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Ford is making it easier to access tablet devices in its cars, enabling users of iPad, Kindle, Nook and other tablets to control their devices with their voices instead of their hands.

The move is bound to set safety advocates atwitter, who argue there are already too many distractions behind the wheel. Just last month the issue again took front stage after the death of 18-year-old Taylor Sauer, who crashed her car into a tanker truck while texting. Ford, however, said the upgrade of its MyFord Touch system is out of concern for driver safety.

“Drivers are bringing these devices into the car already,” said Alan Hall, a spokesman for Ford. “We’re allowing them to access the content in a safer way.”

Ford began shipping upgrades to its voice-activated MyFord Touch entertainment system on Monday, with the tablet compatibility built in. The automaker has taken a big hit to its quality reputation because of MyFord Touch, which consumers have complained is slow, unreliable and hard to use.

The upgrade to MyFord Touch and its underlying SYNC technology allows more devices to work with voice activation or through controls on the steering wheel, although most still won’t charge. Devices including the iPad, Kindle Fire, HP Touchpad, Nook Color and Sony Tablet S need more electricity than Ford’s outlets provide.

Ford hopes the iPad 3, set to be revealed today, will be compatible with the upgrade, Ostrowski said. He also said that Ford engineers will have to order iPad 3s like everyone else to find out.

Ford makes voice control easier for iPad and other devices

If you live in a warm weather state and haven’t experienced icy roads before, we’ve got some video that will show you what your northern friends have been talking about. Actually, if you’re a veteran of snow and ice, own a four-wheel-drive vehicle and don’t slow down when it’s slippery because you think your 4-high is infallible, we really have a video for you.

We’re thinking the good people of Columbus, Ohio know a thing or three about driving on snow and ice, but even the Buckeyes have trouble with black ice. Look below to watch several trucks and SUVs slip, slide and wreck themselves when encountering a patch of the invisible slick. It’s too bad whoever was holding the camera didn’t have the sense to put it down and go warn oncoming motorists to slow down.

Continue reading Patch of black ice terrorizes Ohio motorists

Patch of black ice terrorizes Ohio motorists

If SsangYong is known for anything, it’s trucks. The aspirational Korean marque brought out a handful of new pickups and SUVs here in Geneva, but the real showstopper on the SsangYong stand – if there is such a thing – is the XIV-2 concept.

The concept’s name is more contrived than its styling (it stands for eXciting user-Interface Vehicle 2), but its blend of high-riding coupe style with a more traditional CUV body is intriguingly attractive in person and proves that there’s at least one other automaker hailing from Korea that can do something interesting in a rather staid segment.

SsangYong claims motivation is provided by a 1.6-liter diesel four mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, and Yoo-il Lee, the automaker’s CEO, is adamant that a production version – available in coupe, three-door and five-door styles – will come to market in Europe within the next year. Make the jump for the full details.

Continue reading SsangYong XIV-2 Concept is another Korean with style

SsangYong XIV-2 Concept is another Korean with style

While Conan O’Brien may not be the car guy that Jay Leno is, for our money, he’s funnier. Especially when he’s doing vehicular bits on air, in this case, rubbing elbows with monster truck drivers.

But Coco doesn’t just play the redneck card and point and laugh. He actually suits up in full Nomex and drives one of the most famous monster trucks of all time, Grave Digger. While Conan’s performance behind the wheel is pretty tame by Monster Jam standards, he sure seems like he’s having fun and it translates into some laugh-out-loud comedy.

No matter how you might feel about the sport of crushing derelict vehicles, we’re pretty sure there’s some little part of everyone that would like to get behind the wheel of one of these awesome trucks and unleash 1,500 horses of destruction at least once in their life.

Click past the jump to watch the full video.

Continue reading Conan drives Grave Digger monster truck

Conan drives Grave Digger monster truck

There once was a time, not so long ago, that if you wanted a luxury SUV, your options basically came down to a Range Rover. The Bentley of off-road vehicles, they called it. But those days are behind us, as nearly every luxury automaker is making a sport-ute of its own. And soon, so will Bentley.

Called the EXP 9 F, the vehicle you see here is a concept, er, truck, that Bentley will unveil at the Geneva Motor Show this week. Although still a design study, strictly speaking, the EXP 9 F previews what could emerge as a third model line for Crewe to roll alongside the Continental and Mulsanne. Power comes from the same 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 as found in the Continental, but in a drastically different form, and V8 and hybrid propulsion are also being considered for production.

Charting new territory for the Flying B marque, the EXP 9 F aims to apply traditional Bentley styling cues to an SUV shape, from the oversized air intakes to the split rear tailgate. And based on these images… well, let’s just say we’re not convinced yet. The interior space, however, looks as pleasant a place to be as any vehicle ever to roll out of Crewe. And if that blend of questionable shape and beautiful cabin sounds familiar, look straight to the Porsche Cayenne, a vehicle ushered into reality – a first for its brand as well – by the same Wolfgang Dürheimer who now heads Bentley.

We’ll reserve final judgement for when we see it tomorrow in person in Geneva, where Bentley says it will be evaluating public reaction with an eye towards potential production. In the meantime you can check out the images in the gallery above and the press release below for a closer look.

Continue reading Bentley previews luxury performance SUV with EXP 9 F concept

Bentley previews luxury performance SUV with EXP 9 F concept

A seriously stretched Cadillac XTS has been snapped during cold-weather testing doing what appeared to be checks of its traction-control, braking and stability systems, according to our spy photographers. With the Lincoln Town Car having left the building, Cadillac probably sees a huge opportunity not only in the livery market, but also in the celebs-and-prom-kids segment.

More than once the spy photogs mentioned the size of this car, and it looks massive even from its best angle. Another option for its use is as a new presidential limo to replace the rolling Imperial Starship that is the current Cadillac One, though while that vehicle does have the body of a Cadillac, its underpinnings come from a medium-duty Chevrolet Kodiak truck.

Cadillac XTS stretch limousine spotted looking prom-idential

GreenLight Toys has unveiled a series of foam-paper car puzles for 2012, five American muscle cars and one muscle truck. The MotoBuildz aren’t exactly models, they’re more like those 500-piece landscape puzzles you find at educational toy stores, only with fewer pieces and less frustration.

They’re also powered, thanks to a friction motor that provides plenty of juice when given a hearty push. Follow the jump for a video on how the whole thing comes together.

Continue reading 3D auto puzzles of American muscle are actually motorized

3D auto puzzles of American muscle are actually motorized

The Ford F-Series Super Duty pickup truck is a pretty big deal. Not only is it physically large and imposing, it’s also a huge seller for Ford and a vehicle that practically generates its own weight in gold profit. That being the case, it’s no surprise that Ford is keen to make some noise about a new trim level for the 2013 Super Duty.

Judging from the lone teaser image let out by Ford, we can all expect the 2013 F-Series Super Duty to retain its massive, upright and in-your-face grille, flanked on either side by squared-off headlamps. We’d also expect to see enough chrome to bling the teeth of a dozen rappers, though nothing much is visible behind the curtain of the image above.

What will the trim level be called? We have no idea, but Ford is announcing the truck alongside its Professional Bull Riding partner, so we’re figuring there may be some sort of tie-in along those lines. In any case, we’ll just have to wait until Friday, March 9 for all the details. Stay tuned, truck lovers, and feel free to click on the image above for the full-size version.

2013 Ford Super Duty teased, new trim coming

Sending an all-electric vehicle up Pikes Peak is not new – a Nissan Leaf and a custom EV from AC Propulsion made the climb in 2011 – but that shouldn’t stop anyone from trying to reach the 14,110-foot height in Colorado better, faster and in a cooler car.

Enter Mitsubishi and a radically reworked all-electric i-MiEV Prototype that will participate in the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this July. Based on sketches released today, the car is a one-seat racer the certainly looks ready for on-track duty. It also looks nothing like the bean-shaped i-MiEV we’ve grown accustomed to. We’re certainly curious how well it’ll make the peak, since the powertrain is made up of “the same EV components as the current production i-MiEV” and it’ll be piloted by well-known driver Hiroshi Masuoka, who won the Dakar Rally in 2002 and 2003 behind the wheels of a Mitsubishi Pajero and Pajero Evolution, respectively.

The idea here, of course, isn’t just to have a good time. Mitsubishi will “use the data obtained through its participation in the event to enhance the durability and reliability of pure EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs which it will be bringing to market in the near future.” Read: plug-in versions of the Outlander, the i-MiEV-based truck and the Mirage EV.

Continue reading Mitsubishi readies i-MiEV-based prototype for Pikes Peak climb this summer

Mitsubishi readies i-MiEV-based prototype for Pikes Peak climb this summer

The Griffin King of the Hammers isn’t an event, it’s seven days of challenges tailored to Greek deities but instead undertaken by masses of rock crawlers, buggies and motorcycles. There were four competitions during this latest, sixth edition of KOH at the Means dry lake bed in Johnson, California. Hundreds ran the rock crawling and baja-style races, and thousands set up the temporary hamlet called Hammer Town to take part in the action.

But words can barely describe it all, so you’ll find a video from Ultra4 Racing of last month’s highlights after the jump. If you want more, Truck Trend offers a proper education and photographic perspective on the week that is King of the Hammers.

Continue reading Griffin King of the Hammers is a week-long test of trucks, wills

Griffin King of the Hammers is a week-long test of trucks, wills

Four Wheeler magazine named the Ram Power Wagon its 2012 Pickup Truck of the Year, and it’s an award that celebrates features we associate with so-called “serious” pickups, like a two-speed transfer case, trail performance and vinyl flooring. But what if you want a Pickup Truck of the Year that’s got a little less pickup in it? Consumer Reports holds your answer, as it chose the Chevrolet Avalanche as the 2012 Top Pick Pickup Truck.

Why? Because of, as far as we can tell, its versatility and the ways it feels more like a Chevrolet Suburban than a Power Wagon: interior, fire-and-forget four-wheel drive, decent acceleration and comfy ride. Or, put another way, because even though it’s not a Chevrolet Suburban it can do almost everything a Suburban can do as well as hold a kayak. But you can’t see out the back, because there’s a bed there. Follow the jump for the CR video report.

Continue reading Consumer Reports Top Pickup for 2012 is… the Chevrolet Avalanche?!

Consumer Reports Top Pickup for 2012 is… the Chevrolet Avalanche?!

The legendary Ettore Bugatti once famously (and derisively) referred to Bentley cars as “the world’s fastest lorries” – the British term for heavy trucks. Fast-forward a few decades and Ettore’s proclamation is edging toward the truth, as the British brand is rumored to be launching its first-ever SUV – at least in conceptual form – at next week’s Geneva Motor Show.

The model – which would expand the Bentley range from two models to three – is earmarked by Bentley/Bugatti Chief Exec Wolfgang Dürheimer (pictured at left with his predecessor, Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen) to account for some 3,500 to 5,000 units annually, or a total of about 25,000 units in the vehicle’s lifecycle. But the SUV from Crewe isn’t just about expanding sales figures, it’s also about innovation, as the model is rumored to incorporate what would not only be the company’s first hybrid propulsion system, but a plug-in one at that, relegating the engine (which you can bet will still be Bentley big) to also-ran status.

We’re eagerly anticipating the results when we get to the Geneva Palexpo, but while the show car is expected to be a concept still several years away from production, one thing’s for sure: Bentley won’t be alone in jumping from high-end cars to SUVs. It’s a path forged by its sister company Porsche (where Dürheimer long served as a senior executive) with the Cayenne, set to be followed by sister marque Lamborghini with a concept car at the Beijing Auto Show in April (not to mention its original SUV, the LM002), and currently being pursued by rival Maserati with the Kubang now being groomed for production.

Bentley to unveil plug-in hybrid SUV concept in Geneva

Stay with us on this, because the scene above is one big misunderstanding. It’s a little hard to make out in the YouTube video below, but Norman Nowling is backing his Ford Econoline monster van over the top of a Toyota Corolla. When he finished his brutal work, the Corolla wouldn’t be going anywhere that didn’t involve the words “flatbed” and “chains.” So imagine the shock when the Toyota’s 16-year-old owner returned to it in the wee hours, noticeably flatter than we she left it.

The incident happened at the Redneck Yacht Club, a mudding and swamp trails park in Punta Gorda, Florida. The teen attended a concert at the park during “Swamp Cabbage Weekend” and apparently left her car parked near “the mud hole,” a park location that obviously attracts monster trucks. She went mudding elsewhere in the park, didn’t return to her car right after the concert, and at some point the assembled group of monster truckers decided they were going to run over it.

Nowling’s taken the heat because it’s him on the video, but he’s not the bad guy everyone’s made him out to be. See, Nowling was the last guy to the mud hole party, and before he got there at least two other trucks had tried to run over the Corolla and failed. Folks cheered Norman on to do the honors, but before he did he repeatedly asked security if it was all right, and according to his police statement, security told him it was fine, that the Toyota was abandoned. Also, according to Nowling, the fire department and the police were there as he was doing it. And as you can see in the video, Norman didn’t act alone: Another truck holds the Corolla in place while Nowling prepares to back over it.

Nowling was eventually arrested for felony Criminal Mischief and released on bond. Then he held a press conference to tell his side of what happened, and during the conference handed the teen’s stepfather a check for $6,500 to replace her car. Why? “I have a daughter, and it is the right thing to do,” he said. “I need to go to sleep every night with a clear conscience.” He’s apparently been banned from the RYC, but he’s hoping the other truck owners involved will also come forward.

Follow the jump for video of the incident, as well as a press conference held by the crusher and an interview with the teenage crushee.

Continue reading Monster truck driver pays for crushing teen’s first car

Monster truck driver pays for crushing teen’s first car

Two years after Consumer Reports smacked Toyota by pulling its coveted Recommended label from the Japanese automaker’s vehicles in the wake of safety concerns, the venerable consumer products testing magazine has slipped back into its comfortable role of being one of Toyota’s biggest fans. In announcing its annual Top Picks list, CR lauded five Toyota models as best-in-class, meaning the once beleaguered brand captured fully half of the category awards.

The five triumphant Toyota models included the Camry Hybrid (hybrid), RAV4 (small SUV), Sienna V6 (family hauler), Prius (green car), and Highlander (Family SUV). It is the first time since 2003 that a single automaker has scored five class awards. Honda, the last automaker to do so, did not land a single vehicle on the list for the second time in three years.

Other vehicles landing a spot on the list include the Ford Mustang (sporty car), Hyundai Sonata (affordable family sedan), Infiniti G (sports sedan), Subaru Impreza (small car), and Chevrolet Avalanche (pickup truck).

CR says it evaluates vehicles for their road test performance, as well as reliability and safety, requiring that winners rank at least near the top of their category on the organization’s overall road test scores while having average or better reliability on reader surveys and performing “well” on crash tests.

Click past the jump to read the full press release.

Continue reading Toyota dominates Consumer Reports annual Top Picks list

Toyota dominates Consumer Reports annual Top Picks list

Another week brings another action-packed episode of Translogic. Our sister site continues its tour of Europe with a trip to Switzerland’s Rinspeed. If there’s a car builder that more resembles a toy company for adults, we can’t imagine it.

Host Bradley Hasemeyer got a full demonstration of several remarkable vehicles during his visit. The sQuba submarine car is straight out of James Bond, though it’s based on a more modern Lotus than the famous Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me. The similarly amphibious Splash can operate as either a car, boat or hovercraft. The X-Trem is an oddly styled pickup that can load and unload – you guessed it – a hovercraft from its truck bed. Similarly, the Tatooo carries an underwater scooter.

But Rinspeed isn’t just about wet and wild concept cars. The company has been pioneering alternative fuel vehicles, like the R One, a biofuel-powered roadster. It’s also built the Presto, a frankly remarkable car in that it can transform from a compact two-seat roadster to a full four-place vehicle with the press of a button. The UC is a small electric car built out of a Fiat 500, controlled by a joystick and designed to be carried on a commuter train for urban use.

Click past the jump to watch the episode in its entirety.

Continue reading Translogic gets inside look at Rinspeed’s concept shop

Translogic gets inside look at Rinspeed’s concept shop

Magna Steyr may not be a name most consumers would recognize, but it is one of the biggest players in the auto industry. As a contract manufacturer, it has produced some 2.5 million vehicles across 21 different models, including the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Aston Martin Rapide and Mini Countryman, to name just a few.

The Austrian unit of Canadian mega-supplier Magna International, Steyr has also helped countless automakers develop new vehicles and technologies, and though it doesn’t market any vehicles under its own name, it often showcases its abilities with a series of concept cars labeled MILA. And this is the sixth and latest.

Called the MILA Coupic, the show car demonstrates an adaptable bodystyle. What looks at first blush like a crossover coupe (similar in form to, say, the Range Rover Evoque) can turn into a pickup truck or convertible. The front and rear glass roof panels can also be opened independently of each other, giving the MILA Coupic an even more adaptable form and showcasing the type of innovative roof approaches that Magna Steyr has applied in making the mechanisms for the Mecedes-Benz SLK, Fiat 500C and Opel Astra TwinTop.

The folding seat module also allows for easy loading, and when folded forward, is said to seal off the passenger compartment in pickup mode. Although all we’ve got to go on visually at the moment is the solitary rendering which you can click above to enlarge, but there’s a full press release after the jump as we prepare to depart for Geneva where this show car, among countless others, will be unveiled next week.

Continue reading Magna Steyr previews shape-shifting MILA Coupic concept for Geneva

Magna Steyr previews shape-shifting MILA Coupic concept for Geneva

A black, Chinese-market Audi A6L is practically the poster-child for Communist Party officials who demand extra legroom rear legroom in a stretched version of standard sedan. The Chinese government reportedly spends 80 million renminbi ($12.7 million U.S.) per year on wheels for its bureaucrats, but according to a report in China Car Times the new list of approved cars available to officials is limited to Chinese models. That not only excludes the Audi – which is built in the country – but also BMW, Mercedes and the coming Infiniti M37 limo.

The list contains 412 models from makers like Great Wall, Brilliance, Roewe, Chery, Geely and SAIC, and the mix includes gas, diesel and electric powertrains for sedans, minivans, pickup trucks and SUVs. Displacements are constrained to 1.8 liters for sedans, 2.4 liters for SUVs.

Expected to be a boon to Chinese makers, the Chinese government also believes the new rules will be a boon to development: it wants the companies selected to reinvest three percent of their newfound gains into research and development. Neither Volvo nor Saab were mentioned in the report, and we wonder if BAIC’s previous-generation Saab production and Geely’s domestically produced Volvo models may have slipped in.

China issues list of approved vehicles for government purchase, excludes imports for first time

This winter hasn’t been quite as cold as it could have been, but in Wisconsin, there have been enough sub-freezing days for lakes to develop about of foot-thick coating of ice. That’s enough ice for some good ice fishing, but it apparently isn’t thick enough to use as a high-traffic parking lot.

Frozen anglers at a Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin fishing tournament decided to park in close proximity to one another on the ice with predictably disastrous results. Hit the jump to watch the Twin Cities’ Fox News 9 and its coverage of tow trucks plucking vehicle after vehicle out of the appropriately named Lake Winnebago. We saw quite a few pricey pickup trucks being pulled out of the deep, but we’re thinking the pea-green Pontiac Aztek could have been left in the lake long before the incident.

Continue reading 36 cars fall through ice at Wisconsin fishing tournament

36 cars fall through ice at Wisconsin fishing tournament

It would seem Gaia herself did not want the 54th running of the Daytona 500 to take place. After being delayed more than 24 hours by water falling from the sky in the form of rain, fire threatened to end the race early with just 40 laps to go when Juan Pablo Montoya slammed his car into a jet dryer truck under caution. Watch the video of the incident after the jump.

The jet dry truck, which is basically a heavy duty pickup with a helicopter jet engine attached, burst into flames on impact, spilling hundreds of gallons of burning jet fuel and diesel onto the raceway. Fortunately, both Montoya and the driver of the jet dryer truck were not seriously hurt, but the burning fuel threatened to end the Daytona 500 after 160 laps.

Twitter had a field day with the incident. The account @NASCARJetDryer tweeted “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated…, #imaight!” Brad Keselowski tweeted his view of the fire from behind the wheel of his No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger on an iPhone, which he actually had with him in the car. Fortunately the entire field was parked under a red flag at the time. Our favorite tweet came from @SpeedSportLife, which commented on the direction Montoya took to hit the jet dryer truck: “See what happens NASCAR drivers turn right???”

Continue reading Spoiler Alert: Despite the elements, Daytona 500 finally finishes [w/video]

Spoiler Alert: Despite the elements, Daytona 500 finally finishes [w/video]

We love SEMA. There’s simply no better place to see the aftermarket go wild. Unfortunately, most of the cars, trucks, vans and other heathens that occupy the Las Vegas Convention Center each November are built to do little more than look pretty under the lights. We’ve always wanted to see the best of the best throw down on a track.

Fortunately for us, there’s the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. For four years now, the battery maker has invited the cream of the SEMA crop to show off just what all that aftermarket hardware is good for.

This year, SPEED tagged along to see what all the fuss was about, and brought along a host of HD cameras to capture the whole event. Hosted by Bill Goldberg, the show is a good chance to catch up on some of the more impressive cars that debuted at SEMA 2011 and watch them as they do battle for the top title.

Who won out this year? We won’t spoil it for you. You’ll just have to look for the Optima Ultimate Street Invitational on SPEED. The show debuted this weekend, but will re-air on March 11 at 2:30 PM EST. In the meantime, check out the teaser after the jump.

Continue reading Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational puts SEMA cars to the test

Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational puts SEMA cars to the test