Aug 2, 2009
HUDSONâS 100TH BIRTHDAY Gone But Not Forgotten By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com [1456] Bill Chapin and I have something in common. Weâre both hosting our family reunions this weekend. His, though, is way more auspicious than mine. Bill is the grandson of Roy Chapin, who co founded the Hudson Car Company in 1 ... Continue reading
Jul 29, 2009
NISSAN VERSA Entry Level Excellence By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau This weekâs tester is the cheapest â no, letâs say least expensive â car yet to grace my driveway, and my computer screen. The base price on this Nissan Versa 1.6 sedan is $10,900. You can get the same car for $9,99 ... Continue reading
2009 Nissan Rogue SL AWD Review
Jul 15, 2009
We often wonder where model names come from and what they have to do with the vehicle to which they are attached. Exotic place names, wild and vicious animals, even totally nonsense, meaningless syllables and alpha-numeric monikers are used for cars and trucks. So . . . what does this small, 5-passenger, cute-ute from ... Continue reading
2009 Audi Q5 3.2 quattro Review
Jul 15, 2009
AUDI Q5 3.2 QUATTRO A German of Substance By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau Perhaps the most popular automotive genre of all is the small crossover â an SUV-type vehicle developed from a small sedan platform. Hereâs one of the best â and most expensive â the new-for-2009 Audi Q5, deve ... Continue reading
Jul 12, 2009
2010 KIA SOUL SPORT Letâs Have Some Fun By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau Either you love them or you hate them â these âurban crossovers.â Weâre talking about the Scion xB, Honda Element and that ilk. This weekâs tester is Kiaâs new Soul, just getting to dealers now. A ... Continue reading
2009 Volkswagen Routan SE Minivan Review
Jun 26, 2009
2009 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN SE By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau Volkswagen announced a few years ago a particularly ambitious plan to become one of the major players in the US market, that is, to sell 800,000 units by 2018. At that time VW was more of a niche marketer with mostly great performing small sedan ... Continue reading
EYES ON DESIGN 2009 THIS WEEKEND
Jun 20, 2009
EYES ON DESIGN 2009 A Fatherâs Day Tradition By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau A Fatherâs Day tradition for me over the past 20 years has been the fascinating EyesOn Design car show on the beautiful, expansive lawns of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Jefferson Avenue near 9-Mile Road in Gross ... Continue reading
2009 Volkswagen CC Luxury Review
Jun 17, 2009
2009 VOLKSWAGON CC LUXURY Sleekest VW Yet By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau Just a couple of months ago I reviewed the VW CC 4Motion VR6. You may have seen it here on TheAutoChannel.com. Well, this week we have the VW CC in its turbo 4-cylinder iteration. If youâve read any of my reviews of other ho ... Continue reading
Nearly Ex-GM'er Bob Lutz Tells It Like He Sees It At Detroit's APA
May 29, 2009
BOB LUTZ: AN AUTO INDUSTRY UPDATE FROM THE ALPHA CAR GUY By Steve Purdy Photo by Bob Benko TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau Members of the automotive press in Detroit are not used to paying for their own lunch. But today was the exception. Bob Lutz, GMâs universally respected product guru, a guy famous for saying ... Continue reading
May 20, 2009
2009 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA GRAND TOURING A Real Sports Car By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau Iâve been a fan of the 1960s British and Italian sports cars since late in my misspent youth - MGs, Alfa Romeos, Austin Healeys, Triumphs, and their ilk. Their charm was in simplicity, agility, and a sort of inti ... Continue reading
2009 Infiniti G37S Coupe Review and Roadtrip
May 17, 2009
INFINITI G37S COUPE Road Therapy and Automotive Indulgence From a Shunpikerâs Journal By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau Iâve been planning this road trip for quite some time. Every spring the Midwest Auto Media Association (MAMA - a group I joined a few years ago while covering the Chicago Auto ... Continue reading
2009 Mazda6 Grand Touring Review
May 17, 2009
2009 MAZDA6 GRAND TOURING By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau Mazda has had its ups and downs in the mid size sedan market. They began hot with the first 626 in the 1980s. The upstart brand had a certain European ambiance in both styling and performance that outpaced both the American and Japanese competit ... Continue reading
2009 SAE International Congress
May 4, 2009
2009 SAE WORLD CONGRESS IN DETROIT One Measure of the Automobile Industry By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau There was a time, not many years ago, that the SAE show, held every spring in the Motor City, was a huge, lively, splashy event. Not anymore. Now itâs almost painfully subdued. No more big, ex ... Continue reading
May 3, 2009
2009 Infiniti M 35 Review By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau The Infiniti M35 slots into the market as a mid-size, luxury, rear-wheel drive, performance sedan, though it looks and feels close to full-size. The closest comparisons would be the BMW 5-Series or Lexus GS350. Cadillac CTS is close to the same ... Continue reading
Apr 18, 2009
2009 DODGE CALIBER SE Notable for What Itâs Not By Steve Purdy TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau On our first drive to town in the Caliber SE my pretty blonde said, âWhatâs up with this. I didnât know they still made cars with roll-up windows.â I canât remember the last time I drove a car ... Continue reading
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