By RICHARD WILLIAMSON, Scripps Howard News Service

2010 FORD TAURUS
TYPE: Front-drive, five-passenger, mid-size sedan.
PRICE: $25,995 base.
WHERE BUILT: Chicago.
KEY RIVALS: Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Chevrolet Malibu.
POWER: 3.5-liter, 263-horsepower, Duratec V6; six-speed auto transmission.
FUEL ECONOMY: TBA, 19-gallon tank.

Specifics for the 2009 Audi A4 Quattro
TYPE: All-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact sedan.
PRICE: $40,000 base; $38,025 invoice; $825 destination charge; $49,975 as tested.
WHERE BUILT: Neckarsulm, Germany.
KEY RIVALS: BMW 3-Series; Mercedes-Benz C-Class; Lexus IS; Infiniti G37; Cadillac CTS.

Specifics for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
TYPE: Front-drive, five-passenger, mid-size, hybrid-powered sedan.
PRICE: TBA.
WHERE BUILT: Hermosillo, Mexico.
KEY RIVALS: Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Chevrolet Malibu.

Specifics for 2009 FORD F-150 SUPER CAB
TYPE: Rear-drive, full-size, four-door, five-passenger pickup.
PRICE: $25,670 base ($23,864 invoice).
WHERE BUILT: Dearborn, Mich., Claycomo, Mo.
KEY RIVALS: Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan.

This might seem like the worst possible time to bring a new vehicle to market, particularly a truck.
But American Suzuki sees a chance to hold its ground in the avalanche of bad news with a mid-size pickup called the Equator.

2009 SUZUKI EQUATOR
TYPE: Rear-drive, mid-size, crew-cab pickup.
WHERE BUILT: Smyrna, Tenn.
PRICE: $23,985 base.
KEY RIVALS: Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado , Dodge Dakota, Toyota Tacoma , Nissan Frontier, Mazda B-Series.
POWER: 4-liter, 261-horsepower, DOHC V6; five-speed auto transmission.
FUEL ECONOMY: 17 city, 22 highway mpg.

The car of the future may be a hybrid, but not the immediate future.
In November, sales of the vaunted Toyota Prius dropped 46 percent while the Honda Civic hybrid plunged 68 percent. For those of you on the waiting list, the wait is over.

Is Kia cool?
Maybe not, but it's got Soul, a funky new funmobile designed to establish some street cred among the young.

2010 KIA SOUL!
TYPE: Front-drive, five-door, five-passenger multi-purpose vehicle.
PRICE: TBA.
WHERE BUILT: Gwangju, South Korea.
KEY RIVALS: Toyota Scion xB, Nissan Cube, Honda Element.
POWER: 2-liter 142-horsepower, inline 4-cylinder engine; four-speed auto transmission.
FUEL ECONOMY: TBA.

After driving the new Volkswagen CC with the VR6 engine, one has to wonder: Who really needs Audi, after all?
For that matter, who needs BMW or Mercedes?
Perhaps we should keep them around as role models. There are still some luxury benchmarks VW has not achieved.