Auto Shows (Page 8)

ANALYSIS AND OPINION: It’s not looking too good in the public relations arena for Cadillac and GM when the national, now world conversation nows turns toward questioning the existence of luxury car brands after the Cadillac XT6-Gate GM Debacle. Aston Martin’s CEO weighed in with the XT6-Gate to establish six ultra brands, and none of the ones below it like Cadillac will surpass them. But let’s be clear: XT6-Gate is an American problem, not a European one.

ANALYSIS AND OPINION: While GM didn’t strike an iceberg like Titanic with the recent Cadillac XT6-Gate Roll Out, XT6’s Super Cruise “Radio Delete” from the options list Gaffe, and Caddy’s the ”Lead Brand” Announcement Kerfuffle with no Caddy BEV for three years, it certainly ran into the reefs too quickly like the Costa Concordia. Although it isn’t a massive blockbusting disaster, it is a serious debacle that needs some changes. And they better do it soon.

The 2019 Ram Heavy Duty is powered by a new version of the 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel that delivers industry-leading torque levels of 1,000 lb-ft and in order to make use of that monster power, changes were made in just about every area of the trucks.

ANALYSIS AND OPINION: GM President Mark Reuss’ recent announcement of putting Cadillac as the lead brand against Tesla helped everything else but Cadillac. Cadillac just put their third gas CUV into their portfolio right after this announcement! A real all electric car company doesn’t do that! To be taken seriously by anyone you have to be reliable and believable, and that means having honesty, and to be honest, starting with yourself, you have to believe in yourself. Who’s fooling who?

The all-new Chevrolet Blazer makes its formal Motor City debut at the ongoing 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit’s Cobo Hall and frankly, I think that it looks far better than many of the bland, unexciting SUVs sold in America today.

While some may have doubted either VW's planned investment or the number of electric vehicles that the automaker would be making by 2022 -- 27 -- it looks like VW's predictions and plans may be coming true.

Following long discussions, Ford and Volkswagen have entered into an agreement that will likely result in new vehicles, such as autonomous cars or electrics. There is also talk of VW and Ford jointly developing a global mid-sized pickup. That, though, is several years away.

The main focus of high performance Ford fans attending the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit is the new Shelby GT500 Mustang, but the most powerful ST-badged product debuted alongside the new pony car in the form of the 2020 Explorer ST.

Subaru unveiled the highest-horsepower WRX STI in the brand’s history. Six facts will surprise you about the new 2019 WRX STI S209.

ANALYSIS AND OPINION: Until recently no one in the car industry ever had an experience of what it was like to end production of a car product due to obsolescence, they and other peer brands have produced since its invention in the mid-nineteenth century. Shutting down gas while ramping up electric is a double money losing proposition into the tens to hundreds of billions. Only the wealthiest and most powerful car companies on earth can survive this conversion process, and I look into how this is so.

Subaru unveiled the highest-horsepower ever 2019 Subaru WRX STI S209 at NAIAS. Here’s a gallery of pics and full details.

Volkswagen used the Detroit Auto Show this week to introduce its revamped 2020 Passat sedan. There are few major changes in the Passat as VW has decided to return to its roots by working on incremental changes to its vehicles. The Passat certainly exhibits this.

Cadillac is bringing the Escalade's smaller sibling to market and it is aiming to take over the luxury crossover market currently dominated by Lexus and BMW.

The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 finally made its world debut this morning at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and while we don’t know how much power the supercharged Stang will offer, we can look at how it will stand up to the in-class competition from Chevrolet and Dodge.

While the 2020 Ford Explorer doesn’t look dramatically different compared to the version on sale today at first glance, the automaker has changed pretty much everything about the popular SUV right down to the chassis design – introducing a new rear-drive platform.

The long awaited overhaul of Ford's popular Explorer SUV will be unveiled before the start of the Detroit Auto Show. Ford is already showing the police vehicle based on the Explorer.

Subaru will unveil a new Impreza STI at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2019. Could this be the hot hatch fans have been asking for?

What do you have when you mish mash a 1960’s Rolls Royce, Bentley, Mercedes, and Buick? Some say a mess. Others say an exquisite and functional example of fine bespoke automotive engineering to be considered artwork to be displayed in a museum. I’ll let you be the judge.

Subaru teases a new WRX STI that is coming to the NAIAS in January. It’s likely a WRX STI S209 and this time it’s for U.S. fans.

We were surprised to learn last week that the long-awaited mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette would not debut in next month’s Detroit Auto Show and it might not arrive for any of the big shows early in 2019, as GM Authority is reporting that the mid-engine American sports car has been delayed six months.

A new report with input from General Motors has stated that the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette will not make its grand debut at next month’s 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit – meaning that we will all be waiting even longer for what could be the next generation of the legendary American sports car.

When the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 debuts next month at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, it will be sporting a high performance braking system that will be the first Motor Company product to utilize 3D printed components – although we don’t know which pieces of the super-Stang’s stoppers will be constructed with the high tech process.

OPINION AND ANALYSIS: With VW Group’s accelerated plans to cease gas car production sooner, Bentley needs to ask itself what kind of car company does it want to be? If Aston Martin stuffed battery packs inside the seats and boot spare tire wells and fenders of a Rapide, why there isn’t something similar done inside a Spur or a Mulsanne? Bentley isn’t doing that; they’re running counterculture to their heritage, and risk losing what they worked hard to get after leaving Rolls Royce: not becoming another Cadillac.

OPINION ANALYSIS: Rivian Automotive, the once Clandestine now Maverick Electric Pickup Truck Maker added another BEV to its portfolio, a full sized three rower SUV called R1S. I’m so glad they made it nice and boxy and conservative and all BEV. All they need to do now is stretch that battery tray and back seat room, bespoke it out, make it LWB, send it upmarket past Bentley and Rolls, and let it sit next to Rover SVAutobiography, to let their brand take off, and let the doe roll in.

OPINION ANALYSIS: America’s first plug in hybrid, a segment opening PHEV was put to death recently, the Chevrolet Volt was a cutting edge trailblazing vehicle that bridged the gap between siphoning off gas and waiting for battery technology to improve before pushing on to an all electric car world. So cancelling it seems counterintuitive. It is not. Actually Volt was a great accidental/incidental transition vehicle who’s time came and was way gone.

Ford Motor Company shared the image above of the top of the engine of the 2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang along with confirming the debut date and the build location of the supercharged V8 – all while putting the bed the rumors of a factory twin turbo setup.

The 2020 Lincoln Aviator that has been called the "baby Navigator" has finally touched down. It was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show and Lincoln has finally designed an SUV to satisfy people who like sedans.

Cadillac is giving the 2019 Escalade a new blacked-out sport edition. It is perfect for the buyer that wants to add some mystery to the luxury SUV.

After all sorts of speculation and rumors, Ford Motor Company has made it official that the 2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang will make its grand debut at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 14th – ending the long wait for the big-power pony car.

Unveil Review: Rivian Automotive, the Michigan based startup that for ten years carefully, but secretly planned to find the right vehicle, at the right time, and at the right moment, to launch an all BEV the world hasn’t seen, seemed to find the right recipe to unveil that vehicle NOW, as they launched something that Tesla had expectations of doing first: to launch the first all electric pickup truck in the world. And Rivian did it. Not Ford. Not Tesla. This is a game changer . . .