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2012 Porsche 911 is all-new, but still a 911

LOS ANGELES--Despite changed proportions, the new 911 retains its iconic look.

By now the 2012 Porsche 911 has been unveiled more times than we can keep track of, but the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show marked the seventh-generation 911's large-stage debut in North America (it had been shown at October's Rennsport Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but to a much smaller crowd). It was displayed alongside the latest variant of the Panamera, the GTS, which will be available as a 2013 model.

Perhaps the most intriguing single feature of the latest version of Porsche's most familiar … Read more

2013 Ford Escape: Gone global

LOS ANGELES--Ford's new Escape uses the company's latest tech, under the hood and in the cabin.

In the U.S., Ford has been selling the Escape for many years. In Europe, it sold another small SUV, the Kuga. Taking advantage of economies of scale, Ford has now combined the vehicles into one, launching an all-new, modern, small SUV designed to appeal to buyers around the world.

The new car will keep its Escape and Kuga names in different markets, but in most other regards will be identical. The 2013 Escape unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show benefits … Read more

Sean Parker thinks Silicon Valley is in trouble

Tucson, Ariz.--Sean Parker, a big reason for Facebook's success (remember Justin Timberlake) and a now a partner with Founders Fund, thinks Silicon Valley is in big trouble. His beef: Too many angel investors are throwing way too much money--albeit in little drips--at aspiring entrepreneurs who aren't up to the task of building a company.

The subject came up during a panel Parker was on at Techonomy 2011, a conference that took place this week in Tucson, Ariz. It's a hot-button issue -every young coder in the Valley, it seems, is either doing a startup or toying … Read more

Volkswagen's superhot Beetle

LOS ANGELES--Volkswagen is keeping the specifications of the Beetle R concept a secret, but the production Golf R, coming out next year, should give some clues.

Letters like GTI and GLI used to spell performance in Volkswagen terminology, but the German carmaker is introducing a new letter, R. The company now has an entire performance division tuning up existing Volkswagen models and slapping an R badge on them. The first effort hitting production is the Golf R, and now Volkswagen is showing off a concept version of a Beetle R.

Based on the 2012 Beetle, the Beetle R concept has … Read more

2013 Cadillac XTS: Caddy tries its hand at a large sports sedan

LOS ANGELES--Cadillac killed two old birds with one stone today.

The old birds in question are the aging DTS and STS luxury sedan that will likely both be replaced by the new 2013 Cadillac XTS sedan unveiled here at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show this morning.

The XTS gets a healthy dose of Cadillac's Art and Science design language, so it's no surprise that the sedan ends up looking quite a bit like a larger, more upright version of the automaker's popular CTS sedan. The XTS also shares the 3.6-liter, direct-injection V-6 engine that lurks … Read more

Ford electrifies the station wagon

Ford is partnering with Azure Dynamics on a five-seater station wagon version of its Transit Connect all-electric vans.

Both companies announced the project Wednesday in time for the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon will be available in North America immediately, with plans to eventually sell it in Europe as well.

The Transit Connect vans, which went into production in 2010, are already in the fleets of AT&T, DHL, FedEx, and Post Norway, to name a few. The vehicle won the 2010 North American Truck of the Year award, to the surprise of … Read more

Mastretta MXT: Mexico makes a sports car

LOS ANGELES--Using a rigid aluminum structure and a Ford-sourced engine, the MXT looks good and should feature excellent handling.

The MXT should go a long way toward changing perceptions in the U.S. about Mexican craftsmanship. This little sports car, the brainchild of Daniel Mastretta, uses a rigid, lightweight chassis made from aluminum and a short wheelbase, which should give it excellent handling.

2011 Los Angeles Auto Show preview

This week kicks off the Los Angeles Auto Show, where automakers show off their latest models and concepts in the city known for its car culture. CNET will be at the show during press preview days this week, getting a first-hand look. Here are some of the cars we are looking forward to seeing at the show: … Read more

MyFord Touch gets graphics, performance update

Ford has announced an update to its much-criticized car tech interface, previously plagued by slow performance and cluttered screens.

Ford came out with its new MyFord Touch interface on the 2011 Edge last year. This interface featured LCDs on the instrument cluster showing navigation, phone, audio, and trip data, along with a big center touch screen allowing control over these different car tech functions. But the touch-screen interface came under much criticism by CNET and others for its slow performance and cluttered displays.

Today, Ford showed off an update to the system intended to address its various problems. According to … Read more

First Grand Theft Auto V trailer debuts

Last week, Rockstar Games released a teaser site and logo for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V, which led to widespread speculation as to where the next game in the open-world chaos simulator would take place.

This morning we finally have an answer, as the first-ever trailer for GTA V has been released. The game will take place in a fictional Los Angeles-inspired town.

We're sure there will be much more about GTA V in the coming months, but what are your thoughts based on this trailer?