Kia used the Detroit Auto Show to reveal a possible entry into, of all things, a dormant segment. The KV7 is a concept designed to do a van right. It’s not one of these minivans that pretends to be manly or sporty or something it’s not. Kia designers wanted to build a van that was proud of its shape. Read more…
Ford is stretching its C-Platform for all it’s worth by introducing a new derivative to the extended Focus family called C-Max. Europe has enjoyed the people moving capabilities of the various C-Max offerings for years, but Americans would never have warmed to the small people mover when gas was only a couple bucks a gallon. Ford thinks the time is right to make a move and will do its best to convince us of the C-Max’s benefits later this year when the 7-passenger mini-minivan hits US showrooms. Read more…
Honda isn’t quite ready to debut the new ninth-generation Civic lineup yet, but that didn’t stop them from teasing us with mildly exaggerated coupe and sedan concepts. If you visually downsize the wheels, relocate the center exhaust tips and install an interior you’re looking at the 2012 Civic that will debut in a few short months. Read more…
BMW fans are always happy when the magical “M” gets glued to the decklid of a new vehicle in the German automaker’s lineup and when that vehicle is a tidy little coupe we know the outcome is going to be full of driver satisfaction.
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Mini is on a quest to fill as many automotive niches as it can and the Paceman Concept is the latest alteration that may or may not be destined for production. What we can tell you is that Mini’s designers used “masculine design language” and the higher ground clearance and larger dimensions of the 4-door Mini Countryman to make this the first Sports Activity Coupe, or SAC, (their words, not ours) in the small car segment. Read more…
With sales of almost one million units since its debut in 2000, the Toyota Prius is an unqualified success and Toyota can hardly be blamed for looking at ways to expand the Prius’ appeal to new customers. Which is exactly what we saw Toyota do at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. Read more…
Late in the summer of 2010 BMW teased the automotive world with photos of their 6 Series Coupe Concept. Today, BMW made the unusual move of introducing the production 6 Series convertible without having officially shown us the production coupe first. Regardless of the semantics, BMW was willing to divulge just a few of the juicy details on their newest model. Read more…
Porsche is one of the enduring leaders in motorsports and the German sports-car manufacturer chose to return to this year’s Detroit Auto Show, its first appearance in four years, to debut its most advanced racer yet. Read more…
Unlike the upset in 2010 when the rudimentary Ford Transit Connect was named North American Truck of the Year, the selection of the 2011 Ford Explorer as this year’s winner came as a surprise to almost no one. The ‘is it an SUV or is it a crossover’ three-row family hauler proves to be a game changer for Ford’s once best-selling model. With votes divided between the corporate twins Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango it rightly seemed that the Explorer was a shoe in for the Truck of the Year honors. Read more…
With its designation as 2011 North American Car of the Year the Chevrolet Volt has added yet another award to its trophy case. Up against the fully electric but limited range Nissan Leaf and the wonderful but conventional Hyundai Sonata, the Volt proves to be the most original car to be introduced in quite some time. We’re eager to get our hands on this new extended range electric vehicle to see how it stacks up in the real world. We’re betting there are plenty of consumers who are eager to try this new mode of transportation out for themselves. Read more…
