Car Blog

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) will unveil its 2012 MX-5 Miata Special Edition at the upcoming 2012 Chicago Auto Show.

The limited-run model features a black-only Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT) – the first time a non-body-colored hard top is available in North America – as well as other exclusivities such as two new exterior colors, new 17-inch black gunmetal alloy wheels, black exterior accents, black heated leather seats and piano black interior finishes.

The MX-5 Miata is the world’s best-selling two-seat roadster with more than 900,000 produced, and made its global debut at the Chicago Auto Show in 1989.  The MX-5 Special Edition continues the sports car’s history of being a dynamically-engineered, enthusiast-approved roadster whose price doesn’t discriminate and whose luxuries are not stripped.

Available with either the six-speed manual transmission with short-throw shifter or six-speed Sport automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, the Special Edition model is based off the Grand Touring model.  Both Premium and Suspension packages will be standard on the MX-5 Special Edition and include features such as a Bluetooth® hands-free phone system, SIRIUS® Satellite Radio, Bilstein shocks and a sport-tuned suspension. Read the rest of this entry »

An all electric Jeep Grand Cherokee will be introduced at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and available to test drive

AMP Electric Vehicles, specializing in SUV electric vehicles, announced the expansion of their product line-up with their new AMP Jeep Grand Cherokee EV, which will be introduced at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This is the latest demonstration of AMP’s proprietary technology for SUVs and full-sized vehicles.

The addition of the Jeep Grand Cherokee complements AMP’s Mercedes M-Class EV offering. EV buyers will now have two great SUV choices in the retail market, and the Jeep EV also provides an attractive entry for companies that are adding “green” vehicles to their fleets.

“Beginning with a world class vehicle, and adding AMP’s electrification results in an EV that offers everything SUV Customers expect: smooth powerful performance, zero emissions and up to a 100-mile range,” said Jim Taylor, AMP CEO.

AMP will announce pricing, initial delivery dates and market distribution at the Detroit Auto Show.

Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Germany wins the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge competition after the presentation of its Smart 341 Parkour vehicle, a futuristic vehicle that steals the screen in a fictional action adventure.

This year’s Design Challenge focused on designing Hollywood’s next hottest movie car. The entries ranged from vehicles acting as faithful companions to their human counterparts to strong protectors of freedom and justice.

In a city famous for its friendly people and beautiful weather, the Smart 341 Parkour helps reporter Annie Angle on the mission to write her first, potentially career-making, front page news article in a city notoriously known for a lack of parking spaces. On an early Sunday morning, an article in a newspaper catches Annie’s eyes: “Smart Granny Robots Missing!” Using her Smart 341 Parkour and its three different modes – a typical drive mode, a fly mode that allows the vehicle to hover far above the streets and a climb mode that allows the vehicle to run up the walls of skyscrapers – Annie sets off on an investigation to discover the missing link for her journalistic masterpiece. The Smart 341 Parkour design tells the story of a more optimistic view of the future. Read the rest of this entry »

Hyundai Motor America introduced the all-new Hyundai Azera in a North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Azera is the fifth vehicle to adopt the company’s signature Fluidic Sculpture design language. Tucson, Accent, Elantra, Sonata and Azera now all have a modern, sleek, sophisticated style, creating the illusion of constant motion. This flagship Fluidic Sculpture sedan also features a more powerful Lambda II 3.3-liter GDI engine, six-speed transmission, best-in-class combined fuel economy of 23 miles per gallon and a wide range of advanced safety equipment.

Azera is the seventh vehicle in Hyundai’s 24/7 version 2.0 product initiative (seven new models in 24 months), on the heels of the all-new Tucson, Sonata, Equus, Elantra, Accent and Veloster. The 2012 Azera represents a modern approach to the traditional large sedan segment by using an advanced powertrain, emotional design and luxury features offered with Hyundai’s strong value proposition. This approach has been successful for the other Fluidic Sculpture vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) will unveil the all-new 2013 CX-5 at the upcoming Los Angeles International Auto Show.  The compact SUV will be Mazda’s first vehicle to fully encompass SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY, the brand’s ground-breaking engineering and leading-edge technology toward improving all-around vehicle efficiency.

A suite of technologies, SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY includes completely redesigned, highly efficient internal combustion gasoline and diesel engines, manual and automatic transmissions, and an advanced body and chassis.  Together, these components will improve upon every aspect of the driving experience, including the vehicle’s performance, handling, fuel economy and safety.

Based on the MINAGI Concept, which made its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show last March, CX-5 enters a highly competitive compact SUV segment but with the unique advantage of all-new SKYACTIV technologies, such as the SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter gasoline engine, SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission, SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic transmission, SKYACTIV-Body and SKYACTIV-Chassis. Read the rest of this entry »

Nitto Tire U.S.A. announced several exciting products and initiatives that will make their debut at the 2011 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center on November 1-4, 2011.

The Nitto Digital Passport Program is designed to assist press during the show to make their visit to the Nitto booth relaxed and informative.  Knowing that the week at SEMA is filled with numerous meetings leaving editors short on time, this program is intended to make editor engagement with Nitto Tire even better. Whether gathering information on new products, photographing vehicles or learning about new sizes and specs, the Nitto Tire Digital Passport will make the booth visit quick and engaging.  Using one of 13 interactive tire displays, media can have custom information delivered to them while touring the booth. To be a part of this unique, interactive show experience, editors will need to pre-register online at www.nittotire.com/SEMA .  Members of the media who are one of the first 100 to pre-register for the Digital Passport program will receive a special welcome gift upon check-in to the Nitto SEMA booth.   Read the rest of this entry »