Sunday, January 24, 2010

75 Memorable Cars of Hollywood...

75 Memorable Cars of Hollywood
Whether it’s the paint job, the model of car, the engine, the special custom features, or the way it’s driven on screen, these cars steal our attention. They may or may not be your dream car, but I’ll bet that you can pick them out of a crowded parking lot.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Friday, January 22, 2010

Toyota recalls 2.3M US cars to fix sticking accelerator...

Toyota recalls 2.3M US cars to fix sticking accelerator
TORRANCE, Calif., January 21, 2010 -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc, today announced it would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific Toyota Division models.

Early EVs Won't Need Many Public Charge Points, Says NYC
New York City often startles people, and it stayed true to form in a recent analysis done by McKinsey & Company for the city's PlaNYC planning group, "Exploring Electric Vehicle Adoption in New York City."

Top 10 Most Stolen Cars in the US
You may want to think twice when purchasing your next car. You may be purchasing a thief's next target!

World trip in wind and solar powered car
Mark Muller, a Swiss engineer, plans to go on a 40,000 km trip around the world in this car that is powered only by the wind and the sun.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Man wins Hyundai on eBay for $16k, dealer says no...

Man wins Hyundai on eBay for $16k, dealer says no
Man wins a Hyundai Genesis Coupe on eBay auction but Kentucky dealer refuses to let him have the car for the winning price.

Cadillac: An American Classic
For much of the 20th century, Cadillac was both--at home and abroad--a recognized status symbol. If you drove a Caddy, you were someone. Or you were just a grandpa.

Electric Cars Revving Up (PICS)
With gas prices above $3 a gallon and possibly headed to $4 by summer, it’s no wonder that automakers are starting to think seriously about producing more alternative-fuel vehicles.

That's A Weird Customer Incentive (PIC)
Kelly Blue Book seems to be having some issues with oversharing in its incentives. Or something.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The NSX That Could Have Been: Honda's Race-Only SuperGT Car...

The NSX That Could Have Been: Honda's Race-Only SuperGT Car
A replacement to Honda's NSX was eagerly anticipated ever since the last one rolled off the assembly line in 2005. But over a year ago the company announced the new NSX was canceled. Now Honda has launched the car not as a consumer vehicle, but as a race-only SuperGT car called the HSV-010 GT.

Top 10: The Cars of the Detroit Auto Show [VIDEO]
We’ve put together a short video counting down the ten most important debuts of the 2010 show. From concepts to production models, we share our favorites.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Halo concept vehicle designed for extreme energy efficiency...

Halo concept vehicle designed for extreme energy efficiency
it is a front wheel drive vehicle that utilizes an intense magnetic field generated by the large loop passing through the front wheel.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Inspiration and Desperation at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show...

Inspiration and Desperation at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show
As we wave goodbye a year that saw overall sales volumes plummet to sad fractions of the glory days and two of the Big Three go bankrupt, it’s safe to say that these are desperate times for the automobile industry.

The Stig has been spotted on Google StreetView!
It's like 'Where's Waldo' for Top Gear fans!

Bugatti Veyron So Expensive, It's Cheaper To Use Private Jet
There are frightening bills, horrific bills, and Bugatti Veyron bills. The legendarily expensive to buy, it seems that the Veyron is equally expensive to keep running, with some pegging yearly running costs at $300,000. It's so expensive, in fact, that Autocar says there's an owner who trailers his car to a particular driving route...

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Saturday, January 16, 2010

GM, Chysler's New Ink Color: Black...

GM, Chysler's New Ink Color: Black
The government takeovers of GM and Chrysler will bear fruit this year. They’re successfully transforming themselves into leaner, more efficient operations, with about a $2,000-per-vehicle cost advantage over Japanese and European car manufacturers.

29 Extremely Overloaded Vehicles (Pics)
Man’s ingenuity and need to push the limit knows no bounds. This is especially true when it comes to overloading his vehicle with as much shit as humanly possible. Here’s 29 of the best examples.

Friday, January 15, 2010

In Pictures: The 2010 North American Auto Show...

In Pictures: The 2010 North American Auto Show
Exclusive pictures from the Largest Auto show of the year – the 2010 North American Auto Show.

Tesla Builds 1000th Roadster, Pushes Back Model S to 2012
"He said that his company has now built 1,000 Roadsters (a year ago, it was just 150), negotiated a lease for the Model S plant (but he wouldn't say where it was) and that the 1,000th Roadster will be auctioned off for charity."

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Top Gear Returns to BBC AMERICA on January 25th (w/ Trailer)...

Top Gear Returns to BBC AMERICA on January 25th (w/ Trailer)
GREAT NEWS to all the Top Gear fans all around America, the International Emmy award-winning car show returns to BBC AMERICA after a rather long break. Season 13 premiers on January 25th, Monday at 8pm. Season 14 will air immediately after Season 13, premiering on Monday, March 15.

Ford Steals Spotlight at 2010 Detroit Auto Show
Ford hit several home runs this week during media preview days at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Ford wasted little time dominating the preview, sweeping the 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards with the Fusion Hybrid and Transit Connect.

Detroit Auto Show:The Confusing Wrongness of Electric Avenue
Only four electric vehicles really matter at the Detroit Auto Show: the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the 2012 Nissan Leaf, and the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, plus the current 2010 Tesla Roadster.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Rise of the Chinese Auto Industry? ...

The Rise of the Chinese Auto Industry?
China's BYD, Greely and Sichuan are showing their wide-eyed dream of building vehicles for a U.S. market. While their gas-guzzlers are still a long way from being competitive in North America, their electric vehicles are remarkably advances. Could China takeover the new market? A report live from the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

7 Surprises on Day One of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show
#5. "From SUV to UUV? GMC unveils Granite concept" GMC launched it's new Granite concept, which Executive Director of Design Dave Lyon called an Urban Utility Vehicle. Lyon said he hopes the Granite, which is two feet shorter than the Terrain, will "redefine GMC...."

25 great sci-fi license plates (PICS)
Check out the 25 autos that proclaim their owners' love for Star Trek, Star Wars, The X-Files and more.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Ford Introduces Next-Gen Focus, Confirms Plans for Electric ...

Ford Introduces Next-Gen Focus, Confirms Plans for Electric
Ford unveiled its next-generation Focus today at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, where the company showed off its best bet for making deeper inroads into the market for fuel-efficient -- as well as efficiently made -- compact cars.

BART Ridership Plummets During Recession
What do people in the world's tenth largest economy do in a severe recession? They stop taking the bus, fill up their tanks, and start driving. It's happening all over California.

Toyota Unveils Plans For Prius Family of 8 New Hybrid Models
"In the early 2010s, Toyota plans to sell a million hybrids per year globally, a majority of those in North America. To accomplish this, Toyota will launch eight all new hybrid models over the next few years."

Ford sweeps Detroit Auto Show awards
Ford Motor Co. won both the North American Car and Truck of the Year Award presented Monday at the start of Detroit's North American International Auto Show.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Bugatti pulled from lake after 73 yrs to be sold at auction...

Bugatti pulled from lake after 73 yrs to be sold at auction
A LEGENDARY car that lay at the bottom of a lake for 73 years is set to fetch more than £80,000 at auction — the same as a brand new luxury motor. The rare Bugatti was dumped in the water in 1936 by a frustrated Swiss official because the owner had abandoned it without paying the import tax.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

How To Build The First Chevy Volt Battery... Very Quickly...

How To Build The First Chevy Volt Battery... Very Quickly
GM's really got to get the Chevy Volt to market fast. So fast, they've had to speed up production of T-cell batteries. A lot. Oh, look, they're also playing Yakkety Sax on the plant floor — you know, for inspiration.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Have Americans Stopped Loving Their Cars?...

Have Americans Stopped Loving Their Cars?
The year 2009 was terrible for Detroit, the worst in three decades. Americans bought 10.4 million cars -- 21% fewer than 2008 and a whopping 40% fewer than the 17M or so sold, on average, in the early 2000s. But what if the bad news for US automakers, their workers and the economy of the industrial Midwest turns out to be good for the rest of us?

Ford launches an idiot-proof car Interface
Ford unveiled an advanced version of Sync with a new touchscreen interface called MyFord Touch, cellphone-like rocker switches on the steering wheel (instead of an iDrive-like wheel), and an app store that runs apps such as Twitter, Pandora, and Stitch on your phone, all controlled by Sync.

Porsche CEO Says No Hybrid Sports Cars
It's no secret that hybrids are a snooze-fest for the curve junkie, and accordingly Porsche CEO Michael Macht has no need for them, according to the latest report.

The $290,000 Speeding Ticket
A Swiss court has slapped a wealthy speeder with a chalet-sized fine.

V-6 engines fade into history
Little engines will be the big stars at next week's North American International Auto Show. The days of the V-8 in passenger cars are over and things are starting to look bleak for the venerable V-6, as the four-cylinder engine starts to replace it in bigger cars and crossovers.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Automotive Cheers and Jeers of 2009...

Automotive Cheers and Jeers of 2009
If ever the automotive world had an annus horribilis, it was 2009, a year of recession, bankruptcies and ever-shrinking sales figures. But there were a few positive moments. Here are the best and worst moments of 2009.

Ford Motor offers more buyouts to autoworkers
Less than two weeks after Ford Motor Co. said it would restore merit pay and other benefits to its salaried workers, the increasingly successful automaker is offering its 41,000 U.S. hourly workers their second buyout program of the year -- saying it has more workers than it needs.

Car tech: Better driving through technological enhancements
Today's cars can do everything from parallel-park to alert you if someone's in your blind spot. Consider adaptive cruise control and collision detection as two examples. Technology assists have not only improved vehicle operation, but could even improve the way we drive.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Video: Chainlink 4x4 is frighteningly awesome...

Video: Chainlink 4x4 is frighteningly awesome
We aren't sure who built this or why – we're not even sure what it's called (we think it's "Chainlink") – but we're quite sure it's brilliant.

US Car Fleet Shrinks by 4 Million, First Time in 50 Years
2009 was not a good year for car sales. No surprises there. An interesting side effect of lowered sales last year, though, is that the total number of vehicles in the overall U.S. car fleet dropped. There were 250 million cars here in 2008, and only 246 million at the end of 2009.

Why "Going Social" Can Make or Break the Automotive Industry
The car business has been notoriously slow at embracing aspects of the Internet since the beginning. Social media is no exception. In 2010, more in the industry from manufacturers down to dealers will learn to engage in social media or be left behind.

Porsche Considering Three-Cylinder Engine For 2012 Boxster
Porsche is in the midst of developing its next-generation Boxster sports car, which has been seen undergoing testing in prototype form on a number of occasions in recent months. The new car is expected to go on sale late next year as a 2012 model and according to a new report Porsche may be...

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Guy Adds Boat Tail to Car, Increases MPG by 15.1%...

Guy Adds Boat Tail to Car, Increases MPG by 15.1%
Darin Cosgrove has increased the fuel efficiency of his car by 15.1% by adding a homemade boat tail made from cardboard, aluminum and duct tape to the vehicle.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Will Audi's E-tron be a 'Tesla Killer'?...

Will Audi's E-tron be a 'Tesla Killer'?
Picture this: Elon Musk and Henrik Fisker -- impresarios of the electric Tesla Roadster and the soon-to-be, sort-of-electric Fisker Karma, respectively -- are running for their lives through a cave. Rolling behind them, gathering momentum, thundering ever closer, is an enormous boulder. I just spent a few minutes driving the boulder.

Teens lose control at the wheel ... to gain it
The late-model Mustang goes sideways at speed -- tires screeching and smoking.There's a teenager behind the wheel.But the teen isn't making the car do that. It's an instructor trying to teach the teen control.

Is your Speeding Ticket a case of Mistaken identity?
A little-known fact in many states' Motor Vehicle Departments is that there are often several vehicles that share the same license plate numbers. We know from experience that that fact doesn't always make a difference to lazy enforcement officials.

Top 10 Reasons Why the BMW M3 Is the Perfect Car (VIDEO)
Most car tests are subjective affairs delivered from the reviewer's perspective based on his or her personal experience with that particular car. And that's good, because while we want some objective data, what we really want to know is what it feels like. Unfortunately though, most reviews don't really break it down for you...

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Chrysler Will Display Electric Fiat 500 at Detroit Auto Show...

Chrysler Will Display Electric Fiat 500 at Detroit Auto Show
Does an electric Fiat 500 stand a chance? Chrysler canceled its short-lived ENVI program after just a few months, and made more realistic projections about how much of its fleet will be electrified in the new few years. Are they serious about an electric 500 now, or still putting on a show for their Washington overlords?

Are L.A.'s Streets Any Safer with $446 Red-Light Tickets?
In October, a piece of what looked like junk mail sent to me from a P.O. box turned out to contain grainy pictures of my car, license plate and face in the classic L.A.-driving-trance position. I’d been captured on camera doing a “California roll” while making a right turn at a red light at Balboa Avenue and Vanowen Boulevard. The damage was $446.

Audi E-Tron concept supercar hits the road
The Audi E-tron will hit 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, reach a top speed of 125 mph, last for 155 miles on a charge, and cost somewhere north of the R8's $155,100 sticker price.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Subaru WRX Pulls Semi-truck Out of Snow with Ease (Video)...

Subaru WRX Pulls Semi-truck Out of Snow with Ease (Video)
Subaru's are good cars in a lot of ways.  They can be raced at high speeds and have had some success.  On a personal use level, they are affordable and quality automobiles. None of that really fully allows us to appreciate what they can do. This clip will help in that department.