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The FJ Cruiser must have been new enough (entering the market in early 2006), unique enough to draw plenty of attention with its retro-styled exterior (derived from the 1960-1983 FJ40) and also inexpensive enough to be cost-efficient for those smaller companies with smaller budgets. Starting with a base price of about $22K. Whatever the reason, the Toyota FJ Cruiser seemed to be the model of choice at SEMA.

For a dyed-in-the-wool cynic, it'd be easy to dismiss the Lincoln MKX as little more than a tarted up Ford Edge. Another case of a redressed everyman's car devised by sinister marketing types to pick the pockets of the gullible wealthy. Sure it uses the same platform, drivetrain, chassis bits and much of the sheetmetal with the more affordably priced, er, Ford. But this kind of misanthropic thinking sells the premium-badged vehicle short in many ways.

Hyundai's 2007MY lineup expands with a new crossover SUV. On paper, all the right boxes are checked. Will it live up to its promise when we finally see it on the road?

Charged with bringing some new blood into Lincoln, the Zephyr has been rejiggered into something different. Along with the mechanical makeover came a (slightly) bolder grille, and extra 500cc of engine displacement, an all-wheel-drive option and a new name... MKZ.

Every year automotive industry guru’s and product specialists converge on the Las Vegas Convention Center to promote their products, meet the competition, and network. This year an estimated 145,000 people gathered to celebrate American Muscle and flaunt their piece of the automotive puzzle. The Specialty Equipment Market Association has created a forum for almost anything in the automotive aftermarket. It’s time to visit the 40th annual SEMA show.

VehicleVoice video podcast on Ford Five Hundred and MazdaSpeed3

The Hyundai Elantra is one of a string of all new Compact Cars introduced recently (September 2006): 2007 Nissan Sentra, 2006 Honda Civic, Kia Spectra... and smaller entries: 2007 Hyundai Accent, 2007 Nissan Versa, 2007 Toyota Yaris, 2007 Honda Fit. So, the competitive set for Elantra is very busy with better and better cars.

The 2007 Hyundai Tiburon, launched in November 2006 improves Hyundai's entry into the sporty car category. Hyundai expects to sell about 18,000 Tiburon coupes per year in the dwindling sporty coupe market. Its primary competitors are the more expensive Mitsubishi Eclipse and the less expensive, but much less fully-equipped, Scion tC. You can also throw the Honda Civic coupe and coupe Si in the competitive set.

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This Saturday was a red letter day for Southern California automotive enthusiasts. For the past several years some of the most rare and exotic cars that are still roadworthy have gathered informally each Saturday morning at Crystal Cove Promenade (a really upscale strip mall on Pacific Coast Highway) in Newport Beach, California. And for nearly that long, the Center’s owner, the Irvine Company, has been giving the group a hard time about it. Finally, after threats, resident complaints, lots of orange traffic cones, and probably a dozen or so lawyers, the informal Crystal Cove auto show got the boot.

Ford to the rescue! Ford’s Premier Auto Group stepped in before the [...]

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This Saturday was a red letter day for Southern California automotive enthusiasts. For the past several years some of the most rare and exotic cars that are still roadworthy have gathered informally each Saturday morning at Crystal Cove Promenade (a really upscale strip mall on Pacific Coast Highway) in Newport Beach, California. And for nearly that long, the Center’s owner, the Irvine Company, has been giving the group a hard time about it. Finally, after threats, resident complaints, lots of orange traffic cones, and probably a dozen or so lawyers, the informal Crystal Cove auto show got the boot.

Ford to the rescue! Ford’s Premier Auto Group stepped in before the [...]