Chassis

Wanting to know exactly how the latest engine tech is saving you on gas? Or what the future holds for automotive safety? Attendees at this year's Chicago Auto Show are getting a rare glimpse into the underpinnings of today's vehicles courtesy of Continental AG, one of the world's largest automotive ...    Read more

The not-yet-released 2013 Ford Escape is almost here, and though we've seen Ford's popular crossover previously at the Los Angeles Auto Show, advanced details are finally starting to emerge. The latest feature on Ford's crossover is that it will feature some of Ford's most advanced technology in the form of ...    Read more

Auto parts supplier Continental sees massive shifts in the auto industry both here in the U.S. and abroad, and predicts car safety and fuel economy as numero uno among automakers' priorities in their future vehicles. We had a chance to catch up with Continental at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show ...    Read more

Remember the movie Maximum Overdrive, the last movie anyone can link Emilio Estevez to before he coached the Mighty Ducks in the 1990s? If you don’t, here’s a recap: Cars communicate with one another to rampage against mankind. All of it is set to the soothing sounds of AC/DC. Automakers are ...    Read more

Much like fine wine, we believe there are cars get better with age. Apparently, so does the rest of the U.S. populace, which has pushed the average age of cars and trucks in the States to a record-high 10.8 years. So what’s making us want these sexy, decadent, decade-old road-going chariots? ...    Read more

Despite rough times for millions of Americans, the Great Economic Letdown had the fortunate effect of killing the auto industry just enough for it to acknowledge and address its shortcomings. Dealing with certain inadequacies while planning for pending CAFE legislation, the industry's glorious recovery is borderline legendary status. Consumers now ...    Read more

We’ve already seen the new 2012 Kia Ray, the Korean market’s Honey-I-shrunk-the-Soul micro car. But just a month after we learned of that car, Kia has announced that it will be adding an all-electric version, perhaps foreshadowing technology we’re bound to see in the not-too-distant future. With just 68 horsepower from ...    Read more

Nissan has already said the concept we’ll see of the Pathfinder SUV won’t differ much from the production vehicle. But if the photo leaked today is any indication, it’s going to be a drastic departure from the three previous generations of Nissan’s off-roader. Gone are the blocky lines, the rear door ...    Read more

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety announced 115 recipients of its Top Safety Pick award. With 18 new vehicles joining the list for 2012, it’s especially surprising that 10 of them happen to be Honda models that have all been on sale for years now, showing the brand’s willingness to ...    Read more

It was only a matter of time before Nissan would drop information for its 2012 North American International Auto Show plans. Now we know. First up will be the Nissan Pathfinder concept, which the automaker says will preview the “all-new look, style, and attitude” of the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder set to ...    Read more

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reported that the 32,885 traffic fatalities in 2010 were a six-decade low. That’s still a lot of fatalities, but it represents a number similar that from 1949 when the U.S. population was 149 million—less than half of last year’s number. What’s more, it represents fewer on-road ...    Read more

You’ve probably never heard of Aptera. If you have, you deserve a gold star, or a cookie. If you do have a vested interest in the eco-friendly startup, we have bad news: As of today, its operations cease to exist. Done. Over. Finished. Stick a fork in it. Aptera CEO and president ...    Read more

Pure handling delight. Confidence in motion. Ultimate driver control. Abstract sound bites? Maybe, but these have been Subaru's goals for the BRZ—the front-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car co-developed with Toyota—from the very beginning. Before the 2009 concept unveiling, before Toyota's 2008 entrance, and before rumors of the Impreza- and Legacy-based ...    Read more

General Motors is working on a plug-in hybrid version of the Chevrolet Cruze to complement its expanding range of compact cars. Word comes by way of Australia’s GoAuto, which talked to GM’s Jim Federico at last week’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Federico said the Cruze would forego the traditional hybrid route ...    Read more

Since 1954, Mercedes-Benz has sold a car badged as an SL model. That "SL" designation originally meant "sport leicht," or sports lightweight in English. But in recent years with the base Mercedes-Benz SL550 roadster ballooning to more than two tons, it carried the SL name in spirit only. Fortunately, Mercedes-Benz seems to ...    Read more

If you're into Subaru, you'll by now know that that for 2012, the Impreza and WRX/STI nameplates have had a falling apart. While the 2012 WRX and STI will continue indefinitely using the same underpinnings as the 2011 Impreza (brochures here), the all-new 2012 Subaru Impreza gets a new ...    Read more

Since 1972, you or someone you know has probably driven, owned, or fallen in love with a Honda Civic. And there's good reason, too. From its sensible interior space, efficient engine options, cute but understated Japanese styling, and accessible entry-price, the Civic has proven to be a safe, economical, reliable, ...    Read more

Yes, it's true. Nintendo and West Coast Customs have built an electric vehicle: Two EV's, in fact, and unveiled them today at the Los Angeles Auto Show. While speculation for the past few weeks centered on Nintendo's first-ever foray into the auto show circuit, the unveiling today had little to do ...    Read more

Volvo has a goal. The iconic Swede wants to sell 800,000 vehicles globally, per year, by 2020. But an ambitious sales goal is only half the story: It wants to do it with four-cylinder engines. It's a bold statement, and a bolder strategy, especially for a brand competing in a premium ...    Read more

From the "we totally didn't see this coming" files of the day, comes a lime green, two-seater EV built in Uganda.  Known as the Kiira EV, the plug-in one-off concept has a 48-mile range, a top speed of 93 mph, and be fully charged in as little as one hour. More ...    Read more

The first commercial for the 2012 Mini Cooper Roadster has hit the internet, and we fancy it to be a Turkish delight, indeed. Called “Another day. Another adventure.,” the 30-second spot was presumably filmed on a Saturday in Istanbul. It features two men driving around in a ...    Read more

Subaru's new BRZ STI Concept won't be the only sub-$30,000 performance car making an anticipated debut at the LA Auto Show. In fact, some enthusiasts might be more excited for Ford's production version of the Focus ST. That car, which has existed in Europe for years but never brought to ...    Read more

So you bought a BMW 5 Series a decade ago and are now in the market for a new one. You go to the dealership, test drive one, and realize that the new car is vastly larger than your old model in every dimension. You know the new car has ...    Read more

The new Ford Escape, powered by two new four-cylinder EcoBoost engines, is coming to the LA Auto Show. And while we're excited about the new engines, which promise awesome fuel economy in one, and bigger-engine power in the other, there is one other interesting technology we'll soon be playing with: ...    Read more

This is really, finally it. The front-engine, rear-wheel drive sports-car collaboration that everyone has been waiting for is really, finally going to be unveiled. Almost. The Subaru BRZ will actually be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in late November. Before that, though, Subaru will be lifting the cloak from this--the very ...    Read more