Car Trends Magazine

Lotus Cars presents an all new Elise based pick-up concept that is intended to go in production later in 2006 Press Release: The Lotus AFD is an Elise-derived flatbed concept that seeks to secure a slice of the ever-growing worldwide market for sportscar-derived pickup trucks. Utilising a Briggs and Stratton pull-start diesel engine, uniquely supercharged by Lotus's own engineers, the AFD is the first Lotus to marry advanced 4-wheel drive technology with the Lotus design philosophy of 'performance...

The United States and the European Union, initiated a World Trade Organization complaint on Thursday against China, alleging that Beijing is unfairly blocking foreign-made auto parts. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said: "Consultations will allow us to clarify the legal issues and find a mutually satisfactory solution. It remains my strong preference and intention to seek an amicable solution to this issue". A statement from the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said China's...

Lexus will unveil its all-new LS luxury hybrid sedan next month at the New York International Automobile Show. Arriving next year, Lexus's hybrid version of the upcoming model-year 2007 LS sedan will introduce impressive new standards in styling, engineering, technology, safety and performance. Technorati Tags: Lexus+LS+Hybrid, New+York+International+Auto+Show, press+rele...

Making its world premiere at the Stockholm Motor Show today, the Saab BioPower Hybrid Concept delivers zero CO2 emissions with enhanced performance by combining the use of pure bioethanol fuel and electric power generation for the first time. Packing formidable pulling power from its 260 bhp (191 kW) 2.0-litre turbo BioPower engine and 53 kW electric motors, the BioPower Hybrid Concept is equipped with an with automatic transmission accelerating from zero to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, a substantial...

Mitsubishi announced that it will debute the North American market version of the Outlander SUV model at the upcoming New York Auto Show. Launched in Japan in October last year, the US Outlander will be powered by a 3-liter V6 MIVEC coupled to a 6-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel paddle shifters that allow the driver to change gear manually without having to take his hand off the steering wheel. The new Outlander offers two drive formats: the electronically controlled 4WD system...

Suzuki officially announced that it is going to stage the World Premiere of it’s all new XL7 SUV model and the North American Debut of it's SX4 compact SUV at the 2006 New York International Auto Show. Although Suzuki hasn’t given us any photos –yet, of its midsize SUV, we get some preliminary specifications of the car as its body size and the engine that will equip the 2007 XL7, a 3.6 V6 DOCH motor. PRESS RELEASE: Suzuki XL7 In the creation of the XL7, Suzuki leveraged its SUV heritage...

Holden Unleashes Thunder Ute and Crewman with 235 & 355 Hp engines GM’s Australian subsidiary Holden, is keeping the muscle-car flame alive even in its Ute range as the Auzzies unveiled another version of their popular light commercial model, based on the Commodore (which is actually based on the Opel Omega & Cadillac Catera…) The special edition “Thunder” models for the 2door Ute and 4door Crewman represent up to $3500 (2.480 US $) in extra value and are available on S Ute, SS Ute and...

The brits try to give the Range Rover Sport a “Stormier” look Land Rover revealed a new version of its Range Rover Sport model. Titled HST, the car basically adds a host of additional equipment along with design cues inspired by the Range Stormer concept car, first shown in Detroit. "The HST allows a Range Rover Sport customer to drive the closest thing there is to the radical Range Stormer, our first ever concept vehicle and a real milestone for the company. It's the extreme version of the Range...

Acura is going to preview an all new MDX concept at the New York International Auto Show. Product version following later this year Celebrating its 20th anniversary as a brand, Acura announced plans to debut a concept version of the all-new MDX luxury sport-utility vehicle, April 12, at the New York International Auto Show and released an artist's rendering of the new vehicle. Scheduled to debut later this year, the 2007 Acura MDX will be the second generation of Acura's luxury SUV to be designed,...

At the end of May, Volvo is going to reveal a facelifted version of its XC90 SUV (2007 model). The most important exterior changes concern the new front & rear light clusters and redesigned bumpers that give the XC90 a more aggressive look. Also, the 2007 XC90 gets new auxiliary turn signals, which are housed in the side mirrors. In the interior Volvo enhances the XC90 with new materials and chrom-plated elements. Aesthetics aside, the most significant change of the 2007 XC90 is well hidden...

New Chrysler 300 is six inches longer than current models, providing an additional 10.2 cubic feet of interior space. Engine options include the 3.5 V6 and the 5.7 V8 HEMI Chrysler Group announced today that a new model—the 2007 Chrysler 300 Long Wheelbase — will be on display at the New York International Auto Show, in the Jacob K. Javits Center, April 14-23 in New York City. The Chrysler 300 Long Wheelbase is six inches longer than the current models, providing more than 46 inches of...

A few weeks after axing the Smart Roadster & Roadster-Coupe models, DaimlerChrysler announced that it is considering to terminate its most ambitious plan, the Forfour model. Although officially, the plan to cut the Fourfor is yet to be approved by both the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board of DaimlerChrysler AG, “death” is just a matter of time for the 4door Smart model. The cost for DaimlerChrysler related to these measures is estimated to be in the magnitude of approximately...

Porsche is offering a new SportDesign package for the Boxster and Boxster S that promise to improve aerodynamics and give the roadster models an even sportier look. This new individualization option comprises spoiler lips for mounting on the standard front trim, an automatically extending, redesigned rear spoiler, and a modified rear trim with an integrated diffuser. In addition to providing a particularly striking and sporty appearance, the new SportDesign package improves aerodynamics. The...

Guess who’s back… One of the most famous names of the muscle car days, Baldwin-Motion, is making a came back as the company is back on its feet, offering an all new Phase III Camaro. The car is based on the SuperCoupe prototype which was previewed last year at the Sema Show in LA The original team -including the legendary Martyn Schorr and Motion Performance founder, Joel Rosen -- have partnered with Joel Ehrenpreis and Larry Jaworske to jump-start Motion Performance, now named Motion Performance,...