Nissan has announced the pricing details and trim levels for the new Pulsar, a hatchback with which the automaker intends to take on the perennial C segment favorite, the VW Golf.

Four trim levels and a starting price of $27,446 for the UK market — undercutting the VW stalwart by $1,682 — will begin the assault. The entry level Visia trim comes standard with aircon, a 5-inch color screen, steering wheel mounted controls and Bluetooth.

The Acenta trim, comparable to a Golf SE, comes with a additional mod cons: Nissan’s collision avoidance system, automatic lights and wipers, and smart keys.

The n-tec is Nissan’s challenge to the Golf GT. It adds 17-inch wheels, LED lights, a color back-up camera and a NissanConnect infotainment system that contains smartphone integration and Google’s Send-to-Car technology. At $32,594, it is a significantly better value than the Golf’s $39,458.

Finally, the Tekna tosses in a host of safety features including lane departure warnings, blind spot monitors and Nissan’s class leading moving object sensors for parking assistance.

Though engine choices are currently limited to two engines rather than VW’s ten, the 113hp 1.2-liter ekes out 10 more hp than the VW 1.2. The other option, a 1.5-liter common rail diesel, provides 108hp and 192 lb-ft of torque (the VW’s top-rated 1.6 oil-burner has the same 108hp rating, but with 8 fewer lb-ft).

Where the Pulsar is lacking is a diesel four in the 2.0-liter range, but a turbo 1.6 will join the lineup in early 2015, churning out 187hp and 177 lb-ft. The range should help Nissan with its stated goal of matching the Golf’s specs, but will need further oomph to take on the Golf GTI. The Pulsar will debut this fall, but will not reach US shores.

Chrysler will be selling a rebadged Mitsubishi compact sedan in Mexico. The announcement this week comes hot on the heels of a similar report regarding the Chinese market.

Though the exact car has not been named, Chrysler de Mexico did affirm that the four-door offering would compete in the hot-selling B segment, meaning it is most likely be the new Mitsubishi Mirage G4. Though Mitsubishi has said it would not sell the Mirage G4 in the US, it will be offered in Canada and now, it seems, to our neighbors to the south. It makes sense though: Mexico’s B segment sales comprised nearly one quarter of all the country’s new car transactions in 2013.

In Canada, the Mirage will be sold with the same 1.2-liter, 74hp three-cylinder that powers the US-spec Mirage hatchback. A choice of 5-speed manual or CVT transfers power to the front wheels, but its main selling point is a claimed 44 highway mpg.

Though it was reported that in China the Chrysler version would be slightly altered for a more upscale feel, it’s not known if that would be the case in Mexico. Chrysler has had a long history of selling rebadged Mitsubishi products in North America, starting with the Dodge Colt series (actually RWD Mitsubishi Galants) in the US market in 1970. Sales of the new sedan will begin as early as November 2014.

Peugeot has published a full set of details about the 2008 DKR, a purpose-designed race car built to spearhead the automaker’s return to the iconic Dakar Rally after a 25-year hiatus.

Driven by experienced pilots Carlos Sainz and Cyril Depres, the 2008 DKR features a carbon fiber body bolted to tubular steel frame. It features a menacing look with angular headlights similar to the ones found on the regular-production 2008, a thin radiator grille and black alloy wheels mounted on off-road competition tires manufactured by Michelin. A two-tone flat paint job wraps up the murdered-out look, while a coupe-like silhouette adds a sporty touch to the overall appearance.

Power for the 2008 DKR comes from a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged diesel-burning V6 rated at 340 horsepower and an impressive 590 lb-ft. of torque. Mounted behind the passenger compartment, the twin-turbo mill spins the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox.

Although critics are skeptical Peugeot can win Dakar with a two-wheel drive car, engineers believe the 2008 DKR has the potential to perform better than four-wheel drive racers entered in the event by competing automakers.

“Given the off-road capability of two-wheel drive transmission and its ability to run on sand, that’s the choice we ultimately went for. It enabled us to fit bigger wheels and also to benefit from more suspension travel,” explained Jean-Christophe Pailler, Peugeot Sport’s Project Leader.

The 2008 DKR is scheduled to make its competition debut in January of 2015 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It will face stiff competition from an eclectic field of rivals including a heavily-modified MINI Countryman that has placed first in every edition of the grueling race since 2012.

Live images by Ronan Glon.

Several low-resolution spy shots have prematurely revealed the production version of the Kia K4 concept that bowed last April at the Beijing Motor Show.

Expected to retain the K4 nameplate, the 186-inch long sedan is being designed exclusively for the Chinese market. The spy shots indicate the car is nearly identical to the concept that bowed in Beijing but it features a more realistic radiator grille, a less aggressive bumper and smaller wheels.

Borrowing a page from the Mercedes-Benz playbook, Kia will ask K4 buyers whether they want a sporty-looking grille with mesh inserts or a more elegant unit with horizontal slats.

The K4 will boast a well-appointed cockpit available with a wide array of electronic equipment including a rear-view camera, the latest generation of Kia’s UVO infotainment system and a push-button ignition.

Power for the K4 will likely come from a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that spins the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Other engine options will include a naturally-aspirated 1.8-liter four-banger rated at 146 horsepower and 129 lb-ft. of torque and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that generates 162 horsepower and 143 lb-ft. of torque. The 2.0-liter unit will reportedly be offered with a six-speed manual transmission.

Sources indicate the K4 will start at 140,000 yuan (approximately $22,500) and top out at 180,000 yuan (roughly $29,000). At the time of writing Kia is not planning on selling the sedan outside of China.

Look for full details about the Kia K4 to emerge next fall.