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Oversized sunroofs and panorama glass have become commonplace in the SUV market, but this Hummer H3 takes that concept one step further. It features a full length retractable cloth roof created by aftermarket company ASC. Called ‘Infinivu’, the roof should be enough to brighten up the otherwise cave-like interior of the H3 for your next safari adventure. Because this vehicle was first seen at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this past November, GM also tarted up the exterior with 20-inch wheels and meaty Mickey Thompson tyres. There is no word on whether Hummer will offer this special roof straight from the factory.

hard-top Convertible
The 2008 3-series is BMW's first retractable hard top. Depending on the extent of your past experiences with the brand, this may be a smart step forward or the first sign of the apocalypse. The long-awaited convertible version of BMW's current 3-series will have pow-erplants and badges that mirror those of its fixed-roof coupe sibling: the 328i will use a 230-hp, 3.0-litre I-6, and the 335i gets a 300-hp, twin-turbo version of the same engine. The convertible unfortunately weighs 400 pounds more than the coupe, but at least it has special infrared-reflecting leather that stays cool in the sun.

watch out for the rogue
Shoppers in the market for a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4 after September 2007 will have one more dealership to stop at. Better late than never, as they say, so Nissan is bringing a small crossover SUV to market for the 2008 model year, called the Rogue. The Rogue carries a family resemblance to the rest of the Nissan lineup. The styling is decidedly soft, unlike the butch Xterra and Pathfinder. Indecisive buyers will like the Rogue, since there are no difficult powertrain choices. All Rogues will come with a 170-hp 2.5-litre four-cylinder and CVT transmission.

all new Malibu
Hitting showrooms sometime in 2007 is Chevy's all-new 2008 Malibu. Chevy says this dual-port front end is the new face of Chevrolet, so get used to it. From the rear, the new Malibu looks like a cross between an Infiniti M35/M45 and a Buick Lucerne, despite the integration of Chevrolet's trademark twin-round taillights. Compared to the current Malibu, the 2008 model is three inches longer and has a wheelbase that is a gigantic six inches longer. Under its bulging hood will lie one of two engines – GM's Ecotec 2.4-litre, 164-hp four, or a 252-hp, variable-valve-timing 3.6-litre V-6.

Brief Drives

Ford discontinues Freestar
Ford Motor Co. has produced its last Freestar minivan. The automaker won't restart production of the Freestar at its Oakville, Ontario, assembly plant, spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari said. That decision was reached during the last half of December, she said.

Freestar production went on hiatus in early November. At the time, it was a temp-orary halt to allow for a smoother production launch of the 2007 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers at the Oakville plant.

The Freestar was to resume production early in 2007 and run through the end of the model year. But Ford executives preferred the business case for the Edge and MKX.

"We looked at the demand for Edge and MKX, and it's so strong that we have decided that this is the thing to do – concentrate fully on the all-new models there," says Gattari. Ford produced just 430 Freestars in November, Ford sales analyst George Pipas said.

New V-8 may replace Northstar
General Motors is at work on an overhead-cam V-8 that could be a replacement for its costly Northstar V-8. GM is mum on the engine, codenamed Ultra, which is expected to make its debut not earlier than 2009. That would make it a good candidate for the next-gen Cadillac STS V-8. Given the secrecy surrounding the Ultra V-8, there is no word yet on displacement ranges. But as the Northstar, a big and costly engine, can go only to 5.3 litres – and that's with siamesed liners-logic suggests 5.0 litres would be an ideal starting point. GM needs the engine to be able to go out to as much as 6.0 litres to enable Cadillac to compete with the new generation of V-8s from Mercedes-Benz.