To pay tribute to the man that started it all, a Shelby tribute Mustang is said to be unveiled at the show in Ford’s hometown of Detroit. This Stang is said to be fitted with the $80k wide-body kit that Shelby plans on offering to S197 customers, much like the 850 hp wide-body 2013 Shelby GT500 built in Carroll’s honor earlier this year.

This special Mustang is said to be one of two models to make an appearance at the Detroit show. The company has also hinted that the future consists of smaller engines powered by turbo and they plan on bringing an EcoBoost model to the show as well, model unknown. With Shelby’s rich heritage and impact on the auto world, we expect nothing less than to be impressed!

Engine: We know it will be powered by the new (again) LT1 engine. Output will be 450ish hp and 450ish ft-lbs of torque. Highway mileage should increase over the C6. Your overall mileage, though, is likely to be more directly correlated to the angle of your right foot.

Layout: It seems that the mid-engine Corvette rumor perks up every few years and the birth of the C7 was no exception. We know the 2014 car will retain the same layout it’s had for the last 60 years – front engine and rear wheel drive. We expect the transaxle to remain out back where it’s been since the C5’s debut in 1997.

Weight: With new stricter CAFÉ standards in wings, the Corvette needed to go on a diet. We expect the C7 to make liberal use of exotic materials like carbon fiber, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium. These unique ingredients should also yield a bump in the overall rigidity of the vehicle structure.

Interior: The C6 has been critiqued since 2005 about the (lack of) quality interior materials and the unsupportive seats. The latest C7 teaser video (http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2012/12/17/video-2014-c7-corvette-trailer-3-craft/) already hints and better materials and stitching. In addition, some spy photos have shown us some signs that upgraded seats will be cradling C7 occupants.

Price: Let’s be honest here. Corvettes aren’t cheap, but they need to be obtainable for the masses. Forbes mentions the $49,600 base price, but good luck finding one with that number on the sticker. Forbes speculates (and we agree) that we’re likely to see a modest price bump on the C7 thanks to its infusion of fancy materials and technowizardry.

Like we said, there’s really nothing new to report here, except a nice summary, from a non-automotive source, of what’s been officially released and what is widely expected in the new C7. Plus we’re happy to see that the square tail light debate left out of the discussion.

“C-Max Hybrid benefits from 20 years of research and innovation behind the software and hardware technology driving it, with many of Ford’s almost 500 hybrid vehicle-related patents contained within,” the automaker said in a statement.
Although the C-Max shares some components with the compact Focus, it will be bigger. The C-Max Hybrid has a total of 99.7 cubic feet of passenger space in the cabin and 24.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, Ford said.
The automaker is currently taking orders for the C-Max Hybrid, which will be built alongside the Focus at Ford’s assembly plant in Wayne, Mich. The next vehicle to join the C-Max family is the plug-in C-Max Energi. We should hear more about that model later this year.

Regulating traffic speeds is a daunting task. The trick is balancing safety with keeping the roadways free of congestion and making sure everyone gets to work on time. Many drivers often take considerable liberties with the speed limits while the police aren’t looking, but always remember that those extra 2 minutes you get to sleep in are a lot more expensive when they bust you for driving like you’re on Texas State Highway 130. Let us know which roads you take should have their speed limits raised and why. Maybe your city planner will be reading and make your morning commute that much quicker!

Where is the future that our childhood comic books and cartoons promised us? Why don’t we have flying cars and hot rods that fold up into a suitcase? The short answer is “duh, that stuff is impossible”. The longer answer is that while the automotive industry has made incredible leaps and bounds since its inception, redesigning the car is not like upgrading your cell phone.
For one thing, the auto industry is much more regulated than many other industries. Stringent safety and production protocols mean that designers have a narrower window to design within. Maybe flying cars would be possible, but the dangers of driving are already prolific enough without the cars flying through the air.

Another big barrier to radical redesign of automobiles is the energy source for their operation. Only now have electric cars become viable enough to warrant their production, and even that took decades of development and research to come to fruition. Perhaps as electric cars begin to dominate the market over the next decade will drastic changes to car design and operation be necessitated. Until that time, we the children of the once imagined future will have to be patient. Already there are some very exciting changes to cars that perhaps we take for granted. Most members of the previous generation thought it would be impossible for us to be able to talk to our cars and have them talk back, have our cars recognize threats and dangers on the roadway, and even have our cars drive for us (soon to be reality if Google has anything to say about it)

Before eco friendly cars came into existence, motorists around the world were perfectly content to drive big, heavy gas guzzlers that spouted out enormous amounts of unhealthy exhaust emissions. Few people were even ever aware that such vehicles were harmful to both the environment and mankind. But when eco friendly cars came along, the many proven benefits started to be acknowledged and the media started to continuously talk about going green.

Eco-friendly car run on electricity or a combination of electricity and hydrogen-based fuel. Both represent low-cost methods of transportation while also reducing the amount of the driver’s carbon footprint on the Earth. In addition, environmentally-friendly cars are constantly being enhanced and redesigned with even more emphasis on reducing pollution and waste. As a result, these cars often require less maintenance than gas-powered vehicles.

By using less gas or no gas at all eco-friendly cars are also helping the environment by reducing the pollutants entering the atmosphere. Drivers who purchase new eco-friendly vehicles can receive tax breaks because of the environmental benefits of these cars. Some locations even offer special parking spots for eco-friendly cars because they want to reward environmentally-friendly drivers. Some areas also allow eco-friendly vehicles to drive in carpool lanes even if there is only one person in the vehicle. This can reduce a driver’s commute time, reducing the vehicle’s gas usage even more.

A great blog for eco-friendly cars is here. Walter Osterman, Social Mavens, an Internet Marketing Agency.

Working in the automotive industry, we get to see some fast cars. If anyone you know has ever been to Germany, you probably heard all about the German Autobahn. The German Autobahn is not the speedster death-trap that you might have heard of…it’s better. These roadways are unique in that they do not have speed limits (although this may soon change) and one of the only rules is that if you’re not passing, stay out of the left lane. The autobahn system has a surprisingly small number of accidents each year, especially when compared to the American highway system. Also, perhaps not ironically, many of the accidents that occur on the autobahn involve foreign visitors (read: tourists) who are not used to the speedy roads. Some speedsters on the autobahn can reach up to 177 kilometers per hour (110mph in American speeds) and that can be the more modest drivers. If you try and pass a slow driver, make sure that speck off in the distance in your side-view mirror isn’t a maniac going 150mph and will be in your blind spot before you can even put on your on your turn signal.

Germany is a great place to visit, especially if you rent a car and want to test out the autobahn. It should be said though that if you’re a speed demon just looking to abuse the lack of speed limits, make sure you practice safe driving habits. It doesn’t matter where you are, always drive safe. Walter Osterman, Social Mavens

Unfortunately some of the most famous cars are not exactly real. When was the last time you saw The Tumbler from Christopher Nolan’s Batman series or the Shaguar from Austin Powers cruising around your local city streets (not counting when Warner Brothers took the Tumbler across the country to promote The Dark Knight Rises)? Of course many famous cars are emulated by fans very frequently. Consider how many fanboys painted their car to look like the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazard.

Let us know what some of your favorite famous vehicles are. Be creative and think outside the box. Were you ever a fan of the Green Hornet, or the Delorean from Back to the Future with its Flux Capacitor? Consider also the huge lineup of cars from the Fast and Furious series. If money were not an issue, what famous car would you pick?

As an Internet Marketing Agency, we work alot in the automotive field. We have a passion for cars. Walter Osterman, Social Mavens

Many smart phones today have apps or settings that allow you to auto reply a text while you are driving to let your friends know that you can’t text them back right away. So put down the phone and drive safely. You owe it to yourself and to every other driver on the road to commit to safety. Walter Osterman, Social Mavens