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»
2008 Chrysler ecoVoyager Concept - more photos At the 2008 Detroit auto show, Chrysler rolled out three concepts, each pairing exciting design and glimpse-of-the-future features with environmental friendliness. All three deliver power through an electric motor system and advanced...Read More»
Chrysler rolled out three concepts at the 2008 Detroit auto show, each pairing exciting design and glimpse-of-the-future features with environmental friendliness. All three deliver power through an electric motor system and advanced, yet-to-be-developed lithium-ion battery pack, but each model has...Read More»
Cadillac's award-winning CTS sedan will likely get a coupe companion in mid-2008, and the two-door version of the luxury four-door has been previewed at the 2008 Detroit auto show in the form of the CT Coupe Concept. The CT is the latest iteration of the Cadillac "Art & Science" design theme...Read More»
After months of spy photos and speculation, Mercedes-Benz will unveil its new compact SUV at the Detroit auto show. Dubbed the GLK, the new ute will get its world debut as a thinly disguised concept wearing the “Freeside” badge. The GLK slots beneath the classic G-Class Benz ute, the large...Read More»
Chrysler has provided an advance preview of its three concept cars for theDetroit show, about seven weeks in advance of the preview days when they’ll be formally revealed to the press. But we can understand why they’re quick on the trigger; if these concepts are any indication, the automaker...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»
by Ken Zino A long time ago, when Chrysler was more of a force in the market, it promoted a line of full-size sedan as having a cab-forward look. Now comes the real thing: The iMiEV Sport electric car moves the two front passengers forward to accommodate high capacity lithium-ion battery packs...Read More»
First came the i-Unit then the i-Swing, and at the Tokyo Motor Show Toyota unveiled its third-generation personal mobility machine. Called the iReal, it has three wheels, two at the front and one at the back. In low-speed mode it uses electric motors to shorten its wheelbase and allow easier...Read More»
Mitsubishi may have walked away from its Diamante sedan and wagon in the U.S., but that’s not stopping the company from showing a concept at this year’s Tokyo show patterned very much after the departed four-door. The Concept ZT sports the dimensions of a big front-drive sedan, like the old...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»
Think of this as the face of the future for Audi, the future of the A1, anyway, the new minicar program that will reach market late in 2009. “The final design for the production car has not yet been signed off,” reveals Thomas Krauter, project leader from the German automaker’s Concept...Read More»
Call it “sustainable Zoom-Zoom.” Mazda has turned the advertising slogan, “Zoom-Zoom,” into more than just a cliché. It’s become the design and performance theme for its product lineup. But can it survive the transition to more environmentally-friendly powertrain technology? That’s the...Read More»
Adding to its string of exotically flavored concept cars rotating on the world’s auto-show stages in 2007, Mazda promises their new Taiki concept, shown at the Tokyo show, will be the logical successor to the likes of the Nagare. In Japanese, its name means “a large, shining radiance.” In...Read More»
The 40th edition of the Tokyo Motor Show opens Saturday, October 27 for the public and runs through Sunday, November 11. But as is custom, the world’s automotive press will get their own preview starting next week – and TheCarConnection.com will be reporting live from the show floor. The Car...Read More»
The Tokyo Motor Show is known for its outlandish and often excessive designs, but look closely and you may catch a glimmer of what’s really in store from manufacturers like Subaru. The maker’s Exiga is being billed as a concept, but it has the look of a production-ready model, perhaps a...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»
by Ken Zino There are concepts ahead of their time, and there are concepts appearing after production designs are done. This hybrid SUV looks like a teaser to prepare buyers for a more angular and expressive RX. If Lexus holds to its usual cycle, a replacement RX will appear in a little more than...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»
