Car shows

Squint and you are probably looking at the future of the Mercedes-Benz S Class.

With electric wheels at all four corners and hydrogen fuel cell technology feeding them, this future Benz is clearly pondering the future of the S Class, a type of car that is threatened by ever-increasing standards for fuel economy and emissions in its main markets around the world.

(CNET's full coverage of the 2011 Frankfurt auto show)

The Land Rover Defender hasn't been updated in 25 years. That's about to change dramatically.

The Defender has always been a sort of farm implement in the Land Rover lineup: stout, solid, and chunky. This new concept features huge ride height, an alloy frame, four-cylinder motors, and maybe a hybrid.

(CNET's full coverage of the 2011 Frankfurt auto show)

This Jag hybrid has very little to do with being green.

It's innovative hybrid system comes from the cutting edge of recent racing technology and is manifested in an interesting "push to pass" button on the steering wheel. That button may be the most understated thing in the car biz today! Brian Cooley takes a look from the 2011 Frankfurt auto show.

(CNET's full coverage of the 2011 Frankfurt auto show)

Auto shows are wondrous events where bizarre concept cars and unattainable exotics strut their stuff for automotive enthusiasts under bright lights and thumping music.

The 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show was a bit different. Most of the cars unveiled this year were of the practical sort: midsize to large premium sedans and crossovers aimed at a slightly older and more settled crowd. What's more, most of the vehicles that we saw unveiled were fully baked production models that you can expect to see on the road (and in the Car Tech garage) within the next year.

LOS ANGELES--For such a cute little car, the Fiat 500 Abarth's scorpion logo is probably the manliest badge in automotive world.

At the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, the peppy 101-horsepower Fiat 500 gets a heart transplant in the form of Fiat's award-winning 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine that boosts available power to 160 ponies. More impressive is the torque number: 170 pound-feet, which is the same amount of twist the Honda Civic Si develops with 2.4 liters of displacement. The Abarth 500 also features a single-option five-speed manual transmission and upgraded driveline components that can withstand … Read more

Audi improves on the A7's formula the only way it can: with more power!

The Audi A7 is probably the only member of the so-called "five-door GT" segment to pass through the Car Tech garage and be universally liked by the editors. So we were interested to see what the automaker would do with the sport-tuned 2013 S7, which was revealed at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. Predictably, the automaker didn't stray too far from the A7's formula. You know what they say, "If it ain't broke..."

Externally, the S7 differentiates … Read more

LOS ANGELES--More power and a lowered ride height make this the performance Panamera.

Porsche has a knack for slotting cars into very specific niches. The Panamera GTS, unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, is the Porsche sedan for the track.

That is not to say the Panamera 4S or S would not excel when banged around a road course, but Porsche designed the GTS to beat both of them. Thirty more horsepower eked out of the same engine gives it a power edge, and Porsche includes many of its performance options as standard in the GTS.

Minor cosmetic … Read more

LOS ANGELES--The 2013 model gets an updated front end and new navigation systems.

The notion of a four-door coupe may seem like the product of a fevered marketer's imagination, but Volkswagen's CC is still one good-looking car. The CC stands for Comfort Coupe, a designation derived from the frameless doors and the low roof that curves gracefully back over the trunk.

Volkswagen showed off the 2013 version of the CC here at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the car's first redesign since its launch. Notably, it gets a new front end patterned after those of the new … Read more

LOS ANGELES--CNET takes Rolls-Royce's experimental electric car for a cruise here at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Earlier this year in Geneva I got to look at the Rolls-Royce 102EX, an experimental electric car based on the Phantom. At the Los Angeles Auto Show, I actually got to drive it.

When Rolls-Royce first mentioned it had built this electric car those many months ago, I believe I said something like, "Wha?" The Phantom is a massive vehicle devoted to excessive luxury. It weighs 5,800 pounds and is powered by a 6.7-liter V-12. It seemed like it would take all the batteries in the world to move one with an electric power train.

But in Geneva, Rolls-Royce showed off the 102EX, and insisted it could drive under its own power. As it was confined to the show floor, I had to take Rolls-Royce's word for it.

Now I have proof.… Read more