Jaguar tops J.D. Power Survey in the US

Jaguar tops the US JD Power Survey for luxury cars in 2009 This year’s J.D. Power survey in the UK saw Lexus winning out, but it’s a different story on the other side of the Pond, where Jaguar have come top of the crop for the Luxury Sector followed by Cadillac, with Lexus, Mercedes and Land Rover filling up the top five. So the Brits (well, Indians) have taken two of the top five slots in what is probably the most influential car ownership survey around.

New MINI teased again ahead of next week’s reveal (video)

The new MINI is being teased again ahead of its debut The all new MINI for 2014 is due to be revealed next week on the anniversary of the birth of its creator, Sir Alec Issigonis, and MINI are squeezing in another tease for their new baby ahead of its official debut. We’ve already had a couple of teases from MINI in the run up to the reveal – including a good look at the new MINI with the MINI Vision Concept – so we’ve got a good ideas of what’s in store for MINI buyers. What we get this time is plenty of moody shots in low light of the new MINI’s features to keep the interest going, although much of the DNA of BMW’s MINI are carried forward from the current MINI.

Project Car Hell, Air-Cooled Inferno Edition: oval-window Beetle or Type 34 Karmann Ghia?

Here we are in the Automotive Lake of Fire again, and we feel compelled to follow up a couple of marginal-classic Fiat projects with a pair of indisputable classic Volkswagens. After Ferdinand Porsche appropriated the basic design for the original Beetle from Tatra designer Hans Ledwinka (but before Tatra successfully sued Volkswagen), Volkswagen turned one innovative rear-engined vehicle platform into quite a lineup of cars and trucks. These days, while some types of air-cooled VW projects are cheap and plentiful, the rarer ones are much-sought-after and tough to find in semi-restorable condition.