Do I really need to say anything more? Just watch. And if you don't like these videos, you may not like cars.

Think Honda was feeling distrustful that Toyota was hogging all the bad publicity? Not likely, but it decided to announce a small recall of its own.

Turns out there's a small problem with the window motors on what we know as the Honda Fit in the U.S. Under harsh weather conditions, water can seep into the window compartment and cause alteration to the main wiper switch. The switch then becomes susceptible to fire from overheating.

Honda said the move covers Fit/Jazz cars prefabricated between 2002 and 2008 in Japan, China, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia and India. About 646,000 Fits start into this category.

Long-Term Test: 2009 Honda Fit

So what do you think Michael Schumacher is telling teammate Nico Rosberg? Words of advice? Warnings? Stock tips? 

The next-generation BMW 3 Series is out testing again. This time it emerged from BMW's test artefact in the Arctic Circle which kindly reserves plenty of parking for the camouflaged test mules.

Trying to discern changes on this image is near impossible though. Judging from the latest 5 Series redesign we're not expecting big styling changes anyway.

First Drive: 2011 BMW 5 Series
  

The next-generation BMW 3 Series is out testing again. This time it emerged from BMW's test artefact in the Arctic Circle which kindly reserves plenty of parking for the camouflaged test mules.

Trying to discern changes on this image is near impossible though. Judging from the latest 5 Series redesign we're not expecting big styling changes anyway.

First Drive: 2011 BMW 5 Series
  

Yep, that wold be one Mr. Michael C. Hall narrating this Dodge Charger commercial. To those not familiar with the name, Michael Hall plays Dexter, the TV vigilante/serial killer. Cool commercial.

You may remember the Ultimate Streetcar Challenge from the heyday of Sport Compact Car magazine. Editors Dave Coleman and Josh Jacquot (now Senior Road Test Editor at Inside Line) created the event to find out which reader-built cars were the real deal. The car had to do more than just go fast in a straight line, they had to stop, run a road course and be usable on the street too.

That event ended with the magazine's unfortunate demise years ago, but a similar event has taken up the cause. Dubbed the Optima Batteries Ultimate Streetcar Invitational, the modern version pits the best of the aftermarket tuning crowd in a similar contest of speed, handling and all around driveability. It was held just after last year's SEMA show and will be broadcast on Speed this Saturday at 11:00 AM EST and again on Sunday at 4:00 PM EST.

Ultimate Streetcar Challenge

Yeah, went in a little hot on this one.

It's winter testing time and the 2011 Porsche 911 hasn't taken any time off lately. Our shooters caught this image cruising through some heavy snow still wearing much of its typical camouflage.

The only changes we can see on this test mule compared to previous prototypes are a few tweaks to the front air inlets and fog lights. The pseudo-whale cut rear end continues to hide the styling changes in back although you can see the bright LED tailligths shining through.

Spy Video: 2011 Porsche 911 On the Nurburgring
  

Last month at 2010 CES, Audi and graphics chip maker NVIDIA announced the integration of NVDIA's graphical processor units (GPUs) into all Audi models with its 3rd-generation multi-media interface (MMI), including the 2011 A8.

This new MMI will also include '"MMI touch," which recognizes fingertip handwriting for entering letters and numbers for navigation destinations. The pad is backlit, and the navi entry function can be changed to a pointer for map functions or to scroll lists in the MMI, as well as a number pad for the radio.

However, Audi representatives in the video claim that the finger writing entry improves driving safety by allowing the driver to remain focused on the road. It's implied that safer operation is the primary justification for this touchpad system. 

But is it really? Pushing a touchpanel screen or turning the MMI would be easier for input entry — yes?

Hit the jump to find the real motivation. 

As the 2011 Audi A8 is intended for many markets worldwide, the new MMI 3G+ recognizes several languages including Cyrillic (Russia), Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, and Korean characters. Audi said that these language capabilities will only be offered for apiece respective country.

And the key language in that list is Chinese. The number of meaningful Chinese characters is in the thousands, so input through the MMI screen, hard switches, touch panel, or other conventional means is not doable — well, at least not practical. This free fingertip entry is an elegant solution.

VW showed a image of this system at the 2005 ITS World Congress in San Francisco.
I attended that event as a representative of a major carmaker, and was given a demonstration of the prototype fingertip entry system. The only language acquirable for demo was Chinese  — the rep told me the system was designed for that market.

China is now the number one new car income market in the world with 2009 income of 13.6M vs. 10.4M in the U.S. (data from Edmunds.com).

And Audi is the number one luxury car in China. Although Buick sold 447,011 units in 2009 vs. 158,941 for Audi, Audi is considered a premium brand in China, while Buick is not (data from Edmunds.com).
So the Chinese market is particularly important for Audi.

That fingertip entry in the 2005 prototype system was quite accurate during that demonstration, so it will be interesting to see how the production version handles English characters — in a moving vehicle.

In addition to this new generation of MMI, the 2011 Audi A8 will also have Google Earth mapping capability along with an optionally integrated GPRS/EDGE modem.

The driver can also search online with Google for points-of-interest directly from within the MMI, with free text search queries as "delicatessen" or "shoe boutique".  Results are then displayed on the onboard map or used as destinations for route calculation.

There are a lot of cool, new technologies that will arrive with the 2011 Audi A8.

It's certainly the most interesting Navi package released in the last several years.

Albert Austria, Senior Engineer, Edmunds, Inc.