Infiniti Q30 concept (2013) first picture of Infiniti’s 1-series rival

This is our first look at the new Infiniti Q30 hatchback’s styling, in official design sketch form. Infiniti will display the actual Q30 concept at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2013 – the showroom model goes into production in 2015. It’s good news for the UK – 60,000 new Q30s will roll off the production line at parent-brand Nissan’s Sunderland factory every year.

Arizona auctions: Early days filled with optimism

The sun kept shining--both as a metaphor and in reality--while the cars were selling at the Arizona auctions. As of late Thursday, Barrett-Jackson had completed three of its six days of sales. Preliminary numbers assembled by on-site reporters indicate total sales of $20.2 million at the halfway mark, with 100 percent of the 656 cars on offer sold.

Is the car industry heading toward the past?

Is the future of cars decidedly old school? An NPR blogger certainly thinks so. NPR Business Desk reporter Sonari Glinton recently likened the 2014 Detroit auto show to an era 40 years ago, reflecting the possibility that the renewed zeitgeist of an entire convention indicates a "retro" kind of thinking.