sedan
Toyota Factory Catches Fire, Prius Production Suspended Temporarily
A fire at a Toyota assembly plant in Japan temporarily halted production at a facility that assembles the Prius, Camry and Scion tC. The fire broke out around 10 A.M. but was put out by now. Toyota reports that no production equipment was damaged, but the fire did affect the factory’s ceiling. An investigation is being…
Dodge To Abandon Cross-Hair Front End, Go For New Look
Dodge‘s trademark cross-hair grille, the front end treatment that has been the hallmark of the brand’s styling for years, will become the sole domain of the Ram truck brand, as the Chrysler division moves toward a new look for future products. “It takes time. We will evolve the products,” Ralph Gilles, CEO of Dodge and Chrysler’s design…
Lincoln MKT Town Car Set To Take Up The Livery Car Mantle From The Panther Platform
The Lincoln Town Car is legendary for its ubiquity as a “black car”, a private limo for the well-to-do in New York City and other swanky locales. But with the Panther Platform vehicles (like the Town Car, Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis) set to be killed off very shortly, Lincoln has been scrambling…
Chicago 2011: Acura TL Gets Its Beak Nipped And Tucked
Acura is cognizant of the fact that their current design language isn’t going over well with consumers, and is at least doing something about it. Truth be told, the Acura TL is a good car. Equipped with SH-AWD it’s even better, and with the 6-speed manual transmission, it’s fantastic. Unfortunately it looks like a child’s…
Chicago 2011: Volkswagen GLI Is The Jetta We’ve Been Waiting For
Amid all the disappointment surrounding the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, and the step back it has taken in quality and driving dynamics, Volkswagen wants to show enthusiasts that it hasn’t forgotten them, and is augmenting both the GTI hatchback and the rest of the Jetta lineup with the GLI, a 4-door Jetta that retains features like a punchy…
Chicago 2011: Buick Regal eAssist Debuts
While GM’s announcement of a new car based on the Camaro platform being shown at the Chicago Auto Show stole the spotlight in the automotive press, the Buick Regal eAssist represents a product far more relevant to the average consumer, even if it’s less glamorous. With an eAssist hybrid system from the Buick Lacrosse, the…
Hyundai Elantra Coupe Coming This Spring, New Azera, To Arrive In 2012
Hyundai dealers were reportedly shown a coupe version of the Elantra compact, set to debut in spring, as well as a new Azera full-size sedan that will go on sale in the fall. While Hyundai officials would not confirm or deny the Elantra Coupe’s existence, one dealer told Automotive News that an image of the…
Chevrolet Impala Gets All-New V6, In Production Until 2014
With the Chevrolet Impala forced to endure an unbearably long production cycle (8 years by the time its replacement arrives in 2015), Chevrolet’s full-size sedan will need something to ensure it stays relevant in the marketplace, and General Motors is confident that an updated engine will do the trick. The new 3.6L LFX V6 will…
Volvo S60 Sales Up 17,267 Percent
Volvo‘s new S60 is an absolutely wonderful car, and our review (coming soon) will reflect that. We’re not the only ones either, as praise for the car has been unanimous. While there’s often a disconnect between what auto journalists like and what consumers actually buy. We’re glad to see that the S60 has gone from…
2012 Infiniti M35h Will Get 32 MPG Highway, 360 Horsepower
The 2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid, the brand’s first hybrid vehicle, has been rated at 27 mpg in the city and 29 mpg highway, while returning 350 horsepower from its V6 engine. With a net rating of 360 horsepower when the hybrid system is taken into account, the M35h should offer a good blend of power…
BMW M5 Concept To Debut At Shanghai Auto Show
The long awaited next generation BMW M5 will get its first showing in (lightly disguised) concept form at the Shanghai Auto Show. With China becoming a rapidly important market for BMW (read: sales are booming), the new car, codenamed the F10, will surely be a hit with performance-minded buyers in China and the world over….
Chevrolet To Introduce New Camaro-Based Car At Chicago Auto Show, New Caprice Almost Certain
During our drive of the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, we chatted with one engineer about GM’s Zeta platform, which underpins rear-drive full size cars. Among remarking how much we adored the Pontiac G8 sedan and how we longed for a revival of the car, the engineer broke into a broad grin and said “well, these things…
Volkswagen Super Bowl Ads Use The Force, Insect Imagery
With two new major debuts in 2011, Volkswagen is hoping to raise their profile in the United States with a coupe Super Bowl commercials that show off their new Passat and give a hint at what the 2012 Beetle will look like when it bows at the end of the year. The Passat spot evokes…
Hyundai Superbowl Spots Highlight Elantra, Sonata Hybrid
This year’s Super Bowl is heavy on automotive ads, with Hyundai, Audi, Volkswagen and Chevrolet all spending megabucks to get a coveted ad slot at television’s biggest event of the year. Hyundai’s spots largely focus on their new superstar, the 2011 Elantra, with Hyundai calling for an end to hypnotizingly dull compacts. A fourth spot…
BMW M Car Sales Up 14 Percent In 2010
BMW‘s M division saw sales of its sports cars increase by 14.2 percent in 2010, to 16,967 units. The M3 remained the brand’s most popular car, with the coupe, sedan and convertible making up 10,116 units. In second place was the X6M with 3,082 units and X5M with 2,778 units. The US led the world…
Lincoln Dealers Won’t See New Product At Meetings With Ford Execs
With 200 of Lincoln‘s 1200 dealers staring down a possible termination of their franchise, an upcoming dealer meeting will provide little comfort to retailers of Ford’s luxury brand, as the Blue Oval will not share upcoming product details with Lincoln’s sales force. Even though Ford is aggressively targeting Lincoln dealers with a demand for a…
BMW Prepares For 4-Cylinder Onslaught
BMW has always been known for their trademark inline-6 engines, but the recent industry-wide trend of downsizing has led to BMW adopting turbocharged four-cylinder engines as an alternative to smaller, naturally aspirated I6 engines in the name of efficiency. First to get the turbo-4 treatment is the X1 small crossover, although Jim O’Donnell, head of…
2012 Mercedes C63 AMG Gets New Transmission, Styling
The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG will get some significant tweaks for 2012, with an official debut at March’s Geneva Auto Show. Arrving this summer as a 2012 model, the biggest news is the addition of Mercedes’ 7-speed MCT gearbox, used in the SL63 and other top-tier AMG cars previously. While the C63 makes 451 horsepower and…
BMW Driving School Teaches You Defensive Driving At Former Soviet Airbase
Some driving schools teach you the rules of the road. Others show you how to get the most out of your car while driving at the limit on a closed circuit. A rarefied few, like BMW‘s facility in the former East Germany, can show you how to get away with life and limb intact should you ever…
Volvo To Cut Lineup In Hopes Of Boosting Sales, V50 Slated To Die
Volvo will reduce the number of models sold in the United States as part of their effort to bump up sales. While Volvo currently sells nine models in the United States, three of them are expected to be cut. The first victim is expected to be the V50 wagon, a car well regarded by the…
Volkswagen May Offer European Jetta In North America If Sales Are Strong
Volkswagen‘s newest Jetta was designed to be a volume leader, selling for about $15,000. But Volkswagen loyalists, who previously loved the Jetta for its premium feel and sporty character, have decried what they see as a cheapening of their beloved compact sedan, and Volkswagen seems to be listening. After driving a European market Jetta, with…
NHTSA Investigating 2010 Ford Fusion For Defective Wheel Studs
NHTSA is beggining an investigation into the 2010 Ford Fusion, after recieving complaints of cracking wheel studs on the popular family sedan. Over 280,000 vehicles may be affected by the problem. Wheel studs hold the wheel in place on the vehicle, and a failure could be catastrophic. Interestingly, NHTSA claimed that “Three complaint vehicles belong…
Mitsubishi To Dump Eclipse, Endeavor, Build Global Products
Mitsubishi‘s American plant will transition from making less-than-thrilling cars like the Eclipse and Endeavor SUV to producing vehicles for the global market. The transition will occur in 2014 as part of its new business plan. The vehicles will share a common platform with the Lancer compact car and Outlander crossover. Along with the Eclipse and…
Saab 9-5 SportCombi To Debut At Geneva, Herald Return Of A Big Saab Wagon
Unfortunately we have no photos of the Saab 9-5 SportCombi to show you, but considering how wild the 9-5 sedan looks, we’re very excited to see the wagon version debut at March’s Geneva Auto Show. The last 9-5 wagon was never a runaway success, but within the niche of luxury wagons, it was a well…
