjustment bolts.

And, of course, it only comes with a six-speed manual transmission. See? Hyundai gets it.

Scroll down for the official press release.

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Subaru has pulled the sheet off of its Hybrid Tourer Concept at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, revealing a crisp, forward-looking, hybrid wagon from a company well known for forward-thinking wagons. We gave you the full details about the Tourer Concept a bit ago (here), but didn’t want to miss out on passing along more and better photography of the fetching fantasy wagon. Click through our gallery above to have a look.

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After many, many rounds of spy shots, the final details and production images have been released of the much-anticipated Lexus LFA supercar, which will have a limited production run of 500 units and will be sold for -- get ready -- $375,000. (Start saving your pennies.)

The details on this thing are nothing short of supercar stock, though its front-engine, rear-drive configuration is a change of pace from the Audis and Lambos that we've learned to love. Still, having 560 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque is nothing to frown at, especially in a car that only weighs 3263 pounds and revs up to a screaming redline of 9000 rpm. 0-62 miles per hour? 3.7 seconds. Top speed? 202 mph. We're ready for some track time.

If you have the money, you can put an LFA in your garage starting in early 2011 and take it Nissan GT-R hunting. Click through the post for the full press release and scroll through our gallery of images above to see the LFA from all angles.

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The Nissan GT-R isn't an old car, and we don't have many complaints about Godzilla's mannerisms, but nonetheless, some small, yet crucial, tweaks have been made to the GT-R for the 2010 model year.

Visually, there's nothing terribly new to speak of, save the inclusion of rear diffuser cooling ducts which now come standard across the GT-R range. On top of that, the rear suspension brushings have been stiffened slightly, and the front springs and shocks have been tweaked, as well. While this might not seem like much, hardcore GT-R drivers will definitely notice these improvements on the track.

Japanese citizens can head to dealerships on December 7th to pick up their new GT-Rs. As for us, we'll have to wait until next spring. Click through the post for the full details.

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Lotus will unveil a limited-production version of the Lotus Exige, called the Exige Scura (Exige Stealth in Japan), at the Tokyo Motor show later this week. The matte black, carbon fiber-themed Exige receives performance enhancements while shedding weight to make this already light and potent Exige S even more formidable.

The 256-horsepower, 1.8-liter supercharged engine (the same one in the Exige Cup 260) propels the Exige Scura from 0-62 in 4.1 seconds, then on to a top speed of about 152 miles per hour. To keep it on the ground, its aerodynamic package, made extensively of carbon fiber for low weight, providing almost 95 pounds of downforce at 100 miles per hour.

What makes the Lotus Exige Scura truly special are its evil paint job, and the fact that it is limited to only 35 units globally. Check the warranty on the paint job before you buy, though.

See it in the gallery above. The official press release follows.

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Let's be honest: When we think of exciting cars, Toyota isn't the first name that pops into our heads. We aren't the only ones who feel this way, and the high-ups at Toyota have heard our cries. Here now, we see the FT-86 Concept, set to debut at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show -- a rear-drive, two-plus-two coupe.

Details are slim as of this writing, but we know that the FT-86 is powered by a 2.0-liter Subaru-sourced Boxer four and that the key ingredients of making this car sporty are lightness and a low center of gravity.

Is that you, Toybaru?

Consider us stoked, and stay tuned for the full details. Click through to read Toyota's very short press release.

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The 2010 Detroit Auto Show is only a few months away, and as manufacturers work on rolling out their latest and greatest models to dealer lots, a select group of automotive journalists are working hard to decide what vehicles the 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards should go to. From the vast selection of contenders, here are the final nominees:

Car of the Year
- BMW 335d
- Buick LaCrosse
- Cadillac CTS
- Chevrolet Camaro
- Ford Fusion / Fusion Hybrid
- Ford Taurus
- Honda Insight
- Kia Soul
- Mazda3 / Mazdaspeed3
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Porsche Panamera
- Subaru Legacy
- Suzuki Kizashi
- Toyota Prius
- Volkswagen Golf / GTI

Truck of the Year
- Acura ZDX
- Audi Q5
- Cadillac SRX
- Chevrolet Equinox
- Ford Transit Connect
- Honda Crosstour
- Land Rover LR4
- Lincoln MKT
- Subaru Outback
- Volvo XC60

Obviously, we'll have to wait until January to see which vehicles actually win, but we at Winding Road know who we're rooting for. (And we aren't telling!) In the meantime, scroll through our gallery of all the candidates, and be sure to leave a comment and let us know who you think should win, and why.

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Subaru will present its Hybrid Tourer Concept at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show in October.

The Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept features the automaker’s all-wheel-drive system, and a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, direct-injection engine. All mated to a hybrid drive system with a front and rear motor. The rear motor helps move the car at slow speeds without engaging the engine.

The Hybrid Tourer Concept also features an aerodynamic form, with large glass areas, and gullwing doors.

Subaru also made other announcements about the Tokyo Motor Show, including the fully electric plug-in Stella, the WRX STI Carbon, and the Eyesight pre-collision system showcased in the Exiga 2.0GT.

See it in the gallery above. Scroll down for the official press release.

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It's not very often that we see minivan-like concepts these days. The idea of the multi-passenger people-mover is something that has taken very different shapes in recent years, and even with Honda's latest Skydeck concept, there's a lot of differentiation from your run-of-the-mill Odyssey van.

Check out those doors. The front scissors and the rear sliders are really quite interesting, and if this came to production as is, we'd be eager to show this off to everyone who walks by. Beyond those doors we see a very minimalist interior with an open, airy seating arrangement for four passengers with a foldable rear bench in the back.

The Skydeck will make its official debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, and we'll be sure to update you with the full details. For now, take a gander through our image gallery to see the concept from all angles.

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The evolution of  the Honda CR-Z hybrid sports car concept is taking a nice shape. We first saw the concept at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and for 2009, Honda is bringing an almost-production-ready version to the Tokyo stage. (Honda still insists on calling it a concept when, obviously, this thing looks ready to roll out onto the streets.)

Details are slim right now, but expect to see Honda's Integrated Motor Assist technology under the hood, mated to a 1.5-liter four. And since Honda is trumpeting this as a sportier car than the Insight hatch, a six-speed manual transmission will be available. Sounds good, since the current Insight's driving dynamics are incredibly uninspiring. We're hoping the CR-Z will be more like a modern-day version of the original Insight that debuted in 1999.

Stay tuned for the full onslaught of details, but for now, scroll through our gallery above to see the Tokyo-bound CR-Z.

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We're always excited about a new version of the Subaru WRX, especially when it has something to do with the STI variant. For a while now, we've not-so-secretly been hoping that we'll get a press release someday announcing a lightweight, higher-power STI bound for American soil.

That's not what this one is. The STI Carbon, which will officially debut at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, features a carbon fiber roof (as its name would suggest), some new suede upholstery, and a five-speed automatic transmission only. No six-speed. No dual-clutch anything. So, why the changes? According to Subaru's very short press release (available if you click through the post), the autobox "offers distinctive driving performance to a wider range of customers," and the new suede fabric "enhances driving excitement and pride of ownership."

We'll stick with the original, thanks.

After spying the first test mules of the car just last week, Land Rover announced this morning that it is indeed working on a production version of its LRX concept car. The three-door vehicle pictured here will debut next year, and join the Range Rover line in 2011.

Land Rover calls the upcoming LRX the, “Smallest, lightest and most efficient vehicle the company has ever produced.”

We’re happy to see that the coupe-like, striking silhouette from the concept car has made the transition to the production model, in what would appear to be an attractive, aggressive, and premium small offering from the company. Further details about the car will be released sometime next year—stay tuned.

Scroll down to read the Land Rover press release below.

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For a while, the future of Saab looked glum. Thankfully, the fine folks at Koenigsegg have scooped up the Scandinavian automaker and now the future doesn't look so bad. The current 9-5 was a mess of General Motors influence on an aging platform and the end result was really quite bad, but from the details and images that we have on the new 9-5, it looks like Saab might be back in the game again.

Right off the bat, it's easy to see that the new 9-5 looks very, very different from anything we've seen out of Saab lately. A lot of the styling cues were inspired by the Aero X concept. Most interestingly, the entire glasshouse portion of the car is designed in a wraparound style with the painted roof panel not carrying over to the A-pillar. That aside, the whole car is filled with nice little design cues, and even though the headlight fixtures are still surrounded by strips of chrome, it's not nearly as horrible as on the last-generation car. Yeesh.

As for power, Saab is offering a wide range of powerplants for the Global marketplace. For America, we can expect that the 300-horsepower, 2.8-liter turbocharged six (sound familiar, Cadillac SRX?) will make it over, mated to Saab's XWD all-wheel drive system. A smaller, 1.6-liter turbo (180 horsepower) sounds reasonable for our shores, too, but nothing has been confirmed at this time.

For the full details, click through the post to read Saab's official press release.

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Sign us up for one of these. Like the Mini Coupe Concept that debuted long before the lights were turned on at the Frankfurt Show, the Mini Roadster adds a bit of sleek style to the cheeky Mini line, especially since the convertible has always looked a little hairdresser-y to us.

The two seat configuration of the Roadster cuts out the Mini Convertible's rear seats, but we don't think your grocery bags will mind too much. Removing the back people-holders means that trunk cargo capacity swells from 5.7 to 8.8 cubic feet with a more substantial rear opening.

Hey, Mini -- ditch the convertible and bring the Roadster Concept to production. Your friends at Winding Road will thank you kindly. For the full details, click through the post to read Mini's press release.

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Rolls-Royce showed the full production version of its new, slightly smaller than Phantom, limousine today—the 2011 Ghost.

Small is certainly a relative term here, as the Ghost is still roughly the same size as a BMW 7-Series. It won’t want for power either, as its 6.6-liter V-12 engine is capable of 563 brake horsepower and a stifling 575 pound-feet of twist. That output is enough to launch the Roller to 60 miles per hour in just 4.7 seconds, while not spilling the cocktails of the passengers in back.

In terms of styling, Rolls hasn’t strayed too far from the imposing visage of the larger Phantom, with the same square face and clean lines found on the Ghost. On the inside, passengers will benefit from a foolishly long list of luxury options, with the classic picnic tables and door-housed umbrellas not forgotten on the baby Rolls.

Scroll down below to read the full story of the 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost, or take a closer look in our gallery of images above.

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What's not to love about the Audi R8? Well, besides the R-tronic transmission. This is one of  the sexiest supercars that we've been able to get our hands on, and Audi has now upped the ante on its R8 hotness by removing the roof. The R8 Spyder will be hitting our shores next year in 5.2 V-10 guise, and we're already planning our summer drive routes for this exotic droptop.

The mid-mounted 5.2-liter V-10 isn't anything new to the R8, but the dynamics of the roadster should be very different. Cutting off the roof adds an additional 476 pounds to the R8's weight, but even so, the topless R8 will sprint to 62 miles per hour in just 4.1 seconds. It's hard to make a slow car when there's 525 horsepower on tap at all times.

Consider our interest piqued. You can read the full press release by clicking through the post, and be sure to scroll through our image gallery above for the complete set of photos.

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Peugeot has brought its concept of an innovative, electrically powered city car to the Frankfurt show this year, and hasn’t spared one ounce of cheeky French design, or choking EV hyperbole.

We’re not trying to be too cynical here, but anytime a press release talks of a concept car representing, “liberty, optimism – even ‘altruism’,” we’re forced to pause just a little.

That said, BB1’s robot bulldog styling, tiny form factor, and nearly 75-mile range are not without some serious upside. Perhaps even more amazing is the claim that this tiny car will seat four adults. Four very small, very friendly adults (and all wearing green shirts, apparently).

Read on about the Peugeot BB1 Concept in the full press release below.