News Opinion (Page 99)

Simply put, Honda has engineered the 2014 Ridgeline to outperform Chevrolet, Dodge, Toyota and others in the ½ ton 4x4 pickup classification, with traction second to none. How did they do it? Look to Honda’s VTM 4-Lock drivetrain engineering for the answer.

The new Subaru LEVORG made its global debut at the Tokyo Motor Show 2013 in November and could be the worst-named car is the world. It will be replacing the 2015 WRX in Europe.

The first commercial spot for the 2015 Ford Mustang has hit the internet and it is very clear that Ford Motor Company is looking to attract a much younger demographic with their redesigned pony car – with a ton of fast paced action showing the car in action and lots of younger drivers participating in activities of the younger generation like surfing and skateboarding.

While we were busy swooning over the first teaser image of the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 that General Motors issued early last week, we almost missed a key bit of wording that leads me to believe that the company doesn’t intend to build a C7 ZR1 – meaning that the next generation Z06 would replace both the previous Z06 and the more powerful ZR1.

While the 2015 Ford Mustang has been delicately designed in a manner that would appeal to sports car buyers around the world, the possibility of a factory built diesel powered Mustang is taking the push for globalization and efficiency a step too far – even though it would probably be a pretty powerful package.

The 2015 Subaru WRX made its global debut in LA and sales at Subaru are strong across the lineup. The new 2015 WRX STI will keep the momentum going in 2014.

Although Acura did not unveil its next generation NSX gasoline, tri-electric Hybrid at the L.A. Auto show; as AMG presented its Gran Torismo 6 concept car to the world, they have designed a world class contender that Honda says will be available to the public in 2015.

Kia had a great sales year in 2012 but its sales numbers are starting to show signs of weakness as 2013 comes to a close. There are some steps that need to be done in order for it to return to robustness in 2014.

A Georgia man was arrested for plugging in his electric car at a public outlet. In this first case of its kind, a precedent for how EV owners are treated may be set. We weigh in on the subject. UPDATED

A few years back Volkswagen’s parent company in Germany announced a very, very ambitious plan for expansion that called for 800,000 units a year sold in the United States by 2018. So far this year up until the end of November Volkswagen of America’s sales tally has reached 373,689 units with just one more month left until people start making those 2014 New Year’s Resolutions that they will have broken just a week into January.

While most Americans had their eyes focused on the New York or Dearborn debut of the 2015 Ford Mustang Coupe this morning, Australian pony car lovers were introduced to the 2015 Mustang Convertible which - like so many sporty droptops - looks a little funky with the top up while looking just as awesome as the coupe with the top folded away.

Honda's loyal will find the general performance specifications of the 2014 Insight unchanged, making this Hybrid less exciting to drive than the Toyota Prius. A sad review and rating for America's original production Hybrid

A detailed look at the 2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI and its heavily revised diesel engine.

When the 2015 Ford Mustang debuts tomorrow morning, there is a good chance that one of the engine options for the next generation pony car will be a 4-cylinder EcoBoost mill delivering somewhere in the area of 300 horsepower and should that be the case, this EcoBoost’d Mustang could be a big hit with those buyers who want impressive power and impressive fuel economy.

Even though very few people in the world have seen the 2015 Ford Mustang, there are a great many skeptics chattering online about how they hate the look and they will never buy a Mustang that “looks like that” but realistically – Ford shouldn’t and probably doesn’t care about the negative comments posted online for a variety of reasons.

Mercedes-Benz has authorized its U.S. dealers to spend up to $2,500 to keep its 2014 S-Class buyers happy after the purchase.

The 2015 Subaru Legacy won’t look much like the concept. Subaru executives say they will not try to keep up with the major automakers but will focus on what made them successful.

Paul Walker’s death has spawned an endless stream of memorials across the various social media networks but it is important that those street racers who idolized Walker and molded their lives around the street racing culture take this as a bit of a wakeup call.

The all-new 2014 Mercedes-Benz S550 has launched and is supposed to be a luxury sedan. But is it a luxury saloon or a performance sport sedan?

If Mazda were to join forces with a larger car company, it would get access to more money for product development -- but would need to be careful that it isn't diluted.

After a video surfaced showing the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang lapping the famed Nürburgring with a lap time counter that had seemingly been added after the fact, a bigwig from Ford explaining that the company doesn’t have any plans to issue “official” lap times for any of their performance vehicles – a move which really only impacts the devout Mustang community.

The Mazda CX-9 is a competitive large crossover, but it's not much like any other current Mazda. Its replacement will likely be something very different.

Two automotive writers, one of which has redacted much of his story, have made claims that the GT-R NISMO's awesome Nurburgring track performance was faked. The claims are less than dubious.

Mazda has upgraded the heart of its lineup with "SKYACTIV" technology, but other models are still lacking.

While I don’t recommend scraping your pride and joy fossil fueled toy today, the future in automotive technology is hydrogen fuel cell powered electric propulsion. As demonstrated by the Honda FCEV Concept, the future is bright and sustainable. I find the concept’s line to be awe inspiring. Practical? Not so much so.

Say what you want, but when the Nissan GT-R re-hit the scene in 2007 it changed the way people look at Japanese supercars and has been a track contender, even in its stock factory form, since. Now, Nissan is adding "refinement" to the car. Does this destroy its track worthiness?

Mazda CEO Masa-michi Kogai says it's unlikely Mazda will build another rotary engine, but that's an understandable reaction to market forces.

Not only has Nissan finally unveiled information on the much-anticipated GT-R NISMO supercar, but they've also released its official Nurburgring track record, which slaughters the Viper, Porsche 911, and its old non-NISMO GT-R speed.

While you won't see an Amaze diesel powered sedan in America ( yet) Honda has introduced the low cost 2013 sedan to India with great success. Base priced at $14,600 and claiming 70 mpg, Honda of India sold 50,000 units in its first 2 month of production. Is there pent up consumer demand for an efficient, well built metric clean diesel powered sedan in America?

An SMA, or stride management assist device in development since 1999 will be tested for North American markets by Chicago's Rehabilitation Institute. A bi-product of Honda’s pioneering humanoid robots (ASIMO) project, the walk-assist device will improve the quality of life for those afflicted by stroke and related motor function impairment.