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First Sight: Smart Fortwo and Forfour

"Dress-down Wednesday," remarked a colleague as Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche walked on stage wearing jeans and no tie. While it was a hot day in Berlin, Zetsche's excuse for his informal attire was the occasion – the new Smart is here. Its prospective owners, he explained – young, urban consumers with an active lifestyle, not the typical members of corporate Germany – adhere to a different, if similarly rigid etiquette.

Honda Gear Concept

Rather than fighting for headlines at NAIAS, Honda debuted its new GEAR Concept at the Montreal International Auto Show. The subcompact GEAR is apparently inspired by fixed-gear bicycles (although quite how is unclear), described as a customizable vehicle that demonstrates the carmaker's way of providing vehicles for young, urban, Gen-Y lifestyles. "Subcompact cars are usually either utilitarian, but uninspiring or they're fun, zippy cars that are impractical and too expensive for the Gen-Y buyer," said Dave Marek, Design Director at Honda R&D Americas, Inc.

Future products: Hyundai's push will change the look of showrooms

Hyundai is introducing seven new or redesigned models in a 24-month stretch that ends in the fall of 2011. So naturally the Hyundai guys refer to their product onslaught as “24/7.” And the pace won't slow much after those seven models hit the streets. Significant new entries also are planned for 2012 and 2013, including Hyundai's first fuel cell electric vehicle, a redesigned Veracruz full-sized crossover and a replacement for the Azera full-sized sedan.