The New Cars are a supergroup formed around members of the popular 1970s/1980s new wave band The Cars. They comprise of Todd Rundgren, Journey/Jefferson Starship/The Tubes drummer Prairie Prince, original Cars members Greg Hawkes and Elliot Easton, as well as a rotating membership between bass players Kasim Sulton (Meat Loaf, Utopia) and Atom Ellis. The band performs The Cars' classic songs, as well as Rundgren's solo work, and some new material.

History

In 2005, rumors began circulating that Easton and Hawkes would be teaming with Todd Rundgren in a new Cars lineup, with Rundgren replacing Cars singer Ric Ocasek. The rumors turned out to be true, with the revamped lineup calling themselves The New Cars. Two regular Rundgren collaborators, bassist Kasim Sulton and drummer Prairie Prince, replaced the late bassist Benjamin Orr and drummer David Robinson in the new lineup.

On May 9, 2006, a greatest hits/live collection, The New Cars: It's Alive!, was released on Eleven Seven Music. The album included classic Cars songs recorded live plus new studio tracks. The band's first tour, the summer Roadrage Tour with Blondie kicked off May 12 in Mississippi.

Rundgren has referred to the project as "an opportunity ... for me to pay my bills, play to a larger audience, work with musicians I know and like, and ideally have some fun for a year." Ocasek, who has opted out of any possibilities of a reunion &mdash, has reportedly given his blessing to Easton and Hawkes, saying, "I want Elliot and Greg to be happy." He has also appeared on The Colbert Report and was asked if there was anyone he wanted to put "on notice" (a Colbert Report recurring element) and answered Todd Rundgren on April 17, 2006.

Several dates of the 2006 winter tour will feature Kasim Sulton on bass, where as others will feature Atom Ellis. Kasim will be touring with both The New Cars and Meat Loaf, making it impossible for him to be at every show.

Elliot Easton has been quoted, on The New Cars' website, as saying "We've got a great show planned for the Road Rage Winter Tour '06, and relish the opportunity to delve a bit deeper into both The Cars' and TR's catalog of great songs, as well as performing more new ones from It's Alive, which time constraints on the summer tour wouldn't allow."

In the media

The New Cars played "Not Tonight" on the June 6, 2006 CBS TV show Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. The spring leg of the tour had to be cut short because Elliot Easton had broken his collarbone and was playing in great pain. Despite the fact the album only sold 16,000 units, a winter leg of the tour ran from November through early December. The tour, titled Road Rage Winter Tour was a theatre tour, of venues much smaller than their previous arena tour. Blondie did not participate in this tour, as Rundgren apparently was not in favor of the idea in the first place, and the only reason the two shared a tour was because they both had the same management company.