#preview

With Ford having debuted the global version of the midsize Ranger pickup in 2021, the only question was what kind of changes would be made for the American market.

Well, we aren’t getting the diesel powertrains available in other parts of the world. But that’s hardly a surprise. I suppose the big shocker is exactly how similar the U.S. Ranger happens to be to the versions you can already buy in countries where they have the steering wheel on the wrong side. However, that’s hardly an insult when you take into account what you’re getting.

“From every angle, you’ll never mistake this for anything but a Camaro,” said Tom Peters, design director for the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro. That’s probably because it hasn’t changed that much, at least visually. Yet, under the skin, the new Camaro drops some 200 lbs thanks to its new Alpha platform bones and gains a new base engine – a 2.0L turbocharged Ecotec four-pot.

Land Rover has not given the Range Rover any significant update in ten years. This will change when the next generation is launched later this year. The current generation Range Rover (codenamed L322) is in its third generation. The current Range Rover was developed during the BMW regime (BMW owned Land Rover between 1995 to 2001.) The next generation Range Rover has been codenamed L405 and is based on an all new D4u platform, developed during Tata’s ownership. This exclusive preview is based on information received from JLR executives.

Among journalists, the New York Auto Show is consistently a favorite on “the circuit”. Is it the interesting product size of the Javits Center? Of course not. It’s the chance to have an OEM fly you out to New York, put you up at a luxury hotel, wine you, and dine you. Unless you’re TTAC, in which case your base of operations is the Super 8 Motel in Bergen County, New Jersey.

Our coverage of the 2012 Chicago Auto Show will kick off Wednesday, but preparations begin tomorrow, as our team, headed up by hizzoner Jack Baruth, makes its way to the Windy City. We’ve got a brief rundown of what you can expect to see from the TTAC team of writers and photographers on site at McCormick Place.