While we’ve been, um, enjoying the latest take on the for a few good months now, our cousins across the pond have yet to be able to sink their teeth into the new European version of the Japanese compact. That’s all about to change as prepares to unveil the 2012 Euro Civic at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. The Japanese automaker has been so kind as to slide the web a little teaser ahead of the vehicle’s debut complete with a photo of the hatchback’s rear and a few scant details. The shot shows a new integrated spoiler and third brake light that Honda says helps manage the vehicle’s aerodynamics at speed.
In addition, the company says that the hatch will boast class-leading interior room for its occupants and its cargo as well as “stand-out looks.” We wait with baited breath. Look for the ninth-generation Euro Civic to take a bow in Germany on September 13. for a glance at the brief press release.
If your nearest stop sign is looking a little worse for the wear, you should reach out and let your local government know. Up until recently, that sign was one of the hundreds of thousands that were set to be replaced by 2018, according to a mandate formerly on the books. Now, however, the Obama administration is getting rid of that rule so that local governments can decide if and when a sign needs to replaced.
According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and representatives from nearly all 50 states, the mandated 2018 sign swapping would’ve cost millions of dollars that didn’t need to be spent. Local governments can better determine when a sign needs to be changed, and it makes more sense for the move to be handled this way then by a random point in the future. It also saves everyone a lot of dough.
The state of Minnesota would need to spend anywhere from $55 to $75 million to hit the 2018 deadline, for example. Delaware would fork over $60 million, while the New York City on its own would spend millions of dollars and require 12 to 16 years just to complete the project. That would put the city while behind the 2018 deadline.
The federal government heard the cries, and it’s listened. 46 of the proposed deadlines have been eliminated. 12, however are remaining active because they are deemed crucial to public safety. Examples of this important intersections include railroad crossings without flashing lights and one-way signs wherever necessary.
The Army National Guard serves an important role in disaster relief. When called upon, members of the service leave their families at a moment’s notice, pack up and head into the thick of the worst that mother nature has to offer. In the case of the recent flooding in New York, New Jersey and Vermont, that means going above, beyond, and sometimes below the call of duty, er, waterline. From the looks of things, the soldiers in the video after the jump are in the process of rescuing residents – or at least attempting to rescue residents – in Manville, NJ who failed to heed flood evacuation warnings.
Though we aren’t huge military vehicle buffs, we’d say it looks like two Deuces braving severely flooded New Jersey streets. Big points to the videographer who simply stands by and insults the service members out to help him instead of actually warning the soldiers that the waters get deeper farther down the road. Class act.
More than anything else, Lotus has (historically at least) been about two things: it’s serious about lightweight construction (following its founder Colin Chapman’s ethos of “adding lightness”) and it’s quintessentially British. And you could say the same about Gordon Murray.
The celebrated designer and engineer behind countless Formula One race cars, the McLaren F1 supercar and, most recently, the is now joining forces with Lotus. In an advisory capacity, anyway.
Lotus has announced Murray as the latest addition to its Advisory Council, a board that already includes such names as Bob Lutz, former NA chief Tom Purves, former BMW designer Burkhard Göschel and engineer Frank Tuch.
The appointment shouldn’t interfere with Murray’s independent design outfit, but brings him full circle to when he first started out in F1 and hoped, above all, to join the Lotus team before being hired by Bernie Ecclestone to work at Brabham instead. Official announcement .
It looks like the next-generation will borrow a few styling elements from the . Our army of spy photographers managed to snap a closer look at the upcoming Exige successor, and the car boasts a low, wide nose borrowed from its V6 sister. In addition, the canyon-carver wears a longer roof line and extended rear that may house the same 280 horsepower six-pot found in the grand tourer, though a 350 horsepower supercharged S variant may be in the works as well. Larger brakes are clearly visible through the spoke wheels and that massive spoiler likely helps generate some much-needed downforce at speed.
When can we expect to lay eyes on a non-camouflaged version of the Exige? Hard telling, but our guess is that it won’t be long before dealers start filling out order forms.
Hurricane Irene was an impressive storm by every measure. Despite losing some of its ferocity before making landfall, the system brought torrential rains to parts of the country that were already suffering from severely saturated soil. As a result, widespread flooding occurred up and down the east coast. One enterprising soul in Oceanside, NY decided to make the most of the situation by taking his out for a little romp down Lawson Boulevard.
Now, we should probably take a moment to point out that playing in flood water is all sorts of dangerous. Besides obvious threats like hidden currents, obstacles and fluctuations in depth, floods also pack all sorts of bacteria washed up from septic and sewer systems. Yummy.
Even so, it looks like this guy is having a blast in his own personal water world. to take a look at the video for yourself, and be sure to consider sending donations to the or relief organization of your choice.
James Bond and Aston Martin go together like a tuxedo and a license to kill, but everyone’s favorite international man of mystery has been behind the wheel of more than just British sports cars during his long and sordid career. The good people at CarBuzz have worked up a lengthy infographic detailing the long history of British Intelligence vehicles piloted by none other than 007. Bond has even held the keys to a Ford LTD on at least two occasions in what could only be a practical joke from Q. He’s also helmed such classy rides as a and an .
That was long before Pierce Brosnan sent a BMW Z8 to its grave or Daniel Craig skipped an Aston Martin DBS V12 off its roof. Of course, as the graphic points out, these are just the cars that 007 has driven over the years. The spy has also commanded a couple of tanks, at least one bus, six helicopters and 20 boats or submarines. to check out the full graphic for yourself.
Allow us a moment to revisit a … Sonic, boom! Our Guile moment is inspired by , which has released video of the compact undergoing crash testing. The diminutive hatchback is loaded up with a healthy heaping of safety technology that ranges from a plethora of sensors to high-strength steel.
The body of the Sonic utilizes the heavy-duty steel in the frame rails, around the door openings and roof supports. In fact, high-strength steel is used throughout 60 percent of the body structure. Couple that with ten airbags, and the interior of the Sonic is a relatively safe place to be in the event of an accident. All of those airbags are controlled by a system of sensors that also monitor the angle of travel, speed and points of impact.
to see how the Sonic handles an offset frontal impact at 40 miles per hour. Note that the videos look small, but there’s an option to view them in full screen. Enjoy!
Peugeot has released a few images of its HX1 Concept car ahead of the vehicle’s debut at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The low-slung MPV can seat up to six adults while retaining a remarkably low drag coefficient of just 0.28. That’s thanks to a few clever design tricks like wheel blades that open up to form a flat surface, as well as some clever side skirt and spoiler work.
As you might expect, that’s not the only show-circuit wizardry that the HX1 has to offer. Occupants enter and exit via five rear-hinged half-scissor doors. Additionally, a center row of seating can be created by a set of pull-out buckets integrated into the front seats.
Not surprisingly, the HX1 gets its power from a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. A 204-horsepower 2.4-liter turbo-diesel engine provides power to the front wheels while an electric motor takes care of spinning the rear tires. All told, the vehicle produces 299 horsepower while returning 88.2 miles per gallon. for the press release.
has decided to spice up its entry-level , and this, the 2012 Special Edition, is the end result. No, there isn’t any more power on tap, but some styling tweaks do give the TSX a sportier look. A more aggressive front spoiler and rear fascia lend an air of extra sportiness, and compliment the updated side sill. New 17-inch alloy wheels now feature a polished finish with a dark gray background.
Inside, Acura has pumped up the interior with black suede inserts on the seats that’s contrasted by red stitching. More of the red color makes its way to the steering wheel and shift knob, as well as the lighting of the gauges, footwell and cabin. That footwell area also see the addition of aluminum pedal covers.
The automaker says that the TSX Special Edition was designed to “evoke the fun-to-drive four-cylinder Acuras of the past,” so the 2.4-liter inline-four is the only engine available. Both a five-speed automatic and six-speed manual transmission are available.
The 2012 Acura TSX Special Edition will make its debut at the Orange County Auto Show on September 22nd. That’s approximately the same time it will arrive on dealer showrooms.
Convertibles have historically been shuffled into two categories: folding soft tops and retractable hard tops. Now it looks is looking to blur the line between the two with the roof of the next-generation . The crew from GermanCarForum.com managed to lay its hands on a patent drawing that clearly shows a roof design that uses metal panels at the front and rear with two sections of canvas between the two. What are the advantages of the design? It’s difficult to tell from the drawing alone, but we’d imagine that a leading metal edge may help reduce cabin noise when in place, though the patent itself cites aesthetic reasons behind the move.
At this point, it’s unclear whether or not we’ll see the new roof on the 2012 911. All of the convertible test vehicles we’ve seen so far have proudly rocked a traditional canvas roof, though that doesn’t mean that the engineers at Porsche haven’t pulled some trickery to disguise the lid’s sheetmetal components. With the vehicle slated for at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it won’t be long before we’ll know all there is to know about the 911 Cabriolet. Head over to for a closer look.
Not everyone has the stuff it takes to be a firefighter. Take the gent you see holding the hose in the image above: as point-man on the water jet, he strides up to the burning to put out the fire. While performing what appears to be a routine hose-down right next to the sedan, something inside the car explodes with enough force to jolt the cameraman in the nearby apartment.
What’s the fireman do? You can see for yourself in the vid , but it looks a lot like a shrug of the shoulders and getting on with business. Masked firefighter, we salute you.
Everyone deserves a little break once in a while. But once that vacation is over, it’s time to get back to work.
For the Formula One circus, that break took the better part of a month, giving the drivers and their teams some much-needed R&R from the Hungarian Grand Prix that served as the eleventh of nineteen rounds the last weekend in July until this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Now that they’re back in business, it was back to the thrilling season that’s unfolded so far and into the home stretch for the last two rounds in Europe before the show hits the road to races overseas. Follow the jump to find out how the race at Belgium’s indispensable Spa-Francorchamps circuit went down.
Belgian Grand Prix was a hard day at the Spa [spoilers]
Our favorite automotive web series has returned with a new episode. Josh Clason and his Depth of Speed crew traveled to the Bonneville Salt Flats. In the new video, A Pinch of Salt, the drivers interviewed all point out that the motorsports atmosphere in the middle of this barren patch of Utah salt is uniquely friendly. It’s another well-told story with excellent production values. to check it out.
Russian automaker Dartz is the automotive equivalent of The Jersey Shore. It produces the tackiest products that you can’t stop looking at or watching. Case in point: this latest video from Dartz, which highlights the , a Playboy bunny from the Latvian version of the magazine’s September issue and a bottle of Russo-Baltique vodka that might just cost more than the car and girl combined.
for the video, but turn down your speakers before you do. Whoever put the clip together decided to twist the sound level to 11, which could make for unwanted attention in the office. Also, the music has lots and lots of language that’s not safe for work.
August was quite the month for our long-term . Not only did our diesel darling roll over the 10,000-mile mark, it did so while making its journey across the United States – Detroit to Los Angeles – with ‘ Michael Zak behind the wheel.
Before hitting the road, we took the Jetta in for its first scheduled maintenance appointment, all of which was covered under Volkswagen’s carefree maintenance program (no-cost scheduled maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles). We had the oil changed, tires rotated, fluids topped off, and other key points inspected. Simple stuff. Upon dropping the car off at the dealership, though, we found out that there was an open recall on our car for – wait for it – wind noise. The service technicians told us that the driver door’s sound deadening materials would be inspected and replaced, and to be honest, there wasn’t any noticeable difference in wind noise when we picked the car up from service later that day.
In any case, the Jetta was now primed and ready for its cross-country voyage, which meant saying goodbye to the Jetta as we handed the keys over to Michael Zak. After four months of service with our east coast staff, it was time for the Jetta to head west. to read more.
Can a million dollars hold Elon Musks’ feet to the fire? That’s the value of a bet that Wall Street Journal auto journalist and all-around interesting guy Dan Neil and the CEO reportedly have going over the release of the upcoming .
According to , the bet hinges on Neil’s 2009 comment that the Model S is “ambitious” and that Musk’s promised delivery date of late 2012 was, “an audacious timeline that makes many in the car industry roll their eyes.” Musk, also a bit of a boisterous one, apparently emailed Neil in 2009 to say: You wanna bet? The exact emails have apparently been lost, but GCR says the details, according to Neil, are as follows. For Musk to win, the Model S:
Needs to start series production and be delivered to the first paying customers by the end of 2012.
Have to be certified by NHTSA with a four- or five-star safety rating and it has to have seven seats.
Needs to be priced at $57,400 (for the base model with the 160-mile range), $67,400 (230 miles) and $87,400 (300 miles).
These are all targets that Tesla itself announced, so Neil is simply asking the company to follow through on its promises. There is one final sticking point, and for this we’ll quote GCR directly:
[The Model S] has to have a battery pack that allows en-route swapping at a highway roadside station, similar to the Better Place battery swapping scheme.
We hope, for Musk’s sake, that someone got their wires crossed here. As far as we know, the Model S was never supposed to have Better Place-style batter swap capability. Instead, , “When [Model S drivers] take an occasional two-way long distance trip, they’ll get a replacement pack and then pick up their original one on the way back,” with the swaps done at Tesla dealerships.
We have to assume Musk would like this clarified, too, since Neil claims that Musk will have to donate a million dollars to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) if Tesla doesn’t hit these targets. If Neil loses, he’s willing to donate a more modest, journalist-level $1,000 to MSF. Which side of the bet would you rather be on?
To say that has had a rough 2011 would be one heck of an understatement. Sales are trickling slowly, the automaker’s Trollhättan plant hasn’t consistently produced vehicles since late April because suppliers weren’t getting paid, and a failed alliance is making the Swedish automaker look like it has cooties.
Now it appears as though Saab is taking legal steps to keep the company going, as Reuters is citing a public radio report that claims the automaker will soon apply for . If the courts grant temporary creditor protection, Saab will begin a process of corporate restructuring at the hands of an administrator and company management.
Though Saab has yet to officially confirm its intention to enter creditor protection, the move would seem to make sense given the automaker’s string of disappointments and dire finances. The automaker announced earlier this week that it would delay its second-quarter report until August 31, perhaps to buy time until Saab officially engages the courts. That news followed Saab’s announcement that August salary payments to employees .
So what would creditor protection do for Saab? The move would likely buy the automaker additional time to drum up more alliances and raise more cash. If Saab still can’t secure additional money or find new partners (), it appears all but inevitable that the company will dissolve.
Willy T. Ribbs is reportedly jumping back into the cockpit of an IndyCar racer next month. According to Inside Line, the first African American driver to qualify at the Indianapolis 500 is set to take to the track in a preliminary race in Baltimore next month. The 56-year-old Ribbs launched a race team earlier this year with driver Chase Austin behind the wheel, and he will take Austin’s slot at the Firestone Indy Lights race. It will mark the first time since 1999 that the driver has been behind the wheel of an IndyCar.
Ribbs famously qualified for the Indianapolis 500 in 1991, though his efforts were hampered by a blown engine, finishing 32nd in a field of 33 racers. He fared somewhat better when he returned in 1993, where he finished 23rd. Ribbs then spent some time in Formula Ford in Europe and NASCAR, though he hit his stride in Trans Am. He collected five wins during his time in that series. At this point, it’s unclear whether Ribbs will continue in IndyCar after the Baltimore race.
For some background on Ribbs and to catch up with what he’s been up to, check out an interview conducted by Indycar earlier this year by .
is facing a rash of complaints about automatic transmission failures in the company’s trucks and SUVs, according to The New York Times. Certain 2005-2010 , and models may have an issue with their radiators which could cause coolant to mix with the automatic transmission fluid. That’s not supposed to happen, and it could cause premature failure. Nissan, meanwhile, has extended its warranty coverage, but only on the radiators. Owners, meanwhile, say that they’ve been stuck with expensive transmission repair bills since the warranties run out at 80,000 miles.
The NYT reports that Nissan extended its radiator coverage in October of last year after the company discovered that internal oil cooler tubes may crack and leak. The Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association, meanwhile, says that the radiator coolant tanks themselves are rupturing, which then allows the fluid to mix with coolant before being pumped back into the transmission.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received upwards of 200 complaints on the issue, though it’s still unclear at this point whether or not the government agency is looking into the problem. For its part, Nissan has said that if the problem occurs on vehicles still within warranty, any transmission repairs would also be included in the coverage.
