Yesterday Cadillac revealed the 2014 CTS at the New York auto show. In its third iteration, will the car finally threaten the dominance of the Germans? In many ways I’m impressed, but in one I’m also discouraged.
Month: March 2013
Chrysler Partners with Carhartt, Journalists Scratch Heads
I attended my first lunch today as a member of the Detroit-based Automotive Press Association. Saad Chehab, CEO of the Chrysler and Lancia brands, presented a new Chrysler 200 S Special Edition, a collaboration between Mopar and Carhartt. Then $28,870 car has been modified with a clean air intake, performance exhaust, sport suspension, black grille, black wheels, and black Carhartt… More →
Much better late than never file: GM turbo V6
Back when GM’s then-future HF V6 engine family first became public knowledge (circa 2000), a twin-turbo 3.6-liter capable of 360 horsepower was part of the plan. Then Bob Lutz put a 400-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 in the 2004 CTS-V instead. The second generation CTS-V got a 556-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V8, opening up a huge gap in the line as the next… More →
How large can “compact” cars get?
For a compact sedan, the 2013 Dodge Dart is very heavy. One of the reasons it’s very heavy is that it isn’t very compact. Fifteen years ago it would have been considered a midsize car. Compare the Dart’s size and weight with the 1998 Dodge Neon and 1998 Dodge Stratus: Dimension Dart Neon Stratus Wheelbase 106.4 104.0 108.0 Length 183.9… More →
Car reliability stats now cover through the end of 2012
We recently updated the stats from TrueDelta’s Car Reliability Survey to include all of 2012. Unless the car in question is a 2010 model, information on how it has been holding up since last April isn’t available anywhere else. Put another way, we’re currently eight months ahead. With surprisingly few exceptions, cars have been holding up well, and often very… More →