Mystery Scoop: Is this the 2014 Cadillac ATS, a Future Buick or Something Else?

Maybe you can help us out here. A Carscoop reader, who prefers to remain anonymous, nabbed these photos of an identical pair of camouflaged prototype sedans at a tollbooth in Ohio.

The photos were shot from a distance with a cell phone camera, so it’s difficult to tell the brand and make of the vehicles. Our unnamed reader told us that the front end looked like a Cadillac but the rest of the car reminded him of a Buick, and we’ll agree with him.

Read more »

Union of Concerned Scientists Releases 2011 Hybrid Scorecard: Prius = Good, Touareg Hybrid = Bad

The Union of Concerned Scientist, a non-profit science advocacy group in the U.S., has released its second annual Hybrid Scorecard. The organisation criticised hybrid car manufacturers for not delivering on the technology’s promise, for placing performance above fuel efficiency and environmental benefit and burdening hybrids with features that put them out of the price range of average Americans.

A total of 34 hybrid vehicles from the 2011 to 2012 model year were tested for their fuel efficiency, environmental impact, value-for-money and their so-called “forced-feature premium”. The latter is features that don’t improve fuel efficiency but probably make the cars more appealing to money-conscious consumers.

Read more »

Mercedes-Benz Tops Secret Shopper Study of U.S. Dealers, Lincoln Places Last in Luxury Segment

Mercedes-Benz dealers were number one for customer treatment in the US according to an independent study by survey company Pied Piper. The California-based company hired 3,524 “secret shoppers” and sent them to US dealerships in order to determine how their salesmen were performing in anything from explaining a car’s features to closing a deal.

This is the third year in a row that Mercedes-Benz, which looks set to top the sales charts this year in the luxury segment, has topped Pied Piper’s study.

Read more »

Lincoln Drops Price of 2012 MKT with EcoBoost V6 by $3,000

Lincoln has introduced the 2012 model year version of its not-so-successful MKT three-row crossover. While there are no equipment or styling changes, the Detroit automaker has reshuffled the MKT’s lineup by dropping the all-wheel drive model with the naturally-aspirated 3.7-liter V6 from the range and reducing the price of the AWD version with the 355HP 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 by $3,000 to $46,295. Read more »