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 >>>
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Lexus or Jaguar: Rakish Design Versus Subdued Elegance
Allow me to take you back in time. Let’s go to the early 1990s and stroll right on up to 2015 or so.
I want us to take a look at luxury cars during our journey. Specifically, let’s focus on Jaguar and Lexus.
Lexus was still new to America after being introduced in 1989 with the LS 400 sedan. The company took pride in creating a luxury car that was high in comfort while possessing a certain understated elegance.
Lexus appealed to people with similar qualities. Conservative older folks flocked to Lexus because it provided the reliability and unassuming looks of Toyota with the comfort and interior class of traditional German luxury brands.
Other luxury makers, including BMW and Jaguar, touted performance and unique design as selling points. Lexus buyers wanted none of that and enjoyed decades of low-profile luxury motoring.
Those days are gone. Continue reading >>>
America’s Car of Choice: British?
British cars were once known in the United States as being luxurious but notoriously unreliable. Think about the 1990s era Jaguars, any Land Rover sold before 2008, and the exceptional cost of maintaining Aston Martins.
Sales were limited to people who were willing to deal with electrical gremlins and frequent repair visits in exchange for some prestige and exclusivity.
Today the British brands have turned things around and the American car-buying public has taken notice. Or have they? Continue reading >>>
Changing Model Years: North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists
The Los Angeles Auto Show opens to the public this weekend after three days of well-attended press events and unveilings. This week’s debuting AutoMobility LA conference also featured presentations from a wide variety of industry experts and CEOs addressing the futures of the auto business, driving, mobility, and ownership, and kicked off a competition among ten promising auto startups. The car business is never boring, and we know 2017 promises plenty of excitement, there and elsewhere.
The L.A. show effectively kicks off a new model year, but it also sort of wraps up the current one. On AutoMobiltity LA’s first morning, the field of 2017 North American Car and Truck of the Year nominees was narrowed from 30 to 9 finalists. Judged by a group of 60 journalists from magazine, TV, radio, newspaper, and online auto publishers in the U.S. and Canada, the NACTOY awards honor excellence in innovation, design, performance, safety, technology, driver satisfaction, and value.