RideLust

Chevy's Volt is the 2010 Car of the Year.

If the Car and Truck of the Year were picked the same way as Time magazine’s “Man of the Year”, the decision would have been a no-brainer. No car spent more time in the media spotlight this year 2010 than the highly controversial Chevy volt; on the truck side of the business, there was the equally polarizing Ford Explorer. Having been lucky enough to drive both, I can say that the awards came as no surprise, and I applaud both Chevrolet and Ford for winning their respective categories. Read More…

Image: Porsche AG

There have been plenty of rumors in recent weeks about Porsche unveiling a version of their 918 Hybrid supercar at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. The car’s been given a thumbs up for production by Porsche management, who’ve already thrown down a speculative price in excess of $600,000 for interested buyers. Would we see a more refined version of the Spyder in Detroit? Perhaps a coupe version, or maybe even a very early pre-production test mule?

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The 2012 Buick Verano. Photo: © GM Corp.

Buick is set to show their third new model in two years at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. The Verano is Buick’s entry into the compact luxury segment (although I have a hard time writing “Buick” and “compact” in the same sentence), and will slot into their product line below the recently launched Regal sedan. John Schwegman, Buick’s VP of marketing, sums up their reason for launching a compact sedan as follows: “Verano expands our lineup, continues Buick’s momentum and gives us a great opportunity to attract a new generation of customers with a product that delivers on their expectations for design, performance and technology. It is a smart choice that delivers unexpected luxury in a compact sedan – and it will compete head-to-head with competitors from Audi and Lexus.”

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The EcoBoost 'hero engine', after the Baja 1000. Photo: Ford Motor Company

You have to give Ford credit for having huevoes mas grande: it’s one thing to prove a point about the durability of your twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost engine, but it’s something else entirely to tear it down in public. Who knows what dirty little secrets lie within the engine’s heads and cylinders walls? Do you really want to run the risk of encountering a burned valve or scored cylinder walls in front of John Q. Public? If you’re Ford and the motor in question is EcoBoost V6, serial number 448AA, the answer is, “yes, at Ford’s powertrain display at the NAIAS, on January 15th at 11:00 a.m.” It’s enough to make me wish I were going to this year’s North American International Auto Show.

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Ford's latest creation, the C-MAX. Photo: Ford Motor Company

When Chrysler dropped the concept of a “minivan” on the American public in 1984, they captured lightening in a bottle. Accidentally or by design, the automaker had created the right vehicle at the right time; while compact vans (like the VW Bus) weren’t new, Chrysler minivans offered the practicality of a van with the ride and handling of a car. Americans bought them (and products from the competition) by the millions, and today minivans are a staple product in nearly every non-luxury automaker’s catalog.

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Chevy's Volt is one of three finalists.

When future automotive historians look back on 2011, I think they’ll mark this year as the beginning of the end of the automotive industry as we know it today. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is entirely based on your perspective, but one thing is certain: over the next five years, cars will get smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient and won’t be powered by gasoline alone. Automakers have no choice if they’re going to reach the level of fuel economy mandated by CAFE standards set to take effect in 2016, and cars like the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf are important first steps down a new automotive path.

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When it comes to auto shows in the United States, the Detroit Auto Show (also known as the North American International Auto Show) is arguably the biggest event of the year. It’s held each January, and automakers from around the globe scramble to show the world what’s coming to dealer showrooms in the coming year. According to Autoevolution, Fisker Automotive, maker of the plug-in hybrid Fisker Karma sedan, will be suspiciously absent from the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. That doesn’t bode well for a boutique automaker set to launch a $90,000 car in April of 2011.

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Hyundai's Veloster concept. Photo: Marcin Cie?lak

The full details on Hyundai’s much anticipated Veloster will be released at next month’s Detroit Auto Show, but Auto Express has learned a few things in advance. First, the car will use a unique “2+1” approach to doors. The driver’s side gets a single door, while the passenger side gets both front and rear doors. This makes rear seat access easier than in a coupe, but discourages rear seat passengers from moving the driver’s seat to get out. Personally, I hate when passengers change my seat back angle, since it takes me about six months to find the right position.

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Good news for all the expectant fanboys at the local VFW: the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe has finally made its first appearance. Scheduled to officially debut next week at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, the high performance (though slightly chunky) coupe promises to pose a serious threat to the high-output warhorses currently thundering out of Germany. While the Caddy of legends told might have enjoyed limited popularity outside of bingo halls and Def Jam, the CTS-V coupe is a beast unlike any other. Despite the fact that GM’s corporate philosophy as a whole may leave a lot to be desired, even we – the consummate, caustic professionals – here at RideLust can’t deny a superbly engineered vehicle when we see one. Read More…