Car Blog

The iconic Land Rover Range Rover was officially introduced to the United States 25 years ago this year in 1987.  To celebrate this milestone, Land Rover will host a special celebration in conjunction with the New York Auto Show and will invite consumers to an urban off-road adventure where they will drive 2012 model year vehicles at a custom-made course in the heart of New York City’s meatpacking district. In the past quarter century, the growth and acceptance of the Land Rover brand in the U.S. marks a true product and brand success story. That success is defined by loyal customers, a distinct authentic brand and consistent sales success.

The original Range Rover (colloquially known as the “Range Rover Classic”) established a new market segment for dual-purpose vehicles that could go almost anywhere and has been the platform for numerous technological innovations in the industry. Its unmatched capability, rich heritage, and favored status among world leaders, entertainment personalities, athletes and design visionaries has established the Range Rover as a benchmark icon. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

The 111th edition of North America’s first and largest publicly attended auto show proved another smash-hit. Filled with every type of vehicle imaginable including 61 of which were unveiled for the first time in the world or U.S., the 2011 New York International Automobile Show (NYIAS) was one of the most exciting shows ever, placing New York as the world’s car capital during the event’s 10-day run.

Unprecedented vehicle launches and media coverage helped push attendance to approximately 1.5% above last year’s attendance figure, once again topping the one million visitors mark.

“This was one of the best shows we have ever had,” said NYIAS chairman John LaSorsa.

“Enormously strong attendance, great press coverage, a completely revised show floor layout, the new North Hall exhibition space combined with an amazing range of world and North American introductions showed a confidence that was palpable to anyone visiting the Show this year,” continued LaSorsa.

The New York International Auto Show remains the number one attended auto show in the U.S.

“The Show is a celebration of one of the world’s largest and most exciting industries. We’re thrilled that consumer reaction to the Show and the products on display was so positive,” said Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA), which owns and operates the Show. Read the rest of this entry »

Infiniti has announced an all-new three-row luxury crossover designated the Infiniti JX that will go on sale at its retailers in spring 2012 as a 2013 model.

An exterior sketch of the Infiniti JX suggests a vehicle that pushes the boundaries of what a luxury crossover can be – with signature styling cues of the brand, such as dynamic and elegant line treatments inspired by nature.  The brand styling theme continues with a “crescent cut” greenhouse design influenced by the Infiniti Essence concept car.  More details will be provided when the Infiniti JX concept is shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this August.  The production version will make its global debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

“The all-new Infiniti JX crossover will allow us to continue to expand the Infiniti brand’s presence in the Americas,” said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan Americas.  ”In 2010, Infiniti was one of the fastest-growing luxury brands in the United States, and this year we will expand our presence further to Mexico and Panama, followed by Chile in the first half of 2012.”

“There aren’t a lot of choices for luxury families today.  The all-new Infiniti JX is the 7-passenger antidote to the ho-hum luxury crossovers that are out there right now,” added Ben Poore, vice president of Infiniti Americas.  ”The Infiniti JX will have a stunning interior, while offering exceptional seating flexibility, easy access to the roomy third row, plus the latest in-vehicle technology – including next-generation telematics.  A fitting addition to our line, it will challenge the status quo in its class.”

In addition to the JX announcement, Infiniti said that the New York International Auto Show will be the regional debut of its IPL G Convertible Concept and Infiniti-sponsored Red Bull Racing Formula One car.

The IPL G Convertible Concept, which made its world debut at the Paris Auto Show last fall, features unique aerodynamic styling, the performance of an IPL-tuned V6, exhaust and system, 19-inch IPL aluminum wheels, three-piece retractable hardtop and a dramatic red leather-appointed interior set against a Malbec Black exterior.  The IPL G Convertible Concept will be displayed near the limited production IPL G Coupe, which is available now at Infiniti retailers in the United States and Canada.

The competition-tested Red Bull Racing Formula One racer will also be on display, representing Infiniti’s marketing and technical collaboration agreement with the current Formula One World Champions.  As part of the partnership, Infiniti has branding presence on the racing car, drivers clothing and related team uniforms and equipment.

The 2011 New York International Auto Show runs April 22 through May 1 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.