Although automakers face tough times, Detroit is still alive and kicking, with several new launches set for the 2009 auto show. Honda and Toyota duke it out with their respective hybrid vehicles, while GM shows off a new direction for Chevrolet. Ford has an impressive new muscle car, plus its stable of hybrids and high-tech luxury Lincoln cars.
See photos of a few of the new cars slated to launch at the 2009 Detroit auto show.
If size matters, the redesigned 2010 Cadillac SRX should hit the sweet spot occupied by the highly successful Lexus RX series.
The new Cadillac crossover seats five, like the RX, and is a mere 4 inches longer than Lexus' No. 1 seller. The SRX also has front-wheel drive, like the RX. All-wheel drive is optional.
Once asked why the current generation SRX wasn't successful, General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz blamed the vehicle's size--it is too big and it seats seven. The 2010 SRX is about 5 inches shorter than the 2009 model, and seating is reduced by … Read more
This was originally posted at ZDNet's Between the Lines.
Could Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo be the equivalent of Ford, GM, and Chrysler decades ago?
That thought-provoking question was raised by Bernstein analyst Jeffrey Lindsay, who cooks up weekend missives designed to make you go hmm. The argument is an interesting one. Lindsay notes that the downturn of 2001 to 2003 in Web advertising--AOL imploded and Yahoo fumbled--allowed Google to emerge. Instead of getting bought, the future search giant went public and owned the sector.
Fast-forward a bit and MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook had no shot at going public. Facebook … Read more
Describing it as an early Christmas present, Volvo released pictures and details of its new S60 concept car today. We appreciate the company's generous spirit, but we really wanted an Audi R8 V10. Maybe Santa will be nicer next year. Volvo shows some standard concept car cues in the S60 concept, with a center stack handmade out of some kind of crystal we've never heard of (Orrefors anyone?), LED headlights, and no B-pillar, giving the car an open feeling when the front and rear windows are down.
The body design looks good, and we would like to see … Read more
A "bold transformation" is how The Detroit News and The Detroit Free Press are trying to spin their decision to limit home delivery of their newspapers to three days a week.
While both said Tuesday that they will continue to issue traditional newspapers at newsstands seven days a week, they are the first daily newspapers from a major city to cutback home delivery.
"The dynamics of delivering information to audiences has changed forever due to technology," said a jointly released statement from the papers. "The economics of the newspaper business demand change to survive." … Read more
BMW has released details and photos of its upcoming refresh of the Z4 Roadster, which is scheduled to bow at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
The latest victim of BMW's awkward naming scheme, the Z4 sDrive30i features the same 3.0-liter, inline-six engine as the current model, outputting the same 255 horsepower. The more powerful Z4 sDrive35i uses twin turbochargers and direct injection to breathe 45 more ponies into the same 3.0-liter block for a total of 300 horsepower. Connecting the engine to the wheels is a six-speed manual transmission or, in the case of the Z4 sDrive35i, … Read more
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The world of plug-in hybrids is about to get a whole lot sexier when the production Fisker Karma debuts at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
Fisker has released early photos of the production version of the Karma, which isn't that much different from the concept revealed earlier this year at the 2008 Detroit Show.
Its mustachioed face has survived the jump to production essentially intact, although the lower grill opening has been enlarged a bit, to make it more practical for cooling we'd assume. Amber reflectors have been added to the leading edge of the wheel well and … Read more
Honda has released the first photo of the production version of its would-be Prius-killer, the Insight hybrid. So what has changed since the concept was unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show? Let's take a look at the two cars side by side and find out.
Click here to compare the 2010 Honda Insight production model with the concept.
The real Porsche Panamera is unveiled,2008 is going down as the worst car year in a generation, another navigation device gets an Internet connection, and we pass on the Lexus RX400h. Listen now: Download today's podcast
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