Car shows

DETROIT--Last year, Ford updated the Focus, combining U.S. and European variants into a single world car. Now the company repeats that strategy with the new Fusion midsize sedan.

Ford mixed about one part Fusion with two parts Mondeo, its European midsize sedan, added one more part of new stuff, and came up with a sleek looking high tech sedan. The new car does away with the previous Fusion's three-bar grille and squarish roofline, opting for a grille that shares design language with the Fiesta and Focus. The roofline now forms a graceful line back toward the trunk.

The … Read more

Lexus brought the game of teasing upcoming car show unveilings to new heights by issuing a third photo of the LF-LC 2+2 Hybrid Sport Coupe concept ahead of the 2012 Detroit auto show.

The first photo came out, with few other details, almost a month ago, and was followed more than a week later by a slightly more revealing photo. Now we get a clear, full-frontal shot along with a more detailed side view of Lexus' concept.

The concept takes the sharp, some would say ugly, styling of the Lexus LFA supercar to more extreme levels. The long, lower … Read more

In the week before the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Toyota and Nissan both release videos on the Internet that show virtually nothing of the new concepts the companies will show.

Nissan previously released a photo of its dramatic (its word, not mine) new Pathfinder concept. Today, Nissan released a video on the Pathfinder micro-site. But the video shows so little it actually seems to take away some of the previous information offered up.

Over some pleasant music, Nissan's video shows a sky view through different terrains, going from day to night. I can only conclude that … Read more

Chrysler Group LLC announced that the Chrysler 200 Super S by Mopar will debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The Mopar treatment offers a long list of exterior modifications, including a large chin spoiler, satin chrome fog light trim, satin chrome grille surround and mesh in the upper and lower grilles. Modifications to the body sides include new side sills, satin chrome belt molding, black chrome "200" badges, and gray or hyper black 18-inch S-alloy wheels.

"The Super S is Mopar's interpretation of the Chrysler 200," said Pietro Gorlier, president … Read more

Over the last few years, the passenger car has evolved from a gas-guzzling hunk of steel into what some have called the largest piece of consumer electronics in your life.

So, while it's fitting that the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2012) will likely be a jumping-off point for the next stage of development on car infotainment, connectivity, and safety technology, I still find it a bit odd to see so many cars sharing the floor with the likes of 3D TVs and compact digital cameras. Now that the car has established itself as a cornerstone of CES 2012, … Read more

As with many previews for the upcoming Detroit auto show, Nissan made few details of its new Pathfinder concept known.

The press release merely promises a new platform and aerodynamic body. The teaser photo for the Pathfinder concept released today reveals big fenders in the update to Nissan's seven-passenger SUV.

We bumped up the brightness of the released image to bring out more detail. The fenders show a particularly strong, pontoonlike design, sticking out from a body with a heavily contoured beltline. The side windows also look quite large, but the roofline looks conventional.

Nissan says the concept will feature "thoughtful technology, comfortable seating for seven, and ample cargo room," along with four-wheel drive. The current Pathfinder has three-row seating and four-wheel drive. Mention of a new platform suggests Nissan will move the vehicle from its current truck frame to a unibody design. It is possible that the new Pathfinder will share a platform with the Infiniti JX, unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Nissan noted that the new generation of the Pathfinder will go on sale next fall, as a 2013 model year. The concept shown in Detroit must be near production-ready. … Read more

Arthur C. Clarke wrote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," which is what Mercedes-Benz must be thinking with some of the new features in its 2013 SL550.

Its Magic Sky Control consists of a panel in its retractable hard top that goes from dark to transparent at the touch of a button. That does sound very advanced. Not quite as magical is Magic Vision Control, a system that dispenses wiper fluid from openings on the wiper blade, rather than spraying haphazardly over the windshield from two jets on the hood.

Although not called out as magical by Mercedes-Benz, the new SL550 includes other very advanced features. It will come with an automatic parallel parking system and a sensor under the rear that opens the trunk when someone waves a foot across it. Both of these technologies were recently introduced by Ford, stealing some of Mercedes-Benz's thunder. … Read more

Lexus today teased fans with the promise of a new concept vehicle that will be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 9, 2012.

The concept car was designed by Calty, the company's design studio in Newport Beach, California. Calty also designed the FT-SX, Scion t2B, Scion FUSE, FT-HS, A-BAT, and Lexus LF-Ch concept vehicles.

No other details were revealed in the press release.

On the heels of the Earth Dreams Technology announcement at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda says it will unveil a concept version of a new Acura NSX at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.… Read more