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Automotive
Novel approach to car stereo theft-prevention
By Emily Clark
23:15 July 10, 2008 PDT
Instructables is a website dedicated to supplying information from members on how to complete a vast array of DIY projects. One of the more unusual, but potentially useful, ideas is to hide your fancy new car stereo with a crappier one in order to ward off would-be thieves. Read More
Tesla to build new all-electric car in California
20:08 July 2, 2008 PDT
Tesla Motors will build the follow up vehicle to the Tesla Roadster in California. The plan to manufacture the 4-door, 5-passenger sedan was announced earlier this week by Ze’ev Drori, CEO of Tesla Motors, and California Governor Schwarzenegger Read More
Greener motoring at the 2008 British Motor Show
23:32 June 29, 2008 PDT
With soaring oil prices hitting hard at the bowser and low-emissions, energy-efficient vehicles evolving rapidly from a fringe sector to a mainstream concern, it's no surprise to learn that this year's British International Motor Show will include a pavilion devoted to the future of greener motoring. Read More
Porsche announces all-wheel drive 911 Carrera 4 and 4S
By Loz Blain
01:40 June 25, 2008 PDT
Porsche has announced the launch of all-wheel drive models of its 911 Carrera 4 and 4S sportscars, including an engine, gearbox and drivetrain makeover that the company claims delivers up to 8.5% more power, 12.5% better gas mileage, and over 15% less CO2 emissions than the models they replace. Read More
Mazda's plans for a greener future
By Kyle Sherer
18:03 June 24, 2008 PDT
June 25, 2008 Mazda has committed to cutting the fuel consumption of its vehicles by an average of 30% by 2015. The company is exploring a combination of fuel-cutting initiatives, including the development of lighter-weight technologies aimed at reducing vehicle weight by 100 kilograms from 2011, carbon neutral bioplastics, an Idle Stop system and an advanced version of the emissions-reducing Three Layer Wet Paint System fist introduced in 2005. Integral to the plan is the renewal of its entire powertrain lineup by 2015, with tests of its hydrogen hybrid system continuing ahead of plans for release in Japan in the coming fiscal year, as well as plans for a new gasoline rotary engine and new diesel engines. Read More
Honda improves railcar fleet
20:19 June 23, 2008 PDT
Honda has taken steps to minimizing the environmental impact of its cars before they hit the road with the introduction of its fleet of Auto-Max railcars. Read More
DARPA Grand Challenge winner returns to Silicon Valley
22:57 June 19, 2008 PDT
The pioneering autonomous vehicle that won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge will complete its world tour with a visit to its home town before taking its place at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Dubbed "Stanley", the robotic Volkswagen Touareg developed by the Stanford Racing Team will be on show at the Silicon Valley The Tech Museum of Innovation from June 20 through July 17. Read More
ProNav GPS software for heavy goods vehicles
By Kyle Sherer
17:36 June 16, 2008 PDT
Navevo has developed GPS software for heavy vehicles that keeps drivers informed about the unique obstacles they face on the road. The £199.99 ProNav system offers dynamic routing and navigation optimization based on vehicle dimensions, legal restrictions, and weather and road conditions. Read More
New Mazda Nagare concept car to debut in Moscow
03:13 June 16, 2008 PDT
Mazda has announced that the latest member of its Nagare design series will be revealed at the Moscow International Automobile Salon. The pursuit of the Nagare design philosophy - the term is Japanese for ‘flow’ and the embodiment of motion - has resulted in several compelling concepts hitting the auto-show circuit in recent years including the futuristic Taiki and the 180mph Furai Concept. Read More
225mph Stealth supercar: BRABUS BULLIT BLACK ARROW
23:09 June 10, 2008 PDT
German auto-performance specialist Brabus has again pushed the envelope with its latest creation - the wickedly styled BULLIT BLACK ARROW. Read More
It's a bird, it's a plane... it's a Lamborghini
18:53 June 10, 2008 PDT
Residents of Turin, Italy were treated to an unique spectacle earlier this week as the € 1 million euro Lamborghini Reventón supercar made its way to a conference hosted by the company courtesy of a helicopter lift from the Italian marines. Read More
Porsche celebrates 60 years
23:42 June 5, 2008 PDT
One of the world's best-known sportscar marques is turning 60. Created by Ferdinand Alexander “Ferry” Porsche, in a small workshop in the Austrian Alps, the first Porsche prototype identified as 356-001 received official approval for road service on June 8, 1948. Read More
Can-Am Spyder Roadster review
21:25 June 5, 2008 PDT
It combines the open air exhilaration of two-wheeled transport with the stability of four, but it's not a motorbike and it's not a convertible sportscar. In fact, direct comparisons with anything else on the highway are largely useless because there's simply nothing out there like the Can-Am Spyder Roadster. More than a decade since BRP first began to explore the idea for totally a new breed of three-wheeled road going conveyance and four years since the styling was finalized, the world wide roll-out of the Spyder is now in full swing. Noel McKeegan climbs aboard for a closer look. Read More
Hydrogen burning Scorpion sportscar unveiled
20:27 June 3, 2008 PDT
Texas based Ronn Motor Company has lifted the wraps on a new environmentally friendly hybrid vehicle that features an in-built hydrogen on demand system. Currently in pre-production and due for release before the end of the year, the sporty “Scorpion” runs on a 30-40 ratio blend of hydrogen and gasoline, promising reduced emissions and 40 mpg plus efficiency. Read More
Audi offers SmartBeam headlight system
By Kyle Sherer
18:13 June 2, 2008 PDT
June 3, 2008 Audi will offer the Gentex SmartBeam system as an option on the A4, A5 and Q7 models, to be released this spring. The SmartBeam High-Beam Headlamp Assist system, or “Fernlichtassistent”, uses a miniature camera to automate a vehicle’s high beams at night. Read More
First UK showing of Citroën’s C-Métisse concept supercar
22:33 June 1, 2008 PDT
June 2, 2008 Citroën’s C-Métisse concept will be among the smorgasbord of automotive eye-candy on offer at this year's Festival of Speed at Goodwood. The appearance will be the first in the UK for the 155mph supercar which debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 2006. Read More
Major auto manufacturers commit to eco-friendly development
19:31 May 29, 2008 PDT
Two separate announcements from the automotive world this week have given further impetus to the growth of energy efficient vehicles. Volkswagen has teamed up with Sanyo to develop high-performance lithium-ion based storage systems for use in its hybrid diesel and electric-drive systems and the ongoing Renault-Nissan Alliance has resulted in the Scenic ZEV H2 - a prototype based on a Renault Grand Scenic which features Nissan’s in-house developed fuel cell stack, high-pressure hydrogen storage tank and compact lithium-ion batteries that will be shown in Barcelona in June. Read More
New research targets "greener” roads
By Emily Clark
00:09 May 29, 2008 PDT
A great deal of effort is being invested towards discovering ways to make our world greener, with cars in particular being the focus of research and development initiatives. But what about the green credentials of the millions of miles of roads which carry our vehicles from A to B? This question is being addressed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) who are investigating ways to make asphalt environmentally friendly. Read More
Tata Motors joins race for $10milion auto X PRIZE
By Emily Clark
23:42 May 28, 2008 PDT
Making headlines earlier this year for its creation of the world’s cheapest new car, Tata Motors from India is the latest car maker to join the race for the multimillion dollar automotive X PRIZE. Read More
Europeans buses trial road safety sensor systems
By Emily Clark
19:51 May 28, 2008 PDT
Vehicle-based sensors that link back to centralized infrastructure are seen as a promising solution to traffic management and road safety in our increasingly clogged cites. Last year we reported on Nissan's efforts, now European researchers are trialling a similar system on buses. Read More
RR4: First taste of new Rolls-Royce model
20:02 May 27, 2008 PDT
Luxury car maker Rolls-Royce has revealed the first design sketches of its next new model which is due to be launched in 2010. The two teasing sketches released thus far reveal little detail of the car to be known as the the RR4, although a streamlined design direction that builds on the current Phantom model line-up is clear. According to Rolls Royce Chief designer Ian Cameron, the RR4 will be smaller than Phantom with a "more informal presence" and a "greater emphasis on driving". It will also be powered by a completely new engine and the company plans to ramp up production at its Goodwood manufacturing facilities, adding a second assembly line and moving to a two shift system to cater for the new model. Read More
Audi's A3 TDI clubspot quattro
By Kyle Sherer
20:28 May 25, 2008 PDT
May 26, 2008 Shown over the weekend at the 27th annual Lake Wörther Tour in Austria, the Audi A3 TDI clubsport quattro is a one-off show car featuring "the most extreme incarnation to date of Audi’s four-cylinder TDI engine", a powerplant which propels the car from 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds and achieves a top speed of 149mph. Read More
London’s iconic black cabs to go green
By Darren Quick
20:54 May 22, 2008 PDT
May 23, 2008 While improvements in engine technology have led to a marked improvement in fuel efficiency and carbon emissions in vehicles running on internal combustion engines in recent years, even greater cuts in emissions need to be made to tackle the global environmental problems associated with them. We’ve seen commercial airlines turning to biofuels, trucks running on liquefied natural gas and buses using ethanol engines. One of the most promising solutions for the humble car of the future could is hydrogen fuel cell systems, with a number of car manufacturers investing heavily in development. Read More
Alpine Electronics' ultra-compact subwoofer
By Kyle Sherer
01:34 May 22, 2008 PDT
Alpine Electronics has developed a subwoofer solution for automobile enthusiasts who value space as much as bass. The subwoofer provides the same low frequency performance of a 12-inch model, but in a compact 100mm deep unit that can snugly fit in sports cars, SUVs and saloons. Read More
TVA Gazelle - 4-wheel tilting car/bike hybrid
By Loz Blain
02:23 May 21, 2008 PDT
We are on the brink of a new commuting age; cars are too heavy, too inefficient, too dirty and too big to be viable in tomorrow's traffic-clogged cities - and motorcycles are too dangerous and too hard to ride to be a real option for many. The new TVA Gazelle tilting 4-wheeler could be the answer, capable of over 100mpg, incredibly agile in the corners and with a price tag of less than US$10,000. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
