BMW Bumps Bangle; Chicago Auto Show Round-up, Including Buick's LaCrosse, Kia's Mojave Pickup, Next Miata and More; Driving Nissan's New Armada; Behind Detroit's Downturn - and More - on TheCarConnection.com

DETROIT, Feb. 9, 2004 -- There's no doubt he's a visionary, but that's about the only thing folks agree on when it comes to Chris Bangle, BMW's controversial design chief. Read the story of his "promotion," which means he'll no longer be putting "Bangle butts" on cars like the new 5-Series. It's the lead story in Daily Edition on TheCarConnection.com .

Chicago, Chicago ... the Windy City has a lot of new product blowing in for this year's auto show, and TCC has the inside story. Get a first look at the new LaCrosse, the car designed to bring Buick back from the abyss; Kia's big Mojave pickup; and the concept sports car that could be the next Mazda Miata. All that and more, in a special report from the Chicago Auto Show.

TCC's spies have been busy this week, and they've come back to base with exclusive shots of the Hummer H3, along with the BMW 1-Series minicar, which is U.S. bound in less than two years.

Drive the massive new Nissan Armada in this week's reviews, along with the Ford Focus PZEV ZX3, and the open-air PT Cruiser Convertible.

On the business side, there was more bad news for the Big Three last month. What do January sales numbers portend? TheCarConnection has the story.

In this week's industry report: see why Bob Lutz is heading to Europe; why Bill Ford likes the falling dollar; how XM hopes to double its subscriber base in 2004 -- and why BMW and other makers are only kidding when they aim to attract young buyers.

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Let OnSite Mechanic solve your service problems. Find Kelley Blue Book pricing and more -- on the Web's Automotive Authority, TheCarConnection.com .

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