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Daily coverage of the world of cars.

Car Minded

The New Nissan Titan: Good, But Will Anyone Notice?


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The U.S. auto industry can confidently make the claim that it builds the best full-size trucks in the world.

Some foreign automakers attempt to compete, but so far no other company has come close to matching the reliability, capability, or popularity of the American Big 3.

Simply put, if you want a truck to haul a massive horse trailer or 5th wheel camper, you won’t find anything better equipped for the job than a truck straight out of Detroit.

If, on the other hand, you want a full-size truck for runs to Home Depot and helping friends move couches, Toyota or Nissan would be happy to sell you one.

That’s the impression, anyway. Nissan wants to change the way Americans see its full-size truck so it re-engineered the new Titan to give Detroit a run for its money. So far, though, buyers aren’t taking the bait. Continue reading >>>

End of the Road for the VW Beetle?


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Could the Volkswagen ID replace the Beetle?

Few vehicles are as iconic or as long-lasting as the Volkswagen Beetle. Beetles are easily identifiable and immediately recognized as Volkswagens almost anywhere in the world.

The original Beetle, officially known as the Type 1, began production in 1939 and continued until 2003. Volkswagen built 21,529,464 original Beetles which makes the car the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single platform ever made.

The New Beetle, as it was known, debuted in the United States in 1997 ran until 2011, when it was replaced by the current Beetle that still remains in production today.

Its existence, however, may finally come to an end, and VW’s diesel scandal may be at least partially responsible. Continue reading >>>

Station Wagons Are Back, But They’re Not Called Station Wagons Anymore

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The Buick Regal TourX will be based on the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer Wagon

Once upon a time station wagons were must-have family vehicles. Cars like the Vista Cruiser and Buick Estate were parked with pride in driveways across the nation. They epitomized family road trips as much as financial success.

Owning a station wagon was a status symbol of a life well-lived, even if behind closed doors they offered private chambers for yelling at kids and fighting over who got the “way back” seats.

As Americans settled into the 1990s, they discovered that the 4-wheel-drive capability and commanding view of sport utility vehicles made station wagons obsolete. The wagon was almost instantly forgotten.

Automakers have attempted to resurrect the wagon over the last couple of decades with limited success. Today, Buick and Jaguar are hoping their latest iterations of the wagon hit the sweet spot with American car buyers. Just don’t expect to them to be called station wagons. Continue reading >>>

With Volvo’s Comeback Complete, What’s Next?

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Well, they did it.

Written off as a doomed automaker when Ford unloaded it to Geely Automotive in 2010, Volvo has defied the odds and roared back to life while keeping its Swedish charm under Chinese ownership.

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

While execs at Volvo remained confident through the transition that they’d bring the company back to life, we have to take a moment and point out that Saab’s executives once thought the same thing.

Sinking automakers rarely can find the cash—or the buyers—to become relevant again and—like Saab—tend to disappear into the night.

Ask anyone who’s driven a new XC90, though, if Volvo shows any signs of disappearing. Continue reading >>>

Change and Sameness at the 2017 NYIAS


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2017 New York International Auto Show
Auto shows provide strong evidence to support the following proverb: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Gearheads from around the world arrive at the Javits Convention Center with eyes alight every Spring to get a look at and learn about the latest and greatest cars available for sale at the New York International Auto Show. The cars change from year to year, of course, but many other things stay pretty much the same. Continue reading >>>