We’re signing off for the year but we’ll be back after the first of the year. Here’s to a Happy Holidays and a prosperous 2009 - more prosperous than the latter half of 2008, right?

In the meantime, we’ll leave you with this holiday gem: Car Magazine commissioned Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Nissan, and Ford to redesign Santa’s sleigh. This is one of the coolest ways we’ve seen Christmas and cars fused. Below is one of Bentley’s submissions.

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Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

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The diminutive smart fortwo was launched in the US this past January, nearly ten years after the innovative microcar was launched in Europe. The car is tiny, seats only two, and looks like it came from another planet, but for early adopters and style seekers, that just makes the fortwo cooler.

smart is launching the BRABUS edition of the fortwo for 2009, and we got an interview with Ken Kettenbiel of smart USA. David Barrett got a thorough walk-through of the car and an explanation of the BRABUS’ role within the smart fortwo lineup. The video is after the jump.

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Despite the prevailing economic climate and unstable fuel prices, muscle cars are big news right now. The Camaro and Challenger are all new, but how about the facelifted Mustang? Though similar in profile to the 2005-2009 model, every panel bar the roof is brand new. Perhaps an even bigger story is inside, where the new materials soundly address one of the biggest criticisms of the outgoing model: its cheap, tacky, and plasticky interior.

Stephanie Brinley got an exclusive interview with Robert Gelardi, who was the chief interior designer for the 2010 Mustang. Is it any coincidence that he personally owns an Audi TT, which had one of the finest interiors anywhere in recent memory?

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Ford unveiled the new Fusion Hybrid at the LA Auto Show. It’s a very nice piece of work that is able to achieve better fuel economy than the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Stephanie Brinley was able to get an exclusive interview with Gil Portalatin, hybrid propulsion integration manager at Ford. Watch below as Gil takes us on a tour of the car and some of its most innovative features.

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Ed Kim got an exclusive interview and drive with Kenichiro Wada, the project manager for Mitsubishi’s innovative i-Miev electric car. Hear Wada-san talk about some of the car’s innovative features as well as his take on some of the infrastructure challenges that face pure electrics.

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You know what a Honda Accord is, don’t you? Yep, it’s that competent and durable sedan that wins plenty of accolades for its sheer competence. Of course, it’s also about as exciting as a pet rock. That doesn’t matter to hundreds of thousands of people who buy an Accord each year because of its quality, reputation, and well thought out details that make it such an easy conveyance to live with. Still, for more enthusiastic drivers, the Accord remains something of an appliance.

Overseas in Europe, the Accord exists over there too, but in somewhat different form. It’s a little bit smaller and a little bit sexier. It’s also positioned a bit more upscale in Europe too as a competitor to cars like Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series. Acura saw fit to bring the last European Accord over as the TSX, and now that nameplate has just entered its second generation.

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Purely from an aesthetic perspective, this C30 is a gorgeous thing. Its super-Scandinavian modernist contours, its low-slung profile, and distinctive rear styling are all very novel and very appealing. Still, sales are confirming what we long suspected – that it’s ultimately very much a niche product. We expect Volvo to sell about 4,000 examples of this Swedish hot hatch in 2008. Even if the economy hadn’t crashed this year, we doubt its sales would have been much higher.

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BMW used the 2008 Los Angeles International Auto Show to launch its new 2009 7-Series flagship. The primary changes to the 7-Series include revised interior and exterior styling and an improved iDrive system. I guess “revised” may be too mild a word, but even though practically every exterior body panel (except the roof) is new, the 7-Series does not look much different.

At a glance, the primary differentiator between the 2009 7-Series and its predecessor is the pronounced character line running down its bodyside just below the windows. The styling of the front end has evolved a bit with a stronger looking hood surface and front fascia. The headlamps include translucent eyelids and have the subtle halo lighting first seen in the 5-Series several years ago. The Bangle Butt is less pronounced and now the rear end of the Seven looks much more conventional.

Details are important and BMW’s signature cue - the Hofmeister kink at the rear of the DLO (daylight opening) is shadowed in the sheetmetal. Nice touch, but very, very subtle.

You can still show the profile of the 7-Series and Lexus LS460 and not be able to tell the difference.

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The Los Angeles Auto Show saw the world debut of the BMW Concept 7-Series ActiveHybrid. The concept shows the potential of BMW ActiveHybrid technology in the premium luxury car segment and is part of the BMW EfficientDynamics innovation strategy.

The objective of the 7-Series ActiveHybrid is to achieve much better fuel economy and lower emissions in a premium luxury car - a class not known for being particularly environmentally conscious.

Mild Hybrid Teamed With Potent V8

The BMW Concept 7-Series ActiveHybrid combines an 8-cylinder gas engine and electric drive as a mild hybrid. The drivetrain technology featured in the Concept Car allows enhanced driving dynamics together with a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions by 15% versus the same car running on an internal combustion engine only. BMW states that the ActiveHybrid does not compromise the driving dynamics, performance or features of the 7-Series.

BMW contends that there are no compromises to the original 7-Series equation when the mild hybrid is adopted. The ActiveHybrid Seven looks practically the same, has the same level of comfort and performance while getting better fuel economy with lower emissions through use of the mild hybrid technology.

Twin Turbo V8 Based on 750i Powerplant

The internal combustion engine portion of the BMW Concept 7-Series ActiveHybrid is a Twin Turbo V8 gasoline engine and high precision fuel Injection based on the 4.4L V8 of the BMW 750i. Maximum output of the conventional engine in the regular production model is 407 horsepower, with peak torque of 442 lb-ft.

BMW claims the V8 power unit is the most efficient engine in its class and is ideal for focusing on both driving dynamics and efficiency. BMW says its V8 is the only eight-cylinder gasoline engine in the world with its turbochargers mounted in the Vee between the two cylinder banks.

Electric Motor incorporated in Transmission Housing

The V8 is combined with an electric motor fully integrated in the transmission housing, developing maximum output of 20 hp and peak torque of 155 lb-ft. So with the mild hybrid concept, the electric motor boosts the dynamic driving potential of the eight-cylinder gasoline engine in a unique manner most appropriate for the character of the BMW 7 Series, giving the car better acceleration than the already great acceleration of the 750iL.

Regenerative Braking Supplements Power for Accessories

Using Brake Energy Regeneration, the electric motor supplies electric power to the power-consuming items on board the car, minimizing the direct conversion of fuel into electrical energy and maximizing the drive power available for enhanced driving dynamics.

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For the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts, who raise their noses up at the Continental GT (with a sticker price around $200K), we found your car at the LA auto show. The Bentley Azure T at $350K (yes, dollars). We are way beyond Mercedes Benz, BMW, and Audi now, and we are talking old money, and lots of it. The Azure T is beautiful with the burled wood, natural cowhide leather, thick strips of aluminum and a 6.75 Litre twin turbo with 500 brake horsepower. Whoa Nellie! It’s nice to know somebody still believes in authentic build materials, over engineering and unadulterated opulence. How else can four adults indulge in this kind of open top motoring?

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