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Mustang retakes monthly pony car sales crown from Camaro

Going back to their origins in the Swinging '60s, the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro have been fierce rivals for fans' hearts and dollars. Historically, the Ford often led in volume, but Chevy took the muscle car top spot in 2009 upon the Camaro's rebirth. However, with the launch of the latest Blue Oval pony car, the tide is turning back in Ford's favor. November was the first full month of sales for the new 2015 Mustang, and according to TheDetroitBureau.com, the model did spectacularly well. The Blue Oval shifted 8,728 of them, up 62 percent from same month last year, with the automaker proclaiming it the model's best November sales since 2006. Conversely, 4,385 units of the Camaro were delivered, down 13.5 percent year-over-year, meaning its sales were roughly half that of the new-generation Mustang. Ford is understandably happy with the results, and product development director Raj Nair even hinted to TDB that another version of the Mustang might be unveiled at January's North American International Auto Show. Rumor has it that the model will be the even more potent Shelby Mustang GT350R. Despite the Mustang's November success, the Camaro outsells it year to day. So far in 2014, Ford has sold 73,124 Mustangs versus 79,669 examples of the Camaro. With December offering the last chance for an overtake, the Bowtie may yet remain king for this year's sales crown. A new Camaro is peeking over the horizon, as well. It's reportedly moving to the Alpha platform used by the Cadillac ATS, and production could start in late 2015. Prototypes are already testing at the Nurburgring, and camouflaged examples have been spotted weirdly being compared to its '80s forefather.

New GM subcompact SUV spied, could be a Chevy or GMC

GM's pair of subcompact crossovers have been trundling along for a while now. The Buick Encore was the first for Americans in the 2013 model year, and the Chevy Trax that was based on the Encore (an encore of the Encore, if you will) arrived for the 2015 model year. Each has undergone a mild update, but these spy photos could indicate their replacements are in the works. Or not. For starters, we can't be sure which GM brand this new SUV is destined for. Though the timing and its flowing lines could indicate Buick, the thick horizontal bars visible in the grille would indicate otherwise. The next Encore being at least related to this is at least a possibility. Making the case for GMC are those thick grille bars, the fact that it extends far below the lights, and may even rise above them, similar to the Acadia. And that rising beltline isn't that different from that of the Acadia. Arguing against the GMC idea is the Encore, which is almost always sold in GMC-Buick combo dealers. Much as the Acadia was made smaller to eliminate confusion and in-house competition with the Enclave, it's hard to see GM opting to resurrect such an issue at the bottom end of the SUV market. That means we're leaning toward this little SUV wearing a Chevy bowtie. The split grille with a large lower section and small upper section is the brand's current design language, as seen on the new Malibus and Cruzes. The shape is vaguely Equinox-like. And like Buick, Chevy also has a subcompact crossover ready for replacement: the Trax. Now, our photographer reports he's seen another subcompact testing that has Blazer design cues, but in this crossover-hungry market, we wouldn't be surprised if two similarly sized but differently styled Chevy crossovers make the grade. It's a strategy that's working pretty well for Jeep. We'll no doubt be seeing more of these disguised test vehicles milling about the country in the coming months, so perhaps we'll eventually get a better idea of what this is before more official information starts trickling out within one or two years. Related Video: Featured Gallery GM Subcompact Crossover spy shots View 10 Photos Image Credit: SpiedBilde Spy Photos Buick Chevrolet GM GMC Crossover SUV buick encore chevy trax

Here are your 2016 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year finalists [w/polls]

The 2016 Detroit Auto Show will kick off with the announcement of the annual North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards, and the three finalists in each category have just been revealed. Following this announcement, the jury – which includes Autoblog editor-in-chief Mike Austin – will re-evaluate each candidate before casting a final vote for the winner. This year's finalists are: Car of the Year Chevrolet Malibu Honda Civic Mazda MX-5 Miata Truck/Utility of the Year Honda Pilot Nissan Titan XD Volvo XC90 The 23rd annual awards will be announced on the morning of Monday, January 11. For now, we want to know where you stand. Let us know which vehicles you think should win, by voting in the polls below. Chevrolet Honda Mazda Nissan Volvo north american car of the year NACTOY