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Even as the auto industry sputters, Toyota's family of Prius hybrids is under rapid expansion. For 2012, the Toyota Prius is joined by the new, larger 2012 ToyotaPrius V wagon, as well as a new limited-availability Prius Plug-In Hybrid. Both of those will be reaching dealerships in Octover; then there's an all-new Prius C compact model on the way, next year.

Toyota has just priced both of these 2012 models—and both of the Prius Plug-In variants will, by the way, be eligible for a $2,500 federal tax credit.

Including the $760 destination fee, the base 2012 Prius V Two costs $27,160, while the mid-range Prius V Three is $27,925 and the top-of-the-line Prius V Five costs $30,750. The Prius Plug-In, on the other hand, will cost $32,760 for the base model or $40,285 in loaded Advanced form.

With a profile that's somewhere between station wagon and minivan—but a low ride height like a car—the Prius V doesn't make any attempt to be in style with crossovers—though it does have up to 80 percent more cargo space than other small SUVs, according to Toyota. With the high roof, more rear legroom, and fold-flat rear seatbacks plus rear seats that slide fore and aft, the Prius V promises a lot more versatility, as well as much more backseat space.

The powertrain is mostly the same as that of the standard Toyota Prius, however the Prius V weighs about 300 pounds more; that, combined with its less aerodynamic shape amount to somewhat lower—but still very impressive, next to other family wagons—EPA gas mileage ratings of 44 mpg city, 40 highway.

The entry-level Prius V Two even includes Bluetooth, a USB port, Smart Key entry, and a Display Audio system with rearview camera. A navigation system, Entune, expanded steering-wheel audio controls, and HD Radio with iTunes tagging get added to the Prius V Four, while the Five includes a six-way adjustable driver's seat with adjustable lumbar support; a four-way adjustable front passenger seat, both of them heated and trimmed in SofTex fabric (lighter than leather); LED headlamps; and integrated fog lamps.

Hyundai chose to give us the first drive of its all-new 2012 Veloster in Portland, Oregon, a city that's seemingly flooded with the young, educated, creative types that many other cities are trying so hard to attract.

It's absolutely brimming with (often underemployed) 20- and 30-something hipsters. And it seemed appropriate, as that's largely the same crowd Hyundai is trying to attract with the Veloster. While some automakers position sporty cars a little higher up the economic ladder, that's not the case here.

According to Hyundai VP of corporate and product planning Mike O'Brien, the Veloster functions as a sort of "reverse halo" for the lineup—emphasizing accessibility and 'non-traditional' factors.

Hyundai doesn't try hide its demographic intent with the Veloster in design, either. From the outside, its roofline calls itself out as an abbreviated sport coupe. Meanwhile, from the side we saw an unmistakable likeness to the Kia Soul, which also has blacked-out A-pillars and a roofline that peaks at the top of the windshield. And when seen from the back—or up above—the Veloster looks like a sexy grand-tourer—further enforced by the chunky wheelwells and just-perfect proportions.

But then you might notice that there's a small back door, only on the passenger side—giving it some gawky credibility in the way of oversized glasses. And that blacked out lower airdam can be seen as the type of sinister grin you might carve into a jack o' lantern—especially when you're looking at a Veloster that's the burnt orange—or maybe it's just an ironic moustache. And in the palette are American Apparel-like colors like Electrolyte Green, 26.2 Yellow, Vitamin C, and Boston Red.

The Veloster, as Portlanders will often say, with pride, it "lets its freak flag fly," a little bit.

But just before you say, "Sorry, man, that sounds a little too...out there," consider this: While the Veloster flaunts it a little bit on the outside, there's nothing ironic or faddish about the interior; what you get is an interior that truly blends some of the racy feel of a sports car with the versatility of a hatchback. There's also a lot of performance influence, outside and in, from sportbikes—including V-shaped center stack that was contoured to look like a motorcycle fueltank, a center console inspired by sportbike saddles, and vents modeled after exhaust tips.

Likewise, all those sportbike-related cues underscore a point that starts to emerge after you've had some time behind the wheel: The Veloster is far more than just an uber-hip body thrown over an economy-car chassis. Hyundai has given this little three-door some serious chops.

First off, the Veloster can handle really well, putting it a league above the Elantrasedan, with which it shares substantial pieces of body structure and chassis. Hyundai has thankfully given it more goodness for driving enthusiasts; the Korean automaker green-lighted a U.S. engineering team to shelve the Elantra suspension and instead design and test a new, performance-oriented rear-suspension setup for the Veloster; they went with a V-torsion beam configuration, which includes an integrated (and large) 23-mm stabilizer bar, plus monotube shocks—in all, a huge improvement over the Elantra's twist-beam-axle rear.

What this means is that you can really throw the sub-2,600-pound Veloster around tight corners, yet it stays composed and doesn't exhibit the secondary motions you'd get over less-than-perfect surfaces with the twist-beam. Like a number of today's more sophisticated small-car suspensions, like the Ford Focusand Mazda3, it feels remarkably responsive and balanced for a front-driver; simply hunkers down evenly, shifting its weight back with no snap but an even, predictable attitude—without any more road harshness, which is really a triumph in the design. It's no sports car, but it's genuinely a sporty drive.

We drive the 2012 Hyundai Veloster and learn it's not just for hipsters. [TheCarConnection]

Here's everything you need to know about electric cars. [GreenCarReports]

Did you know it's National Child Passenger Safety Week? [FamilyCarGuide]

A new smartphone application helps you find nearby ambulance chasers. [AllCarTech]

Video of us doing a burnout in a 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8. [MotorAuthority]

Is diesel fuel the dark-horse contender for cleaner, greener cars? [GreenCarReports]

Hyundai is recalling the 2007-2008 Santa Fe and Veracruz due to a front airbagdefect. [FamilyCarGuide]

Smart put the Fortwo Electric Drive into a real life game of pong. [AllCarTech]

Ford's latest TV spot is critical of GM and Chrysler. [TheCarConnection]

Jaguar releases video of the C-X16 Concept driving in the mountains. [MotorAuthority]

Subaru is recalling 69,590 copies of the 2011 Legacy and Outback because of a problem with the moonroof. The glass has been known to loosen and detach from the roof while driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA says that the adhesive between the glass and the retainer was inadequately applied.

Earlier this year, Subaru recalled 195,080 copies of the 2010 and 2011 Legacy and Outback to fix the wiper-motor bottom cover that could overheat and lead to a fire.

The new recall begins in October, and dealers will inspect the glass adhesive to see whether it is suitable and apply more if necessary.

The 2012 Acura TSX sedan and sports wagon gets a $200 price bump across the line, which puts the base model with a five-speed automatic at $30,695.

Acura also announced a new Special Edition package ($31,695, including $885 destination) with upgrades to the exterior including a more aggressive front end, bumper and side sills. Seventeen-inch, five-spoke aluminum wheels get a dark gray finish, and a Special Edition badge adorns the trunk lid. Both automatic and manual transmissions are offered.

Inside, the 2012 Acura TSX Special Edition gets seats with perforated suede inserts, plus red stitching and lighting to accent the interior. The pedals get aluminum covers while a black headliner replaces the gray one used on the rest of the TSX models.

The sedan and sport wagon will continue with the same powertrains as last year. The four-cylinder model makes 201 hp while the V6 gets a hefty 280 hp. The wagons are offered only with a five-speed automatic transmission.

The Special Edition makes its debut at the Orange County International Auto Show on Sept. 22 and will be available at the end of the month. The rest of the 2012 TSX models are in Acura showrooms now.

Toyota announced pricing of the new Prius V and Prius Plug-in on Friday. The new compact V wagon will carry an MSRP of $27,160, while the plug-in hybrid stickers at $32,760. Both include $760 in destination and handling, but only the plug-in is expected to qualify for the $2,500 government tax credit.

The Prius V is bigger than the regular Prius liftback, thanks to an elongated roof reportedly offering 58 percent more interior cargo space. Using Toyota’s patented Hybrid Synergy Drive, it returns 44 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.

Three trims will be offered on the Prius V, Two, Three and Five. Base features on the Two include a 6.1-inch display screen, Bluetooth, keyless entry and 16-inch wheels.

The Three adds navigation and the Entune multimedia system with satellite radio, iTunes tagging and HD capability.

The Five gets all the stuff from the lower models and adds higher-quality heated seats, a three-door smart key, 17-inch wheels, LED headlights and a few more odds and ends.

The Prius plug-in hybrid is similar to the liftback but has an extended electric-only driving range of 15 miles at a max speed of 62 mph. The company estimates that it will return 87 mpg equivalent in electric mode, dropping to 49 mpg during hybrid operation.

In what could be the biggest benefit, Toyota also says the plug-in will have a quick recharge time of just 2.5 hours to three hours on a standard outlet. The time is halved if a 240-volt circuit is used.

Like the Prius V, the plug-in will operate in three modes: EV, eco, and power. EV mode maintains the car in all-electric drive as long as possible, while eco will use both the engine and battery. Power mode will use both as well but defer to acceleration rather than economy.

The Prius Plug-in will come in a base trim and Advanced. The base trim gets heated front seats, remote air conditioning, smart key and a display screen with navigation. LED daytime running lights and 15-inch wheels are also standard.

The Advanced model adds the Entune multimedia system with a premium audio unit, smartphone control, head-up display, radar cruise control, LED headlights and integrated fog lights.

The plug-in hybrid will go on sale in 14 launch states beginning in October, with deliveries starting in spring of 2012. The launch states are California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. A full rollout is planned for 2013.

Also announced on Friday, Leviton, a provider of 240-volt home charging stations, has developed a home charger just for the Prius Plug-in. The basic package starts at $999.

Mercedes-Benz takes the top off the SLS and lets the sun shine in. The same great drivetrain and suspension is now topped with a fully automatic retractable canvas roof with solid rear glass. The top goes up or down in 11 seconds and can even be operated at speeds up to 31 mph, so you don't have to block traffic when the sun comes out all of a sudden.

Since the SLS was designed from the outset to accommodate a soft top, additional structural reinforcements were limited to slight modifications of the door sills and some cross-bracing, all of which added only 4.4 pounds to the body-in-white. Total weight increase for the roadster version was only 88 pounds. Total increase in fun was considerably more.

Is there a better grand tourer made today? Seriously, if you had to--say someone forced you--to drive the greatest roads of, say, Europe, all of the greatest roads, well, OK, then you'd have about a million choices for which car to take. But if you wanted to take someone along and you wanted that person to be comfortable and, indeed, you wanted a high level of comfort to go with your high-speed Alpine Pass-crossings, the list of cars to do it in shrinks a bit. After careful consideration you might find the SLS Roadster on top of the list.

The powertrain is unchanged from the coupe. The 6.2-liter V8 still makes 571 hp at 6,800 rpm and 480 lb-ft of torque, and it still sounds great doing it. The difference is you can now hear that wonderful thunderous cacophony much better with the top down. Blasting through the many tunnels of the Alpes Maritimes we pulled the "down" paddle on the left side of the steering wheel just to hear the sound of the pipes echoing off the cool limestone.

Our drive route took us from the Grand Prix course in the streets of Monaco--specifically through the start/finish, the bus-stop chicane and through the tunnel--to long winding stretches of the Rallye Monte Carlo through Sospel. In the city and along the beaches of the Cote d'Azure with the top down, the SLS Roadster was perfect for communing with the beach community. The SLS behaves perfectly smoothly in stop-and-go traffic and could easily function as a daily driver. Once up in the hills we could set the transmission and suspension to whatever was appropriate for mountain pursuit driving. The transmission can go from normal to sport and sport-plus depending on your mood and there is a new feature, to be shared with the coupe, that allows for three stiffness settings for the suspension. And, thankfully, there is a "traction off" button, which we employed for the many hairpin switchbacks. The power of the car was easy to lay down onto the roads, and the stability of the SLS Roadster, just as in the coupe, is amazing. We never got into any trouble despite roads that would eat lesser cars for lunch.

In a straight line, 0 to 60 mph comes up in 3.6 seconds and top speed is 197 mph. We didn't try the top speed but we believe the car is quite capable of that.

There are more competent sports cars that could negotiate a racetrack faster than this and provide more immediate, direct feedback to your sitzplatz, but the SLS Roadster is a car that you could live with spending a summer crisscrossing every pass in the Alps just as easily as crossing every intersection in Paris (or Peoria).

Of course, it ain't cheap. Mercedes says pricing will be "under $200,000" when cars begin arriving in dealerships in early November.