Body

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»

Toyota’s presence at the Detroit auto shows past has trumpeted its big, big, big trucks and SUVs, from the new Tundra to the Sequoia. But this year coming, with fuel-economy rules changing, Toyota is staking out some greener territory with a concept pickup truck derived — like Honda’s...Read More»

It’s not the production version of the new Q5 small SUV — that likely awaits a Geneva motor show introduction next year — but Audi’s new Cross Cabriolet quattro concept carries some hints as to what the Q5 will do and look like when it bows next year. The Cross Cabriolet quattro concept...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»

The name is not quite lost in translation. Honda’s Puyo is an onomatopoeia that the automaker says, “expresses the sensation of touching the vehicle’s soft body.” Don’t worry. We don’t know of any laws you might break by stroking the Puyo’s soft gel body, though we think it may be an...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»

While Daimler continues to plug money into the never-profitable smart project, its very dogged determination has attracted at least two wannabes to the Frankfurt auto show this year: Volkswagen’s UP! Concept is one, and Toyota ’s IQ city car is the other. The Toyota concept, the company says...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»

One of the most celebrated names in the history of General Motors’ Buick brand is back – at least in concept form. Company officials aren’t ready to say whether a production version of the prototypeRiviera is coming, but they acknowledge that some of the key design elements of the show car...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»