Car News
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Want to update your Facebook status to say something about your tremendously fun drive behind the wheel of your new Camaro but don't want to risk crashing while you use your smart phone to update? Well, GM just might have the solution for you. That's right, GM is working on a system that will allow drivers to use their voice to update their Facebook status, as well as to listen to Facebook messages. The system, which is being tested right now, could also allow drivers to hear incoming text messages, before using steering-wheel controls to select one of four responses. GM won't say when...
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Pastrana Breaks Mt. Washington Climb Record By 20 SecondsOne of the nicest and craziest guys in motorsports just laid down a record-setting run on his first attempt up the Mt. Washington Climb in Vermont. Pastrana got to the top of the 6,288-foot mountain in just 6:20.47, almost 22 seconds quicker than the previous record, set in 1998 by Frank Sprongl...
Nelson Ireson -
Porsche Panamera Notches Sales Belt 22,518 Times In First YearHumpback proportions aside, Porsche clearly did a lot of things right with the Panamera. No fewer than 22,518 buyers agreed during its first year on the global market. Think Porsche's not proud of that figure? Check out all the uses of "Gran Turismo" to describe the car in the press release on page...
Nelson Ireson -
Style Your 2011 Continental GT: Bentley Visualiser LiveClassing up the usual configurator with Bentley style, the Visualiser (note the British spelling) for the new 2011 Continental GT. Gear up your best champagne wishes and caviar dreams, and hit up the site to build your own dream Bentley. Well, you can style your Bentley, but you can't really build...
Nelson Ireson -
Will Your Dealer Get The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302?Chances are good that if you've got Mustangs moving off local lots, you'll see the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 early next year. But a good chunk of you will have to travel to find one on the lot. Ford's plan for allocating the new Boss 302 to its dealers has leaked onto the Web, revealing a two-tiered...
Nelson Ireson -
Tom Brady's Audi S8 Plays Defense In Two-Car CollisionThe New England Patriots could've found themselves in a bind yesterday when star quarterback Tom Brady got sacked in a two-car crash. Thankfully, Brady's sporty Audi S8 kept him nice and safe -- though a passenger in the other car wasn't so lucky. According to USA Today (we know, but we have to...
Richard Read -
The era of social media is fully upon us when even 100-plus-year-old carmakers are adopting outlets like Twitter and Facebook as part of their efforts to build brand reputation. Sometimes it's even interesting. Take this tweet for @Ford, the official Ford Twitter account: @Ford: In 1953, Ford produced its 40-millionth U.S.-built vehicle. We're still going strong! What is your all-time favorite Ford vehicle? #TWIF If we had to pick one, right now it would probably be the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, which we drove earlier this year at Virginia International Raceway and its environs. But...
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2012 Honda Civic Coupe Spy ShotsWith the brand new 2012 Ford Focus, 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and 2011 Volkswagen Jetta coming onto the market over the next 12 months, all with fresh styling, new levels of quality and premium features, one of the small car segment's stalwarts, the Honda Civic, will soon be faced with some serious...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: Ferrari Virtual Academy Online Sim Now LiveAlways wished you could slip behind the wheel of a Ferrari Formula One car? Well, now you can--virtually, of course, courtesy of Ferrari's official Virtual Academy simulator. Launched today, the simulator offers a run in the F10 simulator cockpit around Fiorano, Mugello and the Nurburgring. And for...
Nelson Ireson -
2010 Paris Auto Show Preview: MINI Cooper Design Concept TeasedIf you think the Countryman was hit with a MINI ugly stick, you may not want to see what's under that cover. If you're a bit more open-minded, however, you may be getting a glimpse of the upcoming facelift for the MINI Cooper S and Clubman S. Billed as a "design concept," the front-end bits...
Nelson Ireson -
Photo Update: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Inspired Cigarette BoatCigarette Racing's custom AMG 46' Rider would be pretty awesome in its own right even if it weren't inspired by the SLS AMG. Twin-turbo 552 cubic-inch Mercury racing engines cranking out 1,350 horsepower each have a tendency to imbue awesome on things. The knife-edge boat is capable of over 130 mph...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Fire-Breathing Underground Racing Twin Turbo Lamborghini LP670-4 SVHow to build an Italian flamethrower: take the lightweight, hyper-fast Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV and throw a pair of turbos at it. Run it up to about 150 mph, then come off the gas. Instant three-foot flames. Brilliant. This teaser video shows us the handiwork of Underground Racing's...
Nelson Ireson -
The fantastic new Ferrari 458 Italia is the fastest car to round the company's Fiorano test track, but it won't hold that title indefinitely: a successor to the Enzo hypercar is already in the works--and it will be a hybrid, according to Chairman Luca di Montezemolo. The move comes in contrast to remarks made last year by Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa, who told CAR Magazine that the Enzo successor would not be a hybrid, because the Enzo replacement is due "around 2012" and the hybrid system wouldn't make its production debut until 2014 at the earliest. But di Montezemolo's statement is clear: the...
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MINI Countryman WRC Clears Shakedown Phase, Shows OffMINI's return to rally is fast approaching. The Countryman World Rally Car has just cleared the shakedown phase in the hands of famed racing firm Prodrive, and now heads on to further development. Shakedown testing established the fundamental core of the car's functionality and systems as working...
Nelson Ireson -
AnnaLynne McCord Uses Her Feminine Wiles To (Allegedly) Weasel Out Of A Fender-BenderA week ago, some guy named Aaron was motoring around town, minding his own business, when -- WHAM -- out of the blue, AnnaLynne McCord nailed him. Which isn't especially unusual, except this time she was in a car. Afterward, AnnaLynne turned on the eyelashes and the charm with an "I'm very sorry"...
Richard Read -
First Porsche, Now Ferrari - A Hybrid Sports Car In The WorksLike it or not, everyone is becoming vulnerable to the fuel economy regulations being established around the world. Exotic car manufacturers are generally not positioned well to achieve the required targets. Ferrari, like Porsche, must now break tradition to improve their fleet fuel economy...
Peter Loeser -
Video: Vettel Previews Red Bull's Run At MonzaThe duo at Red Bull haven't always seen eye to eye this season, and competition from McLaren is heating up, but both Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are contenders for the win, and the driver's title. This video gives us Vettel's take on the Italian GP at Monza, and it leaves us looking forward to...
Nelson Ireson -
A Quick Note Of IntroductionHello readers, I'd like to introduce myself as the new editor of Mustang Blog, Camaro Blog, and Challenger Blog. I come here after helming High Gear Media's Family Car Guide, All Pickup Trucks, and Ford Reports Web sites. Before I joined High Gear Media as a freelance contributor, I worked at...
Tim Healey -
Hello readers, I'd like to introduce myself as the new editor of Mustang Blog, Camaro Blog, and Challenger Blog. I come here after helming High Gear Media's Family Car Guide, All Pickup Trucks, and Ford Reports Web sites. Before I joined High Gear Media as a freelance contributor, I worked at Consumer Guide Automotive in suburban Chicago as an associate editor. Now, I freelance for HGM, Examiner.com, ChicagoNow.com, and other outlets. I live in Chicago, and I will be bringing you muscle car news and reviews, from both the OEMs and the aftermarket. This site will continue to focus on...
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Video: Consumer "Disciples" Help Improve Chevrolet CamaroThe business of focus grouping in the auto industry can be a bit of an echo chamber. The group you select shapes the responses you get. Chevrolet is putting this two-edged sword to use with the ongoing development of the Camaro, and in this video, we get a look at the "15 Disciples" group of...
Nelson Ireson -
Next-Gen Mercedes-Benz S-Class To Get Magic Carpet Ride...ControlLurking under the surface of some of the industry's top luxury sedans is a range of active suspension systems. Some are as simple as variable-rate anti-roll bars, others up the ante with magneto-rheological or air-ride dampers and complex electronic controls. Somewhere in the future lies...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: 2011 Nissan GT-R SpecM To Be Called "Egoist"Egoist: Noun. A believer in egoism; an egocentric or egotistic person. That's the definition of the new name reported to be attached to the 2012 Nissan GT-R luxury model that was expected to be called the SpecM. But how will that sit with Americans? Highly individualized, buyer-centric...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Mazda Gives A Glimpse At Kodo-Themed Mazda2, Mazda3The audio sounds like the background to a James Garner TV montage, but the visuals are pure cutting-edge Mazda design. Wrapping the Kodo design theme around a compact three-door hatchback model, the video gives us an idea of what the next Mazda2 or Mazda3 could look like. While we're big fans of...
Nelson Ireson