With 2010 model year vehicles already on dealer lots, Cars.com editors reminisced on the good, the bad, and the ugly of the past decade to compile their top ten most-improved and worst cars of the decade. "Despite the current gloom, automakers have really stepped up the past decade and have put out some great vehicles," says Patrick Olsen, editor in chief of Cars.com. "We've seen mass adoption of new vehicle types like crossovers and hybrids. On the other hand, we've also seen a lot of duds."

IntelliChoice.com, the leading source for automotive ownership cost and value analysis, today announced its "Best Deals of the Month" for new cars for August 2009. To determine its picks, IntelliChoice analyzes monthly values for new cars and trucks based on the seven primary factors that determine a vehicle's long-term ownership costs: fuel economy, maintenance, repair, retained or resale value, licensing, state fees and taxes. Using these seven factors, IntelliChoice determines what it costs to own and operate new cars over five years.

From the Cape Coral Daily Breeze: General Motors recognized Saturn of Cape Coral and Bob Goodman, owner and operator of Saturn dealerships in southwest Florida, for their outstanding customer service and presented them with a prestigious national service award. Saturn of Cape Coral had the highest customer service satisfaction rate of any Saturn dealership in the United States for the preceding year, according to General Motors.

Kevin Krolicki from Reuters: Three of the four brands GM is dropping were below average including Pontiac, Saab and Hummer. The exception was Saturn, the highest ranking non-luxury car brand. GM is selling Saturn brand and its associated retail network to Roger Penske's Penske Automotive Group. O'Hagan said Saturn's approach showed its no-haggle pricing policy still resonated with core consumers.

Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2009 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) U.S. Auto Industry Study, a unique national benchmarking study that measure how consumers are treated when shopping for a new car. Following Mercedes-Benz were Lexus, Jaguar, Saturn and Land Rover.

The Saturn Aura won the 2009 Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) for top Premium Midsize Car, according to automotive research firm AutoPacific. Porsche and Ford Motor Company earned top honors in the 2009 IVA. The IVAs are based on owners' ratings of their new 2009 model year cars and trucks across 15 key vehicle attributes. The cars or trucks that owners would change the least are the most ideal. "In today's economy, car buyers take many factors into consideration - styling, safety features, fuel economy and more," says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific.

The 2009 Saturn Outlook was recently named "Family Car of the Year" by Hispanic magazine, FAMA. According to Saturn spokesman Mike Morrissey, "the annual FAMA automotive awards, based on input from visitors to the magazine's website, is presented to one vehicle in each of seven categories."

Last week, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) recognized GM's Two-Mode Hybrid technology as the 2009 Best New Green Technology. The inaugural award results from AJAC's desire to recognize innovative new green technology developments in the auto industry that will be of benefit to the Canadian consumer.

From Cars.com: Like offseason cruises and Costco pinot noir, there are cars that prove you don't have to fork over big bucks to live the good life. We picked 10 models that are surprisingly luxurious for their humble badges, all of which can be equipped to impress for less than $30,000. They won't get you the valet treatment a Lexus or BMW might, but we bet you'll get a thumbs-up from the coworkers you take to lunch.

Jill Ciminillo, Autos Editor for the Chicago Sun Times: Cashing in on the current Euro styling trend, GM brought it's Opel Astra to the U.S. under the guise of the Saturn Astra. Not much changed between the two models except the badging, which makes the Astra a bit of a departure from the run-of-the-mill GM lineup... and I liked it. The Astra is compact, affordable, functional and fuel efficient.