world automotive gallery: May 2011

GM Segways to New Vehicles

For all of you who thought Smarts were a bridge too far in how small vehicles could be, you are going to go positively Britney over the partnership between General Motors and Segway. This puts two wheels way into the crazy zone.

To demonstrate the new Chevy Malibu’s global aspirations, Chevrolet unveiled it simultaneously at the recent Shanghai and New York auto shows. Riding on a modified version of the Buick Regal’s architecture

You’re walking down a dark alley, looking for the door to a house of il-repute, when a Lincoln MKZ Hybrid stealths up behind you. Its dark metallic paint is glimmering under the street lights. You couldn’t tell it was coming because its engine wasn’t running. It was in electric vehicle mode,

Fortunes have been spent entering the auto business. Go ask Preston Tucker, Malcolm Bricklin, or John Z. DeLorean. All of them attempted to start an auto company from the ground-up and realized too late how much capital such an enterprise consumes. Sustaining engineering,

If we were forced to pick the best brand car-for-car — bottom to top — it would have to be Audi. The German company continually amazes with its quality vehicles from one end of its lineup to the other. Spending several days driving the stylish all-new 2012 Audi A7 fastback sedan only reinforced our opinion of the brand.

Historically, Volvos have received high marks on functionality and safety, but lower scores for styling and interior amenities. Well things have been changing inside the company for several years and the new XC60 SUV poster child of modern Volvo.

When it comes to car crashes, slow-speed rear-end collisions are among the most frequent. Now there’s an antidote for the common crash: Volvo’s all-new 2010 XC60 compact SUV that can avoid a crash by automatically stopping itself. Not only is it the safest Volvo ever, it could very well be the safest vehicle ever built.

You have to be careful about jumping on the latest bandwagon. For an auto manufacturer, it’s a good way to keep sales healthy and the lineup fresh, but it’s good to bring something to the table that’s more than just an attempt to have the latest toy everyone else has got.

When you have a reputation to uphold, it takes special efforts and cutting-edge technology to stay ahead of worldwide automotive competition.

Volvo’s reputation for safety is legendary. It has been that way

All-electric Volvo C30 project presented for the first time.
It looks like a regular Volvo C30 and it features the very same safety, comfort and space as the standard car. The difference is that it is powered solely by electricity,

Everything is usually so nice and simple with a Volvo.

The shape is honest, with no dramatic shifts to something some designer in Itscoolvania thinks is spot on. It has a simple interior with just the right dash of Swedish modern, and a simple turbocharged inline engine to pull it along. Call it chic simple.

All-new 2011 Volvo S60

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (VCNA) pulled the wraps off the all-new 2011 S60 sport sedan today at the New York Auto Show. The all-new Volvo S60 sport sedan will arrive at dealerships later this fall.

The Volkswagen Golf is back! It never went away, really; it’s just that from 2006 through 2009 it masqueraded as the Rabbit. Many of us were confounded by that name change when it happened. Evidently some suit at VW thought reintroducing the Rabbit name would lure folks hooked

New Compact Coupe unites 4.2 l/100 km (45 mpg) with top dynamics.

Concept of an entirely new compact coupe emits just 98 g/km CO2, can go 227 km/h if necessary and accelerates to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds.

Lo those many years ago, I had a Rabbit.

Fleet of foot, fun to drive, able in snow and sun, it once carried 10 people down a country road after a canoeing trip. My second-generation Rabbit was also frugal

First it’s the Rabbit. Then it’s the Golf. Then it’s the Rabbit again. And then, egad, it’s back to Golf.

American consumers want all the benefits of small cars with all the roominess of larger one. So, VW’s engineers have responded. The wheelbase of the 2011 Jetta is almost

The Volkswagen Jetta for years has felt more upscale than its competitors, offering a premium vehicle experience not found in other segment cars. The all-new 2011 Jetta

The Jetta from Volkswagen has become one of their most popular models. It started life as a Golf/Rabbit with a trunk added on the back. The cabin and therefore cabin space was identical but the vehicle was longer.

2011 Toyota Sequoia Combines Outstanding Capability with Luxury
• Ample Three-Row Seating

As tough and durable as ever, the 2011 Toyota 4Runner rolls into showrooms with little in the way of change. Receiving a major makeover for 2010, the 4Runner further cemented its place in

If you desire a confident, comfortable — and plush — driving experience, but are dismayed that your choices have dwindled over the last decade we have an interesting suggestion.

During the recent Detroit auto show, Toyota ushered out its “Prius Goes Plural” campaign to bring home the point that the world’s most famous hybrid brand is in the family way.

It is called the new Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. Simply put, there is not much difference in the standard hybrid Prius and the “new” plug-in.

Determined to show your green beyond St. Patrick's Day, you might consider two fuel-sipping hybrids that let you go green without spending a lot of it: the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius.

I can still remember the stares I got 11 years ago when I drove a Japan-market right-hand-drive Toyota Prius for a few days in Florida.

Until Suzuki launched its new Equator pickup truck, owners of its motorcycles and off-road sport vehicles were forced to tow or haul around their toys in some other brand’s truck. Believing they

Suzuki occupies an unusual place on the automotive landscape. The company is much larger than its trim lineup of SUVs implies. Its occasional forays into the realm of automobiles

Suzuki’s new mid-sized sedan gets most things right, making it a worthwhile investment in practical and comfortable transportation. We might even suggest it is smart investment with touches

Suzuki’s new mid-sized sedan gets most things right, making it a worthwhile investment in practical and comfortable transportation. We might even suggest it is smart investment

Suzuki has long held its line of compact and mid-size SUVs in esteem.

They aren’t swift, and with a name like Grand Vitara,

Suzuki has been having a rough go of it. Its sales for the first quarter of 2010 were off about 60 percent from 2009. That's a major hit; I don't care who you are. Last year General Motors shut down its

We’ve gone compact crossover-crazy.
Almost every manufacturer from Audi (Q5) to VW (Tiguan) has a small crossover, which is a mix of a

In the melee that is the midsize sedan segment, Subaru's Legacy stands out with its standard all-wheel drive and rich selection of engine options. Although less popular in the sunshine states

For many years Subaru with its standard across-the-lineup all-wheel drive has been popular in the colder climates, but a slow seller in the rest of the country.

Everyone's talking about crossover vehicles, those clever undefinables that combine SUV and car attributes into versatile and easy-to-drive packages. Lately it seems like every other vehicle I

Everyone hopes they leave a legacy behind to their children, something that those who follow can appreciate, whether it’s money or just a heritage of something done well.

With most manufacturers, the vehicle that’s considered the flagship and image leader of the lineup is the largest and most luxurious. Subaru, however, does things a little bit differently.

Some light tinkering with trim level content, a new grille and a major revision of its smaller engine highlight the 2011 model-year enhancements for Subaru's Forester.

I could get to love a traffic circle in this car.
The 2011 Subaru WRX combines a lightweight compact sedan with a turbocharged, intercooled 265-hp

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