For the truly hard-core Corvette fanatic who likes to spend weekends thrashing his or her car at the track, there is only one Corvette worthy of consideration: the Z06. However, thanks to the ZR1, the lightweight, normally aspirated 7.0-liter coupe is no longer the absolute quickest Vette, but it is felt to have the most responsive handling. What it doesn’t have is the uber-cool carbon-ceramic brakes, carbon-fiber body panels and magnetic ride active damping system of its supercharged sibling. That can now be changed to past tense with the birth of the Z06 Carbon edition announced today by General Motors.

With the recent unveiling of the Aveo RS concept at the Detroit Auto Show and spy shots of Chevrolet’s diminutive hatch testing in Michigan, Chevy is obviously prepping all-new Aveo for prime time. And judging by these pics procured by KickingTires after a presentation by Bob Lutz, the Aveo is getting a much-needed makeover both inside and out.

The new Chevrolet Spark is built to serve the burgeoning mini car segment, the fastest growing area of the new car market across the entire world, it is a newcomer that has been designed to appeal to car buyers in every inhabited continent across the globe, from India to Africa, Australia to the USA.

Chevrolet is looking at two ways to “sport up” General Motors’ Delta compact platform. The more radical idea involves all new, “four-door coupe”-style sheetmetal on the same platform as the 2011 Chevy Cruze compact. The car would retain the Cruze’s wheelbase, but with a more rakish roofline that would sacrifice some back seat space for a more expressive design.

The Chevrolet Cruze is one of 10 finalists for the World Car of the Year award, as selected by a jury of 59 international automotive journalists, based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work. The jury members constitute a balance of representation from Asia, Europe, North America, South America, as well as other parts of the world including South Africa.