2010

Take a sexy coupe or sporty sedan and subtract the roof and you get open-air fun, but what happens to the equation when you substitute a crossover utility vehicle? Nissan aims to find out the answer when it unveils the 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet at the 2010 LA Auto Show. The automaker previewed a shadowy photo of the world's first all-wheel drive crossover convertible on its official Facebook page.

Nissan started with its Murano crossover and peeled back the roof to create the segment-stretching CrossCabriolet. The convertible seats four, supposedly retains space for luggage (Nissan claims it can haul … Read more

Unofficial Chevrolet Camaro convertibles have been available for almost as long as the coupe has, thanks to customizers like Drop Top Customs. This week at the 2010 LA Auto Show, Chevrolet will be showing off the official 2011 Chevrolet Convertible in its final production form. For those who can't wait a few days, the soft top has been unveiled on the Chevy Camaro Facebook page.

Like the hard top, the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible will be available with the 312 horsepower direct-injected V-6 engine or as a 426 horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 SS model. The Camaro Convertible rolls off of … Read more

Using a ForTwo as their canvas, hundreds of artists in the DeviantArt social network competed in Smart's Skinned Smartly online contest to show the carmaker creative designs for wrapping the mini two-seater. The contest helped promote the Smart Expressions program, which, in addition to custom paint and graphic wraps, includes a design-it-yourself option for creating an original custom skin.

DeviantArt staff had the tough job of narrowing down the entries to 25 semifinalists, and judges from Smart chose the top three designs based on originality, visual impact, and technical skill. Los Angeles graphic artist Jane Meadows claimed the first … Read more

Miles Davis' music has always been a feast for the ears, but now it can reach all five senses: hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, and tasting.

It's the release of Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" in a "40th Anniversary Collector's Edition" box set that inspired the album's new sensory explorations. The set comes with a 48-page book; three CDs (two CDs containing the original 94-plus minutes of music with six bonus tracks); a third CD with a previously unreleased concert by Davis' group with Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, and … Read more

It may not be breaking news, but ThinkGeek's nifty Personal Soundtrack Shirt might be the perfect gift for the audiophile in your life. The T-shirt features a working speaker, and when you push the appropriate button on the wired remote you get music or sound effects. If you don't like the built-in sounds, pop in your own SD memory card loaded with MP3 files. Or play sound from your portable audio player through the speaker on the front of the shirt. Simply connect the player to the "input" jack on the battery box of the shirt. … Read more

Rather than waiting until the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show to reveal it's first production hybrid, Audi released near full specs and video clips of its soon-to-be released 2011 Q5 Hybrid Quattro SUV.

The Q5 Hybrid Quattro promises the power of a V6 and the fuel consumption of a four-cylinder from its 2.0 TFSI engine and electric motor. Combined, the gasoline engine and electric motor deliver 245-horsepower yet achieve an estimated 33.6 mpg--around the same fuel economy as a Volkswagen Golf.

It may be one of the last manufacturers to add a hybrid to its lineup, but … Read more

Volkswagen announced that its electric Golf Blue E-motion concept will become a reality. At the upcoming 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the carmaker will show off the concept electric car it has been testing in Europe. But unless you're driving the vehicle or peeking under the hood, prepare to be underwhelmed--the Golf Blue E-motion is identical to the current gasoline-powered Golf. Of course, there are a few key differences: an 85 kW electric motor replaces the conventional Golf's 2.5-liter engine, and you have to store your groceries elsewhere because a 700 pound 26.5 kWh battery fills … Read more

Leading up to the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Mitsubishi leaked a few renderings and dimensions of the slightly beefier i-Miev, which the manufacturer will reveal to the public next week. The 100-mile range electric vehicle is expected to go on sale in the U.S. next year, and is currently on sale in Japan.

Almost a foot longer and just over 4 inches wider than its Japanese counterpart, the i-Miev's proportions have been increased to accomodate additional safety features to help it comply with current and upcoming National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration regulations, such as more airbags, … Read more

Earlier today, Hyundai released a staged "spy photo" via TwitPic of its upcoming 2011 Elantra as a teaser for the compact sedan's reveal at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. We'd show you the photo, but we've got something even better: an undisguised 2011 Elantra spotted on the streets of San Francisco, not two blocks from CNET's offices.

As expected, the Elantra carries over many of the styling cues that debuted with Hyundai's larger Sonata, including windswept headlamps, a prominent flowing crease that runs the length of the vehicle's flank, and wide … Read more