2011

Another day, another Chevrolet ad featuring the Camaro. Like the other one we profiled this week, this one is set to air during Super Bowl XLV between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. This one mocks the thought process behind car ads, and like the first, has a slight...

UPDATE: As several intrepid (and sharp-eyed) readers have pointed out, there is a quarter-second shot of a GM-era convertible around the 16-second mark. Good catch. As for the 9-5, it was designed during the GM era, true, but it's being sold entirely under the Spyker-owned Saab umbrella. Point...

There were a couple of more interesting articles the past few days involving software in cars. Early last week, Markus Waibul over on the Automaton blog and I both wrote (here and here) on the concept of "car platooning." I also noted in my post the Ford development effort involving a new crash...

You thought the Cadillac CTS-V was bad-ass? You're right, but the CTS-V Black Diamond is bad-asser. Or, as Cadillac puts it, it's a "finely crafted, tailored tuxedo." We like our description better. No, you don't get any performance enhancements in the Black Diamond, but then, you don't really need...

Not so long ago, Kenny G was a major threat to the civilized world. Sleepy, innocuous notes rolled out of his saxophone and onto the world's airwaves, lulling us all into a false sense of comfort and security. Things could've gone terribly wrong, but Kenny's unearthly talent was, in fact, his own...

In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Mercedes-Benz global sales and marketing chief Joachim Schmidt said that the company will be offering front-wheel-drive models in the U.S. for the first time in the next three years. Mercedes-Benz has two front-wheel-drive models now, the A-Class (shown)...

Hot on the heels of the Black Edition 911 Carrera and Carrera Cabriolet models revealed last week comes the new 2011 Porsche Boxster S Black Edition, which like its 911 siblings will be making its world debut next month at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Porsche’s Black Edition models are...

Lexus is certainly going to great lengths to emphasize the sportiness of its upcoming hybrid hatchback, the all-new 2011 Lexus CT 200h. After previewing an F-Sport endowed concept version of the car at last year’s Sydney Motor Show, Lexus has now called upon longtime tuning partner Five Axis...

MINI will be using next month’s 2011 Geneva Motor Show to unveil a range of new sporty diesel models based on the regular Cooper and Cooper Convertible, as well as the longer wheelbase Clubman and Countryman SUV. The new range will be badged as SD models and will come fitted with a 2.0-liter...

Buick has yet to officially confirm the plans, but reports are breaking that the Buick Regal Hybrid will be on display at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show. Borrowing the eAssist hybrid system from the LaCrosse, the Regal Hybrid is expected to turn in 25 percent gains, reaching as high as 24 mpg city and...

Mercedes-Benz hasn’t done a very good job of keep its upcoming C-Class Coupe a secret, with official images of the stylish two-door leaking onto the Internet last month and now the first shots of a prototype for the high-performance AMG variant being revealed. This latest AMG model is likely...

Late last year reports of a plug-in hybrid version of the Cadillac SRX surfaced, and though GM did not confirm them, neither did it deny such a vehicle was in the works. Today GM CEO Dan Akerson, while talking about future EV and extended-range EV (EREV) strategy, revealed that the SRX plug-in is...

Somehow, Ford's Mustang keeps winning comparison tests against it pony-car rivals. This time Motor Trend pitted it against the new 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, and it took home the victory. Specifically, it was a Mustang GT versus a Camaro SS, and the 5.0-liter V-8 Mustang out-dueled the...

Team Lotus--the other Lotus--and Sauber F1 today unveiled their entrants for the 2011 Formula 1 season. The cars showcase the latest in back- and mid-field development for the sport. Comparing the Team Lotus and Sauber cars to the recently unveiled (and ironically named) Ferrari F150, it's easy to...

Running slow pace laps during caution periods might seem like a relatively lame duty for a high-performance car, but when that pace car has to run hard enough to keep in front of massively powerful, lightweight, race-tired Daytona prototypes, even at half-speed, it's a different story. The 1-Series...

Imagine having to endure a 12 to 18 month waiting list to finally get your hands on a brand new Ferrari [NYSE:RACE] 458 Italia supercar, only to have it crushed under the wheels of a Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] F-150 pickup truck. Well, that’s exactly what happened to the owner of this sorry...

One member of the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Green Bay Packers (it pains me to write that, your humble author is a Bears fan) will be awarded a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible on February 6. That player will be named the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLV, and the car will be his reward. The...

Sebring. The legendary home of American endurance racing. So how does the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe race car do Sebring in 60 seconds? A montage, of course. In the inimitable words of Trey Parker: The hours approaching, just give it your best You've got to reach your prime. That's when you need to put...

Ford has taken some ribbing in the past few years for its "special edition" Mustangs, which often amount to little more than an extra badge and/or some vinyl paint stripes, plus a few bundled options. Well, apparently Porsche sees some method to the madness, and has introduced its own special-paint...

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class got a facelift for the 2012 model year, but now we're seeing what those changes mean for the high-horsepower AMG version. These images leaked onto the web, and Car and Driver is saying that they're not "product correct," meaning that the final version of the car will look...