New 2012 Kia Optima SX Limited Edition adds Some Bling

Along with the snazzy Track'ster concept study, Kia also revealed a new range-topping version of its Optima sedan called the SX Limited at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show.

The SX Limited, which as you may recall was teased through Kia's Super Bowl XLVI commercial this past Sunday, is based on the 274-horsepower turbocharged Optima SX adding a little bling to the mix with new 18-inch chromed alloy wheels, a chrome-accented rear spoiler, LED daytime running lights and red front-brake calipers.

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Hyundai's New Elantra GT and Elantra Coupe Make their Video Debuts

So you want to see the newest additions to Hyundai's Elantra range on film, do you? If the answer is yes, follow the break to watch the first videos of both the Elantra GT, which is the North American version of the European market i30 hatchback, and the Elantra Coupe that is based on the sedan model sold in select markets around the world.

For more information regarding the two newly introduced Hyundai models that premiere at this week's 2012 Chicago Auto Show, visit our previous posts on the Elantra GT here and the Elantra Coupe here.

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Nissan Debuts NV200 Compact Cargo Van at the Chicago Auto Show

The Nissan NV200 compact cargo van made its North American debut today at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. The commercial version of New York City's NV200 Taxi joins Nissan's expanding lineup of professional vans that includes the full-size NV Cargo and Passenger variants.

Even though the NV200 Cargo is making its first appearance on U.S. soil, the compact van is already available in more than 40 countries around the world. However, the North American NV200's body has been extended 7.9 inches (200 mm) compared to the regular models sold elsewhere.

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MINI Beware: Kia Thinks Big with Track'ster Concept that Could Spawn a 3-Door Soul

Without doubt, the spotlights at this year's edition of the Chicago Auto Show are on the Koreans. Following the presentation of Hyundai's new Elantra GT and Coupe models, its sister company Kia has unveiled an impressive concept model for a sporty, three-door version of the Soul called the Track'ster

Of course, if you throw in a pair of round headlights and vertical tail lamps, the Track'ster could very well be a conceptual proposal for high-performance Mini model…

That's not to say the Track'ster hasn't got character but many details like the alloy wheel designs, the blacked out front pillars, the two-tone paint job and the prominent LED driving lights on the lower part of the front bumper do have a certain British flavor.

"The idea was to make the Track'ster tough looking, like a bulldog," said Tom Kearns, chief designer for Kia's Californian design studio, which was responsible for the creation of the Track'ster.

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GMC Freshens up Acadia and Acadia Denali Crossovers for the 2013MY

At the 2012 Chicago Auto Show today, GMC lifted the wraps off its facelifted Acadia crossover that enters the new model year with a retouched exterior, higher quality materials inside and new safety features.

The exterior redesign brings a new front end with a more prominent and upright grille with three-bars that was previewed by GMC's recent concept models like the Sierra HD All-Terrain, along with LED running lamps, and new headlamp and bumper designs.

At the back, we find new taillamps, a re-sculptured bumper, a wrap-around rear glass and a new rear spoiler, while GMC also introduced a fresh set of 18-, 19- and 20-inch wheels.

According to GMC, the interior benefits from upgraded soft-touch materials, with French stitching and a red ambient light that flows across the dashboard.

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Hyundai Debuts New 2013 Elantra Coupe to Take on the Honda Civic

The GT hatchback isn't the only addition Hyundai is making to the Elantra's North American lineup as the South Korean automaker also revealed the sporty looking Coupe model at the Chicago Auto Show.

While pretty simple in its execution, the transformation from four-door sedan to a two-door coupe seems to work visually.

Aside from the elongated front doors, the Coupe also gets different fog lamp surrounds, black trim on the lower part of the rear bumper and a new trunk incorporating a spoiler in the design.

It's also half an inch longer than the sedan at 178.7-inches, while the rest of the dimensions remaine the same at 69.9-inches wide, 56.5-incnes tall with a 106.3-in. wheelbase.

Hyundai says that the Elantra Coupe's total interior volume of 110.2 cubic feet and 14.8 cubic feet trunk both exceed the 2012 Honda Civic Coupe and 2012 Kia Forte Koup by "large margins".

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Hyundai i30 Gains the Elantra GT Moniker for North America [28 Photos]

The compact hatchback that we came to know as the Hyundai i30 in Europe, Australia and other parts of the world was introduced in North America on Wednesday as the all-new 2013 Elantra GT.

Set to make its world premiere later today at the Chicago Auto Show, the GT expands the range of the Elantra offering Hyundai a direct rival to the Ford Focus, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza and Volkswagen Golf hatchbacks.

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New 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible with 650HP

Some said it would be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show while others that it was doubtful whether it would get the full 650HP V8 treatment of the tin-top model. All we know is that Ford proved them all wrong today with unveiling the 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible that debuts at the Chicago Motor Show.

Ford says that it chose the Windy City show instead of a more high-profile show like Detroit because 20 years ago, it launched its Special Vehicles Team at the same venue. And to make sure that the car’s owners don’t forget it, it added SVT commemorative lighted sill plates.

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First Official Photos of 2013 Acura ILX Sedan and RDX Crossover

We don't have to wait until Wednesday for the 2012 Chicago Auto Show to open its doors to the press to see what the production versions of Acura's 2013 ILX compact sedan and RDX crossover look like as the Japanese carmaker has just released the first official photos.

As we expected, the transition from concept to production didn't bring many changes on either model, just some minor tweaks to the bumper trims and the placing of smaller and less extravagant alloy wheels.

Starting with the ILX, while based on the current Civic, Acura has made considerable efforts to differentiate the compact model from its Honda sibling, both inside and out. Acura says that the primary target customers for the ILX are "Generation Y- successful 20 and 30-somethings moving into the luxury car ranks but looking for high-value propositions in their purchases."

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Patent Images Show the 2013 Acura ILX Sedan in Production Form

We're only a day away from the official presentation of the production version of the 2013 Acura ILX compact sedan at the Chicago motor show but we've managed to get our hands on the patent images providing us with our first look at what has changed and not over the concept model we saw in Detroit last month.

Acura had already told us that the Detroit show car was very close to the production model that will follow so it's overall styling don't come as a surprise.

Like all production models, the 2013 ILX stands a little bit higher and rides on smaller wheels, while Acura also simplified the design of the front bumper openings and replaced the concept's LED strips with regular fog lights.

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Nissan Unveils Subtly Facelifted 370Z Ahead of the Chicago Auto Show [27 Photos + Video]

Less than 24 hours before the grand opening of the 2012 edition of the Chicago Auto Show and Nissan has lifted the covers off its mildly updated 370Z sports car that goes on sale in the U.S. next June as a 2013 model.

The changes on all configurations of the 370Z including the Coupe, Roadster and the NISMO edition are extremely subtle.

Starting with the Coupe and Roadster, on the outside, you'll probably notice the revised front bumper that gains vertical LED daytime running lights in a similar position that the older 350Z featured reflectors.

Nissan's designers also added a red reflector to the rear fascia that replaces the previous black center cover. The regular coupe now rides on newly designed 18-inch wheels while the Sport Package equipped models gain revised 19-inch alloys, red-finish brake calipers, and what Nissan describes as "Euro-tuned" shock absorbers.

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Ram Trucks Shows us its More Curvalicious Dark Side

It could be a scene from a James Bond movie but the bikini-cladded brunette bombshell seen coming out of the water in this teaser clip doesn’t approach 007 but a Ram truck covered in a black sheet.

The spot says we'll have to wait two more days to find out what's hiding under the covers, which coincides with the grand opening of the 2012 Chicago Auto Show.

Ram Trucks has already announced that it will debut a new top-of-the line trim level called Laramie Limited Edition in Chicago, but we can't say for sure if this is the "Dark Side" or if the company has something else in store for us.

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Kia Publishes Another Photo of its Track’ster Concept Car

Even though the 2012 Chicago Auto Show will open its doors to the members of the press in less than 48 hours from now, Kia continues to play the teasing game with its new Track’ster concept car releasing a second picture of its Soul-based model.

The study is supposed to give us an idea of what a sportier three-door version of the Soul would look like with Kia saying that it's only a design concept for now. We assume that the company’s future plans will largely depend on the reactions of the public.

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New Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition Unwrapped Ahead of Chicago Auto Show

Do you remember the MX-5 Sport Black Edition launched in Britain last summer or perhaps its twin from Japan, the MX-5 Black Tune Edition released this past October?

If the answer is yes, we would like to congratulate you on your excellent memory and tell you that the 2012 MX-5 Miata Special Edition that will be unveiled at the upcoming 2012 Chicago Auto Show is more or less the U.S. market version of those two models – hence the RHD pictures released by Mazda.

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New VW Beetle gets a 39mpg Diesel Variant in the States

At the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen will reveal the most fuel-efficient version of the new Beetle in the States, the TDI, which is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine producing 140 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of peak torque. The same powerplant is offered on the North American Jetta and Passat TDI models.

The diesel engine can be mated to either a six-speed manual gearbox or VW’s dual-clutch DSG six-speed automatic, with the German automaker predicting a fuel economy of 29 mpg city and 39 mpg highway.

That's a significant improvement over the base 170HP 2.5-liter gasoline engine that returns an estimated 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway with a five-speed manual, and 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway with the optional six-speed auto.

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New Kia Track'ster Concept based on the Soul Heads to Chicago Auto Show

This is the first official teaser rendering of Kia's latest concept based on the Soul crossover. It's called the Track'ster and it will make its first public appearance at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show next week.

Penned in Kia's California design studio, the Track'ster shows how a more sporty, three-door version of the Soul could look like, though the South Korean automaker is quick to point out that currently, there are no plans for a production version.

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Nissan to Unveil "Revised" 2013MY 370Z at the Chicago Auto Show

We received word today than Nissan will debut a "revised" version of its 370Z sports car series at the upcoming 2012 Chicago Auto Show via an invitation to a press event that will take place next Thursday.

Unfortunately, the invite does not detail the changes on the 2013 model year 370Z so we don't know if it's a full facelift or a minor nip and tuck with very subtle updates here and there.

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2012 Mopar Jeep Compass True North Custom Edition Heads to Chicago Auto Show

After the presentation of the other three Chrysler Group vehicle customized by Mopar for its 75th anniversary, we bring you the first real life photos of the brand's fourth creation, named the Jeep Compass “True North”.

Beginning with the exterior, the Compass has been customized with a matte black finish on the roof, wheel flares, lower fascia, door cladding and black grille, while it also features tinted lights, front and rear brush bars and custom rock rails.

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Mopar's 2013 Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute in the Flesh

On Tuesday, we brought the news on the 2013 Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute that was developed by Mopar both to celebrate its 75th birthday and to preview the performance and styling parts that will be available for customers in the fall as stage kits or á la carte from the brand's catalog.

Today we have live photos of the Dodge Dart GTS 210 Tribute that offer us a better view of the car and the customizations made by Mopar.

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Acura to Debut Production Versions of New ILX Sedan and RDX at the Chicago Auto Show

Next week's 2012 Chicago Auto Show will play host to the world premiere of the final production versions of Acura's all-new ILX compact sedan and the redesigned RDX crossover, both of which we're displayed in showcar form in Detroit last month.

The changes on the production models are expected to be limited to some subtle design details such as the bumpers and the alloy wheels.

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