We’ve never been given the task to design a car, much less one as sacred to the automotive faithful as the long running Chevrolet Corvette. The look of such a car must be a challenge to the designers in order to balance the continuation of the legend while reinventing and innovating to keep the car fresh and competitive. It is much easier for those of us on this side of the drawing board to praise or criticize each generation of Corvette. At the end, however, it is the consumer and enthusiast who decides the success and failure of each successive automotive generation. We’re critics though and we know what we like and we know Corvette history. Unfortunately this new car, which revives the Stingray name, did not immediately take our breath away. Even so we must remember our original thoughts when casting our gaze on the C5 Corvette, which is now considered the car that revolutionized what it meant to bear the beloved name. That car didn’t immediately strike us as beautiful then either. Certainly we can praise the upgraded interior and speculate on what it will feel like to row through seven gears. What we can’t predict is whether the C7 will grow better with age or be remembered as the car that broke the Corvette’s beauty streak.
Automakers are feeling pretty good about 2012 and from what we’ve been able to pry out of them they’re going to be kicking-off 2013 in style by rolling out more than 50 new concept cars and production vehicles at the annual auto show season kickoff we call the North American International Auto Show. That means we’re going to have to take our coverage to the next level so readers far and wide will feel like they’re in the Motor City with us taking notes, snapping pictures and tracking down the best gourmet cappuccino. And we plan to do just that by increasing our video offerings and on-the-spot Twitter reporting. (Follow us @automotvtrnds) Of course we’ll be recapping things each night with all the highlights and stunning photography you crave. Find your way back here Sunday, January 13th as we descend into the madness and get things started with our predictions for North American Car and Truck of the Year.
There’s a lot to see at the 2012 North American International Auto Show and many of our readers won’t be able to experience it firsthand, but if you’re looking for just the highlights you’ve come to the right spot. Executive Editor Brandon Dye, Senior Editor Jason Muxlow and Design Editor Erich Gernand spent two days covering the show from top to bottom and they’ve got the sore feet to prove it. So anyone who can’t make it to the Motor City this year should sit back and listen in as they discuss the big news coming out of Detroit. You don’t even have to risk sore feet.
This year no debut earned more applause than the announcement that the Acura NSX Concept would be entering production within three years. Check out this video of Executive Editor Brandon Dye sharing the highlights of the returning Japanese supercar. Read more…
Buick has been teasing us for the last several weeks by slowly revealing bits of their newest crossover. Buick has also chosen to tease those of us with a long memory by choosing the moniker ‘Encore’ for this crossover. That name was last used on a much unloved Renault hatchback marketed in the 1980’s alongside its Alliance sedan counterpart at AMC dealerships. No matter, the Encore name likely was chosen due to its audible similarity to Buick’s large Enclave crossover. Unexpectedly, the Encore is based on the Chevrolet Sonic rather than the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Read more…
Our main criticism of Honda these days is that they don’t seem to be willing to push any design or powertrain boundaries. It’s the same old transmissions and engines going into more-or-less the same old designs. That criticism was only partially addressed when Honda rolled out the Accord Coupe Concept which features some new powertrains in a coupe that looks very much like what you’ve been able to buy at any Honda dealer the past few years. We know that when the production Accord launches later this summer it will look like what you see here minus the fancy wheels and shiny bits. Read more…
Toyota took great pains to remind us that it was the pioneer in the industry and proved its commitment to that segment by unveiling the production version of the Prius c. Toyota claims the ‘c’ stands for ‘city.’ The intent of the Prius c is to offer the most efficient and lowest priced member of the Prius family. With a starting price of under $19,000 the Prius c is actually less expensive than the original Prius that debuted more than 10 years ago. The ‘c’ promises an impressive 53 mpg in city driving and 46 mpg on the highway. We found this to be an attractive addition to the Prius lineup and hope that it may have more enticing driving dynamics than the sterile standard Prius. Unfortunately, acceleration doesn’t sound promising with the 1.5L four combining with the electric motor for a total of 99 hp. We were not so impressed with our first look at the interior plastics, but we should withold final judgment until we are able to drive one of these cars. Read more…
We’d need all our fingers and toes to count the times we’ve heard this before, but Lincoln executives took to the stage to present the MKZ Concept as the first glimpse at a revitalized Lincoln that will finally compete for luxury customers with the best in the industry. The MKZ Concept is clearly a thinly disguised look at the production model that’ll debut later this year and love it or hate it we’re glad to see this isn’t just a leather-lined version of the new Fusion on which it’s based. Read more…
Before hot-rodding was cool, Henry Ford’s design savy son, Edsel, had a custom bodied speedster built on the chassis of a 1934 Ford and powered by a flathead Ford V8. Officially christened the Model 40 Special Speedster, this car was recently restored and shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and will be on permanent display at Edsel’s estate in Grosse Point Shores, Michigan. Since Edsel was a champion for the Lincoln Division and the inspiration for the original Lincoln Continental, it is fitting that this speedster was displayed within the Lincoln display at this year’s North American International Auto Show. Read more…
