The 2005 Ford Five Hundred was a capable fullsize family sedan with plenty of room for adults in all seat positions and a spacious trunk. Ford tried to woo SUV buyers with a tall upright seating position and all-wheel drive, as well as sell on economy with the modest 3.0L V6 and continuously-variable transmission. The end result, however, was a tall lethargic sedan clearly inspired by the F-150.
When GM revealed the Saturn Aura Concept sedan at the 2005 NAIAS with it rolled out a new vision for the brand that didn’t include plastic body work with huge panel gaps and placid shapes. Combined with the stellar reputation Saturn’s dealer network carried it looked as though the General finally had a winning game plan for the brand. Unfortunately the economic melt down of 2008 would unravel all the hard work and leave Saturns destined to be display items for orphan car shows.
The 2007 Dodge Avenger Stormtrooper is more than just a car for Star Wars nerds (like yours truly). Along with the George Lucas spec exterior cosmetic upgrades the interior features two mobile PC’s. The PC up front features ETAS INCA software for engine tuning while the one in the back seat is loaded with mobile entertainment software for video, gaming, music and internet connectivity. On loan from the Empire this Stormtrooper was found on display at the 2007 NAIAS.
The 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid proved to the world that you didn’t have to drive a jelly bean to be efficient over the road. In fact it proved that you didn’t have to stick to a road at all because the Escape is still available with all-wheel drive.
The HCD9 Talus shown at the 2006 NAIAS was what Hyundai claimed to be the future of the sports car. Well, thankfully today’s sports cars still sit lower than the stratosphere. But do note that the rear quarter window on the HCD9 cleverly signals a styling cue of the future Genesis Coupe.
The 2004 Ford F-250 Super Duty King Ranch provides a good perch upon which to observe the harvest. Especially when viewing it from the Super Duty’s butter soft saddle leather captain’s chairs!
A new dawn of power indeed! Right out of the gate Audi’s R10 TDI LeMans racer was a force to be reckoned with powered by a 5.5L V12 turbodiesel churning out 650-hp and 811 lb-ft of torque. Call me crazy, but stuffing this mill under the hood of an A8 sure sounds like a good formula for a super saloon! Shown at the 2007 NAIAS.
First Mercedes-Benz challenged our definition of a coupe by offering the CLS four door coupe. This car had conventionally hinged doors front and rear but featured a dramatically impractical roofline. Now Stuttgart is looking to challenge yet another body style definition. This time the ‘shooting brake’ is being redefined. Read more…
The 2007 Kia Sportage is a small, comfortable and easy to maneuver sport-utility and a solid bang for you buck vehicle.
The Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept that debuted at the 2010 NAIAS is a thinly disguised version of the car that will replace the DTS and STS this fall. Instead of a Northstar V8 under the hood of this stretched-to-the-limit Epsilon platform sedan there lies a 3.6L direct-injected V6 paired with GM’s 2-Mode Hybrid system. All-wheel drive and a plush cockpit round out the offerings. The only question remaining is will this big sedan be an Audi A8 contender, or simply an alternative to the Ford Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKS?
