Auto News & New car review

First impressions last. Or in this case, first. Anyway, the slightly-new-for-‘06 (but mostly unchanged since ‘99) Saab 9-5 SportCombi misses the mark at first glance. GM’s Swedish division crafted a wagon that looks like a slightly larger Saab 9-3, only uglier. The SportCombi’s low greenhouse, swoopy rear windows and huge up-curving C-pillars combine all the worst elements of a ‘00 Saturn SW wagon and a Cadillac SRX. The design says “We wanted to make a wagon, but we only had enough cash for a car-camper shell.” Volvo continues to master Skandinavisk chic. Saab goes for cheap chic– and fails.
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Global warming. Some consumers consider hybrids the responsible response. Others are busy taking one last toke on the tailpipe of extravagance. Pistonheads, have I got a bong for you! After accelerating Porsche’s 2.5 ton brick to 60mph in less than five seconds, I can only conclude that you NEED a Cayenne Turbo– if only to outrun the Earth Day crowd tossing rocks at your windows. The Turbo is pointless and politically incorrect and you better get one now before all the oil and clean air are gone forever.
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Since 1859, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution has challenged religious fundamentalism. Forget Adam and Eve. Humans started as random spices in a primordial soup. Natural selection took us from soup to trees, trees to cars. And then Ferdinand Porsche created a mutant Volkswagen. Since its inception, the 911 has been evolution’s four-wheeled poster child, moving quickly from an oversteer monster to a supersonic pussycat. And then, on the seventh day, Stuttgart created the latest Turbo, a car so capable that driving it is a biblical revelation.

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Pontiac’s new G8 performance sedan was one of the most significant debuts at the Chicago Auto Show, and any enthusiast going to the show should check it out. If you can’t make it, no problem; this photo blog of the car’s interior will bring it to you.
The G8 GT show car features a pale yellow dashboard covered in leather. The dash’s symmetry is really nice, but the color and material combination is for the auto show circuit only.
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The Mazda2 (Demio) has won the 2008 World Car Of The Year prize. How was the diminutive Demio chosen for this honor? According to the WCOTY press release “Rather than being just a popularity contest, the objective was to ensure that the World Car of the Year would be the product of a fair and thorough assessment process that considered the needs and wants of consumers the world over. Read the rest of this entry »

There is news going on at the New York Auto Show. This morning Volvo announced the pricing of its upcoming C30 two-door hatchback. Prices for the C30 Version 1.0 will be $22,700. The C30 Version 2.0 starts at $25,700. Prices do not include a destination charge of $695. Both models feature the same 227 horsepower turbocharged five-cylinder engine, but come equipped with different levels of equipment.

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This past week, I experienced my first North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and I think I fared pretty well. After my duties as a photographer for Cars.com were filled, I made sure to photograph the cars that need very little introduction. Major auto shows offer a forum in which I can indulge my weakness for four-wheeled works of art and the craftsmanship of ultra-luxury vehicles.

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Competes with: Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Mazda3, Nissan Sentra
Looks like: The Suzuki Aerio’s stylish, sporty cousin
Drivetrain: 143-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic; front-wheel drive
Hits dealerships: Fall 2007
MSRP: $13,000 - $18,000 (estimated)
Previously offered only as a hatchback in the U.S., Suzuki will add a sedan version of its SX4 compact car for 2008. While the SX4 hatchback is part of a small group of all-wheel-drive compacts that includes the likes of the Subaru Impreza, the SX4 sedan is front-wheel drive only. It arrives in dealerships in fall 2007.

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