It seems that Muslims aren’t the only religious group upset about the recent . According to The Digital Journal and iAfrica, Christians have now come out against the show. While Muslims found issue with hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May all donning the traditional headwear of Muslim women, Christians are more riled about the episode’s closing manger scene. After the trio of presenters made their way from Iraq to Bethlehem, they came up on a miniature baby Stig tucked away in a manger. The clip was meant to parody the nativity scene with Clarkson, Hammond and May all portraying the three wise men and Mini-Me Stig filling in for baby Jesus. Apparently, that bit of blasphemy was enough to ruffle a few feathers.
As usual, neither Top Gear nor the BBC have responded to the kerfuffle surrounding the show or its content.
We’re like the proud parents of a newborn bundle of joy. We published about 6,800 individual posts in 2010, which is itself a pretty staggering statistic, but there are always a few that we’re especially fond of. Whether we’re making ill-informed buying decisions, traveling at triple-digit speeds in a supercar through Mexico with an official police escort, nearly careening off the side of a cliff on a motorcycle or driving the fastest production car in the world, we’ve had ourselves some good times in 2010.
Something ’round yonder bend is waiting – Click above to watch video
When you gotta go, you gotta go. We’re not talking about dying, we’re talking about answering nature’s clarion call. However, the individual seen in this video very nearly combined the two. While the side of a seemingly empty road might provide an ample spot for an emergency bathroom, you should be sure it is, in fact, empty. This one is not.
An driver was on the road, apparently enjoying his German sedan con brio when he lost control. Did he succumb to oversteer because he spied a man relieving himself, or because of the camera man filming the his buddy? Perhaps he saw both – or perhaps he saw neither. In fact, perhaps the video isn’t even real, but it certainly looks it. If it’s the real deal, we wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn than more than one person soiled themselves in the making of this video.
to view the clip and tell us what you think in Comments. Top tip, Marshall!
Car and Driver presents Lightning Lap No. 5 – Click above for high-res image gallery
The annual Lightning Lap roundup from Car and Driver is easily one of our favorite car magazine features of any of the past five years, and this year’s extravaganza at Virginia International Raceway delivers ones again. The five classes in the throwdown represent vehicles under $30,000, $30k to $60k, $60,000 to $120,000, $120k to $240k and the elusive “and up” category. C/D asked manufacturers to supply production vehicles that come equipped with the most track-ready options that any Tom, Dick and Harry can get straight from the factory, including uprated tires, brakes and sporting suspensions. The goal? To find out what production car is the quickest around VIR’s challenging roadcourse.
are video summaries of the LL2 and LL3 competitions. The LL2 class features dream matchups of the , , , , and . The LL3 class features the , , , , and .
We won’t reveal any winners here, but you can find out the LL2 and LL3 champs by hitting the jump. Heck, one LL3 car would have also won the LL4 class, so we’re talking serious speed here. There aren’t many better ways to spend eight minutes of your life, but if you’ve got an hour or two to kill, head over to for all five Lightning Lap summaries, plus a bunch of individual laps and summaries from past Lightning Laps.
Murder and intrigue. Car crashes, dead bodies, motorcycle chases and, of course, sweet revenge. Are we describing the latest round of blockbuster summer movies or reading the latest New York Times best-seller? Nope, just recapping the ten most popular posts on Autoblog from 2010 as determined by click-throughs garned from from regular AB readers and outside link-ins.
Yep, it’s that time of the season. It’s officially the very last day of the year, so we hope you’ll join us in taking a look back at the year that just was – and, of course, in looking forward to everything that 2011 has in store for those of us who obsessively cover the auto industry.
Could Jeremy Clarkson find himself in a position of real power? Not of the MOAR variety, but rather of a political nature. If the British public gets its way, then anything is possible.
His strongest supporters have always wanted to push Clarkson into the political arena. Only now they may be able to, because the public is getting a larger say in what gets presented in Parliament. According to the UK’s Telegraph, certain petitions will be turned into bills and presented to MPs if they receive enough votes.
According to the Telegraph, a previous online petition system mandated an official government response via email to anyone who signed a petition that tallied over 500 signatures. Interestingly enough, the campaign that garnered the most support was auto-related – it called for the nixing of a planned vehicle tracking and pricing scheme and received some 1.8 million signatures. A previous people’s petition looking to appoint Jeremy Clarkson also garnered around 70,000 signers.
Said another way, Jezza in politics probably isn’t as unlikely as it might seem. if there is enough of a groundswell movement behind putting putting the Top Gear star in office, then Clarkson could find himself in a heretofore unlikely position – even if he didn’t sign the petition himself.
2010 was a banner year for . Market share and profits were as good as they’ve been in years, and there is genuine buzz surrounding the Blue Oval’s cars and trucks. Heck, even Ford’s stock has been a monumental success. But not all that glitters is gold, as Ford is still mired in junk bond status, which in turn makes it more expensive to borrow money. That makes it more pricey for Ford to offer incentives to customers, and lease terms are less attractive than they would otherwise be.
K.R. Kent, Ford’s new executive director of investor relations, is charged with getting Ford out of Junk status. Automotive News reports that Ford has been in junk status since 2005 and is currently four grades below junk status after being upgraded by two levels back in August. Ford CFO Lewis Booth admits that the company still has “a lot of steps to go before we get to investment grade.” Making the matter more urgent for Ford is the fact that Ally Financial, the finance arm for and , became a bank holding company in the second quarter of 2009. Since that time, AN says that it has been cheaper for Ally to secure loans than Ford Credit.
We’re thinking that Ford has a big job in the year ahead, and getting out of junk status will likely take improved auto sales and continued quarterly profits. Booth says Ford will reach its junk-free goal by showing the investment community “authoritative and highly credible insight into our automotive business and Ford Credit.”
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has announced that his office with former White House Task Force “Car Czar” for $10 million. The agreement comes following charges that Rattner engaged in a kickback scheme involving New York’s pension funds while he was an executive with Quadrangle Group.
Rattner, who oversaw the of and in 2009 and shepherded the companies into bankruptcy, will also be barred from doing business with the State’s pension fund for a period of five years as part of the agreement with Cuomo. The deal will settle two lawsuits filed in November against Rattner.
“I am gratified that we have been able to reach an agreement in this case, as it resolves the last major action of our multi-year investigation,” Cuomo said in a statement. “The state pension fund is a valuable asset held in trust for retirees and supported by taxpayers. Through the many cases, pleas and settlements in this investigation, I believe we have been able to help restore and protect the integrity of the state pension fund.”
Mr. Cuomo will be sworn in as New York’s governor on Jan. 1.
Rattner said in a statement: “I am pleased to have reached a settlement with the New York attorney general’s office, which allows me to put this matter behind me. I apologize if during the course of this process there is anything I did that may have made reaching this agreement more difficult. I respect the work of the attorney general and his staff to ensure that the New York State Common Retirement Fund operates properly and in the best interests of New Yorkers.”
The automotive seat and specialty slice of Recaro officially has a new owner. Johnson Controls has snapped up Keiper Recaro Group – formerly owned by Putsch Gmbh & Co. KG – swallowing both the recliner manufacturer Keiper and the well-known automotive seat-maker Recaro in one fell swoop. In so doing, Johnson Controls is hoping to broaden Recaro’s OEM applications, serving up both whole seats and components on a larger scale than ever before.
Challenges facing such efforts include increased standardization and globalization in the industry. Meanwhile, the remaining faces of the Recaro brand will stay behind. The company’s aircraft seating, child safety and home factions are not included in the sale. A total of 4,750 employees across seven countries are included in the Keiper and Recaro Group sale.
A lesson in how NOT to tow – Click above to watch video
Sometimes you have to tow a car. It’s generally not a big deal and most of us have been a tower or towee at some point. One rule of thumb when manning the car being towed – leave the keys in the ignition so you don’t lock the steering wheel. If you fail to heed these words, as do the chaps you’ll see after the break, you might ended up causing some serious damage to your modified non-operational vehicle
The two gents riding in the Subaru seen in this video were very lucky they only managed to hurt the car. This adventure in towing could have gone way worse… and watch the clip to see what we mean, but be warned there is some NSFW language involved.
The Internet has indeed revolutionized the way people do business, but this doesn’t come without some faults. Hackers pose a threat to not only individual people’s computers, but to the databases of large corporations, and a recent attack on American now means that 2.2 million owners have had their personal information stolen.
Thankfully, Honda has reassured its customers that no financial information was stolen during the major hack, but names, e-mail addresses and VINs are among the data that was compromised. In addition to the 2.2 million Honda owners affected by this information, 2.7 million owners were also subject to this hack, though Honda reports that only e-mail addresses were stolen from owners of the automaker’s luxury brand.
American Honda has contacted these customers, apologizing for the situation at hand and reminding them that false e-mails could come through to their accounts asking for private information. Honda has also set up a where owners can easily see what’s at stake with this issue.
2010 – It sure has been quite a year. Let’s take a quick look back on some of our favorite and least favorite trends.
Here’s an intriguing look back at an extremely difficult moment in California’s history that will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it firsthand.
Help Autoblog-reader Josh and his wife Wendy adopt a child.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is recalling model year 2008-2011 Ram 4500 and 5500 Heavy Duty trucks. The culprit is apparently the left ball stud on the tie rod that could weaken and potentially fracture, which could result in a loss of steering control.
As NHTSA plainly states, “loss of steering control of the vehicle could increase the risk of a crash.” And that’s a bad thing. Directions on contacting Chrysler or NHTSA can be found , and, of course, the automaker will be fixing affected models free of charge.
[Source: ]
recalls 2008-2011 Ram 4500, 5500 pickups over potential steering loss
Alex Roy needs your help picking his next car – Click above to watch video
Alex Roy is using his Fast Lane Daily video column to ask for your help. The transcontinental speed specialist has just moved to Santa Monica, California and his record-setting Polizei-liveried is not exactly legal at the moment. He has about $20k to spend on a used car and he wants viewers to weigh-in on what he should buy.
His criteria? An automatic transmission due to the horrible LA traffic, and all-wheel drive… due to the horrible LA weather? He also wants a vehicle that will help him blend in with the crowd to help him keep away from Johnny Law and his ticket book. Obviously, Roy leans German right off the bat, naming a few and BMW models he would consider but then expands his choices to include various and vehicles.
Roy wants to know what cars or trucks he is leaving out, and he wants you to help him. to hear Roy’s criteria and then leave your suggestions in Comments.
Ferrari FXX Evoluzione from the Caiola Collection – Click above for high-resolution image gallery
Picture your dream garage, and we have a sneaking suspicion that a fair few of the vehicles contained therein would be supercars. But which ones? An F40? The F50 roadster that followed? Would you skip the Enzo and go right to its track-focused cousins, the FXX and the MC12? Benny Caiola had all of these and then some, but now his collection’s going up on the auction block.
The enviable stable of the late enthusiast and noted collector included an F40, F50, (the even more advanced version of the Enzo-based customer prototype), an , 333 SP (the last Le Mans Prototype Ferrari ever made), both a 430 Scuderia and an racer, a and a ‘73 Dino, plus a LP560-4 and a McLaren Mercedes SLR Roadster thrown in for good measure.
This lustworthy collection is all on the docket for Gooding & Company’s auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, for January 21-22. Most of the New York real estate mogul’s vehicles are estimated in the six-figure range, but several of them – notably the three V12 track monsters – are anticipated to fetch north of the million-dollar mark. Follow the jump for the full details in the press release and don’t forget to click through the 52-image high-resolution mega gallery below for a closer look at each of the supercars on the roster.
There are plenty of guilty pleasures when it comes to cars and motorcycles, but chief among them has to be the burnout. Sure, you might as well be lighting $100 bills on fire, and yes, you’re not exactly doing the environment or your vehicle any favors, but there’s just something magical about sending the rear (or front, though that’s usually not nearly as fun) wheels spinning. It seems that Pirelli has taken it upon itself to educate the public about the highly-addictive nature and dangers of lighting up a tire. Remember, kids, do as your told, not as we do.
Pirelli’s genius ad company, Y&R, is behind this bevy of spots, and with excellent photography and a little clever word play, they’re sure to stick in your mind. So, the next time you go to put your tires through some serious punishment, remember Pirelli’s words on the subjects. Think of the tires.
Is Galpin Auto Sports hiring? Because rapper/actor Xzibit is broke. During his Pimp My Ride days on MTV, X was raking in the dough – in 2007, he earned $497,175 from the crazy custom car show. The very next year, after the show was canceled, he earned a decidedly un-Hollywoodesque $67,510… an income drop of nearly 735 percent. According to public records, Xzibit now owes $959,523 in delinquent taxes.
Filing for bankruptcy twice in 2009 didn’t get him anywhere, since both filings were dismissed. As of July 2009, Xzibit’s assets were listed at $739,433, yet his debts totaled around $1.4 million. The assets are primarily attribute to various homes owned in California and New Mexico.
Autoblog reader Josh and wife Wendy need your help – Click above to watch video
A lot of emails arrive in our inbox every day, as you might imagine. We’re not able to respond to all of them, sadly, and besides, we don’t know why the bed of your 1993 GMC Sierra squeaks and we apologize in advance for not looking at your blog chronicling the hottest auto trends of Belarus. That said, we do respond to as many as possible, and we appreciate all of your tips. Every now and then, we receive very special emails that we take to heart and help out in any way we can. One such electronic letter arrived the other day from an Autoblog reader named Josh.
Josh says that he’s a fanatical reader of the site (never hurts…), the owner of a and he even works for in Flint, Michigan. Josh is also a man looking to adopt a child with his wife, Wendy. The couple has gone through the process of applying for an adoption, passed with flying colors and now have been told they must simply wait.
Well, they’ve been waiting… and waiting, with no calls from the adoption authorities. Rather than dismiss the process or wait for years, the two have taken to marketing themselves. First, they printed up t-shirts and business cards. Now, Josh and Wendy have decided to go even bigger – as in billboard big. Alongside Michigan’s Interstate 75 in Grand Blanc, you might see their smiling faces as well as a phone number to call and get in touch with them. The billboard in question looks like the one above (okay, so we’ve taken the CBS Outdoor art and touched it up a bit so you can see the information a bit more clearly).
It’s a sad state of affairs when an approved and eager couple aren’t able to find a baby waiting to go to real home. Their extraordinary promotion efforts says a lot about how much Josh and Wendy are eager to raise a bundle of joy, and we wish them luck. It’s not just Autoblog trying to lend a helping hand, CNN caught up with Josh and Wendy and you can view the clip .
2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery
As more and more Car and Truck of the Year awards pour in from a variety of major publications, it’s no shock that the continues to take home top honors as the best car of 2011. Both and have deemed the Volt their Car of the Year, and General Motors’ high-profile EV is even a finalist for the prestigious North American Car of the Year award. (Our readers, however, would apparently rather see that honor ). Thus, it’s no surprise that the Volt was just named Car of the Year by The Detroit Free Press.
Similarly, the is in the running for North American Truck of the Year, and the Detroit Free Press is honoring it as the best ‘truck’ of 2011. Freep auto critic Mark Phelan states that in the road ahead, automakers must choose the “right shade of green” for each type of vehicle. Phelan explains:
“The Volt allows most owners to go weeks or months without stopping at a gas pump. The Explorer recasts America’s best-selling SUV in a fuel-efficient new form based on the same chassis as the Ford Taurus large sedan.”
Interestingly, The Detroit Free Press details its second and third place choices for Car of the Year, with the and taking those spots, respectively. These two vehicles are finalists for the North American Car of the Year award, and we’re wondering if the Free Press‘ predictions foreshadow the decisions that the NACTOY judges will make (Note: Phelan is a member of the jury). We’ll have the answer to that in just a few weeks, but for now, we tip our hats to the Volt and Explorer on taking home the Detroit Free Press awards.
2011 Chrysler Town & Country – Click above to view high-res image gallery
Is the real swagger wagon of 2010 built by Chrysler? If you go by total sales, it is. The Chrysler Town & Country has been a player in the minivan market since its arrival in 1990. Now in its fifth generation, the Town & Country has just been refreshed after a comprehensive redesign in 2008. It’s not alone in getting an upgrade, however, as some serious competition arrived from Japan in 2010.
All-new minivan models for 2011 include the , and , with each of them stuffing a ton of features into modern packages. The Odyssey, which has been the segment’s best-seller for the last two years, has had a strong year. Yet despite serious pressure in a surprisingly strong minivan market (2010 will see the segment’s first volume uptick since 2005), the Town & Country has climbed the sales board and is poised to take out Japan’s finest.
According to The Detroit News, the T&C is sitting on 102,495 sales through November, while its closest competitor, the Honda Odyssey, has sold 98,035 units. Trailing further behind those two is the Sienna with 89,509 sales so far this year. There is one month left but Chrysler’s, familymobile seems to be sitting pretty.
