Expensive

  When Porsche introduces the 2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid late next year, its first-ever hybrid-electric vehicle may be the priciest hybrid on earth. While a Porsche executive said pricing hasn't been finalized, according to the German Automobilwoche, the expected European price will be in the...Read More»

It takes some sharp talons to take on established challengers like Ferrari and Lamborghini. But that’s what Saleen has in mind with the new S5S Raptor. What sits on the stand atJacob Javits Center, this week, is officially being described as a “concept” vehicle. But we’re betting good money...Read More»

Hybrid-electric technology, with a modern, clean-diesel engine, really makes a lot of sense for U.S. driving. Diesel engines are at their best in steady-state highway cruising, while hybrid componentry greatly improves efficiency in start-and-stop congestion. Now BMW is bringing out a vehicle that...Read More»

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»

by Ken Zino Toyota says the 1/X (say “one-Xth”) provides the same interior space of the Prius at only 926 pounds, or roughly one-third the weight of the world’s first mass production and best-selling hybrid vehicle. With the reduction in mass, only a 0.5-liter flex-fuel gasoline/ethanol...Read More»

Saab had gripping news forFrankfurt, where it officially revealed the latest spin-off of its newly-redesigned 9-3 line. The 9-3 Turbo X will be the first model to make use of the automaker’s all-new, all-wheel-drive technology, or as Saab prefers to call it, Cross-Wheel-Drive. (Saab will now take...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»

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»

Audi’s big news for this week’s Shanghai auto show comes in the form of the Cross Coupé quattro, which it dubs a blend of sports car and crossover. The four-seat concept clearly tells you what it is capable of and whose engineering matches this standard — on all roads, under all...Read More»

So what is an “American” car? If it is simply one built inAmerica, as most foreign makers and U.S. media would have you believe, then vehicles built in Canada are Canadian, those assembled in Mexico are Mexican and Porsches built in Finland are Finnish. But we know intuitively that’s not the...Read More»

Chrysler hopes to recharge its convertible sales by offering thee distinct models of its new 2008 Sebring convertible, which is being unveiled at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show. The new Sebring will come with a choice of three different power tops: a hard top, a traditional canvas top, or a less...Read More»

Press day at this year's British Motor Show was hotter than hell inLondon's Excel exhibition centre. Ford was playing it cool with a 6.5-ton ice sculpture of the new Focus Coupé-Cabriolet, hand-crafted in a freezer over two weeks by experts who could only do 40-minute shifts because of the cold...Read More»

 Big Three Gain in Harbour Productivity ReportDetroit's Big Three is closing the quality and productivity gap, according to the 2006 Harbour Report, an oft-quoted measure of manufacturing efficiency. But Detroit continued to lag behind the best of the Japanese, especially Nissan, which was the...Read More»

2006 New York Auto Show Coverage by TCC Team (4/10/2006) New Altima from Nissan In the past six years, Nissan nearly doubled the number of models offered in North America . Sales have doubled as well, surpassing one-million in total for the last two years, led by the Altima, the highest volume...Read More»

2006 New York Auto Show Coverage by TCC Team (4/10/2006) Mercedes Gets Electric At the New York show, Mercedes reminded crowds of its revamped SL-Class, which TheCarConnection previewed earlier this year. It also announced pricing on the GL450 sport-ute, also reviewed here earlier this year — the...Read More»

Mazda CX-9 Is No Stretch Mazda will bring its new CX-9 crossover to the New York auto show next week, but Ford's Japanese affiliate is careful to announce that the new seven-seater isn't mechanically related to the five-seat CX-7 it showed at this January's Los Angeles auto show. The CX-9 has specs...Read More»

Chevrolet Prices New Avalanche The second-generation Chevrolet Avalanche-which the GM brand calls the "industry's most flexible utility vehicle" - will start from $32,490. Chevrolet will offer three trim levels on the new four-door pickup, with the midlevel LT starting at $33,170. The top-line LTZ...Read More»

 2006 Cadillac STS-V by TCC Team (4/9/2006) Driven to thrill. Will Caddy’s BLS Crack the Euro Code? by TCC Team (4/9/2006) Is this the right way to finally crack the European market? It sounds wrong somehow — a Cadillac that will go on sale in every market except North America . But that’s...Read More»