CAR REVIEW: 2014 Kia Cadenza: A star is born

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The Kia Cadenza, known as the K7 in its native South Korea where it debuted in 2009, was unveiled in the United States in early 2013 as a 2014 model. It replaced the short-lived, unheralded Kia Amanti as the carmaker’s flagship sedan. The 2014 Kia Cadenza joins the Hyundai Genesis and Hyundai Equus as the trio of South Korean luxury cars sold in the United States. Hyundai owns Kia, and the Cadenza shares a platform with the Hyundai Azera, although the Cadenza is sportier than its cousin. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Weekly Driver picked the Kia Amanti as

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CAR REVIEW: 2014 Ford Fiesta: Racy fun

The sporty 2014 Ford Fiesta lets you bring the kids along. The fun-to-drive, European-styled, economical Fiesta has what many want from a subcompact four-door hatchback or sedan, although its rear seat is only comfortable for children. New for 2014 is an Aston Martin-inspired grille and new hood that fronts a slick body. (Ford once owned Aston Martin.) The Fiesta comes as a four-door hatchback or four-door sedan with a variety of engines—from a fuel-stingy new three-cylinder to a hot new turbocharged four-cylinder. The new Fiesta is offered as front-drive S, SE and Titanium models. You can get a four-door hatchback

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2013 LA Auto Show: New cars, concepts, sexy women (video)

As it does every year, the 2013 LA Auto Show offers a sensory overload of new cars, wild concept cars and an impressive collection of pretty women, called product specialists, who work for the manufacturers to showcase the new vehicles. Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Land Rover, MINI and Nissan and Subaru combined will present 22 global debuts of vehicles at the show, which continues through Dec. 1 at the LA Convention Center. 2014 Porsche Panamera at the LA Auto Show. Image by James Raia/2013 World debuts include the NISMO JUKE RS and a NISMO Concept vehicle

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2014 Toyota Highlander (with video)

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Toyota has announced United States pricing for the third-generation 2014 Toyota Highlander, including the gas-electric hybrid version of the midsize SUV debuting at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show. Available in four grades – LE, LE Plus, XLE and Limited – the 2014 Highlander starts from $29,215, which means a $195 increase over the model its replaces. All gasoline Highlanders will come equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, except for the LE grade which can also has a 2.7-liter four-cylinder unit. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the new Highlander LE will range from $29,215 for the LE FWD

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Honda Accord 2014: Green Car of the Year at LA Auto Show

The 2014 Honda Accord was named the Green Car of the Year at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, getting top honors over the Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla. The award was given to the Accord for all of its iterations, including the Accord, Accord Hybrid and Accord Plug-In. According to the editors of the Green Car Journal, which has presented the award since 2005, the Honda Accord has evolved to meet the needs of an increasingly changing market that seeks ever-higher fuel efficiency, lower CO2 emissions and improved environmental impact. The 2014 Honda Accord

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Seven ugliest car colors at the 2013 LA Auto Show

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New cars are rarely identified as simply painted blue, green, white, black or gray. The color names are most often embellished with fancy-sounding word combinations. It’s no different at the 2013 LA Auto Show. I recently drove the 2014 Nissan Versa Note. It had several rich exterior color options,  including an inviting shade of blue. It was called Metallic Peacock. At the LA Auto Show there are plenty cars with exteriors that simply could be called red, white or blue. But manufacturers and going to extremes not only to come up with fancy names for the colors of their cars,

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2013 LA Auto Show: Money, statistics, prices

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The 2013 LA Auto Show presents a sensory overload of new cars — entry level Chevrolet and Toyota models to exotic models from Lamborghini and Aston Martin. But the auto show is also showcase for a varying array of auto industry statistics. J.D Power, the automotive industry analysis company, annually presents the statistics at LA Auto Show. Here’s a varied list of the 10 most interesting statistics from 2013 LA Auto Show: 1. The current average new-vehicle retail transaction price is $30,205. 2. The average customer cash rebate amount on a new vehicle transaction is $2,362. 3. Fifty-one percent of

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Women of the 2013 LA Auto Show

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As per tradition, the 2013 LA Auto Show open this week not only featuring about two dozen stunning world debuts and many North American unveilings  — Toyota to Porsche to BMW — but the manufacturers’ equaling stunning product specialists. The automakers may not be willing to admit it, but the choice of models they choose to present their new products around the world may be as important as the cars presented. It all means one thing: pretty women. The history of the car show models is detailed in the 2008 book called “Sirens of Chrome” written by Margery Krevsky. The

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CAR REVIEW: 2013 Ford Fusion: Euro flair

The all-new Ford Fusion sedan with its sharp European styling and turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engines likely surprised foreign sedan rivals such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata. The solid-feeling Fusion is essentially a four-door family sedan, but radiates European flair because it steers, handles and brakes much like a foreign (or American) sports sedan. And the ride is supple. If you want a family sedan with pizzazz, the turbocharged EcoBoost Fusion might be for you. The Fusion has been such a hit that it’s unchanged for 2014, except for several new color combinations and the addition of

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Hyundai full-speed ahead with hydrogen Tucson in 2014

Hyundai will announce details Nov. 20 at the Los Angeles Auto Show that beginning in 2014 it will become the first manufacturer of a mass-produced car that will run on a hydrogen fuel cell. The vehicle will be the Tucson sport utility vehicle. Hydrogen-powered cars have been discussed in the automotive industry since the 1960s. General Motors and Honda both experimented with limited offering of hydrogen cars in the mid-2000s, respectively the Chevy Equinox and FCX Clarity. Hyundai will begin selling the hydrogen Tucson in Southern California and will further distribute the SUV as filling stations are constructed. According to

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History of the LA Auto Show: VW, Lincoln, Mini-me?

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Product specialists at the LA Auto Show and other auto shows around the globe enjoy their work on serious and not-so serious occasions. Two women product specialists who had just met worked for Buick at the LA Auto Show in 2012. They looked liked twin sisters despite a substantial height different. “Doesn’t she look like my personal “mini-me?,” one of the women said during the first media day and in a reference to the character in the Austin Powers movies. And when asked if she was prepared for the first public day of the show, she said: “This is my

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History of the LA Auto Show: Chrysler to Concepts

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The LA Auto Show in 2012 attracted slightly more than 1 million visitors. They viewed 42 car brands, American mainstays General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to international heavyweights Honda, Toyota, Audi and Hyundai. Organizers have announced more than 50 global and North American debuts from nearly a dozen manufacturers for the 2013 edition and with a promise to “Blow Your Doors Off.” The multiple concourse convention center showcase is in the hub of the Southern California entertainment scene. Concerts and major sporting events are held nearby during the show at LA Live entertainment monolith and nearby Staples Center. For the

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History of the LA Auto Show: Pretty Girls to Aston Martin

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New and shimmering, value priced to vastly expensive, the auto industry shines when its machines are showcased on the yearly auto show circuit, particularly at the LA Auto Show. Under bright lights and spinning platforms, cars and trucks just don’t get any more awe-inspiring — unless it’s from behind the wheel. Nearly every carmaker, Audi to Volkswagen and Bentley to Volvo, displays its lineups at auto shows. Electric vehicles, family sedans, performance sports cars and futuristic concepts all have their place in auto shows from Los Angeles to Tokyo. It’s as if the vehicles are presented to the media and

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2013 Chevrolet Corvette: Performance Car of the Year

Throughout its 60-year history, the Chevrolet Corvette has attracted a collection of enthusiasts as loyal as any in the auto industry Often called “America’s Sports Car,” the Corvette is now in its seventh generation. It has undergone a lot of design challenges, but it’s still uniquely a Corvette and made like no other car via design, performance and ride. The Corvette has also received a lot of awards through the years, including its most recent honor as Performance Car of the Year in the Road & Track inaugural “Best Cars” List. The publication’s editors tested 13 of the industry’s best

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Toyota gets top-2 spots in Consumer Reports’ reliability

Toyota has again ranked at the top of the 2014 reliability rankings of Consumer Reports, the independent testing organization. The Lexus ES 300h Hybrid is the top-ranked vehicle, followed by the Toyota Prius. Consumer Reports uses surveys returned by their subscribers and compiles reliability histories on vehicles and predicts how new cars currently on sale will hold up. Lexus is Toyota’s luxury brand. The ES 300h is reliable and safe. The hybrid earned the highest ratings in each of the government’s crash evaluations, including overall driver safety, frontal crashes and overall side impacts. Here’s the list of the top-seven most

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CAR REVIEW: 2014 Honda Accord: still on top

It’s hard to image the Honda Accord when it debuted in 1976. It was a small two-door hatchback with little to show for itself. Fast-forward to 2014 and the Honda Accord is a stalwart, a well-equipped family sedan perennially among the country’s top-selling cars. After a redesign last year, the Honda Accord, now in its ninth generation, remains much the same as the 2013 model. But buyers now have additional choices. The Honda Accord hybrid has been re-introduced after a several-year absence. And a Honda Accord plug-in electric has been introduced in a limited edition. The additions of the new

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