2005-2008 Toyota Avalon Leather (front) Seats Cover on 2040-parts.com

BMW Z4 sDrive 35is (2009) at Detroit motor show 2010

These are the first official pictures of the new high-performance BMW Z4 sDrive 35is, unveiled today at the Detroit motor show. A bit of a mouthful (that's BMW's new nomenclature for you), but it's essentially the fastest, hardest Z4 to date since the recently departed M roadster curled over and died.The Z4 sDrive 35is uses Munich's existing 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six, tweaked to produce 335bhp and 332lb ft of the twisty stuff all the way from 1400-4500rpm. That's one flat torque curve, and a 29bhp jump over the regular sDrive35i.

A look at Toyota future products

Toyota has slipped behind competitors in drivetrain technology and now must play catch-up against the likes of Ford, Hyundai and Mazda. Much of Toyota's lag stems from engineering resources being diverted by the unintended acceleration crisis and other quality miscues in the past two years. Now expect Toyota to focus more on turbocharging and direct injection, and it may even bring a couple of diesels to the United States as part of midcycle changes.

AutoWeek Design Forum: Audi studies details

Some say the devil is in the details, but the details are where Audi sets itself apart from the luxury field. Achim Badstuebner, Audi's head of exterior design, says the maker of sports and luxury cars is always focusing on small things--such as door handles, the C-pillars and its familiar five-spoke wheels--for design demeanor. "It should have the same power as that Audi DNA," he said on Thursday at the AutoWeek Design Forum.