The Car Connection - Blogs and News

Here's the Story: 2010 Jaguar XJ In All Its Glory

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:30:00 -0400

With a "news" embargo finally expired, TheCarConnection.com can bring you all the details and photos on the 2010 Jaguar XJ, unveiled tonight in a glitzy ceremony in London and set for a U.S. debut next month at the Pebble Beach Concours. The big story, of course, is the divorces behind the scenes: Ford divorced Jaguar and sold it to India's ..

Muscle Cars Rule, Even In Tehran

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:40:00 -0400

Even amidst the election protests and civil strife in Tehran, it appears that the city's muscle-car fans made time to meet and show off their V8-powered machines. We don't know a lot about the event shown--or when it took place--but a reader sent photos to The Atlantic's Daily Dish blog with the comment: Tehran's Camaro and Firebird enthusiast ..

Rumor: Another Clean Car Start Up Coming To The American South

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:16:00 -0400

It's good news/bad news day for T. Boone Pickens. On the one hand, his push for natural gas vehicles seems to be gaining traction in D.C. On the other, his new V-Vehicle Company in Monroe, Louisiana is about to get a little competition from two doors down. Chinese exile Yang Rong--former head of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. and ..

Megan Fox Forced To Wash Ferrari For Transformers 'Audition'

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:49:00 -0400

Readers: we're sorry to report that Hollywood is, in fact, still sleazy. We've just received news that actress Megan Fox's audition for Michael Bay's original Transformers consisted of Bay filming Fox while she washed his Ferrari. We're not shocked by the audition itself--hey, we've heard worse--but we're truly floored that Bay figured out how ..

T. Boone Pickens Pushes Natural Gas Boom

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:40:00 -0400

Oil baron-turned-clean tech tycoon T. Boone Pickens has been spending lots of time in D.C. these days, pushing for a variety of changes in U.S. energy policy. Yesterday he proved successful on one of those initiatives when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), joined Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) unveiled a bill ..

Disenfranchised Dealers Battle Chrysler, GM In D.C.

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:02:00 -0400

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering not one, but two bills that would provide legal remedies to the 2,100 dealers cut from the Chrysler and GM networks during each company's recent restructuring. Although the text of those bills hasn't filtered into the congressional database just yet, reports indicate that both would return ..

More 2010 Jaguar XJ Pics Spill Out; Full Story This Afternoon

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0400

The 2010 Jaguar XJ is coming--this week, TheCarConnection.com has the first photos of the revamped luxury sedan as it has its world premiere. Earlier today, other publications that were granted an advanced look at the XJ in London, published pictures that were previously held under embargo until tomorrow afternoon. So you're not left out of ..

Rumor: GM Going Green -- Literally

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:08:00 -0400

We all know that General Motors is trying to change its image. We also know that GM, like much of the auto industry, is trying to boost its eco-credentials. So is anyone really surprised to learn that GM's design team are considering a revamp of the company's image that includes changing the logo from blue to green? [Freep]

Driven: 2009 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:11:00 -0400

Long before Subaru introduced its WRX in the U.S. and Mitsubishi brought its Evo, Nissan sold the sporty SE-R version of its Sentra sedan. Besides giving the dowdy Sentra a few more horsepower and a new attitude, the SE-R, along with the Honda Civic Si, are often credited for sparking the tuner craze of the late '90s. Even though the SE-R ..

London Tries Anti-Speeding Black Box

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:23:00 -0400

By many accounts Britain is already a surveillance society, with a frighteningly high level of personal data collection and tracking. So somehow it's not too surprising that the U.K. is considering some of its most drastic, interventionist measures for motorists--including controlling the gas pedal. AutoWeek reports that a month-long trial, Run ..

Dirty Dozen: The Most Awesomely Craptastic Car Commercials Ever

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:30:00 -0400

Yep, the economy's in the toilet and headed further south--where that final destination is, we can only guess. (Tierra del Fuego? Tampa?) Everyone's getting desperate--here at TCC we're stopping all deliveries of Costco cheese crackers --but car dealers are the worst off, so far as we can tell. From giving away free schwag like oil changes and ..

2010 BMW 5-Series GT Replacing U.S. Wagon?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:15:00 -0400

When it introduces the new 2010 5-series GT later this year to American shoppers, BMW may quietly wave goodbye to its traditional 5-Series station wagon. "It's possible" that the new hatchback GT and its controversially shaped cargo area could take the spot in the lineup occupied by the 2009 BMW 5-Series wagon. The new GT could fit better with ..

Full-Size Vans: What You Need To Know To Arrive Safely

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:20:00 -0400

It's that time of the year again when church groups, summer camps, seasonal jobs, and corporate outings bring people not necessarily accustomed to full-size vans into them. While minivans are closely related mechanically to sedans and lower crossover vehicles and typically have top-notch safety ratings, full-size vans like the Ford Econoline ..

This Benz Folds Like A...Bike

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:00:00 -0400

The latest vehicle from Mercedes-Benz doesn't depend on a tough safety cage to protect its passenger--and it doesn't have anything modified by AMG, unless it happens to run into a tuned Benz as it strays from the bicycle path. It's the latest version of the Mercedes-Benz Folding Bike, one of the handful of two-wheelers made by luxury brands to ..

The Big Tease Continues: 2010 Bentley Arnage

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:30:00 -0400

The teaser campaign for the new "grand Bentley" continues with this latest photo from Crewe--the rear roofline of the new sedan that's to replace the Bentley Arnage. The new sedan is set for a debut at the Pebble Beach Concours in August, and for sale next year. From the details shown in the photo, the new four-door's look bears some ..