275 horsepower, but 42 miles per gallon, makes this luxury sports sedan a possible hot property in 2009. One of the most advanced diesel engines pushes this car, with finely tuned twin-turbochargers giving more power.

From super cars to compacts, we take a look back at the best production car news for 2008 in the end-of-the-year roundup.

Japanese tuner Ings has released an N-Spec body kit for the Lancer Evo X, with track-tuned ducting and an Z-Power rear wing.

Reports that the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has or will buy Honda's formula one team have been denied.

A 2009 release schedule branded BMW has cropped up. It shows an extensive product offensive from the Bavarians, from mild X1 SUVs to outrageous Vision Z Concepts.

Lotec has released sketches of a 2009 Sirius that promises to topple some of the best-known names in supercardom.

Reiter Engineering re-engineers a GT3 racing Lamborghini Gallardo back to street legal-status. This Strada model is quite stock, bar a few changes.

Fernando Alonso has an agreement to switch to Ferrari in 2011, Italy's authoritative La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

Fernando Alonso has been named the top formula one driver of the 2008 season by one of the leading media outlets covering the sport.

Porsche attempts to answer to its environment critics with the release of the Porsche Cayenne Diesel. Although cleaner than other Cayennes, this one is certainly not clean. But at least Porsche is making an effort.

New spy photos of a Porsche Cayenne interior have surfaced. More convenient button positioning, with an easier to reach gear shift, are the highlights.

Images captured by Google Streetview show engineers testing a series of new Porsche models. These shots taken high up in the Colorado Rockies show the next-generation Cayman and Boxster, as well as the face-lifted 911 Turbo and Targa.

Hyundai to air first TV ads for Genesis Coupe during Super Bowl. The two ads will also run during the Academy Awards later in February. The Genesis Coupe is Hyundai's first rear-wheel drive sports car and comes with over 300

Bucking the current trend, Toyota is remaining strong on its plans to produce and sell the Lexus LF-A sports car.

Another BMW part - a front bumper again - shows up in public some time before the car's official launch. It is from a 2010 5 Series, either sedan or PAS.

Leaked pictures from the 2009 Honda Insight's JDM brochure show the front and rear of the all-new hybrid, as well as interior shots and hints of a sporty Modulo version.

What a fun, fun, hot car. It drives as fun as it looks, and that's pretty damn impressive.I *heart* this thing! Yeah, it's huge and heavy, but it sounds great, looks great, and goes like stink. The steering is inexcusably

Ready or not, electric cars are coming. Mini is the latest brand to join the kilowatt club with a clever conversion called - minus Verne Troyer's blessing - the Mini E.Ready or not, electric cars are coming. Mini is the

The nightmare of form filling and an expensive bill for a clutch

Does an automatic transmission cut the mustard in the topoftherange Aston Martin?