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The group of hackers known as Anonymous issued a press release last night announcing their intent to hack and take down the official website for Formula One at formulaone.com for the duration of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Their reason? To protest the increasingly violent crackdown on the people of Bahrain by their own government.

As of this writing, formulaone.com is down as promised and another website, F1-racers.net, is displaying a message from Anonymous that claims responsibility.

In its press release, Anonymous addresses Bernie Ecclestone, president and CEO of Formula One, directly, promising the following:

Anonymous will turn your web site (www.formula1.com) into a smoking crater in cyber space. We will also jam your phone lines, bomb your E-Mail inboxes – and wreck anything else of yours we can find on the internet.

The group also calls upon fans of F1 to ignore the race by either not attending in person or watching it on television. They also appeal to the drivers themselves to protest the race by not crossing the starting line at the beginning of the race.

Last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled due to civil unrest, and despite the increasing frequency of protests and severity of their crackdown leading up to this weekend’s race, it has not yet been cancelled. As a result, activists, now including the Anonymous group, are using the motorsport’s worldwide popularity to gain attention for their cause.

Scroll down to read the press release from Anonymous in full.

Continue reading Anonymous hacks official F1 website ahead of Bahrain GP

Anonymous hacks official F1 website ahead of Bahrain GP

Don’t Call It A Comeback

Continue reading 2013 Ford Escape [w/video]

2013 Ford Escape [w/video]

Delaware may be joining Kansas, Oklahoma, Washington and other states in cracking down on drivers who use the left lane for more than passing. A bill in the Delaware legislature would institute fines of up to $230 for drivers who camp out in the left lane on roads with at least two lanes in each direction, according to USA Today.

Delaware’s current law requires drivers to keep right only when going slower that the flow of traffic, according to the report. The new measure would resemble nearby New Jersey’s law – the Garden State currently fines left lane dawdlers up to $200, though a recent proposal would raise that to $300.

The Delaware bill is supported by AAA Mid-Atlantic and the Delaware Police Chiefs Council. For what it’s worth, we think it’s a good idea as well, but don’t take our opinion for it, let us know what you think by voting in our poll below.

View Poll

Delaware to crack down on left-lane slowpokes [w/poll]

Here it is, folks: the Lamborghini SUV. The only thing missing from these photos are the flying pigs.

Dubbed Urus, the Lambo sport-ute will officially be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show shortly, but thanks to the magic of the Internets, the first few photos of the mighty ‘ute have been leaked. It looks pretty similar to all of the renderings we’ve seen in the past, albeit with sleeker headlamps and a more low-slung appearance.

The Urus is expected to share its platform with the next-generation Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 and upcoming Bentley SUV, but is tipped to be about 220 pounds lighter than all of those. Power is expected to be provided by a 5.2-liter V10 that produces around 584 horsepower.

We’ll have all of the official details shortly, so keep your eyes peeled for more. In the meantime, have a click through our attached gallery to see the full brace of leaked shots.

Lamborghini Urus SUV storms out early

We like the small Fiat 500 a lot, but we’re not so fond of the upsized version Fiat is planning. When the five-door 500L debuted at Geneva, calling it homely was being generous, indeed. We can’t deny the logic in offering a more family friendly 500, however. But a size-large seven-seater? This quite literally stretches the limits of the 500’s ethos.

Yet Auto Express has captured spy shots of a full-size design study for exactly that: A 500L with a third row. The magazine is reporting that the mockup it spotted in the automaker’s Turin, Italy, design studio rides on the same wheelbase as the five-door model, but with its rear overhang extended by nearly eight inches to accommodate what must surely be the smallest third row of seats to ever grace the interior of a vehicle not made of Lego.

The report goes on to say that the seven-passenger model would use the same body panels and doors as the five-door 500L, basically everything from the C-pillar forward. Check out Auto Express for more images and info.

Fiat 500L seven-seater spotted

When a major automaker shuts down its racing program like Peugeot did at Le Mans, it leaves a big gaping hole for everyone involved. The French automaker’s departure from endurance racing left the series organizers scrambling for another team to take its place just as it was preparing to inaugurate the new FIA World Endurance Championship. It left Audi – the Diane Sawyer of Le Mans racing, to borrow an analogy from Talladega Nights – without its Katie Couric. And arguably most of all, it left Peugeot’s roster of highly skilled drivers without a ride.

Easily among the most talented of these drivers is Marc Gené, the driver who helped Peugeot clinch the checkered flag at La Sarthe in 2009. A longtime factory test driver for Ferrari (and one time grand prix driver for Minardi and Willaims), Gené has a wealth of experience that couldn’t very well be left untapped. So it should come as little surprise that Audi has scooped him up.

Although the German automaker already has a full roster of pilots – proven race winners, no less – at its disposal, it has found room for Gené as a reserve driver. In this capacity Gené will be filling in for an uninjured Timo Bernhard to drive the #3 Audi R18 Ultra together with French drivers Romain Dumas and Loïc Duval at Spa-Francorchamps in just a couple of weeks, and will undoubtedly be on hand to jump into the cockpit at Le Mans in June should duty call.

Continue reading Audi Sport scoops up ex-Peugeot driver Marc Gené for reserve role

Audi Sport scoops up ex-Peugeot driver Marc Gené for reserve role

Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments spent $2.7 billion buying 9.1 percent of Daimler in 2009. At the time, Aabar said it was “excited by the commercial potential of our partnership,” both companies said it was a long-term investment and spoke of joint ventures, and Mercedes-Benz committed to building a training center in the emirate. Aabar then bought a share of Daimler’s stake in Tesla, and later that year said it wanted to take its Daimler stake to 15 percent.

Turns out three years counts for long term these days, because a story first reported in Germany’s Manager Magazin indicates the fund wants to cash out. There are conflicting accounts as to how big a stake Aabar still has – Reuters says 9.1 percent, Automotive News says three percent, but based on “sources familiar with the situation” various watchers seem sure that the stock sale is on the way.

Aabar won’t comment on the situation, Daimler has said it isn’t aware of Aabar’s intention to sell. Automotive News suggests increased fiscal discipline of Abu Dhabi’s deal making could be behind the move, other analysts say the position isn’t unusual since the stock price has doubled since Aabar bought in. Still others say that with Aabar having made $113 million from selling its Tesla stake earlier this year, walking completely away from Daimler with money still on the table could indicate broader back-room disagreements.

Abu Dhabi poised to get out of Daimler

If you want to buy a new car, you go to a car dealership. If you want to buy a ridiculously expensive and luxurious cashmere sweater in any color imaginable, you go to Harrods. At least that’s the way it once was, but these days the swanky London department store has been turning its front window display into an automotive showroom.

A year and a half ago Aston Martin put its Cygnet city car on display at Harrods, a lead that Lexus followed with a showcase of luxury hybrids in the same space a month later. Fisker followed suit just a few months ago, and now Mini is doing the same with its Goodwood edition hatchback.

As you may recall, the Goodwood is a Mini hatchback that’s had its interior fitted by the same craftsmen who do the cabins for Rolls-Royce. Only 1,000 units will be made, each with a whopping $52,000 price tag. The Mini Inspired by Goodwood has been on display at Harrods for a week already and will be for another, with a salesman on hand – swatches and samples at the ready – to answer questions and take orders behind the window on Brompton Road.

Continue reading Mini puts Goodwood edition on display at Harrods

Mini puts Goodwood edition on display at Harrods

We can’t see any way for Mr. LaHood and his crusaders against distracted driving to win; consumers want access to their connected lives even while behind the wheel and they’re going to find a way to get it. Even if it means not being able to actually use a cellphone, manufacturers are right now working on ways to further integrate the app-sphere into their infotainment systems, and a Michigan company called Livio would like to help them.

Livio makes devices so you can get Internet radio in your car. It has begun working on a set of software tools that will provide a common language between automakers’ inftotainment systems and apps. Livio wants to develop the software with each interested maker to provide integration tailored to specific systems, and its role as translator would free automakers from software duties and give app makers an easier route to in-car adaptability.

One could ask why don’t automakers simply work together on a common standard. It’s possible that they are, but with carmakers having come so far with their own systems, with infotainment one of the hottest battlegrounds between brands, and with colossal variation in regulatory diktats, we can see why Livio is presenting the option. The firm hasn’t set up any deals yet, but automakers and electronics firms are paying attention.

Livio developing common standard for using apps in cars

Renault Sport invited its fans to suggest challenges for the Twingo R.S. to overcome, and one of the chosen feats was for it to play the ball in a game of ten-pin. After some establishing shots and burnouts, the 133-horsepower hot hatch gets going down the lane.

To make sure it doesn’t disappoint, a stern gang of mute, pouty models looks on because, well, you can’t have car-bowling without that, now can you?

Continue reading Renault Twingo R.S. makes a lousy bowling ball

Renault Twingo R.S. makes a lousy bowling ball

Chances are, if we asked you to replicate the sound of a Chevrolet small block with a mild cam, you could probably pull it off with nothing more than a little slobber and a few embarrassed glares from your significant other. If you keep practicing that particular skill, you may just find yourself in front of a massive studio audience. Just ask 19-year-old Daniel Jovanovic.

The teenager recently took the stage on the show Australia’s Got Talent and managed to wow all three judges with his impressive engine impersonations. He started with the sound of a Formula One pit stop before moving to a variety of other machines.

Talented? Absolutely. Even if he doesn’t manage to take the top nod, Jovanovic has already soared to internet stardom. Scroll down to check out the quick video for yourself.

Continue reading Australia’s Got Talent contestant wows judges with car impersonations

Australia’s Got Talent contestant wows judges with car impersonations

Okay, so maybe this isn’t much in the way of confirmation, but BMW M division president Friedrich Nitschke told Car and Driver that the company was “considering” building an M Performance version of the 7-Series. While that’s not quite an M7, it’s close.

Remember, M Performance is the new quasi-M car line that BMW has created to offer a higher performance version of its vehicles to slot between the standard models and the full-blown M cars. M Performance will also allow BMW to create performance diesel and all-wheel-drive models without sullying the M badge.

Of course, enthusiasts looking for a full-size BMW performance sedan can already have an Alpina B7 like the one pictured above, but there’s something alluring about a real M-badged 7-Series. Given that BMW has already M-ed the X6, it only seems fair that the 7-Series gets some love too, even if it’s just in M Performance form.

Nitschke’s interview revealed a few more interesting details about BMW’s product plans, namely that turbocharged engines are here to stay. He said BMW has no plans to use superchargers for its M products, and it sounds like naturally aspirated M engines are a thing of the past as well. Manual transmissions will continue to be offered, as according to Nitschke, new models will be equipped with transmissions that use software and electronics to “protect” the tranny from mismatched shifts. We won’t be seeing a hatchback M135i here in the U.S., however, nor are any of the diesel M Performance models headed towards our shores.

BMW considering possibly, maybe making an M7, sort of

Oh, how we’d like to go all grumpy-old-man-get-off-my-lawn on Chevrolet for this latest bit of hipster marketing. But dammit, it’s got robots in it. Real robots, industrial robots, installed inside a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic hatchback. And it’s just so cool.

The robots are there to help Jeff Soto paint a mural on an empty brick wall, and while we’re pretty sure the final product of this collaboration is still something like 90-percent man and 10-percent machine, we really like what we see. Chevy calls Soto a “respected street artist,” which we figure just means a graffiti artist with a degree rather than a rap sheet. (Soto’s is from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.) Soto, in turn, refers to the compact Sonic as the first “robotic art car.”

While Soto did a lot of conventional work on the mural, he also used the Sonic’s robotic arms, which were controlled from within the car and could be operated while Soto drove. The painting appendages emerged through the Sonic’s windows, sunroof and hatchback, and seem to take up all the available space inside the car, save for the driver’s seat.

While we were fairly impressed seeing the Sonic play indie rock, we definitely think the little car should focus on its art. There’s some real talent there.

Continue reading Watch an assembly line robot try its hand at street art

Watch an assembly line robot try its hand at street art

“It’s time to say goodbye,” said AvtoVAZ spokesman Igor Burenkov to Russia’s RIA Novosti about the end of Lada 2107 production, which happened this week. The Lada 2107, also called the Lada Riva, has been plying Russian roads since before Ronald Reagan started redesigning walls. It’s one of the cars you’re most likely to see in grainy film and video clips from the days before Glastnost.

As you might suspect, the Lada 2107 has Fiat origins that go back to the early 1970s. This old comrade has been wound down to make room for the cars Lada is calling “new” classics. Newer Lada models like the Granta, Priora and Kalina are going to move into the Izhavto production facility that had been building the “Seven,” and Lada is expecting demand for the newer cars to continue rising as more features and body style variations continue to be rolled out. До свидания, друг.

Lada 2107 reaches the end of its road

Last year Chevrolet aimed cameras at the the 150 Camaros making the drive to Phoenix for Camaro5 Fest. The footage has been pieced together into a ten-minute documentary called Alter Ego, a celebration of owners in celebration of their cars.

It’s more than that, though, since it pauses to take a look at the model that made the Camaro name, and the annus horribilus of 2002 when Camaro production ceased.

There’s also lots of tire smoke. Naturally. Scroll down to watch.

Continue reading Chevy releases mini-doc on Camaro5 Fest 2011

Chevy releases mini-doc on Camaro5 Fest 2011

We’re losing track of how many top gunners post high-speed-run videos on public roads on YouTube and then get busted. Police take that tomfoolery personally, and you’d think they put the entire department on the case judging by how quickly the perps get caught.

Latest on the list is a Canadian motorcyclist who took his Yamaha on the Trans-Canada Highway and ran it to about 300 kph. CBC News now reports that the unidentified rider in question is 25 years old, unlicensed, riding an uninsured Yamaha R1 registered in his mother’s name. Then there’s the small matter of his 25 previous infractions.

Police wasted no time tracking down YouTube poster “Joe Blow,” but he’s been uncooperative up to now. We have no idea why he wasn’t in jail already after 25 violations, but we’re guessing his Internet handle will soon be changed to “Three Hots and a Cot.” Scroll down to refresh your memory with a video demonstration of his stupidity.

Continue reading 185-mph Vancouver joyrider’s motorcycle impounded [w/video]

185-mph Vancouver joyrider’s motorcycle impounded [w/video]

Forbes has measured the largest 100 companies in the world, and 10 automakers have made the list. This list is unique in that it measures the size of a company using a combination of sales, assets, profits and market value.

Volkswagen was rated as the top automaker in the top 100 (number 17 overall), with sales of $221 billion and $21.5 billion in profit. Toyota finished a close second, ranked number 25 overall with sales of $228.5 billion. Daimler finished at 37 due in part to $188.7 billion in assets and a $66.3 billion market cap. Ford came in at 44 with a market value of $47.5 billion. Honda, which also sells motorcycles and generators, among other things, rounds out the top five with $137.7 billion in assets.

Finishing outside of the top five were BMW (61), General Motors (63), Nissan (85), Mitsubishi (95) and Hyundai (96). Mitsubishi made the top 100 in part because it sells hoards of electronics around the world.

No automakers were able to crack the top 10, even with massive sales volume and solid profits. The top 10 was, however, dominated by the oil companies that feed those cars and trucks. Exxon finished number one, with five other oil companies in the top 12.

Automakers make up 10% of Forbes list of 100 largest companies

Honda and Acura have had their fair share of issues over the last few years – from earthquakes, tsunamis and floods to important new models not being all that well received – but that hasn’t stopped them from claiming top honors in Edmunds’ 2012 Best Retained Value Awards.

According to Edmunds, on average, Honda vehicles are expected to retain 47.9 percent of their value after five years; Acura is just behind with 44.6 percent, taking the win in the luxury segment. In the mainstream category, Toyota and Mazda each got honorable mentions while Lexus and Cadillac to secondary honors in the luxury stakes.

Interestingly, despite not scoring the win in the mainstream class or even managing an honorable mention, Ford had the most individual wins in Edmunds’ categories with five, beating Honda’s four class victories. The vehicle expected to retain the most value after five years out of all classes is the Toyota Tacoma.

Want more? Click here for the full rundown from Edmunds.

Edmunds: Honda and Acura best brands for retaining value

The 2012 Targa Tasmania is officially underway, having started on the 17th of April. While we’d give (nearly) any portion of our anatomy to see the spectacle in the flesh, we’ll simply have to content ourselves with living vicariously through the miracle of YouTube for the time being.

Competitors use the prologue stages to work out any kinks in their vehicle as well as get a feel for the competition. As always, the range of vehicles in attendance is as wide as it gets. We’re particularly fond of the fire-spitting Nissan GT-R, though the sight of a Holden Commodore SS ute thrashing about puts a smile on our faces, too.

The Targa runs through April 22, covering 366 miles of transit and rally stages in the process. We’ll do our best to keep up with the coverage. In the meantime, you can check out the competitor list at the Targa site and click scroll down below for the Prologue recap.

Continue reading 2012 Targa Tasmania kicks off with prologue stages

2012 Targa Tasmania kicks off with prologue stages

When it comes to German luxury vehicles, it’s always the same old story: BMW and Mercedes-Benz duking it out for first place, with Audi gaining ground while locking down third. So why should it be any different when it comes to naming conventions? BMW has clearly taken the lead for which car brand can have the most confusing and illogical alphanumeric badging, and thus, Mercedes is readying a new naming regimen of its own.

According to a report in Automobile, Benz will be completely overhauling the familiar “-Class” designations to make them more logical. To Germans. Who are engineers. How will this shake out? We’ve read the article three times and can’t make much sense of it, but Automobile indicates that we should expect SUV’s and crossovers to continue using the G prefix, while coupes and convertibles will use the C prefix, and the SL prefix will be reserved for sports cars. After that, well, we give up.

Supposedly a third letter of the name will designate the model range, meaning that the front-drive, four-door coupe based on the A- and B-Class architecture won’t be called CLC, but will instead go by CLA. And the forthcoming GLC crossover will be unveiled as the GLA. The GLK will probably get renamed GLC, according to the magazine, and now we’ve entered the rabbit hole, because as Automobile writes:

But what of the rumored A-Class based coupe and cabriolet models? CLA comes to mind, but this name is already spoken for. Would it make more sense if the CLC-turned-CLA is renamed once again to become the CLB, since its MFA platform is also shared with the B-Class? If so, Benz has to move quickly, as the concept car that previews the CLC/CLA/CLB is supposed to make its official debut in a few weeks at the 2012 Beijing motor show.

Then there’s the problem with the CLS-Class. It won’t be receiving a new name, according to the report, which means the forthcoming two-door version of the S-Class can’t be called CLS. And the G-Class won’t get any of the extra letters, retaining its single-letter name.

So there you have it. If Automobile is correct, Mercedes’ new naming scheme will take something that was confusing and illogical and make sure it’s still confusing and illogical, but unfamiliar as well.

Mercedes prepares to overhaul its confusing naming structure