by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 28, 2011
No, there’s not any “Corinthian Leather,” but with the addition of the new Luxury Series Chrysler nudges the latest version of its big 300 sedan decidedly up-market. It’s been quite some time the Detroit maker put its last true luxury entry, the old Imperial, out to...
by Joseph Szczesny | Dec 28, 2011
Hyundai has pulled off a styling coup. The maker has snatched Christopher Chapman, one of BMW’s more promising designers – to head the Korean maker’s Design Center in Irvine, California. Chapman replaces Philip Zak, who left Hyundai last spring to rejoin the General...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 28, 2011
We’ve been hearing lots, in recent months, about the problems faced by the “Japanese” as a result of the huge earthquake and tsunami that struck the country’s northeast coast last March. While it’s true the industry was briefly sidelined, and while Toyota and Honda...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 27, 2011
The auto show season has kicked into high gear and one of the industry’s most important events will be opening its doors to the media in less than two weeks. But the annual Detroit Auto Show will be facing some stiff competition for the headlines this year. In an...
by Henny Hemmes | Dec 27, 2011
You’re likely to be halfway down the slopes by the time you can pronounce the full name of Mini’s newest – and fastest – crossover model, the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works. Take our word for it, as we had our first chance to check out the Countryman JCW during a...
by Marty Bernstein | Dec 27, 2011
Last Friday night, along with thousands of other invitees around the country, I attended a special sneak preview of the new Tom Cruise action movie, Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol. I was lucky. Most of the folks who attended the official opening weekend for the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 23, 2011
The auto industry has been doing much of the heavy lifting, in recent months, helping fuel a late-2011 surge in the economy and it looks like the car market’s recovery from its worst downturn since the Great Depression is continuing into the year-end holidays. In...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 23, 2011
My first car was named Smedley, a less than creative concoction for a beat-up old Chevy that carried a New Jersey license plate beginning with “SMD.” Actually, the ’64 Bel Air had a lot of names we won’t use here, most created on the spot when it wouldn’t start,...
by Jason Sakurai | Dec 23, 2011
We road test a lot of vehicles, and some are simply more inspiring than others. There are hybrids, econocars, family sedans, European luxury boats, and then there’s the 2012 Roush Stage 3 Mustang convertible. Ford’s Mustang is a nice ride, no question about it, but...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 22, 2011
With the domestic market starting to show signs of a slowdown perhaps it should come as no surprise that China’s automakers are ramping up plans to export product to other parts of Asia, Europe and now, even North America. Honda will soon begin shipping the subcompact...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 22, 2011
Even some of the biggest foes of distracted driving are rejecting the idea of a blanket ban on mobile electronics – notably including U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who has referred to the rise in distracted driving collisions, injuries and deaths as a...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 22, 2011
Kia has charged out Korea’s first full battery-electric vehicle, a city car dubbed the Ray EV. A virtual clone of one of the Asian maker’s conventionally powered multi-purpose minicars, the lithium-ion-powered Ray EV will get about 86 miles per charge, the maker...
