2010 Detroit: Not-so-mini Mini materializes

By John LeBlanc DETROIT – According to Ian Robertson, BMW Sales and Marketing board member, the Mini Beachcomber concept is “a Mini that’s tough, fearless and ready for any open air adventure. Maybe. Share:

Bye-Bye 2009: Best Car of the Decade

By John LeBlanc Although it might not have been the most environmentally friendly vehicle (i.e. Toyota Prius) or illustrate the global economic shift to emerging markets from the once dominant Western automakers (i.e. Tata Nano), but for me, the previous-generation BMW M5 is my favourite car from the past 10 years.

Bye-Bye 2009: Most Influential Cars of the Decade

By John LeBlanc These weren’t the best-selling, best-looking or best-performing new cars from the past decade. But these were the vehicles that set trends and had other automakers scrambling to play catch-up. Chronologically, here are the 10 most influential cars:

Bye-Bye 2009: Worst New Car of the Year

Story and photo by John LeBlanc Of the more than 100 new vehicles I drove this year, I have to admit none could outdo last year’s Dodge Nitro for outright ineptness. But then, perhaps thinking that it was concerned about a repeat award, Chrysler didn’t make one of its four-cylinder Sebring sedan’s available for me […]

First Drive: 2011 BMW X1 xDrive28i

[svgallery name=”2011_BMW_X1_2″] Story and photos by John LeBlanc MUNICH – The reasons were piling up almost as high as the nearby Alps to loathe the X1, BMW’s newest compact utility vehicle. First, BMW already has a pair of small five-doors on sale. There’s the fine-driving 3-series Touring sports wagon. Its taut handling, silky straight-six engine, […]

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