AutoWeek Exclusive: A conversation with the boss of Barrett-Jackson

The phone rings. Longtime Barrett-Jackson chief executive Craig Jackson is on the other end of the line. He's at his SoCal estate a week after a wildly successful sale nearby in Orange County.

Consumer Reports ranks the Kia Sorento third among small, midsize SUVs

The 2011 Kia Sorento EX V6 now ranks third in the Consumer Reports ratings for small and midsize SUVs. Having earned an “excellent” overall score of 82 in recent tests, the Sorento trails only the Subaru Forester 2.5XT and the Toyota RAV4 V6. The magazine notes that the Sorento has a very firm ride and that the six-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly.

Skoda Vision C Concept is a stylish 5-door coupe

The Skoda Vision C Concept could be heading for production as an Octavia Coupe The rise and rise of Skoda since it was a Soviet skip maker has been dramatic under the banner of the VW Group, and many of its cars are the pick of the VW Group offerings. But now Skoda look to be heading in a new design direction which looks set to produce far more stylish and dramatic cars than they have to date – just like this Skoda Vision C Concept. The VisionC – seen in the design sketch from Skoda above – is a swoopy five-door coupe with a low roofline, shallow glass area and a steeply-raked windscreen; it looks like a Skoda take on the VW CC or Mercedes CLA.