Phillip Zak, Hyundai’s Chief designer at the 2011 NAIAS showed Warren Brown, washingtonpost.com, and myself around his newest baby, the Hyundai Curb concept. How does Hyundai decide what type of car to design as a concept car? What is missing from Hyundai’s lineup? Is there a contest inside of Hyundai to design the concept? The [...]
The General Motors Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM DAT) designers talked to Warren Brown, Washington Post, and myself at the 2011 North American International Automobile Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, MI. John Mack is design director for crossover exterior design and GM accessories. He worked in Korea, but is back in the United States design center [...]
Everyone wanted a minute with Michael Austin, the VP of BYD America. Warren Brown, Washington Post, and I got ten minutes to hear what BYD was up to in 2011. BYD Auto is a Chinese automobile manufacturer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China,established in 2003. Warren Buffet owns 9.9 percent of BYD. BYD brought out [...]
Michael Mauer, chief designer for Porsche took time to talk to Warren Brown, Washington Post, and myself at the 2011 North American International Auto show (NAIAS) in Detroit, MI. Mauer talked about the future of Porsche’s sports cars, and why Porsche is building a 918 Spyder Hybrid. What does the Porsche 918 RSR mean to Porsche’s brand? [...]
Ed Welburn, global chief designer, General Motors, took time to talk to Warren Brown, Washington Post, and myself at the 2011 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, MI. From a designer’s eye, how is the health of the auto industry, the domestic auto industry and Michigan? What are the issues facing General Motors? [...]
Ernst Lieb, CEO & President of Mercedes-Benz USA, talked to me at 2011 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, MI. It may look like a design sculpture but look at the grille, says Lieb, you’ll see the future of Mercedes-Benz. What is Mercedes-Benz bringing out in electric, hybrids, diesel, diesel-hybrids, fuel-cell in the [...]
Red, fast, top down, iconic. oh, and the car is nice too. Flying over metal sublime at the 2011 Detroit auto show. Loading the player… jwplayer(“myElement”).setup({ file: “http://www.drivingthenation.com/video/audi_r8_model_pass_snd.mp4″, image: “http://www.drivingthenation.com/video/audi_r8_model_pass_snd.jpg”, });
Donald V. Esmond Senior Vice President Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., and Warren Brown from the Washington Post join me in the Swagger Wagon concept from SEMA. Esmond doesn’t think Toyota will be making it. The next generation of the Prius is coming out, with a family of Prii to follow, including a Prius SUV/van [...]
Charles Freese, executive director of General Motors Fuel Cell Activities, talked to me at the 2011 North American International Auto show in Detroit, MI. General Motors has 119 Equinoxs’ out on the road, but they are ready for the next step. The infrastructure. They have had to abandon California’s hydrogen highway. California ran out of money. [...]
Lou Ann Hammond, CEO, www.drivingthenation.com, talked to John Batchelor, host of the John Batchelor radio show about the 2011 North American International Auto show (NAIAS) in Detroit, MI. What were some of the hot cars? Are we getting to the part where there are electric cars for sell? What are the different types of electrification? [...]
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