The launch of the highly anticipated 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is expected in the spring of 2009. It'll feel a bit like back to the future, as GM's iconic pony re-emerges to compete with the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger.

The new Camaro will be available with a 3.6-liter V6 aided by a six-speed automatic, a combination expected to be rated at 26 mpg on the highway. Enthusiasts will gravitate to the Camaro SS, equipped with a powerful V8 and a choice of manual and automatic transmissions and 20-inch wheels. The Camaro will be built on GM's new global rear-wheel-drive architecture.

The production version looks essentially identical to the concept first shown at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, a remarkable achievement given the demands a modern design must meet. Compared with the retro-styled Mustang and Challenger, the Camaro has a more contemporary and angular appearance that looks more cutting edge.

This is not a reissued '69 Camaro. In fact, some might have wondered if this car was designed in the Chevy studio at all. It's edginess looked Cadillac inspired.

Underneath, it's thoroughly modern, offering the latest in technology.

While the exterior has a modern edge and attitude, the interior has more retro styling cues with two large main gauges and with other gauges located at the front of the center console.

The Camaro SS comes with a 6.2-liter V8 with a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. Cars with manual transmissions use GM's LS3 V8 expected to produce 422 horspower and 408 pound-feet of torque. The LS3 debuted on the 2008 Corvette and uses high-flow cylinder heads based on the Corvette Z06's LS7 engine for strong low-end torque and high-rpm power. Camaro SS automatics come with a new L99 V8 based on the LS3 that carries all the high-performance design features but also includes GM's fuel-saving Active Fuel Management feature, enabling the engine to run on only four cylinders when cruising on the highway to improve fuel economy.

The 3.6-liter V6 standard on the Camaro LS and LT is direct-injected and features variable valve timing. It's expected to generate 300 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual comes standard, a six-speed automatic optional.

The new Camaro rides on a 112-inch wheelbase and will be 190 inches long. The Camaro SS is expected to weigh 3,866 pounds with the manual gearbox.

When the all-new 2010 Buick LaCrosse goes on sale this summer it will be more stylish and luxurious.

The LaCrosse, you may or may not recall, is a midsize sedan. Launched as a 2005 model, we liked it. And the new design is part of a plan by General Motors to revamp the Buick lineup much as it successfully did with the Cadillac lineup. The change to the Buick line started with the Enclave midsize crossover SUV, a vehicle that impressed us greatly.

Part of the GM's goal is to win younger, more affluent buyers for the Buick brand. The new LaCrosse was created with great attention to detail, craftsmanship and advanced technology, says Buick, and it builds on the success of Enclave and serves as the next step in Buick's renaissance.

The 2010 LaCrosse is built on the next generation of GM's global midsize car architecture, formerly known as Epsilon. The Buick LaCrosse is the first domestic car on the new platform, so it doesn't share with the Saturn Aura or Chevrolet Malibu, as you might suspect. Overseas, the Opel Insignia, which recently won the European Car of the Year award, uses the same architecture.

The new LaCrosse was developed globally. The architecture was designed in Europe, the interior styled in China, and the body design and vehicle integration completed in the United States. Compared to the outgoing model, the 2010 LaCrosse is about an inch shorter with a wheelbase that is 1.2 inches longer. This moves the wheels farther to the corners and results in a more athletic stance. The exterior styling employs cues of the Buick Invicta concept car shown at the Beijing auto show in China in 2008. The sculpted sides and waterfall grille are influenced by the Enclave.

Buick says the new LaCrosse will be the quietest Buick yet thanks to Quiet Tuning, which involves acoustic laminated glass, triple-sealed doors, liquid-sealed sound deadening, and special designs for the suspension bushings, engine cradle and mounts, and steering and induction systems.

The 2010 Buick LaCrosse will be offered in CX, CXL, and sporty CXS models. The V8-powered Super model will not return.

All models will use direct-injected V6 engines. Standard in the CX and CXL will be a new 3.0-liter V6 that will find its way into several other GM vehicles. In the LaCrosse, it will make 255 horsepower and 211 pound-feet of torque, and Buick estimates fuel economy ratings of 18 mpg city and 27 mpg highway.

The CXS model will come with GM's proven 3.6-liter V6, which will produce 280 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque in the 2010 LaCrosse. Buick estimates fuel economy numbers of 17/26 mpg for the CXS and says it will be capable of reaching 60 mph in less than seven seconds. Both engines will use a six-speed automatic transmission, and the CXS will have a manual shiftgate.

Front-wheel drive will be standard. The CXL model will also be available with an all-wheel-drive system with an electronic rear limited-slip differential that can send power side-to-side along the rear axle, which is a sophisticated setup.

CX models will have cloth seats and 17-inch wheels, while CXLs will be get leather upholstery, 18-inch wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control and fog lights. The CXS will heated and cooled seats and chrome-plated 18-inch wheels with optional 19s. Also standard on CXS will be a real-time damping system with three settings to adjust ride quality, as well as steering, throttle, and all-wheel-drive system calibrations.

That sounds all sounds very good. We loved the handling of the outgoing LaCrosse but thought the ride quality was a little choppy on rough metro freeways.

Inside, the 2010 LaCrosse will be more pleasant than the outgoing model, with real wood trim, blue-lit instrumentation and ambient lighting, and stitched leather trim on the dash. Other available features will include Bluetooth connectivity, a USB audio interface, a rearview camera, adaptive headlights, a head's up display, and GM's new Side Blind Zone alert system.