eddie

At the 2012 Detroit Motor Show, Nissan showed off the latest Pathfinder as a “concept” but based on the design and how “production ready” it was – people suspected it was the final package that would be hitting the showroom floors. Well, those suspicions can be put to rest because Nissan just revealed what the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder will look like.

Sure enough, the concept and the images Nissan released look identical.  The Pathfinder concept had more chrome accents than the images released by Nissan yesterday, but those could very easily be an option on the premium models.

Although Toyota had a bit of a head start when it comes to hybrid technology, the competition has pretty much caught up to them and the playing field is relatively level at this point in time. Ford has its marketing guns aimed right at the Toyota Prius V Plug-In Hybrid with their all-new C-MAX Energi.

The 2013 C-MAX Energi is Ford’s Plug-in Hybrid and is scheduled to hit the show room floors during the third quarter of 2012. The C-MAX Energi is powered by a 2.0-liter Atkinson-Cycle four cylinder engine that works in conjunction with an electric motor reaching a peak of 195 horsepower on a fully charged battery.

Nissan’s competition should really be the ones taking Notes. The newly designed Nissan Note made its world debut at the Osanbashi venue in Yokohama, Japan. The previous Nissan Note resembled that of a small MPV but its successor is designed to fit more into the small hatchback category. The car is designed to have a more spacious feel thanks to the taller roof which Nissan describes as an “air cabin” and apparently, it can’t be found on any other vehicle in this class.

Not only does the Nissan Note look a lot sexier than the previous generation, the Note is also extremely fuel efficient. The Japanese variant will come in two engine options, a 1.2-liter three-cylinder gasoline engines in naturally aspirate and supercharged. Both engines will feature the next-generation XTRONIC CVT with IDS (Idling Stop System).

Volkswagen, never really been a fan of the vehicles they put out except for a special edition here and there or when a tuning company does a really nice job in making it stand out. And I can’t really picture myself buying a minivan, especially a Volkswagen. But the Volkswagen T5 done up by Hartmann is not so bad.

The Volkswagen T5 ‘Prime’ by Hartmann brings improvements to the exterior as well as performance enhancements to the midsize van. Changes to the ECU help the 2.0-liter TDI go from a 138 horsepower to a respectable 164 horsepower while torque is increased from 251 lb-ft to 291 lb-ft. And the same upgrade to the 2.0-liter BiTDI increase output from 177hp to 209hp while torque is increased from 295 lb-ft to 339 lb-ft. Those are some decent numbers there!

Although not identical to the Fiat 500, you don’t have to be a genius to connect the dots and see how similar the Opel Adam is to the 500, especially from the rear view. The Fiat has seen success in the European market and GM’s European brand is eager to get in on the action.

The Opel Adam is certainly more aggressive looking and features a pinch of retro style designing. The Fiat 500 is a bit bland looking in my opinion. To set itself apart from the competition, the Opel is allowing customers to ability to customize the Adam to their liking on the inside of the vehicle as well as the exterior. The Opel Adam is also the first model in the A-segment that will have the option of LED daytime running lights.

The Maserati Kubang Concept is nice but is it “Maserati nice”? I still haven’t decided. The Italian company is years and years behind the competition when it comes to the Sport Luxury SUV segment. As some fans may remember, Maserati did showcase the Kubang Concept back in 2003 at the Detroit Auto Show. What they’ve been doing for the last eight years…nobody knows.

So what we have here is Maserati’s take on what a premium sport utility vehicle should look and feel like. The company says that the Kubang will be 100% Maserati in terms of style, handling, engine, suspension, brakes, and performance.  According to Meserati, the new generation of proprietary engines is currently being designed by Paolo Martinelli, who has 30 years of experience with Ferrari and Scuderia, and the engines will be built in Maranello by Ferrari. The engine is expected to be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.