Like most auto industry executives, the 2012 Nissan Tiida (Versa) had a choice to make this week: Shanghai or New York? China or Chinatown? Central Park or YuYuan Garden? Reuben or Xiaolongbao? Decisions, decisions. Speaking of which, we’re not even positive at this point that this Chinese-market Tiida (just revealed at the Shanghai show) is the same car as the US-market Versa that’s set to debut in Detroit. Either way, expect the Versa to be offered as a Compact (C-Segment) model, as its smaller brother, the Micra, is set to arrive in the US within the next 12 months or so to take over subcompact duty…

Few vehicles have been as relentlessly restyled over the past 10 years as Subaru’s Impreza, which has endured five new versions or refreshes since 2001 (including the Mk1).  And now there’s a new version, taking styling cues from Subaru’s Impreza Concept as well as (to our eyes, anyway) the first-generation of Pontiac Vibe. Though the front and rear treatments are an improvement on the weakly-detailed current model, the proportions don’t seem to have improved any. And then there’s the under-the-skin issues. That 36 MPG promised by Subaru for the next Impreza comes from a downsized engine (two liters rather than 2.5) and a continuously-variable transmission (CVT). The Outback version, hinted at in this XV Concept, should get less than 36 MPG thanks to its jacked-up ride height, but it’s still not clear whether the 2.5 and manual transmission will continue to be available on the new Impreza.

Pull your eyes away from its fussy front-end treatment for one moment, and you’ll find that Volvo’s Concept Universe displays some classically elegant luxury-flagship lines. A long, sculpted hood, a kicked-back coupe-like cabin with powerful haunches and suicide rear doors all add up to an imposing but athletic flagship, with proportions that scream luxury. In fact, having escaped from the clutches of the serial luxury-brand mismanagers at Ford, Volvo appears to have created the Lincoln flagship that everyone has been begging for. Go ahead: compare this Concept Universe to Lincoln’s MKR Concept and tell us which looks like the better Lincoln flagship. Graft a subtle waterfall grille on this bad boy, and China could save Lincoln’s image the way Chinese designers were able to re-capture Buick’s all-American magic with designs like the LaCrosse. As a Volvo, on the other hand, the Concept Universe may be just a tad too ambitious.

Billed as a concept that

introduces the development direction for Buick’s future SUV products for the market,

the Chinese-designed Envision is the first look at future Buick design since the Buick Business from two years ago. But whereas the Business Concept pointed the way towards a funkily distinctive Buick aesthetic and product sensibility (if anyone should reinvent the minivan, shouldn’t it be Buick?), the Envision concept is an anonymously internationalist crossover. GM’s presser claims the Envision “merges Buick’s global design language with Chinese aesthetics,” but next to Buick’s previous Chinese-designed masterpieces of contemporary “American-style” design like the Business, Invicta and Riviera concepts, it offers little to identify it as a Buick. In fact, it seems more like a tribute to the Hyundai Tucson, which itself is something of an homage to Ford’s Kinetic Design. Perhaps Buick’s designers are trying to signal the fact that, in the future, all crossovers will look exactly the same.

What was old has become new… again! After letting the old New Beetle languish on the market for a remarkable 13th year, VW has revisited its ’90s retro hit with a longer, lower, wider update on the new Jetta’s platform [The 2012 Beetle is 71.2 inches wide (3.3 inches wider), 58.5 inches tall (.5 inches lower) and 168.4 inches long (6 inches longer)]. The engine options are largely the same as the Jetta’, with TDI, 2.5 liter five-cylinder and 2.0 Turbo mills on offer, with a 200 HP range-topper offering an electronic limited-slip diff and dual-clutch gearbox.

Convertible and Hybrid versions should be coming down the pipe shortly, but for now all VW wants to talk about is the Beetle’s return to an original-style profile, its status as a “new original” and its ability to “respect the past while looking to the future.” Which is all well and good, but no matter how well the New New Beetle may tickle the Boomers’ retro sensibilities, it’s got nothing to to do with original Beetle’s values. If anything, the New New Beetle should do some of its best work by making at least a few sub-Boomers just a little bit nostalgic for the late 1990s, a simpler time when retro cars didn’t even have to be faithful to the original as long as they offered a plastic flower vase. Now those were some special times…

It’s promising to be a bit of a slow weekend, with the entire auto media preparing for a week of madness at either the New York Auto Show, or on the other side of the world, the Shanghai Auto Show. So here, to add to the building sense of anticipation, is yet another image of Chevy’s forthcoming 2013 Malibu. Enjoy… but just be sure to save some enthusiasm for next week.

Buick has gone back to China in order to find the way forward… and based on these renderings of the soon-to-be-launched Envision Concept, their designers have been spending some time with Mazda’s “Japanese Alfa Romeo”-focused stylists. Which is an interesting state of affairs: When Buick’s US managers lost their way, GM’s Chinese staff rediscovered the essence of the brand in designs like the Riviera and Invicta concepts. Now, it seems that Buick’s Chinese stylists may be starting to lose the plot, turning out this effort that looks like it could carry nearly any auto brand in existence. Is it time to bring Buick design back home?

Even though Chevy’s new Malibu doesn’t get officially revealed until next Tuesday, and won’t actually go into production until January or reach dealers until the following spring (that’s right, a year from now), here’s a big, fat picture of the thing. After the Camaro-inspired taillight tease, I would guess that more than a few folks were expecting something a little more bold from the redesign, rather than the round-n-crease update we’re getting. We’ll withhold judgement until we see more, but as a first real look at a car that’s being rushed into production, this one leaves us feeling a little flat. But hey, at least we have plenty of time to get used to it.

Start with a serving of 5-Series GT, mix with a healthy portion of DeTomaso “D’oh-ville,” add a splash of Jag, and garnish with some Opel Insignia. Did we leave anything out in the recipe for “Great Wall SC80”?

Typically, when a focused, well-branded company like BMW buys storied brands and then tries to combine them, the results are less than ideal for all involved. Thus far, BMW had actually been doing a fantastic job with its MINI and Rolls-Royce franchises, expanding into new niches while revitalizing potent brands with high-quality products. But putting the two together? It’s not clear how many buyers will line up for this Rolls-fettled MINI Goodwood (price estimated as high as £50,000), but at least the thing has good historical precedent in the Peter Sellers Mini-Rolls. And compared to some of the modern attempts to create premium city cars (hello Aston Cygnet), that makes this über-priced MINI-mashup something more than a mere cynical play for profits and C02 emission average reductions. In fact, it’s something of a tribute to BMW’s stewardship of two brands that could well have been botched over the past decade or so. Hit the jump for details on the Mini Goodwood’s posh appointments.

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Audi’s upcoming A3 may represent a certain amount of a break from recent Audi strategy, but as new sketches of the compact luxury car emerge, it’s clear that Audi isn’t taking any steps into the unknown with its design. Park this sketch next to a new A6, and the only difference appears to be some extra nose and rear deck. I suppose that if the fashion gods are smiling upon you, as they seem to be smiling upon Audi these days, you keep your designs consistent and conservative. But with Mercedes-Benz breaking out of the “one sausage, different lengths” mold and throwing funky, expressive hatches into the A3’s competitive space, shouldn’t Audi be trying a little harder to beat off the oldest trap in German luxury sedan styling?

This isn’t the first time Mercedes has rolled out a front-drive design, but for the first time it’s creating a flood of transverse-engined cars that won’t be limited to Europe, but are intended to conquer the whole world. And this, the concept version of the forthcoming Mercedes A Class, previews one of the most important bodystyles of Benz’s front-drive offensive, the “family hatch.” But as important as this funky Audi A3-fighting hatch is to the global fight for front-drive luxury acceptance, it does not appear to be headed stateside.

Thanks to Mercedes’ exquisite sensitivity to “American tastes” (pronounced with a slight shudder in the original German), we’ll only be getting sedan, “sporty coupe” and (sigh) crossover versions of this platform. Two liter engines (think 150-200 HP), and dual clutch transmissions should motivate US versions when they launch next year, and eventually a turbocharged 320 HP AWD “STI by AMG” version should become available. Just try to stop using the phrase “wrong wheel drive” in front of the local Mercedes dealer.

The evolution of Subaru’s design (if, indeed evolution is the right word) is one of those topics that never ceases to draw the interest of the auto-obsessed. Unlike most mainstream car brands, Subaru created a hard-core fanbase on the strength of its unique greasy bits, specifically its distinctive commitment to boxer engines and AWD. In Subaru’s formative years on the market, wacky and ever-changing designs were something the fans learned to live with.

Now, however, with Subaru breaking into the mass market’s consciousness, its design is gradually becoming more consistent and more mainstream, a trend that this first shot of the 2012 Impreza seems unlikely to roll back. And with 36 highway MPG reportedly on tap for the next Impreza, Subaru is reeling in its fuel economy disadvantage as well. The only question: does each evolution towards consistency and mass appeal continue to alienate that fanbase? And if so, does it matter?

According to Lexus

The LF-Gh, which stands for Lexus Future Grand Touring Hybrid, sets out to redefine the premium grand touring sedan. Through this exercise, the definition of L-Finesse, the marque’s design philosophy since 2001, has been refined and evolved to include a bolder, more distinct projection of what a luxury car could become in a modern world. The result is the LF-Gh concept, which conveys original thoughts and ideas that may migrate to future Lexus vehicles on a global scale.

From these teasers, it’s hard to tell what Lexus’s “spindle grille” actually looks like, but the brand says it “hints at the new face of Lexus vehicles.” If nothing else, Lexus seems to be diverging from its arch-conservative stylistic roots, a move that will be interesting to watch given Toyota’s history of success with a substance-over-style strategy.