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Google's Street View camera system is famous, even infamous, for the interesting and sometimes wacky things it catches as it tours the country, taking roadside footage. But soon the view will include the on-track perspective of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as the American Le Mans Series racers prepared for the final race of the 2008 season. The special feature had been planned to go live tomorrow, March 26, but it has since been delayed to an unspecified date. Until it does go live, however, the photo above offers a taste of what's currently available if you dig around the site on Google Maps...
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Volvo phases out S60 sedan in lead up to all-new modelProduction of the Volvo S60 is coming to an end as the current model will soon be phased out in the lead up to an all-new model due next year. Production of the car at Volvo’s plant in Ghent, Belgium, is scheduled to end next month, marking the end of a eight year product cycle that saw more...
Kenneth Hall -
Audi celebrates 100 years with unique Tachoscope timepieceCelebrating an anniversary with a timepiece is a classic tradition, one symbolic of the years that have led to the moment. Audi's celebration of its 100th anniversary is no different, capturing the moment with a custom watch built in cooperation with Chronoswiss. The watch, called 'Tachoscope'...
Kenneth Hall -
GM and Saab agree to five-year parts sharing dealWhen the news of Saab being splintered from General Motors' holdings, many lamented the demise of the Swedish carmaker, assuming it would be unable to stand alone. But a new parts sharing agreement between Saab and General Motors offers some hope that the brand born from jets might yet live to fly...
Alex Kaufmann -
Department of Energy's $25 billion fuel-efficient vehicle fund still untappedLast November, the Department of Energy issued interim rules for the use of a already-approved $25 billion loan package earmarked for the construction of more fuel-efficient vehicles. But now, almost five months later, there has still been no disbursement of the funds. Over 75 applications for the...
Nelson Ireson -
JE Design takes the wraps off Progressor CayennePorsche itself has recently gotten into the game of modifying its Cayenne SUV, so it's no wonder the vehicle has been a favorite of the tuner crowd for years. Though JE Design's latest creation may not have the exclusivity of the GTS Design Edition 3 revealed today, it does have a flavor all its...
Alex Kaufmann -
Seventeen people have been arrested in five cities in the United States and Mexico today as part of the FBI's 'Operation Dual Identity', a campaign to shut down one of North America's biggest car cloning rings. Car cloning is the practice of making a stolen car appear to be legal by 'cloning' legitimate identification such as license plates and VIN numbers. People in Tampa and Miami, Florida, Chicago, Illinois and Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico were part of the ring, which the FBI says has been in operation for over 20 years and has stolen and cloned over 1,000 vehicles worth a total of...
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Fiat CEO says market is recovering, leaves Chrysler decision to Task ForceChrysler might seem like the ugly girl at the dance right now, but Fiat wants to partner up for the long haul, and it thinks it has made a strong case to be allowed to do it. While the company leaves the decision up to President Obama's Task Force on the Auto Industry, Marchionne has turned his...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota planning inexpensive Yaris-based hybridFord has its new Fusion, Honda has the Insight, and Toyota's new Prius is about to hit the streets. But already the next generation of the hybrid wars is drawing up its battle lines, and this time it's smaller. Toytoa is planing a Yaris-based hybrid to take on Honda's Fit hybrid, due around...
Ralph Hanson -
Mercedes Benz design students pen F-CELL Roadster design studyWith its skinny, spoked open wheels and an open-air cabin, the Mercedes Benz F-CELL Roadster looks more like the cars of the turn of the 20th century than those of the 21st, but design students blended the two to illustrate a point. The combination of old and new symbolizes a rebirth of thinking...
Alex Kaufmann -
Spy shots: 2010 Range Rover faceliftLand Rover’s third-generation Range Rover was first introduced in 2002 and was updated in 2005 with some minor styling revisions as well as a range of new V8 engines sourced from Jaguar. The luxury SUV is set to undergo another minor update, with a camouflaged prototype caught testing once...
Kenneth Hall -
Single glass of alcohol enough to raise risk of injury behind the wheelResearch from a Swedish medical institute has led to some surprising conclusions about alcohol and driving: that the most damage caused in accidents where alcohol is a factor comes from a greater number of drivers with moderate alcohol consumption rather than the small percentage of extremely...
James Martinez -
In the highly reflexive world of modern markets, forecasts are often self-fulfilling, and that's just more reason to fear the word coming out of Tokyo today. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) is predicting the worst sales in 32 years for 2009, and already Toyota and Honda have begun cutting even further into their production to adjust for it. Japan's sales figures are expected to fall 8% to 4,297,600 total cars, trucks and buses for 2009. The reasons stated for the pull back? They sound strikingly familiar to American ears. Speaking at a news conference, JAMA chairman...
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Ford cuts Mulally's pay package 37%, but still using private jetsThere's been a lot of public and media outcry over the big salaries and swank travel and accommodations of Ford's top men, especially with the ready contrast of General Motors' Rick Wagoner and Chrysler's Bob Nardelli, both taking commercial flights and $1 salaries. But there's a side to the story...
Ralph Hanson -
Audi TT RS Roadster set for Leipzig Motor Show debutWhile Audi’s new TT RS was on display at the recent Geneva Motor Show, only the Coupe variant was showcased even though images and technical details for both the Coupe and Roadster have been available for some time. That is because the first public outing for the TT RS Roadster is scheduled...
Jeremy Weber -
Opel waters down Astra OPC Nurburgring 24 endurance race car for the streetThe Astra hatch is approaching the end of its product cycle, but in the lead up to the arrival of an all-new model later this year Opel has seen fit to release one more special edition based on the sporty Coupe. Using last year’s 300hp (225kW) Nurburgring 24 Astra endurance race car as its...
Alex Kaufmann -
World’s automakers shun Tokyo Motor Show, but event will go onThe Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association (JAMA) has decided not to cancel this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, despite most of the world’s automakers pulling out of the event. Skipping the show this year will be the Detroit 3, as well as automakers from Germany, France, Sweden, and...
Kenneth Hall -
Audi A2 reaches concept stage, electric version in the worksMost major automakers are working on a new generation of compact vehicles to help meet tough emissions and fuel-economy standards set to roll in over the next couple of years. One of the most active in the industry is Audi, which is reportedly working on a handful of new models all positioned below...
James Martinez -
Carmakers and legislators have been duking it out for decades. As one side fights to find new ways to lighten cars up, improve handling and efficiency, the other heaps on more and more safety regulations and mandatory equipment until things eventually cancel out. But an undercurrent to the progression toward more rigid, safer, and feature-packed vehicles over the last 40 years has been the increasing use of aluminum. Surprisingly, despite the American public's taste for large vehicles, North America leads the world in vehicular aluminum use, about 0.8% ahead of the world average of 7.8%. By...
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Fisker announces first 32 'Eco-facility' dealers for Karma plug-inThe roll-out of Fisker’s new Karma plug-in hybrid luxury saloon is going smoothly, with the company announcing that they have already signed up 32 dealers in the U.S. and should have a total of 40 onboard by the end of June. There are already 1,300 pre-orders for the car, which starts at a...
Jeremy Weber -
Hefley true variable displacement tech on sale for $500 millionMulti-displacement system, displacement-on-demand, cylinder deactivation - call it what you will, they're all based around the same principle: turn off some part of the engine when it's not needed. But an engine designed and patented by Carl Hefley takes an entirely different approach to the idea...
Nelson Ireson -
Kia unveils Forte LPI Hybrid in KoreaPushing the cutting edge of technology forward has been a job traditionally set on the shoulders of the car industry's leaders, as they have the R&D budgets to finance the expensive and time-consuming work. But Hyundai-Kia is pushing technology on its own of late with the introduction of a pair of...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: see the construction and delivery of the first 2010 CamaroGenerally positive reviews are already filtering in from the various outlets and the waiting list of buyers is already 14,000 long - both indicators that the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is staged for success. Since even those on the pre-order list will be waiting up to three months to see their beloved...
Ralph Hanson -
Ratan Tata asks British government to offer assistance to Jaguar-Land RoverWarning of impending layoffs should government aid for Jaguar-Land Rover not arrive soon, Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata restated the need for government-sourced funds. An urgent call went out in February from the company's CEO, and though aid of £2.3 billion ($3.25 billion) was approved by the...
Kenneth Hall