cars

Filed under: Aftermarket, Lexus
2010 Lexus IS 350C F Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

Lexus just dropped us a note to let us know that its F Sport line of performance accessories are on sale between September 10 and November 1, with between $100 and $300 off on accessory packages ranging from $500 to $2,000. If you're interested in wheels, brakes or an exhaust for your GS or IS, click here for the coupon with all the details.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Lexus IS 350C F-Sport$300 discount on Lexus F Sport Accessories originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Budget, Japan, Recalls, Hatchback, Toyota, DaihatsuDaihatsu has announced plans to recalling over 500,000 vehicles in Japan due to taillight lenses that can fade over time. The lenses, originally orange, will bleach white with exposure to the sun, leading to a potential safety risk. As a result, Daihatsu is recalling a total of 435,423 Move hatchbacks built between 1995 and 2000, as well as 145,769 Mira models manufactured from 1998 to 2000. Both vehicles fall into Japans micro-car category and are powered by fuel-thrifty .66-liter engines.

The company plans to fix the issue by installing orange bulbs in the vehicles instead of the white ones that came from the factory.

Daihatsu is owned by Toyota, and the company produces a number of small vehicles for the manufacturing giant. While not as crippling as some of the other issues Toyota has had this year, the Daihatsu does add to the 11 million recalled Toyota and Lexus vehicles recalled since fall of last year.

[Source: Automotive News]Report: Toyota's Daihatsu recalls over 500,000 minicars over... fading taillamps? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Dodge

A 2008 Dodge Charger played the role of lifesaver on Tuesday when a man fell 400 feet and amazingly lived to see another day. The New York Post reports that 22-year-old Thomas Magill allegedly tried to commit suicide by jumping out of a 39-story New York high-rise when the aforementioned Charger broke his fall. Witnesses said that Magill flew through the air at "like 100 miles per hour" and landed on the Charger's rear window.

The man's impact sent glass flying everywhere and even knocked his tennis shoes clear off his feet and onto the windshield of another vehicle. After Magill hit the vehicle, witnesses claim the young man screamed that his legs hurt. Understandably.

While Magill lived through the tremendous fall, he's not out of the woods yet. He is reportedly listed in critical condition at a local New York hospital.

[Source: The New York Post]Report: Dodge Charger saves life of suicide jumper originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Videos, Crossover, Hatchback, Mini
The Mini Countryman is multiplying - Click above to watch video after the jump

Mini is continuing its advertising onslaught for the new Countryman, and in its latest spot, the company visualizes every potential path for the Countryman to run amok in the Italian countryside. The original car eventually multiplies into a fleet of over one hundred CG interpretations, all hopping curbs and harassing pedestrians in what we can only imagine is what the world would look like if a Mini exec ruled the globe. Eventually, the high-riding Countryman flings itself onto a ferry to escape into the sunset.

Mini also turned out a making-of video to document the action. If you've ever wondered exactly how filmmakers go about melding the physical world with the virtual, you'll want to check out that clip, too. You can find both after the jump.

[Source: Mini]Continue reading Mini Countryman commercial makes mess of multiplicationMini Countryman commercial makes mess of multiplication originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: SUV, Land Rover, Military, UK, Off-Road
Land Rover Fire and Ice Defenders - Click above for high-res image gallery

Land Rover seems to be having some trouble figuring out how to go about putting its plan for the successor to the Defender throne into motion. According to Autocar, the company knows what attributes the vehicle should have, but doesn't know how to go about engineering the platform using existing components from the company's parts bin. Word from the web had previously said that Land Rover had planned to use the company's T5 steel platform for Project Icon (the internal name for the next Defender), though according to the report, the company now thinks that the chassis would be too heavy to be a viable option.

So what will the next-generation Defender look like? If anyone at Land Rover knows for sure, they certainly aren't telling the scribes at Autocar. According to the article, all we know for sure is that the vehicle will still wear the Defender name. Otherwise, there's just a few shady hints that the company's fancy Electric Rear Drive Axle Drive technology may show up both on civilian and military models.

Speaking of the Defender's military service, the Autocar report says that Land Rover is interested in winding down that area of its business, reducing the number of Defender body variations at the same time. With Tata having given the okay (and the funds) to proceed with the 2014 project, here's hoping Land Rover works its way through this mess in a hurry.

Gallery: Land Rover Defender Fire & Ice editions
[Source: Autocar]Next Defender expected in 2014 but Land Rover suffering from lack of focus? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Paris Motor Show, Hyundai
Hyundai ix20 Concept - Click above for high-res image

When it comes to designing an MPV, it's difficult to move beyond the standard two-box form. That's where Hyundai's "fluidic sculpture" design language comes into play. Penned by the automaker's European R&D studio in Rüsselsheim, Germany and set to debut at Paris Motor Show at the end of the month, the ix20 attempts to add a level of style to the utilitarian MPV segment.

There's no word on an engine or output, but Hyundai says the soiree in Paris will have a heavy focus on the brand's BlueDrive drivetrains, and joining the ix20 on stage will be a refreshed i10 city car, complete with a new 1.0-liter engine. Full details in the press blast after the break.Continue reading Paris Preview: Hyundai ix20 MPV sketchedParis Preview: Hyundai ix20 MPV sketched originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Hybrid, Paris Motor Show, Lotus
Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery

In addition to the pair of Evoras being introduced at this year's Paris Motor Show, Lotus will also be unveiling two front-engine hybrid vehicles, in keeping with the automaker's promise to offer more gasoline/electric sports cars. Edmunds' Green Car Advisor reports that one of these hybrid cars will be a four-door hatchback and the other will be a two-door coupe.

Lotus debuted its hybrid concept earlier this year in the form of the Evora 414E Hybrid (pictured), but unlike the mid-engine concept, the two front-engine models will utilize a 47-horsepower 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine specifically designed to provide power to electric-drive hybrids.

We'll have the full details direct from the Paris show later this month, so stay tuned.

Gallery: Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid
[Source: Green Car Advisor]Report: Lotus bringing a pair of front-engine hybrids to Paris Motor Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Small but interesting nugget of news out of Ford, which says it will use a liquid-cooled and heated battery in the Ford Focus Electric we’ll see late next year.
Ford is still developing the car, but the prototype we drove had a 23 kilowatt-hour lithium ion pack, which makes it about the size of the air-cooled pack in the Nissan Leaf. By using active thermal management, Ford says it will maximize battery life and range and optimize charging by heating, or cooling, the pack to the best temperature before pulling juice from the grid.
“Extreme temperatures impact a battery’s life and performance, making it crucial to have an effective cooling and heating system to regulate temperature for these demanding applications,” Anand Sankaran, head of Ford’s energy storage systems team, said.
The closed-loop system will use an undisclosed liquid — General Motors uses ethylene glycol in the Chevrolet Volt — to cool the pack under hot conditions and warm it under cold conditions. Plug the car in to charge it and the system will “precondition” the pack to the optimal temperature before allowing it to accept a charge.
There’s nothing terribly unusual in any of this, as GM uses a liquid-cooled pack in the Chevrolet Volt and Tesla Motors uses the technology in the Roadster. Nissan and Renault, on the other hand, feel air cooling is sufficient for the Leaf and Fluence Z.E.
Photo: Jim Merithew / Wired. A prototype Ford Focus Electric on the streets of San Francisco.

GM's 'revolutionary' HCCI engine
Embracing efficient and cost-effective change
A new study claims that by 2035 US light duty fleet fuel economy could be tripled to 74 mpg without plug-in or hydrogen technology, at a much cheaper cost than achieving the same goal through plug-in or or hydrogen technologies.
So, have plug-ins become an excuse – dare I say a greenwashing effort – by automakers to delay change as long as possible? Are plug-ins just like yesterday’s flex-fuel CAFE credits?
The study A Fuel Efficiency Horizon for US Automobiles doesn’t suggest that plug-ins are about greenwashing, that’s my suggestion based upon the history of the US auto industry. It’s just that in my opinion, selling 50,000 plug-in vehicles per year doesn’t justify selling 1 million 17 mpg pickup trucks, just as adding never-used flex fuel technology to gas guzzlers didn’t justify CAFE credits that enabled automakers to blatantly violate CAFE requirements , resulting in increased foreign oil dependence.
Unfortunately, good intentions resulted in bad results.
Fortunately, that’s not to say that plug-ins or hydrogen won’t offer the world a fantastic future. It’s just that both technologies are simply not cost-effectively mature, and betting the farm on them as THE solution is very inefficient and cost-ineffective. Sadly, the evidence supporting the fact that plug-ins simply are not cost-effective, and will almost certainly not be cost-effective for decades, is nothing short of overwhelming.
Of course, some Eureka moment in the basement of some college laboratory could instantly change that, but until that happens, shouldn’t we be doing everything else that we can as quickly as we can, especially when “projected fuel savings greatly exceed upfront costs”?
Plug-in vehicles are a technology that MUST be pursued; however, if its going to take decades for plug-ins to mature into the dominant mainstream solution, shouldn’t we be putting greater focus on what else can be done in the interim? How is achieving today, what automakers want to put off until tomorrow, so bad for America if “savings greatly exceed upfront costs”?
Minimally, isn’t it time for an honest, transparent national discussion on energy policy?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Lamborghini

Top Gear USA runs with the bulls - Click above to see the video after the jump

While everyone and their mother seems to have made Top Gear USA bashing the new national pastime, you might want to take a look at the newest video tease it's just released. While the appeal of the BBC show undoubtedly revolves around the chemistry between its three mismatched hosts, at its core, it's a show about cars. So even if we're not certain the three American hosts can live up to the legacy established by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, perhaps they really don't need to.

Top Gear USA isn't a replacement for the BBC show after all - it's more of a spin-off. And as long as the production values stay high - and from the looks of it, they have - it's just more car pr0n for all of us. Case in point: the video you'll see after the jump. The storyline is fairly straightforward: Round up the baddest Lamborghinis from the corral - Superleggera, Balboni and SuperVeloce - and open them up so we can see what they'll do. Can there possibly be a loser? Maybe the matador. Follow the jump to see the Top Gear USA guys on their run with the bulls. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: The History Channel via YouTube]Continue reading Video: Top Gear USA runs with the bullsVideo: Top Gear USA runs with the bulls originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Hybrid, Performance, Hatchback, Honda
Honda CR-Z Type-F - Click above for high-res image

Nearly one year later, we're still digging the idea behind Meguiar's Wraptivo system. For under $2,000 you can design and have a professional installer wrap your car in vinyl, complete with custom graphics and textures. And to drum up more interest in the program after its debut at last year's SEMA show, Meguiar's has picked up a 2011 Honda CR-Z and enlisted the tuning talents of RJ De Vera and rendering artist Jon Sibal to show what it has planned for the 2010 show.

Naturally, the CR-Z Type-F Concept is focused on the matte black and "carbon fiber" wrap, but the real party pieces are underneath the vinyl.

A supercharger will be fitted to the anemic 1.5-liter four-pot, with a custom exhaust system and a Hondata ECU used to extract maximum power. Accessories from Honda's performance line will join a Tein suspension, HKS components and some Volk TE37 wheels, while the inside will benefit from a pair of Recaro buckets, Alcantara trim and a new shift knob. And while it might be easy to dismiss the Type-F (which apparently stands for "Fun") as a SEMA show queen, Meguiar's plans to enter it in Source Interlink's annual Super Lap Battle the week after the show. Get all the details in the press release after the jump and check out Sibal's high-res rendering above.

[Sources: Jon Sibal, Motorworldhype]Continue reading SEMA Preview: Wraptivo Honda CR-Z Type-FSEMA Preview: Wraptivo Honda CR-Z Type-F originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

We’re jealous of the folks who get to drive the Zerotracer. It’s a sporty two-seat enclosed motorcycle that weighs less than 1,400 lbs, can do 0-100 km/hr (62 mph) in less than 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 150 mph.
The Oerlikon Solar Zerotracer is among the cool zero-emission vehicles competing in the Zero Race, an 80-day around-the-world race without tailpipe emissions. As cool as the race may be, it’s the vehicles running in it that fascinate us. We plan to catch up with all of the teams and run down their vehicles. First up is the Zerotracer.
“When you are driving the Zerotracer, it feels like you are flying half a meter above the ground,” said Tobias Wülser of the Swiss design firm Designwerk and one of the guys who designed and engineered the vehicle. “You forget that you are in a fully enclosed motorcycle. The vehicle is fast and has great acceleration.”
Zerotracer is a bona fide EV with a 400 volt, 21 kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery pack. It’s good for 217 miles and reportedly recharges in less than two hours. Although the team obviously has to charge up along the way, it is offsetting and CO2 emissions generated by the local power plant by using solar power at Oerlikon Solar’s headquarters.

Not every hour of the Zero Race is spent behind the wheel, obviously. The race is as much about PR as it is about competition. Wülser says the team wakes up around 6 a.m. each day and drives 120 miles or so before showing off the car and answering questions at the first scheduled stop of the day. Yesterday, for example, they did a photo op with a few politicians in Berlin.
“We tend to set up all the vehicles in a centralized location in each city so that people get the opportunity to see the Zerotracer and other vehicles, take photos, ask us questions and learn more about zero emissions transportation,” Wülser said. After another 120 or so miles on the road, the teams rest and the cars recharge — unless, of course a team member is already well-rested after catching forty winks in the Zerotracer’s comfy backseat.
“The passenger sitting in the back seat can stretch his legs out, and also take a nap comfortably, which we do often,” Wülser said. “There is also luggage space where the driver and passenger can store items, and we currently keep our kits back there. It’s a smooth ride, and the Zerotracer design makes it aerodynamic.”
Wülser says reaction to the EV has been positive throughout Europe, and the team is looking forward to showcasing it in Russia and China.
“The Zerotracer is like a magnet,” he said. “People are very amused by the vehicle, especially with the design and how it looks. When we stop at different cities along the race route, people ask us many questions and we provide information on the Zerotracer’s speed, acceleration and other technical details to the car. Average folks are the ones that are looking at it.”
This kind of vehicle isn’t entirely unheard of. The Peraves MonoTracer similarly blurs the line between car and motorcycle, but it uses a BMW motorcycle engine instead of an electric motor. Nissan came up with a similar concept called the Land Gider; although the funky EV has four wheels, it leans like a motorcycle.
Should anyone decide they want a Zerotracer of his or her own, they may have the chance next year provided they have the funds.
“Right now, the Zerotracer is the only one of its kind, but it is a vehicle that the daily driver can potentially use,” Wülser said. “Our idea is to produce the Zerotracer for mass consumption starting next year.”
According to Wülser, the vehicle will be tuned for a broader audience and will retail for between 60,000 and 80,000 euros — around $76,000 to $102,000 at current exchange rates.
Photos: Oerlikon Solar Racing Team
See Also:

What It’s Like Going 307.7 MPH in an EV
MonoTracer Blurs the Line Between Motorcycle And Car
Nissan’s Wild Land Glider EV May Yet Fly
VW Redefines ‘Car’ With 170-MPG Diesel Hybrid