MINI Coupe Concept To Debut at IAA 2009

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

BMW has announced a cool new Mini to celebrate the car's 50th birthday. At the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA 2009) BMW will show the very cool looking MINI Coupe Concept.
Fifty years ago, on 26 August 1959, the classic Mini was presented to the public for the first time. As you might remember the original Mini was really tiny. The new generation of Mini's look small, but actually are not.

The Mini Coupe Concept is a 2 seater with very sporty appeal. This two-seater is designed to accommodate the most powerful engine currently available in the MINI – and with the 1.6-liter twin-scroll turbocharged power unit carried over from the MINI John Cooper Works, the MINI Coupé Concept offers outstanding performance. Read more

Posted on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:23:07 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Geeky Scooter is perfect for Personal Transport

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

If you are in the market for a battery-powered mode of transport that you can drive on the sidewalk and don’t want to drop the kind of big money it takes to get a Segway, the GoPet Personal Electric Transportation Scooter may be just what you need. The device is a three wheel electric vehicle that is easy to ride according to the maker.

The device uses 48 volt, 350 watt front hub direct drive motor systems to power the scooter at up to 16 mph. the driving range is 25 miles on a single charge that costs about ten cents. A full recharge needs 4-6 hours with the 110V charger that turns off when the battery is topped off. Read more

Posted on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Algae Bio Fuel Could Be The Future

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

The New York Times has an interesting article on the efforts to make bio fuel from algae. An Indian tribe called the Southern Ute is actually on the fore front of making algae bio fuel a reality.

Algae are great as a fuel source, as they bind CO2, grow fast and are not a source of food.

The Southern Ute invested into Solix Biofuels and is providing their land in Colorado to build an algae farm. Read more

Posted on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Ford Unveils Intelligent Charge System for Plug-in Hybrids

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

The major automakers are all focusing on alternative fuel sources in the economic recession with the consumers demand for low cost vehicles that dare fuel-efficient. Ford has announced a new intelligent system for plug-in hybrid vehicles that allows the hybrid cars to communicate with the electric grid.

The charging tech allows the car owner to program when the car will charge and for how long it will charge. The system even lets the user choose the utility rate they will pay to charge the vehicle meaning the user can charge the car at off peak hours. Read more

Posted on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

BMW to leave Formula One Racing

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

The Formula One Racing will, according to German Bild, loose one of its most prominent teams today. BMW is supposed to announce today that they will leave the Formula One by the end of the season.

BMW just reentered Formula One in 2000. For BMW the Formula One is not green enough for their new overall marketing strategy. Read more

Posted on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:30:36 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Now Porsche becomes part of Volkswagen for real

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

In May the news about Porsche and Volkswagen merging broke but then a dramatic battle between the owner families and managers raged that has ended with the ousting of Porsche CEO Wiedeking.
It all started when Porsche tried to acquire Volkswagen with some tricky investment poker that went awry because of the economic crisis.

Now the proud Porsche firm becomes just another label under the Volkswagen umbrella like Audi, Bentley, Bugatti or Lamborghini. Read more

Posted on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Lusting after the Fisker Karma

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

In early 2008 the Fisker Karma hybrid premium sports sedan appeared on the green car scene. Now the Fisker Karma is already sold out at $80,000 a piece for the rest of the year. Our friends over at Digital Trends still like to dream about it. On the other hand the new Cash for Clunkers program will pay you $4,500 to buy a new car if your current car gets under 18 miles per gallon. Free cash from the government has been seen to mess with peoples brains in Germany. Throwing away perfectly good cars just to get free cash from the government to buy a new car, which costs more than they can afford.

Quote:"I'm in the market for a new car, and I'm struggling with what to buy. Currently, I have a 2003 Infinite FX45, which I love, but it is starting to feel its age. Read more

Posted on Fri, 3 Jul 2009 00:34:05 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Congress Passes Cash for Clunkers

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

Congress has passed the Automotive Stimulus bill "Cash for Clunkers" and is a plan aimed at stimulating car purchases in America. The program provides $4,500 in credit to owners who trade in a current car for a more fuel-efficient and environmentally vehicle.

The program will provide the $4,500 to owners whose current car gets less than 18mpg and if they buy a car with more than 10mpg improvement in mileage over their previous vehicle. If a buyer chooses a car with 4mpg more in economy than their current car, they can get $3,500 in credit. Read more

Posted on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Extreme Sports Car Maker Koenigsegg buys SAAB from GM

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

Swedish Sports Car maker Koenigsegg is known for their 1,000hp beasts that sell beyond a million Euro. The small company is making a big and risky step now buying ailing SAAB from GM.
It is not known what a Koenigsegg - Saab marriage will look like. I do not expect to see 1,000hp Saab cars. Read more

Posted on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:32:21 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

AT&T Launches CruiseCast

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

Anyone with kids will tell you that taking a long road trip can be like descending into hell. The kids are good for about an hour then they flip out and the rest of the trip is a nightmare for most parents. One way to keep kids happy is with a DVD movie or other game.

The problem for really long road trips is that the kids get bored watching Nemo for the hundredth time. AT&T has announced that its CruiseCast mobile satellite TV service has now launched. The service streams the same TV that you can watch at home to your car. Read more

Posted on Wed, 3 Jun 2009 06:34:25 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Ford Offers New Sync Application for Download

Topic: Cars & Vehicles

Ford has announced a new Sync application that is available as a free download for owners of any 2010 Ford vehicle equipped with Sync. To get the free application owners need to go to the Syncmyride.com website and download the TDI application.

TDI stands for Traffic, Directions, and Information. The app connects the drivers Bluetooth cell phone to Ford's Delivery Service Network for voice prompted turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic control and other information like sports and weather forecasts. Read more

Posted on Mon, 1 Jun 2009 12:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun