The Car Connection - Blogs and News

Benz Veggie Conversion: The Nuts And Bolts

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:58:39 -0500

With the domestic auto industry collapsing around us (and keeping bloggers typing away madly), I've had little time to report on the host of mechanical changes I've been making to the 1982 Mercedes 300TD Wagon I'll be driving to L.A. in December. I've been underneath the oily old diesel every weekend making mechanical updates and preparing for ..

Pelosi to Big Three: Show Us A Plan, We'll Show You The Money

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:53:04 -0500

If you hadn't heard already, the Big Three's pleas to Congress fell on deaf ears today. Pelosi, Reid, and seven other Democratic Congressional leaders upstaged a meeting between the Big Three and a bipartisan group of senators to discuss a compromise surrounding the already-approved $25 billion in Federal aid. The Democrats' ..

Rumored Acura NSX has front-mounted V-10

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:57:34 -0500

Am I the only one disappointed by the rumored Honda/Acura NSX as presented over at AutoCar? It looks to my eye like the meeting of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro and Nissan's just-launched 370Z. Both attractive cars, indeed, but neither one possessing the NSX's legendary mid-engine layout, unique silhouette, and lightweight frame ..

VW Jetta TDI clean diesel tech brought to you by Robert Bosch LLC

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:19:19 -0500

Launched in 1886 as a "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering," Bosch has been in on diesel technology since fellow German Rudolf Diesel introduced his revolutionary heat engine at the Paris World's Fair in 1900. Bosch continues their leadership in compression ignition technology with the advent of ..

U.K.'s Autocar Weighs In On "Weirdest" L.A. Auto Show

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:25:38 -0500

We all know that the domestics had less of a presence at the L.A. Auto Show due to harsh economic realities and just the daily struggle of staying solvent. But AutoCar weighed in with their uniquely British perspective on the view from the floor in L.A., calling it "the weirdest US motor show opening of modern times," saying ..

VW Jetta TDI Is First Diesel To Be Named "Green Car Of The Year"

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:02:34 -0500

The first diesel ever to take the title "Green Car Of The Year," Volkswagen's '09 Jetta TDI clean diesel was awarded the title at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The VW beat out a pair of hybrids, a clean diesel sport sedan, and a trendy microcar. Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com, ..

VW Announces September '09 Introduction For GTI And Rabbit

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:22:22 -0500

Americans love VW's GTI, as evidenced by '07 sales of that model that were 15,000 strong, more than a third of total '07 Rabbit sales. Due to that fondness for the GTI, explains Edmunds, VW pursued a quick schedule to get the car on sale in the U.S. after its June sale date in Germany. VW hopes to sell more than 100,000 ..

Tough Times Force Even Schwarzenegger To Support Girly Hybrids

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:02:10 -0500

Wow, even cigar-smoking, bodybuilding, onetime Conan The Barbarian Schwarzenegger the Governator has been forced to face the facts of fuel efficiency. The juiced-up juggernaut posed next to a girly little Saturn VUE Hybrid at the L.A. Auto Show, perhaps a concession to his left-coast state that sells more Toyota Priuses and ..

2010 Volkswagen Touareg TDI Shows In LA

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:58:48 -0500

In an LA Auto Show press conference that was preceded by Red Bull girls handing out their company's energy-boosting elixir, the audience attending VW's shindig stayed awake long enough to learn that Volkswagen is going to add its corporate 3.0-liter V-6 turbocharged, direct-injected diesel engine to the 2009 Touareg SUV. The ..

Bentley Shows 2009 Azure T

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:41:39 -0500

According to Bentley, sales in their elevated realm (defined as the Ultra Luxury Segment) are down 20-percent worldwide. In an odd way, this news applied some sense of justice and equality to the woes we normal folks are feeling thanks to the economy's present (and temporary) condition. (Note to self, "The saying that rich ..

Daimler Announces 2010 GLK Pricing

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:09:50 -0500

Mercedes-Benz, or Daimler as they refer to themselves on their press materials from the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, announced pricing for their 2010 GLK mid-size sport utility. The new smaller-than-the-ML will arrive in dealerships come January. Well equipped with the 3.5-liter V-6 and a seven-speed automatic, two-wheel-drive ..

2009 Porsche Boxster And Cayman Make World Debut

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:01:11 -0500

Porsche is serious about its current birthday. Lots of fun people showed up at the LA Auto Show to celebrate, including marque aficionado Jerry Seinfeld and notable Porsche racer Hurley Haywood. This year, 2008, marks the brand's 60th year of production (that would mean the first Porsche was built in 1948 for those who count ..

2010 Ford Mustang: A Styling History

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:15:02 -0500

So now we all know what the new 2010 Ford Mustang looks like. After seeing the car in person, it looks even better than it does in pixels. As you click through the new 2010 Mustang shots we have (and will continue to post) here at TheCarConnection.com, look for a couple of styling details that stand out as being very well ..

2010 Lexus RX 350, RX 450h Hit the Road

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:57:20 -0500

The newest editions of the best-selling Lexuses on the planet have arrived--and for the 2010 Lexus RX 350 and hybrid 2010 Lexus RX 450h, the buzzwords are "don't rock the boat." The new crossover's shape is clearly related to the outgoing model, though the faster rear pillar and more creased fenders give the new RX a little ..

2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible: Live from L.A.

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:17:32 -0500

Earlier this year, we showed you the first photo of the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible from the foggy greens at Pebble Beach. Now the Convertible's made a live appearance at the 2008 Los Angeles auto show, flipping and folding its top as it waits for next spring's on-sale date. The new G Convertible, Infiniti says, has a ..