January’s Detroit auto show is to feature the world premiere of Mini’s open-air Beachcomber concept, which borrows from the goofy little 1960s Mini Moke but is based on the brand’s upcoming small crossover SUV.
The Beachcomber uses the SUV’s all-wheel drive system but deletes its doors and roof. A folding fabric roof can be rolled into [...]

DETROIT (Reuters) — U.S. auto sales are expected to end 2009 on a slight upswing in December, capping a year that saw General Motors and Chrysler collapse into bankruptcy and China overtake the United States as the biggest car market.
The deepest U.S. economic downturn since the Great Depression hammered auto sales through most of 2009, [...]