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Anyone can mod their car for speed or handling. Those things might not be so helpful when the inevitable happens – our unavoidable future apocalypse full of brain-eating zombies. Thankfully, the fine gents at Mighty Car Mods have been kind enough to put a video tutorial together that will help you prepare a vehicle built to help you survive.
Enlisting the help of a Zombie Survival Expert, our two guides begin with a 1987 Nissan Pathfinder, then quickly set to work getting it ready for the task of battling the living dead. If you live in an area with a high chance of zombie activity (i.e. London, a rural Pennsylvania farm town, or the set of a thrilling music video) then you should pay close attention… the clip is waiting . Remember: knowledge is power. Thanks for the braaaaains tip, Cory!
Note: Video may not be safe for work. Or from zombies, though that goes without saying.
[Source: ]
It’s no secret that the corporate schnoz adopted in recent years by is, shall we say… controversial. But whether or not it’s helping or hurting sales is up for debate. On one hand, the brand’s 24-percent increase in sales in 2010 over the previous year has luxury division outpacing the gains of its rivals. On the other hand, nearly everyone’s 2009 sales figures went down the economic toilet, and J.D. Power reports that exterior styling is the number one reason new car shoppers are rejecting the marque, followed closely by Acura’s interior styling.
Perhaps tellingly, Acura’s two most successful models in sales gains are the and utility vehicles, models competing in burgeoning segments (and the former of which features a somewhat muted faces compared to the rest of the company’s lineup). But hope may be on the way, and soon. According to Automotive News, Dave Conant, who owns an Acura store in Mission Viejo, California and has gotten an early look at the next-gen , Acura’s middle child is .
And more new models are reportedly on the horizon as well, including hybrids and a likely return to the entry-level compact luxury class. What’s more, the automaker has promised dealers that future models will be better differentiated from one another, both styling-wise and in size. All that sounds good, just so long as no giant polished cow-catcher grilles get in the way.
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[Source: - sub. req.]
Jeep Extreme Trail Edition Camper plus a Deep Water Blue 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. This, boys and girls, is how camping is done properly.
Look very closely – this is the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which gets a very modest facelift for the new model year.
It’s been a banner year for big recalls, or at least it feels that way. What with high profile recalls from for everything from runaway vehicles to brake issues and a host of smaller problems from nearly every automaker in the market, it certainly felt like 2010 was at the top of the recall heap. Only it wasn’t. According to Ward’s Auto, a total of 136 recalls sent 17.2 million vehicles back to the dealer this year, and while that’s an impressive sum, it still falls short of the record. Way back in 2000, manufactures recalled 24.3 million vehicles due in part to the now infamous tire scandal.
Still, while this number’s figure falls short of the big double-oh, recalls crept up by 800,000 units compared to 2009. Not surprisingly, Toyota led the way with 17 recalls covering around 6.6 million vehicles in 2010, but according to Ward’s, the automaker still has plenty of work to do on some of the recalls from last year. Toyota is still only 65 percent of the way through repairing the 5.6 million vehicles that were recalled this year for faulty floor mats. That figure includes 80 percent of the trapped-pedal cars that were recalled in 2009.
And what of other automakers, you ask? Ward’s reports that combined, the Big Three brought back around 4.6 million vehicles. Head over to to see the full breakdown for yourself.
[Source: ]
If we didn’t know any better, we’d think there was still some bad blood between Ben Collins and the hosts of Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond all took a few pot shots at cardboard cutouts of the Stig during this week’s episode while trying their respective hands at the art of drive-by shooting. According to The First Post, Captain Slow was the initial one to bust a few caps with a handgun from the passenger side of a , followed by Hammond gunning from a . Not to be outdone, Clarkson took on his target with an automatic rifle from the window of a .
Collins infamously riled both the producers and the hosts of Top Gear by publishing a memoir of his time as the Stig called The Man in the White Suit. With the mystery of the Stig’s identity dissipated, Collins was canned from the show. He quickly found work with the rival gang over at Fifth Gear, but Top Gear has yet to replace its tame racing driver. Still, there is some word that the show has found a new driver and its only a matter of time before he shows his face helmet. Thanks for the tip, Gooner!
[Source: ]
The image of the laid-back New York City cabbie may not be long for this world. According to Yahoo News and WNYC, the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission had been slated to vote on a new rule that could force the drivers to maintain a “professional appearance,” but that vote has now been postponed until the end of next month.
As of right now, cabbies are simply required to be clean and neat and forbidden from wearing swim suits, tank tops and the like while behind the wheel. Needless to say, the chauffeurs of the Big Apple aren’t exactly thrilled about the change – some are particularly fearful that the new rule will impact their ability to wear ethnic or religious clothing.
As the argument goes, the Taxi and Limousine Commission believes that cab drivers are the city’s ambassadors – the first people most visitors are likely to come in contact with on a visit – and that they should be dressed accordingly. What’s more, the organization admits that isn’t really even something that they think they can enforce in any legal way. Instead, the move is more about reminding cab drivers of exactly how important they are to the city’s tourism industry.
[Sources: , Image: , CC 2.0]
Looking for a heads up on what’s coming down the pipe from Maranello? All you have to do is listen carefully to what Luca di Montezemolo has to say. The affable chief has a penchant for leaking information on upcoming models before they arrive. This time, he is promising “a very different new Ferrari.”
Different how? In speaking with French sports publication L’Equipe, Montezemolo declared, “You will discover at the Geneva Motor Show a very different new Ferrari that proves that we adapt as the world changes.” Interesting. And while we won’t know for certain what form that proof will take, the Marquis seems to be hinting at something with a reduced environmental impact.
At the Paris Motor Show earlier this year, Ferrari unveiled a – incorporating stop-start ignition, intelligent engine cooling, variable air-con and adaptive shift algorithms – and it showed the hybrid prototype in Geneva last March. Will the next Swiss salon hold another green showcar for us, or will the Prancing Horse marque gallop its environmental obligations into something for production?
[Source: via ]
Look very closely – this is the 2012 , which gets a very modest facelift for the new model year. Good thing, then, that the majority of changes made to the C-Class are found underhood, where is offering an all-new four-cylinder engine option here in the United States (as well as a new model designation – C250), not to mention some tweaks for the V6 found in the top-end C350.
Design tweaks are limited to a new aluminum hood with slightly restyled headlamps and LED running lamps down below. Yes, it looks extremely similar to the 2011 model, but if we’re honest, the current C-Class design isn’t exactly growing old. In fact, we rather like it as-is. The styling upgrades to the rear end are hardly noticeable, and that’s just fine, too.
Four-cylinder powerplants are quickly replacing six-cylinder mills these days, even in the entry-level luxury segment. You’ll remember that just a few years ago, discontinued the 3.2-liter V6 in its , leaving only the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine on tap. Based on preliminary specifications, the new direct-injected 1.8-liter turbocharged mill looks to be plenty potent, with 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque on hand. That’s 27 less horsepower than the mid-range 3.0-liter V6, but the 1.8T offers eight more pound-feet of twist. Thus, both the C250 and the mid-range C300 4Matic will do the 0-60 sprint in 7.1 seconds, but the C250 returns 24 miles per gallon (combined) while the C300 nets just 20 mpg. The range-topping C350 also gets some help from direct injection, meaning its 3.5-liter V6 now produces 302 hp and 273 lb-ft, gains of 34 hp and 15 lb-ft over the outgoing model.
In addition to new engines, the 2012 C-Class benefits from a restyled interior, mimicking what we’ve grown accustomed to in the . New driver assistance systems like Attention Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist and Parktronic help keep things in check out on the road.
The 2012 C-Class will make its official debut at the next month with the cars going on sale in the United States next summer. (Full Disclosure: This information was under embargo, but a few other websites decided to spill the beans a bit early). for Mercedes-Benz’s official press release.
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[Source: Mercedes-Benz]
is bringing its hotly anticipated sports coupe to the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, and it appears from a new teaser video and that that the car will indeed be called Veloster, ending months of speculation that the affordable model could be named something else (Tiburon, FS, π, etc.).
Hyundai has also released a video of the Veloster, but it’s pretty low on the fulfillment meter and heavy on the teasing. The clip, which you can watch , tells us the Veloster will have a direct-injected engine, a dual-clutch gearbox, hit an estimated 40 miles per gallon and will come with Bluetooth connectivity. At this point we can only stare at the pretty blue LED lights seen above and continue to pour over .
UPDATE: Through some Photoshop wizardry, readers Brendon and APV have managed to provide a better look at the Veloster. Click to see & . Thanks to both of you!
[Sources: , ]
Peak oil, according to the great and all-knowing , “is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline.” Regardless of your opinions on whether or not the planet has entered into its Peak Oil stage, it would seem that the United States has at least entered the stage of steady decline in usage.
Here’s the hard data according to the Associated Press: Americans averaged about 8.2 million barrels of oil, or 344 gallons, per day in 2010, which is an eight percent drop since the country’s peak in 2006. Experts seem to agree that gasoline usage in the States will continue to drop – as much as 20 percent by the year 2030, despite millions of additional cars on the roads – barring any unexpected periods of economic boom or another meteoric drop in fuel prices.
Before environmentalists get too excited, though, the falling trend of gasoline usage only applies to the United States, which is still by far the world’s largest consumer of oil. Demand from emerging countries, especially China and India, will more than make up for the declining usage in the U.S., leading to an expected record of 88.3 million barrels of oil produced in 2011. The more things change, they more they stay the same…
[Source: via Google Image: via CC 2.0]
You don’t have to wait until the 2011 Detroit Auto Show for a closer look at the forthcoming . That’s because our friend Mike Levine and his PickupTrucks.com camera managed to get up close with the rugged rig, going on a guided tour with Lead Designer Carl Zipfel.
PickupTrucks.com was kind enough to shoot not one, but two videos while in the presence of the fingers-crossed-they-build-it concept truck. to view both of them.
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It’s been a while since we’ve heard about the 2012 . In its current form, the aging ‘Bu is a competent aging dog in need of some new tricks, but is hoping to put its mid-sizer back at the top of the segment with the all-new model. lead us to believe that the 2012 Malibu would show its face at the 2011 in January, but we’re now thinking that a debut is in order.
For 2012, the Malibu will be shortened, riding on the smaller Epsilon II platform that underpins the . Sources who have seen the finished product tell us that while the exterior dimensions have shrunk, there’s no shortage of space inside the car, and we expect the interior to be a giant leap forward from the cabin found in the current model.
have suggested that the 2012 Malibu will only be offered with four-cylinder powertrains (like the Regal), meaning GM’s 2.4-liter direct-injected inline-four is a safe bet for the base engine, and the more powerful 2.0-liter Ecotec turbo-four will likely replace the V6 option. A hybrid powerplant is also understood to be in the works. All engines will come with six-speed transmissions, and we’ve even heard rumblings about optional all-wheel drive for the Malibu. Currently, only the and mid-size sedans are available with all-wheel drive.
Production of the new Malibu is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2011, though rumors have been circulating about an even earlier start date. Initial production will begin in China and Korea several months before the North American-spec version, as GM is prepping its Fairfax and Detroit Hamtramck plants for 2012 Malibu duty. While you’re waiting, check out the latest set of high-res spy shots in our gallery.
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[Source: Brenda Priddy & Company]
Toronto Dominion Bank has officially agreed to acquire Chrysler Financial. Cerberus Capital Management, the current owner of the Pentastar’s lending arm, will receive $6.3 billion from TD Bank in the deal. That figure marks a $900 million loss compared to the $7.4 billion that Cerberus paid for Chrysler financial in 2007 as part of the automaker’s takeover. Since then, Cerberus has been forced to hand the reins to the federal government as part of the bailout of 2008, and analysts from The Washington Post and Reuters feel that the capital firm is simply looking to be able to return some of the money that it lost on the Chrysler adventure to investors.
Meanwhile, Toronto-Dominion Bank continues to push its way into the American market. The bank already has 1,300 branches on our shores, and the new acquisition of Chrysler Financial will make the company one of America’s largest auto lenders overnight. TD Bank says that it anticipates auto lending to grow from a $700 billion business right now to over $900 billion in just three short years. With Chrysler’s ever-improving stable of products, if true, that likely means that the bank will see cash start rolling through its doors in a big way. Thanks to everyone for the tips!
[Sources: , ]
The Ford Windstar is already being examined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The but now the review has widened . So far, NHTSA says it has logged 346 complaints directly related to Ford Windstar engine cradles cracking or showing excessive rust and corrosion, which has led to three reported accidents.
is cooperating with NHTSA with regards to the subframe investigation and it’s also stated that replacement rear axles will be available in the beginning of 2011. Ford has issued recalls for approximately 492,650 Windstars due to the problems surrounding the axle. The subframe problem is related to the same model year Windstar minivans that had the axle rust problem, which were produced from 1998 to 2003.
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Lighter, more responsive engine performance and increased stiffness – three descriptors that provide the basis of information regarding the all-new . We supposed we could also throw in the longer name, but you can already see that. The Spec C, which is quite sadly a Japan-only model for the moment, receives a host of upgrades compared to the non-spec STI and that list includes; an aluminum hood, reduced-friction ball bearings for the twin-scroll turbo, optimized ECU programming, a mechanical LSD and a host of other features.
The STI Spec C is positioned as a more focused Impreza WRX for those seeking an even more engaging driving experience. Weight has been reduced all over the car, while the front crossmember has been reinforced and large 245-series Bridgestone Potenzas have been wrapped around all four wheels.
Take a look at the Impreza WRX STI Spec in the gallery below but be warned that too much staring can lead to a sudden desire to move to Japan. Be sure to and read the full press release as well. Thanks to everyone for the tips!
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[Source: Subaru]
Avatar may have been a box-office king thanks in part to its wonderful use of 3D film-making. , however, is not impressed by Mr. Cameron’s science-fiction epic and it’s decided to show-off the all-new to the Korean public by way of a 4D commercial shown in theaters.
Hyundai wants those watching this clip to get the sensation that they’re actually behind the wheel of the lux’d-up full-size sedan. While we can’t get that feeling from watching a video on the internet, we can imagine where some well-placed mist and wind might show up to tantalize senses beyond just vision.
If you really want to try and recreate the 4D experience, have a friend on hand with a fan and a spray bottle then to watch the clip. Thanks for the tip, Spark!
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[Source: Hyundai via ]
Treads Where No Pop-Up Has Tread Before
All that stood between us and our chosen camping spot was 100 yards of loose rock – Precambrian granite that formed slippery masses of pebbles and shards, which ranged in size from as small as a quarter to larger hunks resembling a freshly sharpened axe head. It’s difficult to walk on with hiking boots, let alone drive across.
Did we mention we had no intentions of pitching a tent? No, what we had in mind was a fire, a few hot dogs and a nice warm bed with a roof over our heads. There are only a few vehicles in the world that we would trust with the success or failure of our weekend getaway, and the happens to be one of them.
Better still, we were piloting one of Jeep’s shiny new , which was firmly attached to the trailer hitch of a Deep Water Blue 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. This, boys and girls, is how camping is done properly.
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Photos copyright (C)2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL
: Jeep Extreme Trail Edition Camper
Never heard of the Vitz? It’s one of the auto giant’s biggest sellers in the Japanese Domestic Market, accounting for over 1.4 million units since its introductory model in 1999. But the compact hatchback isn’t exclusive to Japan: in export markets, it’s known to us as the , and Toyota’s sold more than 3.5 million of them around the world. And now it has introduced the third generation.
Abandoning the cartoonish styling of its predecessor, the new Vitz/Yaris is considerably sharper in the design department. It’s also more fuel efficient and less polluting to the environment. And while overall dimensions remain compact, the interior has grown in capacity for added comfort and utility, utilizing a new type of glass to filter out 99 percent of UV radiation.
The Vitz is offered domestically with a range of engines and trim levels – from 1.0- to 1.5-liter engines, with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, with CVTs, manu-matics and stick shifts, a start-stop system and even upscale Jewela and RS trims – though the North American Yaris will undoubtedly constrict the choices some. Follow the jump for additional details and click the thumbnails below for a closer look.
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[Source: Toyota]
What did we tell you? It’s all about synergy, people. Automakers around the world are aligning themselves into a constricting cadre of corporate groups, all in the aim of sharing resources. So when Fiat, for example, has a winner on its hands – be it a new platform, a new transmission or anything in between – you know it’ll only be a matter of time before it finds its way to headquarters in Auburn Hills. Likely in Sergio Marchionne’s hand luggage.
The latest from Fiat Powertrain Technologies is its TCT dual-clutch transmission. Lighter than most units at 179 pounds, versatile enough to be mated to a broad range of engines, and packing six speeds and two dry clutches, the gearbox has been in development for over five years now since the split with .
The transmission was made available initially on the Alfa Romeo MiTo, but will – according to Inside Line – soon find its way into a broad range of vehicles from Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, and yes, Chrysler, and , too. IL says we should expect the gearbox to proliferate into all manner of Chrysler and Fiat products by 2013.
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