Monday, June 1, 2009
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 : A charming snake
A critical point in the development of the new, all-conquering Shelby GT500 came when the development team realized that their monstrous-huge air intake had to be positioned on the right side of the grille. This meant that the Cobra snake emblem, which had been riding on the left side before, would ... Published 04/06/09, 2:09 pm et
Cadillac SRX is resized, repurposed to battle import luxury crossovers
If you could pick one vehicle to serve as a metaphor for what General Motors is trying to do to make itself leaner, meaner and better positioned to fight off foreign competitors, it's the 2010 Cadillac SRX.That confused wagon as you knew it is gone. In its place is a pure crossover. It's smaller, a ... Published 04/07/09, 1:33 pm et
Infiniti's new G37 drop-top has distinct appeal
We're cruising through Beverly Hills, Calif., in the new 2009 Infiniti G37 convertible, top down, sunny day, following a beautiful Ferrari 360 Modena. Up next to us pulls a 40-ish woman with hair so orange it could be on a traffic cone. She is driving a ratty '90s Celica GT convertible, also with... Published 04/07/09, 5:02 pm et
Audi's new A5/S5 convertibles are a bunch of softies
When Audi's line of A5 and S5 convertibles hits these shores in October, they will feature something most other luxury cabriolets don't have: an old-fashioned soft top.Competing luxury marques, such as BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, say their customers want the safety and security of a... Published 04/10/09, 2:20 pm et
Hot diesel: Porsche drops an oil burner into the Cayenne
For years, rumors suggested that Porsche would drop a diesel into the Cayenne. It seemed obvious. European Volkswagen Touaregs and Audi Q7s offer diesel, and all three share underpinnings and are assembled at the same plant in Bratislava, Slovenia, so why not the Cayenne?Porsche chairman Wendelin... Published 04/10/09
2009 Toyota Venza: a short stint review
OUR TAKE: The Venza is a pleasant surprise. We’ve always been fans of station-wagon utility, the sort that doesn’t force you to compromise by having to drive a truck. The same applies here: The trunk easily swallowed up all the goodies from a once-a-month shopping spree at the local everything-... Published 04/15/09, 4:14 pm et
2009 Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid: a short stint review
OUR TAKE: Nice to see GM took two of the thousand “hybrid” labels off the truck, removing the huge lettering from the bottom of the doors. Makes the truck look much better.That said, little has changed from 2008 to 2009 that we can tell. The price is up about a grand from the last one we tested.... Published 04/16/09, 3:24 pm et
The 2009 Suzuki Equator: A short stint review
OUR TAKE: There are a few holes in the Suzuki lineup, and while we know that the company is busy working to fill the midsize-sedan void with whatever the Kizashi becomes, it opted for a quicker and surely cheaper solution for a pickup truck. Enter Nissan, which has plenty of production capacity in... Published 04/23/09, 2:42 pm et
Lotus Exige S 260 Sport: Track-happy two-seater gets greater
If any of us lost 57 pounds, we'd be faster, too. And more fun.Lotus took the almost-weightless Exige S 240 (2,077 pounds) and trimmed some fat to make the Exige S 260 Sport.Specifically, engineers replaced the composite front lower splitter, the front access panels at the base of the windshield,... Published 04/23/09, 2:02 pm et
Chevy Cruze is a huge step in the right direction
How ironic that General Motors is launching the excellent Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan just as the parent company faces the question of its very survival. The Cruze symbolizes the progress that GM is making to sort out its engineering fundamentals, product quality and global manufacturing plan--... Published 04/29/09, 3:11 pm et
Next Porsche 911 GT3 is for the hard-core enthusiast
Engineers who developed the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 call it “the best of all worlds” in the current 911 lineup: an unsurpassed mix of race, track-grade performance and acceptable street comfort. We’d call the GT3 the coolest and the absolute most engaging 911 to drive, and we’re not suggesting the... Published 04/24/09, 1:26 pm et
Honda FCX Clarity: Don't be too quick to buy into the hydrogen myth
We just spent the better part of a week in the fabulous Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicle. It is leaps and bounds beyond the science experiments that represented the first few rounds of fuel cells we remember from 20 or so years ago. Those were huge, ungainly laboratory things that... Published 05/01/09, 3:33 pm et
Ford Focus RS is a great driver, and we need it here now
The first corner you exit flat-out in the new Ford Focus RS signals that this is a very special car. Instead of the expected lengthy squeal of rubber and a pile of wheelspin, there's a chirp from the front and a squirm in the driver's hand, and the RS rockets toward the next corner, hardly missing... Published 05/22/09, 8:26 am et
Lexus HS 250h: It's a hybrid, but it's not a Prius
It's not a Prius.For some reason, people want to compare the two: Toyota's pioneering, world-beater Prius hybrid and this new, dedicated Lexus hybrid-electric luxury sedan. There are a few points of similarity, but those are more or less coincidence, Lexus insists. The front-side member of the... Published 05/26/09, 9:06 am et
Superformance Shelby CS GT40: Does lap times as easily as time travel
Only a short drive from the Superformance company headquarters, the road opened up: five lanes wide, fields on either side, clear vision and no traffic."Go ahead, open it up," said Superformance CEO Lance Stander, who owned the very GT40 we were driving and was ready to assume some sort of risk,... Published 05/27/09, 2:39 pm et
2010 Hyundai Genesis coupe: Another look with a real-world drive
OK, this isn’t really a first drive. Or even a second one. In fact, car people have been flogging the 2010 Hyundai Genesis coupe all over the world for a while now. Korea, California, even Las Vegas have played host to intrepid journalists getting a look at the small sports car that in many ways is ... Published 05/27/09, 7:28 pm et
BMW adds liftback GT to 5-series array
BMW will bring the elevated seating and packaging of an SUV to its 5-series line with the addition of a liftback model called the Grand Turismo or, simply, GT.The automaker is now revealing the production look for the vehicle, which will debut at this fall's Frankfurt motor show after having been... Published 05/22/09, 9:55 am et
Penske's plan for Saturn: Sell Samsung vehicles
Entrepreneur Roger Penske wants to use the Saturn dealership network to sell vehicles built by Renault Samsung Motors and imported from South Korea.According to Automotive News, Penske recently met with Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in Paris to talk about the plan.Renault owns 80.1 percent of ... Published 05/26/09, 9:48 am et
Volkswagen, Chinese firm explore electric-car link-up
Volkswagen is looking to grow its expertise in hybrids and electric cars by exploring a partnership with Chinese automaker BYD.Though VW is Europe’s largest car company, BYD has considerable experience in lithium-ion batteries and is a division of BYD Co., which produces them for cell phones.The... Published 05/26/09, 1:42 pm et
Production of Camaro convertible to start in 2011
Despite General Motors' current economic woes, production of a convertible version of the Chevrolet Camaro is on track to start in early 2011.That is later than the original plan of having the ragtop Camaro go into production early next year, a GM spokesman told Automotive News. But the program was ... Published 05/26/09, 9:35 am et
Bondholders snub GM, bankruptcy filing likely
Nowhere near enough General Motors bondholders agreed to exchange their debt for stock before a midnight Tuesday deadline, making a bankruptcy filing by the automaker highly likely.GM had set a threshold of 90 percent of the $27 billion in bond debt it wanted to exchange for 10 percent of the stock ... Published 05/27/09, 9:29 am et
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gets Ford with 1-millionth Sync system
It's taken a little more than two years for Ford to build 1 million vehicles with the Sync entertainment and communications system, and the automaker marked the milestone by having Ford CEO Alan Mulally deliver a Ford Fusion hybrid with the 1-millionth system to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Ford... Published 05/27/09, 11:59 am et
Cadillac is enhancing its line with a redesigned 2010 SRX and the addition of the 2010 CTS wagon. Both vehicles go on sale in late summer.Cadillac's r
Cadillac is enhancing its line with a redesigned 2010 SRX and the addition of the 2010 CTS wagon. Both vehicles go on sale in late summer.Cadillac's redesigned 2010 SRX will carry a $34,155 sticker price, $7,080 less than the V6 crossover it replaces. The price includes shipping. The front-drive... Published 05/27/09, 2:38 pm et
Redesigned Cadillac SRX is smaller, less expensive
Cadillac is enhancing its line with a redesigned 2010 SRX and the addition of the 2010 CTS wagon. Both vehicles go on sale in late summer.Cadillac's redesigned 2010 SRX will carry a $34,155 sticker price, $7,080 less than the V6 crossover it replaces. The price includes shipping. The front-drive... Published 05/27/09, 2:38 pm et
Ariel Atom 500 will come to U.S., packs 500-hp V8
This is the car in which strapping yourself in tight is mandatory.British boutique automaker Ariel Motor Co. is on the verge of rolling out the Atom 500, the latest version of its ultralight, two-seat street and track car, this one fitted with a 500-hp narrow-angle V8.Company owner Simon Saunders... Published 05/28/09, 12:13 pm et
Driving the Chevy Volt isn't special, and that's good
We've had our first taste of the drive system under development for General Motors' pioneering Chevrolet Volt, piloting a test mule based on the Chevrolet Cruze at the company's Warren (Mich.) Technical Center, and it left us hungering for more. Yes, it's an electric car, but mostly, it's a car--... Published 05/28/09, 10:49 am et
Dodge Viper operations draw limited interest
Chrysler LLC's Viper sports car business has drawn only limited interest from buyers, according to court statements filed in connection with the automaker's bankruptcy hearing. Chrysler recently offered to sell the entire Conner Avenue plant in Detroit, which builds the Dodge Viper sports car, for... Published 05/28/09, 2:09 pm et
Audi R8 spyder appears headed for Frankfurt show
The much-anticipated Audi R8 spyder likely will make its world debut in production guise at the Frankfurt motor show in September.The drop-top version of the head-turning German supercar would share mechanicals with the coupe, which offers a V8 making 420 hp and a V10 with 525 hp. The R8 has a mid-... Published 05/28/09, 4:19 pm et
Jay Leno wins car award from Concorso Italiano
He started as an understudy and has become an icon, and with his last taping of the Tonight Show hours away, Jay Leno has secured another car honor.The Concorso Italiano, which plays host to a prestigious car event before the Pebble Beach concours, announced that Leno is being honored with its La... Published 05/29/09, 10:28 am et
The AutoWeek list: 10 Coolest Summer Cars
2010 Ford Mustang GT convertibleHard to beat the performance for the bucks2009 Mazda MX-5 MiataGreat fun-in-the-sun value1953 Buick Woody station wagonStrap on the surfboards and drive to the coast1932 Ford Deuce CoupeCars don’t come much cooler1970 Volkswagen MicrobusGet one in time for one of... Published 05/29/09, 10:26 am et
General Motors says it plans to build small car in U.S.
General Motors said Friday that it plans to build a small, fuel-efficient car in the United States that will compete in the “B-segment” as the company tries to comply with stiffer mileage mandates recently proposed by the Obama administration.GM said it likely would retool one of the sites to be... Published 05/29/09, 2:10 pm et
Rinspeed launches car-themed art collection
This may be the most natural progression from the car world to art: Rinspeed, the master of the offbeat concept, is launching an auto-themed collection of contemporary prints.The art is based on the company’s head-turning concept cars. There are five collections, with artwork created from the... Published 05/29/09, 4:32 pm et
Judge OKs Chrysler sale to Fiat-run group
Chrysler, Detroit’s No. 3 automaker and the first felled into bankruptcy by declining sales and the global economic downturn--is poised to emerge after a judge approved the sale of most of its assets to an entity run by Italy’s Fiat.The new company will be called Chrysler Group LLC. Fiat chief... Published 06/01/09, 12:12 pm et
GM offers incentives for buyers not afraid of bankruptcy
Buyers not spooked by the specter of the General Motors bankruptcy can snare some decent deals.As of Monday morning, the company hadn’t announced any new incentive plans, but incentives that expire on June 3 offer attractive discounts.The biggest bargains are on some of its biggest products. Up to... Published 06/01/09, 11:37 am et Buyers not spooked by the specter of the General Motors bankruptcy can snare some decent deals.As of Monday morning, the company hadn’t announced any new incentive plans, but incentives that expire on June 3 offer attractive discounts.The biggest bargains are on some of its biggest products. Up to... Published 06/01/09, 11:37 am et
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
