Auto Shows (Page 41)

In a recent discussion with Ward’s Auto, Jeep brand CEO Mike Manley explained that the new diesel powered variant of the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee will make its formal debut in January at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit with those models hitting dealer lots during the first quarter of 2013.

When the electric Fiat 500e debuted last week at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, Fiat/Chrysler executive Olivier Francois made an off-the-cuff comment that seemed to be directed at the exterior styling of the Nissan Leaf – a joke that has seemingly hurt the feelings of front office folks from the Japanese automaker.

We reported back in April that company founder Steve Saleen won the legal rights to use his own name and after a lengthy hiatus, Steve and the company that bears his name have introduced their first “customized” Ford Mustang at the Los Angeles Auto Show with the debut of the new 700 horsepower Saleen 351 Mustang.

The 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show was a big deal for Fiat in 2010 with the formal reintroduction to the brand in North America and the 2012 has been almost as big with the debuts of the electric 500e, the high performance 500 Abarth Convertible and now the roomy Fiat 500L – a five passenger crossover with cargo room to spare.

Among the more interesting concept debuts at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show is the Hyundai Veloster C3 Roll Top – a heavily modified version of the popular Veloster Turbo that combines the open air freedom of a convertible with the functionality of a utility vehicle.

General Motors has just released what is technically the third teaser of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette with this newest video offering us a look at just a bit of the high tech gadgetry that will be found in the new C7 when it debuts on January 13th 2013 including a 200 mile per hour speedometer and a massive tachometer – both of which are located on a new digital readout cluster.

It has been widely rumored that Toyota Motor Co is planning a convertible version of the Toyota GT86 and according to insider comments, the drop top rear wheel drive sports car could make its public debut next March at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show – giving American buyers an idea of what to expect when the Scion FR-S convertible arrives in the future.

The biggest news from the reborn Fiat brand at the 2012 LA Auto Show was the formal introduction of the new electric 500e but the Italian automaker countered its super-green model with a new high performance Abarth version of their popular 500c convertible – packing all of the greatness of the traditional hard-top Abarth combined with a refreshing open air driving experience.

In his speeches at the J.D. Power NADA Western Automotive Conference yesterday, as well as before the Motor Press Guild today, Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Sales President and CEO, highlighted the progress the industry has made and portrayed a future wherein auto manufacturers will continue to create a better tomorrow for us all.

The 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show opened this morning with the key debut in the Dodge booth being the introduction of the 2013 Dodge Charger Daytona – a ‘sights and sounds’ package that adds a unique look to the Hemi-powered Charger R/T.

When the Mazda exhibit opens in the Los Angeles Convention Center this Friday, attendees will get the first North American close-up look at the 2014 Mazda6, 2014 CX-5 and a new Mazda racecar, plus the new SKYACTIV-D 2.2-liter clean diesel engine.

Beneath the bright lights of the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, Volvo will release the beast lurking within the Polestar S60 Concept, a sexy 508-horsepower, lightning-quick, glamorous beauty, built by Volvo's official performance partner.

The model likely to garner the most attention at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show may well be the BMW K2 Powder Ride Concept, based on a special edition of the X1 wrapped tight in an infectious graphic style and sure to be the toast of resorts from Blackcomb and Squaw Valley to Vail and Steamboat Springs.

Yokohama Tire is giving away more than 400 free tickets to the LA Auto Show. Find out how you can get yours.

Earlier today, the Fiat USA YouTube account posted a new video showing the 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio (convertible) being put to the test by a pair of Ferrari racers while also confirming that this open air high performance 500 will make its debut later this month at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The folks at the Chrysler Group released the first two official images of the upcoming 2013 Fiat 500e – the all electric subcompact set for an LA Auto Show debut that will allow Chrysler to keep up with the likes of the Chevrolet Spark EV and the Ford Focus Electric.

The Ford Fiesta ST has shown itself as a concept at various motor shows over the past year but some details about the upcoming production version have surfaced – indicating that this sporty subcompact hatchback should be a ton of fun to drive when it arrives next year.

Early this morning, the folks at General Motors issued the newest official video of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette and while this new video should be enough to get your blood pumping as we all eagerly await the debut of the C7 Corvette – GM’s new video still doesn’t offer a look at the actual car.

General Motors has confirmed that the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show will bring about the formal debut of the new Chevrolet Spark EV – although little else is known about this brand new compact electric vehicle.

General Motors plans to use a new in-house developed 8-speed automatic transmission to help make the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette one of the most efficient in the model’s history but a Motor Trend report indicates that GM may have to call upon an outside supplier for the early versions of the C7 Corvette, as the GM unit will not be ready for the January debut.

The 2012 SEMA Show brought about the public debut of the customized 1953 Ford F100 and the 2010 Ford Super Duty F350, both of which are designed by automotive legend Chip Foose and clad in the colors of the WD40 brand and this weekend, I had a chance to get some more details on these two charity trucks.

Early this morning, the folks at American Honda dropped the virtual sheet on the new 2013 Honda Civic sedan – a surprising “emergency refresh” after just a year of the newest generation of the popular compact lineup with a public debut planned for the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.

While we have already shown you the new Twin Turbo Cobra Jet and the Vaughn Gittin Jr RTR Stage 3 Mustang, there were five other heavily customized Ford Mustang models in the large indoor Ford company display at the 2012 SEMA Show that are well worth a closer look.

Among the collection of modified Honda and Acura products at the 2012 SEMA Show was the 2013 Honda Accord HFP Coupe (Honda Factory Performance) – a special performance package that will be available in limited numbers at American Honda dealerships starting next spring.

The Scion FR-S was clearly one of the most popular models at the 2012 SEMA Show, with the SEMA organizers naming it the Hottest Sport Compact of the event but with more examples throughout the show than any other models – the Ford Mustang was named Hottest Car and the Ford F Series was named Hottest Truck.

Food Network star of the show Diners’ Drive-Ins and Dives is a hardcore Chevy fan with a history of owning Bowtie clad performance models but at the 2012 SEMA Show, Fieri and Chevrolet Performance introduced the Guy Fieri Chevrolet Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition – an open aired sports car with the power of the Corvette Z06.

While the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu is in a segment of sedans that is often forgotten at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the 2012 show brought about the Malibu Performance Concept – showing how incredibly sporty this midsized sedan could be with a few aesthetic changes and some Chevrolet Performance accessories.

Among the many vehicles at the 2012 SEMA Show was the bright red 2013 Ram 1500 regular cab short bed model that sported the vintage “Little Red Express” name and design scheme complete with exhaust stacks but unlike the 1978 red-and-gold sport pickup – the truck at the 2012 SEMA Show packed a turbocharged 5.7L Hemi engine.

The SEMA Show in Las Vegas is one of the world’s largest automotive industry conventions and while the hundreds of thousands of square feet of exhibition space in the Las Vegas Convention Center are technically reserved for modified vehicles and product displays – the many beautiful ladies of the SEMA Show play a major role in drawing viewers to a company’s booth so these hard working women deserve a piece of the attention as well.

While the majority of the high performance cars at the SEMA Show each year are rear wheel drive muscle cars, Ford helped to bring attention to the launch of the new Ford Focus ST with a quintet of tricked out front drive 5-doors that worked to show the aftermarket potential of this American hot hatch.