Auto Shows (Page 43)

Among the Mopar artwork released last week was a shot of a 2013 Ram with a blue driver’s stripe that I speculated could be a hint as to the next Mopar branded vehicle but after seeing this sporty truck in person at the Mopar headquarters today – the black and blue ‘Urban Ram’ is more likely to be a hint to a future SRT pickup.

Mopar had an event this morning to show off a few of the modified vehicles that will line the massive display at the upcoming 2012 SEMA Show but among the most interesting vehicles was only shown in pictures with the introduction of the Moparized 2013 SRT Viper.

As the final few days of the 2012 Paris Motor Show wind down, there a few bits of automotive news that we haven’t touched on just yet – including the sprawling glass roof option soon to be available on the luxurious Ferrari FF.

Each year, the good people at Ford Motor Company put together a SEMA Show display that is easily among the best and with more of that excellence expected for 2012 – Ford has offered up their first round of SEMA artwork “teasers” with this first group focusing on the new 2013 Fusion sedan.

The Honda CR-Z was introduced to the world as a compact hybrid sports car but even though it had a sporty exterior design, the hybrid drivetrain fell short of “sporty” in the opinion of many – a problem that Honda hopes to solve with the new, more powerful 2013 CR-Z.

Audi dropped the details on their newest droptop high performance model back in early September but among the public debuts at the ongoing 2012 Paris Motor Show is the 2013 Audi RS5 Cabriolet – including performance figures, fuel economy numbers and the first official pricing for the new topless midsized 2-door.

While the majority of the news coming from the 2012 Paris Motor Show this week relates to European automakers, the American automakers are well represented at the French auto show including the 2013 Chevrolet Spark for the European market that sports a similar look to the tiny Spark subcompact available in the USA.

The 2012 Paris Motor Show brought about the introduction of the Subaru BRZ XT Line Concept and not to be outdone, Toyota brought out their own tuned up version of the joint venture rear drive sports coupe but unlike the Subaru, the GT86 TRD on display in Paris is fitted entirely with goodies that will be available via the European Toyota Racing Development catalog.

The exhaust experts at MagnaFlow have positioned themselves as one of the star features on the floor of the SEMA Show over the past few years and 2012 should be no different as they will unveil their 1949 Chevrolet pickup built on conjunction with design superstar Chip Foose sporting a unique exhaust system that earned this truck the name Revolver.

Last week we introduced you to the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept, a wagon version of the popular Panamera hatchback that featured unique front and rear styling along with a revamped hybrid drivetrain with plug-in capabilities – with both the styling cues and that new plug-in hybrid system slated to arrive on production Porsche vehicles in the near future.

California based custom four wheeler builder ICON is best known for their work with the ICON Bronco that has graced the pages of pretty much every online publication in the US over the past few years but at the 2012 SEMA Show, ICON will showcase their mastery of all things intended for off-roading with their take on a classic 1965 Dodge pickup.

The 2012 Paris Motor Show has introduced the European auto show crowd to the Maserati sport utility vehicle based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee that made its “production form” debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show but the ute on display right now has shed the awkward Kubang name used in Detroit – instead turning to the new name of the Maserati Levante.

One of the less heralded vehicles currently on display at the 2012 Paris Motor Show is the Subaru BRZ XT Line Concept – a dressed up version of the sporty rear drive coupe with a trimline name that pays homage to an old school Subaru performance coupe.

The Chrysler Group routinely has one of the largest and most engaging displays at the SEMA Show each year and with under a month left until the huge automotive convention begins at the Las Vegas Convention Center – the folks from the Mopar division have offered up a very brief glimpse at five of the vehicles that will be in the massive Mopar display.

The Lamborghini Gallardo is expected to laid to rest with the 2014 model year as a new “entry level” Lambo (possibly called the Cabrera) meets the world but that doesn’t mean that the Italian supercar builder is giving up on the current Gallardo – with a lightly refreshed lineup for the 2013 model year on display now at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

Hyundai’s decision to pull out of North American motorsports isnt going to prevent the Korean automaker from putting together an impressive display at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas with the newest teaser offering us a look at the Cosworth Genesis Racing Series Coupe – the second tuned up Gen Coupe to be previewed ahead of the big show.

We have known for some time that the 2012 Paris Motor Show would bring about the formal introduction of a Porsche Panamera wagon and with the show now in full swing, the world has been introduced to the new Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept – with hybrid power.

Toyota announced recently that among the company vehicles appearing at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas will be the Ultimate Fishing Tundra – a half ton pickup modified with the help of a group of professional sport anglers to be the perfect truck for a hardcore fisherman.

The start of the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas is 36 days away and Hyundai has struck as being the first automaker to tease one of their special 1-off SEMA Show builds with a first look at the 2013 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 R-Spec modified by ARK Performance to pack almost 400 horsepower and an aggressive, unique look.

We have known for some time that McLaren would use the 2012 Paris Motor Show to debut a next generation supercar and yesterday, images and early information on the McLaren P1 supercar hit the internet with the full information likely to arrive when the car debuts later this month in Paris.

After a week of festivities in the metro Detroit area, the 2012 Woodward Dream Cruise has come to a close and once again – the Chrysler Group and Ford Motor Company displays were among the bigger and best along the multi-mile cruise route.

General Motors has events planned all week for the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit, including sponsorship of the Dream Cruise itself on the 60th anniversary of the legendary Corvette.

The 18th annual Woodward Dream Cruise will have a strong showing from Chrysler this year, showing the largest number of vehicles they've ever had at the event.

This weekend will be the annual Woodward Dream Cruise and Ford will be celebrating 20 years of Mustang SVT performance culminating in the raffling of a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang Boss.

Volkswagen Auto Group has confirmed that the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible will debut later this year at the 2012 LA Auto Show – introducing the world to the production version of the new open-aired Beetle.

The Porsche brand is working hard to offer something sporty and luxurious to every prospective supercar buy and this point is amplified by the rumors that the German sports car builder could be expanding their Panamera sedan lineup with a new shooting brake designed to compete with the new Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake.

Three days of car show began in St. Ignace, Michigan with a kick-off cruise event followed by parade the second day. The videos will do most of the reporting.