The name Citan is a combination of the words “city” and “titan,” Mercedes says.
Mercedes likely to steer clear of U.S. compact van market
Posted 2:14 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 6While the U.S. compact van market is in its infancy, the European market has grown to 700,000 annual sales.
Mercedes-Benz plans to target the European market with the Citan, a new front-wheel-drive commercial van based on the successor to the compact Renault Kangoo.
Mercedes-Benz USA says there are no plans to sell the Citan here -- and probably with good reason.
The German automaker released drawings of the Citan. The vehicle debut takes place at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in September in Hannover, Germany. Sales begin this fall.
The name Citan is a combination of the words "city" and "titan," the automaker said.
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Continue reading "Mercedes likely to steer clear of U.S. compact van market" » Feb 6, 2012 2:14 pm U.S. ET
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At Chicago Auto Show, you can ride, drive, not just look
Posted 3:01 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 3
The Chicago Auto Show offers a crowd pleaser that attracts tens of thousands of people each year.
And this activity gives automakers an opportunity to establish a relationship with a potential customer.
I'm talking about the car, SUV and pickup rides offered to show-goers inside Chicago's McCormick Place. The show opens to the public on Friday, Feb. 10.
While many auto shows are space constrained, the size of Chicago's show dwarfs most. Automakers have loads of floor space to exhibit as many cars and trucks as they wish. Even so, the auto show does not use every squar ...
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B-Max: Cute and innovative, but not for U.S.
Posted 2:24 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 2
DETROIT -- The Ford B-Max is cute and functional, but it won't be sold in the United States.
That has one reader looking for loopholes in the law.
The B-Max is Ford's newest subcompact developed off the global Fiesta platform. An unveiling is planned next month at the Geneva auto show.
Is the B-Max a five-door hatchback or a mini-minivan? Ford simply calls it an innovative small car.
The standout feature? Sliding rear doors, a la minivan. Additionally, Ford engineered the B-Max without a B-pillar to make the vehicle easier to ente ...
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Kia Soul performance model? Meet the Track'ster concept
Posted 9:00 am U.S. ET, Feb. 2
DETROIT -- The Kia Soul is among this country's 25 hottest brands.
So it's no surprise that the Korean automaker wants to share its Soul with a wider range of buyers.
As it looks at ways to slice and dice the Soul nameplate, Kia is thinking about a potential performance model.
Performance?
Although "Kia performance model" may sound like an oxymoron, don't underestimate Kia. After all, the automaker sold 485,492 vehicles last year in the United States, a 36 percent increase in a market that rose 10 percent. Kia is on a roll.
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Could GM resurrect the Saab 9-4X under a different badge?
Posted 4:02 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 31
DETROIT -- General Motors has a perfectly good crossover that's waiting to be produced.
Actually it was produced -- several hundred were assembled before production was halted. I'm talking about the Saab 9-4X.
I wonder if there's a market for this crossover?
The 9-4X was developed by GM when it owned the Swedish company. The car debuted last spring under Saab's new owners, Saab Automobile AB. Production started last summer at GM's assembly plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.
Under the skin, the car shares a platform and mechan ...
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Wintertime test drives chill dealer's hopes for EV sales
Posted 3:42 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 30
Pity the poor Midwestern Chevrolet dealer trying to sell a Volt.
Ditto for Nissan dealers with Leafs on their lots.
Batteries hate cold as well as extreme heat -- each has a big impact on range. My advice to those dealers: Do your test drives and special events in spring, summer and fall.
About two months ago, I had a conversation with a Chevy dealer in the Midwest. He was excited. Arrangements had been made for members of a big law firm, as well as several doctors at nearby clinics, to test drive the Volt.
Even with their busy sc ...
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Forget touch screens, we need KITT
Posted 1:04 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 27I've test-driven several domestic cars and trucks recently, all of which feature enough state-of-the-art systems and available interactive experiences to bury their headlights in a swirling sea of electrons.
But the deeper I travel into the world of in-vehicle infotainment -- the annoying phrase meant to describe everything electronic going on in a car that has nothing to do with driving -- the more I realize that automakers have made a fundamental error.
You see, they keep trying to sell us the newest cell phone, when what we really want — is KITT.
Admittedly, ...
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Cruze wagon has potential for U.S. -- but will it get here?
Posted 3:02 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 26
Any way you measure it, Chevrolet's Cruze had a great year.
For 2011, U.S. sales totaled 231,732, and all sales came from one configuration: a four-door sedan.
Well, it turns out Chevy's got an ace up its sleeve.
General Motors is putting the finishing touches on the Cruze wagon.
The rear portion of the wagon has been stretched several inches, and a tailgate with a sloping rear window has been added. The description is based on spy photos that have popped up on Web sites.
Once before GM chose ...
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Chevy stretches 'stubby' Sonic sedan
Posted 3:52 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 24
DETROIT -- The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic sedan is more than a foot longer than its little brother, the Sonic hatchback.
But while General Motors' plan all along was to make the subcompact sedan a little longer for the sake of creating trunk space, the original intent was never to boost the length 14.1 inches beyond the five-door hatchback.
The result is a model with a spec that's nearly the same as the compact Chevrolet Cruze.
During the design process, "we felt very good about the balance of the hatch. As we put the sedan together at the same time, the sedan just felt fro ...
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With ATS, Caddy gets serious about challenging BMW 3 series
Posted 3:34 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 23
DETROIT -- It's no secret Cadillac's ATS is taking aim at the BMW 3 series.
But the similarity between the two models is striking.
Cadillac has been touting the ATS' driving dynamics on its Web site with video of high-speed maneuvers at Germany's legendary Nürburgring racetrack. That's the same track Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz use to fine-tune their vehicles.
Following BMW's lead, rear- and all-wheel-drive ATS models will be offered. There's even a manual transmission available for enthusiasts when ATS sales begin this summer.
Continue reading "With ATS, Caddy gets serious about challenging BMW 3 series" » Jan 23, 2012 3:34 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Soft now, but the minivan market is going to boom again
Posted 3:34 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 20
Editor's note: An earlier version of this blog transposed the name of the 700C minivan from Chrysler.
The U.S. minivan market is soft today, but I think in a few years it will take off.
First, here's a short recap of 2011.
Last year 524,158 minivans were sold, a modest 4 percent increase from the previous year in an overall market that improved 10 percent. Sales were a far cry from the minivan record set in 2000: 1,371,234.
The battle for minivan supremacy ended last year with a new winner being crowned. A mere 567 vehicl ...
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