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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Trucks/Pickups , Etc. , Crossovers/CUVs , Honda , Toyota What would you call this thing? A Prelude SUC*? A Preludamino? A Prelude Brat? A Ridgelude? The seller, for his part, bills it as a "Cruck." With the careful adaptation of a Datsun Pickup liftgate, this cut and restyled 1989 Prelude Si was possibly a prelude to the atrocity wonder that would eventually be known as the Honda Ridgeline. It is said to feature a four-cylinder with an automatic, and able to get 38 mpg. Thank goodness it "was built under professional supervision of experienced body technicians," as we'd hate to think that any average schmo cut and pasted this Prelude. The work must be halfway decent, as it serves as daily transport for the seller and still features such luxuries as "power windows, sunroof, heat and a/c, cd player, power steering and functional tailgate." As it sits it's a fitting testament to ingenuity and another answer to a question nobody...
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Filed under: Etc. , Tech , Crossovers/CUVs , Ford They're not very glamorous, but tires make or break our driving enjoyment. Ford wants to soothe drivers of its new Family Truckster Flex, so Goodyear's Assurance ComforTred tires have been specified as the original fitment for the big crossover. The Assurance ComforTred uses a special cushion layer to smooth out road imperfections, the last thing anyone wants with a Flex loaded for bear with the kids, the dog, and a fully stocked refrigerator. The Flex is obviously designed to devour large stretches of interstate without a whimper, and Goodyear seems to think their ComforTred tires share the same appetite for asphalt, backing them with an 80,000 mile warranty and calling the Assurance Goodyear's very best tires. To make the Flex a success, the entire program needs to encompass multiple "very bests;" here's hoping. Press release after the jump Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Ford Flex [Source: Goodyear] Continue reading...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Etc. , Crossovers/CUVs , Porsche There's probably a few clunkers in DaVinci's sketchbook, too. Looking more gnarled than Van Gogh's Potato Eaters hand studies, Ivan Volkov's Porsche Traveller concept picks up design ideas from the Matchbox Fandango , though it doesn't look like the spare wheel on the Traveller incorporates Rolamatic action. Rather than heap massive derision on Volkov's renderings, it would be interesting to get a deeper explanation of the design goals and features incorporated in this car. The SUV/CUV appears to have a pickup-like division between the front and rear body sections, and one thing's for sure, it's got absolutely no chance of seeing production without much further refinement. We'll grant that the Cayenne isn't the most classically handsome conveyance to roll out of Zuffenhausen, but Volkov's Traveller is exponentially more polarizing. Gallery: Porsche Traveller Concept [Source: Concept...
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Filed under: Economy , Etc. , Marketing/Advertising , Crossovers/CUVs , Ford Towards the end of 2003, Ford unveiled the Freestar. It was a lousy minivan, and its name wasn't much better. From there the f-bombs started pouring in with the Freestyle, Five Hundred, and Fusion. Ford had a Shakespearean stranglehold on alliteration, but outside of the decent success of the Fusion, Ford's effed-up naming convention brought little name recognition to the Blue Oval's car lineup. When Allan Mulally came to town, he scrubbed the Freestyle and Five Hundred names for the much more recognizable and respected Taurus and Taurus X, but unfortunately the basic shape of the family haulers didn't change enough for customers to want them. Detroit News Columnist Daniel Howes accurately points out that Ford is back to effing up the names of its vehicles. The Flex arrives this summer, and the Fiesta arrives in 2010. The News says Ford marketing head Jim Farley questioned why the Flex name would...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Sedans/Saloons , Etc. , Green , Crossovers/CUVs , Cadillac , Chevrolet , Honda , Saturn Click image for a gallery of the Saturn Flextreme At its annual dealer meeting in San Francisco, what's described as having been a "passing remark" seems to be generating some buzz. Automotive News reports that a GM spokesperson said that the Chevy Volt's underlying technology could make its way into offerings from the automaker's other brands. While the report describes an excited dealer's reaction, the idea of shared E-Flex itself is hardly surprising. For instance, we've seen E-Flex concepts for Saturn/ Opel (Flextreme) and Cadillac ( Provoq ) already, and sharing the tech makes sense when you consider that consumer interest will probably be high whenever the Volt is ultimately produced, and spreading the wealth gives GM multiple avenues (and price points) at which it can cash in on the investment. The General already shares...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Convertibles , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Crossovers/CUVs , Supercars , Buick , Cadillac , Chevrolet , GMC , HUMMER , Saturn , Celebrities Last Saturday night before the Press Days began for the 2008 edition of the Detroit Auto Show, the 2nd annual GM Style event took place in a huge tent set up in a parking lot near the Renaissance Center headquarters of General Motors. Like last year's event, this runway show featured cars and fashions, but the feel of it was a bit different this year. This time last year, GM had yet to make its big design comeback breakthrough, for instance. Also, the cars were almost secondary to the celebrities last January. This time around, a year after the CTS, Malibu and Volt debuted in the days following the first GM Style event, the red carpet was gone and the fashions were worn by anonymous models, with musical accompaniment from Mary J Blige, Maroon 5 and Kid Rock. For 2008, the cars were the real stars...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Etc. , Crossovers/CUVs , Pontiac click above for more high-res images of the Pontiac Aztek... if you dare The Pontiac Aztek may be the butt of more jokes than Britney Spears, but even two years after its demise , the world's ugliest crossover of all time is still selling. In fact, Pontiac dealers chalked up a whopping 25 sales in 2007, and we'd like to meet the visually impaired customers who drove them off the lot and into a lifetime's worth of ridicule. Actually, we'd like to visit the 25 Pontiac dealerships that risked the embarrassment of keeping a two-year old "new" car on their lots. Any mention of Sales Person of the Year should include the fine men and women who pushed, dragged and pulled those Azteks off the lot. How do you explain to the new car shopper why his new car no longer has that new car smell? OK, we're done. PS: We're well aware that there are many satisfied owners out there who appreciate the practical design...
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Filed under: Etc. , Crossovers/CUVs , Ford It seems like America is the only place where American cars aren't popular. Buick has huge numbers in China, and Ford's having a lot of success in Brazil. Sales of the Fusion sedan took off to the point that it now leads the midsize segment there. Riding high on the Fusion's success, Ford's sending the Edge below the equator. The Edge will join a lineup that includes the new Ka compact (which shares the Fiat 500's platform), the EcoSport small 'Ute, and the Fiesta . Ford's also pumping $1 billion into it's Brazilian operations to keep the stampede going. Ford do Brasil has had 15 quarters of profit and earnings are up 72-percent over last year. The infusion of cash will go into Ford's local products, which will help the rest of their lineup come closer to the Edge's excellence. Press release after the jump. [Source: Ford] Gallery: Ford Ka Gallery: Ford EcoSport Gallery: Ford Fiesta ST Mototune Continue reading...
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Filed under: Etc. , Euro , Marketing/Advertising , Crossovers/CUVs , Chrysler , Dodge Fortune has called the notorious, dog-frying Dodge Nitro commercial done by BBDO Netherlands the 56th Dumbest Moment in Business . If you initially missed this story and are jjust hearing about the spot for the first time, you might think Fortune iseither picking on Chrysler or that it was an exceedingly smart year for business, because how could a car commercial be that dumb? Then you'll watch it and understand. We continue to laugh at the absurdity that several groups of really smart people gave that commercial an "A.O.K.!" If they just would have gone with the idea that lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice, they might have been all right. And the point they were trying to make was obvious after the first hit -- but really, folks, does no one at BBDO Netherlands own a dog or get Atlanta Falcons football games on satellite? Chrysler pulled the ad (long before it made the...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Wagons/Estates , Etc. , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , Supercars , Aston Martin , Audi , BMW , Lamborghini , Lexus , Maserati , Mazda , Mercedes Benz , Nissan , Volvo , Renault , Opel , Peugeot , FIAT Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the Reventón The Lamborghini Reventón has been named L'Automobile più Bella del Mondo. Translation: The World's Most Beautiful Automobile. It earned this honor in the Special Models category of this annual automotive fashion show, recently held for the fifteenth time at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, Italy. There are eleven categories in all, though the Special Models category is generally considered to be the big winner. Other cats include your various sizes of sedans, coupes, convertibles, station wagons, crossovers, sports cars and concept cars. The judging panel included artists, architects, designers, a historian, and a journalist. We like...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , SUVs , Etc. , Crossovers/CUVs , Nissan While the Pontiac Aztek was a sales failure, it did have the ability to quickly turn into a camping appliance with a rear end that could be converted into a tent. Nissan must love the idea since it has developed a dome-shaped tent attachment for its UK utility vehicles. The tent attaches to the back, where the rear liftgate can be left ajar to provide a more open area for additional sleepers. Four adults can sleep in the 9x9 enclosure, with a couple more campers bunking in the car. The vehicle can also be easily detached from the tent if errands need to be run. While tent accessory is handy, it does come at a price tag well beyond most stand-alone portable living quarters. The Navara tent costs £260 , and the tent for the Pathfinder, X-TRAIL, Murano or QASHQAI will run you £460. Here in the States you can get a gently-used pop-up camper for a little more than $1,000 USD. The safety of the tent may also be a question...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Etc. , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , BMW BMW appears to be angling to become a truckmaker. Okay, crossovers, not trucks. Whatever you want to call the tall, heavy wagons, that's your business. Within the next five years, BMW's planning on adding three new truck-type things to their lineup. The X6 will arrive next year, followed by the 4x4 version of the MINI in 2009, and the also-small X1 in 2010. The MINI 4x4 will run a Getrag-developed AWD system, and we'd expect the X1 to use the basic component set of the forthcoming 1-series. The Concept CS is also headed for production, and it will be positioned above the 7-series sedan carrying 8 and 12 cylinder powerplants. Imagine that, instead of the 7-series heading up the Ultimate Driving Machine lineup, there'd be a long-hooded GT-looker with a fastback roofline. Even the news that BMW is following the money into SUVs and committing bigtime with multiple new models, it could be worse. The X5 is handsome, and that general...
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Filed under: Coupes , Trucks/Pickups , Etc. , Marketing/Advertising , Crossovers/CUVs , Ford Americans spend billions of dollars on breakfast cereal every year, and there is no better way to place advertising at the family breakfast table. Ford knows...
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