Automotive Trends

      Econoline, Express, Savana, Beauville, Ram Van.  These are not typically vehicle names that are brought up in conversations with auto enthusiasts unless one is talking about its merits as a tow vehicle.  The general public has been largely disinterested with the entire full size van market ever since the Chrysler minivans debuted in 1984, forever changing the van market. Read more…

      It takes more than a spot of rain to dampen our spirits when our charge is a 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata!

      With the work done for the day we stopped to enjoy the sunset over a freshly harvested wheat field in the 2007 Land Rover Range Rover.

      Happy Easter from your friends at Automotive Trends!

      In typical Saab Swedish quirkiness tradition the Aero X Concept decides that swing out doors are too common place. The benefit, however, of having the cockpit rise up to allow ingress/egress is that the windshield is then a one piece wonder providing a full 180 degrees of seemless visibility. The Aero X is shown on display at the 2007 NAIAS.

       This 1948 Tucker “Torpedo” sedan is number 47 out of the original 51 Tuckers built. We found this Waltz Blue example in Hickory Corners, MI at the Gilmore Car Museum.

      The 2008 Pontiac G8 GT was a breath of fresh air for GM’s Driving Excitement brand. Sadly, however, it was too little too late. The G8 is one that will be fondly remembered by those of us on the AT ranch.

      On one of the coldest days of the year the BMW 1-Series convertible turns everyone’s attention to summer time driving as it is rolled out at the 2008 NAIAS.

      During its tenure in the AT garage we proved that while the stiffly sprung and high strung 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO GSR makes for a great backroad bomber, it isn’t so well suited for multi-state cross country excursions.

Hyundai Turns Its Attention From Luxury To Sport With The Genesis Coupe

     Watching Hyundai’s meteoric rise from “That Korean Car Company” to “That Global Powerhouse” has been exciting for everyone—at least everyone not employed by another automaker’s sales and marketing department. We recently watched the hard charging company lead a successful foray into the heady waters of the luxury car segment with their Genesis sedan. Now hot on the heels of the positive buzz they earned from meeting that challenge comes a Genesis of another sort.
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      It’s official! The CTS-V Sport Wagon exists in show car form and has been confirmed for production. The rendering above depicts the show car CTS-V Sport Wagon that will debut at the New York Auto Show. Aside from the extra cargo room and a few more svelte trimmings the Sport Wagon carries all the goods of its sedan and coupe stablemates. Even the 6-speed manual transmission will make the options list; good for putting all 556-hp and 551 lb-ft of torque from the 6.2L Supercharged V8 to the pavement. Another neat piece of trivia is that the New York show car will be bathed in the same Midnight Silver paint that adorned the graceful flanks of the Cadillac Sixteen showcar back in 2003. While we love the color, we assure you that will be the last thing on our minds once we get our hands on this smoking hot estate! Read more…