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Ford/Microsoft Sync demonstration video
I don't know about you but I've almost killed myself and others in an effort to answer my phone only to find that the call is a Blockbuster reminder or a sales pitch for the local news paper. That won't happen with Microsoft's Sync Blue Tooth system.

Your Blue-Tooth enabled phone will work effortlessly with Sync at the touch of a steering wheel button... very cool. The Sync system will also connect to your iPod via USB port and play songs by voice command and recharge your player at the same time... this is VERY neat. Check out the RPM Daily video of the Sync Demonstration inside the 2007 Ford Edge.

Dodge Avenger to the rescue!!! Maybe
DCX's Dodge brand unveiled the 2008 Avenger at the NAIAS to much fanfare... we were all hoping for a home run for the Chrysler group and Avenger certainly looks better than the Sebring.

Having said that, I don't know if they went far enough with this one. While they stuck their necks out with Charger and 300, the Sebring and Avenger may not have gone far enough. If you take the Malibu as a counter-point, you can see that GM pushed the envelope further. Of course DCX isn't looking for the same kind of numbers (hoping though) so this one just needs to be 100k units good. Here's more info on the Avenger from Car and Driver.

We have video of the unveiling right here on RPM Daily.

GM's Chevrolet division officially unveils Malibu for 08
It's an incredible thing that an individual vehicle can go from dead-last in the looks dept. to the head of the class. The 2008 Malibu may not be number one but it's definately up there with the big dogs.

New for 2008 will be the high feature 3.6 liter V6 with 252 HP as well as a 6 speed tranny. The Malibu and Aura share many components but sheet metal is vastly different and the Malibu will have an available four-banger. The Detroit News has more information here.

Ford's PAG group unveils XC60, LR2 (again), and C-XF.
Times have been tough for the ole PAG team lately. Land Rover has started to cool from their year-long pace of 30-40% growth, Volvo was down 10%, and Jaguar had the single worst year over year drop in sales.

2007 seems to be somewhat better for the brands. Land Rover will again start to grow again in April with the LR2. The XC60 won't come out in 07, but the new S80, C30, and C70 should help to boost sales, and Jaguar, well, they'll have to wait until early 2008 to find their rainbow. Check out the RPM Daily video of the PAG press conference.

Lexus shows off new LF-A concept, IS-F car
The luxury dynamo that is Lexus just keeps on keepin on. They're printing dollars and converting them to Yen at a Microsoft pace. Today they've extended their little streak with a couple of stunning vehicles.

First we have the LF-A super car. It looks expensive, it probably will be, and it has over 500 HP. It looks a lot like something that many people will want. On the other hand, they had the ready for production IS-F... it's a super-beefed IS-350 with over 400 HP being kicked out of a 5.0L V8. It also has amazing 14.2 inch Brimos up front... that's stopping power. You can read more about the Lexus two-some over at autoblog.com.

Check out the Lexus press conference right here on RPM Daily.

Chrysler shows off Jeep Trailhawk, Chrysler Nassau
What a neat couple of concepts the Chrysler group had... and what a crazy spectacular they threw together to introduce them. Crazy drums and thumpin beats were the order of the day... but I could have done without the executives beating the mini drums.

The Chrysler Nassau is a RWD hottie with an annoying hatch rear... overall it is worth the price of admission. The Trailhawk is a tough-looking beast of a concept that blends the best of the Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler... of course it was fitted with the 6.1L SRT Hemi that is par for the course with every Chrysler brand concept... that and 22 inch rims. Car and Driver has information on both concepts here.

RPM Daily has the introduction video here.

GM finally shows us what the 2008 CTS looks like... and it's good
There has been no more speculated vehicle over the past year than the 2008 Cadillac CTS. With good reason, too. The General Motors hype machine has been spinning on this one since the 60 minutes video that was like 6 months ago.

Well, our prayers have been answered... an all new, 300+ HP beauty was revealed at the 2007 NAIAS. The freep.com has more information and pictures here.

Of course RPM Daily has all the video from the press conference here.

2008 Honda Accord Coupe "concept" stunner
Wow... what a beauty. The 2008 Accord Coupe looks more Acura than it does Honda. With sleek lines and a beautiful profile, the Accord will soon add "gorgeous" to affordable, reliable, and fun to drive. There wasn't a whole lot of information about the concept other than the fact that it was just about dead-on looks-wise. You could probably throw in better fuel economy and a little more power. Acura 3.2 anyone?

The automotive news quick-draw that is autoblog.com was first to post info on the beauty.. check out their info here. RPM Daily looks to be first with the video.

Go to the video section of RPM Daily to view.

New Mazda concept is GROOVY
Mazda is on a mission to show off their new design language going forward over the next few months. They started in Paris a few months back and then they planned on going to Detroit for the second iteration and to Geneva for the next, less crazy view of the future.

All this is going to culminate in the next new Mazda on the 4th visit. I'm banking on an all-new Mazda6. Go to the video section to check out the video from the Mazda Press Conference.

RPM Daily has your NAIAS videos! More to come
I'll be honest with you... I've never EVER loved the little Lancer Evolution. It was ugly and had cheap interior and the ride, while fast as all hell, was jarring and just plain uncomfortable.

Now the new for 2008 Lancer Evolution looks as great as anything on the market in its price range while giving you the kind of performance that will destroy pre 2005 Corvettes. Hell, maybe it will even get some of the 05s with the 4 speed autos. The Detroit News has details on the base Lancer.

RPM Daily has your NAIAS videos! More to come
We at RPM Daily went hog-wild at the 2007 NAIAS... and we brought our video cameras to bring you in on the fun. Where were TONS of journalists on hand... more than I'd ever seen. It looked like a Saturday evening during the regular event. Anyway, enjoy the many videos... more to come.

Check out the RPM Video archive.

New Tundra packs a big punch... 381 HP!
For too long Toyota heard about them being the 7/8ths full-size pickup truck. Well, with the new Tundra, the Detroit 3 are only hoping in vein that the vehicle is off target.

Officially unveiled at the NAIAS, the Tundra is a beast. It boasts an incredible 381 HP from its 5.7 liter engine... don't know too many not race car 5.7s that pull off 381. I did see the vehicle in person and while it was imposing, the interior materials aren't as nice as the Silverado. Check out more information in the Freep.

Ford Syncs up with Microsoft on new interacivity
Like it or not, computers and cars will be more and more linked going forward. PCMs and then Nav systems are giving way to onboard Hard Drives and now Microsoft Sync.

Ford Motor Company was the partner on this project, and they'll receive the reward of one and a half years with Sync all to themselves. Sync will take both wired devices like your Ipod or Zune (Bill Gates hopes) as well as blue tooth devices like your cell phone and seamlessly connect them thru your car's controls. Very cool stuff and way safer than some teenager dialing while driving.

If you're thinking this product will debut with a Lincoln or Jaguar, you're WAYYY off. Sync will debut on the Focus of all products, so this cool tech will be attainable to even the youngins. Check out this article from the Chicago Tribune.

Would you look at that, GM went and won it all
At the 2007 NAIAS something happened that nobody thought would ever happen again... GM SWEPT car and truck of the year honors. The surprise winner Saturn Aura was joined on the podium by the run-away killer favorite Chevy Silverado.

The press votes on these things so don't go accusing anyone of Detroit Bias. Check out the freep for more information. You can View the video of the award ceremony here.

Acura reveals Advanced Sports Car Concept
Just when I thought Acura would always be boring they've again proved me to be not that bright. The Advanced Sports Car Concept is just plain hot. On top of that, it will be RWD AND will sport a V10... a V10!

The Acura group has obviously gotten very tired very quickly of being little more than warmed over Hondas... though nicely warmed over at that. The design and main points (again, V10 and RWD) are very compelling. The vehicle will, however be AWD for safety and handling purpuses. And one more thing... it has a V10. As soon as I stop imagining how sick-powerful and silky smooth an Acura V10 will be I'll have more to talk about with reguards to this beauty... check out the Acura Website for more info.

General stunner: Plug-In Hybrid to get 150MPG
The General had a surprise for everybody come Sunday Jan 7 but for some reason the Times couldn't wait that long. They unveiled the Volt plug-in hybrid concept, stealing some of GM's thunder.

In terms of "cool" factor, it'll be biggest with those guys from the Sierra club yet anybody would like 150 MPG with a 40 mile range for electric-only driving. A charge takes a whopping 6.5 hours, but if your work is nice enough to provide you an outlet you should be OK (good luck with that one). Get more information from the Winding Road.

Infinity QX56 gets an overhaul this summer
The Infiniti QX56 is, by far the ugliest luxury SUV on the road, and if you own one I'm assuming you work for Nissan. Now, having said that, the new QX56 goes on sale over the summer and it will probably look better.

The good news is that the interior will be overhauled... presumably looking a lot less like the Titan and a lot more Escalade-looking. The bad news is that the exterior won't change much. In summary: Still ugly, but much more luxurious on the inside and still really expensive. Check out the Free Press artricle.

Another Ford article about how they're improving
Is it just me or does every other story have to do with the great new products from Ford, DCX, and GM? The only peep your hear out of Toyota is the occasional "we're going to be number one in global production" or "Toyota is going to pass Ford in 2007."

Maybe the Detroit 3 should stop talking and start walking. Anyway, here's another Ford article... this one from The Car Connection. Mulally and the gang talk about every Ford being redone by 2010... about the time Toyota will have the first full hybrid on the moon. It's actually a great article and the blue oval is definately putting their best foot forward with this year's concepts.

Camaro drop top in the flesh
We've all seen the Camaro concept car and many of you have already seen the convertible version as well, but man, it's hard to get too much of this beauty.  With design elements that are borrowed from the past without looking like a retro rip-off, the Camaro will undoubtedly stir the passion of plenty of baby-boomers in age denial.  Man, I keep checking the calendar and 2009 isn't getting here any faster.  Check out the Free Press article and pictures.

Oh so cool... even for a minivan
OK, picture it.  A 6 speed transmission, 4.0L V6 with 240 HP, and an all new chassis.  Now think minivan.  Chrysler, the father of the minivan (or mother) has one-upped all comers with the 2008 Town and Country.  

This baby has it all; dual DVD players that play different movies concurrently, swivel and go capains chairs in the second row that can turn and face the second row, a table that comes out of nowhere (stow and go-style) for playing cards on a long trip.... this is one tricked out minivan.  Check out Chrysler's living room on wheels on Auto Week.