Paris 2010: It wasn’t all champagne and frog’s legs…

By John LeBlanc PARIS — While there were many delightful surprises and forward thinking concept and production car debuts at this year’s Paris auto show, you can’t have two days of presentations without a few duds showing up…

Paris 2010: Design Disasters

By John LeBlanc PARIS, France – Is it me, or is car design in a bit of a funk? Maybe it’s the new pedestrian laws—that are demanding higher hoodlines and subsequently taller (i.e. odd) proportions. Or maybe the financial demand of making the tougher fuel economy and emissions regulations has crunched automotive design department budgets. […]

The Crank: Why Audi shouldn’t build its Paris Quattro concept

By John LeBlanc Of all the groundbreaking cars at this year’s Parisian shindig, personally, Audi’s Quattro Concept was my out-and-out fave. I’d been hearing that Audi had been working on a revival of its original—or Ur—Quattro coupe (left)—in celebration of 30 years of Quattro, for a couple of years now. If you’re the right age, […]

First Drive: 2011 Volvo S60 T6

[svgallery name=”2011_Volvo_S60_hirez”] Volvo tries to get its sexy back Does calling its new S60 a “sports sedan” make it so? By John LeBlanc PORTLAND, Oregon—You know the sexist stereotype. A supposedly shy, near-sighted librarian, who when given the chance, lets down the hair, doffs the glasses, and becomes the out-of-character “naughty” librarian. So by adding […]

Paris 2010: Smart

By John LeBlanc PARIS – Already selling the smallest car you can buy in Canada, it seems unfathomable that Mercedes-Benz’s Smart brand would launch two new concepts at this year’s Paris show smaller than its existing ForTwo micro car.

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