Freed from its burden of being the mid-size sedan for every luxury buyer, the 2019 Lexus ES sedan, now in its seventh generation, grows slightly sharper in each of its several distinct flavors. The 2019 ES350 plays the middle-of-the-road luxury role, the ES300h hits hybrid high-economy notes while...Read More»
Nearly 15 years after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne took the reins of the global automaker, the only consistent force within the company has been change. On Friday, Marchionne and other FCA executives outlined a broad plan to focus heavily on worldwide sales of Jeep, Alfa Romeo...Read More»
A number of safety and convenience upgrades have been added to certain versions of the 2018 Hyundai Sonata, the automaker announced Thursday, but they may not be easy for shoppers to spot at first glance. Mid-year update models receive "+" designations, called SEL+, Sport+, and Limited trim levels...Read More»
General Motors said last week that it will recall 112,000 2016 through 2018 model year Chevrolet Cruze compact cars over a concern that their fuel tanks could leak in the event of a major rear impact. The recall covers a specific Cruze configration: the Cruze LS with a tire inflator kit rather than...Read More»
The Cadillac ATS sedan won't return for 2019, a company spokesman told The Car Connection on Wednesday. The two-door coupe will return for 2019, and likely the high-performance ATS-V coupe, although their futures beyond next year is unclear. Cadillac's smallest sedan was introduced in 2012, built...Read More»
Ford’s shift toward selling predominately trucks and SUVs in the U.S. took another step Wednesday as the company announced it would not replace its long-running Fiesta, Fusion, and Taurus sedans with new versions. The Ford Focus will survive, but only as a tall-riding hatchback. “Given...Read More»
Audi issued a recall Tuesday for more than 350,000 cars and crossover SUVs in the U.S. electric coolant pumps in the vehicles that can overheat and present a fire risk. The recall covers the 2013 to 2016 A4, the 2013 to 2017 A5, the 2012 to 2015 A6, and the Q5 from 2013 to 2017. All of the recalled...Read More»
First, the Toyota Avalon came for old luxury buyers with old-school ideas. It had stretch-out space, comfortable ride, and it was quiet like the No. 17 tee box at Sawgrass. Then it came for the rest of us. Lagging racier competitors, including the Nissan Maxima, the Avalon looks to shed a stodgy...Read More»
It's a trend that shows no sign of slowing: consumers are ditching sedans in favor of crossover SUVs, and now it's affecting the workers who assemble sedans. GM quietly announced late last week that it will cut an entire shift at an assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio, where it builds the Chevrolet...Read More»
As buyers put their money on crossover SUVs rather than sedans in the game of new-car roulette, the 2019 VW Jetta hopes to be more than just a dapper, quiet observer on the sidelines. The latest Jetta is a mild-mannered four-door that does many things well, which may make it highly appealing to...Read More»
Two decades ago, ubiquitous would have been too soft a word to describe the Volkswagen Jetta’s presence on the manicured grounds of a prestigious college like Duke University. I recently found myself dodging students with backpacks on the narrow roads surrounding the stately campus in leafy...Read More»
Automakers are shelving small cars and sedans for SUVs and crossovers but at least one of the long-running names in the U.S. has a future beyond next year. The newest Ford Focus, which was unveiled Tuesday, will be sold in the U.S. later next year, a Ford official confirmed to The Car Connection...Read More»
Chevrolet took its mask off and unveiled a new look for the bulk of its passenger car lineup Friday. Behind their new faces, the 2019 Spark, Cruze and Malibu, boast mechanical and technical upgrades, along with their new bumpers. Suspiciously absent was any news about the Sonic, which may not have...Read More»
The redesigned 2019 Volkswagen Jetta starts at a lower price than last year’s model, but it includes more standard features. A number of Jetta trim levels will be available starting with the Jetta S at $19,395 including a mandatory $850 destination charge. The Jetta S comes standard with a...Read More»
Domestic automakers will phase out unpopular full-size and compact cars in the U.S. soon, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The report, which cites sources within Ford and Chevrolet, said that the Chevy Sonic will be discontinued as early as this year as the factory where it's built...Read More»
All around this year's New York auto show, it's crossover SUVs that have been making news. This vehicle has four doors and all-wheel drive, but what’s up with the body? Is this...a sedan? In fact, it is. It’s the 2019 Nissan Altima, a brand-new family car set to tackle the...Read More»
The 2019 Toyota Yaris sedan bucks trends. While other automakers are consolidating their sedan lineups in the wake of weakening demand as buyers flock toward crossovers, Toyota is giving shoppers more decisions to make with the 2019 Yaris sedan. Last year’s model forced buyers to make only...Read More»
Rumors of the V-8 engine's demise have been greatly exaggerated, says Cadillac. The luxury arm of GM took the opportunity Wednesday to take the wraps off a new twin-turbo V-8 engine, a flagship powertrain that debuted in the brand's updated 2019 CT6 V-Sport luxury sedan. The new 4.2-liter V-8 will...Read More»
It would be easy to write off the 2018 Kia Stinger as a 2018 BMW 3-Series imitator, but life is never that simple. The 2018 Stinger traces many of the same lines as the 2018 3-Series, and in some cases the Kia does so with more verve and sharper responses. It is worth noting that the Stinger is Kia...Read More»
