Auto Shows (Page 43)

While the compact Escape SUV has been ignored for the most part in the Ford Motor Company SEMA displays, the redesigned 2013 Ford Escape will be in attendance with two modded up examples to show that the new small SUV can play host to just as much personalization as the rest of the FoMoCo lineup.

General Motors announced today that among the vehicles unveiled at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas will be the new Chevrolet Sonic B-Spec race car that will go head to head in a near-stock race class in the SCCA featuring subcompacts like the Ford Fiesta, the Fiat 500, and the Kia Rio – giving Chevrolet their first entry into this budding budget racing class.

Among the sporty compacts featured in the Chevrolet Performance display at the 2012 SEMA Show will be the new Sonic Z-Spec 1 and Sonic Z-Spec 2.5, both of which are based on the 4-door Sonic sedan equipped with varying levels of modification.

Chevrolet has just rolled out the first teaser images of what they are bringing out to the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas with a special focus on the compact hatchbacks and sedans that will debut on October 30th – and we will first take a look at the tiny Chevy Spark.

SEMA is just 12 days away and today we get out second look at a car modified by the folks at ARK Performance with their take on the unique 4-door Korean hatchback in the form of the Hyundai Veloster Alpine Edition.

According to the official Lexus Facebook page, the incredible Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition will make its formal American auto show debut in just 12 days at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham is currently working on a project with the folks from Chrysler’s Mopar division to customize a 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 with a series of YouTube videos chronicling the build – and the debut of this unique Challenger named Project Ultraviolet is set for the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

General Motors announced this morning that on Sunday, January 13th 2013, they will introduce the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette at a preview event for the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit – ushering in the C7 generation of the might Corvette.

Contrary to the reports that we discussed this past Monday, Ferrari has stated that the new Enzo successor referred to as the F70 will not make its big debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next January.

Ford Motor Company has just issued a new group of artwork designed to preview the cars that will fill their booth at the 2012 SEMA Show with the latest batch focusing on the new high performance Ford Focus ST – including unique renditions of the sporty 5-door hatch from names like Cosworth, Steeda, Galpin Auto Sports and Tanner Foust.

When the Ferrari F70 arrives, it will serve as the technical successor to the famed Enzo Ferrari while also being the most powerful road car ever built by the Italian automaker and while many expected that it would make its global, public debut in Europe – Ferrari has confirmed that the new hybrid hypercar will formally be unveiled at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Among the Mopar artwork released last week was a shot of a 2013 Ram with a blue driver’s stripe that I speculated could be a hint as to the next Mopar branded vehicle but after seeing this sporty truck in person at the Mopar headquarters today – the black and blue ‘Urban Ram’ is more likely to be a hint to a future SRT pickup.

Mopar had an event this morning to show off a few of the modified vehicles that will line the massive display at the upcoming 2012 SEMA Show but among the most interesting vehicles was only shown in pictures with the introduction of the Moparized 2013 SRT Viper.

As the final few days of the 2012 Paris Motor Show wind down, there a few bits of automotive news that we haven’t touched on just yet – including the sprawling glass roof option soon to be available on the luxurious Ferrari FF.

Each year, the good people at Ford Motor Company put together a SEMA Show display that is easily among the best and with more of that excellence expected for 2012 – Ford has offered up their first round of SEMA artwork “teasers” with this first group focusing on the new 2013 Fusion sedan.

The Honda CR-Z was introduced to the world as a compact hybrid sports car but even though it had a sporty exterior design, the hybrid drivetrain fell short of “sporty” in the opinion of many – a problem that Honda hopes to solve with the new, more powerful 2013 CR-Z.

Audi dropped the details on their newest droptop high performance model back in early September but among the public debuts at the ongoing 2012 Paris Motor Show is the 2013 Audi RS5 Cabriolet – including performance figures, fuel economy numbers and the first official pricing for the new topless midsized 2-door.

While the majority of the news coming from the 2012 Paris Motor Show this week relates to European automakers, the American automakers are well represented at the French auto show including the 2013 Chevrolet Spark for the European market that sports a similar look to the tiny Spark subcompact available in the USA.

The 2012 Paris Motor Show brought about the introduction of the Subaru BRZ XT Line Concept and not to be outdone, Toyota brought out their own tuned up version of the joint venture rear drive sports coupe but unlike the Subaru, the GT86 TRD on display in Paris is fitted entirely with goodies that will be available via the European Toyota Racing Development catalog.

The exhaust experts at MagnaFlow have positioned themselves as one of the star features on the floor of the SEMA Show over the past few years and 2012 should be no different as they will unveil their 1949 Chevrolet pickup built on conjunction with design superstar Chip Foose sporting a unique exhaust system that earned this truck the name Revolver.

Last week we introduced you to the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept, a wagon version of the popular Panamera hatchback that featured unique front and rear styling along with a revamped hybrid drivetrain with plug-in capabilities – with both the styling cues and that new plug-in hybrid system slated to arrive on production Porsche vehicles in the near future.

California based custom four wheeler builder ICON is best known for their work with the ICON Bronco that has graced the pages of pretty much every online publication in the US over the past few years but at the 2012 SEMA Show, ICON will showcase their mastery of all things intended for off-roading with their take on a classic 1965 Dodge pickup.

The 2012 Paris Motor Show has introduced the European auto show crowd to the Maserati sport utility vehicle based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee that made its “production form” debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show but the ute on display right now has shed the awkward Kubang name used in Detroit – instead turning to the new name of the Maserati Levante.

One of the less heralded vehicles currently on display at the 2012 Paris Motor Show is the Subaru BRZ XT Line Concept – a dressed up version of the sporty rear drive coupe with a trimline name that pays homage to an old school Subaru performance coupe.

The Chrysler Group routinely has one of the largest and most engaging displays at the SEMA Show each year and with under a month left until the huge automotive convention begins at the Las Vegas Convention Center – the folks from the Mopar division have offered up a very brief glimpse at five of the vehicles that will be in the massive Mopar display.

The Lamborghini Gallardo is expected to laid to rest with the 2014 model year as a new “entry level” Lambo (possibly called the Cabrera) meets the world but that doesn’t mean that the Italian supercar builder is giving up on the current Gallardo – with a lightly refreshed lineup for the 2013 model year on display now at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

Hyundai’s decision to pull out of North American motorsports isnt going to prevent the Korean automaker from putting together an impressive display at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas with the newest teaser offering us a look at the Cosworth Genesis Racing Series Coupe – the second tuned up Gen Coupe to be previewed ahead of the big show.

We have known for some time that the 2012 Paris Motor Show would bring about the formal introduction of a Porsche Panamera wagon and with the show now in full swing, the world has been introduced to the new Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept – with hybrid power.