Among the numerous innovations we'll see in the 2011 Ford Explorer are these new rear seat inflatable seat belts. Ford says the new inflatable belts spread out crash forces over a much greater area of the body than conventional belts. The redesigned Ford Explorer is due out next year and Ford says it will eventually add the technology to its entire global lineup.
Spy Photos: 2011 Ford Explorer
Arguably the most likeable car in the current Dodge lineup, the Challenger will live on in the new Dodge car brand, receiving only a minor refresh in 2011.
The Dodge Caliber, on the other hand, will dead by 2012 (new interior notwithstanding apparently). It will be replaced by a compact Fiat-based sedan and a small B-segment car produced by Fiat and imported to the U.S. A Fiat-based C-segment sedan is also in the works.
The Dodge Avenger will get a new interior and an engine of unspecified size and horsepower (though just about anything would be better than the current offerings) in the fourth quarter of 2010. Exterior styling will be made less offensive, and there will be better NVH control in the cabin. However, this is a just a stopgap, as a new D-segment sedan will replace it sometime in 2012 or 2013.
Even more important is the refresh coming for the Dodge Grand Caravan, which is still one of the most recognizable nameplates in the Dodge brand. The DGC gets a new interior, a refreshed exterior, a retuned suspension, a new engine and improved NVH control.
Finally, an all-new 7-passenger crossover is coming, too, and it will exist along side the Grand Caravan and Dodge Journey.
Reporting by Dan Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
A reader named Lars H. sent this shot of a demolished Tesla to Autotopia, which is part of Wired. The Tesla collided with a VW Touareg and ironically a Toyota Prius. According to Lars the accident happened in Denmark.
For a larger and more complete version of the image, click here.
Bloomberg is reporting that the Focus-based Ford Kuga crossover SUV will be built at Ford's Louisville, Kentucky, plant starting in 2011. A weak dollar has evidently made it attractive to shift all production from Ford of Europe's Saarlouis, Germany, plant. As many as 80,000 of these U.S.-built Kugas would be designated for export.
Bloomberg quotes three unnamed sources close to Ford, but Ford itself hasn't confirmed the report. If U.S. Kuga production and sales do come to fruition, that would suit us just fine, though: Our own Chris Walton drove the Kuga in Europe and brought back a positive report on its dynamics.
Yes, the Ford Explorer still exists. It's a little less popular these days though. Probably has something to do with all that useless off-road and towing ability. Today's SUV buyers want cush instead and lots of it.
The prototype you see here should deliver. It's an early test mule for the 2011 Ford Explorer and underneath all the camouflage is the same D4 platform used by the Ford Flex. That's would be of the unibody variety, so this Explorer should ride more like a car than a softly sprung truck.
Interior space should be improved as well which should make for more useful third-row seats. You know, sort of like the Flex. In fact, this Explorer will probably use the same engines as the Flex too.
So why bother making this Explorer if it's just going to be a rebodied Flex? Don't worry, Ford will have a very long explanation for it sometime next year when the official production version debuts. More pics after the break.
Continue reading Spy Photos: 2011 Ford Explorer Spotted in Dearborn.
Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year, but not every vehicle gets a full write-up. The numbers still tell a story, though, so we present "IL Track Tested." It's a quick rundown of all the data we collected at the track, along with comments direct from the test-drivers. Enjoy.
When BMW introduced the idea of the SAV (Sport Activity Vehicle) with the original X5, we scoffed appropriately. Then we drove it and were shocked that the ungainly beast was not ungainly at all. Then BMW took it a bit further and rolled out the X6. It appeared even more useless, yet it, too, was a surprisingly entertaining drive.
BMW didn't stop there, of course, as it rolled out Motorsport versions of both the X5 and the X6 earlier this year. There was no good reason for them to exist, but BMW went ahead and built them anyway. After testing the X6 M, we're glad BMW took the time.
You see, this X6 is so fast that its odd looks, big sticker and pointless existence don't really matter. You simply have to respect it for what it can do. And we're not just talking about going fast in a straight line. It stops and turns amazingly well, too. It's a triumph of engineering over design and marketing. Just take a look at the numbers if you don't believe us.
Continue reading IL Track Tested: 2010 BMW X6 M.
Remember that Honda Accord Crosstour wagon that made its debut on Facebook awhile back? Well, it's back, and this time Honda has provided shots of the interior to give you an idea how much room there is in back.
Does it look like it's worth it to you?
Honda also noted that the Crosstour will come standard with a 3.5-liter V6 and be positioned at the top of the Accord lineup. It also notes that the Accord Crosstour will offer "four-wheel drive" as an option. Wonder what kind of transfer case they're using?
The Kia Sorento is coming back for 2011, after taking MY2010 off, and it's nothing like the original. It's finally a unit-body crossover SUV that's in step with the times. It has the face of a Forte, thanks to Kia's designer in chief, Peter Schreyer, and it's the first Kia to be built at the company's new plant in West Point, Georgia.
Engineering Editor Jay Kavanagh had the pleasure of driving it in Atlanta's recent monsoon, and he reports that it's an agreeable five-passenger crossover with the ability to carry two additional kids in an optional third-row seat that's just large enough not to be silly. Like the Toyota RAV4 and Chevrolet Equinox, it offers both four-cylinder and V6 engine options, and like those two, its overall demeanor is decidedly car-like.
Perhaps best of all, Kia plans to keep prices within $200 of the tired, body-on-frame 2009 Sorento, whose base MSRP range stretched from $21K to $27K.
Back at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, Mitsubishi showed a Lancer-based crossover SUV that was smaller than the production Outlander. It was called the cX. This is the production version of Mitsu's compact crossover.
It still doesn't have a real name but sources close to the project say it will go on sale in Japan soon. It's also a go for the European market later in 2010, and the production version will be at the Geneva Auto Show next spring. And the U.S.? We hear we're still a maybe.
The more extravagant show-car aspects of the original cX have been relaxed in favor of a more conventional package with strong Lancer overtones -- the corporate grille is impossible to miss. The size of this prototype appears to place the cX in the crosshairs of the Nissan Rogue.
The concept cX had a 1.8-liter turbodiesel four, rated at 134 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 207 pound-feet of torque at 2,000 rpm, which we imagine the European production version will get. For Japan (and maybe the U.S.), though, either the global 2.0-liter or 2.4-liter gasoline inline-4 is more likely. The optional all-wheel-drive system should be similar to the Outlander's.
It still needs a proper name, though.
Another photo after the jump.
Continue reading Spy Photos: Mitsubishi cX Crossover.
Mitsubishi's PX-MiEV looks a bit like the production Outlander SUV, and dimensionally, the two are fairly close (177.5-inch overall length, 103.5-inch wheelbase and 61.5-inch track for the concept). But the PX-MiEV is a plug-in hybrid and in concept bears similarities to production Toyota hybrids and the Subaru's Hybrid Tourer concept.
It has a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine up front, as well as a front-drive electric motor and a rear-drive electric motor. Together, the motors are good for 80 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque, according to Mitsubishi, and together, they effectively create four-wheel drive, albeit in the unconventional, wait-there's-no-center-differential sense. 
Rated at 114 hp and 92 lb-ft of torque, the gas engine can either help drive the front wheels (like a parallel hybrid) or work as a generator (like a series hybrid -- Chevy Volt) to power the electric motors. Its generating capacity is 70 kW, says Mitsu. You can also plug in the PX-MiEV to restore charge to the lithium-ion batteries, and it has the same variable-current charging system as Mitubishi's limited-production i MiEV electric car.
Mitsubishi also makes the interesting observation that when you're not driving the PX-MiEV, you can use its stored electricity to power home appliances -- useful if a storm knocks the power out.
The company claims an overall fuel consumption figure of 50 km/liter (117 mpg), which is probably very theoretical.
More details and photos of the PX-MiEV's cabin after the jump.
Continue reading Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi PX-MIEV Concept.
In its original generation, the Chevrolet Equinox was a pretty average compact SUV, but this is not the case with the redesigned 2010 Equinox, writes Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton. Rather, this newest Equinox looks and feels like it resides a class above the Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue, which are its main competitors.
Although our four-cylinder, 182-horsepower Equinox LT2 tester isn't any quicker or more agile than its rivals, its cabin design sets it apart. Naturally, the five-passenger cabin is roomy. But the quality of the materials and the level of content are equally impressive, according to Walton, and surpass those of any other small SUV -- short of the premium-brand class.
This is actually our second drive of the 2011 BMW X1, since we took a spin in an X1 prototype last spring. With all the camouflage off, Contributor Matt Davis is even more convinced that the X1 has some significant advantages over the current X3. It's smaller on the outside, but better packaging actually opens up more room for humans and cargo on the inside.
It also has a lower stance and a more aggressive suspension tune, so that none of the usual crossover compromises are apparent when you drive it with some enthusiasm. "In some instances," writes Matt, "this 3,660-pound X1 even improves upon the handling of the 1 Series coupe."
He drove an X1 with BMW's 2.0-liter turbodiesel four, and this wasn't an academic exercise, either, as BMW plans to bring this engine to the U.S. in 2012. We'll see the X1 a little sooner than that in the first quarter of 2011.
Is this BMW's most sensible crossover SUV to date? It makes more sense to us than the X6 and even the X3, and it's sure to be more efficient than any X5.
When spy photos of the next-generation BMW M5 surfaced recently, they gave us an idea what the new super sedan would look like, but didn't give any indications what was under the hood. The current 5.0-liter V10 is a bit of an oddball within the lineup so something a little more mainstream was expected.
To us, the most logical powerplant was BMW's new turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 that debuted in the X5M and X6M. It develops 555 horsepower and 500 pound feet of torque, more than enough to make the M5 a contender in the high-end super sedan category.
Sure enough, when we posed the question to BMW insiders they confirmed that the next M5 would have a turbocharged V8. They wouldn't give us any more detail than that, but it's safe to say that the 4.4-liter is the logical choice.
We dug for additional information on other potential Motorsport vehicles, but came up empty. Our sources squashed any hope for a Motorsport version of the 1 Series and when we suggested a high-powered variation of the upcoming 2011 3 Series GT they said that's not probably not happening either. Turns out sales of the M3 sedan have been miserable, so the company will most likely stick with coupes and convertibles only when it comes to Motorsport-tuned 3 Series models.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) confirmed yesterday that the LRX concept shown at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show will go into production and debut for the 2011 model year as part of the Range Rover series.
We showed you spy photos of an 2011 Range Rover LRX mule last week, though it was difficult to make out the new vehicle's lines since it was camouflaged in truncated LR2 body panels. The production LRX will be a two-door like the concept vehicle.
The proportions were likely pretty close, though, as the Range Rover LRX will be the smallest Land Rover in the lineup. It's 5.9 inches shorter nose to tail than the current LR2 and stands 8.1 inches shorter. As such, it simply won't have the ground clearance for off-roading. Still, it will have Land Rover's Terrain Response system, though an Eco driving mode will be added.
Land Rover will build the LRX at its Halewood, UK plant, which is good news for British workers. About 800 additional workers will be needed, and that should mean no jobs will be lost when JLR closes either its Castle Bromwich (Jaguar) or Solihull (Land Rover) factory in 2010.
Inside Line News: Range Rover LRX Going Into Production for 2011
Although the 2010 GMC Terrain is not the "Professional Grade" Division's first unit-body-type crossover model (that would be the Acadia), it's fair to say there's skepticism surrounding its launch. It comes with a four-cylinder engine after all.
Chiseled fender flares give it a more truck-like, less grocery-getter appearance than the Chevrolet Equinox or Saturn Vue, though. Apart from that, it's just a useful compact SUV. Its five-passenger cabin is spacious, and even with electric-assist power steering, the Terrain's handling is crisp.
And, we might even take the base four-cylinder engine over the optional V6.
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