Car and Driver takes an interesting look into the auto industry, if you can even call it that, in North Korea, a part of the world not exactly known for its openness or for playing by other countries' notions of fairness.

Those qualities help explain some of the cars seen on the road in the nation's capital, Pyongyang -- and there aren't too many of them, considering that private citizens cannot officially own automobiles, though some manage to do just that thanks to government connections. First off, there are the Volvo 144s, now mostly used as taxis, 1,000 of which the North Koreans ordered from Sweden but reportedly never paid for. There are also various types of Mercedes from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the Kaengsaeng 88, which is a North Korean-built knockoff of the Mercedes-Benz 190E. Apparently, back when North Korea still had some Russian cash coming in, then-leader Kim Il-Sung demanded the Kaengsaeng to be built in order to show the world they could compete with capitalist South Korea, which had just then started building its own automobiles. By all reports, the car is a pinnacle of bad engineering. 

Fans of the iconic Dodge Charger muscle sedan have been eagerly awaiting details on the upgrades for the 2011 model year. And today, this latest hunk of Mopar muscle is being revealed in its most buttoned-down form--the police package.

Just one fairly vague picture has been revealed, but as expected, the Charger will get Chrysler's Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 engine. Ratings haven't been released, but the engine makes 290 hp in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. We also get our first official glimpse of the Charger's slightly more sinister front end, which is similar to what we've seen in spy shots. Most significantly, the nose and headlights appear sharper and more pointed, though the Charger retains the basic look of the current car.

 

Americans don’t like hatchbacks. At least, that’s the generalization that most manufacturers that do business here in the U.S. tend to operate by. To their credit, the sales numbers seem to back up that claim: Sedans typically outsell their long-roof counterparts by wide margins despite their limited functionality, and that’s something that Audi seems to have picked up on with its A3. The smallest of the American Audi fleet is available only in 5-door trim and certainly hasn’t enjoyed the kind of sales success that the company had hoped for. According to Financial Times Germany, the company is taking a hard look at bringing a 4-door version of the A3 to the U.S. in an attempt to win over more buyers.

The move could give the A3 an edge in this segment. Its main competitor is the BMW 1-Series, which is available only as a coupe. Adding a 4-door to the Audi lineup would probably broaden the car’s appeal significantly, but from where we’re standing, the A3 has a larger hurdle to overcome -- namely, its sibling the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen. 

Good news for Buick fans who like to shift their own gears: The upcoming GS version of the Buick Regal, set to hit dealerships next year, will offer a manual transmission. Of course, it makes sense, given that the Regal GS aims to attract more performance-oriented drivers -- which is also why the manual transmission will be mated to a 2-liter turbocharged direct-injection Ecotec engine capable of 255 horsepower. But that doesn't mean the news isn't surprising, considering that it will mark the first time Buick has offered a manual transmission in 22 years. The last tri-badge with a manual? The 1989 Skyhawk. 

Via Jalopnik, the new ad from Nissan featuring a revving engine and the voice of Tony Stark -- er, Robert Downey Jr. Its boast? The carmaker put brake-override technology -- soon to be mandated by the government -- in its vehicles six years ago. Its never-mentioned but oh-so-clear target? Toyota.

Way to kick them when they're down, Nissan.

Check it out after the jump. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the Ford Fiesta a "top safety pick" designation -- the first "minicar" to get the nod since the IIHS added a roof strength requirement for protection in rollover accidents. (In order to be designated a top safety pick, vehicles must receive a grade of "good" for front, side, rollover and rear crash protection, and must also offer electronic stability control as standard equipment.) 

The Chevrolet Suburban, the longest-running nameplate in the auto industry, turned 75 this year, and Chevy held a little birthday party on Detroit's Belle Isle on Tuesday. The General Motors division brought some classics for us to ogle and drive, from a 1935 to the 2010 Diamond Edition.

Through the early 1930s, automakers were offering car-based wagons. So the idea for the Suburban began when GM saw a need in the marketplace for a heavier-duty, truck-based wagon.

 

We've learned to roll our eyes when Fiat or Alfa Romeo pledge to return to American showrooms. Both brands have floated grand plans before, leaving us scanning the shores for some sexy Italian cars -- then leaving us jilted at the dock. But with Fiat now intimately intertwined with Chrysler, the plans to use Fiat and Alfa Romeo to shore up Chrysler’s weakling car lineup appear to be a done deal.

 

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler Group, visited the Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, this week, with Vice President Joe Biden in tow. Automotive News quoted Marchionne as saying that roughly 200 Chrysler dealers will be awarded Fiat franchises later this year; he added that Fiat dealers would likely be the showroom source for the Alfa Romeo brand -- a move that makes far more sense than forcing the Alfa Romeo brand into an uncomfortable spot within Fiat’s Ferrari and Maserati dealerships. Chrysler’s independently owned dealers could certainly use any boost available to them: The company had 3,181 dealers before it filed for bankruptcy, and has slashed those ranks to 2,311 even as some dealers sue Chrysler over the loss of their franchises.