crossover
BMW X1 Delayed For U.S. Market, Canadian Launch To Proceed On Time
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BMW‘s upcoming X1 crossover will be delayed by almost a year, due to extreme demand in the European market. BMW’s Leipzig, Germany plant can barely produce enough vehicles for Europe, and BMW USA has decided to delay the small crossover’s American launch until at least the fall of 2011. Canada will be getting the X1…
BYD S6 DM Is China’s Latest Generic Car
BYD, perhaps China’s best known car maker, is an acronym for “Build Your Dreams”, but their current product offerings look like someone else’s dreams shamelessly copied and sold under the Chinese automakers own badging. BYD’s S6 DM is a blatant rip-off of the Lexus RX crossover, and even has a dual-mode hybrid system similar to…
Detroit 2011: Jeep Compass Tries For Some Legitimacy
The Jeep Compass doesn’t get much respect. As a 4-cylinder, car based Jeep, it never really fit with the brand’s rugged off-road ethos, and some Jeep fans mocked its weak constitution on anything but paved roads. For 2011, the Compass gets a substantial refresh, hoping to trade on the looks of its big brother, the…
Detroit 2011: MINI Paceman Confirmed For Production 2013 [Video]
Having just been unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, the MINI Paceman Concept is production ready, according to a MINI source, who told AutoGuide that 2013 is the target date for the Paceman’s launch. Before the new two-door crossover, MINI will launch the upcoming Coupe and Roadster, sportier, stripped down versions of the base car…
Detroit 2011: Hyundai CURB Concept Is A Crossover For Hipsters
Hyundai has finally released details on their new CURB crossover Urban Activity Vehicle, described as a vehicle for “Generation Y living an urban lifestyle with an active night life.” The wild sport-cross concept shared the stage with the new Veloster during its debut at the Detroit Auto Show. Despite the nebulous marketing spin, the CURB seems…
Detroit 2011: Ford Vertrek Previews New Escape, Kuga [Video]
As part of Ford‘s “One World” plan, a single platform will be used across all markets worldwide. While we reap the benefits with the all-new Focus and C-Max, there can be trade-offs when different markets require different attributes in a vehicle. With the Ford Vertrek Concept, unveiled today at the Detroit Auto Show, the Blue…
2011 Ford Explorer Is North American Truck Of The Year [Video]
The 2011 Ford Explorer beat out the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee to win the North American Truck Of The Year award. The winner was announced at the 2011 North American International Auto Show, where the Chevrolet Volt was also announced as the Car of the Year. Ford took the honors last year with…
Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG To Live Another Day
Looks like our reports of the Mercedes ML63’s death were premature, even if they were easily rationalized. The folks at Motor Trend have confirmed with M-B that the ML63 will continue on for 2011, but it still may not be long for this world. With a new ML due out for the 2012 model year,…
RUMOR: Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Is Dead
The Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG is dead, according to reports out of Europe. The 6.2L hyper-SUV, which used AMG’s raucous 510-horsepower V8, has apparently died, leaving the BMW X5M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo as the sole choices for those who must go fast, but aren’t allowed to buy a proper sports car due to their spouses decree. With…
Ford Edge And Lincoln MKX Face Recall Due To Fire Hazard
Ford is recalling both the Edge crossover and the Lincoln MKX luxury crossover due to an electrical short that could lead to a fire. The vehicles were built during a 6 day window, and also includes certain Ford F-Series trucks. Dealers will inspect a component known as the body control module, and replace it if…
North American Car And Truck Of The Year Finalsts Announced
Finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year have been announced, with Chrysler dominating the truck field, and electric vehicles comprising 2/3rds of the car category. The Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee, both built on the same platform, were nominated in the truck category, as well as the re-designed Ford Explorer….
2011 Ford Territory Sketch Released
The Ford Territory is the enthusiasts idea of a dream SUV; based on a rear-drive car platform, the Territory is available with turbo six cylinder or V8 powerplants and was widely received by both private owners and government agencies looking for a rugged utility vehicle. With the Territory looking pretty much the same since its 2004 debut,…
Volt-Based Chevy Amp Crossover to Debut at Detroit Auto Show
Taking almost five years to come to market, the Chevrolet Volt is finally here and now GM is set to showcase the distant future of the brand once again by unveiling a new crossover model based on the Volt. The Chevrolet Amp (as it’s rumored to be called) will reportedly be unveiled at the upcoming…
Range Rover Evoque Hybrid Won’t Happen
Land Rover will skip the hybrid powertrain version of their new compact Evoque crossover and instead apply the new technology to their truck-based LR4, a company spokesman said. “Our approach to Evoque is more viable for the company and customers because hybrid technology on a relatively small car would load the price and add weight….
2011 Kia Sorento Recalled For Brake Defects
Kia is recalling 7,697 Sorentos due to a problem with the rear brake calipers, according to a release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Kia claims that no crashes have resulted from the problem, but is going ahead with the recall anyways. “Some of the rear brake calipers may not have been properly machined,”…
2012 Saab 9-4x Priced At $34,205
The Saab 9-4x will come to America starting at a base price of $34,205 when it hits American dealers sometime in 2011. The $34k entry point will get you a front drive 9-4x with GM’s 3.0L direct injection V6. Moving up the ladder, the $38,075 Premium is laden with more opulent features and Saab‘s renowned…
Honda Element To Cease Production [AutoGuide Exclusive]
Autoguide has learned that Honda will announce on Friday that production of their Element compact SUV will cease. No official reasons were given, but one can suspect that slow sales of the vehicle, combined with strong sales of the Honda CR-V, led to the decision. Stay tuned for more as we await official word from…
Acura ZDX Is America’s Most Expensive Vehicle To Insure
A report by insurance comparison website InsWeb suggests that the priciest car to ensure in America isn’t a Nissan GT-R or some other foreign exotic favoured by the young and reckless, but the strange looking Acura ZDX crossover. According to the site, there is little data on the ZDX, as few people have bought one,…
CONFIRMED: Porsche Cajun Gets Greenlit
Porsche‘s supervisory board has given the go-ahead for a new “efficient and sporty model” to be dubbed “Cajun”. Referencing the Cayenne (seen above), the official Porsche news release dubbed the Cajun as an “entry-level” model, similar to the Boxster in terms of positioning, and stressed that the vehicle will be light weight and agile. No…
Porsche Sales Up 86 Percent Thanks To Cayenne, Panamera
Porsche purists who derided the brand’s introduction of the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sedan should be thankful for the existence of the two cars – without them, the brand may not have survived through the past decade. Instead, the Cayenne led Porsche to an 86.4% increase in sales, with Cayenne sales up 151%. Panamera sales…
Saab 9-4X To Offer iPad With Pre-Orders
Taking a page from Hyundai’s playbook, customers who pre-order a Saab 9-4X crossover will get an iPad courtesy of Saab – sort of. After contacting a Saab retailer, the customer will place an order for both the 9-4X, and the iPad. The iPad will set you back $500, but the cost will be refunded upon…
LA 2010: Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet Is Strange, May Cost $46,000 [Video]
In an industry filled with me-too entries and uniform designs, the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is a bold, unique product that is sure to find a home in the driveway of exactly nobody. Sorry, it’s true. We hate to punish anyone for taking a risk – hell, we love to see big gambles succeed, just like…
Toyota Teases RAV4 EV Ahead Of Los Angeles Auto Show Debut
The next product from Tesla is not the long awaited Model S sedan, but something far more plebian – a Toyota RAV4 using a Tesla derived battery pack and electric propulsion system. Toyota just released this teaser photo the RAV4 EV, but don’t hold your breath for too long. It’s hard to imagine this car…
Nissan Juke Defies Expectations With Brisk Sales
Despite the harsh criticism leveled at the Nissan Juke, Nissan‘s…. erm…distinctive crossover is off to a pretty good start, according to sales data from Timothy Cain over at Good Car Bad Car. In it’s first month on sale, Nissan sold 2103 Jukes, significantly more than the Honda Eelement or Volkswagen Tiguan, while closing in on…
