BY ALISA PRIDDLE
GM is investing in its Lordstown, Ohio, plant to build the Cobalt replacement.
Here is the first official look at the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, which will both replace the Cobalt compact car in the U.S. and become the company’s new global offering in the volume C-segment. (more…)
BY TONY SWAN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM FRENAK
So here it is, the third and final entry in the 21st-century pony-car-revival derby. Get your bets down early because we don’t expect to see any more resurrections of famous makes from the galloping go-go Sixties—Barracuda, Firebird, Javelin, et al.—and even gloomier, we think it likely that, given fuel prices and other concerns, this revival is likely to lack the fervor and duration of the original movement. (more…)
BY ALISA PRIDDLE
Suzuki to get pickup based on the Frontier.
At the risk of stating the obvious, Nissan finally confirms the pickup it will build for Suzuki is based on the Nissan Frontier and will be assembled at its plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, starting in 2008.
The two automakers reached an agreement in 2006 for Nissan to build a mid-size pickup for Suzuki to sell in North America as well as a version of the Nissan Serena mini-minivan for sale in Japan. In return, Suzuki was to produce a Nissan mini-vehicle for Japan and a new A-segment car for Europe. (more…)
BY JARED GALL
The GTI moves asymptotically closer to perfection.
A select handful of cars offers a rare level of all-around excellence that sets them on a plane seemingly untouchable by their competitors. Premium branding is often part of the price of admission to this level of perfection, but the people’s car company”Volkswagen”sees no reason it can’t play here, too, granting its R32 levels of polish and balance more often associated with pricier brands. (more…)
BY ALISA PRIDDLE
Front-drive Malibu was to be followed by rear-drive Impala, but those plans still are in limbo.
Dealers should start receiving the new 2008 Malibu, available in four trim levels including a hybrid version, in November.
The Malibu is the last General Motors vehicle to come from the outgoing Epsilon platform that is being replaced by the new Global Midsize Vehicle Architecture. Cars from the next-generation architecture start rolling out next year with a new European-market Opel Vectra, with a steady stream to follow. (more…)
BY STEVE SILER
Japan’s Eagle has landed.
Infiniti relentlessly pursues a sporty image as much as Lexus claims to relentlessly pursue, well, you know what. So it surprised us somewhat that Infiniti chose the stodgy ol Pebble Beach Concours d Elegance to unveil”officially, anyway”what is arguably its sportiest ute yet: the G35-based EX35 crossover. Think of it as a G35 wagon. Or a mini FX35. We see a spiritual descendant of the 1980 AMC Eagle wagon built upon one of the world’s most prolific and capable platforms and stuffed with a swank interior. (more…)
BY STEVE SILER
Porsche’s upcoming hybrid ute will deliver more than 400 pound-feet of torque.
Two years ago at the Frankfurt auto show, Porsche announced it had begun work on a hybrid Cayenne program, but the company has remained quiet since then, except to tell us it has remained partnered with VW on the SUV’s development. However, Porsche recently broke its silence and gave us a few more details about what we can expect from its new hybrid SUV, which is on track for a 2009 launch. (more…)
BY PATRICK BEDARD, PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL DELANEY
Resort Wear: We suffer balmy days and soft breezes, not to mention mussed hair, to shake out three value-priced convertibles.
ust in time for those lazy, hazy days of summer, a comparison of convertibles that don’t break the bank. (more…)
BY JARED GALL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE VALENTE
Peugeot’s first-ever SUV comes from the unlikely pairing of Peugeot-Citroen and Mitsubishi.
Perhaps inspired by the mountain vistas surrounding the Geneva show, Peugeot is going soft-roading with its first-ever sport-utility vehicle, the 4007. Based on the Mitsubishi Outlander, the 4007 retains most of the look of that trucklet from the A-pillar back, but with a Peugeot face planted between the Outlander’s bulging, flared fenders. (more…)
BY JARED GALL
Another BlueTec diesel teaser for America. Love, Your Friends at Mercedes-Benz
Following Mercedes-Benz’s announcement that the company plans to market 50-state emissions compliant BlueTec diesel versions of its ML-, R-, and GL-class sport-utes here in the US by the 2009 model year comes this look at the BlueTec GL that will debut at the Detroit Auto Show. (more…)
