What makes up a sport-touring sedan? Everything the 2011 Infiniti M has and nothing that it doesn’t.

With the 2009 BMW 335d Sedan, it might seem the German automaker is taking a big risk with its reputation as the originator of the sports sedan by plopping a diesel engine under the hood.

Most automakers announced December sales figures today, and once again the news is dismal. However, the annual declines are what deserve our attention. GM and Ford haven’t seen sales figures this low since the late 1950s and early 1960s, respectively. The General realized a 22.7 percent decline in sales for 2008 vs. 2007; Ford notched 22.8 percent, however that factors in Land Rover and Jaguar, which were sold to Tata Motors in mid-2007. [Full data from Automotive News]

BMW Group has released photos and details on the 2009 Mini Convertible. The second generation of the four-seat, drop-top retains much of the original’s styling, while adding some interesting developments and features, including the Openometer, which records how much time is spent driving with the top down. Oh yeah, the S gets the turbocharged, direct-injection engine.

Green Car Journal, a magazine dedicated to covering vehicles friendly to the environment, will present its Green Car of the Year Award this morning at the L.A. Auto Show. The nominees this year are the BMW 335d, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, smart fortwo and Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

The L.A. Auto Show starts this Friday, filling the Los Angeles Convention Center with the industry’s latest offerings. The show hasn’t always had much in the way of exclusive debuts and, before moving to the current November dates, it overlapped the Elvis Presley of car shows, Detroit. Now it leads off the U.S. auto show season, which includes Detroit and Chicago.