Driven: Mini Countryman

There has been no more contentious a car launched this year than the Mini Countryman. It's been labeled by some as sacrilegious to the very essence of the Mini brand, of 'selling out' and, yes, of being ugly. But does the concept of a four-meter Mini translate to use in the real world?

Tokyo motor shows: past, present and future

By Tim Pollard Motor Shows 20 August 2009 09:30 As bets in this topsy-turvy, unpredictable industry go, it’s a banker: of all the motor shows on the global calendar, the Tokyo exhibit is always the barmiest. Although the Chinese shows are rising in importance – and amusement value –  there’s something peculiarly bonkers about the biannual Japanese bash held in downtown Tokyo. So strange is the exhibition at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba City to westerners, that you don’t bat an eyelid at talking cars, vehicles with feelings, or cars designed for dogs.

Two-wheel Lowdown: 2013 Harley-Davidson CVO Breakout

Perhaps a shrink can explain sometime why crows, brook trout and people like shiny things. But until then, know that the Harley-Davidson CVO Breakout attracts an audience like a shimmering lure zaps a rainbow out of the aspen shadows. The Breakout—new for 2013 from Harley's Custom Vehicle Operations in Milwaukee—is a dazzling interpretation of the popular Softail.