AutoWeek articles from November 2006

AutoWeek archives from November 2006

BIG TRUCKS, BIG CHOICES.(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER In addition to three trim levels for Silverado and four trims for Sierra (including the GMC-exclusive high-end Denali), here are some of the options available on the General's full-size 2007 pickups: CAB...

Apple Vs. Apple - part 2 of 2; Two cars we're nutty about prove fast fruit.
November 6, 2006... The overall winner? The Cayman was tops in every one of the objective number tests and felt better to drive in all conditions but one. The M Coupe felt way better on the racetrack. So the Porsche finishes first because it was better (just...

INTRIGUING GEM.(Escape Roads)
November 6, 2006... Byline: BROOKS BRIERLEY Electric-powered automobiles were once a big deal. As the 20th century began, a Hartford, Connecticut, combine, Pope Manufacturing and the Electric Vehicle Co. (with the help of Studebaker), was building hundreds of...

PULL-AHEAD PROGRAM; Full-size pickups give GM an early lead in looming truck wars.(News)
November 6, 2006... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER In March 2005, more than two years into development of General Motors' latest full-size pickups, word came from management that these big trucks needed to be in the market 13 weeks ahead of schedule. GM's brain...

Still Sexy; Annual gathering celebrates Austin-Healeys.(Revs)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Larry Sanata If there was any doubt about the adage "sex sells,'' you only had to be in Akron, Ohio, for this year's Austin-Healey Conclave. During the course of a week, hundreds of the sexiest classic English sports cars ever...

Flash.(Briefs)
November 6, 2006... Not for me Champ Car racer Paul Tracy, who ran six Busch races in 2006, says his NASCAR aspirations are over. "I enjoyed my experiences in NASCAR, and I appreciate the relationships that I have developed during my first season of stock...

Events.(Calendar)
November 6, 2006... Nov. 12 28th Florida Fall Packard Meet Sarasota, Fla. No entry fee, judging or trophies, just a good time for Packard people. Call (941) 371-0070. Nov. 18 Vettes on the Avenue Melbourne, Fla. This is an open...

Drivers Log.(News)
November 6, 2006... 2007 Saturn Aura XR Date in fleet: Oct. 13-23 As-tested price: $26,820 Powertrain: 3.6-liter V6; fwd, six-speed automatic Output: 252 hp @ 6400 rpm, 251 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm Curb weight: 3647 lbs Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 22.9/21.4 mpg ...

Flash.(Briefs)
November 6, 2006... Todt to the top Ferrari's board of directors has appointed Jean Todt as the Italian automaker's new chief executive officer. Todt had been chief of the company's Formula One racing team and will continue his involvement in Ferrari's racing...

CAUGHT IN THE ACT; Exhibit remembers drag racing back in the day.(Revs)
November 6, 2006... Byline: JACOB LINGEMAN While today's race photographers worry about megapixels and memory cards, they should take a moment and give a nod to their predecessors. Photographers covering drag racing in the 1960s dealt with speed, smoke and...

CRASHING THE AFTERMARKET PARTY; Ford brings show-and-go parts to SEMA.(Ford Motor corp.)(Ford Genuine Accessories )(Ford Racing Performance )(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Byline: JONATHAN WONG With "American Muscle'' as the theme of this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, Ford is betting that the annual aftermarket event will help the company further cash in on the $34 billion...

DOWN TO IT; With three races to go, five drivers have a legitimate chance to win the Cup.(Kevin Harvick)(Mark Martin )(Tony Stewart )(Matt Kenseth )
November 6, 2006... Byline: Al Pearce Eight drivers began the Bass Pro Shops 500 near Atlanta harboring realistic hopes of hoisting the Nextel Cup. They ranged from series leader Matt Kenseth to eighth-ranked Kasey Kahne, a mere 99 points behind. Most...

NEXT UP: JAPANESE RALLY ROCKETS; Mitsu's next Evo and Subie's next Impreza pegged for U.S. premieres in 2007.(News)
November 6, 2006... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER American muscle cars claim center stage at this week's Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, but look for a couple of SEMA-favorites from Japan to grab the auto show spotlight down the road. ...

R, Matey.(News)
November 6, 2006... Volkswagen is taking this SEMA stuff seriously. As the vanguard of European car companies that jumped into the Vegas tuner show mosh pit a year ago, VW this year defends its turf with the R GTI concept. Packing a turbo-charged 2.0-liter,...

Apple Vs. Apple - part 1 of 2; Two cars we're nutty about prove fast fruit.
November 6, 2006... Granted, AutoWeek's Double-Take comparisons have existed for only two years, so saying this one was the closest ever is like marveling at a NASCAR finish made close by TV-commercial yellow flags. Nonetheless, never have two cars come to the...

TV: Nov. 10-12.(Brief article)(Calendar)
November 6, 2006... Friday, Nov. 10 NASCAR Live from Avondale, Ariz., 4 p.m., Speed (L) NASCAR Nextel Cup qualifying from Phoenix, 5 p.m., Speed (L) Trackside at Phoenix, 7 p.m., Speed (L) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from Phoenix, 8 p.m., Speed...

As Time Goes By.(Porsche 911)(Cadillac)(Column)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Richard S. Chang My buddy Jeff has this idea that old Japanese cars are going to be the next muscle cars, as investments. "Of course, to a lesser degree,'' he qualifies. Still, he thinks I should pick up some old Datsuns, Toyota...

RED, WHITE AND BAD; The Big Three roll out some seriously hot iron for SEMA's annual festival of decadence.(News)
November 6, 2006... Byline: NATALIE NEFF Forget about a featured marque. This year, the folks at SEMA have decided to focus on an entire class, with Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler sharing the spotlight at the annual trade show in a celebration of...

RUNOFF REBIRTH; The SCCA's cornerstone event finds a new home.(Sports Car Club of America)
November 6, 2006... Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH Topeka, Kansas, population 122,088, suffers from a bit of an inferiority complex, which is unfortunate and unnecessary. This is, after all, the state capital. It features numerous fine restaurants and museums and...

But Wait, There's More...(BWTM)
November 6, 2006... Hyperventilating Hyperlinks * www.freshcreation.nl/comments.php?id=669_0_1_0_C * http://nurburgring.org.uk/webcams.html Plan your year and make a difference The BMW enthusiasts at Bavarian Autosport have produced a fine yet...

HIDDEN AGENDA; Camo'd C30 might disguise future Volvo.(Product/service evaluation)
November 6, 2006... Byline: GREG KABLE Volvo has gone from strength to strength of late. S40, XC90, C70 and S80 have set the automaker's international sales on an upward trajectory that clearly makes it stand out as the jewel in Ford's beleaguered Premier...

GLOBAL INTRIGUE; Nissan hopes the '07 Sentra puts a dent in Civic and Corolla control of small-car market.(News)
November 6, 2006... Byline: WES RAYNAL The car you see on this page is not the next-generation Saturn Ion, nor is it some kind of shrunken version of the next-generation Chrysler Sebring. Though it looks like a combination of the two, it is in fact the 2007...

AutoWeek Readers' Choice Awards; 273 cars, trucks and sport/utility vehicles on the market in 2006 vied for top honors-here's what you chose as tops in their categories.
November 6, 2006... A day does not go by for the AutoWeek staff that we aren't grilled on what car we like. This is The Question. While we don't mind giving opinions, it isn't always The Answer, because those answers emerge as a result of living with cars,...

Checkered Flag: Racing's Holy Grail.(Column)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Kevin A. Wilson You've got the answer at hand to any automotive history question, right? You can point to Ray Harroun's 1911 Indy 500 victory as the moment when the rearview mirror gained credence. You know Charles Kettering's...

WHO'S NEXT?(Competition)
November 6, 2006... Three-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. is the latest open-wheel star to eye NASCAR. He'll drive the Penske-owned No. 39 Dodge in the upcoming Busch Series races at Phoenix and Homestead, then run some ARCA, Busch and Cup races...

Letters.
November 6, 2006... Volvo's new territory Interesting Volvo C30 story (Oct. 23). Missing, however, was mention that the platform is shared with the Ford Focus. I admire Volvo for its courage in entering the hot-hatch game, but that market moves too quickly...

Who went where?
November 6, 2006... Ever find yourself sitting around with a bunch of buddies when someone asks, "Whatever happened to... ?'' That was the AutoWeek lunchroom the other day, and we came up with names like Jigger Sirois and Liz Carmichael of The Dale fame. That got...

MARKET.(Escape Roads)
November 6, 2006... Byline: KEITH MARTIN Kruse International Auburn, Ind. Aug. 30 1964 Pontiac Bonneville convertible 389-cid V8, auto. White with black vinyl interior. The paint is well applied but not perfect, with minor swirl marks and chips...

AutoWeek.com.(News)
November 6, 2006... Web exclusives Are you looking for more AutoWeek each week? Check out autoweek.com every Wednesday for a special online-only editorial. This week, road test editor Natalie Neff discusses habits and how they affect our driving. Be sure to...

Jaguar hits Apex.(Competition)
November 6, 2006... Richard Lloyd's Apex Motorsport will develop Jaguar's new XKR coupe for use in the FIA GT3 Euro Series beginning next year. Apex, which won Le Mans in 2003 with Bentley, is operating independently from Jaguar, meaning its XKR is not a...

Reservations Recommended.(News)
November 6, 2006... Jan. 10, 2007 Cobo Center, Detroit Featured Speakers: Robert Boniface, General Motors design; Moray Callum, Ford design; Ralph Gilles, Chrysler design. Additional speakers to be announced. Cost: $275 full day, includes continental...

AutoWeek Design Forum.(News)
November 13, 2006... Jan. 10, 2007 Cobo Center, Detroit Featured Speakers: Robert Boniface, General Motors design; Moray Callum, Ford design; Ralph Gilles, Chrysler design. Additional speakers to be announced. Cost: $275 full day, includes continental...

Creativity Unbound: Part 2 of 2.(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: Roger Hart, Natalie Neff, Dutch Mandel, Larry Edsall Phoenix Motorcars Sport/Utility Truck "You don't need a sledgehammer to pound in carpet tacks,'' actor and clean-air advocate Ed Begley Jr. said at the introduction of this...

TAKE THE HIGH COUNTRY; Chrysler's first SUV arrives, just in time for the great SUV die-off.(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: MARK VAUGHN First, an item of housekeeping. The nice new full-size Chrysler Aspen you see here has nothing to do with the Dodge Aspen you may have tried to get fixed back in 1977. That rattly sedan had rust galore, electrical...

Flash.(Briefs)
November 13, 2006... Frentzen fired Audi fired former Formula One driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen from its DTM German touring car team after one season. Frentzen, who retired from the season-ender at Hockenheim after colliding with teammate Mattias Ekstrom, said...

Three and You're In!(Escape Roads)
November 13, 2006... Byline: ERIC TEGLER Picture yourself a young AUTO enthusiast in England in the late 1950s. Your yearning to join the sports car set is matched only by your inability to afford a sports car and the driving test necessary for your license....

The Atomic Chef and a Bad Tamagotchi.(Steven Casey)(Book review)
November 13, 2006... Byline: Steve Thompson "As technologies mature and become more reliable overall, the source of accidents often shifts from being hardware-related to being interface-related.'' So writes author Steven Casey in the prologue of The Atomic...

MASHED MARKETS; SEMA makes strange bedfellows.(Specialty Equipment Market Association)(Criss Angel contracts with RealWheels Accessories)
November 13, 2006... Byline: RICHARD S. CHANG Criss Angel, the illusionist with a heavy-metal style who has suddenly displaced David Blaine as the magician du jour, made an appearance for RealWheels Accessories at the 2006 Specialty Equipment Market...

A Classic Collection; Chandler sale sets records at $36 million.(Revs)
November 13, 2006... Byline: MARK VAUGHN The collection of former Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler evolved over the years along with the interests of the man, from classics and motorcycles to muscle cars and racing Porsches. When the celebrated...

SUPER BINDERS; Electronic wedge brakes will change the way we stop.(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: GREG KABLE Never heard of the EWB OR electronic wedge brake? Don't worry. Chances are you'll be hearing a lot about it in coming years. That's the opinion of German electronics specialist Siemens, which claims the high-tech...

FINAL CURTAIN; Until X, this is as good as Evo gets.(Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X)(Product/service evaluation)
November 13, 2006... Byline: DINO DALLE CARBONARE This is it. The final Evo installment before the all-new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X arrives sometime in 2007 or early 2008. In its 14-year lifespan, this Lancer model has evolved through a total of 14...

PUMPING IRON; Does muscle-car focus put domestic automakers at risk-or does it further expand the tuner marketplace?(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: RICHARD S. CHANG For trend spotters, it was a strange experience at the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show. Though the weeklong high-performance cluster offered the usual technological developments, design innovations and...

STI EVOLVES; STI to expand across Subaru range. Will Evolution follow?(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Our SEMA coverage details the hardware on Subaru's Forester Sports 2.5 XT concept (see page 33), but here's the news: This might be a concept today, but before long you can expect this car and a Legacy, both wearing...

COMPUTE THIS.(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: BOB GRITZINGER Azentek's Atlas CPC-1000 is the size of a typical seven-inch navigation screen. It takes up the same in-dash depth as a standard car audio system, too. But packed into that space is a fully functional personal...

Flash.(Briefs)
November 13, 2006... Bringing the Bling? DaimlerChrysler said the company will make a go/no-go decision on the Chrysler Imperial by the end of the year or early next year. Officials said the development teams have compiled all the information needed to make a...

MISTER CONSISTENCY BOWS OUT; Terry Labonte wraps up a sure-fire Hall of Fame career.(Terry Labonte )
November 13, 2006... Byline: AL PEARCE Terry Labonte was a fuzzy-cheeked 21-year-old when he made his NASCAR debut. He was so green, in fact, he worried his fledgling career might end at any moment. Twenty-eight years and two championships later, that moment...

Unique Racing Memorabilia for a Cause.(Column)
November 13, 2006... Byline: Dutch Mandel You think it's tough to get insurance? Be a race team member. That job is like crab fishermen when getting love (and a reasonable premium) from an insurance company. That's when the Championship Auto Racing...

Drivers Log.(News)
November 13, 2006... Morrison: Welcome to Dimension X, where even your 80-year-old grandmother can drive a 480-hp 911 Turbo as easily (I didn't say as well) as an experienced driver of across-the-board exotica. Manufacturers are obviously no longer going to...

foosetopia; SEMA belongs to Chip Foose this year, and the Hemisfear is the star of the show.(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: MARK VAUGHN At this year's SEMA show there were at least 30 Chip Foose cars. As near as anyone can tell, that's a record for an individual builder (attention outraged readers: Please send any letters about the 31 cars and two...

Race Report.(Tony Stewart's acheivements)
November 13, 2006... Tony Stewart whipped 'em at Texas Motor Speedway about as soundly as one man can whip 42 others. He led eight times for 278 of 339 laps to take the win over Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer. "In 27 years of racing...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
November 13, 2006... Driving vacations I just returned from a two-week European vacation to get my new Volvo in Sweden. Volvo's program (Oct. 25 Buyers Guide, "Taking Over, Over There'') beats the others. Not only an 8 percent discount on the car's base price,...

SETTLING UP.(Competition)
November 13, 2006... Dario Franchitti will indeed return to Indy car racing in 2007. But he'll also be a member of Andretti Green Racing's new American Le Mans Series entry. Though AGR has not confirmed it, Franchitti will be a regular in the IRL car and will...

Bliss in Suburbia; Our latest toy promises miles of coddled comfort, acres of space and utility.(Product/service evaluation)
November 13, 2006... Byline: WES RAYNAL, BOB GRITZINGER WE WANTED a luxury liner that could tow our long-term Airstream trailer-aka AutoWeek Mobile HQ-in comfort to events we planned to attend, from the Woodward Dream Cruise to an IRL race at Michigan...

Market.(Escape Roads)(Brief article)
November 13, 2006... Byline: KEITH MARTIN Carlisle Auctions Carlisle, Pa. Sept. 29 1991 GMC Syclone 4.3-liter, 280-hp turbo V6, automatic, all-wheel drive. Black with black cloth interior. Original monochromatic paint is swirled, scratched...

TALENT HARVEST; There's a crop of fine young drivers growing in the Midwest.(Brady Bacon)(Kevin Swindell )(Bryan Clauson)(Kasey Kahne)(Brad Kuhn)(Billy Wease )
November 13, 2006... Byline: CURT CAVIN THERE IS NOTHING about Midwestern soil that enriches a race car driver's career, but with so many having flourished there on their way to NASCAR-including Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne-this...

TV: Nov. 17-19.(News)(Calendar)
November 13, 2006... Friday, Nov. 17 The Chase is On, 1 a.m., Speed American Muscle Car, 2 a.m., Speed Barrett-Jackson 2006: The Auctions, 3 a.m., Speed Barrett-Jackson 2006: The Auctions, 4 a.m., Speed The Chase is On, 7 a.m., Speed ...

AutoWeek.com.
November 13, 2006... More from SEMA Our SEMA coverage extends past the end of the show. We've got a few new galleries and some extra stories going up at autoweek.com/sema this week. We're cramming in more photos of vintage rides and also some of the wildest...

RIGHTO! New Morgan gets newer features.(Product/service evaluation)
November 13, 2006... Byline: MARK VAUGHN It's not like there's a new Morgan model every four years as there is a new Honda Civic, so anytime even a smidgen of a difference pops up in a Morgan, it's newsworthy. Thus, here we have the new Morgan Aero 8 Series...

SIZE MATTERS; BMW's new X5 is bigger and better.(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: WES RAYNAL "Don't think of it as a truck, think of it as a performance machine.'' Those are the words of BMW North America boss Tom Purves, and the car he was talking about is BMW's new X5. And by the way, adds Purves, don't call...

PLEDGE OF THE EDGE; Will this new crossover drive Ford to profitability or just to greater market diversity?(Ford Motor Co.)
November 13, 2006... Byline: Mark Vaughn Here's a punishing thought: It is entirely possible that Ford chose the name Edge just to make headline writers freak out. So many choices, what to do? "Ford Edges Into the Future,'' "Ford Reaches the Edge,'' "Ford...

TAILOR-MADE; Porsche's newest Targa further divides the 911 line.(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: J.P. Vettraino The 911 Targa ranks with Kleenex and Dumpsters. Forty years after its launch, its name is almost generic for cars with a fixed-frame roof that opens. The first Targa was introduced in 1967 in response to U.S....

Events.(Calendar)
November 13, 2006... Dec. 2 Festival Flea Market Holiday Classic Car Show Pompano Beach, Fla. More than 60 trophies and $1,000 in cash prizes will be awarded. Visit cruisinsouth florida.com for details. Dec. 10 Arrigo Mopar Show Jupiter,...

Creativity Unbound: Part 1 of 2.(News)
November 13, 2006... Byline: Roger Hart, Natalie Neff, Dutch Mandel, Larry Edsall No, Thanks, I'll Take the Jet... Car When you have the top-rated nighttime talk show, sell out theaters around the country, make a gazillion dollars a year and you're a car...

Toly's Ghost.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 13, 2006... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Toly's Ghost by Burt "BS'' Levy, hardbound, 673 pages, Think Fast Ink LLC, self-published, $35, www.lastopenroad.com If you just can't get enough of racing's golden age-in this case, the years 1955 to 1961-then you...

LESTER LOSING OUT.(Bill Lester)(Brief article)
November 13, 2006... NASCAR will lose its only African-American driver if Bill Lester can't find sponsorship for a ride next year. After five full years in the Craftsman Truck Series (three of them with Bill Davis Racing), Lester is losing his seat with BDR....

But Wait, There's More...(BWTM)
November 13, 2006... GENTLEMEN, START YOUR FEET! NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and family's Victory Junction Gang Camp needs your help. The camp, dedicated to providing support to children with chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses, will hold the first...

Race Report.(Phoenix Cup race)
November 20, 2006... With no pressure and nothing to lose-well, relatively speaking-Kevin Harvick and crew chief Todd Berrier figured on having some fun in the Phoenix Cup race. Even in their wildest dreams, though, they couldn't have figured on having this much...

A CHAMPION'S HEART; Sebastien Bourdais closes the season as he started it. By winning.(Motorsports)
November 20, 2006... Byline: J.P. VETTRAINO Rain-soaked Mexico City delivered a finish for the ages, and there was no reason it had to be that way. Sebastien Bourdais might have happily cruised to second place and taken his third straight championship bonus...

OLD CARS BECOME BIG BUSINESS; Unique Performance makes aging brutes (the cars, not you) young again.(Doug Hasty)
November 20, 2006... Byline: Mark Vaughn In case you haven't noticed, muscle cars are now big business in America. And not just modern muscle cars like the Saleen and Roush Mustangs. The old originals are racking up big transaction prices at auctions, provided...

TV: Nov. 24-26.(News)
November 20, 2006... Friday, Nov. 24 Back in the Day, 7 a.m., Speed NASCAR Beyond the Wheel, 7:30 a.m., Speed American Muscle Car, 8 a.m., Speed Car Crazy, 8:30 a.m., Speed American Muscle Car marathon, 9 a.m., Speed Saturday, Nov. 25 ...

IS IT OVER? There's still one race left, but it will be tough to beat Jimmie Johnson.(Motorsports)
November 20, 2006... Byline: AL PEARCE This is such a silly suggestion it probably doesn't merit much attention. But let's pay attention, anyway, if only for a few moments. The suggestion is this: Jimmie Johnson is the best NASCAR driver never to have won a...

Chrome Dreams; Auto restoration is a business of dreams-but you pay a price for perfection.(Revs)
November 20, 2006... Byline: Ken Gross Depression-era survivors, the Greatest Generation, even baby boomers-we all lust for cars that are long out of production. Maybe it was your first car, or one you wanted but couldn't afford. Perhaps you've already found...

Electrons Gone Wild.(automobile electronics)(Column)
November 20, 2006... Byline: Kevin A. Wilson Beep-beep. Beep-beep. I'd just picked up my youngest son from college, and we were driving home in an Infiniti M35x. Something kept beeping-barely audible over the XM radio. But I saw no light on the dash. ...

THE DAY AFTER; If diesels are the answer, Mercedes-Benz can't wait for the question.(News)
November 20, 2006... Byline: J.P. VETTRAINO We've been shown the future, and it's not bad at all. As of now, however, the future does not apply in California or four heavily populated northeastern states. And those of us in the other 45 might reasonably ask:...

THE BARON.(Product/service evaluation)
November 20, 2006... Byline: JAN TEGLER Unlike its more popular successor, the Jensen Interceptor, the C-V8 never had a model name. But if it did, it might have been called "The Baron.'' Virtually unknown on this side of the Atlantic, the C-V8 starred...

DAYTONA STARS AND RUMORS.(Competition)
November 20, 2006... Why would a NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion, two Indianapolis 500 winners and a Champ Car World Series star all be at the same test? They're gearing up for Grand-Am's Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. The Nov. 6-7 test at Daytona International...

Market.(Escape Roads)
November 20, 2006... Byline: KEITH MARTIN Carlisle Auctions Carlisle, Pa. Sept. 29 1992 Jaguar XJS convertible 5.3-liter V12, automatic. Maroon with beige leather interior. Original paint decent, with some chips and scratches. Excellent panel...

NOTHING ARTIFICIAL ABOUT IT; THE NHRA don't need no points shuffle to make racing exciting.(National Hot Rod Association)(Doug Kalitta )(Tony Schumacher)
November 20, 2006... Byline: MARK VAUGHN Next year the NHRA implements a new points system to try and make things more interesting. After watching the final round of the 2006 season, one of the most thrilling in memory, you have to ask why. Three of the...

RUNNING CLEAN; GM says it has a diesel engine that is 50-state legal.(News)
November 20, 2006... Byline: ROGER HART General Motors powertrain engineers unveiled a V8 diesel available for light-duty trucks after 2009 that they say meets the ultra-strict 2009 federal emission standards. To date, only Mercedes-Benz and, most...

SWAYING THE JURY; The FJ is slowly building its case.(News)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... Byline: ANDREW LUU The retro-inspired Toyota FJ Cruiser met a staff divided when it joined our long-term fleet. Some liked its off-beat character, others criticized its huge blind spots and premium-fuel diet. But some opinions have already...

AutoWeek.com.
November 20, 2006... Until you get one in your garage How about parking this smokin' Aston on your desktop? We're uploading several wallpapers of this British masterpiece for your enjoyment. Go to autoweek.com/wallpapers to snag this beauty while you save your...

Who else?(Brief article)
November 20, 2006... Beyond the lineup at Pacific Coast Motorsports (see Flash), only a handful of Champ Car drivers are signed for next season. Those with contracts include Sebastien Bourdais at Newman-Haas, Paul Tracy at Forsythe, and rookie-of-the-year Will...

But Wait, There's More...
November 20, 2006... Captain Obvious actually Doug Fehan "All I know is that Ron will retire-one day.'' -Corvette Racing boss, on speculation that team-leader Ron Fellows might hang up his helmet PHOTO WITH CAPTION: Shanghai Automotive chairman Hu...

BACKLASH; Contemporary styling shows in '08 Mercedes-Benz C-Class.(News)
November 20, 2006... Byline: GREG KABLE Out with stodgy, in with style. That's what we're seeing in these spy shots of Mercedes-Benz's third-generation C-Class, captured here prior to its public debut at the 2007 Geneva motor show. The car will be produced in...