Side-by-side double-decker car transporter – Click above to watch video
Need to carry multiple cars across a long distance in one shot? What if the amount of cars you want to carry exceeds the capacity for your standard automotive transport truck? China apparently has a solution, and it comes in the form of a dual-deck transporter, which is capable of carrying cars side-by-side on its upper load level.
This unconventional piece of heavy machinery was caught on film and it appears almost majestic in the way it rumbles down the road, but we’re quite sure we don’t want to be driving around it when it takes a corner with an excess of speed. to watch a short clip of this beast in action.
According to Bloomberg, Monday will be an interesting day for Fiat. January 3, 2011 marks the day that investors will be able to assign value to the stocks of the newly split company. Fiat Industrial SpA, which includes Iveco trucks and CNH Global NV (Case, New Holland), has officially separated from the company’s automotive arm. Early estimates seem to indicate that the truck and tractor section of Fiat will likely open at €9.40 per share ($12.59 USD), while Fiat automotive is expected to start trading at €6.65 ($8.92). If true, that means that the two companies will begin trading at roughly 7.1 percent more than what the old unified Fiat saw at the close of trading on Wednesday.
The split marks the largest change in the 111-year history of Fiat, and investors who currently own stock in Fiat SpA will also receive equivalent shares in Fiat Industrial SpA. Regardless of how the two stocks open, analysts expect to see plenty of fluctuations in prices for the first day or two as investors try to get a handle on the change.
The may not exactly be here in the U.S., but it has managed to walk away with the coveted Japan Car of the Year title. In order to celebrate, Honda has decided to work up a new special edition version of its tiny sport hybrid. Only available in a special “Pearl Dipusafaiaburu” blue paint, the hatch makes use of unique 16-inch alloy wheels and premium metal pedal pads inside. If the color and the wheels don’t make this one easy enough to spot, Honda has also gone through the extra effort of placing a “Japan Car of the Year” commemorative sticker on the rear quarter glass behind the driver’s side door.
Otherwise, the Japan Car of the Year Edition CR-Z will remain completely stock. Neither fuel economy nor power has been upped in any way. Not surprisingly, it looks like this one will remain a Japanese-only offering. Still, if you like what you see, chances are you could recreate the special edition CR-Z without breaking a sweat – or your bank account for that matter.
Hyundai Holidays Pomplamoose ads – click above to watch video
Have you been digging the fun takes on classic Christmas songs in the “Hyundai Holidays” commercials? Meet , the musical duo that stars in a series of commercials alongside some of the company’s vehicles.
This isn’t the first time Pomplamoose’s unique vocal stacks and arrangements have been used in a car ad, their version of “Mr. Sandman” was used in a spot, but the Hyundai commercials are unusual for featuring Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn as prominently as the cars. In fact, the Hyundai commercials are consistent in style with the “regular” videos Pomplamoose has done. The coolest thing (besides the fun instrumentation) is that the ads were shot in the band’s garage. Young practicing their minor pentatonic scales now have hope of being discovered without ever leaving the house! Check out the story behind the commercials and see the spots .
The year in car books has been, like the year for cars themselves, a good one. In spite of the printed word’s interminable lament for better days, there was still released a healthy number of tomes for your automotive edification, enjoyment and escapism. The ten we’ve listed certainly here aren’t the only good ones, but we think every one of them will make for a great first read in 2011. Follow the jump for the list…
Now that we’ve officially closed the books on the year 2010, it’s time to look ahead at all of the prospects that 2011 has to offer. Here at Autoblog, we’re looking forward to yet another year of obsessively covering the auto industry and bringing you exciting reviews, features, breaking news and unsurpassed auto show coverage (reminder: the is just over one week away).
2010 was quite a year, so be sure to reflect on it by taking a look at our lists of the and of the year. Additionally, we’ve put together lists of our , the and our from the past year.
From all of us at Autoblog, we wish you all a happy and healthy 2011. And hey, if you’ve got any automotive-related resolutions for 2011, be sure to let us know in !
Autoblog’s Top 100 Photographs of 2010 – Click above for high-res image gallery
It’s the end of the 2010, and here at Autoblog, that means we’ve frittered away another 365 days driving great cars and going to the world’s best automotive events. While we certainly enjoy getting to do those things, what makes it worth it is being able to share it with you, our readers. We do our best to tell the stories, but as often as not, it’s the accompanying photographs that really allow us to share what we’re up to. Besides, we love seeing beautiful, high-res images of cars as much as the next guy, and we enjoy them all that much more when we’re the ones behind the lens.
As has become something of an end-of-December tradition here at Autoblog, we’ve gone through our hard drives in search of the best photos we’ve taken in the past year. We’ve selected the our favorite 100, which you can see assembled in the massive high-res gallery below. We hope you enjoy the images as much as we did reminiscing and putting them together. And if you want to get really nostalgic, you can view our favorite photos from as well as . Enjoy!
The COPO Camaros are back (sorta) – Click above for image gallery
There was a time when dealers utilized Central Office Production Order to the fullest, giving us some truly terrific muscle car options. By judiciously picking hi-po OEM performance parts to augment some already formidable performers, COPO Chevrolet Camaros from the late ’60s put a few dealers on the national map, and today, we know about Berger, Nickey and, of course, Yenko. Well… the is certainly back, but where are the modern COPO versions? If you live near Albany, New York or Claxton and Jessup, Georgia then the cars are right down the street at your local dealerships.
has dipped into GM’s Performance Parts catalog and come out with an LSX454 engine. After stuffing it into a Camaro, they know have a 620-horsepower coupe prowling their lot. In Georgia, also took a look into the catalog and put in an order for supercharged LS9 normally found in a . Their NeSmith Storm Camaro puts out nearly 700 horses. In other words, the COPO is back! Check out our gallery below and then to see video clips of both cars. Thanks for the tip, Tony!
BMW EfficientDynamics supercar in Abu Dhabi – click above to watch
During a recent trip to Abu Dhabi, forum member Captain Stradale caught a glimpse of the strutting its stuff for an on-track photo shoot. What makes us most curious, though, is the fact that this gray version of the VED is marginally different-looking than the white concept has paraded around the auto show circuit over the past year (along with the white with blue swirly camo prototype they’ve shown).
The Vision EfficientDynamics, which is rumored to come into production under the name , is expected to be powered by a 328-horsepower three-cylinder diesel-hybrid powertrain. The ultra-lightweight production car is tipped to run from 0-100 in just 4.8 seconds, and during normal driving, the new efficient supercar is estimated to achieve 62.5 miles per gallon.
When we’ll see the production version of the VED is still unclear, though sources have reported that , priced from around $200,000. We can’t verify if the gray car in these Teamspeed shots is anything closer to production, but seeing this thing out on the track makes us all the more eager to experience BMW’s efficient hotness for ourselves. In the meantime, check out the spy video and click on the link below to see more photos at Teamspeed. Thanks to everyone for the tips!
Pagani teases… something – Click above to watch video
The Pagani C9 is coming and it will be here sooner than you think. Slated to arrive in the beginning of 2011, the C9 figures to be ready to pick up where the Zonda leaves off… if it ever actually leaves. Before we get a good look at the production C9, Pagani has decided to go the teaser route. It’s giving us a glimpse of… something, and it’s doing it in video form rather than close-ups of a headlamp or a wheel lugnut.
It’s hard to tell exactly what to look for in the video, but you have to watch until this most subtle of teasers all the way to the end to find it. to view the java-flavored clip. Thanks to all for the tips!
