tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83847321782871438112024-11-05T18:55:15.638-08:00Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-46364740699394260252009-05-23T06:37:00.000-07:002009-05-23T06:42:26.960-07:00

DETROIT, April 1 - Ron Gremban and Felix Kramer have modified a Toyota Prius so it can be plugged into a wall outlet.This does not make Toyota happy. The company has spent millions of dollars persuading people that hybrid electric cars like the Prius never need to be plugged in and work just like normal cars. So has Honda, which even ran a commercial that showed a guy wandering around his Civic

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-44392540220434330582009-05-23T06:19:00.000-07:002009-05-23T06:28:06.173-07:00

From father to son: automotive advice and life lessons(ARA) - Automobiles often become a special place for parents to bond with their children, whether it's tinkering under the hood, or seated behind the wheel for a test drive.With Father’s Day approaching, WyoTech, one of the premier automotive training institutions in the country, asked its students for the best advice their fathers gave them

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-5578631486645902882009-05-23T05:44:00.000-07:002009-05-23T05:51:20.307-07:00

Fare thee well, gentle friend. Those of us who cover GPS devices knew something was up: Navigon PR visited New York City on April 20th for three days of press demos, but unexpectedly flew back to Chicago that night, cancelling most appointments. The inside word was that something big was happening, but no one was saying what.That question was answered this morning when Navigon announced it was

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-90194880272592666072009-05-23T00:29:00.000-07:002009-05-23T00:39:38.209-07:00

BMW will bring the elevated seating and packaging of an SUV to its 5-series line with the addition of a liftback model called the Grand Turismo or, simply, GT.The automaker is now revealing the production look for the vehicle, which will debut at this fall's Frankfurt motor show after having been previewed as a concept car at the Geneva show in March. It will go on sale in the United States in

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-24339807778991282342009-05-23T00:22:00.000-07:002009-05-23T00:27:26.444-07:00

It’s inevitable. With a yard full of oak trees waking from a long hibernation, randy and eager to do their springtime thing, every inch of the yard gets coated with a thick layer of yellow pollen. The whole neighborhood, in fact, takes on an amber tinge, even as the grass--ablaze in violent green--struggles to dominate the landscape’s color wheel. Thank goodness for Zyrtec.Besides the respiratory

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-43998458106769206242007-09-27T14:03:00.001-07:002007-09-27T14:04:33.686-07:00

What crosses your mind when the heads-up display shows 63 mph and you're still in second gear has nothing to do with the torque and ferocious power in the 2008 Corvette. Instead, you wonder what anyone would do with even more ponies that come in the Z06 edition. Of course, Corvettes have always spooled up an impressive amount of power. But historically, it's been about as tractable as a hammer.

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-3107952856796196692007-09-27T13:52:00.000-07:002007-09-27T13:57:06.383-07:00

Chrysler media blog's got an interview with the new Vice-Chairman of "The New Chrysler," Jim Press. Much of it's a nice little flufferview of the guy who until being snagged by Cerberus, spent thirty years at Toyota, eventually becoming President of Toyota USA and the only non-Japanese ToMoCo board member. Still, at the end of the interview was a little blurb that stood out as shockingly

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-3456746559016956642007-09-27T08:44:00.001-07:002007-09-27T08:44:20.076-07:00

Now that all of its siblings have been introduced over the past two years, the plain Jane BMW 3-Series sedan has slipped off for a nip/tuck rejuvenation session. Not much will change, but the car is expected to get new headlights with more prominent "angel eyes," a higher hood, LED tail lights, and a revised interior. It will also get a wider grill, a feature from the CS Coupe that's been

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-80941012480781756452007-09-27T08:34:00.001-07:002007-09-27T08:35:32.326-07:00

Joe Camel spends a night with an R Class, and what do you get? The Toyota Mark X ZiO. Surprisingly stylish, the "new class vehicle" from Toyota is further proof that the rest of the world gets their interesting stuff while we're stuck with the geriatric Corolla, fugly Solara, and various bulbous Utility Giants.The production realization of the FSC concept from 2005, the ZiO is available in two

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-39972077326135727922007-09-27T08:24:00.001-07:002008-07-07T02:30:04.754-07:00

As-tested price: $202,895 Drivetrain: 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12; awd, six-speed automatic Output: 552 hp @ 6100 rpm, 479 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm Curb weight: 5456 lb Fuel Economy (EPA): 13 mpg Options: 19-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels—bright machined finish ($1,540); satellite radio ($1,140); contrast stitching to seats' fascia and door panels ($990); upgraded veneer—dark stained burr walnut ($890

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-78680298572502800312007-09-26T14:23:00.001-07:002007-09-26T14:23:09.921-07:00

A driverless car which is controlled by computer and uses lasers to avoid obstacles is being demonstrated in a Northamptonshire town.Daventry is investigating ways to increase the use of public transport and reduce reliance on cars.The town council believes the Cybercars, which are called by pressing a button on the route and go direct to their destination, could be the answer.The vehicles can

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-48242483589725456642007-09-24T12:44:00.001-07:002007-09-24T12:44:46.405-07:00

Volkswagen has revealed that it plans to take on the newly minted global leader Toyota and become the world's largest carmaker by 2015. The ambitious goal was confirmed by Michael Kern, head of sales and marketing for the Volkswagen brand, who said they aim to beat Toyota on both vehicle sales and profitability.According to Kern, VW plans to bring 12 new models to its lineup in the next three

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-13641275183879293542007-09-24T12:37:00.001-07:002007-09-24T12:37:49.308-07:00

Audi is going to put off the launch of three new SUVs into its arsenal until the end of the decade, primarily for marketing reasons. Really, it's only one new model – the compact Q5 – plus diesel and hybrid versions of its Q7 crossover.The reason for the delay is primarily to avoid Audi's newest entrants from getting lost in the ether of year-end sales drives, and thus allowing all three

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-80564619137221773712007-09-24T12:19:00.001-07:002007-09-24T12:19:16.332-07:00

ELECTRIC cars are the future. That, at least, is the message automakers are sending to consumers as they trumpet big plans for cars that can bypass the gas pump.Of course, backers of electric vehicles, or E.V.'s, floated those assurances in the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, when General Motors released its star-crossed EV1. Today, almost no one drives an electric car.But with a gallon of premium gas

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-40877029939342294002007-09-24T12:06:00.001-07:002007-09-24T12:06:54.529-07:00

The McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team will not appeal the $100 million fine handed down by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council as a result of its involvement in the Ferrari industrial espionage scandal. The WMSC also stripped the team of its constructors' championship points earned this season after it determined in a Sept. 13 hearing that several team members had been in possession of

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-3776146275672060422007-09-24T11:02:00.000-07:002007-09-24T11:03:03.374-07:00

I'm lucky enough to have driven some very fast cars. Name an Italian marque that uses a pissed-off quadraped for a logo, and I've taken one of their vehicles well into the triple digits. Same goes for pretty much any other exotic—Porsche, Bentley, BMW, the list goes on. And I've NEVER even contemplated thinking that one of them was too fast. Until today. I just stepped off BMW's 2007 K1200R, one

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-86486288137750442742007-09-24T10:56:00.001-07:002007-09-24T10:56:28.175-07:00

Will diesels ever fill the performance gap with gas burners in the car-buying marketplace (and not just the Le Mans track)? Perhaps. The Kempten tuners at Abt say they've tweaked 300 horsepower from Audi's 3.0 TDI. It's a 20 percent increase from stock, by way of a supercharger and ECU remapping. It can turn under sevens in the zero-to-60 sprint, which isn't bad for an oil burner. Of course,

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-82654429173860065742007-09-18T14:26:00.001-07:002007-09-18T14:26:50.386-07:00

Too much, probably, if our cars' maximum permissible load ratings are any indication. We might be surprised to realize just how easy it is to exceed a manufacturer's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) for a passenger car or a sport-utility vehicle. That figure, when exceeded, absolves the automaker of blame in the event of mechanical or dynamic failure. Honda, for example, notes in the owner's

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-28702035967001783732007-09-18T14:16:00.000-07:002007-09-18T14:17:23.165-07:00

A Ferrari is comfortably out of budget for most of us. But adrenalin-inducing speed can be had with a "superbike" or "sportsbike."Though these crotch rockets accounted for less than 10 percent of motorcycle registrations in 2005, they accounted for more than 25 percent of rider fatalities. A study released last week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that rider deaths have more

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-10114860483828881172007-09-18T14:06:00.000-07:002007-09-18T14:07:25.230-07:00

From the Fun with Government Surplus department comes Tank Limo, the toy-slash-business of some blokes with big ideas and a fleet of military equipment. It's a renovated field hustler fitted with smoked glass, a fridge, twin DVD players, back-up cameras and completely retrimmed interior. They're in process of installing 44 feet of remote neon tubes and a Jacuzzi, about which they say, "If you

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-37840058640764115772007-09-18T13:57:00.000-07:002007-09-18T13:58:54.061-07:00

It's been a favorite of Colombian drug lords, Saudi sultans and ladies who lunch alike. We're already seen its luxe Lexus cousin. And truth be told, we've also seen the new face of the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser. But now we know the company plans to officially reveal the new visage at the Australian International Motor Show in October.The famed fatboy of SUVs is longer, taller, wider and more

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-78220674453237490732007-09-17T11:22:00.001-07:002007-09-17T11:22:43.388-07:00

European car buyers are becoming more conscious of fuel cell technology as a practical option, but cost concerns remain a big hurdle. A new study by Harris Interactive Auto finds that 28 percent of European car owners are either "very likely" or "extremely likely" to consider fuel cell technology in their next car purchase. But that number drops to 22 percent when subjects are asked specifically

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-37994938456714401162007-09-17T11:15:00.000-07:002007-09-17T11:16:19.981-07:00

Call me a sucker for mad-visionary types, but I think Charles Greenwood is a genius. He's one of the few people who lead me to believe that this strange species called the "car enthusiast" will thrive on long after the fossil fuels have run dry. Last month, Wired.com reported on this Seattle-based engineer's muscle-powered FM-4 HumanCar as part of a roundup of the fastest green cars on earth, and

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-39818705030252992312007-09-17T11:03:00.000-07:002007-09-17T11:04:54.788-07:00

The third in the trilogy of 2008 Cooper Clubman models, the Mini Cooper Clubman D is the oil-burner revealed at the Frankfurt Auto Show. This Clubman's got a four-cylinder, common-rail turbodiesel, with max torque equaling that of the Cooper S's 177 lb-ft, 110 hp at 4,000 rpm and a top speed of 120 mph. But the real story here's the fuel economy, which BMW says will be a sippy-cup-like 57 miles

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8384732178287143811.post-90081449494414075242007-09-17T10:50:00.000-07:002007-09-17T10:51:31.605-07:00

In September, sports car drivers who love extreme high performance and the feeling of sun and wind will have the best of both worlds when Porsche unleashes its ultimate open-air 911 sports car: the new 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet.Continuing the company's twenty-year tradition of pairing a classic soft top with extreme Porsche 911 Turbo performance, this 2+2 seater can reach speeds of nearly

Oliviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118919356275227170noreply@blogger.com0