Car shows

As a herald of an electric-car future, jurors for the World Car Awards named the Nissan Leaf as the 2011 World Car. The New York auto show is the yearly venue for the announcement, which also includes awards for performance, design, and environmentalism.

That latter category, the World Green Car, went to the Chevy Volt this year. The Nissan Leaf was a runner-up for the Green award.

The top three competitors for the World Car Award were the Nissan Leaf, Audi A8, and BMW 5-series. The jurors commented that "The Leaf is the gateway to a brave new electric … Read more

At the tail end of the international auto show season, automakers still have a few tricks up their sleeves, new models and concepts to unveil at the 2011 New York auto show. Many small cars got significant updates during the first day of the show, and more efficient engines entered the mix.

Check out our first day's coverage of the 2011 New York auto show.

2013 Ford Taurus gets two efficient engine options

Ford unwraps the 2013 Taurus SHO

2012 Volkswagen Beetle (photos)

2012 Nissan Versa (photos)

2012 Honda Civic Hybrid gets 44 mpg (photos)

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (photos)… Read more

BMW unveiled its production version of the ActiveE electric vehicle at the 2011 New York International Auto show. The carmaker plans to ship 700 EVs to the U.S. for long-term customer testing this fall. Priced at $499 per month with a $2,250 down payment for a 24-month lease, the BMW ActiveE is one of the more affordable BMWs on the market. The trade-off, of course, is its limited range.

The BMW ActiveE is being billed by the company as a no-compromise electric vehicle. A zero tailpipe emissions vehicle theoretically means zero guilt, and yet you still get the … Read more

While the Ford Taurus SHO may not be getting a new heart, lesser Taurus models for the 2013 model year will see two new mills find in their list of available options.

First up is a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine that outputs 237 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. This is likely the same mill that will also find its way under the hood of the 247-horsepower Ford Focus ST, albeit with a slightly less aggressive tune and a few fewer ponies. The object of the game here is efficiency, which Ford estimates at 31 mpg highway.

A naturally … Read more

Ford and Sony threw a party and somewhere along the way unveiled a new car. That's how the automaker and consumer electronics supplier's pre-New York auto show event felt. After building a bit of suspense, the cover was pulled back on the new 2013 Ford Taurus SHO. A few specs were shared, a bit of praise hefted on the sedan, but whole event seemed to have more to do with the show that followed the unveiling than it did the SHO itself.

The new Taurus SHO--which will go into production in 2012, bearing a 2013 model year designation--features … Read more

The next generation of Chevrolet's Malibu has been teased and hinted at for weeks now. Now, the sedan gets a full reveal at the 2011 Shanghai auto show. But you don't have to fly to the other side of the world to get a peek at Chevy's upcoming midsize and its MyLink software package, because the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu has also gotten a virtual unveiling on YouTube. We expect that the new Malibu will also be discussed and possibly even displayed at the 2011 New York auto show.

In the video below, we get a nice long … Read more

The 2011 New York International Auto Show starts tomorrow, but Infiniti is already looking forward to the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, where it will be unveiling the 2013 Infiniti JX, a larger sibling to its EX and FX crossovers.

Until the concept is unveiled, all we have is the sketch above and a few tidbits teased by the automaker. The large crossover slots in just below the full-size Infiniti QX and will have three rows of seats with room for seven passengers. Externally, the design language that featured prominently on the Infiniti Essence concept car should be stretched … Read more

Looking to breathe a bit of excitement into its electric vehicle efforts, Nissan will be putting its Leaf of the race track--if but in name alone.

Debuting at the 2011 New York auto show, the 100% electric Nissan Leaf Nismo RC (Racing Competition) prototype shares little more than its lithium-ion battery technology, general styling cues, and its name with the Nissan Leaf we're familiar with. The RC wheelbase is 3.9-inch shorter wheelbase, overall height has been chopped by 13.9 inches, and there are two fewer doors. However, the racer is 0.8 inches longer overall and 6.… Read more

Lexus gave us a peak at the headlights and taillamps of its upcoming LF-Gh concept last week. The automaker must not have been satisfied with the underwhelmed response from the public and automotive press, because this week it has released more photos showing off the rest of the concept hybrid sedan.

Between the A and C pillars, the LF-Gh isn't packing any surprises for anyone who's familiar with Lexus' current LS and GS offerings. However, at the front and rear ends things start to get interesting.

Out back, we can see how the wrap-around taillamps work out on … Read more