Car FYI

Photo Credit: Volkswagen AG Automakers around for a long time are often presented with the opportunity to relive some proud moments. Production milestones, anniversaries of key dates or the continuation of a popular vehicle model name are moments to cerebrate past achievements often in a manner meant to connect a brand’s past and present. Using one of their more culturally significant designs, Volkswagen’s presence at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit is anchored by a vintage Microbus charm loaded with their latest smart vehicle technology. Photo Credit: Volkswagen AG The latest glimpse at Volkswagen’s post-diesel focus on electrification as a manner of cleaner motoring, the I.D. BUZZ concept re-imagines the utility and personality belonging to the 1960s Volkswagen vans for a 21st century climate. Exterior design cues from the original Volkswagen Microbus is translated into modern times on a 194.6-inch (4.943-meter) long platform that is an ext...

Photo Credit: Audi of America In less than a month, the potential of a new year in the automotive sector will be in full bloom in Detroit. For a longtime a showcase largely reserved for new cars and ideas of the American automakers, growing interests of other brands has elevated the North American International Auto Show into a pinnacle global event. German luxury car maker Audi will be among the world motoring contingent choosing the 2017 edition of the auto show in Detroit to debut their latest vehicle imagery in the form of the Q8 concept. Previewed in pair of sketches ahead of the 2017 North American International Auto Show, the Audi Q8 concept front and side exterior views reveal a sizable crossover infused with a healthy performance appetite. Featuring a long hood and long flat roof and a wide front version of Audi's Singleframe grille, the Q8 concept vehicle's outer appearance does convey an intentional sport design. Although premiering as a concept in Detroit, th...

Photo Credit: Royal Dutch Shell plc  There is always something to learn in this world. With every decade, the automobile has been both a product of our lessons and sometimes a teacher for what we personally expect from transportation. In 2016, the study into maximizing the amount of distance we can travel on a tank of gasoline continues to encourage revelations in life's classroom. This weekend between April 22nd and April 24th, Detroit operates as a school lab for young, technical explorers to test the lengths that could be travelled while expelling the least amount of energy. A total of 128 teams made up of over 1,000 students have arrived in Detroit, Michigan this weekend to maximize the efficiency of a modern self-propelled vehicle. Small gasoline and diesel engines, battery-powered electric motors, as well as vehicles utilizing compressed natural gas, ethanol and hydrogen will be tested in the 10th annual Shell Eco-marathon Americas. Coinciding with Earth day weekend, t...

     First sold in late 1966, the Camaro was introduced as Chevrolet's countermeasure to the popular Ford Mustang in the pony car category. The bowtie's answer to the blue oval brought a long-running rivalry that has competed on the track as well as for the attention of drivers on the road. As the Camaro brand approaches its 50th anniversary, there will always be the stain on its legacy of a poorly-conceived General Motors decision that dropped Chevrolet's pony car. Between 2003 and 2009 model years, Chevrolet was forced to atone for their error. The reinstatement of the Chevrolet Camaro 2010 brought a valuable sense of new life to a brand and company requiring a personality. With the emotion and place of the Camaro now recognized, Chevrolet will debut the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro version of their pony car at the end of this week. Holding back the full vehicle, ...

We have grown accustomed to seeing some of the most anticipated new vehicle releases occurring indoors as part of one of the major auto shows. Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, Geneva and soon New York are just a few places where vehicles like the all-new Ford GT, production-ready Acura NSX or the 2016 Audi R8 has been adored in recent months. While Chevrolet has provided some excitement to indoor automotive events with the new Volt and the production-bound Bolt EV Concept , the auto brand decided to wait for warmer weather to unwrap their most frenzy-inducing vehicle. On Saturday May 16th, Chevrolet will introduce the sixth generation of their Camaro sports car to the world. With few technical details released as of this time, many are eager to find out what the 2016 model year Chevrolet Camaro has in store. Set to take place Detroit, Michigan's Belle Isle Park, the new Chevrolet Camaro will coincide with a range of festivities within the same c...

It's finally time to get charged up about the 2016 Chevrolet Volt. Just in time for the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the second-generation version of the first major production plug-in hybrid car has been completely unwrapped for the public. Capable of going as far as 50 miles on a charge, the 2016 Chevrolet Volt promises improved efficiency and better practicality. As for the look of the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, most of us are already familiar with its sleeker profile and more sophisticated exterior style. An auto brand that impressed me with their ability to hold back the seventh-generation Corvette until the day of its debut in 2013, I have say that Chevrolet has lost its mojo when it comes to climatically introducing a vehicle. Perhaps desperate to find something to wow at the 2015 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, General Motors and Chevrolet treated an audience to a 'speak peak" at the 2016 Volt ....

Buick has been working hard to prove it is no longer a brand associated solely with 50-plus drivers and golf tours. Targeting to entice a younger crowd to buy into the premium car division, Buick has been running a series of commercials resembling a modern version of the "Not Your Father's Oldsmobile" campaign. While Oldsmobile is no longer a staple of the automobile business, the original campaign did drastically revitalize the division. In reinventing its image as a hipper kind of luxury, Buick found some traction in 2013 with the premium compact crossover Encore . In time for the 2015 North American International Auto Show, the 2016 Buick Cascada opens a new sense of class for the General Motors division. The 2016 Cascada becomes the first Buick convertible since the soft-top version of the 1991 Reatta. The Buick Cascada will also be the first two-door vehicle for the brand since the discontinuation of the Riviera...