Stepped away from your Blackberry, PC, or iPad for the week? Here are a few of the top news stories for the past week, along with some racing action you may want to tune into during your weekend.

2011 Dodge Durango Unveiled

The Durango has been absent from Dodge’s lineup for a year, but based on our first impressions, the hiatus was worth the wait. Aside from sharing its unibody architecture with the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the design theme is fresh for the SUV, with a much more sleek and streamlined appearance.

Read our first look HERE.

August Sales Slump for Some, Surge for Others

Monthly sales figures give great insight into the health of the auto industry and individual automakers alike. This month, many brands began to slip after months of positive figures, affected by the positive success of last summer’s Cash for Clunkers program. General Motors, as a whole, slipped in sales, with Chevrolet falling short of last year’s numbers by 22 percent. Its remaining three brands were all up, however; Cadillac posted an 83-percent increase, Buick was up by 66 percent, and GMC climbed 12 percent. At Ford, Ford and Mercury slumped by 10.7 and 22.5 percent from last year, while premium brand Lincoln gained 9.4 percent. Chrysler was the only manufacturer to see an overall increase, up 7 percent. German luxury brands Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz all experienced increases of 14, 1.6, and 15 percent, respectively. Asian automakers, on the other hand, had a rough August. Honda and Toyota dropped by 32.7 and 34 percent, respectively, while Hyundai and Kia also saw decreases of 11 and 19 percent.

New EPA Fuel Economy Label Proposed: What Do You Think?

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled new proposed fuel economy labels that would help consumers to identify the energy consumption of new vehicles. Additional information included letter grades, ranking vehicles based on their carbon dioxide output and fuel economy, expected energy used for a 100 mile trip, and fuel cost expenditure based on five years of driving. The agency realized the existing labels needed a refresh as alternative energy sources become more mainstream.  The labels are simply in the proposal stage, while the agency collects comments from the public about their thoughts on the new signage.

Paris Previews

In just four short weeks, the Paris Motor Show is set to kick off the 2010-11 auto show circuit. With the show right around the corner, automakers are beginning to give us a glimpse of what they’ll be unveiling on stage. This week Chevrolet revealed it will bring a hatchback version of its compact Cruze. While technically a show car, we believe there’s a good chance we’ll see this thing on the streets fairly soon. We also got a sneak peak at what Lotus will bring to the show: a pair of three- and five-door hatchbacks, based on a concept from its Malaysian owner Proton.

Weekend Racing:

- Indycar Series Meijer Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway Saturday September 4, on Versus at 8 p.m.
- NASCAR Emory Healthcare 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday September 5, on ESPN at 7:30 p.m.

What a difference a year makes. After dark times nearly ground the auto industry to a halt, production lines are back up to speed, sending bright, shiny — and most importantly — quality vehicles into showrooms. From electric to electrifying, we break it all down in a concise, model-by-model review that begins on the next page. To make things easier, we’ve broken it down into five parts separated by automaker:

Photo Gallery: 2011-2012 New Car Buyer’s Guide: The Ultimate Buying Guide Part 1 – Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Bentley, Buick, Cadillac – Motor Trend

What a difference a year makes. After dark times nearly ground the auto industry to a halt, production lines are back up to speed, sending bright, shiny — and most importantly — quality vehicles into showrooms. From electric to electrifying, we break it all down in a concise, model-by-model review that begins on the next page. To make things easier, we’ve broken it down into five parts separated by automaker:

Photo Gallery: 2011-2012 New Cars: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide, Part 2 – Motor Trend