Once upon a time, Volkswagen was known for selling simple and inexpensive cars. The unconventional simplicity of the automaker’s designs carried over into the brand’s straightforward nomenclature designating its vehicles as the Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. Somewhere in its history, VW decided to be more than just the company that provided Beetles and Microbuses. Read more…
It’s the eve of the 2011 North American International Auto Show and the AT Editorial Team has descended on the Motor City to set up camp just blocks from Cobo Hall. Executive Editor Dye just pulled out the corporate credit card to let the staff feast on endless pizza and root beer. Yes, this is truly the good life! And in preparation for the big day we figured it would be fitting to provide our curious readers a taste of what’s to come. Click through for a preview gallery and then stop back later tonight for a special edition Automotive Trends PODCAST for our last minute thoughts and predictions before we hit the show floor tomorrow morning at 5:30AM! Was that root beer caffeine free?!
UPDATE: Since we posted this, Volkswagen has seen fit to break cover with a pair of photos of the 2012 Passat. We’ve included them in the gallery. Read more…
The Automotive Trends staff would like to wish you and yours a Happy New Year! Have fun and be careful out there! We’ll see y’all in 2011!
The Automotive Trends staff would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Let us remember the reason for the season and be glad in it!
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
– Luke 2:11
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!
Better grab a hot chocolate and your favorite Snuggie for this one! Not only is it darn cold and chilly in the Motor City, but in this paticular episode of the Automotive Trends PODCAST your humble editors got a bit long winded! Design Editor Gernand gives us a quick history on the Chrysler K-Car before we launch into our pre-auto show discussion. We debate what vehicles will make the finalist round for North American Car and Truck of the Year awards, then deliver a little bit of commentary on the BMW 1-Series M Coupe, Chevrolet’s newest small car name, Buick’s latest endeavor to deliver small car fuel mileage in the fullsize LaCrosse and we also mentioned the Ford Explorer and Volkswagen Golf R. To top it all off we discussed all four of the vehicles we’ve had in the fleet since we last sat behind the mics. Click through to have a listen and check out the impressive photo galleries. Read more…
Finally, A Hybrid That Handles
Like John Cleese in a Monty Python production, when it comes to the Lexus CT200h we feel like announcing “and now for something completely different”. That’s because this new entry-level Lexus offers the same hybrid benefits that we’ve seen in one form or another for the past decade, but doesn’t sacrifice driving pleasure on the altar of ultimate frugality. And no, we’re not counting the poor-excuse-for-a-hybrid Honda CR-Z and its piddling mid-30s fuel economy rating. Yes, we too were skeptical when phrases like “fun to drive hybrid” and “a hybrid with attitude” were being dropped by sales executives at the vehicle’s press introduction. But after a day spent driving around Palm Beach, Florida, we found ourselves uttering similar summaries of Lexus’s fifth hybrid. And we didn’t see that coming. Read more…
To say that your mileage may vary seems to be the understatement of the decade. The Environmental Protection Agency has finally finished the math it needed in order to produce what you see above, the offical EPA Window Sticker for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. A bit confusing, eh? It actually isn’t so bad when you break it down. On the left you have what the Volt is capable of using only its on-board electric motor and battery pack charged up via the grid. On the right you have your standard MPG once the battery pack has been drained of its nuclear or coal fired electro juice. You’ll note that beside each MPGe or MPG figure there is a per 100 miles figure, which calculates just how much energy it takes to move the vehicle 100 miles. And at the bottom there are some charts for estimating how your mileage will vary with charging and how the Volt compares to other vehicles. What does this all mean? Well, on electric power alone it will get the equivalent of 93 MPG for roughly 35 miles (according to the EPA offical number) and 37 MPG after that. We were hoping for a bit more fuel miserly once the battery drained, but considering that the curb weight is more on par with a full-sized sedan we’ll call it impressive nonetheless and report back our real-world fuel economy and driving impressions once GM tosses us the keys. Read more…
Happy Thanksgiving from the Editors of Automotive Trends!
In this, the thirteenth installment of your ever-growing collection of Automotive Trends PODCASTS, we discover that someone really needs to monitor our crew’s intake of caffeine! Nevertheless your hard working and ever dedicated autoscribes discuss the merits (or really, the lack thereof) of the SEMA Car Show, discuss whether Volvo’s got what it takes to deliver a 7-Series competitor, voice our displeasure over Gran Turismo 5 being delayed again, debate the 2012 Buick Regal GS’s lack of all-wheel drive and have a moment of silence for the officially departed Pontiac brand. To top it all off we discuss our week spent flogging a yellow 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible. Click through for a listen! Read more…
