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Ask BMW North America chief Tom Purves why BMW has encouraged the development of a risky design vocabulary that elicits love it or hate it response in the buying public, and he'll reply, "No risk, no reward.
When Lincoln debuted the Navigator sport-utility to the world in 1997 as a 1998 model, Cadillac was already hard at work developing the SRX.
Welcome to the spring of 2004.
One hundred years and it comes down to this: a small town, a big state and a truck that must climb a mountain between the expectations that will receive it and the reality of what it is.
Though growth in the minivan market has stagnated in recent years, stalling at about one million vehicle sales annually, competition within the segment has been intense since the release of the 1999 Honda Odyssey, which redefined what a minivan should be.
When discussing automobiles, what defines luxury? Is luxury a function of design, a function of convenience, a function of feature count, a function of price, a function of brand, a function of marketing?
Conventional wisdom: You get what you pay for.
Touch, taste, sight, sound, and smell are the five senses each of us relies upon to navigate our environment.
Fantasy and reality are normally mutually exclusive concepts. Think of the Hollywood stars that comprise your "list," and now gaze over at your significant other.
Psychologists generally believe that the expression of individuality is healthy, an outlet for building one's identity.
Like the vast selection of fast-food burger joints in North America, the midsize sport sedan landscape is littered with choices; some tasty and some not.
Individuality is commonly expressed through automotive purchases.
Although the Aston Martin DB9 could be used solely as Point A-to-Point B transportation, doing so almost should not be allowed.
Though the new face of Audi debuted at the 2005 North American International Auto Show fronting the A8 L 6.
No matter what your station in life, the ultra-stylish 2005 Audi A8L is the kind of car that's liable to make you feel in need of a better wardrobe.
At this rate, Cadillac is going to get a nasty reputation, an edgy rep, one reserved for the cars that go fastest and make real drivers smile.
Compact sedans are like vanilla ice cream.
Back in the days when cars were big and gas was cheap, Chevrolet created a new package to move the metal - the Super Sport, also dubbed the SS.
Glowing over distant mountains, a central California sunset blazes in fiery glory, framed within the 2005 Chevrolet Corvette's windshield as the roadster rockets down the last twisty bit of the day, xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps combining with the last vestiges of natural light to illuminate the pavement blurring between its bulging front fenders.
After nearly two decades of middling attempts to market a viable minivan - Chevrolet Astro in 1985, Chevrolet Lumina APV in 1990, Chevrolet Venture in 1997 - Chevrolet is moving to exploit a new niche that it calls the Crossover Sport Van (CSV).
300. It's a number that made a name for Chrysler in the mid Fifties. Back then, Mopar performance was alpha-numeric. The fleetest of the fleet - the big, 300 series coupes - were badged with sequential letters and backed by serious hardware.
The SRT-8 captures its drivers and locks them into the cabin, taking prisoners, enslaving free people to a powertrain as sweet as there is without a second on the house.
In the car-a-minute culture of the 21st century, it is rare to find one that gives pause.
Many pages have turned since the Chrysler PT Cruiser was cool.
It's ironic. With all the noise that Chrysler has been making lately with the successful 300 and Magnum, the new Dakota is about being quiet. Quiet, as in a quieter cabin for the 2005 edition of its midsize Dodge Dakota pickup truck.
Sometimes, people do the right thing for the wrong reason.
Elvis Presley died from a lethal mix of prescription drugs on August 16, 1977.
There was a time, once, when the Ford Mustang symbolized everything Americans loved about their cars.
Twenty years ago, Michael J. Fox and a pimped DeLorean struck box-office gold with "Back to the Future," a fantasy film about a 1980s kid who goes back in time to the 1950s, tickling that "what-if" itch we all want to scratch.
Nationally, the average price for a gallon of gas is closing in on $2 per gallon, and a prominent candidate in the U.S. presidential race is an outspoken proponent of stiffer fuel mileage requirements. With the upcoming release of the 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid, it's almost as though the Japanese automaker saw this day coming.
Safety and security are not sexy, which is what makes reading, or writing, a minivan story about as riveting as watching C-SPAN during Congressional "vacation" breaks.
Screaming around "the horseshoe" at the Streets of Willow Springs road course in the summer of 2000, giggling hysterically with the roadster's tail hung out, the engine wailing at ungodly rpm, and a hot ingot of aluminum gear shifter in my right hand, I fell in love with the Honda S2000.
"Like Nothing Else." HUMMER appropriately chose this phrase to advertise its line of vehicles. Encounter one on the road, and there is no doubt of the HUMVEE roots.
With dramatic gains in quality, competitive vehicle designs, and one of the industry's best power train warranties, Hyundai is finally coming into its own.
Ah, to be young, rich and beautiful on a limpid summer day in Southern California.
Wants have become needs in the United States, a country where many icons of pop culture have far more money or beauty than talent or brains.
Gas prices are not going to drop anytime soon.
Ten spaces to the left, hidden behind a dark-colored Chevrolet Suburban, sits the 2005 Kia Spectra5, plaintively wailing in response to the red panic button on the remote keyless fob in my hand.
When Kia first stepped onto the North American stage more than ten years ago, it was a company that offered only two, poorly built vehicles, one of which was the Sportage SUV.
The fifteenth century castle that was to be our home for two nights loomed in the foreground, as our lineup of 2005 Land Rover LR3s maneuvered over rocks, across formidable sand dunes, and along the hard-packed shoreline of Scotland's North Sea.
Sometimes life just forces you to stop and enjoy the simple things, such as a beautiful California sunset that bathes palm trees, surfers, and one of the most famous stretches of sand in its warm, golden glow.
With the death of the long-lived Lotus Esprit V8, of which just 100 will be sold in the U.S. for 2004, Lotus plans to expand North American operations and sales for 2005 and beyond with a slew of new products.
Like international screen siren Sophia Loren, the 2005 Maserati Quattroporte's timeless Italian beauty speaks volumes about its culture and class.
Mercury lands squarely on the family car game board with the 2005 Montego, the first competitive sedan for the company to sell since the original Sable debuted nearly two decades ago.
Convertible owners are a breed apart.
A rally car for the road, the 2005 Mitsubishi Evo MR offers the heart-pounding, palms-sweating, soil-your-pants sort of driving experience that true enthusiasts relish.
Those nine years must have been something.
Almost 20 years have disappeared since the first Nissan Pathfinder rolled onto the streets of America, days in which the world of cars and trucks has mirrored the frenetic changes that have coursed through America.
Sooner or later, we all arrive at that fork in the road where we make the trade: a teaspoon of youthful idealism for a pound of realistic goals, mature stature and accomplishment.
Let's say that like so many residents of the United States, your heart tells you to buy an American car to support both your country and your neighbors, but your head tells you to buy a Japanese car for long-term reliability and proven resale value.
Quirky is a word used to describe people, places and things that are unusual, offbeat, and outside of society's mainstream.
Saleen is one of the best-known creators of aftermarket performance Mustangs.
I'd give up my right arm for one of those.
Salt is the bane of automobiles that toil within a day's drive of the 45th parallel.
Across the pond in Yurrup, from whence Audi hails, cars have no identity problem.
When choosing an entry-level luxury car, some people want a car that exudes status like a Mercedes-Benz C230, others want the handling and performance a BMW 325i delivers, and then there are those who follow their heart and go for the looks of say, an Audi 2.
Purchasing an Audi A3 3.2 S Line is much like buying a nice shirt from Saks Fifth Avenue.
Serving as a hub for contemporary design where architects, engineers, and designers showcase their newest, trend-setting work, the Pacific Design Center is where Audi handed over the keys to the new 2006 Audi A3.
Seeing a Bentley Arnage R sauntering down the motorway is a rare sight, one many will never see.
During the 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur's brief stay with us, one experience was more telling than any other.
Fans of the brand know that the brilliance of a BMW - and in particular the 3 Series - shines most brightly on back roads in the hands of a person who loves to drive.
In the land of luxury, prestige is as important as bread and butter.
Normally, it takes years to achieve mythical status, but the new 2006 BMW M5 is already there.
It takes something special to shake the cynicism of a seasoned reviewer.
Read more about 2006 BMW Z4 M Roadster Preview
Attention to detail. It's a simple phrase that seems to be the new American mantra. School kids understand that a little more of it would result in a better grade. Job market newbies quickly realize it's a requisite for every imaginable vocation, even the lofty custodial assistant position. And then there are automotive giants, seemingly oblivious to decades of pleas to adopt those three little words as a guiding principle.
Cadillac must serve two distinctly different masters as it transforms itself from the ersatz-luxury division of its corporate parent, General Motors, into a globally viable and respected purveyor of premium automobiles.
Airport shuttles. Old people. Premium rental cars. Ask someone about Cadillac, and those are just a few thoughts that may come to mind.
Michael Jordan, the former, then not former, then former again NBA star, has more money than many nations, can jump to the top of virtually any waiting list, carries more influence than the inside of an empty tequila bottle, and possesses an exotic car ownership history that makes Jerry Seinfeld's Porsche collection look like an under-funded weekend hobby.
It starts at the base of your neck. A small shiver at first, a tingle, and it travels up and down and spreads across your shoulders like a fire.
People weren't looking. We're used to seeing others craning their necks, giving us a thumbs up, nodding their heads, or even smiling in our direction when we drive a new car before it's come to market.
More songs have been written about Chevys than any other kind of car, and with more than 1.
On what seems to be a regular basis, General Motors gets a good idea and then underfunds product development, resulting in a compromise vehicle in terms of styling, performance, functionality, or all three.
Chevy wants to make it so that every kid - old or young - dreams of driving a Malibu.
Bringing home flowers or a six-pack after a disagreement.
Step back in time to 1966. Remember the rumble? The pony-car era was in full gallop when Chrysler unleashed its first Charger, constructed on the chassis of a ho-hum sedan called the Coronet.
Through the late '60s and early '70s, the words "Dodge" and "Charger" became synonymous with a blend of don't-mess-with-me swagger and blow-the-doors-off-the-competition performance.
In North America, consumers think of station wagons in a "mom running to the market" kind of way.
Americans like everything to be big.
Growing up, we're taught to greet our elders with it, pretend to have it for our teachers, and show an undeserving amount of it to our siblings.
Sleek and elegant Ferrari automobiles bring out deep rooted emotions in just about every enthusiast, and the beautiful red F430 Spider to which I held the keys brought every hair on my body to attention like a platoon of fresh Army recruits.
Read more about 2006 Ford Explorer First Drive
What's the point of doing a story about the Ford Focus, a car that is seven years old and sitting, unloved, in the shadows of hot new models like the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, and Toyota Yaris? We think it's an overlooked gem, a fun, functional, and frugal car, and an undeniable bargain that meets the needs of the times.
At first blush that may seem funny, but it's true: bringing the new 2006 Ford Fusion sedan to market was the easy part of a long journey Ford hopes to make from sedan-selling afterthought to viable challenger.
It ain't easy being green.
The eldest members of Generation Y, today's "it" demographic, were born in the early 1970s - about the same time that the Honda Civic first arrived in the U.
Sometimes, even the great ones lose their way. Ernest Hemmingway, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain - all talented, tormented pop culture figures who met untimely ends. Neither fame, nor fortune, nor fan adoration could save them from themselves.
Once upon a time, there lived a family of three bears in need of a new set of wheels.
Traveling at high speed across the Nevada barrens, the convoy of Hummer H1s kicks up such a trail of brown dust that the large vehicles must keep quarter-mile distances between them.
In most every aspect of daily life, evolution and revolution perform a delicately balanced tightrope act.
Wherever you look, people are trying to move up.
Known primarily for its stellar warranty, Hyundai is out to prove its cars offer more than peace of mind.
Back in school, teachers used to say that trying was better than doing nothing, even if your effort was wrong, incomplete, or flat-out off the mark.
What could the humming of electricity, the quiet rustle of overhead heating ducts, an occasional sneeze, and the restless shuffling of unsupported bodies in flimsy camping chairs possibly have in common? All were sounds heard when Isuzu, rather unceremoniously, unveiled it's "new" pickups last year, the 2006 i-280 and i-350.
Your rich uncle died. That new twitch in your face led to a multi-million dollar malpractice payout. Your ex-husband had the misfortune of getting caught with his mistress. You own stock in ExxonMobil. Regardless of how you got there, you're in the top echelon of society now, and, coincidentally, Jaguar has an upper-crust automobile befitting your new lifestyle.
Big, bold, and endowed with plenty of power from a massive motor, the original 1963 Jeep Wagoneer had tons of space for nearly everything - including the kitchen sink.
An odd thought spawned by too many hours spent watching campy TV shows shouldered its way into consciousness the moment we laid eyes on the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8: This black-as-night bad boy is exactly what a modern-day Batman would drive.
If there's one thing we Americans have plenty of, it's choice.
Len Hunt came from the Volkswagen Group to lead South Korean automaker Kia to the promised land, and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge about how consumers in the world's largest and most important market think, feel, and act.
We wouldn't speed in the new Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.