Automotive Trends

      In an effort to look concerned about the environment and offer a bit of a discount on their entry offering Continental range, Bentley has developed a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 to motivate the Flying B in place of the 6.0-liter W12 that they’ve used for almost a decade. (Don’t worry, for those wealthy clients who aren’t as concerned with saving polar bears the W12 remains available.) Horsepower comes in at an even 500 while torque maxes at 481 lb-ft. An 8-speed automatic sends power out to all four wheels and all the usual Bentley luxuries remain available. Read more…

      Cadillac might have sold the CTS as its 3-Series competitor when it debuted a decade ago but the truth is the CTS has always been a bit too big and heavy to match the stalwart 3-Series punch-for-punch. In an effort to make the fight more interesting Cadillac introduced the ATS that measures within an inch of the Bavarian in every important dimension. The result is a tidy sport sedan with short overhangs and a lot of design details borrowed from the full-size XTS. Read more…

      BMW’s big unveiling in 2011 was for the North American debut of a car that many wanted to purchase but that BMW refused to produce in sufficient volume. Rather than taunt the media this year with the 1M coupe as it did last year, BMW chose to show off the newest variation on its mainstay volume seller 3-series. Read more…

      Volkswagen used its press conference to tout its first Jetta Hybrid and found a fun way to package an electric car within its latest Beetle with the two-seat E-Bugster Concept. The concept would have a 100 mile range thanks to a nearly 700 pound lithium-ion battery and a 114 horsepower electric motor. Read more…

      Germany’s iconic sports car manufacturer chose to unveil the cabriolet edition of its newly released 911 in the most unexpected of venues. The state of Michigan has historically been such a small market for Porsche that they abstained from displaying a single car at the show for a couple of years. Combine that slim sales volume with a city that normally experiences single digit temperatures several months out of the year and the unveiling of a bright red Porsche 911 Cabriolet at Detroit’s Cobo hall is as unexpected as Detroit’s warm weather this week. Read more…

      As if the idea of a Smart pickup wasn’t funny enough, the big wigs brought in funnyman John Lovitz to entertain the assembled press and try in vain to convince us that an “urban pickup” from Smart was a sound idea. We can’t even pretend to get on board with this one. Read more…

      The SL roadster has been around a long time and the sixth generation that debuted today looks equipped to carry Mercedes’ flagship roadster banner long into the future. For starters the standard engine is now the superb 4.6-liter twin-turbo that produces 429 hp and a gargantuan 516 lb-ft of torque. Tasked with motivating an SL that is now 275 pounds lighter than the outgoing version (hooray!) SL drivers will be rewarded with a 0-60 mph run of only 4.5 seconds. Read more…

      Having just celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2011, Chevrolet is keen on establishing its predominance with the ever important young car buyer. There was much talk about how the car has a diminished importance in the eyes of the under-30 crowd due to their ability to interact from their own homes through social networking sites and smartphones. In order to adapt and attract that younger generation, Chevrolet introduced one production model and two concepts.  Read more…

      Chrysler made its morning press conference a celebration of a resurgent Dodge and rolled out a convincing argument in its quest to conquer the compact market in the form of the Dart. The small sedan is the product of the Fiat acquisition and successfully covers an Alfa Romeo developed platform with tough Dodge styling including a full-width tail light inspired by the Charger. Read more…

     One vehicle that we have been anticipating for months is the all-new 2013 Ford Fusion. We spotted several heavily disguised mules around Detroit that made us anxious to see just what Ford had up its sleeve. When the fresh sheetmetal was rolled onto the turntables today we were far from disappointed. As contemporary as Ford has kept the Fusion, the new model leaps forward with an attractive 6-window greenhouse complemented by a low Aston Martin-like grille rather than the chrome 3-bar piece formerly decorating the car’s nose.  Read more…