Los Angeles Auto Show

This week kicks off the Los Angeles Auto Show, where automakers show off their latest models and concepts in the city known for its car culture. CNET will be at the show during press preview days this week, getting a first-hand look. Here are some of the cars we are looking forward to seeing at the show: … Read more

Ford has announced an update to its much-criticized car tech interface, previously plagued by slow performance and cluttered screens.

Ford came out with its new MyFord Touch interface on the 2011 Edge last year. This interface featured LCDs on the instrument cluster showing navigation, phone, audio, and trip data, along with a big center touch screen allowing control over these different car tech functions. But the touch-screen interface came under much criticism by CNET and others for its slow performance and cluttered displays.

Today, Ford showed off an update to the system intended to address its various problems. According to … Read more

The new Escape model, debuting at the 2011 Los Angeles auto show, will feature a rear hatch that opens with a kick.

To show off its new hands-free hatch on the upcoming 2012 Escape, Ford released a video where people try to figure out how to open it. The hatch, when someone kicks a foot underneath the rear of the car, seems like an especially useful feature for people laden with suitcases, babies, and groceries.

But the video inadvertently suggests that this feature is not very intuitive, as the first person approaches the car and can't figure out how … Read more

The highly anticipated sports car collaboration between Subaru and Toyota gets STI performance additions for Los Angeles.

Subaru says at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show this month it will show the BRZ STI concept, a version of the new BRZ sports car due next year. Subaru fans will know that those three letters, STI, mean outstanding performance from Subaru Tecnica International, the tuner division of Subaru.

The photos released by Subaru show a very slick-looking sports coupe, with similarities to the Nissan 370Z and Hyundai Genesis Coupe. The BRZ comes from a collaboration between Subaru and Toyota. For Subaru, it represents a unique rear-wheel-drive car in its lineup, which is currently exclusively all-wheel drive.… Read more

If you've driven the Fiat 500 and found it underpowered, things are about to get more interesting. Fiat will bring out the tuned Abarth version at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show.

Fiat made its return to the U.S. market this year with the 2012 Fiat 500c, an inexpensive city car with cute retro looks. To increase appeal among a more power-hungry set of drivers, Fiat is bringing the tuned Abarth version to the U.S., and it gets its first showing next month in Los Angeles. … Read more

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric, 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas, 2012 Mitsubishi i, 2012 Toyota Prius v, and 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI are all finalists for 2012 Green Car of the Year, Green Car Journal announced today in a press release.

The winner will be announced during a press conference at a Los Angeles Auto Show press day on November 17. This marks the seventh consecutive year the award has been given out.

Green Car Journal editors considered dozens of models that were designed to reduce their environmental impact and be more energy-efficient. According to the press release, the cars … Read more

The 2011 New York International Auto Show starts tomorrow, but Infiniti is already looking forward to the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, where it will be unveiling the 2013 Infiniti JX, a larger sibling to its EX and FX crossovers.

Until the concept is unveiled, all we have is the sketch above and a few tidbits teased by the automaker. The large crossover slots in just below the full-size Infiniti QX and will have three rows of seats with room for seven passengers. Externally, the design language that featured prominently on the Infiniti Essence concept car should be stretched … Read more

When Nissan unleashed its latest version of the GT-R in 2007, it seemed there was no room for improvement. Engineered to extreme levels, this GT-R used a high-power twin turbo V-6, essentially a racing engine, a dual-clutch six-speed automated manual transmission, and a very advanced all-wheel-drive system.

But Nissan demonstrates with the 2012 model that technology can always be improved, increasing engine output by 45 horsepower. And what looks like a minor bodywork update also increases downforce by 10 percent. For a cosmetic update, Nissan added LED running lights.

We also found a slight mystery on the all-wheel-drive control switch. … Read more

LOS ANGELES--As just about everyone knows, the mandate in the auto industry these days is to try to be more green and more efficient.

That's why this year's version of the annual Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge was to come up with a concept for a highly efficient vehicle that is less than 1,000 pounds in total weight.

Nine car companies submitted designs. Here are their entries (click on the following slideshow for full information):