Categories: New Models

Lexus launches $375k LFA

Posted by: Ian Rowley on October 21

Toyota chief Akio Toyoda did his best to liven up proceedings, but even the unveiling of a production version of the $375,000 Lexus LFA supercar couldn't help this year's...

A Chevrolet Camaro for the MBA set

Posted by: David Welch on September 18

In its day, the Camaro was a cheap sports car for the buzz cut and gold chains crowd. But the new one, packed with a high-tech V-6 engine that...

Honda's Insight makes a solid start in Japan

Posted by: Ian Rowley on March 11

The new Honda Insight hybrid is doing well in Japan. Since going on sale on Feb. 6, Honda has received 18,000 orders or about three times its initial target. Of...

The sports car in your future

Posted by: David Welch on October 24

I have driven the future and it’s here right now. Granted, oil prices are falling like a Hummer driven over a cliff, but consumers are still going to be...

A Maxi Mini?

Posted by: David Welch on September 22

Say it isn’t so. BMW’s diminutive Mini brand is expected to show a suv concept at the Paris Auto Show next month. OK, it’s a small crossover with all-wheel...

Chevy Hopes Bigger is Better in the Compact Market

Posted by: David Welch on September 15

We’ve heard the domestic auto makers tell us that they’re taking square aim at Japanese cars before. Often to no avail. This time, General Motors' Chevrolet division is trying...

Chrysler's Seven New Vehicles in 2010 Can't Come Fast Enough.

Posted by: David Kiley on September 12

Chrysler vice chairman Jim Press predicted Chrysler's situation would stabilize in 2010, when it will introduce seven vehicles. Gone, he said, will be the overlapping nameplates Chrysler now develops for...

Hyundai Genesis Going For The Moon

Posted by: David Kiley on August 20

Hyundai Motor Co. executives boldly say they expect to sell up to 50,000 of its new premium Genesis model in the U.S. market when both the sedan and coupe...

Costs rising for Tata's Nano

Posted by: Ian Rowley on July 18

With the October launch of Tata's 100,000 rupee (about $2,400) Nano getting closer, expect the hype surrounding the world's cheapest car to soon revisit January levels. Back then, the Nano's...

Two Beetles for VW?

Posted by: David Kiley on July 14

Despite the falloff in popularity of the aging New Beetle at Volkswagen, the company may be considering two Beetles in the next decade. According to an item in Motor Trend,...

Chevy Cruze is Coming. But Not Until 2010.

Posted by: David Kiley on July 10

General Motors will call a new “mini” car the Cruze. GM will unveil the car at the Paris Auto Show in September. It will go into production in 2010...

Ford To Build Small Fiestas in Mexico: Hatchback Coming

Posted by: David Kiley on May 30

Ford will build its sub-compact Fiesta hitting the U.S. market in 2010 in Mexico. This wasn't a big surprise, because making a small car expected to be priced $15K and...

Astra Not Catching On Yet Amidst Small Car Wave

Posted by: David Kiley on May 22

I have taken some flack from pals of mine in the business for not endorsing the Saturn Astra. One pal from Finland, no less, e-mailed me to complain about...

Ford Focus Surprises

Posted by: David Kiley on April 16

What do the auto writers know? When Ford introduced the Ford Focus at the Detroit auto show last year, the redesigned body was greeted with yawns and catcalls. Journos...

BMW X6 Invents a New Niche

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on September 12

BMW's new X6 pre-production concept car pushes the design innovation pedal to the metal. The X6 is making its press debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show, and will hit...

The Chinese Gauntlet

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on September 11

The Chinese have dared the wrath of BMW. At the Frankfurt Auto Show which opens Sept. 13, German importer China Automobile is proudly showing the CEO, an SUV which...

Volkswagen's Small-Car Revival

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on September 11

Volkswagen veered off track in the 1990s with expensive, upmarket models. Now it's steering back to its roots: Small cars at more pleasing prices. The "Up" is the first...

Bugati Pur Sang ("Pure blood")

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on September 11

Analysts castigated former VW Group CEO Ferdinand Piech for sinking over $1 billion into the development of the rarified 1001-horsepower Bugati Veyron, which hit the market in 2005 and...

Chevy Mini Might Make It Here

Posted by: David Welch on August 22

General Motors Corp. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner is hardly the kind of executive who makes off-the-cuff product announcements. But at a recent round table with some reporters, Wagoner...

Cheapo Logan Zooms

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on July 13

Who would have believed it. Renault's no-frills Logan model -- dubbed on its 2004 debut as an ugly duckling by the industry -- has grabbed 1 percent of the European...

Another $3,000 Car in the Works

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on June 21

It's official -- Renault and Nissan are working on designing a $3,000 car for the Indian market. That move will challenge India's Tata Motors for a slice of the fast-growing...

Super 'Vette or Mini Car?

Posted by: David Welch on June 04

The car nut blogosphere has been abuzz recently over the possibility that General Motors Corp. might develop a mid-engine Corvette when the next-generation sports car comes out in 2010...

$126k Lexus goes on sale in Japan

Posted by: Ian Rowley on May 18

Yesterday Toyota launched the most expensive Lexus to date--the LS600hL hybrid luxury sedan--in Japan. Fully loaded, it costs a pricey 15.1 million yen ($126,000) and is easily the most...

The new Mini starts to Roar

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on May 08

April sales figures confirm the second-generation Mini is getting traction around the globe. Sales of the Mini brand in April jumped 19.2 percent to 18,263 cars. During the first...

Fiat Bravo Arrives

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on January 31

Well here it is -- Fiat's new Bravo compact. This is the car that has to power the Italian automaker's recovery into higher gear. Unveiled in Rome on Jan....

BMW’s iTease?

Posted by: Matthew Vella on January 19

Two weeks ago, an obscure teaser trailer on BMW’s corporate website site, bmw.com not to be confused with bmwusa.com, caught the attention of fans and bloggers. The promo featured...

The Chinese Invasion Commeth

Posted by: David Welch on January 08

Here comes the Chinese invasion. Changfeng Motor, which claims to be China’s No. 1 SUV maker, showed off its Liebao suv at the Detroit auto show today. What a...

GM Sweeps Car and Truck of the Year

Posted by: David Welch on January 07

You could hear General Motors marketers crying “huzzah” after the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards were announced. GM swept the awards with the Chevrolet Silverado...

New Hotness From....Saturn

Posted by: Matthew Vella on December 02

Talk to General Motors executives and they’ll tell you that, while it may be the hobgoblin of little literary minds, consistency is without a doubt the key to reversing...

Chrysler's Sebring, Topless in LA

Posted by: Matthew Vella on December 01

A la Nikki and Paris Hilton, Chrysler’s Sebring sedan definitely lives in the shadow of its considerably racier, less-clothed sibling. Even when Chrysler debuted the new sedan earlier this...

Dongfeng Motor eyes Japan

Posted by: Ian Rowley on November 27

Dongfeng Motors cannot be accused of lacking ambition. According to reports in Japan over the weekend, the Chinese automaker is planning to enter the Japanese market next year with a...

Measuring Mercedes' Quality

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on November 03

So far so good. Since the Sept. 2005 launch of the S-Class, Mercedes has brought several new models to market with no bad news about quality or recalls. The company...

Nissan planning big diesels?

Posted by: Ian Rowley on October 29

Nissan are keeping quiet but reports in Japan claim that the Japanese automaker is planning to launch six and seven liter diesel heavy duty trucks for the U.S. market by...

Can the LS rescue Lexus in Japan?

Posted by: Ian Rowley on September 19

Amid much ceremony--well, a cello player, a singer and and a brace of dancers--Toyota today launched the top of the range Lexus LS460 in Tokyo. The company will hope...

Mercedes-Benz brings a diesel to Japan

Posted by: Ian Rowley on August 29

If you thought American drivers weren't big on diesel, just look at Japan where the fuel has long been perceived as being dirty and offering sluggish performance. Until yesterday, when...

Lots of Buzz for the Dodge Hornet

Posted by: David Welch on February 19

I can’t say enough about how disappointed I was to see Chrysler’s sad display at the Detroit auto show in January. The company really did blow its chance to...

Mazda readies its greener RX-8

Posted by: Ian Rowley on February 16

Mazda's novel approach to hydrogen-fueled cars is a step closer to hitting the streets of Japan. This week the company revealed that it has received government approval to begin...

GM catches a break, finally

Posted by: David Welch on February 15

Just when everyone thought high gasoline prices would kill off the big-sport utility vehicle business, General Motors Corp’s new gas hogs are showing signs of real life in the market....

To Launch The New Expedition SUV, Ford Goes To...Houston?

Posted by: David Kiley on January 27

I don't want to say that Ford is trying to slip its new Expedition SUV in the witness protection program, but it did strike us odd that it chose...

DaimlerChrysler's legacy boosts Mitsubishi

Posted by: Ian Rowley on January 21

DaimlerChrysler may have sold off what was left of its stake in loss-making Mitsubishi Motors in November, but the fruits of the ill-fated venture keep coming. On Tuesday, Mitsubishi...

Camaro Trumps Dodge Challenger

Posted by: David Kiley on January 10

On Sunday afternoon, the floor of the North American International Show in Detroit was abuzz over the unveiling of the Dodge Challenger concept that was also on magazine covers...

Nissan's new Sentra--worth the wait?

Posted by: Ian Rowley on January 09

The new Nissan Sentra (above) is unveiled today at the Detroit motor show. Click here and here for some more shots. The sedan, which won't go on sale until...

Lexus LS460 A Techno Marvel For Perfectionists

Posted by: David Kiley on January 08

Lexus introduced the LS460 here, a replacement for its flagship LS430 now in showrooms. All I have to say is...what could they possibly have left out. -The industry's first...

Volvo Goes Small. But Is It A Safe Bet To Succeed?

Posted by: David Kiley on January 06

Volvo will unveil a new small car at The North American International Show next week, the C30 coupe. The car is built off the same very good and versatile...

Its Official. Chrysler Will Build VW's Bus

Posted by: David Kiley on January 05

After kicking around the mill for a few months, Volkswagen confirmed today that Chrysler will build VW a minivan it can sell for around $30,000 off Chrysler's successful Caravan/Town...

Voulez-vous un Buick?

Posted by: David Welch on January 05

The good news for General Motors Corp's long-suffering Buick division is that it has a couple of good vehicles joining its lineup. The Lucerne sedan has already hit showrooms,...

Mazda Readies The CX-7. But Will Anyone Notice?

Posted by: David Kiley on January 05

Mazda North American Operations has revealed pictures and details of its CX-7 crossover SUV. The pictures certainly show that Mazda, which is controlled by Ford, is sticking to its...