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: Ford Motor Company The words of The Simpsons character Helen Lovejoy “Won’t somebody please think of the children!” comes to mind in a recent browse on Ebay. Ahead of the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, I recalled a press release from Ford announcing a promotion with model builder Revell. Having built so many models as a kid and continuing to construct sets to this day, it’s a good feeling to see the pass time is still in existence. At the Detroit show, a custom-built scaled Snap Kit of the 2017 Ford GT was offered to a specific audience of younger automotive enthusiasts. “Letting kids build their own Ford GT is a great way to introduce them to the Ford brand and create new enthusiasts,” is part of what Ford Licensing manager Mark Bentley said ahead of the Revell Make n’ Take model kit program at the show. Unless a significant sum of kids have chosen to gain PayPal accounts and sell their specialized model kits in on-line auctions, I belie...

It was late 2012 at the Los Angeles Auto Show Acura tantalized the sports car world with the return of the NSX. After two concept coupes, a pledge to use gasoline/electric hybrid technology, a Mid-Ohio track run  and an announcement that the car will be built in Ohio, the 2015 North American International Auto Show marked the last leg for the vehicle's journey ahead of hitting showrooms. After what seemed like an eternity in concept development, the production version for the revival of the Acura NSX supercar has finally arrived. While the basic styling appearance remained intact from concept to production, the street version of the Acura NSX has been augmented through extensive on-track and wind tunnel testing. The production NSX supercar is more than three inches (80 millimeters) longer than the 2013 concept car. Improvements to the hood vents, front fascia vents, side air intakes and a revised rear deck spo...

Always accepted favourably as a work truck, the Ford F-150 gained a different, more adventurous persona in 2010. A factory-prepped off-roading variant of Ford's best-selling half-ton pickup truck, the F-150 SVT Raptor provided a more playful edge to the vehicle. Distinctive styling, power from a potent 411-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 engine and a high travel suspension allowed the Ford F-150 to trek more easily on trails not always explored by a light-duty work truck. Following the revolutionary redesign of the Ford F-150  for 2015, an all-new off-road riding Raptor model destined for the 2017 model year has premiered at Detroit's 2015 North American International Auto Show. Employing much of the technology applied on the regular half-ton 2015 F-150 as well as racing the Baja 1000 desert race, the revised F-150 Raptor is a lighter, more off-road capable vehicle. Featuring a high-strength steel frame and mili...

In addition to the redesigned plug-in hybrid Volt , rumours have strongly supported the presence of a fully electric-powered Chevrolet becoming part of this week's major automotive show in Detroit. As predicted, a Monday press conference brought forth the production precursor to Chevrolet's first car not to use an internal combustion engine. Billed as an affordable electric car capable of traveling 200 miles (321 kilometers) on a single charge, the Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept is created to be a zero-emissions vehicle viable for the regular motorist. “We have made tremendous strides in technologies that make it easier and more affordable for Chevrolet customers to integrate an all-electric vehicle in their daily lives,” said General Motors CEO Mary Barra.   Shown in concept trim for the 2015 North American International Auto Show, the Chevrolet Bolt EV is intended to become the brand's first electric-only vehicle. After practi...

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...