Bernie's Top and Bottom Picks from the NAIAS

NAIAS or the most important auto show- the North American International Auto Show is currently taking place in Detroit, Michigan. Despite Detroit being the home of the "Big Three", almost all automakers use this show to show off what they've been working on in hopes to have the next great automobile.

I wasn't fortunate enough to attend the NAIAS this year (I'm currently back in school), however, in true Bernie fashion, I bring to you my top picks from the North American International Auto Show.

Number 5... The Dodge Dart. This particular car, I'm not looking at it from whether or not I would buy one, but I'm looking at it from Dodge's standpoint. Dodge hasn't had a strong compact car/economy car/clown car/funsize car since the Neon, and that was awhile ago. During that era, Dodge dominated it so maybe the Dart would be a solid move on Dodge's part. Let's be real, if you combine the Avenger and the Caliber together, it still didn't make the noise that the Neon made.

Number 4... The Chevy Tru 140S. This looks better than the Chevy Cruze, but sadly, according to Autoblog, it would perform just like the Cruze. *sad face* That means the Tru 140S will have the same 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and it'll put out 150 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels via either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Which means it'll look better than it performs.

Number 3... Acura NSX. I've never described a vehicle as being sexy and I'm not a fan of vehicles that barely clear the ground, nor have I been a fan of exotic cars. However, if Acura gives the thumbs up and I had the money to purchase this, believe me, I would snatch this up in a heart beat. But if it suffers from the "Chevy Tru" disease (I look fast, but my performance sucks), then I would leave it on the lot.

Apparently because of NAIAS, Acura gave the green light to the NSX which will be produced in 2015. Acura, call me to test drive, I'm available. But if it has less than 300 horsepower, then lose my number.

Number 2... The Bentley Continental GT V8. I Love Bentley. They took their best selling vehicle and figured out how to make it better. They reduced the engine power from the W12 to a V8, lowered the horsepower, thus increasing the MPG. I'm huge on horsepower but Bentley hasn't been stingy with it. Bentley kept the design but made the Continental a stronger vehicle. The difference is- it's roughly $10,000+ less than the W12, you lose about 60 horsepower, but the 0-60 is still the same, plus it gets better gas milage to over 20 mpg. Let me stop, because I'm starting to sound like a car salesman.

Number 1... Of course it's the Ford Shelby 50th Anniversary Edition. But I hear that Carroll Shelby wants to back away from creating the Shelby Mustangs as a whole vehicle, and focus on making the parts to convert a Mustang into a Shelby Mustang. That means he wants to make more money. Either way, I love the car and I'm still working on getting one... or being perfectly content with a Mustang 5.0 GT.

I do have one honorable mention, and it goes to Mercedes Benz. Mercedes Benz has been paying attention to "what's hot in the streets" so to speak and everyone knows that all trends start in the streets. One trend is matte painting a vehicle, and Mercedes picked up on it. Offering high end vehicles in white, flat silver, dark grey, and black and possibly expanding the color palette down the line. It's a great idea, and I commend them being ahead of the curve, but... As a person who has been in the streets (a.k.a. car shows around the country), I've seen many matte vehicles. BMWs have been the most popular, followed by other imports, and I've seen a matte black Lamborghini, plus Jim Jones does have a matte black Audi. I don't think a matte Mercedes Benz will go over well. If they sell more than 9, I will be surprised. I'll give Mercedes an A for effort, but BMW should have came up with that idea since they would have profited more.


Now for my bottom picks...

The Cadillac ATS that everyone was wetting their pants over. Why? It looks just like the Cadillac CTS and usually Cadillac can crank out different designs in their models. I hope Cadillac isn't turning into Nissan. Which brings me to my next bottom pick...

The "Newly Modeled" Nissan Pathfinder. It's newly modeled all right. It looks just like the Murano and Rogue. What's the difference? I won't find out for myself until I can corner Nissan at an auto show in March and April.

Chevy Node 130R. Remember when the present design of the Chevy Camaro was just a concept? Again, that's what this looks like to me, but it probably won't perform like the Camaro.

Lexus LF-LC. That grille... That grille... That grille...

And finally, the Buick Encave. Normally I'm sympathetic towards the Encave because Buick's clientele are folks over 50 and the Encave was the shred of hope for a younger audience. However, the length seems squished and the bumper looks off.


I hope that the vehicles I listed above will strut their stuff at the 2012 New York Auto Show, because I'm going this year...

Photos: AB and NAIAS

The Detroit News: Chrysler ends production of Caliber and welcomes the Dart

The Detroit News reports that after years of small profits, Chrysler pulled the plug on the Caliber. Introduced in 2006 as a replacement for the Dodge Neon, the Caliber was basically the worst of a bad bunch by many industry observers. Consumer Reports ranked the Caliber SXT at the bottom of its list of small hatchbacks and wagons in the 2011 annual car issue.

Analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics LLP said he thought cars such as the Caliber, the Chevrolet Cobalt and previous generations of the Ford Focus were the products of "cynical thinking" and approved because the companies thought consumers who purchased the entry-level vehicles wouldn't know any better.

Personally, the Dodge Caliber confused me because you don't really know what to consider it. In some circles, it was considered as a small CUV- since it had four doors with a hatchback. In other circles, it was Dodge's version of a compact car. Alas, I don't have to wonder anymore.

However, Dodge hasn't given up hope on a compact car, and they decided to re-release the new Dodge Dart. With the new and improved Dart, think of Fiat's Alfa Romeo brand since that's what it's based off of. Take the Dodge Avenger and squish it a bit and round out the front fenders and take the lights from the Charger. Be prepared for the unveiling at the North American International Auto Show in the Big D- where Dodge, Ford, and Chevy battle to unveil lots and lots of goodies...

Car Show Coverage: Bernie's Picks from the LA Auto Show

Since the Lakers aren't doing anything, they were gracious enough for the LA Auto Show to be held at the Staples Center. Anyway, since 1909 LA has had the Auto Show and as each year progressed, it grew to be one of the most important auto shows in the world. Thousands upon thousands get to feast their eyes on the such debuts like the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible, 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket, 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee, 2012 Jaguar XKR-S Convertible, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, my new lover- the 2013 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 and my new in-laws- the 2013 Ford Mustang GT and Boss 302 Edition Mustang.

When you don't go to an auto show, you're forced to see what other news outlets covered. Sadly, some of the LA news outlets can't cover a car show to save their life and I'm wondering how they got the passes to begin with. But thankfully, folks like autoblog.com, Dub Magazine, and motortrend.com, I was able to find out what showed up and what photos were produced. And the part of the show I thoroughly enjoy, although it would have been better if I was there, photos from different news sources and my commentary.

Sadly Chevrolet decided to unveil the Chevy Camaro ZL1 Convertible the same year that Ford releases the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Now, the Shelby is lighter, faster, and avoids the gas guzzler tax unlike the Camaro. So I'm rolling with my boy-toy, the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Is it bad that every time I type out his full name, I have a stupid looking grin on my face? Some folks like the weight and the larger size of the Camaro, but I've driven both and I adore the performance of the Ford Mustang to the Chevy Camaro, Jadakiss sounds better coming out of a Mustang, and Ford was smart enough to hire Derek Jeter as a Spokesmodel. Need I say more?

The only difference I see with the Ford Flex, is a little minor tweaking in the front. I don't know if they did any tinkering with the performance and the interior. One thing I can say about it, it's a very deceiving vehicle. It doesn't look big on the outside, but when you step inside and drive it, it's very spacious. I didn't drive it far enough to give it a great performance grade, but yes it is roomy.

After seeing these photos, if you want a Jaguar XKR-S Coupe, you will be S.O.L. since they've been sold out since the announcement of them coming to the States. (Note: Only 25 were coming to the US.) Specs include a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 rated at 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. With a standard six-speed paddle-shifted automatic, acceleration to 60 mph from a standstill takes just 4.2 seconds. Top speed is 186 mph and the MSRP is sitting at $138,875. The 25 people who ordered this are some lucky folks, because this is a cute car.

The one vehicle that will do GREAT in Atlanta... According to the AJC, food trucks are becoming more and more popular. So to restaurant owners looking for a new food truck, the Nissan NV2500 HD is the truck for you. (Note: If I was in LA at the time at this show, I probably would have spent more time at this food truck. I'm a fat girl trapped in a curvy body.)

I was a bit confused by the Infiniti JX. Infiniti claims that it's designed to fall between the FX and the QX but the size appears to be a smidgen smaller than the QX. It's almost like it's pointless. If you're going to make multiple SUV's, make sure there's a sizeable difference between them. The Infiniti FX and EX are extremely too close in size, then the Infiniti QX and JX are almost twins as well. Then again, Infiniti is a division of Nissan and I'm still trying to figure out a major difference between the Rogue and the Murano.

The Surprise Design of the Show: The 2013 Ford Escape. I'm happy that they followed the design of the Ford Explorer, and applied it to the former fugly Ford Escape. It looks better than the previous designs, but I would still rather the Edge over the Escape. Autoblog.com hit the nail on the head when they said that "the new Escape looks like a super-sized Focus."

My pick for the Concept Car and I have my fingers crossed for it to make it to production... The Jaguar C-X16 Concept. If it does make it to the production line, it would be a hybrid with 468 horsepower and 505 lb-ft torque, which is good for a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph. Impressive...

However, Land Rover needs to go back to the drawing board for that DC100 Concept. Sorry, but that thing is ugly. You can't even defend it by saying "it was the angle that was photo was taken". Sadly, that angle above was the most flattering angle and that's not saying much... AT All. Motor Trend said that the DC100 was one of the cars that was under a sheet, well, Land Rover should have left the sheet over it.

At first glance, I said "Oh, a Lotus", but apparently this is a Mastretta MXT, built on the same platform as a Lotus. When you look at this car, you automatically assume that it's a fast car, well think again. The specs read as follows, The current powertrain is a 2.0-liter turbocharged affair, good for 247 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 257 pound-feet of torque peaking at 3,950 rpm. I get more horsepower out of my Envoy. Nuff said.

Of course, Dub Magazine wasn't too far behind and they had their area as well... I'm not going to say much about their photos because most of those cars were at SEMA and plus it's obvious that they used photoshop because they used the "Sharpen" tool a little too much...

(This is NOT Justin Beiber's car)

(The Escalade from Long Island that I saw at SEMA)

(We all know they were going to come)

God I love looking at great looking cars. Is that a legitimate job title "Person who looks at hot cars?" That sounds as busy as "Famous for doing nothing". I meant it when I said that the LA Lakers aren't doing anything, because you and I both know that the New York Yankees will be back to work long before the Lakers.

P.S. Chrysler was kind of quiet at this show... Other than the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket, the Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee, and the Fiat 500 Abarth. And those three cars were just special editions.