Auto Shows (Page 72)

BMW is creating pre-show buzz by introducing two hot models ahead of Detroit Auto Show: the 6 series convertible and the 1 series M coupe.

BMW’s Mini brand is enjoying a growth spurt in the United States. If the Paceman concept it is revealing at the Detroit Auto Show comes to fruition, it could see even stronger sales.

The 2011 Fiat 500 has become a fairly regular presence around the Detroit area, having been shown off at a variety of auto shows over the past year but at the 2010 LA Auto Show, the Italian automaker official made its grand debut back into the American automotive industry. Company CEO Laura Soave was delivered to the stage in a 1968 Fiat 500 before addressing the huge crowd and towards the end of her speech, a trio of 2011 Fiat 500s rolled onto the stage.

Earlier this year, electric sedan manufacturer Coda announced that they would be introducing their new EV to the US market in late 2010 – a surprise considering that this was the same timeframe for the US debut of the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt.

The 2012 Ford Focus took the center stage during the press preview of the 2010 LA Auto Show but once the new C-segment hatchback was formally unveiled in a myriad of different forms and the stage was whisked away, the main attraction of the Ford display was performance.

The folks from Dodge haven’t had much to show off at recent auto shows but with the start of the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the “Dodge cars brand” rolled out a handful of new models ranging from high performance muscle cars to vastly refined utility vehicles.

Mitsubishi Motors has unveiled its first all-electric production vehicle, the MiEV, bound for the North American market in November 2011. The MiEV (pronounced My E V) has been produced in the Japanese market since 2009 and shown at the New York Auto Show. Its release has been long expected and the model introduced at the LA Auto Show is updated from the Japanese market version with a wider body (for us wider North Americans) and required safety features.

For two model years, Mazda denied U.S. buyers of its Mazda5 a standard transmission, but for the 2012 model year it once again comes in a manual transmission. Forget all the hoopla about it having elements of the Nagare design in its DNA. A mini-minivan with a six-speed manual transmission is going to be a hoot to drive.

The Honda Fit EV concept introduced at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show is probably going to succeed like no other electric vehicle on the market, except possibly the Ford Transit Connect EV, because its base vehicle, the Honda Fit, is so practical it will deliver utility combined with fuel independence. It will appeal to both small business owners and second-car commuters who want to be able to run to Home Depot on the weekends with their Fit EV.

Cadillac has introduced its Urban Luxury Concept, which is best described as cool, compact elegance with seating for four, scissor-type doors that extend outward and rotate forward when opened, and a turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine that gets a projected fuel economy of 56 mpg in the city and 65 mpg on the highway.

Just like there are three major domestic manufacturers in the U.S., there are three major auto shows: Detroit, New York and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles show opens Friday, Nov. 19, after two jam-packed media days, with major debuts coming.

Porsche is taking a new mid-engine sized sports car to Los Angeles Auto Show. The company is keeping it secret, but experts have some ideas.

According to the Russian language car magazine Za Rulem BMW has the biggest stand at the Moscow Auto Show and is featuring this new concept car BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics.