Can you think of a better place to show off ruggedness and off-road proficiency than Dallas, Texas? Toyota doesn't think so.

Toyota's 2010 4Runner will make its world debut on September 24 at the Texas State Fair. The Asian maker claims the interior will be comfier and roomier, while the vehicle is set to be "more rugged than ever." All we get is this snapshot of its new mug until then.

More than 1.8 million 4Runners have been sold since being introduced in 1984, and of that number, an impressive 70 percent are still on the road.

After VW's top dog confirmed in an interview with the Detroit News that the Phaeton will triumphantly make a return to the U.S., you knew it was only a matter of time until one was caught on American soil.

Dressed in camo garb during hot weather testing, the vehicle has a revised front fascia that has the token VW family grille and LED headlamps. Redesigned cut lamps and what you can call a tweaked rear bumper are some of the other visible changes.

It's doubtful that this is enough of a redesign to bring the car to the U.S. market quite yet, although the sighting gives more confirmation that this full-size sedan will eventually exist in VW's U.S. sedan lineup above the Passat's replacement.

After VW's top dog confirmed in an interview with the Detroit News that the Phaeton will triumphantly make a return to the U.S., you knew it was only a matter of time until one was caught on American soil.

Dressed in camo garb during hot weather testing, the vehicle has a revised front fascia that has the token VW family grille and LED headlamps. Redesigned cut lamps and what you can call a tweaked rear bumper are some of the other visible changes.

It's doubtful that this is enough of a redesign to bring the car to the U.S. market quite yet, although the sighting gives more confirmation that this full-size sedan will eventually exist in VW's U.S. sedan lineup above the Passat's replacement.

Not too long ago we told you that the upcoming 2011 Audi A8 would make its world debut at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. We're sticking to that story and now sources at Audi are telling us that the new flagship sedan will feature an eight-speed automatic transmission hooked to its 4.2-liter V8. We were told to expect about 375-horsepower out of the standard engine and the usual quattro all-wheel drive setup.

The new drivetrain isn't exactly groundbreaking for the class, but it does open up an interesting new possibility for the 2011 Audi S5 coupe. Although the original plan called for the S5 to switch to the S4 sedan's supercharged V6 after the 2010 model year, overwhelming enthusiasm inside and outside the company for the S5's current V8 setup has convinced the company to reconsider. Given the coupe's surprising speed with the current 354-horsepower powerplant, an extra 20 horses and some extra torque certainly couldn't hurt. And as much as we like the six-speed manual in our long-term S5, the eight-speed auto might be even faster. We'll see.

By Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor

Updated, 12:30 PM PST 08/27/09

Chevy leaves just about no one out of its crosshairs with a billboard ad campaign that showcases some of its epic classics and muscle cars of the past. . The restructured domestic maker pokes fun at Kelly Clarkson with its "The Original American Idol" banner, while it makes a Beach Boys reference with the pretty cocky "They Don't Make Songs About Volvos" line. Keep in mind some of the ads are outdated and aired locally in preparation for Detroit's Woodward Dream Cruise.

Click through to see more of the banners.

Updated, 12:30 PM PST 08/27/09

Chevy leaves just about no one out of its crosshairs with a billboard ad campaign that showcases some of its epic classics and muscle cars of the past. . The restructured domestic maker pokes fun at Kelly Clarkson with its "The Original American Idol" banner, while it makes a Beach Boys reference with the pretty cocky "They Don't Make Songs About Volvos" line. Keep in mind some of the ads are outdated and aired locally in preparation for Detroit's Woodward Dream Cruise.

Click through to see more of the banners.

Chevy leaves just about no one out of its crosshairs with a new ad campaign that showcases some of its epic classics and muscle cars of the past. The restructured domestic maker pokes fun at Kelly Clarkson with its "The Original American Idol" banner, while it makes a Beach Boys reference with the pretty cocky "They Don't Make Songs About Volvos" line. Click through to see more of the banners.

Ferrari has released new images and details of the 458's interior to hold us over until it rolls onto its elaborate exhibit at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show in a couple weeks.

The "driver-oriented cockpit" is race-car inspired and designed by Pininfarina. The most notable feature is the demand of control stalks mounted to the steering column; the company instead opted to place headlight, turn-signal and wiper control functions on the steering wheel in button form. Secondary functions are located behind the wheel.

The Italian car design firm also prefabricated the gearbox paddles longer, making shifting cushy regardless of what angle the steering wheel is positioned. A satellite pod on the right side of the dash controls the infotainment system, Bluetooth, navi, digital speedometer and rear parking camera, while the left-hand satellite pod is where the controls for cruise control, the trip computer and Vehicle Dynamic Assistance (VDA) reside.

Those further interested in the prancing horse automaker's F430 successor can view all this as well as exclusive interviews with Paolo Pininfarina and Michael Schumacher on Ferrari's enthusiast-geared Web site.

Starting with the release of the Exige Cup 240 in '06, Lotus has built up quite the following for its track-focused but built-for-the-road model. For the 2010 variant called the Exige Cup 260, Lotus shaves off a few pounds by upping the carbon-fiber treatment.

Starting with the release of the Exige Cup 240 in '06, Lotus has built up quite the following for its track-focused but built-for-the-road model. For the 2010 variant called the Exige Cup 260, Lotus shaves off a few pounds by upping the carbon-fiber treatment.