By Chris Haak

These may be some of my favorite kinds of stories to write about.  My very limited understanding of Chinese culture , gained from talking to a few Chinese friends, is that if you give them something and tell them to make their own, they will find a way to duplicate it.  You have to be specific, though, or you will end up with something that looks very much like the original, but is quite different under the skin.  The thinking is, why innovate on design when there’s a perfectly good design there to work with?

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By Chris Haak

When I think of Australian cars, my thoughts immediately go to the likes of the Holden Commodore/Calais/Caprice and Ford Falcon, and all of their related derivatives.  Then the next thought that comes to mind is a tricked-out HSV-fortified Maloo R8 (pictured here) with its 6.2 liter LS3 V8 underhood.  They’re charming cars, and fun to drive (at least the old Pontiac G8 version of the Commodore was).  Unfortunately, they’re also dinosaurs in a world where small displacement, forced induction, and front wheel drive is the norm.

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By Carl Malek

Following in the wake of Chevrolet’s recent announcement of a manual transmission option throughout most of the 2012 Cruze model lineup, Car and Driver magazine reports that Ford is also planning to expand availability of a shift-it-yourself 5 speed manual transmission to Ford Focus Titanium models. This announcement should please enthusiasts that wish to row through the gears themselves when the road get twisty.

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By Chris Haak

Once upon a time, BMW’s storied Motorsports division stood for high-revving, power-dense inline-six engines paired to manual transmissions and installed in nothing but reasonably light rear wheel drive cars.  It’s safe to say that M has jumped the shark from that original mission years ago.  Now there are two-ton, self-shifting, forced-induction (with the exception of the 1 Series M), and sometimes even all wheel drive trucks.  But that’s OK, because they are also all gasoline-fueled.

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By Carl Malek

After months of speculation and numerous teases, Porsche has finally taken the curtain off of its latest redesigned offering, the 2013 Porsche Boxster Roadster. This car  promises to be the most efficient and performance-oriented Boxster iteration the company has ever built. The 2013 Porsche Boxster will not be formally unveiled until the Geneva Motor Show in March but the company was kind enough to share some initial details about its newest droptop ahead of its official unveiling.

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By Chris Haak

I love the Corvette.  There’s just something awesome about the classic shape, front engine/rear drive layout, V8 power, and an awesome soundtrack that gives me goosebumps when I drive one.  The car is getting old, though – not to the point that it is approaching 13 model years like the C4 did, but competitors have offered better interiors, more refinement, and in a few cases, better performance.

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By Carl Malek

When smart unveiled the for-us urban pickup truck concept on the floor of the 2012 North American International Auto Show, it was hard for me to decide which aspect of smart’s press conference was the strangest, John Lovitz of SNL fame helping to introduce the concept to the assembled press, or a smart “pickup truck” that has somewhat reasonable cargo capability. While I could not make a clear choice when it came to that particular debate, the smart For-Us concept car does bring some fresh ideas to the brand as well as what the future could hold for smart.

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By Carl Malek

Lincoln chose to kick off day two of the 2012 North American International Auto Show by unveiling this MKZ concept car which appears to be a slightly disguised glimpse into what the production version of the next generation MKZ sedan could  very well look like.

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By Chris Haak

Just as GM tried to attract younger, Generation Y buyers to the Chevrolet brand with the Code 130R concept, it rolled out a similarly-targeted, but very differently executed coupe concept called the Tru 140S.

Though the company received feedback from young potential buyers for both cars, and they both have similar horsepower numbers, there is a key difference.  The Code 130R is built on a small rear wheel drive platform, which is obviously great for at-the-limit handling – and has excessively conservative looks.

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By Chris Haak

Is it cool to own a GM car?  I believe the answer depends on who you’re asking and which car you’re talking about.  For instance, I have close family members who have an anti-Buick bias because of Buick’s image as the chariot of choice for blue-haired old ladies.  I love the Corvette, but its reputation is that its target buyer is an older male in the throes of a mid-life crisis.

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