The self-driving-vehicle fleet has grown by one. According to Wired, the tech giant has added a black to its autonomous stable. The hybrid SUV was spotted out on the road for testing wearing a new roof-mounted sensor array that’s significantly more streamlined than the gear found on the company’s autonomous models. Google says it is constantly testing its driving algorithms on a wide range of vehicles in order to refine the technology, and that the RX450h is merely the latest step in that process.
Google first began unleashing its driverless cars onto public streets in 2010 using a fleet comprised of six Prius hybrids and one . The company’s work has spurred the legislature to draft a bill requiring the California Highway Patrol to outline safety standards for autonomous vehicles. Wired reports the legislation passed the state’s Senate Transportation Committee with an 8-0 vote and is now headed to the Senate Rules Committee. Nevada has already .
There’s any number of cars that can be used for taxis. The Ford Crown Vic, , … pretty much anything with a useable back seat, a cargo area and a roof on which to put a dome light. But a ? Surely that has to be overkill, right?
Maybe for most taxis, but this is no ordinary cab. This is the Ring Taxi. Operated by and OK-Speed-Marketing at the Nürburgring, the Ring Taxi allows passengers to book a high-speed ride around the harrowing Nordschleife, chauffeured by a professional driver who knows the track’s every twist and bump like the back of his (or in the case of Sabine Schmitz, her) capable hands.
For a few years the service was run in the previous-generation M5, with its high-revving V10 engine, but when that model was phased out of production, so was it retired from Ring Taxi duty. The for a while, but now the M5 is back at it in its new iteration: all 560 twin-turbocharged horsepower of it.
Tickets for what will undoubtedly prove the ride of any enthusiast’s life go for 216 euros ($282 by today’s rates), with rides taking place once a week: on Mondays at 10 am. But BMW warns that if past experience (of which it has plenty) is any indication, hopefuls had better reserve well in advance as they tend to book up as fast as the new M5 will sling you around the Karousel.
It looks as if the Mustang Club of Poland has inspired its South American counterparts to get in on a little movie-making action. The Mustang Club of Parana got together with a few local sponsors to commemorate the group’s eleventh anniversary with a brief flick starring some of Brazil’s most diehard fans.
Every generation of Mustang development gets at least a little time on screen, from less-loved members of the clan like the Mustang II to a few ever-popular Eleanor replicas. The video took its creators just over three months to produce, and the final product is clean and well-edited.
There’s plenty of engine note, smoky burnouts and sharp sheet metal to obsess over, too. So, is this better than the Polish original? We aren’t picking sides on this one. Both videos are a great way to blow a chunk of the work day. Be sure to check out Brazil’s ode to the Pony and for a look at the original inspiration behind the new film.
Episode #278 of the is here, and this week, Chris, Dan, and Zach are joined by of Autoblog and AOL Autos to chat about Dodge Dart pricing, the next Ford Mustang shying away from retro styling, Chevrolet quietly developing an Impala SS, and a NHTSA proposal to mandate brake override systems. Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our , thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #278:
In the Autoblog Garage
Hosts: , ,
Runtime: 01:34:50
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is not going to take attacks on the electric car lying down – the closest he’ll come to that is . After spending for their attacks on the , he is switching to a positive message about how plug-in cars can help with American national security. It is not surprising that Lutz, a former Marine, co-authors the article with two former U.S. Marines commandants and the CEO of FedEx (the three are all members of Securing America’s Future Energy’s (SAFE) Energy Security Leadership Council). The gist? Well, here’s part of the opening paragraph:
When … threats exist because the United States is the protector of the world’s global oil supply lines, it is a clear illustration of how our nation’s over-reliance on a single, globally priced fuel impacts our national and economic security.
America’s addiction to gasoline costs the government billions of dollars a year, an estimated $80 billion, in fact, to guard the sea lanes, including one little area by Iran:
From a national security perspective, the U.S. military is forced to protect the world’s vital oil infrastructure. The single greatest chokepoint is the Strait of Hormuz, through which 17 million barrels of oil per day passed in 2011 – 20 percent of global supplies. Protection of the sea lanes of commerce has become an American burden and will remain so, costing the United States Treasury an estimated $80 billion per year while taxing our military, which is already engaged on multiple fronts.
It’s arguments like this that have made the recent right-wing criticism of the Volt such a mystery. If we use less gasoline, we can spend fewer lives and less treasure importing the fuel (of course, we don’t lose many lives at the Canadian border, which is where most of our imported oil comes from). The Army says that .
Lutz and his co-authors are quite clear that high gas prices are hurting Americans’ pocketbooks, “essentially” wiping out tax cuts that Presidents Bush and Obama put into place. That’s why, they say, “government action is needed to mitigate the risks of oil dependence, because there is no free market for oil.” This intervention contains both expanded domestic production and – surprise – plugging in our light-duty transportation fleet as much as possible and feeding our big trucks lots of natural gas. To that end, they write:
Regarding electrification, the beauty of plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt and the is that they are powered by electricity, which can be generated from many sources: nuclear, coal, natural gas, and renewables. Best yet, these are all domestic energy sources, meaning OPEC won’t be able to corner the market. And the retail price of electricity is far less volatile that the price of oil.
Cadillac’s and are two of the most distinctive designs to come out of a mass-market brand in some time, and we’re big devotees to both here at Autoblog. Predictably, the two models attract a much smaller slice of the North American market than the four-door sedan, but says it remains committed to offering both a two-door and a load-lugger in its lineup. However, that doesn’t mean such future models will wear badging.
According to Car and Driver, Cadillac is undecided, but one or both bodystyles could migrate to the smaller platform. While neither of the two CTS variants has been any great shakes sales-wise (Cadillac does say the wagon has outsold its equivalent), the models are seen as important tools to woo shoppers – conquest sales in particular.
We might add that since General Motors remains committed to the idea of making Cadillac a global brand, a smaller coupe and wagon model could give the marque entry into larger volume segments in Europe. For its part, C/D expects Cadillac to position a coupe between the ATS and next CTS, mimicking pricing and hierarchy strategies at and , . The publication also predicts that a wagon will stay in the CTS family, as it “better meets the needs of older, richer luxo-wagon buyers,” noting that ATS wagon intenders could likely be wooed into the anyhow.
What do you think? Leave your musings in Comments.
Earlier this month, Rhys Millen took to Formula Drift Long Beach to introduce his newly updated racer. After securing second place during qualifying and besting Nick D’Alessio in the top 32 battle, Millen spun on his second run of the top 16 contention versus Daigo Saito. Saito was 2011’s D1 Japan champion. The spin knocked Millen from a shot at the podium all the way to sixth place, where he tied with Tyler McQuarrie with a combined 64 points. With a total of six rounds left in the season, Millen and the crew still have a shot at nabbing a championship podium finish.
Road Atlanta is next on the schedule. The sideways action gets started on May 11, so stay tuned for the results. In the meantime, you can check out the rather excellent HD video of the team’s Long Beach effort, complete with about a thousand different camera angles.
Drivers of 2010-2011 models and several models with turbocharged engines need to get their vehicles to their dealers. The cars are being recalled for a potentially hazardous defect that could turn their high-end autos into smoldering hunks of less luxurious melted plastic and steel.
The says the circuit boards on the cars’ water pump could overheat and possibly catch fire.
The 2011 BMW models are the and . 2012 models are the , , and . All affected models have either the turbocharged V8 or V12. NHTSA says the number of BMWs affected is 2,846. About 60 Rolls Royce Ghosts will be .
The recall is nearly identical to last November that recalled 2010 Rolls Royce Ghosts. This campaign seems to address the same problem that plagued 2011 models.
Ward’s AutoWorld is well known for its annual list, but the trade publication has been compiling a second list for interiors for a few years now. Formerly known as the competition, Ward’s rebranded the list last year, naming the coolest cockpits under the “10 Best Interiors” moniker.
This year’s winners are a relatively diverse lot, with hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers all making the list. While Ward’s lists them in alphabetical order rather than crowning a single winner, we’re choosing to present them with the lowest as-tested MSRP first:
($15,925)
($18,745)
($21,485)
($25,195)
($30,415)
($36,875)
Luxury ($44,855)
($49,745)
($54,800)
($67,430)
The first thing we noticed then is that while fully half the models carrying base sticker prices under $25,000, Ward’s was clearly not testing the base models of any of these vehicles. The Chevy Sonic, for instance, starts nearly $5,000 below the price of the car Ward’s drove. Even so, that half of the cars on the list could be legitimately called “affordable” is impressive.
Ward’s says 40 vehicles qualified for the competition by having “new or significantly improved interiors,” and while 13 of those were luxury vehicles, they only made up half of the winners. Ward’s says it judged the interiors based on design, fit-and-finish, comfort, ergonomics, safety, material selection, overall value, aesthetics, and human-machine interface.
Check out all the award winners in our high-res image gallery above.
We see tribute vehicles come and go. Most of the lot are slaves to every last detail of the original, offering little more than a few engine upgrades to the mix. Then there are beasts like the one above. Built as an homage to Parnelli Jones’ 1971 “Big Oly” Bronco Baja 1,000 bruiser, this machine uses a modern trophy truck chassis wrapped in larger-than life fiberglass first-generation Bronco body. With 723 horsepower on tap, the truck is fully capable of bashing the desert into submission. Owner Marshall Mardruga originally built the machine to tackle the Baja 1,000, but decided to turn it into a show truck instead.
Every visible component was then plated in brass or nickel and protected with a clear powder coat in preparation for SEMA 2011. If you like what you see, this machine can be yours for a heady sum. Available in San Diego, California via eBay Motors, the street-legal tribute commands a $535,000 Buy It Now price. You can see the auction or to check out a few videos.
Matt Ramsey from The Wall Street Journal claims that the next-generation will be ditching its ’60s-inspired retro styling. Citing people familiar with Ford’s plans who have seen the new Mustang, Ramsey claims the new model will look more like the and be a dead ringer for the that debuted at the last fall. The reason for abandoning the retro-inspired styling, says Ramsey, is Ford’s desire to appeal to Generation Y consumers – people born between 1980 and 1999.
It may very well be the case that the next Mustang, which Ramsey says will be a 2014 model (we suspect it will be labeled a 2015), will look a lot like the Evos concept, but we don’t buy some of the author’s reasoning for why the Stang’s retro look might be going away. He cites declining sales of certain retro-styled vehicles like the and Mustang itself, but having just experienced an economic recession, many models saw their sales decline during the past two years compared to prior peaks, not just ones with retro styling. In particular, he cites Volkswagen selling just 6,468 units of the New Beetle last year compared with over 81,000 in 2000, but last year was that generation’s final year of sales. It has been replaced with the all-new-but-equally-retro 2012 Beetle, sales of which are up 2,722 percent so far in 2012.
And as for the Mustang, after enjoying a competition-free pony car market from 2002-2010, it’s now sharing that segment’s sales with worthy competition from both and . Its sales are certainly below their peaks from last decade, but again, a recession and new competition where there was none before will do that.
So while we have no reason to argue against Ramsey’s claim about the next Mustang moving away from its retro roots, we’re not sure we buy his evidence for the reason behind it.
Remember JAC? It’s the Chinese company so dedicated to that it changed its logo to a blue oval in the grille. JAC is back with a new car for this month’s , this time showing off less consistent plagiarism and more pastiche with the Heyue SC coupe.
With a snout lifted from the Lotus Esprit or the other four concepts, mirrors that seem to be lifted from a and a Factory Five rear end with Ferrari Enzo taillights, the Heyue SC isn’t a bad looking car for being an agglomeration of reanimated parts. Inside is a dash cluster that looks cribbed from the parts bin along with an Opel steering wheel.
Power comes from a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 162 horsepower and 160 pound-feet of torque, which should make for reasonable gumption unless the Heyue is made of lead. The price is 200,000 yuan ($31,807 U.S.), which places it in between its competitors in specs and price, the better looking, more powerful and less expensive , and the miniature clone known as the . Head over to China Car News to get a few more looks at it.
The Mercedes-Benz A25 AMG has disrobed almost completely compared to the . It makes minimal changes to the A-Class form, just a fiercer set of wheels and, under the last remaining camo, a brace of larger air intakes in front and a restyled diffuser in back. We’d also expect those oval pipe finishers to be swapped for trademark AMG quad pipes come production time.
The engine is what will make the real difference, with its 2.0-liter four-cylinder rumored to be rated as high as 350 horsepower and sending that glory to all four wheels through a dual-clutch gearbox. Those specs mean the A25 AMG is a shoo-in for heaps of comparos with the all-wheel drive, 340-horsepower Audi RS3, the driving prowess of the 256-horsepower and the . Check it out in our gallery of high-res spy photos.
If you thought was an odd choice, prepare to be properly shocked. has announced the company is once again heading out onto the nation’s tri-ovals, this time with the Focus Electric. The automaker claims the battery-powered hatchback will be the world’s first all-electric pace car when it leads the field at the Richmond 400 later this month. The public will get its first shot at seeing Focus Electric Pace Car on April 25, when Lt. Governor Bill Bolling drives the EV to Richmond International Raceway.
Earlier this year, Ford announced the Focus Electric will offer buyers a range of around 75 miles depending on driving conditions. We assume that figure will fall off precipitously at pace speed. With around 123 horsepower on hand, Ford has been that the company’s EV offers buyers more horsepower than the . Of course, at $39,200, it is also $4,000 more expensive.
The will soon arrive in dealerships, and it appears Ford has quite a few excited buyers waiting in the wings. The Detroit Free Press reports that already has about 8,000 pre-sales in-hand before buyers have even had the chance to drive the handsome crossover.
That’s good news for Ford for obvious reasons, but the new Escape is going to need all the sales it can muster. That’s because the current Escape, which dates all the way back to 2001, has been one of the most consistently hot-selling Ford vehicles ever made. For reference, Ford managed to sell in March – enough to make those 8,000 pre-sales seem like the first few drops in a very large, very important bucket. In fact, in 2012, the outgoing Escape is already ahead of its 2011 sales pace by nearly 3,000 units.
At this point, it’s difficult to project whether the new Escape will be able to surpass sales of the outgoing model, but we are pretty sure Ford will achieve . The departing CUV features a hoard of cash incentives, but the new model features pricey options and a top-of-the-line Titanium trim model that can crest $37,000 with options. Speaking of pricing, Ford has finalized the numbers and options on its Escape configurator since we , and you can check it out .
Of all of the carsTop Gear host Richard Hammond has driven – and that’s a lot of cars – it is an oil-burning entry-level luxury sedan that has earned the plaudit, “possibly the best car ever made.” He’s referring to the 2013 320d in an article for the UK’s Mirror newspaper, further crediting it with “brilliant handling,” an easy-to-use infotainment system, “very accurate steering” and being “one of the nicest Threes to drive in decades.”
His conclusion does come from a lack of negatives just as much as the positives. However, even though it’s still a huge call, we’ve on BMW’s gasoline four-pot, the 328i, which trades a quicker sprint to 60 mph for a few mpg less than the 320d’s 52 Imperial mpg (43 U.S. mpg).
Hammond’s a fan of the styling, and in fact the only thing he doesn’t like is a stripe on his tester. Click the link to get the words straight from the Hamster’s mouth.
It’s been seven months since I crammed into a supercharged with the crew and fought tooth and nail for a in the Grand Touring class of the 2011 Targa Newfoundland. That amount of time has done nothing to dull my desire to head right back into the fray as soon as possible. While I was there, the FM team spent a good deal of time hanging out with our friends over at , and the crew just finished putting the final touches on its race documentary.
The first episode shows off the sweet SRT-tweaked the MotoMan guys got to play with. With plenty of suspension adjustments, a full cage and a bare-bones interior, the big white beast was as far from the NC Miata we campaigned as you could get. Watch the clip for an introduction to a few of the other competitors, including SRT CEO Ralph Gilles, as well as an interview with driver Brandon Fitch and myself. Keep an eye out for more episodes, too.
Remember ? Back in the pre-bankruptcy days of late 2008, when the Big Three CEO’s were traveling to Washington to plead their case for funds, Ford’s Alan Mulally, General Motors’ then-CEO Rick Wagoner, and Chrysler’s former chief Bob Nardelli were publicly chastised for flying in corporate jets to the tune of $20,000 per round trip.
Two years earlier, president Mark Fields became a target of outrage when a Detroit-area TV station discovered that to ship Fields between Dearborn and his home in Florida.
Now this: The New York Times is reporting that Ford spent spent $178,571 on personal air travel for Mulally last year. While Ford no longer has a fleet of corporate jets, according to the report, it pays a charter service to transport Mulally and his kin. And that’s not all. Since this benefit is classified as “security measures,” Mulally gets off the hook for paying taxes on it, as he doesn’t have to report the benefit as income, according to the Times. , according to other reports.
While Ford refused comment, the article calls out the company for using this “common corporate tax trick” that it says robs the federal government of tax revenue from CEO’s like Mulally, meaning that taxpayers are essentially subsidizing his perks.
While the report concerns various corporate executives, it singles out Mulally, suggesting that any potential danger to Ford’s CEO has to be less than that posed to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who flies commercial airlines. The Times also says that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs “received no security services from Apple last year before he died.”
2013 is scheduled to be the final year of production for the sixth-generation , otherwise known as the C6. Having replaced the fifth-generation C5 Corvette in late 2005 as a 2006 model, that will mark a seven-year run on the market, which is impressively long in anyone’s book, but fairly typical in Corvette history.
Keeping the C6 fresh all those years had as much to do with special models like the and as it has with constantly tweaking smaller things like the options, accessories and colors that have been offered.
For its final model year, the 2013 C6 will reportedly get a last new color called Night Race Blue. The Corvette is already offered in two blue hues: one called Supersonic Blue Metallic (an option that costs an extra $300 on the standard Vette) and a lighter blue introduced for the 2012 model year called Carlisle Blue Metallic. The latter to celebrate the Corvettes at Carlisle event in Pennsylvania that claims to attract more privately owned Vettes in one place at one time than anywhere else in the world.
CorvetteBlogger also reports that will be deleting Competition Gray wheels from the options sheet and replacing them with the Black Painted Aluminum wheels you see above.
The is a whole lotta car. Not only is the name a mouthful, but the 510-horsepower German rocket can be a handful too, well, in the wrong hands. This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen techs or valets getting their kicks behind the wheel of a vehicle that doesn’t belong to them, but it seems some employees at one Ottawa-area dealer didn’t get the memo.
Our tipster claims that a couple rogue techs at a dealership called (formerly Carling Motors) decided to take out one of the 30 existing Black Series in Canada for a joyride. While we agree that some test drives of performance cars should be spirited to find performance-related problems, it’s pretty clear these guys just wanted some kicks behind the wheel of $115,000 Autobahn assassin.
For over eight minutes they negotiate the streets of Ottawa near the Hunt Club Road dealership, breaking all kinds of laws, risking property and injury in the process. The police would gladly impound this Black Series for some of these speeds, and MB enthusiasts would gladly slap these guys in the face for redlining the motor for so long.
Why any tech would post this on YouTube is beyond us, as they’re are only asking to be fired. The Internet has moved in for some e-justice and has been set ablaze with nasty comments on the matter. Not only did they identify the location of the dealership, they have also sent the video, the original of which was removed from YouTube but then re-uploaded by a forum member, to Mercedes-Benz Canada HQ and are hard at work trying to find the possible owner to show him what’s been done to his car pre-delivery. Check out the video by .
techs taking C63 AMG Coupe Black Series for joyride caught on video
2013 is scheduled to be the final year of production for the sixth-generation , otherwise known as the C6. Having replaced the fifth-generation C5 
