For almost 60 historic seconds in March, the Transition — half car, half airplane — soared over New York’s Plattsburgh International Airport. The airborne minute was the first successful test flight for the two-seat, road-ready aircraft.

We got lost then we got frustrated. Trying to read road signs in German and maps as well can stir the emotions. But the basics work no matter the language and when we figured out that we were headed north when we should have been headed south our problem was solved.

Tough! Tough! Tough!
Although I’m sure they didn’t intend it, tough is what the T should stand for in Lincoln’s new luxury crossover, the 2010 MKT. The face of this vehicle is probably the best example yet of what Lincoln’s new mug will ultimately look like on future models.

The town that Saturn put on the map is worrying about it’s future and hoping it’s giant auto plant and jobs won’t go the way of it’s most famous product.

The Japanese manufacturer had the dubious distinction of suffering the steepest sales decline, by percentage, of any automaker through June. Many think that Suzuki is on its way out of the American market. But Suzuki evidently has other ideas.

I’m still in love with the Audi A5. This week marks the third time that I’ve had the privilege of test driving this car. And every time I do I find more things to admire.

When I got into the Mazda6, I depressed the brake, pushed the start button and was somewhat surprised that the car not only didn’t start; the engine didn’t even turn over. I repeated the process several times with the same result. It wasn’t until I glimpsed the gear shifter that I noticed that my test car had a manual transmission. So I depressed the clutch, pushed the start button and I was on my way.

You know, when it comes to the all-new Taurus SHO, let’s take it by the numbers.

It’s been 10 years since we saw the last Taurus SHO. For the record the Taurus SHO is the performance version of Ford’s flagship sedan, the Taurus. In other words, the SHO is the flagship’s flagship.

The 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid is impressive.
My test vehicle caught a bunch of eyes simply because of its black metallic paint job. A couple of guys even stopped, spotting it parked at a meter, and commented to each other that it was a “good looking car.”

I’ve just returned here from a two-week visit to Southern Louisiana. I drove a Toyota Highlander Hybrid and visited Hammond, New Orleans, Gonzales, Baton Rouge and made a stop in Lafayette on the return trip.
Although I didn’t keep records, what impressed me the most about the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is that I had it for two weeks, drove to five cities, sometimes back and forth between them, and spent less than $100 on gasoline which averaged about two bucks per gallon. That’s not bad.

The third time is not always the charm. Sometimes it’s the fourth.
It seems that’s the case with the Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic. It’s the fourth utility vehicle that Mercedes has designed for the U.S. market and all I can say is that it should have been the first.
Don’t get it twisted; the other three were not bad vehicles but the Mercedes-Benz GLK small sport utility is just that good. The styling is angular with a lot of muscularity.

The Korean automaker continues to amaze the public and pundits alike by moving upstream but keeping its prices affordable. This time Hyundai used that equation to develop the Genesis (rear-wheel-drive) Coupe.

Its hard staying on top, especially when you were the first in the field. But that’s just what Toyota is trying to do with the third generation of its Prius Hybrid.

Infinity showed off the latest bullet it has loaded into its product chamber as it continues to take aim at the upper ranks of the world’s luxury performance cars.

You could say that we came to this western suburb of Detroit to see and to drive GM’s future. It came in the form of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro with a heritage that dates back to the late 1960s.

Cadillac has launched the 2009 Escalade Platinum Hybrid, the most technically advanced large luxury SUV yet, blending the exclusive features of the Platinum model with the fuel-saving powertrain of the Escalade Hybrid. It delivers 20 mpg in city driving – a 50-percent city mileage improvement over non-hybrid models.

Bam! Kia has turned it up a notch

The Korean automaker brought automotive scribes here to test drive its new Soul. The five-door run about has the potential to change Kia’s public persona from a manufacturer of small affordable but bland looking vehicles to the producer of funky fun to drive cars that are values for the money.

Saturn’s Astra is an acquired taste. It’s a rebadged Opel, thus, it has some European characteristics that buyers should get used to. The car’s suspension is firm, reflecting the better condition of European roads. What’s more, I found the handling to be outstanding.

“Excellence is in the details. Give attention to the details and excellence will come.” (Perry Paxton) Since the conception of the Cadillac automobile in 1902, the word Cadillac itself has been synonymous to high quality. To be of good quality is to be the epitome of finer details. It is Cadillac’s close attention to detail that has warranted the excellence that is now expected. I had my chance to experience the excellence in my own pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness behind the wheel of the 2009 Cadillac CTS.

I had driven a Mercedes-Benz C300 4MATIC here from Detroit to attend the auto show and I was giving a colleague a ride back to her hotel after attending an offsite reception.