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Is Ford Motor Co. finally ready to fill one of the biggest holes in its North American line-up? Actually, make that a small hole, as in the mini-compact model it desperately needs to draw in both “Millennial” buyers, as well as older motorists looking for basic, fuel-efficient transportation...Read More»

Mitsubishi has unveiled a new coupe concept at the Detroit auto show, one with a drivetrain lifted largely from the rally-driven Lancer Evolution. The Concept in fact uses the Evo’s twin-clutch transmission, but teams it not to a turbo four but to a 2.2-liter turbodiesel four with variable valve...Read More»

It would appear, by definition, to be a rolling oxymoron. But Nissan’s RD/BX, or “round box,” is an intriguing take on the compact convertible design concept. The overall look is somewhere between a Dustbuster and a smart fortwo, with an angular nose that appears to be sucking itself forward...Read More»

For the fourth year, the Los Angeles Auto Show is hosting Design Los Angeles, a world conference for designers, along with the Design Challenge, a design contest that garners entries from some of the brightest rising stars at top North American design studios. We’ve come to expect the Design...Read More»

Mercedes-Benz’ display at this week’s Frankfurt auto show will include the F700, a dazzling and dizzying collection of technology bundled into a concept-car body that could be an early preview of the next S-Class sedan. But the emphasis is distinctly on low consumption and low environmental...Read More»

It may look like a typo, but Seat’s Tribu show car is spelled correctly. It’s Spanish for “tribe,” we’re told, or, if you prefer, “heritage,” and if one reads between the lines, it seems all but certain this crossover/SUV is on tap to join the Volkswagen division’s lineup in the...Read More»

by Rex Roy It could be argued that the 1938 Buick Y-Job stands as the world's first true concept car. Built under the direction of Genera Motors' first design czar, Harley Earl, the Y-Job was never intended for production but instead foreshadowed styling and engineering cues that would pop up on...Read More»

You hear it well before you see it; the deep, throttling burble of a big V-8, barely at idle, like a startled stallion ready to run. The metaphor is fitting for the Ford Interceptor, the striking, four-door concept vehicle that has been called “the four-door Mustang.” First unveiled at the...Read More»

Chrysler’s recent crop of concept cars hasn’t been approved for production — but that didn’t stop the company from letting the press get their hands on them for a spin. The automaker brought an assortment of show cars — a handful from each category — out on a warm spring afternoon, some...Read More»

New York’s auto show — this year, designated an International outing — opens to the media on April 4 with an increasing lineup of new production and concept vehicles. Among the cars, trucks, SUVs, and concepts we’ve previewed for you already here at TheCarConnection, the list includes: The...Read More»

“Bigger is better,” or so went the traditional American mantra. Big houses, big meals and, of course, big cars, whether the finned Caddies of the 1960s, or today’s full-sized pickups and SUVs. But something seems to be changing. Maybe it’s a generational thing, or perhaps...Read More»

The Genesis concept is the first preview of the “future architecture and design of a rear-wheel drive premium sports sedan scheduled to grace the Hyundai lineup in 2008,” the release says. The Genesis concept is formed around a rear-wheel-drive architecture, a first for an American-market...Read More»

The Silicon Valley’s automaker, Tesla Motors, has no plans to use a Ford platform for its upcoming electric-powered luxury sport sedan. That’s what the company says, though it runs contrary to several speculative sources, including Ward’s, which had recently suggested that Tesla...Read More»

PHOTO GALLERY: Perhaps BMW really intended the M3 Concept to be seen as a preview of the real car coming later this year. But with production-ready touches and finishes and exotica like a carbon-fiber roof, the M3 Concept seems more than 90-percent ready to charge on to autobahns and interstates...Read More»

Hyundai’s Geneva concept was the QarmaQ, a 2+2 crossover SUV, and it features more than 30 different environmental technologies that could appear on future production models. The plastic body has been developed in conjunction with GE Plastics and has produced a vehicle that’s 50-percent lighter...Read More»

GM’s volume brand in Europe, Opel, has just taken the wraps off its hottest supermini ever. The Corsa OPC boasts 192 hp from its turbocharged 1.6-liter gasoline engine. It means a 0-60 mph time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph. The OPC is only available as a three-door model, with varios...Read More»

Geneva’s motor show has a reputation for green machines and styling, but it might best be known as the tuner’s home. Year after year, microbrands like Rinspeed and TechArt show up in Geneva with their spins on existing production cars, with reskinned bodies, redone engines, or both. That’s...Read More»

Flying cars, cars that swim – and now a mirage of a car? Switzerland ’s Rinspeed is at it again, this time bowing with a concept called eXasis that will be shown off at the 2007 Geneva motor show. Working with Swiss engineering company Esoro, Rinspeed has sketched out the eXasis, it reminds us...Read More»