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If you own a computer, chances are good that you’ve got it tied into a battery backup just in case the power goes down while you’re hard at work, ignoring the adage to “save early, save often”. If you work in IT, you may even have massive uninterruptable power supply (UPS) units, capable of backing up entire server rooms in case of a power outage. If you’re willing to spend enough money, you can even buy battery backups that will supply your house with power in the event of an outage, at least temporarily. Soon, there will be another alternative for emergency...
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BMW 5-Series, 7-Series Could Get LCD Gauges
LCD instrument panels are nothing new. The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid used a partial LCD display, as does the current Ford Explorer. Jaguar’s latest XJ has replaced the analog instruments with a high-resolution LCD display (shown above), and fellow Tata Motors subsidiary Land Rover is using LCD...
Kurt Ernst -
New UPS Trucks Are Lighter, Cheaper, Greener (No, Really)
A body made of lightweight composite panels, LED lighting, a high-efficiency four-cylinder diesel engine and easily-repaired molded fenders may sound like the ideal basis for a fuel-efficient commuter car, but in this case it’s the latest prototype delivery truck being evaluated by UPS. The...
Kurt Ernst -
The Latest Airbag Innovation? Roof-Mounted Airbags
Airbags were once the scourge of the automotive industry; manufacturers claimed their expense would torpedo new car sales and decimate the automotive industry, while consumers weren’t thrilled about having an explosive charge (indirectly) pointed at their face. In the twenty or so years since...
Kurt Ernst -
Road Ahead App May Be The Road Tripper's Best Friend
If you’re like us, you have a passion for road trips and a serious preference for certain brands of food, gasoline and coffee. If you own an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, a new application may be just the thing to turn road trip frustration into road trip bliss. Called RoadAhead, the app will...
Kurt Ernst -
Toyota's "Ideas For Good" Finalists Announced
Much of the technology used in modern automobiles, or in the development of modern automobiles, can be repurposed for the betterment of society. That was the concept behind Toyota’s “Ideas For Good” challenge, which gave entrants the ability to use five Toyota-developed...
Kurt Ernst -
A 46-year-old New Jersey woman was injured last Saturday when she drove her car into a tree--while dialing 911 to report an erratic driver. The accident occurred in Toms River, during daylight hours, and police would only say that the crash is under investigation. The driver’s condition, as well as the status of the driver who led to the crash, remain unclear. It’s unknown if the driver was using a hands-free phone at the time of the call, but use of a hand-held cell phone while driving in New Jersey is illegal and considered a primary offense, or one for which police can make a...
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Chrysler Wants Your Service Business
Do you drive a Honda, a Ford or a Volkswagen? How about a Chevy or a Lexus? By the end of the year, your local Chrysler Group dealer (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat) will probably be able to service (but not necessarily repair) your car. Thanks to the recently announced partnership between Mopar and...
Kurt Ernst -
Lojack Lists The Ten Most Stolen Cars Of 2010
If you’ve ever had a car broken into or stolen, you know the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. Maybe you even blame yourself for parking in a remote corner of the lot (to avoid door dings), or maybe you start to second guess your choice of cars. If only you’d bought something...
Kurt Ernst -
Infiniti Roadside Assistance? There's An App For That
If you have engine problems, get a flat tire or run out of gas, a new iPhone app from Infiniti can help you with that, as long as you own a new or certified pre-owned Infiniti vehicle. Infiniti, in cooperation with Cross Country Automotive Services, is announcing their free roadside assistance app...
Kurt Ernst -
Tesla vs. TopGear: Only Half Of The Story
Electric car maker Tesla is suing U.K. hit TV show TopGear for libel and malicious falsehood, seeking to right the record about its Roadster electric sports car, which the company thinks was treated unfairly by the sometimes witty, sometimes boorish hosts of the show. Unfortunately, this is no...
Nelson Ireson -
EVO's Chris Harris Lambastes The Mazda MX-5, Makes A Few Fair Points
Calling the Mazda Miata MX-5 "a machine which drives with all the precision of a boneless limb" is a harsh, and, among owners, enthusiasts, and the automotive press, unpopular statement. But EVO's Chris Harris actually makes a few fair points. His overall sum-up, that the MX-5 is equivalent to...
Nelson Ireson -
The 2012 Hyundai Veloster was revealed in all its oddball three-door glory just last month at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, but this photo hints at a coming rally car prototype, and given the timing, we expect it at the Chicago Auto Show. This is the first photo of the car as it flies over a jump on a gravel road. To see the landing, presumably in video form, you'll have to visit Hyundai's page at 9:45 am CST on February 9. We'll have the full details, photos, and specs for you as soon as we're allowed to publish them, so be on the lookout.
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When Ice Racing Goes Wrong: Subarus Don't Float
Ice racing is, simply put, one of the most awesome and ridiculous forms of motorsport around. Rooster tails of snow and ice, studded tires, and frozen lakes add up to quality entertainment for many. But it can go wrong. Very wrong. SCCA Forums member maxjns aptly described the incident: "This past...
Nelson Ireson -
MotorAuthority's Top Stories Of 2010: Cherokee SRT8, Golf R, And Spy Shots
It's been another great year for MotorAuthority, and we have you to thank for it. Over the course of 2010 we've brought you more than 2,600 breaking headlines, reviews, videos, and photo galleries. Of those, these were your favorites. We'll be bringing you a few more top lists for 2010 as the year...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota To Pay $10 Million In Crash Settlement, Mats Still To Blame
Last August Toyota stood before a crested wave of accelerator and floor-mat related recalls, the matter brought to a head by the death of an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family in a dealer-loaned Lexus ES 350. The crash was caused by incorrectly fitted...
Nelson Ireson -
2011 Chrysler 300: First Full Interior Photo
Chrysler's model lineup hasn't changed much yet, but its cars are showing a new attitude and a new aesthetic. The latest image, revealing the interior in broader scope than before, leaked onto the web today. Just last month at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the automaker pulled the wraps off the 2011...
Bengt Halvorson -
2010 Paris Auto Show Coverage
Concept cars, green cars, electric cars--new cars. It's all coming to the 2010 Paris Auto Show at the end of this month, and High Gear Media is gearing up to bring you wall-to-wall Paris coverage starting...now. The show opens tomorrow to the media, but we've already previewed some of the dozens of...
Martin Padgett -
Here at MotorAuthority, we get spy shots of upcoming vehicles from different sources--trusted lenspeople scouring the deserts and tundras of the world, just trying to hustle and make a dollar. Sometimes they come from readers like you (and we like that). And every so often, our own crack team comes up with shots of their own, like the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK we nabbed last weekend while competing in the 2010 Fireball Run. Today, a set of mysterious photos landed in the MA inbox, and we're not quite sure what to make of them. Tina from California writes: "I was in L.A. last week with my husband...
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SEMA 2010: Hyundai Genesis Coupe Gets ARK-ed
The 2010 SEMA show comes to Las Vegas at the end of October, but Hyundai's getting ahead of the aftermarket action by releasing these sketches of its Genesis Coupe, as re-envisioned by ARK Performance of South Korea. ARK's Genesis kit takes the basic 306-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 found in the Coupe...
Martin Padgett -
2011 Hyundai Equus: Third Drive
As you've seen across the High Gear Media empire of automotive Web sites, we've spent some quality time with the 2011 Hyundai Equus. In fact, we've driven it once in what was clearly "not a first drive" and then a few months ago in South Korea. Now, we've had a shot at the final production Equus...
Martin Padgett -
2011 Lincoln MKX: First Drive
Stretch your memories to go all the way back to the end of August, when Labor Day actually held the ironic promise of a few days off. Faked you out, didn't it? Us too. Still, we fondly recall those days of just three weeks ago with a touch of nostalgia. After all, it was the first time the wraps...
Martin Padgett -
2012 Lamborghini Jota Teased Prior to Paris Show
The 2010 Paris auto show is nearly here, and the wind-up from automakers is in full effect today with the first of six teasers from Lamborghini as it implores us all to "discover the way to the future of supersports cars." A new Lambo supercar replacing the Murcielago is in the pipeline, and this...
Martin Padgett -
2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class Preview
Its official world premiere won't come until the 2010 Paris Auto Show, but we have the first official images and details on the upcoming 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class for you fresh from under its midnight embargo. Though the timing is certainly inconvenient, the 2012 CLS-Class is anything but. As...
Nelson Ireson