2012 Honda CR-V hold off new rivals?

the CR-V's styling is handsome and gives the impression the vehicle is bigger than it is. It's about an inch shorter than the previous version, but otherwise the same.

The new model's "presence" keeps you from feeling as if you bought the pee-wee model, and instead lets you revel in owning an SUV of apparent substance. Satisfying.

Mileage is up significantly, as much as four miles per gallon better, depending on model and equipment, resulting in a 31-mpg highway rating on the most fuel-efficient version, which looks good in ads. Good mpg gives a patina of social concern and engineering expertise, even if you don't hit the sticker numbers in your driving. (And, of course, Test Drive didn't.)

The interior, previously criticized as plain, even cheap, got enough upgrading to surfaces, layout and trim that it now seems fine. Won't wow you, but isn't a reason not to buy.

2012 Honda CR-V

Bugatti’s Veyron Grand Sports : Dubai Motor Show

Of the 150 examples of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport earmarked for production, only 45 of them have been accounted for. Haute Living takes a closer look at the three spectacular Bugattis that made it to the Dubai Motor Show.

The original Bugatti Veyron has ended its production phase, but that doesn’t mean the end of the Veyron altogether. One hundred and fifty examples of the Grand Sport have been scheduled for production and only 45 of those have been accounted for, leaving 105 examples still available for order.

Bugatti offers a nearly endless array of customization options for both inside and outside of their cars. To demonstrate what they can do to a Veyron, Bugatti has brought three specially outfitted examples to the Dubai Motor Show.

Chevrolet Unveils 2012 Corvette Daytona

Chevy has pulled the wraps off its 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype, a mid-engine racer designed to compete in the Grand-Am Racing Series.

The car is a joint effort that involved Chevrolet, Pratt & Miller, Riley, Coyote, Dallara, and Grand-Am officials. The end result is a bona-fide race car with a number of unmistakable Corvette cues, including the traditional twin flag logo, hood design, and quad taillights. The car will allegedly be powered by a 5.0-liter small-block V-8, which is placed aft of the passenger cabin.

“Racing and performance are the founding principles of Chevrolet, and bringing the Corvette Daytona Prototype to Grand-Am is a tremendous opportunity,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice president, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The opportunity for innovation is what makes the Daytona Prototype Class such a good fit for Chevrolet.

BMW Electric Car I3 and Hybrid I8 in 2013

BMW i8 plug-in hybrid

After BMW reportedly designing incentive electric-powered cars and plug ins that are named after the sub brand ‘i’, now BMW has officially revealed about the car.

Both are BMW I3 using stun pure power, and BMW I8 plug-in hybrid vehicles, namely cars powered combination of conventional engine and electric motor. BMW I3 and BMW I8 will be produced at BMW’s plant located in Leipzig, eastern Germany.

One of the interesting things observed, it turns out BMW in cooperation with Audi AG – Another German luxury car manufacturer – to work on the source of electrical power for the BMW I3. Electric motors and batteries are the exact same car with Audi E-tron, namely the Audi R8 is electrically powered and will appear in the market by 2012.

Both i3 and i8 will be built in BMW’s Leipzig plant, which will receive 400 million euros of investment. Development and production synergies will be achieved as both vehicles will share component sets for the electric motors, power electronics and lithium-ion batteries. It will primarily focus on smartphone applications such as the MyCity app which provides users with information on public transportation, parking availability, and local entertainment. Additional information will be announced at the Geneva Motor Show

BMW 7 Series “UAE Edition”

To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the unification of the United Arab Emirates, BMW launched a limited edition 7 Series model at the 2011 Dubai Motor Show.


The company says will only produce 40 units of the “special” 7er which will be sold through the Emirates two BMW importers: AGMC and Abu Dhabi Motors.


The 7 Series “UAE Edition” uses the 750Li model as a base and to distinguish them from the standard model, BMW will offer the limited edition in the exclusive Marakesh Brown exterior color. Inside, a Merino Platinum leather is offered with the UAE emblem on the headrest, iDrive button and dashboard. At the rear, a chrome trim is engraved with “40 years UAE limited edition.”

First Look: Cadillac XTS

Fifteen years ago, we'd have been hard-pressed to believe that Cadillac could build SUVs that appear in rap songs or performance cars that can keep up with BMWs. We probably wouldn't have predicted a station wagon, either. On the other hand, we'd have been aghast to learn that Cadillac could neglect the traditional full-size sedan, as it has for most of the last decade. That will change starting this spring, when Cadillac launches the XTS, which debuts in production form this week at the Los Angeles auto show.

Changing needs

To better understand what the XTS is -- and isn't -- it's helpful to remember what was going on when the project started a short three years ago.

Cadillac had just introduced the second-generation CTS and had been considering several plans for a larger car -- rumors abounded that Bob Lutz wanted a six-figure flagship based on the 2003 Sixteen concept. Then the economy collapsed, and General Motors quickly ran short of cash.

"It was leading into some financial crisis that changed plans - the world changes, customers' needs change," says Cadillac product director Hampden Tener.

In other words, Cadillac wasn't going to mount a full-on assault on the likes of the BMW 7-series and the Mercedes-Benz S-class as it -- and many luxury-car buyers - stared down the barrel of a crippling recession. And yet the brand urgently needed a new full-size sedan. The rear-wheel-drive STS was failing to attract many new buyers into showrooms, and the antediluvian DTS was actually scaring them away.

2013 Cadillac XTS