Preview: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

It’s alive! After an over four year wait, General Motors’ electrification of the car is finally driveable By John LeBlanc DETROIT—At the 2006 Los Angeles auto show, in a windowless and locked conference room, General Motors gathered a few select journalists. They had some big news for the upcoming Detroit auto show in January. And […]

2010 in Review: New-for-2011 Car I Would Spend My Own Money to Buy

[svgallery name=”2011_Honda_CRZ_hirez”] By John LeBlanc Nostalgia played a big role in picking a New-for-2011 Car I Would Spend My Own Money to Buy—phew!—this year. As a former 1990 Honda CR-X owner, the two-seater’s modern reincarnation as the new CR-Z Hybrid pulled at my heart strings like no other new car I drove in 2010.

The Crank: Why Honda’s hybrids are the right cars, but at the wrong time

[svgallery name=”2011_Honda_CRZ_hirez”] By John LeBlanc Here’s one thing you need to know about the car industry: nothing happens too quickly.Unlike a Nike or Apple, car companies can’t whip off all-new designs and products almost seasonally. It takes years to research, develop, and build new cars. So its natural that sometimes a vehicle is released that […]

2010 L.A. Show: Kia rolls right into the luxury hybrid segment with new Optima

[svgallery name=”2010_LA_Kia”] By John LeBlanc LOS ANGELES – Although its been available in other markets for a few months, Kia picked the import-friendly California market to debut the North American version of its new Optima mid-size sedan.

Paris 2010: Honda

By John LeBlanc PARIS, France – You have to think Honda Canada would like to take a Mulligan on its current small hybrid strategy As has been duly noted, its Insight hybrid has been anything but a success. In fact, I always wondered why the Japanese automaker didn’t simply put the Insight’s drivetrain into its […]

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