William Maley

It's official. Land Rover announced today that it will be sending the Range Rover Evoque Convertible into production next year. Along with the announcement, Land Rover released pictures and video of a camouflaged prototype driving in the 26-mile network of Crossrail tunnels currently being built in London. Why drive it in tunnels? According to the company, it allow them to drive the vehicle with the top down in complete privacy. "The tunnels are still under construction, so we had a unique opportunity to explore the vehicle's all-terrain ability in uncharted territory," said Murray Dietsch, Director of Land Rover Programs. More details about the convertible will be announced later this year. Source: Land Rover Press Release is on Page 2 Range Rover Evoque Convertible Production Confirmed at 2015 Geneva Motor Show Land Rover officially confirms new Range Rover Evoque Convertible at 2015 Geneva Motor Show Range Rover Evoque Convertible to go on sale in 2016 Tested at Europe's largest construction project, a network of Crossrail tunnels First prototype demonstrates Land Rover capability in underground surroundings (MAHWAH, NJ) - March 2, 2015 - Land Rover has confirmed production of the Range Rover Evoque Convertible, on sale in 2016, by releasing a unique underground testing film. One hundred and thirty-one feet below the streets of London, UK, the first prototype of the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible was granted exclusive access to the 26-mile (42km) network of Crossrail tunnels for a unique development test. Engineers were allowed the opportunity to drive the disguised Evoque Convertible with its roof lowered in complete privacy. The short film begins with the highly-capable convertible being lowered into the tunnel network by crane, before negotiating a range of obstacles through the 20 foot (6.2 meter) diameter tunnel. Murray Dietsch, Director of Land Rover Programs said, "The tunnels are still under construction, so we had a unique opportunity to explore the vehicle's all-terrain ability in unchartered territory." Land Rover will announce further details about its exclusive new premium compact SUV Convertible later this year. It will be built alongside the Range Rover Evoque five-door and coupe at the Halewood Land Rover plant in the UK. View full article

The Ford Flex is loved by automotive writers, their owners, and Consumer Reports which recommends the model. But with all of this good news, you would think the Flex would be a big seller. Not at all. Ford Flex Sales in December 2014 totaled 1,786 units, a 24.9 percent decrease when compared to December 2013 and well behind Ford's other three-row crossover, the Explorer. Automotive News says that the average Flex sales totaled around eight models. Pair this with no hint of a next-generation Flex anywhere, it seems the model will be heading into the sunset. Possibly not. Automotive News says there are two key reasons for why the Flex is still around. Ford makes a nice profit on every Flex sold. Flex is very popular in California. About a quarter of Flex models (around 446) were sold in the state. "You either love it or you hate it. It's one of our top sellers. Lease loyalty on it is very high. People lease it and then come back and get another one," said Lee Dibble, a sales manager at Vista Ford-Lincoln of Oxnard - a city near LA. "It's becoming a regional product that we're embracing as such," said Matt Zuehlk, marketing manager for the Flex and Explorer. Helping the Flex is the sister model, the Explorer. With monthly sales around 20,000 mark, this helps reduce the costs and margins on both models. As for why we haven't heard any hint of a next-generation, Zuehlk explained that the refresh done in 2013, "was progressive enough to carry us forward for the interim." Editor's Update: The original version of this article incorrectly cited December 2014 sales as full year sales. Full year 2014 sales of the Flex are 23,882, down 8.2% I have corrected this. -DD Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

I want to say yes.

The past couple of weeks at the Cheers & Gears Detroit Garage has been interesting for the past couple of weeks. Last week saw a Fiat 500C Abarth and the week before was a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. During a conversation with a colleague of mine, the question was asked which car would I feel more comfortable in pushing. The answer I gave surprised him when I said that I would take the 500. My reasoning for this choice comes down to this; the Lancer Evolution has a lot more exploitation available thanks to computer wizardry and a powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine. You can corner much faster and go a lot quicker than in many vehicles, which can make you feel like the greatest driver in the world. But that only happens to be an illusion; the computer, all-wheel drive, and engine can only do so much to keep the vehicle on the road. If you overcook a corner, don't expect the vehicle to save you. Then there is the Fiat 500C Abarth. A small car with a small 1.4L turbo engine and front-wheel drive. The limits in this car are much lower than the Evolution, but I feel that it makes a little bit safer and fun to push. I could press the accelerator further to floor and feel like I'm going quicker when in reality I wasn't. Also I knew that it being front-wheel drive meant I would have a hint of understeer if I pushed, which could mean visiting a ditch or something worse. Keep it steady I told myself driving on a curvy bit of road and the Abarth was fine. I think a lot of this also comes down to knowing my driving habits. I've never been a race track, nor have taken a advanced driving course to improve my skills. The only real skills I have are from driving school and making a number of mistakes in my young age. Maybe that plays into knowing that I don't much of extracting all of the performance of a car - possibly a good thing. Other thoughts from the week: Cadillac boss Johan de Nysschen did a reader Q&A on Jalopnik this week and dropped some interesting tidbits: A new V6 engine lineup will be revealed sometime this month, the CT6 will 'eventually' get a twin-turbo V8 engine, and the ELR will be getting some significant updates. I would recommend checking out the Q&A. Sticking on the Cadillac tip, I'm currently driving an ATS coupe with the 2.0L turbo and all-wheel drive. Two things I want say about the vehicle. the 2.0T is so much better than the ATS 3.6 I drove awhile back. Lots of low end punch. Seeing the new Cadillac emblem up close, still don't like it. [*]Chrysler can't seem to catch a break on the nine-speed automatic transmission still. I'm beginning to wonder if it might make sense to kill this current transmission and go back to drawing board. [*]Geneva Auto Show kicks off this week and so far the only vehicle I'm excited by is the Kia Sportspace concept. Hopefully a couple other vehicles can amp up the excitement. [*]Big congrats to one of our members - GMTruckGuy on getting a new GMC Canyon. Sharp color! View full article

That is a sharp looking color - congrats on getting the Canyon!

The whole transmission