Staying true to its quick-product-launch plan, Honda unveiled the 2013 Honda Fit EV at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show and has already delivered its first production version of the model.

The lucky owner is the municipality of Torrance, Calif., also home to Honda’s U.S. headquarters. Technically, the first Fit EV is part of a test program to get real-world feedback before the model’s official on-sale date this summer.

The 2013 Honda Fit EV is an all-electric vehicle that’s solely focused on poaching potential Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i and Ford Focus EV customers.

Like the Focus EV, the Fit EV is based on its gas-powered cousin, but there are subtle styling changes (such as the absence of a front grille vent) that distinguish the model.

The Fit EV has an average expected range of 76 miles and can get a full charge in as little as three hours on a 240-volt charger.

Fiat will introduce a four-door hatchback version of its 500 subcompact at the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show in March, according to Bloomberg News. The model would likely compete with the Mini Cooper Clubman and Mini Cooper Countryman, as well as with other hip subcompact four-doors like the Nissan Cube.

The new 500 will be sold in the U.S. next year, Olivier Francois, Fiat’s brand and chief marketing officer, told Bloomberg.

First-year Fiat 500 sales in the U.S. did not meet Chrysler Group’s expectations. The carmaker only sold 19,769 Fiat 500s in America last year; that’s about half of what the company wanted to sell here, according to Bloomberg.

The carmaker thinks a roomier 500 and the high-performance Abarth version will draw more customers in 2012.

Fiat Sees U.S. Sales With 500-Like Wagon (Bloomberg News)

It’s clear from the videos that the next-generation Pathfinder will retain its rugged looks yet add more fluid lines and chrome exterior trim. The look is less truck, more crossover.

Nissan told us last week that it will show off its next-generation Pathfinder utility vehicle at the Detroit auto show, and today we got our first glimpse of the concept, along with more info.

The Pathfinder Concept looks like it will ditch the current boxy styling for a more fluid look. Nissan says the model will be “reimagined” with comfortable seating for seven, four-wheel drive and ample cargo room. (The current Pathfinder actually features all of that, too.) What’s different is the new platform. The current Pathfinder rides on a traditional body-on-frame SUV platform. All initial information on the Pathfinder Concept points to a model closely related to the 2013 Infiniti JX.

We’ll have more on the Pathfinder Concept when the model debuts at the 2012 Detroit auto show on Jan 9.

We’ve already seen what Cadillac plans to offer at the top of its passenger-car spectrum in the guise of the 2013 Cadillac XTS. Now the carmaker plans to show off its new entry-level compact luxury sedan, called the 2013 ATS, next month at the 2012 Detroit auto show.

The ATS is a small rear- and all-wheel-drive luxury sports sedan engineered to compete with the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4. The ATS will begin production this summer and will be built alongside the Cadillac CTS sedan, coupe and wagon in Michigan.

Cadillac says it’s pitting the sedan against the best in the category, with a lot of the engineering and tuning occurring in Germany and sometimes at the vaunted Nurburgring test ring. You can check out that testing in the video below. We’ll learn more details at 2012 Detroit auto show.

Chrysler, Hyundai and Nissan posted huge sales gains, with modest upticks from Ford, GM and Toyota. Hobbled by diving sales for the Accord — which didn't make the top 10 — Honda was the only Big Six automaker to lose sales.

Two cars fell off the list for November, but the other faces are familiar.

The top two spots, unsurprisingly, remain with the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado. Sales of Ford's venerable pickup improved 23.9% in November, while the Silverado skyrocketed 33.7% despite similar incentives and dealer supplies for both trucks compared with a year ago.

The Toyota Camry retook best-selling-sedan status, a spot it's held five of the past 10 months, thanks to a redesigned model hitting dealers. As of Dec. 1, Cars.com shows 23,846 new 2012 Camry sedans in our national new-car inventory compared with just 2,044 of the outgoing 2011s. Incentives on the Camry, not surprisingly, have also decreased.

Ford keeps pushing cash deals on the aging Escape, though the modest uptick in incentives alone doesn't explain the SUV's 32.7% year-to-date sales spike. Ford sales head Ken Czubay said this was the best November in Escape history, and the Ford jumped four spots to fourth place. It appears news of the stylish next-gen Escape hasn't kept many shoppers on the sidelines.

The Nissan Altima came in fifth, improving 12.2% despite its age. The current generation dates back to late 2006, but the car still ranks as the second-best-selling sedan in America for November. The Ford Fusion — also aging versus the competition — is a tick behind, jumping four spots to sixth. Its sales increased 12.8% in November. Chrysler's Ram trucks improved 8.4% – not enough to outpace others, and dropping the Ram one spot to seventh. Still, the results beat what we had expected, given there are fewer Rams on dealer lots today than a year ago, and Chrysler is offering fewer cash discounts.

Honda's Civic and CR-V slotted eighth and ninth. Sales improved slightly for the Civic but fell 10.1% for the CR-V, whose inventories are far less compared with a year ago as the automaker readies the redesigned 2012 CR-V for sale later this month.

The Toyota Corolla, which hasn't been on this list since April, sneaked back to 10th. Sales were down 0.5% versus last November — when it fell one spot off the list — but that outpaced the two drop-offs, the Hyundai Sonata and Honda Accord. Toyota's Prius hybrid saw sales climb 48.7% to 15,208 units. While it didn't make the top 10, it shows the strength of Toyota's lineup when there is supply to meet demand.

The Accord ranks as the biggest loser, with sales down 14.5% for the month. Incentives remain about even with last year, but inventory is still low compared with the industry and the Accord's year-ago levels.

On the strength of Chevrolet and GMC, GM sales increased 6.9% in November. Year-to-date sales are up 14%, all but ensuring GM's post as America's most popular carmaker this year. Ford came in at No. 2 for November, with sales up 13.3%. Toyota roughly met expectations, improving 6.7% to remain at No. 3. Chrysler solidified its fourth-place spot, with sales up 44.5% with the Chrysler brand itself — albeit just three cars — jumping 92.2%, and Jeep up 49.8%.

Hyundai-Kia's November sales increased 28.7%, earning fifth place. In sixth was Nissan, whose sales improved 19.4%.

Inventory shortages still bedraggle seventh-place Honda. Despite the automaker saying Monday that full North American production — stung by flooding in Thailand — would resume today, inventories remain well below industry average, let alone Honda's year-ago levels. Honda/Acura sales fell 6.4% for the month.

In real-world testing, the Civic has outperformed 40 mpg cars from Ford and Hyundai. Honda’s updates will help reposition it as the most fuel-efficient automaker, overtaking Hyundai, according to the carmaker’s plans.

In addition to a full complement of modern four-cylinders, the automaker announced three new continuously variable automatic transmissions. Honda also outlined two dual-mode hybrid systems that will complement its existing single-mode system in the Civic Hybrid and Insight.

All of Honda’s four-cylinder engines will now feature double overhead camshafts in three years’ time, replacing the old SOHC designs found on the Civic and Fit. All four-cylinders also will have direct injection over the current multipoint fuel-injection systems. Both changes should increase fuel efficiency.

Four-cylinder powertrains will ditch their five-speed automatics for a new CVT design. Three CVT designs will be used on all mini, compact and midsize vehicles equipped with four-cylinders. The transmission will add 10% better fuel efficiency compared to the former five-speed automatic transmission. However, the editors at Cars.com have found many CVT applications, especially on four-cylinder models, lacking in terms of driving feel and performance versus traditional automatics.