suv
Maserati To Unveil Kubang SUV In Detroit
Remember the Chrysler TC by Maserati? It was an American car with some Italian influence and the end result was simply awful. Let’s hope this alliance will bear better fruit this time around, as Maserati is set to unveil their Kubang SUV concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month. The…
2012 Toyota RAV4 Pricing Announced
Toyota announced today the MSRP for the 2012 RAV4 compact sport utility vehicle. The overall price point on the compact crossover is being increased by an average of $100, or 0.4 percent on all models. You can get the RAV4 in three different trim packages: the base RAV package, the middle of the road Sport…
KBB Most Researched Vehicles List Released
Kelly Blue Book Released their list of the 20 most researched vehicles and three of the top five spots belong the Honda products. The Civic and Accord placed first and second respectively, with the Toyota Camry in third, the Honda CR-V in fourth and the Ford F-150 in fifth. The Hyundai Sonata and Elantra placed…
Lexus LX570 To Debut Next Month
The Lexus LX 570, set to debut at next month’s Detroit Auto Show, will look different but remain almost identical beneath the skin, as Lexus spokesperson said in an interview with Autoblog.com. Bill Kwong, Lexus Communications Specialist, said the LX 570 and Toyota Land Cruiser will feature an updated body style, but that the interior and drivetrain…
Nissan Recalls Nearly Every Juke Sold For Door Lock, Turbocharger Defects
Nissan is recalling 118,000 Juke crossovers world wide due to a pair of defects that could pose problems for owners. Nissan says that the door locks could freeze in cold-weather, presenting an annoying problem for owners in cold climates. In addition, a boost pressure sensor on the turbocharger may malfunction, causing a check engine light…
2013 Mercedes-Benz GL Spied
Mercedes-Benz GL has gone since 2006 without an update, and for the 2013 model year, Mercedes will finally be paying attention to their big three-row SUV. While the diesel GL models will be largely carried over, M-B’s new line of turbocharged V8s and direct-injection V6s will make an appearance in the new model. Other changes…
Lexus To Enter Indian Market Starting In 2013
Toyota has announced that starting in 2013, it will sell Lexus vehicles in India. No specific products were announced for sale, but likely contenders include the LS and GS sedans, as well as the RX crossover. Given India’s less than perfect roads, the LX and GX SUVs (based on the popular Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs)…
Acura MDX To Be Built In Alabama To Offset Rising Yen
Honda announced today that they would use excess capacity at their Alabama plant following a $300 million investment in the facility. The investment will allow for a total of 340,000 units anually. Rising exchange rates are forcing Honda to devote more resources to North American production while reducing exports. Honda will shift their Acura MDX…
Saab 9-4X May Be The World’s Rarest New Vehicle
An article in Automotive News proposed that the Saab 9-4X crossover may be the world’s rarest new vehicle on sale. Although Saab had planned to sell between 15,000 and 20,000 examples globally this year (with half of sales conducted in the United States), a mere 194 have been sold through October in the United States….
2013 Ford Flex Gets Visual Tweaks, More Power: 2011 LA Auto Show
The Ford Flex never really caught on in the marketplace, but the car has a cult following among a certain subset, who enjoy its quirky looks and seven-passenger layout. Ford unveiled a revised version Thursday at the Los Angeles Auto Show. For 2013, the Flex will get a few changes to help make it more…
2013 Mazda CX-5 Debuts: 2011 LA Auto Show
Mazda unveiled their latest entry into the compact crossover market at the Los Angeles Auto Show Wednesday, with the 2013 CX-5. The CX-5 will be the first vehicle to use a full suite of Mazda’s SKYACTIV technologies, designed to reduce weight and increase fuel economy without compromising the sporty character of Mazda’s offerings. A 2.0L…
Jeep Liberty Replacement Plans To Be Revealed Wednesday
The future of the Jeep Liberty will be revealed Wednesday when Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne will visit the Toledo, Ohio plant that currently builds the truck. The new Liberty will shed its traditional off-road roots and move to a Fiat-based car platform. While the move to a crossover may anger traditionalist, Marchionne was apparently less…
BMW X6 Facelift Spied Without Any Disguises
BMW‘s X6 crossover is due for a facelift any time now, and our spy photographers have caught the vehicle uncovered. Like any good facelift, the X6 has relatively minor changes, but is still distinct enough that owners of the previous car will feel compelled to trade up for the latest and greatest. Engines won’t change,…
Chevrolet Camaro, Fiat 500, Ford F-Series Win SEMA Awards: 2011 SEMA Show
This year’s SEMA awards were announced Wednesday morning, with the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford F-Series and Jeep Wrangler taking home the awards for Hottest Car, Truck and 4×4 SUV respectively. The big surprise here was the announcement of the Fiat 500 as the Hottest Sport Compact, despite a relatively small presence at the SEMA show. The…
Porsche Profits Up 25 Percent, Cayenne Outsells Panamera by 2:1 Ratio
Porsche‘s profits rose by 25 percent in the first 9 months of the year, as overall revenue and vehicle deliveries rose by 20 and 31 percent respectively. Cayenne sales were up 74 percent, as the SUV became the brand’s best selling model, with 43,924 units sold. The Panamera was second with 18,750 sold. Sales of…
Land Rover Defender To Carry On Until 2017
Fans of the Land Rover Defender worried about the iconic off-roader’s impending demise should feel at ease, because the Defender has a long life ahead of it, with production scheduled until 2017. While a new, more civilized Defender, will bow in 2015, the current vehicle will remain in production until 2017, and possibly as long…
Porsche Expanding Leipzig Plant To Produce Cajun Crossover
Porsche broke ground on an expansion of its Leipzig, Germany factory, that will produce its upcoming Cajun crossover, a smaller model expected to slot below the popular Cayenne SUV. The $500 million investment will add 1,000 new jobs at the plant, which already produces the Panamera sedan and the Cayenne. The Cajun will ride on…
2013 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Won’t Come To America
Sorry to get your hopes up, but it looks like the 2013 Chevrolet TrailBlazer won’t be coming here after all. Despite teasing us with a preview of the upcoming mid-size SUV, Chevrolet representatives said that there are no immediate plans to bring the TrailBlazer to our market. The TrailBlazer’s platform-mate, the Colorado pickup, will be…
Chevrolet Trailblazer Returns On Colorado Platform
The Chevrolet TrailBlazer was killed off in 2009 to make way for GM’s new range of car-based crossovers, but evidently there’s still demand for a mid-size, truck based SUV, as Chevrolet has announced a new TrailBlazer based on the upcoming Colorado mid-size pickup. Given that the Colorado was developed for world markets by GM’s Thailand…
Nissan Swaps GT-R Drivetrain Into Juke-R [VIDEO]
Outlandish engine swaps are usually a fool’s errand that cost far more time and money than most people ever expect. Of course, if you’re a major automaker with endless financial and mechanical resources behind you, you can do whatever you want. When Nissan set out to create the Juke-R, considerations like “budget”, “space” and “access…
Ford Escape To Get 1.6L, 2.0L Ecoboost, L.A. Auto Show Debut
The next generation Ford Escape is set to make its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and the decade-old SUV is set to be replaced by a much more modern crossover with three new engines. Styling-wise, the new Escape should mimic the Vertrek concept (above) that originally debuted at the 2011 Detroit Auto…
Fiat To Build Jeep Subcompact In Italy, Patriot And Compass Replacement In U.S.
Jeep has scrapped plans to build a replacement for their Patriot and Compass SUVs in Italy, and will instead build a subcompact Jeep product in Italy that will also be badged as a Fiat in world markets. The car will replace the Fiat Sedici, which is itself based on the Suzuki SX4. Jeep will then…
Rental Car Thief Nabbed by Employee Using Facebook
A Salt Lake City, Utah, rental car company had a bit of trouble recovering a 2009 Ford Explorer they’d loaned to 42 year old Jennifer Marshall Hansen of Sandy City, Utah, who failed to return the vehicle that was scheduled for September 1. According to court papers, an Affordable Rent-A-Car employee used Facebook to “friend”…
Safety Innovations Dramatically Reduce Car Versus Truck Crash Fatalities
A study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed a significant drop in fatalities involving accidents between a car or a minivan versus an SUV of comparable weight. By comparing two sample sets, one used to record the number of crashes involving SUVs registered in 2000-2001 and another to record SUVs from 2008-2009, IIHS…
