Ford Motor Co. nabbed both the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards with its Fusion Hybrid sedan and Transit Connect van, respectively. The good news follows the company’s strong finish last year in vehicle sales, financial improvement and soaring stock price.

The Fusion Hybrid received 241 points, decisively beating the Volkswagen Golf/GTi (146) and Buick LaCrosse (103). The Fusion was singled out for its styling, advanced powertrain and exceptional U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy rating of 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway.

More surprising was the selection of the Transit Connect, which edged out the Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Outback for top truck honors. Ford’s European-based, commercial-oriented truck had 213 points vs. 183 for the Equinox and 94 for the Outback.

The winners were selected by a panel of 49 automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada. They evaluated entries based on a variety of design, performance and value characteristics. To be eligible, vehicles had to be all-new or substantially updated.

General Motors Co. will produce the Cadillac Converj extended-range hybrid car it unveiled a year ago, according to Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, who made the comment at a Society of Automotive Analysts meeting in Detroit. Without revealing a specific target, he said the car will go on sale sometime after 2012.

GM hasn’t officially confirmed Lutz’s statement. But media reports late last year indicated that GM’s board had approved the project.

The two-door Converj uses the same technology as GM’s Chevrolet Volt that debuts late this year. Teaming a small gasoline engine and a lithium-ion battery with plug-in capability, the Volt can travel 40 miles in electric mode and several hundred miles when the engine is used to partially recharge the battery.

Ford Motor Co. says it will spend another $450 million in Michigan to build a new hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicle at its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. Production will start in 2012.

Ford already has invested $550 million to convert the plant from a large SUV factory to a car plant. The facility will launch the all-new Focus this year, adding an all-electric variant in 2011. The EV and hybrids all will be based on Ford’s global C-car platform.

In conjunction with the investment, the Michigan Economic Growth Authority board approved a package of incentives and tax credits totaling $188 million. The package includes job credits, brownfield site credits and battery pack assembly credits recently approved by the Michigan legislature.

Ford, which is due to launch an electric version of its Transit Connect compact van later this year, confirms it plans to bring the design, development and production of next-generation lithium-ion battery systems in-house at a location to be announced later. Delphi Holdings LLP builds nickel-metal-hydride battery packs for the current Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrid sedans in Mexico.

Ford previously announced it will produce transaxles for hybrids at its Van Dyke Transmission facility in Sterling Heights, Mich., beginning in 2012.

Volkswagen AG is adding to its electrification portfolio with two electrics: a full-hybrid VW New Compact Coupe and the all-electric Audi e-tron sports car. Both models debuted at this week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

VW concept coupe

The new VW coupe—with a 104-inch wheelbase—is positioned between VW’s Scirroco and CC models. The turbocharged TSI 1.4-liter gasoline engine produces 148 hp and is supplemented by a 1.1-kW lithium-ion battery and 26 hp electric motor housed inside the twin-clutch automatic transmission.

The system enables up to 45 mpg on the highway, VW says. Top speed is estimated at 141 mpg, with a zero to 60 mph target of 8.5 seconds. Fuel economy is enhanced by a coast-down mode that disengages the engine when the throttle is lifted.

VW plans to launch a hybrid SUV in the first half of the year, but it has not announced an introduction date for the new hybrid compact coupe.

Audi’s latest e-tron sports coupe concept, which is smaller than the TT coupe, could be the little brother of the company’s R8 supercar. The mainly aluminum structure and body has kept curb weight under 3,000 lbs.

The all-wheel-drive car is powered by twin asynchronous motors with a total output of 204 hp. A torque-balancing system selectively alters the torque at each wheel depending on the traction at the road surface. Audi says the car can scoot from zero to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 124 mph.

Panasonic Corp. has been named employer of the year for engineers in Japan in a survey of industrial engineers conducted by Nikkei Human Resources Inc. Following Panasonic in the ratings is Honda Motor Co. and Sony Corp. About 300 engineers responded to the survey, which was conducted during a two-week period last November.

General Motors Co. engineers must strive to meet or beat the competition in every product segment and vehicle characteristic worldwide, declares Karl-Friedrich Stracke, who took over as vice president of global vehicle engineering last month. He tells Automotive News that GM needs top-ranked vehicles to survive.

Stracke pointed out to GM’s engineers recently that the company knows what its competitors are planning to do three years from now. He challenged the engineers to meet or beat those targets in every category, including fuel economy and performance.

Stracke succeeds Mark Reuss, who was promoted to president of GM North America last month.