AutoWeek Daily Drive — Monday, January 10, 2011

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Monday, January 10, 2011                  The Ford Vertrek previews the next-generation Escape SUV.... Detroit auto show: Ford Vertrek previews the next Escape The successor to the Ford Escape is on display at the Detroit auto show. Technically, it's called the Vertrek concept, but don't be fooled: This is a clear indication of the styling of Ford's next small utility vehicle. The styling is a considerable departure from the squared-off, blocky exterior of the Escape. The Vertrek was designed at Ford's European design studio--the concept also...   Detroit auto show: Porsche 918 RSR speeds into the Motor City Porsche marked its return to the Detroit auto show on Monday with the unveiling of a new motorsports-inspired concept of the 918--the company's two-seat supercar first revealed in road-going Spyder form at last year's Geneva motor show. Called the 918 RSR, this new advanced gasoline-...   Detroit auto show: Mercedes-Benz C-class gets a media preview Mercedes-Benz chose to show its redesigned C-class at an event in Detroit on Sunday night prior to the North American International Auto Show. But the car won't be shown to the public until the Geneva motor show in March. In a crowded ballroom at Detroit's recently refurbished Westin Book...   Nissan will move Rogue output to U.S. plant Nissan Motor Co. will shift production of one of its highest-volume vehicles, the Rogue crossover, from Japan to an American factory in a bid to cut its exposure to the high Japanese yen. Following the move, Nissan will build more than 100,000 Rogues a year at its Smyrna, Tenn., assembly plant...   Detroit auto show: Johnson Controls reveals futuristic interior The interior of the future might include stadium seating, waterproof and recyclable materials and LED ambient lighting. And of course, it would be powered completely by electricity. At least that's what Johnson Controls thinks, and it revealed a peek into the future of interiors on Monday at...   Detroit auto show: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic booms into compact-car segment Say good-bye to the Aveo. The Korean-built, hard-to-pronounce Chevrolet econobox will soon be gone. Replacing it is a sleeker and trendier new proposition not so subtly called the Sonic. It bows on Monday at the Detroit auto show and arrives later this fall as a 2012 model. "This is not the Aveo-...   Detroit auto show: Volkswagen's U.S. sedan to wear Passat name Volkswagen's new U.S.-built sedan, which until now was known as the NMS (for new midsize sedan), will wear the familiar Passat nameplate when it goes on sale this fall as a 2012 model. Three engine options will be offered at launch, including a 2.5-liter, 170-hp inline five-cylinder that is the...   Detroit auto show: Ford electrifies the C-Max The C-Max is definitely a different take on people haulers for Ford. With Euro design and quirky seating, it's a unique species in the company's lineup. So why not take things a step further? Two steps, in fact. Ford is revealing hybrid and plug-in electric versions of the C-Max on Monday at... You May Have Missed...   Detroit auto show: Nissan set to return in 2012 Nissan Motor Co. will return to the Detroit auto show in 2012 after a three-year absence.Nissan Americas Chairman Carlos Tavares made the pledge in a statement issued by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association on Sunday.“The amount of new product serves as the direction for the world's economic...   Cars & Coffee: Two ingredients to start off your SoCal weekend just right Cars & Coffee is not yet on the FDA's list of the four basic food groups--but it really should be.It started out as a word-of-mouth gathering of eclectic and cool cars at a spot called Crystal Cove just south of Newport Beach, Calif., but it quickly outgrew that home.“Some of the guys got...   O'Reilly Raceway Park renamed, now known as Lucas Oil Raceway The motorsports facility developed in the late 1950s as Indianapolis Raceway Park is now known as Lucas Oil Raceway after Forrest Lucas purchased the naming rights from the NHRA, the involved parties said on Sunday.The track has been known as O'Reilly Raceway Park since 2006; before that, it was...   NASCAR: Previewing the Budweiser Shootout The grid hasn't been set, but the eligibility list for the Feb. 12 Budweiser Shootout in Daytona Beach includes just about everybody's who's anybody in Sprint Cup racing. All told, 30 drivers are eligible for the 33rd-annual exhibition that began in 1979 as a 20-lap sprint among the previous year's ...   Grand-Am: Dalziel sets unofficial Daytona record as Rolex 24 test concludes Ryan Dalziel set an unofficial Grand-Am Daytona Prototype lap record on Sunday during the final day of the three-day Roar Before the Rolex 24 test session at Daytona International Speedway. Dalziel lapped the road course in 1 minute, 39.973 seconds at 128.194 mph behind the wheel of Starworks...   Grand-Am: Allmendinger tops Saturday test at Daytona; session notes NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and Champ Car race winner A. J. Allmendinger was fastest in Saturday's second day of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series' Roar Before the 24 testing at Daytona International Speedway, running the day's fastest lap of 127.318 mph in the No. 6 Daytona Prototype he...   Alan Mulally spells out the future Ford CEO Alan Mulally is famously on-message, handing out business-card-size versions of his business plan to all and sundry, including his “One Ford” mantra.“One Ford” covers a lot of ground, but it's shorthand for Ford becoming a single entity where the right hand knows... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. IMPORTANT: Please add AutoWeek.com to your E-mail Address Book to ensure you will continue to receive our newsletters. Please DO NOT reply to this e-mail. You will not receive a reply if you use this e-mail address. Crain Communications, 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207.