Monthly Archives: July 2010
First Drive: 2011 Nissan Leaf doesn’t change the game, just the players
We’ve met the Nissan Leaf before. First at its coming-out party in Japan, followed by an all-too-brief stint behind the wheel of a Versa-based prototype late last year. Now we’ve had a chance to sample Nissan’s first foray into the world of electric vehicles in production form and the automaker picked one of its most important markets – the heart of Silicon Valley – to give us some seat time.
If there’s any area ripe for early-EV adoption, it’s San Jose, CA. And during a quick test loop through the tight confines of Santana Row and a run through the city’s suburban surrounds, it’s obvious that the first mass-produced EV is officially ready for prime-time.
2011 Ford Explorer unveiled live from coast to coast
It’s been quite a day for the new 2011 Ford Explorer. After teasing, more teasing, and even more teasing,Ford finally unveiled what it thinks will “reinvent the SUV for the 21st century.” At 12:01 EST this morning, we presented an in-depth look at the new Explorer, providing details on the new exterior and interior as well as some of the safety features, and at noon we went over the new powertrain options, including the 2.0-liter EcoBoost inline-4 that will deliver 30 percent better fuel efficiency than the previous V6 model. Ford has even put up a configurator for the 2011 Explorer, allowing you to build your own.
The 2011 Explorer was also introduced live in various parts of the country, from the middle of New York City to Detroit to Los Angeles. We were in attendance on both ends of the coasts to cover the unveilings, each of which had an entirely different feel. The Discovery Channel’s Mike Rowe was on hand with CEO Alan Mulally to make the introductions in the Big Apple, while Ford’s President of the Americas Mark Fields did the honors amidst huge sand sculptures alongside the famous boardwalk in Venice Beach. You can see photos from both unveilings in the galleries below.
Report: Toyota getting a unified look
Word has it that Toyota is looking to put its new reputation for shaky quality and safety behind it by moving to a new corporate face. Evidently, head honcho Akio Toyoda has called for his company’s products to have a more emotional appeal as part of a new global product philosophy, and as such, we can expect all of the automaker’s models to wear a similar look across the board. According to Inside Line, the new language will be aimed squarely at making the company’s smaller offerings appear larger. So far, there’s no word as to whether or not this plan will spread to Lexus.
Evidently, Toyota is going to be spending the biggest hunk redesign efforts on tailoring both its vehicles exteriors and interiors to European tastes. The logic being that what flies in the old country will perform similarly well elsewhere around the globe. If that means the company is going to step up its materials game, we’re all for it. In the mean time, we’ll brace ourselves for an onslaught of carbon-copy models. You gotta love progress.
Confirmed: Audi RS5 coming to America in 2012, R8 Spyder priced from $161,000*
The on-again/off-again rumors about whether or not Americans will get to sample the hotter-than-hot Audi RS5 Coupe end now – the automaker has officially stated that the coupe will hit the States sometime in 2012. Yes, that’s a bit later than what had originally been speculated, but we’re still stoked that Audi has decided to include us on the RS5 goodness. No mechanical changes will be made to the coupe before it launches in the U.S., so the high-revving 450-horsepower V8 will still be intact. Awesome.
Buick to expand line with coupe, convertible and wagon?
Buick conducted another in its series of webchats and this time product marketing director Roger McCormack attended the party. One of the first real signs of the brand’s rebirth came three years ago with the debut of the Riviera concept. Since then, Buick has focused on launching its mainstream, higher volume products like the LaCrosse and Regal, and the Riviera coupe has languished on the sidelines.
However, McCormack says the coupe concept could live on as a production model. He acknowledged that acoupe is receiving “very strong consideration” and admitted that a convertible would help excite customers, but wasn’t prepared to make any announcements. Even a wagon was not ruled out and could be among the first to join the lineup. A be-hatched version of the Insignia already exists in Europe and a prototype withRegal badges has been spotted in Michigan in the past. No doubt Buick will be watching the sales of theAcura TSX Sportswagon when it arrives this fall in deciding what to do with the Regal. The full transcript of the chat is available here.
