New Genuine Vehicle Speed Sensor, 9495008 on 2040-parts.com

Europe's Car of the Year 2011 shortlist announced

The 41 contenders for Europe's 2011 Car of the Year trophy have been whittled down to the final seven as the European CoTY shortlist is announced today. The winner will be voted for by 59 of Europe's most influential motoring journalists, including two CAR writers: editor Phil McNamara and European editor Georg Kacher. The 2010 winner - by just 10 points ahead of the Toyota iQ - was the Volkswagen Polo. Like the Eurovision Song Contest, Car of the Year has proved controversial in the past with accusations of block-voting and blind patriotism, yet the award remains one of the most prestigious in the motor industry.

Coming soon: A bigger, better autoweek.com

First, we want to thank all the readers who have helped make autoweek.com what it is today -- we've worked hard to ensure no nugget of cool car news falls through the cracks, and we've been rewarded by a 100 percent increase in visitors over the past two years. That said, we also know there's a lot about our site design that can be improved. Articles don't "pop" the way they should, the home page is far too busy, and our commenting system is…well, let's just say that anything relying on Facebook deserves a healthy dose of skepticism.

Aston Martin Virage (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

This is the new Aston Martin Virage, a V12-engined GT to sit halfway between the DB9 and the DBS. It will be officially unveiled to the public, along with the Aston Martin Vantage S, at the 2011 Geneva motor show next week. Numbers are easy to understand, so let’s start with the figures produced by the 6.0-litre V12 shared between the trio: the DB9 has 470bhp and 442lb ft, the DBS 510bhp and 420lb ft, and the Virage sits neatly between the two with 490bhp and 420lb ft.