los angeles auto show 2010

LA Auto Show: Infiniti M Hybrid for 2012 Model Year

Hybrid cars in the luxury car segment continue to proliferate despite the fact that most engineers will tell you that heavier vehicles like luxe sedans and SUVs achieve better fuel economy at a lower cost with a diesel engine.

The latest is the Infiniti M Hyrbird, introduced by the luxury brand of Nissan at the LA Auto Show this week. The new gas-electric version of the luxe sedan will hit showrooms the end of 2011 as a 2012 model.

The M is a rear drive sedan, and comes with a seven speed automatic transmission. Official fuel economy figures are not available yet. But Infiniti expects the M Hybrid to get 25 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway (27 combined).

The M Hybrid comes with premium amenities as you would expect: Active Noise Control; an audible pedestrian warning system for when the car is silently cruising in electric mode; navigation; Bluetooth; satellite radio.

The M will join Audi, BMW, Lexus, Porsche, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz with high end Hybrids.

Tags: Hybrid luxury cars, Infiniti M hybrid, Infiniti M Series, infiniti m35 hybrid, la auto show 2010, los angeles auto show, los angeles auto show 2010

LA Auto Show: Saab 9-4X

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Swedish automaker Saab was sold last year by owner General Motors to exotic car maker Spyker. And though Spyker is anxious to chart a new course for the always quirky Saab, the ties to GM re still very much in evidence.

Witness the debut of the Saab 9-4 luxury crossover at the LA Auto Show, a fine looking vehicle that was completely developed by GM on the same platform as the Cadillac SRX crossover. That's not a bad thing, as the bones of the SRX are very nice indeed.

Even under GM management, though, the Swedes were allowed to Saabify the 9-4 as much as possible. Indeed, the exterior styling does look more akin to the Saab 9-5 sedan than the SRX.

It has lots of luxe goodies like eight-way power adjustable seats, Bluetooth connectivity and a tri-zone climate control system. Under the hood, there is a naturally-aspirated 265-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 and a direct-injection, turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 that produces pumps 300 hp. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. All-wheel-drive is standard.

Gallery: LA Auto Show: All New Saab 9-4

Tags: LA Auto Show 2010, los angeles auto show 2010, Saab, Saab 9-4, Spyker

LA Auto Show: New BMW 6 Series Convertible

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

BMW chose the LA Auto Show to release pictures of the restyled 6 Series convertible it will show in the flesh at January's Detroit Auto Show.

The convertible is very much an evolution of the outgoing 6, with fresh exterior styling first shown on the four-door BMW Gran Coupe at the Beijing motor show last April. The car sports a roomier four-seat interior, as well as an advanced, multi-layered cloth roof developed with German-based roof specialist Edscha.

BMW claims the automatic roof structure will open in just 19 seconds and close in 24 seconds at the push of a console-mounted button. As with the outgoing model, a separate glass rear screen, mounted vertically, can be opened separately from the cloth hood.

At 192.6 inches in length, 74.5 inches in width and 53.5 inches in height, the new 6-series convertible is 2.9 inches longer, 1.5 inches wider and 0.4 inch lower than its predecessor launched in 2004. The wheelbase has been extended by 2.9 inches, to 112.4 inches.

The new 6-series convertible will be launched in North America next year with just one engine, in combination with either a standard six-speed manual or an optional eight-speed automatic gearbox. The 650i convertible runs a turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, delivering 400 hp and 450 lb-ft, sufficient, says BMW, for 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and a 155-mph top speed. Other engines will follow, including a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with 320 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque in a less-expensive 640i convertible.

Gallery: BMW 6 Series Convertible

Tags: bmw, bmw 6 series, BMW 6 Series Convertible, la auto show 2010, los angeles auto show 2010

LA Auto Show: Cadillac's New Urban Concept

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The last time Cadillac gave us a small, or smallish, car, it was a disaster--the Cimarron, sold during the 1980s. It was a weak attempt by General Motors to put a Caddy in the market that got better fuel economy than its big sedans. But the underlying engineering platform was shared with the Chevy Cavalier, and it felt like it.

GM, a day before it starts selling stock in the new post-bankruptcy company, is showing a small, "urban" Cadillac concept car at the Los Angeles Auto Show that could lead to a car Cadillac can sell to U.S., European and Asian buyers who are looking at similar cars from Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Peugeot, Renault and soon, BMW.

Called The Urban Luxury Concept, the car has a wheelbase of just 97 inches with an overall length of 151 inches. The width is 68.1 inches and the height is just under 57 inches.

There is a lot of fanciful interior touches to show how interior space can be maximized through innovation with the instruments. Projectors and a slew of capacitive touch screens that glow tanzanite blueish-purple take the place of knobs. There's also a hide-away right-hand touch pad. See the details in the gallery.

Gallery: Cadillac Urban Car Concept

Tags: Cadillac, Cadillac city car, Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, los angeles auto show 2010

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LA Auto Show: Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Mercedes-Benz revealed the 2012 CLS63 AMG, the bi-turbo V8 version of its restyled and critically acclaimed sedan.

The 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine produces 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers go North if buyers option up to an AMG Performance Package, which will push the output to 550 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque.

That engine is paired with AMG's seven-gear automatic transmission. Zero-to-sixty speed is an estimated 4.4 seconds. Top speed ranges between 155 to 186 mph (the high end comes with the performance package).

The 19-inch, five-spoke wheels come with 255/35 tires in front and 285/30s in the back, with 14.2-inch drilled and ventilated disc brakes.

A special "Launch Edition" will be sold when the CLS63 goes on sale in summer 2011, and comes coated in matte grey paint (a trendy paint application these days) with a mix of carbon fiber and piano black interior trim, and AMG sports seats clad in "Corteccia Pearl" leather.

Tags: LA Auto Show, los angeles auto show 2010, Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG, Mercedes-Benz

Infiniti to Launch M35 Hybrid at Los Angeles Auto Show

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery

The highlight of the Infiniti stand at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November will be the brand's first gas-electric model, the new M35 hybrid. The M35 uses an all-new hybrid powertrain developed in-house by Nissan, unlike the Toyota-sourced system currently used in the Altima hybrid.

Since Nissan doesn't use the Infiniti brand in Japan, the M35 is sold as the Nissan Fuga hybrid in its home market where it debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show last fall. The hybrid uses the popular 3.5-liter V6 found in several Nissan and Infiniti vehicles in combination with a 50 kilowatt motor that can drive the M35 electrically at speeds up to 62 mph. The M35 also uses a smaller capacity version of the same lithium ion battery used in the new Leaf battery electric vehicle. The M35 hybrid will go on sale in 2011 as a 2012 model.

Gallery: Infiniti M35 hybrid