Preview: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

It’s alive!

After an over four year wait, General Motors’ electrification of the car is finally driveable

By John LeBlanc

DETROIT—At the 2006 Los Angeles auto show, in a windowless and locked conference room, General Motors gathered a few select journalists. They had some big news for the upcoming Detroit auto show in January. And they wanted to share. Read more

The Crank: This year’s most important auto show won’t happen in Detroit or Frankfurt

By John LeBlanc

The highlights on my annual business calendar are the “big” car shows. Call me a geek. But for me at least, there’s nothing more exciting than to dive into these auto orgies, whether its Detroit in the winter, Geneva, New York, or China in the spring or, Paris, Tokyo, Frankfurt or Los Angles in the fall. But there’s one show I’ve never attended. And by the looks of its growing importance and affect on new car buyers, I’ll need to pencil in the first week of next January, and book a flight to Las Vegas, for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. Read more

The Crank: Is Saab Chairman’s optimism surreal or substantiated?

By John LeBlanc

As the cofounder of the perennially money-losing Dutch supercar operation Spyker, Saab Chairman Victor Muller fundamentally has to be an optimistic guy. Yet as he makes the rounds in the next few weeks drumming up customer interest in the new 9-4X crossover, left, and evaluating investor intentions to see whether or not Saab will enter the Swedish stock market in May, you have wonder where the hope in resuscitating the moribund General Motors orphan brand is coming from. Read more

2011 Montréal: Top 10 Must Sees

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By John LeBlanc

While the North American International Auto Show received all the attention last week in Detroit, more relevant to Canadian new car buyers is the 43rd Montréal International Auto Show. First on the Canadian auto show calendar, automakers use the Québec show to prep for the spring selling season. Amidst the metal spread out over three floors at the show’s Palais des congres downtown location, here are my top 10 must-see cars for this year’s show: Read more

2011 Detroit: Worst in Show

By John LeBlanc

DETROIT – As recently as 2008, the annual Detroit auto show offered a plethora of goodies for car lovers that it took three media days to cover it all. The fact the 2011 show’s offerings were able to be presented in one day, gives you an indication of the lack of excitement at this year’s event.

While other writers (mainly my esteemed U.S. colleagues) will go on about the show’s Best in Show This, and Most Exciting in Show That, there were plenty of snoozers in the Motor City this year. Alphabetically, I present the worse: Read more

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