It’s fair to say that the Honda Insight has not been living up to expectations. Despite excellent fuel economy and a futuristic interior, Honda’s compact hybrid hasn’t done much to dent sales of its major rival, the Toyota Prius.

Honda once boasted a goal of selling 90,000 Insights during the vehicle’s first year on the market but was on track to achieve less than a third of that target by summer’s end.

Though Honda claims the Insight was never intended to compete directly with the Prius, the two hybrids share a windswept, five-door profile and are frequently cross-shopped. The Honda’s 41 mpg rating falls short of the Toyota’s 50 mpg, but the Insight is priced about $2,000 less.

To combat the Insight’s free-falling sales, Autocar reports that Honda will make changes to boost fuel economy. New software will triple the amount of time the hybrid’s start/stop system can leave the engine off when the vehicle is stationary and in the driver-selectable Eco mode.

The current software assumes worst case scenario conditions: five passengers on board in near-tropical levels of humidity. Conditions like these force the Insight’s gasoline-powered engine to fire up after only 30 seconds of rest so that the air conditioner can dehumidify the cabin and keep the windows from fogging. The new software extends the engine-off time to as much as 90 seconds, saving more fuel.

Honda’s new software will no doubt improve the Insight’s mileage in the real world, but it’s unlikely that this change will have a positive impact on the official EPA rating that appears on the Monroney Label window sticker. Those government test procedures require all vehicles to run in default mode, effectively rendering the Eco mode off-limits.

While the Insight’s new software will be nice to have for owners trying to maximize their fuel savings, it’s unlikely to steal many sales away from the popular Prius.

Attention, Ford Fans!  Cancel those weekend plans because the 2012 Ford Focus configurator just came online and is ready to offer hours of entertainment.

The Blue Oval’s new compact car will hit the tarmac this spring in sedan and hatchback form, with a starting price of $16,270. Based on our test drive of the hugely impressive 2011 Fiesta subcompact, we expect great things from this new Focus.

We had a chance to take a sneak peek at the new car at last year’s New York Auto Show and were smitten by the energetic design. With its angry trapezoidal grille and chiseled lines, the Focus sedan and hatch are easily the most aggressive looking cars in a segment that’s long been dominated by the staid Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

Inside, Ford has loaded up the car with a long list of standard features. You’ll find power locks, windows, and mirrors on the comfort side and a full complement of air bags and electronic stability control on the safety side.

For $995, you can add a Sony audio system and MyFord Touch with enormous 8-inch color touchscreen display. A $1,395 Premium Package adds leather, rain-sensing windshield wipers, 17-inch alloy wheels and a few other goodies. There will even be a $695 Parking Technology Package that can automatically parallel park your Focus for you, trumping most luxury cars in the process.

Those features do add up, though. We loaded up a Focus hatchback with the Titanium package and every goodie we could find and ended up at $28,555. We’ll have more real-world pricing information for you car-shoppers once the new Focus launches and TrueCar can tell us what people around the country are actually paying at the dealership. Stay tuned.

Under hood is a new 2.0-liter engine that’s been fitted with Ford’s Ti-VCT technology, an advanced feature that boosts power, responsiveness, and fuel economy.

Final horsepower and mileage figures have not yet been released, but we’ve sampled this technology in the Fiesta and were mighty impressed with the results. We’re expecting about 150-160 horsepower and 35-38 miles per gallon on the highway.

How will you outfit your 2012 Focus? Sedan or hatchback? Automatic or manual? We’ll take our hatch loaded in Tuxedo Black Metallic, please!

Honda recently announced that it will begin selling a hybrid version of its popular Fit subcompact car in Japan and Europe starting next year. With a starting price of 1.59 million yen ($19,310), the Fit Hybrid will be the most affordable hybrid in Japan. But what about bringing it here to America?

The entry-level Honda has enjoyed great success in the States thanks to a hugely flexible interior and sub-$15k price tag. In reviews on Honk, Fit owners rave about the high fuel economy, EPA rated at 27 miles per gallon in the city and 33 on the highway.

At current exchange rates, the Fit Hybrid would add about $3,000 to the bottom line but would boost fuel economy into the 40 mile-per-gallon range. That’s on par with the Fit’s big brother, the Honda Insight, but still below the 50 mile-per-gallon rating of the best-selling Toyota Prius.

The Fit Hybrid uses the same 1.3-liter hybrid powertrain that’s found in the Insight. On the road, its 98 horsepower and 123 pound-feet of torque should match up closely to the standard Fit’s 117 horsepower and 106 pound-feet.

Honda so far won’t commit to selling the Fit Hybrid in the US, the obvious fear being that a Fit Hybrid would cannibalize sales from the already slow-selling Insight.

But the longer Honda delays, the more hybrid sales they risk losing to Toyota. And with Toyota’s CEO, Akio Toyoda, announcing the company’s intention to be a leader in hybrids and all things green, it doesn’t seem wise for Honda to hesitate.

Let’s hope that Honda chooses to bring this fuel-sipping Fit Hybrid to market before competitors makes them green with envy.

Plant your foot on the accelerator of the 2011 Infiniti M56 and a lot happens in the next five seconds.

The car leaps forward with supernatural urgency, swatting you back like an angry horse trying to throw its rider. The 5.6-liter V8 engine hits its stride a moment later and lets loose an angry bellow as you sink deeper and deeper into the thick padding.

Behind you, rear tires strain against 420 unrelenting horsepower as the traction control system meters out maximum thrust. Tick tock. The seven-speed transmission shifts into second gear and mild panic sets in as you realize that you, too, are having trouble keeping pace with the blurring scenery.

This two-ton executive express is on a collision course with the horizon but panic turns to exhilaration as you finally embrace the power and take inventory of all that’s happening. The M56 is brutal, composed, and still accelerating very hard at this point.

The speedometer needle sprints past sixty and it’s time to ease off the throttle. You linger a moment longer to savor the polished roar of the engine and then all is quiet.

Whew.

Infiniti calls this ‘Inspired Performance.’ Whatever it is, I wanted more of it after my test drive of the M56 in the rolling hills of Napa, California.

Resist the urge to mash the throttle at every traffic light and the M56 is lavishly serene. This is a luxury sports sedan, after all, and there is no shortage of refinement or comfort. The M56 is happy to whisk you and your passengers from penthouse to art house, gracefully accommodating potholes and bumps in the road with a supple ride and silky-smooth shifts.

The cabin in this new Infiniti is just as elegant as the engine is ballistic. Warm and contemporary, the interior features beautiful materials and a soft-touch dash that swoops elegantly from driver to passenger.

Step up to the Deluxe Touring package and you’ll be treated to white ash wood trim that has been dusted with actual silver powder. The effect is stunning in person and you’d be hard pressed to find nicer veneer this side of a Bentley.

Infiniti offers the M in four models, beginning with the V6-engined, 330-horsepower M37 at $46,500. The M56 with aforementioned 420-horsepower V8 engine starts at $57,900. All-wheel drive is available with either engine and comes on the M37x and M56x. A fully-loaded M56x with every option box checked will top out just north of $68,000.

And if you can wait just a few more months, a new M35 Hybrid is set to debut featuring an all-new hybrid powertrain of Infiniti’s own design. The company promises the fuel economy of a 4-cylinder compact car and the power of a V8 engine. Pricing for the M35 Hybrid should fall somewhere in the middle of the M range.

No, it isn’t cheap. But so far as big luxury sedans go, the Infiniti M is well priced and loaded with features.

Looking beyond price, I found the Infiniti M nearest to the BMW 5-Series in feel. But where the 5-er can sometimes feel cool and detached as it goes about its business, the Infiniti is very warm-blooded. Both cars are extremely capable, but the M feels more playful and eager to flex its muscles.

The Infiniti’s design may not have the charm of the immense charm of the Jaguar XF but it is nonetheless very striking in person. The front view is my favorite, with swept back headlights and a pursed mouth that gives the car a coy serpentine grin.

There are hints of Infiniti’s seductive Essence concept car, too, in the sinewy character lines that grace the profile. Handsome 18-inch wheels come as standard equipment. The optional Sport package adds a tighter suspension and dramatic 20-inch wheels that bulge inside the fenders like the biceps of a heavyweight fighter.

As you’d expect from a luxury car of this caliber, there are gadgets galore. Like the Six Million Dollar Man, the 2011 Infiniti M56 uses technology in a way that makes it better, stronger, faster. And like Colonel Steve Austin, the end result is organic and natural in operation.

Case in point: the M’s new Forest Air system alternates fan speed and temperature from the air conditioning system to simulate the gentle breeze of a forest. It sounds fluffy and cute on the surface but is based on extensive research that shows that driver fatigue is reduced when the system is active.

Call it better living through science.

Infiniti has been at the forefront of high-tech “active” safety features for several years now, being the first brand in the US to debut a Lane Departure Warning system that watched the road ahead and alerted drivers if the vehicle drifted out of its lane.

The company’s engineers have no doubt been hard at work since then, as the M sedan now features LDW, LDP, DCA, IBW, IBA, FCW, BSW, and BSI. Don’t let the alphabet soup of acronyms scare you away, though, because these new features are largely m’mm m’mm good.

Lane Departure Warning has become Lane Departure Prevention. Drift out of your lane unintentionally and the system alerts you with a chime and then gently applies the brakes on the opposite side of the car to tug you back. I expected LDP to feel spooky out on the road but Infiniti has tuned the system so well that the intervention was subtle and comforting, like an electronic guardian angel.

Blind Spot Warning and Blind Spot Intervention act similarly, using radar sensors to watch out for approaching cars in your blind spot. Veer toward another car inadvertently and the system can tug at the brakes just like Lane Departure Prevention to keep you from side-swiping the other motorist. Very cool.

The other systems use a front-facing laser rangefinder to operate everything from the Intelligent Cruise Control – which can now bring the car to a full stop in heavy traffic – to a Forward Collision Warning and Intelligent Brake Assist that can alert a driver to an impending collision and even apply the brakes on their own to mitigate damage.

This new M sedan is undoubtedly the best Infiniti yet. It’s appointments, performance, and technology are first class. But it’s the artful way the M56 ties everything together that makes this car feel truly special.

Just make sure you’ve got plenty of open road in front of you before you let the car stretch its legs.

Admit it.  You’re jealous of Tom Brady.

As if winning multiple Super Bowls and being QB for the Patriots wasn’t enough, the guy had to go ahead and marry your favorite supermodel, Gisele.

Sorry to disappoint, but Tom Brady’s life is even sweeter than you thought. When he’s not on the gridiron or hanging out with his stunning wife, he gets to drive free luxury vehicles from Audi through a sponsorship deal the automaker has with Brady’s favorite charity, Best Buddies.

After crashing his VIP loaner in September, Mr. Brady’s newest runabout is the striking 2011 Audi A8, an $80,000 luxury sedan that’s so advanced it can literally read your handwriting. Yes, really.

The weekend car is better yet.  It’s Audi’s exotic R8 sports car – the same speedster that Robert Downey Jr. piloted as Tony Stark in Iron Man.  The R8 looks like it’s from another planet and can run from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds if you can afford the $115,000 price tag.

If you can’t secure an endorsement deal of your own, you can get nearly all the style of Mr. Brady’s wild rides for thousands less if you know where to shop.  Instead of the ultra-luxe A8, shoot for the baby brother Audi A4, which offers similar style in a smaller package. In lieu of the R8 exotic, you can get your kicks in the very handsome 354-horsepower S5 coupe.

And if all else fails, I hear that Bridget Moynahan is still single.