detroit

This video of the 2012 Ford Focus popped up on YouTube yesterday. The Focus will, no doubt, be the talk of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Both the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles of the next-generation Focus will be previewed at the show.

According to an announcement today on Ford's Web site, the company is showing a "completely new 2.0-liter gasoline engine for the North American market that features DI and Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) for enhanced performance and fuel efficiency. The new 2.0-liter DI Ti-VCT engine is up … Read more

DETROIT--Since Chrysler was absorbed by Fiat's global car empire, we've been waiting impatiently to see what direction the now Italian-owned company's cars would take. Our first clue came at the 2010 Detroit auto show, in the form of a new Chrysler model lacking a name or any publicity, but sporting a suspicious-looking grille.

This Chrysler is a Lancia Delta in disguise, a car sold in Europe as a mammoth family wagon, but appearing more compact in the U.S. Actually, we like the form factor of this Chrysler Delta, with its stylish curving lines framing practical interior … Read more

DETROIT--Of GM's four remaining brands, GMC was supposed to stick to big trucks and SUVs, but the company pulled a fast one at the 2010 Detroit auto show, bringing out a concept the size of a Scion xB. The Granite is a design study into how GMC might build vehicles for urban dwellers.

From our standpoint, the Granite looks feasible from the exterior design. The box on wheels has proved a popular shape for Scion and Kia, more recently. Not only does it have an individual look, but the interior space is very practical for a wide variety of … Read more

DETROIT--At the 2010 Detroit auto show, we got a hands-on, and ears-on, demonstration of the 2011 Audi A8. As the A8 is Audi's flagship luxury sedan, it showcases the company's latest technologies. This latest model uses a touchpad for character recognition, making destination input much easier, gets an updated Bang & Olufsen audio system that reproduces music with near perfect staging, and later this year will also feature a UMTS data connection for Google map searches.

Audi has been steadily updating its Multimedia Interface (MMI) over the years, and introduced a third-generation MMI last year. Although Audi still … Read more

DETROIT--With few actual specifications to be had, Toyota showed off a new hybrid concept at the 2010 Detroit auto show, the FT-CH. This small hybrid would come in at a lower price than the Prius, offering an entry-level option for eco-conscious buyers.

The car came out of Toyota's European design center in Nice, France, and employs many typical concept flourishes. The LED headlights are set back from the front fenders in a configuration that would probably not past muster by most countries' regulations. The cabin has a monumental instrument cluster with graphics that look vaguely Klingon.

In a presentation … Read more

DETROIT--Audi drew praise when it showed off its e-tron electric concept car in Frankfurt last year, and just three months later the company has a second e-tron on display at the Detroit auto show. The new concept car differs substantially from the previous e-tron, with smaller dimensions, less overall weight, and a new look. Audi isn't too concerned about confusing people by using the e-tron name for two different cars, as Audi wants e-tron to be its brand for electric cars, much as Quattro is its brand for all-wheel-drive.

Where the earlier car had motors powering all wheels, the … Read more

DETROIT--Volkswagen on Monday rolled out a hybrid concept car called the New Compact Coupe, a machine the company said will get 45 miles per gallon by combining a four-cylinder gasoline engine from the company's TSI with a 1.1 kWh lithium-ion battery.

When the car's gasoline engine isn't needed, it shuts off and is disengaged from the transmission to cut down on drag, including at highway speeds. The braking system can recover energy by storing it in the battery, the company said at the concept car's unveiling at the North American International Auto Show here.

The … Read more

DETROIT--Small cars are in vogue, and Ford unveiled arguably its most important model in the category Monday, a redesigned Ford Focus scheduled to start shipping in North America and Europe early in 2011.

Executive Chairman Bill Ford said at the North American International Auto Show here that fuel efficiency is the single most important feature in the new model. The car will be available with a 1.6-liter or 2.0-liter direct-injection engine that improves fuel economy 10 percent to 20 percent over the current Focus, the company said; the 2.0-liter model has up to 20 more horsepower than … Read more

DETROIT -- With federal mileage standards rising, automakers next week will show a fresh group of fuel-efficient vehicles at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Ford will unveil the redesigned production Focus, and Honda will show the production version of the CR-Z hybrid hatchback. Toyota and Volkswagen will roll out hybrid concepts; Audi, BMW and Fiat will display electric concepts.

Show organizers are arranging various electric cars, including one from China's BYD Auto, in a space on the show floor called Electric Avenue.

But high performance will get its due. Judging by vehicles at the show, performance … Read more