MSN.com breaks down the best cars in 10 categories, “proving goodness doesn’t require paying top dollar.”

Six new models made our Top Picks list this year, representing a diverse selection from Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. No automaker dominates; the 10 picks come from six manufacturers and eight brands, which reflect the increasing competitiveness within today’s auto market. Toyota is the only brand with more than one model. To see the best & worst 2011 cars and best new-car car values, go to Consumer Reports’ annual auto issue hub.

Our Top Picks are the best all-around models in their categories. Chosen from the more than 270 vehicles we’ve recently tested, these vehicles scored well in our testing, have average or better predicted reliability, performed well in government or insurance-industry safety tests, if evaluated, and offer stability control — a proven, lifesaving feature.

Check out the selections.

CNN.com put together a list of 10 car brands that are poised to enter the North American market from old European brands, Asian upstarts and a few U.S. names.

The last five years have brought the biggest upheaval in the global auto industry in a century. China has become the world’s largest auto market, and India, Russia, and Brazil are the liveliest up-and-comers.

As part of this overthrow of the old order, new car brands are poised to enter the U.S. market, joining the four dozen that are already here. They range from established European names trying to reestablish a U.S. presence, to young Asian manufacturers looking to expand beyond their local markets, and Silicon Valley startups, hoping to leverage a new concept or technology.

In a speech to Standard and Poor’s Auto Industry Hot Topics Conference in New York, Jeff Schuster, executive director of Global Forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates, identified a number of established auto manufacturers that are either planning to enter the U.S. or may be considering it, and another five “boutique startups.” Herewith, a selection:

Read the full article.

The staff at Bullz-Eye.com recently had the opportunity to review the 2011 Nissan JUKE Sport Cross and had some great commentary on the ride. Read what they had to say below!

If you’re looking for a new car that will get you noticed but you don’t want to break the bank, you ought to test drive the new Nissan JUKE. Nissan’s bold new entry in the sport crossover market has head-turning styling and an engine with a nice kick. The car immediately grabs your attention with a front end that turns conventional styling on its head. The turn signals are integrated into the front fenders in a spot where you might expect to find the headlights, but with a closer look you’ll see the round headlights below the turn signals. It won’t appeal to everyone, but we suspect it will be a big hit with a large number of guys in their 20s.

If you do decide to take a test drive, you’ll find out quickly that the JUKE is fun to drive. The JUKE sports a standard 188-horsepower 1.6-liter Direct Injection Gasoline turbo 4-cylinder engine, and it offers an advanced torque vectoring all-wheel drive (AWD) system as an optional upgrade over the front-wheel drive version. We were very impressed with the performance as we drove a JUKE with the AWD option around the beautiful scenery surrounding Vancouver. The handling on the JUKE is excellent with the AWD system and you’ll enjoy zipping around tight turns.

Read the entire article here.

Ford finally unveiled the 2011 Ford Explorer and this one could be a game changer “Again”! From the sleek and well placed all new interior to the ecoboost engine that could produce upwards of 25mpg highway this vehicle has appeal. The 2011 Explorer is such a departure from the current offering that it is the same in name only. Since it’s based off the same platform as the Taurus and Flex, similarities are easy to see.

The 2011 Explorer is a departure from the old days in so many ways including styling, a car based platform and a new 4 cylinder with ecoboost that we predict will win over more and more buyers as time as sales move forward.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Before Ford unveiled its 2011 Explorer, I doubted the new SUV would be anything special. After all, Ford has been tweaking the truck for 20 years, so what new things could be left to try?

Turns out this could be one of those rare redesigns that is more like a rebirth, mainly because of what Ford has done with the interior. The Explorer’s cabin, from the smooth feel of the door handles to the attractive colors and sharp graphics on its central display screen, shows attention to detail found in some luxury cars, but never in a Ford truck.

Read the full article here.

(Photo from the Detroit Free Press)

Bullz-Eye.com’s Gerardo Orlando recently sat down with Finbar McFall, who is Land Rover’s Vice President of Marketing in North America to talk about a host of topics, including what were some of the challenges the company faced over the last couple of years because of the down economy.

Finbar McFall: Hi Gerardo, it’s Finbar.

Bullz-Eye: Hey Finbar, how are you?

FM: Very good. Thanks.

BE: You took this new position in ’07, with this great luxury brand. I’m sure you had a lot of plans in place. And then we get to 2008 and the bottom falls out of the economy. It must have been quite a shock to your plans. Did that have a big impact? What happened?

FM: Well certainly, of course it had a big impact on everybody. It affected everything that was done because nobody had experienced anything like this really in recent memory. Across the business everyone was affected. The good news now of course is that we can feel a real momentum and our sales have been increasing, month to month, for the last seven months. You know, there’s always a positive side to these things. As we lived through what was a very difficult period, we all collectively learned, and I’m sure it was the same in your business; we all learned a lot of very useful lessons.

BE: Right.

FM: And hopefully ones that we keep with us. So, you know, we’ve become much more efficient in everything that we do, and that’s not just from a cost perspective as well. It’s also made sure that we’ve been more focused in our messaging. One of the things that I’ve been very keen to do, and I’ve been doing over the last couple of years with Land Rover and Range Rover messaging, is to make sure that there’s a real, what we call, a call to action. And you know our brands have a very emotional appeal but also there’s a very rational side to them as well. It’s always important but it’s been even more so living through the environment that we’ve been in. And I think that’s what’s really helped to make us stand out and sustain our sales through a difficult period. Now that we’re starting to come out the back of it, we launched our ’10 model year and they’ve been a huge success for us and that momentum has continued. So such is the nature of the economy and the environment that we’re still living in that you can never take anything for granted but we’re very hopeful now. We see growth back in our numbers again. There’s a real demand for our products out there. All the key metrics that we measure, whether it’s awareness, or consideration, or showroom traffic, or web hits, or leads and hand raisers, all of the business metrics that we have have been on an improving trend now for at least seven months, if not slightly longer actually.

Click here to read the entire interview.

Chrysler is gearing up for the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee by hiring 1100 new employees at the Jefferson North Plant in Detroit, Michigan. This is a really big deal for Chrysler and bringing in new hires will make this vehicle launch even more complicated as these are not experienced auto workers so Chrysler better be focusing on Quality like a laser beam.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne today said the company would hire 1,100 workers for a second shift at Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit over the summer.

The factory builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Marchionne’s remarks were made at a celebration to launch production of the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee — Chrysler’s first all-new vehicle since it emerged from bankruptcy nearly a year ago.

Marchionne said “nearly all” the new jobs for the second shift, which will start July 19, will be new hires and not existing UAW workers on layoff.

Read the full article here.

Gas mileage is all the rage now, even in your favorite pick up trucks. Very good to see and we welcome the focus on efficiency! GM is testing new grilles on the big boy trucks and according to the design engineer the new grille works like a flap, with movable louvers, integrated with the grille assembly. Hey, they actually don’t look bad either.

From AutoGuide.com:

With fuel economy still one of the primary buzz words in the auto industry these days, manufacturers are looking to do what they can to boost the mileage of their vehicles. When it comes to light trucks, any savings in gas mileage helps, especially in view of impending CAFE regulations. One method General Motors is seriously looking at, concerns louvered radiator grilles.

Read the full article here.

Once the Range Rover Design Q of England was finished with this already luxurious vehicle, it left with a drink chiller, cigar humidor, mini-spa center, elevated roof and a step through door. This Range Rover takes the good life to a whole new level.

From AutoGuide.com:

The whole term of VIP has really progressed over the last few decades. When it comes to automotive, there’s an entire VIP trend that outfits cars with a low-to-the-ground ride height and wildly aggressive wheels that poke beyond the fenders. This style, extremely popular in Japan, normally sees outfitted black vehicles with dark tint and even embroidered shades to conceal what’s inside.

But hey, if you’re out in the Middle East, VIP isn’t low to the ground or with privacy. VIP in the Middle East is taking a Range Rover and giving it wings, without the Red Bull. Design Q, a firm based in England, has done quite possibly the most outlandish luxury embellishment to a vehicle to date.

Read the full article here.