Car

Satellite radio, while probably not that popular with the owners of your local radio stations, is great for those of us who want more variety in our listening choices. This is particularly true for people who live in smaller cities, that lack the population base to support stations that feature alternative content. Not everyone is willing to shell out for an in-dash satellite radio receiver for their vehicle, however, which is where many people do the majority of their radio-listening. SIRIUS XM is addressing that issue, with its new portable, transferable XM Snap! satellite radio.  Read More

Last year in the German city of Ulm, Daimler started up an experimental car-sharing system called car2go. It incorporated a fleet of 50 smart fortwos, that users could pick up in various locations, drive as long as they wanted, and then leave within the city. Ulm’s program is now up to 20,000 members and 200 cars, while a younger sister project in Austin, Texas, is up to 10,000 members. Given that success, Daimler has just announced a new “car2go edition” of the fortwo, designed specifically for use in the program. We got a look, at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.  Read More

A recent New York Times print advertisement for the Ford Edge crossover included barcodes that, when scanned by a mobile phone camera, provided readers with access to Times articles on style and technology. It’s part of a techy advertising campaign for the Edge, which will be the first vehicle to feature the likewise-techy MyFord Touch system. Touch is built around Ford’s existing Windows-based SYNC communications and entertainment system, and allows drivers to use the dashboard as... well, pretty much as a big smartphone.  Read More

Back in 1984, Craig Henderson and Bill Green built a one-of-a-kind super fuel-efficient car called the Avion. In 1986, it set the Guinness world record for fuel economy by averaging 103.7USmpg (2.27L/100km) while driving from the Mexican to Canadian borders. Unlike most autos from that era, the Avion is still on the road... and breaking its own records. In October 2008, Henderson and Green achieved 113.1mpg (2.08 L/100km) on a 263-mile (423 km) trip in the US Pacific Northwest. Then, this August 29th, they departed from Blaine, Washington (adjacent to the Canadian border) and drove 1,478 miles (2,379 km) to the Mexican border. They used just 12.4 US gallons (46.94 L) of diesel and set a new record of 119.1mpg (1.97L/100km).  Read More

Beginning on September 1st at the Mitsuoka Motors showroom in Osaka, car enthusiasts will be able to rent the company's supercar, the Orochi, for 33,000 yen per day (or about US$390). While Mitsuoka is not an especially well-known name in the motor industry, the company is making a splash among gearheads looking for a slick car that will make heads turn.  Read More

The leaking of pics last week looks to have prompted Mercedes-Benz to officially unveil its 2012 model CLS, which will make its debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show. The car retains the long hood, frame-less side windows and sweeping roof of the car that was first introduced back in 2004 that is credited with pioneering the four-door coupe market. Although the dimensions are the same, the second generation CLS boasts a more aggressive look than its predecessor.  Read More

imaGinyze is a new app that brings augmented reality to your car via the iPhone. When mounted properly in the center of your dash, an iPhone with imaGinyze installed will detect the lane that you're in, marking it with border lines that match up with the painted lines on the road, and filling the inside with a blue overlay. Once the app has established your lane, it can detect any vehicles that are in front of you within a given range. imaGinyze will also flash a "Vehicle Ahead" alert when you're approaching a car from behind. Cars to the front are color-coded according to proximity – first green, next yellow as you approach, and then to red when you get close.  Read More

German tuning company G-Power is claiming to have set the record for the world’s fastest sedan with a BMW M5. G-Power’s M5 Hurricane RR achieved a top speed of 372 km/h (231 mph) beating its own record of 367.4 km/h (228 mph) set earlier this year. But it’s not just the two-ton vehicle’s top speed that’s impressive – it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.35 seconds, up to 200 km/h in 9.5 seconds and up to 300 km/h in 25.8 seconds.  Read More

The UK team behind the BLOODHOUND Project announced a number of significant milestones this week on the way to their goal of setting a new world land speed record. The biggest – or at least the longest – was the unveiling of a 1:1 scale replica of the car that the team believes will smash the current land speed record of 763 mph (just under 1,228 km/h) set in 1997.  Read More