All Michigan Articles

Here's a real looker of a machine: the new Maserati Quattroporte GTS. It's not just another drop in a endless sea of expensive rocket sedans, either. In fact, Maserati says it's the most capable luxury performance four-door the they've ever made.

This year will be a big one for Mercedes-Benz in Detroit: on top of the three BlueZero concepts and the production version of the 2010 Class E, the automaker will be presenting what will probably turn out to be the highlight of the show.

Despite the numerous automakers that have dropped out of the Detroit Auto Show, others, like Audi, are promising new models that will be the envy of the other shows. On top of the unveiling of the R8 V10, Audi will present an all-new concept in the tradition of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the four-door A7 Coupe.

General Motors is busy getting ready for their hometown show and has announced three more vehicles that will be on display.The beautiful CTS sedan will spawn a Sport Wagon version, which will target buyers currently seeking to dump their SUVs. On sale next summer, the 2010 CTS Sport Wagon will offer 720 litres of cargo space behind the rear seats.

The six finalists for the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year award were announced today before the Detroit Economic Club. A group of 50 journalists from across Canada and the U.S. voted among 14 cars and 11 trucks, which had to be new-generation or feature substantial modifications. Three finalists were named in each of the two categories.

A few days before Christmas, Volvo will release the official photos of the S60 Concept that will be launched at the next Detroit Auto Show. The Concept is the precursor to the 2010 S60 sport sedan.

A few automakers are turning their backs on the auto show in Motor City, but that won't stop the venue from being an exciting one.

Honda's new Prius fighter in production form will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show next January. The Japanese company expects to globally sell 200,000 of them each year, and half of them will find homes in North America.

One could imagine the eerie silence yesterday at Ford's Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, when production ended at 1:30 pm and the last vehicle rolled from the assembly line.

The financial crisis continues to impact the Detroit Auto Show that will be held next January. The list of absent manufacturers is getting longer by the day, two months before the official opening of the event.

The facade of Ford's original plant on Piquette Avenue in Detroit, where the first 12,000 Model Ts were assembled, has been restored. The plant now looks exactly the way it did when Henry Ford opened up the place, back in 1904. During the summer, Quinn Evans Architects of Ann Arbor, a firm that specializes in historic preservation, worked on rejuvenating part of the century-old building. The restored front façade was the most deteriorated part of the structure. Bricks were repaired or replaced, windows were fixed and elaborate masonry was done. Old photographs were even brought out to help restore the original arched office entry of the 1904 building.

The jury of 50 American and Canadian automotive journalists released the list of the 14 cars and 12 trucks nominated for the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year award.

The 2008 Formula SAE Championship is now history. I was there at the Michigan International Speedway, near Detroit, with a group of students from Montreal's École de technologie supérieure. A total of 104 teams from universities all across the globe were gathered to celebrate their passion for auto racing and technology.

Two Nationwide Series race teams fielded by Joe Gibbs racing face serious penalties after NASCAR officials discovered last weekend blatant attempts to alter post-race chassis dynamometer tests.

Carl Edwards (Ford No 99) started the Michigan International Speedway 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race far in the field Sunday afternoon but finally fenced off points leader Kyle Busch (Camry No 18) to grab the checkered flag of the 3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo.

Brian Vicker (Camry No 83) was the fastest in practice at the Michigan International Speedway for Sunday's 3M Performance 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race on Friday afternoon and he backed this up by putting his Camry on pole position later on.

NASCAR fans will be spoiled once again this weekend as the Nationwide and the Sprint Cup series hit the impressive 2-mile Michigan International Speedway.

Scott Speed (Camry No 2) is definitely becoming one of the most successful ex-formula drivers turned stock-car driver.

Chelsea, Michigan - For some, Chrysler's ecoVoyager Concept looks like a private jet. Others see an egg on four wheels. The most cynical critics will compare it to the Previa of the nineties. Introduced in January at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, this prototype of a futuristic sedan (only 1.4-centimeter shorter than a Chrysler Sebring) is ultra-modern yet ultra-simple.

Ford's Michigan Proving Ground is receiving an update that will allow for increased vehicle testing abilities while preventing some 130,000 tons of debris from winding up in local landfills. Mark Mikolaiczik is the manager of the 52-year-old facility in Romeo, Michigan, which includes a five-mile, high-speed track. When he began planning for the track upgrade, he asked contractors for a plan that utilized best practices not only for cost, quality and scheduling, but also for minimizing environmental impact.

Ever since Bob Lutz made that promise, every environmentalist has been waiting for General Motors to make the next step. Now, the American auto giant doesn't have much of a choice: it has to come to market with the revolutionary Chevrolet Volt, a long-range electric car expected by 2010. Of course, there are many skeptics who question the feasibility of this project. After looking at the production schedule, a Japanese competitor even claimed it was impossible. "If it were, they'd be deciding on the type of wood trim to put inside by now," we were told.

I'm sure that we've all gazed at those wonderful concept cars which the manufacturers roll out at each and every auto show and thought, "How on earth did they come up with that idea"! Well, I was fortunate enough recently to take a guided tour of Ford's design studio in Dearborn, Michigan, and what an eye-opener that was for me. Now I've seen footage in the past, as I'm sure many of you have, of skilled craftsmen painstakingly shaping and carving huge chunks of modeling clay until it resembled some form of an automobile.

The month of January not only brings snow and cold temperatures (well, for most Northerners, at least), but also the holy grail of auto shows: the NAIAS in Detroit. For a photographer, this represents an unparalleled experience due to the show's magnitude and image potential. This year, three members of Auto123.com had the privilege of immortalizing these automotive jewels with cutting-edge digital equipment (thank you, technology).

China America Cooperative Automotive (CHAMCO) is an American distribution and engineering company which does not build automobiles. Its executives nevertheless plan to be the first to sell Chinese cars in North America. At the North American International Auto Show, in Detroit, they introduced prototype versions of two 5-passenger compact trucks: the Landmark utility vehicle and the Grand Tiger pickup with four doors and short box. These models are manufactured by Hebei Zhongxing Auto (also called ZX Auto).

At the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), diesel is the talk of the town. Every automaker, big or small, American or Japanese, had to include in its plans or portfolios at least one diesel-powered vehicle. But as usual, the Germans led the way...

Four brands, dozens of cars, and visibility even in the main exhibition hall: Chinese automakers decided to make their marks at the 2008 NAIAS. But are they a real threat? Admittedly, despite a growing presence, none of them has yet confirmed its plan to develop some kind of retail network in North America.

Plenty of interesting facts and tidbits about the North American International Auto Show are available to Internet users. For example, did you know that the cost of admission was only 50 cents back in 1907 for the first-ever edition? Or that more than 6,700 journalists from 62 different countries now walk on the carpet in the various halls -- enough carpet to cover 750 football fields?

On January 14, Auto123.com senior writer Amyot Bachand met with Bob Lutz, GM's Vice Chairman of Global Product Development, during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Mr. Lutz was his own self as he candidly answered to various questions from Canadian auto journalists. Here's what he had to say...

Following the world premiere of the X6 Sport Activity Coupe, BMW did not waste any time before launching the X6 ActiveHybrid Concept, a new technological breakthrough showcasing the EfficientDynamics strategy (also introduced in Detroit). It represents the industry's shift to lower-emission vehicles. The highlight of this concept is by far the new two-mode active transmission: one mode for maximum torque when pulling away and in low-speed driving, and a second mode for higher speeds and bursts of acceleration. This innovative transmission allows the Bavarian automaker to maintain the same outstanding driving dynamics while improving fuel economy by 20 percent. BMW created this technology to be easily installed to any other model; it could be made available by 2010 in various markets.

Introduced in Beijing, the Buick Riviera embodies GM's new mentality : the world is nothing but a single global market. According to Chinese designer Cao Min, the upcoming Buick models will be identical no matter where they're sold on the planet. Traditional Buick design cues like the waterfall grille and the side portholes will remain trademarks.