The VN Channel

Say what you will about Ford, you have to admit that the Focus line of vehicles has gotten pretty popular. At the moment, it is in its second generation — keep that in mind for a minute.

If I am to be completely honest, and as I have probably said before, you could not quite dub me a Ford fanatic. I am not even a Ford aficionado. But I am the first to admit when I have had a change of heart. The 2012 Ford Focus is hot. Even if I never favor another Ford, I have to further admit that this future model definitely tickles my fancy.

It is really a pain to have to wait that long to get a shot at the third generation Focus, which premiered at the recent motor show in Detroit.

The auto market in India is definitely going to start the new year with a bang, thanks to the veritable wealth of concepts due to be unveiled at the Auto Expo 2010 that will take place in New Delhi.

One of the concepts slated for show is the Maruti Suzuki Concept R3, courtesy of Maruti Suzuki India Unlimited, which is said to be the leading company in car manufacturing in India.

In fact, the company will be revealing a number of different concepts at the expo. The R3 concept is special because it was created in house. Its theme — togetherness — also makes it special.

Succinctly, the vehicle is designed to be a neater, more compact kind of MPV. It is made to serve the family, to provide transportation that is not as bulky as many SUVs.

When you think about it – GM has not only had a tough, tough year but they have had a lot of ups and downs.  One good thing about GM right now is that Chris Liddell is in charge and although Chris Liddell does not have an automotive background, he definitely does know what he is doing … maybe.

One thing that I have noticed though and I am not the only one is that Chris Liddell is looking to run his own company.  Could he be on the track to become CEO of GM?  Doubtful in my mind but it might happen.

Right now, Chris Liddell is the CFO and he needs to succeed at that before he even attempts to become CEO of anything.

… and it’s the one and only Lamborghini Gallardo. Vanessa Rousso is one of the most popular poker players of the moment – and I just can’t imagine her paying for this car with her own money. Either GoDaddy, DC Motors or PokerStars hooked her up with this ride – or it’s a gift from poker-player boyfriend Chad Brown.

If she did buy it herself: learn something about the car you just bought before you hand out interviews pimping it, girl!

When you think about it … what have we been waiting for, forever now?  Well, we have been waiting for a plug-in car and that is exactly what Toyota is giving us!  Finally, they have announced that they are going to be releasing in 2011 the brand new Toyota Prius PHEV, PHEV means Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle.  This is a program that is going to start out as a lease but with success, I think that you will be able to buy these awesome cars.

Toyota will be building and deploying somewhere around six hundred examples of the Toyota Prius PHEV for testing which is mostly going to take place in Japan.  The Japanese market will get about 230 units and then about 150 will go to the states and finally, 200 will go over to Europe.

The Toyota Prius PHEV is honestly one car that I think I want to invest in.  Not only is it safe for the environment but it actually looks awesome!

As far as Chevrolet was concerned, at the recent auto show in Geneva, the brand new B segment car was the star of the show — the Chevy show, anyway. The Chevrolet Spark was first revealed as a concept, right along with the Groove and the Trax at the auto show in New York City in 2007. At that point, the public got the chance to vote on the internet for their preferred design. At that point, the Spark was called the Beat instead, but all the same, it won with a completely unanimous vote.

It is easy to see why. Now, of course, it is known as the Spark. The design has changed as well — the vehicle has gotten two more doors. Inside, things are much the same with a two tier IP layout.

How cute is this? It is the GEM Peapod, by Chrysler LLC. GEM stands for “Green Eco Mobility.” So not only is this little … thing … absolutely adorable, it is good for the environment as well!

It was revealed at the headquarters over in Michigan — Auburn Hills, to be exact. The Peapod name naturally comes from the vehicle’s exterior, which is quite like a pod, with its prominent window and its wholly organic silhouette. Inside, there is iPod integration, the seats are mesh to encourage circulation of air, and the materials used inside are not just recycled, they are also recyclable. It does not get any better than that!

The vehicle runs on six 12 volt electrolyte batteries — flooded ones, even, and it has an onboard charger.

Just in case you are wondering, the title of this post is more than a little tongue in cheek. Sorry, sometimes I am just completely unable to resist being a little snarky.

This thing … it looks like a big brown … well. The word I am thinking of here starts with a T and rhymes with “bird.” Whoever guesses that word first wins a brand new Toyota Venza! (I’m just kidding. It may look a little blah and stinky, but making fun of it does not pay me enough money to actually afford one.)

But anyway! The crossover sedan was revealed last year at the Detroit Auto Show. I thought maybe it would look better to me in a year, but it doesn’t.

I don’t care how refined the reviewers and automakers say it is; you can put a lot of frosting on a piece of poo and it still looks like a piece of poo.

Granted, choosing another color for photo ops would probably make this better, but marketing is everything, and if what you see is what you get here, I don’t want to get it at all.

Oh Toyota, you really are coming out with some of the coolest cars on the market aren’t you?  They have done it again folks; Toyota has impressed me all over the place with the brand new, 2010 Toyota Mark X.  This particular car is actually going to be a rear-wheel drive sedan that I think is going to be one of those cars that makes history.

Not only does the 2010 Toyota Mark X look really, really cool and nothing like a standard Toyota, but I have to say that this car is going to drive awesome too.  There is going to be two engine options: a 2.5-liter V6 producing 203 horsepower and a new, larger 3.5-liter V6 reportedly producing a healthy 315 hp.

Come on – who doesn’t love that?  Really guys, go ahead and take a look at the 2010 Toyota Mark X!

For those of you who are thinking right now that you are looking at a toy car … sorry, no, that is just not the case. I kind of wish it was, it would make more sense.

This is actually the Renault Twizy Z.E. concept. Unveiled recently at the motor show in Frankfurt, it is touted as an innovative answer to the problem of urban mobility.

Manufacturers use words like “nimble” and “compact” — which, okay, they apply. But they also call the vehicle “practical,” and uh. Sorry, no. Maybe the driveability is practical, but the design makes it a bit of a joke, if you ask me.

I can’t even say much more about this vehicle, I simply can’t wrap my head around it.