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Perhaps in response to the concerns raised in regards to rear-seat safety by the super compact Toyota iQ, Toyota unveiled today the world’s first rear-seat center airbag. Obviously designed to reduce the iQ from “screaming metal” to simply “metal” deathtrap, the new center airbag is intended to provide a buffer between the two closely-seated rear passengers in the event they are sandwiched together like sardines during a side-impact collision. Hyped as an “impressive advancement in safety”, we can’t help but think that if a vehicle is so small that rear-seat passengers - even if properly restrained - are still in danger of colliding with one another, it will probably be crushed like a soda can before the airbags can even deploy.
What strikes as as even more bizarre is the fact that some have even heralded Toyota’s new invention as a triumph over the reigning king of safety, Volvo. What they have neglected to take into account, however, is the fact that Volvo (whose motto is: “Rolling Strength”) would never produce something so ineffectually small and obviously dangerous as the iQ to begin with, thus never necessitating the use of something like a rear-center airbag.
Source: Auto News
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According to sources, Land Rover has confirmed that the Land Rover LRX Concept that debuted at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in January has been approved for production as the 2011MY Range Rover. Built on the same platform as the Freelander, the Range Rover LRX would sit beneath the Range Rover Sport as the smallest, most compact model in the Range Rover family. Although the 2011 Ranger Rover LRX will feature 5 doors (has opposed to the Concept’s 2) and a slightly revised front bumper, the basic design elements of the LRX Concept will remain unchanged in the production version.
In keeping with the Range Rover’s smaller, less-obtrusive theme, Land Rover Managing Director Phil Popham claims the 2011 Range Rover will be Land Rover’s “greenest” vehicle to date. At launch, Popham says the new Range Rover will produce under 150 g/km of CO2 emissions, which in terms of fuel-efficiency roughly translates to about 50 mpg. As research and development continues, Popham also hinted that a hybrid Range Rover could debut as well, cutting emissions even further to 120 g/km and boosting fuel consumption to around 60 mpg.
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Source: 4WheelsNews
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In a gesture of goodwill towards an area with the highest unemployment rate in the country, comedian and late night talk show host Jay Leno will be performing a stand-up show completely free of charge for unemployed workers in Detroit. Scheduled to take place on the Pistons’ home turf at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, tickets are limited to four per person and the only requirements for admission are a photo ID and the lack of a job. In addition to the live entertainment, Leno will also be sharing another precious gift with down-and-out Detroit denizens: an exclusive look at his auto collection. Noted for being an enthusiastic car collector and extremely knowledgeable gear head, Leno will be displaying the impressive contents of his garage in the parking lot of The Palace.
“I’m watching our president and he’s saying what we should do to help,” explained Leno. “We got this bad economy thing and well, I tell jokes…so how can I help out? So I was thinking, an awful lot of people unemployed, out of work, don’t have any entertainment dollars…Well, one of my favorite places is Detroit, and there are so many out-of-work autoworkers. People work hard their whole lives, they’re saving their money and so I thought, why don’t I go to Detroit and do (my comedy) show?” Continued Leno, “I want to do a show for the, not just the auto workers, but anyone out of work in Detroit. But it’ll be free. It won’t cost you a dime. Not that I’m the greatest comic in the world, but it’s free. If you don’t like it, you get your money back!”
Source: CNN
Image Cred: AP Photo/Lisa Poole
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Obviously circling the wagons in anticipation of yet another attack by marauding bands of debtors, GM announced today that an “indefinite hold” would be placed on further development of their 4.5L V8 Duramax Diesel engine. Originally intended to debut as a fuel-efficient engine option beneath the hood of the 2010 Chevy Silverado, GM claims the worsening economic climate has forced them to cancel the project. Expected to offer a much-needed alternative to GM’s current heavy duty 6.6L V8 diesel, the 4.5L diesel would have provided a more cost-effective version of the 6.6L’s power and fuel-efficiency to the light duty truck market. Similar in theory to Ford’s EcoBoost engine, GM’s 4.5L V8 used patented technology to eliminate the need for exhaust and intake manifolds, using an in-house developed 2-mode hybrid system to boost fuel efficiency a rumored 40%.
Fortunately, GM assures that the 4.5L V8 has not been cancelled entirely and, if they can manage to get their act together, could debut on the Chevy Silverado during a later model year. Until GM regains their footing, however, the project will remain paused.
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Source: GM
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Founded by August Horch on July 16, 1909, Audi will celebrate its 100 birthday this year with a special exhibit at the Audi automobile museum in Germany. Aptly titled “From Horch to Audi – The history of perfection has a new name,” the exclusive event will present a collection of Audi’s most historic automobiles to the public, including the only surviving model of the Audi Type P. Introduced as Audi’s very first small car in 1931, the Type P’s brief production run was cut short in 1936. No models were believed to still be in existence until 2003 when a perfectly preserved Type P was found in a barn in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Paperwork on the antique revealed that it’s last owner, the mayor of a town in the Swabian region of Germany, had driven the Type P faithfully until garaging it in 1955, where it remained until its discovery nearly 50 years later. Today, the sole surviving Type P will make its first appearance since being fully restored at the “From Horch to Audi” exhibit.
In addition to the Type P, Audi’s centennial celebration exhibit will also feature several other iconic turn-of-the-century Audi’s, including the first Audi ever produced, the 1911 Audi Model A, and a custom-built replica of the 1935 Audi 255 Front Special Roadster (two of which were produced, though none still exist). Also on the guest list is the legendary Audi Type M, one of the most expensive and prestigious cars in its heyday and the first Audi to be equipped with 4-wheel brakes. Beside the Type M will stand its successor, the Type R “Imperator,” which is notable for being the first 8-cylinder Audi as well as the first Audi to surpass the 100-horsepower mark. Produced in 1929, like the Type P, the Type R Imperator that will be on display at the Audi museum is the only model still remaining in existence.
Scheduled to officially open today, the Audi “From Horch to Audi - perfection has a new name” will run until Audi’s traditional birthday on July 16, 2009.
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Source: Audi
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Great news for smart owners: now when you’re mocked mercilessly by fellow motorists, you will have up to three additional passengers with whom to share your shame.
Judging the market ripe for a comeback, Mercedes-Benz has announced they will once again introduce a 4-door smart car to the market, this one hopefully more successful than the last. Expected to bear the “smart ForTwo + 2″ badge, the new ute is expected to debut in 2012 as a direct competitor for the likes of the Audi A1 and the BMW Isetta. Unlike the failed smart ForFour, however, the ForTwo + 2 will attempt to maintain as much of the traditional ForTwo’s styling as possible to avoid crossing over into treacherous Mitsubishi Colt terrain. The specifics are still sketchy, but sources expect the ForTwo + 2 to share the same RWD layout as the ForTwo, differing only in terms of wheelbase length. Providing for increased legroom without altering the basic frame of the car, the ForTwo + 2’s rear doors will be rear-hinged and extremely small, presumably in an attempt to be as little ForFour-reminiscent as possible.
Aside from the usual rumors regarding possible electric hybrid engine options, further details on the ForTwo + 2 are scarce, but we do expect more information to leak as development of the new smart continues to advance.
Source: Auto Express
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Unveiled to a stunned, somewhat horrified audience at the Geneva Motor Show last week, the Aston Martin Lagonda Concept now appears slated to transform from an ugly pipedream into an ugly reality. According to Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez, the new Lagonda could begin production in as little as three years, hitting the market in 2012/13. Built on the same platform currently underpinning the Mercedes-Benz GL class, the new Aston Martin Lagonda is, by standard definition, an SUV, but attempts to reconcile its massive 20-foot-long body with the traditional styling of W.O. Bentley’s Lagonda LG6. Beneath the pre-war inspired hood, the Lagonda Concept is powered by a standard gasoline V12 engine, but Bez says they are already exploring both diesel and hybrid powertrain options.
To those unfamiliar with the history of the Lagonda, the Concept variant appears to be a truly ugly specimen utterly void of rhyme or reason. While we’ll admit we agree with the ugly assessment, now that the initial shock has faded, we’ve begun to develop a begrudging respect for the throwback Aston. Mercifully absent of any noticeable William-Towns-circa-1976 influence, Bez expects the new Lagonda to revive the original theme of cutting edge design and unparalleled innovation, opening new doors (no pun intended) for the Aston-Martin brand as a whole.
Catering to the privileged upper class and thus assumed impervious to the global auto crisis, Aston Martin nevertheless suffered a significant blow in 2008 with sales falling by 13.5% to only 6,400 units. Bez hopes the new Lagonda will help break this trend and allow Aston-Martin to break into new markets, expanding Aston Martin’s global outreach to include 100 more countries.
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Source: Auto News Europe (sub. req.’d) via AutoBlog
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Chrysler’s financing department is apparently not a fan of the abstract arts.
In St. Petersburg, Florida, recently laid off “artist” Jennifer Stone-Anderson has found herself in danger of losing her precious, hand-painted Obama wagon to Chrysler’s repo man. Released from employment months ago by Rainbow Art and Design in Tampa, FL, rather than spend her newly-acquired free time doing something productive, such as looking for another job, Stone-Anderson decided to convert her white 2004 Saturn Ion into a garish political campaign on wheels. Using her abundant supply of leftover acrylic paint, Stone-Anderson covered the car from stem to stern with colorful images supporting Obama’s political platform.
Unfortunately, now that Stone-Anderson is unemployed, she’s been able to make the payments on her rolling nightmare and Chrysler, who financed the vehicle, is threatening to repossess it. According to Stone-Anderson herself, she hasn’t made a payment on the Saturn since November of 2008 but, surprisingly enough, the letters from Chrysler announcing their intention to take back the car don’t worry her. Confirming our initial suspicion that she is a few colors short of a full palette, Stone-Anderson told the St. Petersburg Times that she isn’t concerned with the possibility of repossession. “Barack says he’s an eternal optimist,” she said. “We’re like minds.”
Frankly, we’re just surprised it wasn’t a Prius.
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Source: St. Petersburg Times
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