Category: Auto News & Reviews

There are only a few actors that I really remember from my childhood. W.C. Fields, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, and of course, ‘Mr. Cool’, Steve McQueen. I remember watching Steve in the first film ever produced with a truly spectacular car chase scene (aside from the Charger loosing something like 9 hub caps). I would crouch back in my seat as Lalo Schiffrin’s soundtrack built up the pre-chase tension, and adrenaline pumped through my veins as the driver of the Charger buckled up for safety (not that it would do him any good in the end – ed.) and then punches it through the intersection. From then on it was flat out, white knuckles, and gritting teeth. It was the first time during a movie I thought I could actually smell the oil, and rubber, and hear the unrestricted exhaust.

There have [...]

We often get asked, “So why don’t the domestic brands build better vehicles?” and the answer usually comes down to simple economics. It’s not that the domestics don’t know how to engineer and produce amazing, well-built vehicles. It is a matter of fixed costs, variable expenditures, unions, dealers and what we like to call ‘bean counters’. Bean counters are those guy’s who help cost reduce a vehicle within an inch of its life in an effort to compete in the automotive marketplace. The imports typically have a leg up on the domestics due to their younger work force (read: health care costs and retirement costs), their efficiency and the American publics perceptions about their quality.

The next time someone calls my Cooper S “cute” I think I’ll commit a felony. While I understand the sentiment, it misses most of what a MINI is.

In a town where most tans and purchased and delivered indoors, BMW offered the US release of the outdoor Ultimate Tanning Machine, the M3 Convertible. The highest revving engine BMW has ever built.

Maybe it’s Europe-envy, or an increased sense of green, but I‘ve always been attracted to minimalism. From architecture to coffee without the fancy names.

The challenge here will be marketing. While the style and performance appear promising, Suzuki is not amongst the usual suspects in the highly competitive sport sedan segment, and 2 years is a short amount of time to change brand perceptions.

The 2009 Fit has a more aggressive stance, leaving behind the less than masculine appearance of its predecessor. Larger 15” and 16” wheels add to the new look.

$20,000 range, Dodge clearly is looking for volume sales.

You have to look long and hard to find a more difficult job than designing future Scion products.

Nissan plans to sell a redesigned gasoline-powered, next-generation Cube in the United States and Canada starting next year. It’s been a long wait for the Cube. Will cars shaped like boxes still resonate by the time we finally get the US-bound Cube?