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February 23, 2016

First Drive: 2016 Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TSI Blue Motion

The Passat has been around since 1973 and is one of Volkswagen’s oldest active product lines. The current one actually marks the eighth-generation model and apart from its lineage, is the most beautiful and most advanced one ever made. It’s so well-made that former Volkswagen Chairman of the Board Martin Winterkorn said, “It is a premium car without the premium price.” Indeed, VW is pitting the Passat not against the Camrys and Accords of this world, but instead against the Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series. This move may seem mad, but there’s reason for VW’s confidence.

The Importance of Being Global: The Ford Ranger Story

Photos by Ulysses Ang

When Ford announced their “One Ford” global strategy, some pundits denounced that it wasn’t going to work. They thought: how can you build a single vehicle and expect it to be successful in almost every market it competes in? These critics clearly have a myopic view since they’ve set their goals far too low. They’re convinced that for as long as you’ve nailed a particular country’s market requirements, it’s okay to compromise.

Timeless Wonder: The Toyota Automotive Museum in Nagoya (w/ 74 Photos)

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Sounds of children’s laughter greeted us as we approached the Toyota Automobile Museum in Nagoya. Groups of children on a school trip, with their brightly colored yellow hats, were seated under the watchful eyes of their teachers while waiting for the museum to open. Not far from them stood another group of museum attendees – seniors with their white hair (or lack of it) and canes and some even in wheelchairs. And scattered around were some twenty-to-thirty-something– young or old, depending on the viewer- adults, ourselves included.

57 Cars That Prove the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon was Awesome

The annual Tokyo Auto Salon just ended and the organizers have every reason to be happy. The show, which ran from January 15 to 17 saw a record 105.1 percent increase year-on-year. In total, 325,501 souls walked through Makuhari Messe to see the newest and best stuff the Japanese aftermarket had to offer.

Subaru and its tuning division, STI shows that it’s “proud of boxer” with a slew of racing and racing-inspired machines at the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon. STI also used this opportunity to outline their motorsports activities for the year.

“Be a driver” is a slogan adopted by Mazda to showcase the fun-to-drive attitude of its entire line-up. And it showed what could be done to give their line-up that extra edge at the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon. Although most were left wanting a proper Mazdaspeed version of their cars (this is well and covered by the other exhibitors), Mazda did give racing concept versions of the MX-5 (Roadster in Japan), Mazda6, CX-3, and the Mazda2 (Demio in Japan).

Toyota GAZOO Racing showed off its past, present, and future at the Tokyo Auto Salon by unveiling three new racing car entries for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring this coming May 26 to 29. The three vehicles, the Toyota C-HR Racing (based on the concept but not the eventual production model), Lexus RC, and Lexus RC F took the center stage all dressed in drool worthy racing gear.

Tokyo Auto Salon 2016: MUGEN Brings Out A More Extreme Honda Civic Type-R

Honda’s Civic Type-R isn’t for the faint of heart already thanks to its 300-horsepower, front-wheel drive configuration. However, for Japanese tuner MUGEN, it doesn’t seem crazy enough. At the Tokyo Auto Salon, they showed off a more extreme version of the Civic Type-R with the menacing Civic Type-R MUGEN.

NAIAS 2016: Everything is Awesome with These Ford LEGO Sets

The Ford Mustang and the F-150 Raptor are getting LEGO-fied. For the kids in everyone, LEGO is launching LEGO Speed Champions version of the Mustang and F-15 Raptor which will be available for retail by March of this year.

Honda is once again challenging the conventional thinking in the pickup truck market with the launch of the all-new 2017 Ridgeline at the North American International Auto Show. Containing exclusive features, Honda hopes it will set the benchmark for versatility, capability, and comfort in the midsized pickup category.

NAIAS 2016: Lexus's LC 500 is a Strong Statement

Lexus debuted a big surprise at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in the form of the LC 500 luxury coupe. Based off the LF-LC Concept which was shown four years ago, the LC 500 is the brand’s new provocative, athletic flagship coupe that makes the strongest statement about Lexus’s future direction.

You can now bring more friends on your off-road hijinks with the introduction of the F-150 Raptor SuperCrew. Still unmatched in terms of performance, the F-150 Raptor SuperCrew adds two full-sized rear doors and more rear passenger room. The wheelbase is stretched adding 12 inches (304 millimeters) to the already long 133-inch (3,378-millimeter) distance between the front and rear wheels.

A surprise hit for Ford, the Fusion has seen an uptick in sales especially in areas usually dominated by Japanese mid-sized sedans. Now, the Blue Oval is taking things a step further with the most technologically-packed Fusion ever. It also packs game changing drivetrain configurations none of which are available on the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.

BMW is evoking the legendary 2002 Turbo and the E30 BMW M3 with the all-new M2. A direct successor to the 1 Series M Coupe, the M2 delivers outstanding dynamics and exceptional agility in a compact package. With its high-performance inline-6 and rear-wheel drive, BMW says that this is the final world in driving pleasure.

Detroit marks the debut of two new Mercedes-Benz models, one of which made its global unveil at the show floor. 2015 is a record year for the three-pointed star, delivering a 13-percent growth in global sales. Now, Mercedes-Benz wants to build up on that success by re-engineering one of its most important products in its line-up: the E-Class.

Volkswagen is showing off the flexibility of its modular MQB Platform by presenting the Tiguan GTE Active Concept at the North American International Show (NAIAS). Based off the all-new Tiguan crossover, the Tiguan GTE Active Concept mixes plug-in hybrid technology with maximum off-road performance.

Audi is offering the all-new A4 in a go-anywhere guise: the A4 allroad quattro. Thanks to increased ground clearance and standard quattro all-wheel drive, it gives utmost confidence and comfort even when the pavement turns to trails.

Chevrolet gave its second-generation compact, the Cruze a sophisticated makeover when it debuted as a sedan last year. Now, they’re adding a new body style, a hatchback, into the mix with the introduction of the Cruze hatchback.

Chrysler is reviving the Pacifica nameplate to signal a new era in its minivan (MPV) offering. Replacing the Town & Country, Chrysler is positioning the Pacifica as not “your typical soccer mom” minivan. To that effect, the company is tapping into their minivan experience—all 30 years of it—creating a product with nearly 40 segment firsts.

NAIAS 2016: Ford Isn't A Car Company Anymore

You’re looking at the future of the Ford Motor Company. Though it doesn’t look it in terms of design or drivetrain (it’s introducing the Blue Oval’s first use of idle start/stop—something other automakers have been implementing on their products for quite some time), the 2017 Escape it’s the beginning of Ford’s move to make their vehicles smarter (you can read more on the Escape at the LA Auto Show here).

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February 23, 2016

First Drive: 2016 Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TSI Blue Motion

February 15, 2016

The Importance of Being Global: The Ford Ranger Story

February 4, 2016

Timeless Wonder: The Toyota Automotive Museum in Nagoya (w/ 74 Photos)

January 18, 2016

57 Cars That Prove the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon was Awesome

Tokyo Auto Salon 2016: Subaru is Proud of Boxer

Tokyo Auto Salon 2016: Mazda Wants You to be the Driver

Tokyo Auto Salon 2016: Toyota GAZOO is Ready to Race in 2016

January 17, 2016

Tokyo Auto Salon 2016: MUGEN Brings Out A More Extreme Honda Civic Type-R

January 13, 2016

NAIAS 2016: Everything is Awesome with These Ford LEGO Sets

NAIAS 2016: 2017 Honda Ridgeline is Conventional Yet Unconventional

January 12, 2016

NAIAS 2016: Lexus's LC 500 is a Strong Statement

NAIAS 2016: Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCrew is Still Unmatched

NAIAS 2016: 2017 Ford Fusion Packs More Power, Tech

NAIAS 2016: BMW M2 is the Reincarnation of the 2002 Turbo

NAIAS 2016: Mercedes-Benz E-Class, SLC is a Show of Strength

NAIAS 2016: Volkswagen Maximizes Tiguan in the GTE Active Concept

NAIAS 2016: Audi Takes A4 Off-Road with allroad quattro

NAIAS 2016: Chevrolet Adds Sporty Flair to Cruze with Hatchback Bodystyle

NAIAS 2016: Chrysler Bringing Excitement to Minivans with Pacifica

January 11, 2016

NAIAS 2016: Ford Isn't A Car Company Anymore