Automotive News, Car Reviews, and Podcast
Hyundai surprised the 2026 New York Auto Show with the Boulder Concept, a body-on-frame off-road SUV previewing its first midsize pickup truck by 2030.
Read moreMercedes-Benz has taken a big step back to the future in its unveiling of the Vision One-Eleven concept. The German auto manufacturer gives the nod to a previous iconic design, specifically the 1969 C111 concept, with the appearance of the Vision One-Eleven. Mercedes’ designers didn’t stray radically from the vintage lines of the C11. Retained were the two large, contrasting hood scoops, side vents and, most importantly, gullwing doors that made the C111 so iconic. However, the past ends and the future begins with the Vision One-Eleven’s augmented reality capabilities. Mercedes has integrated an augmented reality headset which can be used by occupants to enhance user experience, combining the car’s physical interior with a digital interface. For instance, AR makes
Read moreConcept vehicles are polarizing, preposterous and brilliant, and sometimes simultaneously. Nissan has added to the wacky category with its new, all-electric IMk. Designed with the ideas of Japanese “city cars,” the IMk has been defined by Nissan as a chic vehicle and with the clever marketing phrase, “reduces driver stress.” What car has ever reduced driver stress? Built on a new electric vehicle platform, the IMk features ProPILOT advanced driver-assist technologies and seamless connectivity features. The carmaker reports the concept “gives a glimpse at what urban-oriented cars might look like and feel like in the near future.” The design and proportions of the IMk are meant to reflect a minimal aesthetic drawing on the Nissan design philosophy called Timeless Japanese
Read moreNo other vehicle at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show attracted any more bizarre reaction than the Redspace REDS EV concept. It’s the automotive version of a tiny house. It’s transportation. It’s living space. And it’s a mobile office all in one small, futuristic-looking machine. Chris Bangle, a former designer at BMW, originated the idea of the wacky electric vehicle for equally wacky, congested Chinese market. Bangle and his colleagues at the auto show touted the vehicle with statistics. In China, they stated, cars are stopped 90 percent of the time. With living and office space also at a premium, Bangle believes he will have success with buyers who wish to combine three components of their lives into one place.
Read moreLike all major auto shows, the LA Auto Show annually showcases a few dozen world debuts and a handful of concept cars. This year, the wildest was Reds, the short name for the Redspace Project. It’s arguably the ugliest vehicle never made. At least, not yet. The all-electric vehicle wasn’t designed in a high school auto shop class, although it might be an insult to those young entrepreneurs. Rather, the prototype is the design of Chris Bangle. He’s well-known in the auto industry and was the lead designer for 17 years at BMW. He also designed cars for Fiat and Opel. Bangle began his own design firm, Chris Bangle & Associates, in 2009. And his latest vehicle stretches the definition
Read moreElio Motors, the Arizona-based experimental vehicle maker whose three-wheel, futuristic-looking prototypes have generated polarizing interest, will introduce its fifth generation vehicle at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. The vehicle’s CAD renderings detail a similar but update version of the car’s previous concepts. The company, building what it’s touting as the cheapest car in the United States in a former General Motors plant in Shreveport, Louisiana, has collected different levels of reservation deposits online for several years. But Elio Motors and its founder, Paul Elio, have suffered many setbacks and have changed public delivery dates several times. The Elio project has been as controversial as an in the auto industry, with the exception of the the current Volkswagen diesel scandal.
Read moreAs 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 from Nissan, as well as four models from Mercedes-Benz, which will be unveiled alongside the brand’s North American introductions of
Read moreThe 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 past several years, the Moroccan-styled Figueroa Hotel, a few blocks away, has hosted the show’s kickoff party. Last year, while
Read moreThe oddly named and odd-looking LF-NX, a Lexus compact crossover hybrid concept, will make its world premiere at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. It will be powered by a new variant of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system tuned for SUV performance. With its distinctive and sculpted styling, the LF-NX concept’s exterior design reflects an evolution of Lexus’ L-finesse design language. The Frankfurt Auto Show begins Sept. 10 with media previews will be open to the public beginning Sept. 14. The LF-NX front is dominated by a strong interpretation of the Lexus spindle grille, expressive signature front lighting with independent Daytime Running Lights (DRL) and unique corner styling. It separates the bumper from the front wing with an aggressive vertical cut.
Read moreWith a motto of "small cars for the big future," Suzuki will have unique presence at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, including its share of the auto industry's always interesting concept cars. Suzuki says it cars for today, the near future, and the more distant future will be highlighted by fuel economy, user-friendliness, innovation and brisk performance. The 42nd Tokyo Motor Show is scheduled Dec. 2-11 at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center. Th Suzuki presence will include: the Regina, Q-Concept, Swift EV-Hybrid and Swift Sport. According to Suzuki: Regina is a next-generation global compact car with excellent fuel efficiency and low emissions thanks to lightness and superior aerodynamics. It’s as light as a minicar (730kg) thanks to a clear focus
Read moreThe Volkswagen XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) concept, unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show, features pioneering construction techniques, an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain and innovative packaging. The result is an estimated 260 mpg, a benchmark for vehicle efficiency. Powering the XL1 is a compact 800cc TDI two-cylinder common rail diesel engine developing 47 hp. It’s linked to an electric motor producing 27 horsepower, resulting in a total of 74 horsepower. It’s a modest output, but more than sufficient considering car weighs only 1,753 pounds. The TDI engine is linked to an electric motor and a seven-speed DSG gearbox with an automatic clutch mounted between each unit. The electric motor can either work independently of the TDI engine or in tandem
Read moreVolkswagen is debuting a concept car at the inaugural Qatar Motor Show the manufacturer says can travel 313 miles on a gallon of diesel and emits only about 1.5 ounces of carbon dioxide per mile. The XL1, which seats two adults, combines a 0.8 litre, two-cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery. It’s constructed around a carbon fiber reinforced polymer monocoque to reduce the weighs only 1,750 pounds. Volkswagen says the futuristic car negotiate the standard 0-60 mph test in 11.9 seconds. Speculation has Volkswagen beginning production of the XL1 in 2013. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver
Read moreEarly in the article, sub-titled “Smarter Than You Think,” Markoff writes: “The car is a project of Google, which has been working in secret but in plain view on vehicles that can drive themselves, using artificial-intelligence software that can sense anything near the car and mimic the decisions made by a human driver.” “With someone behind the wheel to take control if something goes awry and a technician in the passenger seat to monitor the navigation system, seven test cars have driven 1,000 miles without human intervention and more than 140,000 miles with only occasional human control.” “One even drove itself down Lombard Street in San Francisco, one of the steepest and curviest streets in the nation. The only accident,
Read moreThe winning vehicles were showcased to an audience of auto industry, business and government leaders. Each of the winning teams was also presented with a Harry Winston, Inc.-designed bronze trophy. The Automotive X PRIZE, sponsored by the country’s fourth-larges insurance company, was launched in 2008 to inspire a new generation of viable, safe and super fuel-efficient vehicles capable of achieving 100 miles per gallon or the energy equivalent (MPGe). After nearly 30 months of vehicle and business plan development, on-track testing at Michigan International Speedway which included dynamic safety testing by partner Consumer Reports, and laboratory verification at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Lab, three vehicles emerge as winners: $5 Million Mainstream Class Winner: * Edison2 “Very Light Car
Read moreWorking in the Automobile Design Studio at DeLaSalle School, the students believe they have the ultimate in efficiency. Testing on the 7.7 mile oval of Bridgestone’s Texas Proving Ground the newfangled car tested at the equivalent of 307 miles per gallon equivalent. According to the site, greenautoblog.com, the students, instructor Steve Rees and other collaborators, began the project with a 2000 Lola Indy Car chassis. They developed an electric drivetrain, covered the racer in a clear shell and outfitted it with a set of low rolling resistance Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 tires. The Guinness Book of Records editors have been asked to assess the car’s impressive efficiency and potential record-setting numbers. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than
Read moreThe Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, the latest model to join the Veyron lineup, debuted at the Concours d’Elegance. The new model includes a 1,200 horsepower engine and a limited speed 257 mph (in order to protect the tires). Bugatti was also the marque for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Vintage Bugatti vintage machines competed in various divisions during the three-day event and were also featured in a parade at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering at Quail Lodge. A one-hour Speed TV special on the 2010 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, including Buggati footage, is scheduled Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. (ET) The show will re-air at 1 a.m. Sept. 18, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m.
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