VOTY '12: Shortlisted
Tweet Photo by Randy Stern The data has been crunched. The panel of jurors has spoken. Out of 39 vehicles considered for the Victory & Reseda 2012 Vehicle of The Year, the following ten have made the Short List:
Tag: Mazda
Continuing a Tradition
Tweet 2013 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD. All photos by Randy Stern A Victory & Reseda review of the 2013 Mazda CX-5 Over twenty-five years ago when my brother took delivery of a pre-owned 1979 Mazda 626 coupe – it spelled the end of a family tradition. In the early-to-mid 1980s, the Japanese import was …
The Speculator: Post-Dart
Tweet All photos by Randy Stern The Dodge Dart has just about reached its final destination – the showroom. It is a cause for celebration. The transition of Fiat's C-EVO architecture to become Chrysler's CUSW platform has now been framed into production form. Fiat and Chrysler's CEO Sergio Marchionne reiterated once again that the Dart …
Skyactiv or "Zoom -Zoom?"
If you've seen the commercials and advertisements for Mazda's vehicles, then you know what "zoom-zoom" is. It is the tag-line of an automobile company that always had an enthusiast bent. Whether it was economy cars, pickup trucks, crossovers and roadsters, the notion of "zoom-zoom" is felt when you find the most mundane feature had an aggressive feel to it. It is as there's a bit of a sports car in everything Mazda sells.
Leveraging the Cost of Luxury
Tweet All photos by Randy Stern There was once a time when luxury came in large packages. When we wanted luxury, we often went for the most ostentatious item on the showroom floor. Normally, that would mean something that dwarfed anything even remotely close to its scale. Cadillacs had fins that told the world "you …
Los Angeles 2011: The Auto Show that's 23 Miles from Victory & Reseda
It's true – I grew up 23 miles away from the site of this year's Los Angeles Auto Show.
So, how did I get 1,935 miles away from it? Why was I not there to cover it? Long story…but the show did yield some spectacular debuts. Some of these world premieres were well worth the wait.
It is a good thing that the Los Angeles Auto Show found resonance in its timeslot in November. The show itself puts the West Coast in the spotlight for our industry. November in Los Angeles is a great time to soak it all in – just before the Thanksgiving crush.
I'm talking about those of us in and around the automotive industry. But, for those of you who are planning to attend the show…what a way to spend turkey week!
It's SEMA Time!
Tweet 2013 Lexus GS by Five Axis. Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Remember the IAA in Frankfurt? Of course you did. Any automotive enthusiast that the September European auto show (alternating between Frankfurt and Paris) kicks off the global exhibition season. It also kicks off the season where manufacturers would debut their latest …
My Favorite Captive Imports
At a time when the call was to tune down the horsepower and prepare for an oil crisis, a recession and a never ending war overseas, domestic automakers figured it was high time to build another round of compact cars. By going smaller, there were two routes to take: Build them domestically or import them from a global partner somewhere. Three out of the four North American automakers chose the latter.
Frankfurt 2011: Fünf Lieblinge von IAA
Frankfurt? Why would I want to be in Germany, let alone Europe? I have not been to the old world…ever. Is that a bad thing to say?