Latest Auto News Blog: августа 2009

Automated Cars To End Traffic Jams

The BBC is reporting that a car developed by the University of California could help end traffic jams, one big catch. It’s fully automated.

A new “self-driving car” developed in America has the ability to drastically cut traffic jams by increasing the flow of traffic up to three times, its developers have told the BBC.
The car, which features revolutionary “drive-by-wire” systems which means the wheels are no longer connected to the steering wheel, was built by the University of California, Riverside’s College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (Ce-Cert) and Dotmobil, a French company.

This could be the next generation of smart cars to help make it nearly impossible to get stuck in traffic or get in car accidents caused by human error. I wonder if this technology would make it possible for the disable to drive?

2009 Cadillac Esclade Hybrid 2WD

2009 Cadillac Esclade Hybrid 2WD
People generally drive a large SUV because the like the powerful feeling of driving such a vehicle. That being said, a lot of people were worried at the announcement of a 2WD hybrid version of the 2009 Cadillac Escalade. While it may be at the top it’s class for hybrid SUV’s it could actually be more economical to buy 2 separate cars, a large SUV and a smaller, more gas-friendly car, than it would be to try to combine the two into this hybrid Escalade.

2009 Cadillac Esclade Hybrid 2WD

Dodge Challenger Convertible coming in 2010

The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 recently hit the market and Craig Jackson and Jay Leno have already brought the first two models. So far, a total of 1,000 units have been built and delivered to their...

Ford says Mercury is important part of its line-up

Dealers have been worrying while speculations continue of Mercury’s future. But, like many times before, Ford has denied and has shown interest in Mercury’s growth. According to Mark...

More Photos of the Lamborghini Reventon Released...Too Bad it Costs $1.4 Million!

Lamborghini's new Reventon is inspired by the "fastest" airplanes with its sharp edges, precise lines and clean surfaces. Its 650 horsepower V12 engine is no slouch either. Too bad the car costs $1.4 million and only 20 are going to be made.

Aston Martin SuperCar Is In The Works

Aston Martin fans found out that the British manufacturer is working on a brand new supercar which is going to be a direct competitor to the Bugatti Veyron and Mercedes SLR. Sabino Leerentveld, a Dutch designer, unveiled its vision of how the new supercar will look like.

Aston Martin Supercar

This looks like something I could drive. Aston Martin has always been one of my favorite brands because of the lack of saturation. Now if it was only Hydrogen or Solar Powered.

Source: 4WheelsBlog

Goodbye-amino? Pontiac could kill G8 ST; become one-car brand

Filed under: Pontiac, Holden

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Pontiac G8 ST

It's been a bad month for Pontiac fans. While begging for money from Congress, GM mentioned its intentions to sacrifice the brand to aid the General's recovery and get a few billion from the feds in the process. Now comes word that GM may keep the brand around, but cut its lineup in half... or more.

Automotive News spoke with Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC, who said that Pontiac's Aveo-based 2010 G3 will sticker for $15,000, but says it's a short-term product for the brand. Unfortunately, Docherty also hints the G8 Sport Truck's lifespan could be even shorter. "We would be foolish if we didn't take a second look at whether or not that is the right thing to do."

In a separate AN article, Docherty goes even further and suggests Pontiac's lineup could be pared down from six vehicles to a single nameplate. According to Docherty, "We are not going to spend tons of money on product development" for Pontiac and that the Pontiac Torrent will be dropped for 2009.

So what will Pontiac be selling? According to Docherty, the G8 is the most likely candidate for GM's performance brand, and that the ideal future for Pontiac would be "very focused, very specialty or niche."

Gallery: 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Goodbye-amino? Pontiac could kill G8 ST; become one-car brand originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lincoln’s drop in initial quality being blamed on ‘innovative technology’

Lincoln was probably the most talked about brand of 2007’s J.D. Power Associates Initial Quality Survey, but this year the it dropped 11 spots from number 3 to number 14.According to Free...

500 Horsepower Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans Unveiled in Geneva

Audi unveiled the R8 V12 TDI Concept in Detroit this past January, and now Audi unveiling a new Le Mans version.

GE Works to Make Heavy Hybrids Out of Mega-Movers

Mega Mover dump trucks have been used in open pit mining as a means to save money; larger trucks require fewer trips with larger loads and reduced fuel costs. As fuel prices continue to climb GE (General Electric), with additional funding from the US Department of Energy, has been working to include hybrid technology in these mega movers. As many of the huge mining trucks already have diesel generators and electric motors as their motive power adding regeneration technology and rugged battery packs would seem the only hurdle.

Testing of the hybrid system has already been conducted and the project to date has had favorable results. Tim Richter, from GE’s Hybrid Systems division, indicated in his blog about the Off-Highway Vehicle, mega dump truck test that the next step is to determine how to best utilize the batteries of stored energy and to determine the length of service that can be expected from the batteries.

As the regenerative breaking electricity is stored in the batteries of the vehicle determining the best application for the energy during operation will be the next objective. Whether the power is reserved for increased boost for powering the truck up steep grades or for increased torque from a standing start, or both, will require more testing.

They will also need to test the types of batteries available under the harsh conditions found in open pit mining. Effects from the jostling along rough terrain, the impact of loads dumped into the working truck, and the dust and mud that can be found under mining conditions will all require further research.

The costs related to a hybrid system are always a concern, but with fuel prices ever increasing the fuel savings found in hybrid vehicles is gaining favor. What the exact savings will be with the hybrid system in these mega trucks is not specified. The Chevy Tahoe 3-Mode Hybrid System resulted in a 50% increase in fuel mileage and earned it the 2007 Green Car of the Year award at the LA Auto Show. GE’s target output and fuel savings for the hybrid project is not mentioned, but if they can achieve a similar result it would seem a safe bet that the technology will be implemented with haste to help battle the costs of rising fuel.

Source[GE Global Research Blog via EcoGeek]

2009 Volkswagen Routan SE

2009 Volkswagen Routan SE
The Routan is advertised as “the only minivan in America with German engineering.” We think that is a perfect way to describe it, and probably an area in the market that is severely lacking. Although at 16 MPG city, 23 MPG highway, this thing really needs a diesel engine.

2009 VW Routan SE

2009 Volkswagen Scirocco Exposed...Too bad the US Isn't Getting It!

VW is going to officially unveil the Scirocco next week at the Geneva Auto Show, but the embargo on the photos has already been broken.

Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro To Take On NASCAR?

With the Car of Tomorrow redesign underway in NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide Series, there’s been a lot of wild-ass speculation about whether the Big Three might seize the opportunity to introduce their newest crop of pony cars to stock car racing. It’s not as far-fetched as you might think: there were those CoT prototypes tested last year at Richmond, Ford has all but committed at least some version of its Mustang to run in Nationwide, and the mags and the blogs have been mulling over the idea for months. Two main threads within the CoT development discussion include 1. the importance of running a car that’s closer to “real” cars available at the showroom, and 2. the idea that the car would be different enough from Sprint Cup’s CoT that Sprint Cup drivers would have no particular advantage in the series–so in other words, you wouldn’t have to watch Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch win the race on cruise control weekend after weekend, with the rookies whom Nationwide is supposed to serve bringing up the rear of the pack. I think the racing of factory-based Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers would not only be awesome, but it’d give the ailing Nationwide series the shot in the arm it needs: it could finally be cool in its own right, rather than a little-brother series to Sprint Cup and a lazy playground for already-established NASCAR champs. Check out Murray Pfaff’s rendering from the October 2009 issue of Hot Rod, which, apart from the fact that it depicts the supposed Nationwide cars in Sprint Cup sponsorship regalia, gives a pretty good idea of what Detroit’s pony cars might look like racing side-by-side on the track. The whole thing kind of begs the question, though: what’s Toyota supposed to run?

Honda slashes even more North American production

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Honda

The dramatic drop in U.S. vehicle sales is not confined to just the Domestic automakers. Earlier today, General Motors announced an "unprecedented" cut in production for the first-quarter of 2009, and now Honda has followed suit, enacting a set of North American cuts of its own. While the 119,000 total vehicles is just short of half of what GM will drop, these cuts should still be viewed as rather drastic measures for the Japanese automaker, which builds about 80% of all Hondas and Acuras destined for U.S. consumption in North American plants, and had already lowered sales forecasts for 2009.

These production cuts will be achieved by slowing assembly line output and closing various North American plants for two days this month and up to a week in January, including at the Greensburg, Indiana plant that has yet to reach full capacity. Honda is not planning to lay off any workers at any of the affected plants.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd | Photo: Dimas Ardian/Getty]

Honda slashes even more North American production originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The $20,000 ASM x Recaro SP-X CL100

You’re looking at an ASM x Recaro SP-X CL100 seat. Gotta love JDM product names! After you look past the horribly distorted GT-RR watermark (I’m sorry, the website does them that way sometimes for the vertical images), you’ll see one of the most desired and sought after seats money can buy. JDM limited edition Recaro, yes. Dry Carbon, yes. Leather and Alcantara finish, yes. The most “baller” seat in the world?! Perhaps, yes.

We ordered up a set of these absolutely amazing seats from our friends at ASM in Japan and they just recently arrived on one of our frequent ocean freight containers. Destined for use in a very special R35 GT-R, this is perhaps the only set in the US and one of very few in the world. Priced at a bit under$20,000 for the pair, there is good reason as to why they are so rare. That Alcantara and leather execution is just flawless.

Although nobody can adequately justify the price Recaro/ASM is charging for these seats and there is not much sense in trying to, the seat just screams “gotta have it.” The details are absolutely nuts. Our resident JDM parts photographer Colin took some killer pictures which I just put up online.

I was drooling over these seats when they came in and I’m glad to share some pics with you now. This is simply perfection right here. Nothing but supermodel booty should touch these seats…nothing else is worthy. Click here for hi-res shots.

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