The Nissan Juke R is a gaggle of impressive numbers: 1,540 hours and 22 weeks of development time, 11 videos of its development, , 480 -derived horsepower and 428 pound-feet – and to that group we can add a 3.7-second 0-to-60 time and a top speed of 160 miles per hour. Yes, 3.7 seconds may be a second slower than the GT-R, but it’s only two-tenths of a second slower than the .
Speaking of the videos, the eleventh and last in the series has been released and it’s the final teaser before the real thing explodes . You’ll find it , and when you’re finished with that you can . We’ve included the after the jump as well, because who isn’t interested in a track shakedown of the crossover Beelzebub uses to take his little ‘bubs to soccer practice?
If Fido can distinguish people and other pooches by their backsides, why not a seat? When students at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo, Japan asked that question, they came up with a car seat fitted with 360 sensors that makes a map of the pressure applied by your posterior. Among the six rumps tested, the seat was 98 percent accurate at sorting one from another.
The ultimate aim is to work with automakers to develop an anti-theft solution that would be available in the next few years. With such a small testing pool, it’s too early to start asking the difficult questions about real-world viability (especially when you start to factor in things like different articles of clothing, , and so on), but we have a feeling this kind of technology will find an application somewhere.
We have a sizable soft spot for the . The small-displacement machine is perfect for back-road flinging and in-town commuting. Unfortunately, KTM has decided the wide-open spaces of America aren’t fit for the lightweight street machine. That leaves us longingly watching YouTube videos of the Duke 125 in action. KTM has just released a new clip featuring stunt rider Rok Bagoroš at work on the single-cylinder bike. Bagoroš pointed the Duke 125 toward an aging metal foundry and set to work unleashing his own brand of havoc on the alleyways and innards of the factory.
There’s no denying the rider’s skill or the bike’s maneuverability, but we were hoping for a few more breathtaking stunts. Maybe we’ve just been spoiled by the rash of we’ve seen surface lately. Either way, it’s a good opportunity to see the small-displacement glory that is the Duke 125, so to check out the clip for yourself.
Water is a pretty amazing substance. It coats our planet, makes up the vast majority of our bodies, and – most importantly – proves to be an endless source of YouTube hijinks. You remember, of course, the , in which water’s destructive powers were just hinted at. But in all seriousness, water is not to be messed with. Whether leaking into your basement, , or unleashing hell in the form of a tsunami, water’s capacity for violence and disaster is as great as anything dreamed up by man.
Enough with the preamble. Combine water’s devastating power with some heavy machinery and a really awful quality camcorder and you get the priceless video .
It’s been a serious year for automotive advertising. From dancing hamsters to big-name talent like Jennifer Lopez, Eminem and Dr. Dre, we saw automakers go all out in an attempt to lure buyers to their showrooms. But which spots garnered the most eyes? SkiddMark.com has taken the time to rank the top ten most popular automotive commercials of 2011 on YouTube, and it likely comes as no surprise that took the top spot with its commercial. The spot debuted during the Super Bowl and featured an adorable Darth Vader. The combination was good enough to win the company a staggering 47.5 million views and over 4.8 million shares.
By contrast, drug home 13.1 million views and 2.1 million shares to take home second place. That’s a massive gap, though Block also took the fifth and eighth place spots with his and , respectively. Not too shabby for selling sneakers.
Other winners included the and the Eminem Super Bowl Commercial. Head over to for the full list.
Boy, that 2011 was a doozy, no? Earthquakes, tsunamis and floods; Arab Spring uprisings; Occupy protests, or as the highly respected yet entirely fictional , “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!”
This year has indeed been one to remember for the world at large, and the auto industry was anything but immune to what was happening to the world’s populace. Kelley Blue Book has put together a nifty color-coded infographic to take us back through 2011. It quickly reminds us how much of an upswing the industry as a whole was in for before the devastating earthquakes and tsunamis hit Japan in February. After that, the entire playing field shifted, largely in favor of the already surging U.S. domestic automakers, the Korean brands and , which had the good fortune of not having nearly as much of its production interrupted as and .
As 2011 closes, it would seem that the auto industry is once again approaching equilibrium, where all manufacturers are competing on just the merit of their wares, though as this past year has taught us, nature can change that in an instant.
to scan the entire infographic for yourself and let us know what automotive moments of the past year you’ll remember most by leaving a comment.
The (, ) is a product we were introduced to just this year and have made great use of. We suction-cupped a Replay XD1080 to the side of a minivan to back in August. We’ve also been using the Replay XD1080 to take high-res images and HD video of new vehicles we’re reviewing, as well as .
Truth is, you can attach the Replay XD1080 to almost anything: racing helmets, hoods, doors, dashes, windshields, roll cages, etc. Once affixed, it’s simple to set up the camera to shoot high-definition video or snap stills of whatever action is happening in front of it.
Normally the Replay XD1080 , but for you we’re making one available at the cost of nothing if you follow the instructions below to enter our fourth giveaway and are randomly selected as our lucky winner.
NOTE:Make sure to check your spam folders to see if you’re a winner of any of this week’s giveaways.
HOW TO ENTER
Leave a single comment on this post (if you leave two or more, all of your entries will be disqualified)
You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
Limit 1 entry per person during entry period
The entry period ends at 1:00 PM EST on Thursday, December 22th, 2011. We’ll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive the Replay XD1080 video camera valued at $299.99.
Two automakers emerged from last year’s Super Bowl as big winners with their million-dollar commercials. The first was debuting its to the melodic influences of one Eminem. The second was .
Germany’s automotive brand for the people debuted two commercials during last year’s game, but we bet you only remember the one with the mini Darth Vader. Called that spot was supposed to advertise Volkswagen’s all-new Passat, but instead the car seemed to shrink in the shadow of the commercial’s cute young star, . “The Force” went on to be the number one ad of the year according to ADWEEK and has been played over .
Well, VW thinks it got the recipe for lightning in a bottle and has announced plans to advertise again in this year’s upcoming Super Bowl. Instead of offering up two 30-second spots, however, the automaker will be putting all of its resources into one 60-second commercial. Which product will be quarterbacking VW’s run at the big game? The new , which was the forgotten-about star of last year’s other 30-second spot called
to refresh your memory by watching both “The Force” and “Black Beetle.”
We’re still a couple weeks away from the , but the Lexus LF-Lc has leaked thanks to the crew at Road & Track and their YouTube account.
We still don’t know much about Detroit-bound concept, but the swoopy coupe combines some of the more emotive elements of the , along with the grille of the that eventually formed the basis of the . The massively elongated hood terminates with headlamps that plummet deep into the air intakes and a more extreme grille than that found on the Predator-esque fascia of the Gh.
With an “Lc” designation, this could signal Lexus’ intention of building an -based coupe to take on the likes of the , but until the official curtains are pulled in Detroit, we’ll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, check out the video for the unintentional early reveal. As long as it stays on YouTube…
If you ever find yourself needing to talk someone out of purchasing a motorcycle, we suggest turning their eyes toward the interminable mire that is YouTube. For every clip of an amazing stunt or beautiful ride through the country, there’s 15 videos of motorcycle riders on the raw end of a collision with another vehicle.
Take the brief video after the jump for example. A group of riders are rolling through the relatively empty streets of St. Louis, and while one of the guys engages in a quick wheelie, the group doesn’t seem to be maintaining outrageous speed through the city center.
That’s when an inattentive driver in a casually rolls right through a red light and straight into our camera man. The collision sends bike and rider spilling through the intersection. Fortunately, no one seems permanently injured in the dust up.
The clip is an excellent reminder of just how invisible bikes can be, especially when other drivers aren’t paying attention. Would the Ranger have rolled the stop light if it were a full-size sedan driving down the street? It’s hard telling, but the video makes a solid case for wearing brighter leathers. to check it out for yourself. Just be wary of the substantial cursing that comes post crash.
As children of the ’80s, we remember Marvel’s What The-? series of comic books with fond memories. More recently, it appears the series has migrated to video on YouTube. Either way, playing parodies with Marvel’s most beloved characters makes for a romping good time, and has decided to buddy-up with the comic producer to help sell the .
The first episode of the Marvel/Toyota universe features one Dr. Bruce Banner, also known as The Incredible Hulk. After a brief cameo by Red Hulk, Mr. Banner hooks up with Dr. Strange and the two of them go on a road trip. In a Toyota Yaris, of course…
Along the way, they happen upon The Punisher, and add a third wheel to their roving band of superheroes. Oh, and they decided to head for Cleveland, Ohio, which has become amazing. Trust us when we tell you it’s all rather humorous. to watch The Incredible Drive, Part 1.
Before we get started, we feel the need to repeat the standard issue warning about automotive stupidity: Do not try what’s shown in the video after the jump, and if you do, make sure it’s in the safe confines of a legitimate track facility.
One individual recently learned firsthand what happens when you remove the factory’s 112-mph speed limiter on the and proceed to accelerate to 135 mph. The vehicle lost its driveshaft, which turned itself into a spinning hunk of metal that tore into the floorpan, bashed through its interior bits and generally caused mechanical mayhem.
The term for this type of failure is “catastrophic.”
So, what happened? Well, we might first point out that the driver of this particular Mustang was clearly still accelerating after the drivetrain started making suspect noises – never a good idea. We have to imagine the vehicle was vibrating like an overloaded Magic Fingers bed before things went sideways.
As it turns out, 305-horsepower, 280-pound-feet of torque 3.7-liter V6 Mustang is built with a 2.73 rear gear ratio and a lightweight, one-piece driveshaft that’s engineered to toe the line between fuel economy and performance. That driveshaft is part of the recipe that allow the coupe to produce yield 31 mpg highway – it simply isn’t built to handle the type of speeds the owner in the video after the jump submitted it to.
In a statement to Autoblog, said that the Mustang V6 is “the ultimate in fuel economy and performance,” noting that owners looking for more speed should look toward the Mustang GT with its 412 horsepower V8, heavy-duty two-piece drive shaft and variety of rear axle ratio choices. The Mustang GT is limited to 145 mph.
As an aside, we would also like to point out the idiocy of trying to film oneself at triple digits by hand. While the YouTube description says that the impromptu test course is a “closed” road, it looks like it might be a public roadway. The videographer is lucky to be alive. Keep it on the track, people, and to see the clip for yourself.
By now we’re familiar with the new-car introduction dance steps: first the leaks, then the , then more , then the official reveal with photos, then videos, then the auto show circuit. We’re at penultimate step with the , and after the jump you’ll find its -like nose punching its way through scenic landscapes.
A quick recap of what you’ll be seeing: a recontoured convertible with an intense light signature up front, a finessed, stylized interior, a Magic Sky Control roof and a rear end that we still need a little more time to get used to. There’s a 4.6-liter V8 with 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet under the hood, which is a hefty dose of power moving even less weight: the new car is 300 pounds lighter than its predecessor.
Enough reading about it, though, so head for the moving pictures .
“Wouldn’t it be cool to do something outrageous inside [our old headquarters] before all the walls finally came down?”
Why yes, , it would.
“Why not put , his drift car, and our abandoned HQ together for a unique drift demonstration in a unique industrial setting?”
Sounds like a great idea! And so we have the video after the break.
Sure, there’s more than a bit of B-movie-spec scripting and acting talent. But, as has proven time and again, all you need is a talented driver with a hot car plus plenty of tire smoke to make yourself some YouTube gold. See it all shake down in the video .
Corroborating long-held suspicions and spy shots, General Motors has confirmed that its surging marque will shortly receive a second crossover. Dubbed “Encore” (apparently GM is ), the five-seat CUV will be revealed at next month’s and carry a 2013 model year designation.
This is the first photo of a promised strip tease(r) series, clearly showing a characterful headlight and a vertical element grille similar to that of the Encore’s big brother, the popular three-row. We like what we see here, particularly the horizontal slat vent snugged into the headlamp assembly, even if the whole thing looks markedly less aggressive than Buick’s from April’s .
GM isn’t saying much about the vehicle at this point, other than to note that the Encore will bring “contemporary styling, signature QuietTuning technology, and a host of features and amenities customers expect from Buicks today.” Fair enough.
Buick promises that a new tab will go live on its this week showing a covered photo of the Encore so that you can make out its silhouette, and each week between now and its January 10 reveal, the automaker will digitally reveal a bit more of its new baby.
The world doesn’t need another “car show.” It needs a dedicated network for gearheads. And that’s what DRIVE is aiming to deliver on YouTube this January.
Produced by JF Musial ( recently? That’s him and his crew) and hosted by Chris Harris, Mike Spinelli, Leo Parente, Alex Roy and an assorted cast of characters, DRIVE will be putting out a range of auto-related shows covering everything from car reviews to motorsports.
Musial tells Autoblog that Harris will be the point-man for video reviews, with Parente handling motorsports coverage, Spinelli doing some form of news show and Roy taking his antics around the world for road-trip stories. So this isn’t just a single show, but a series of artfully crafted online videos that are part of YouTube’s original content push.
Check out the teaser video and before its big launch next month.
Remember the BAC Mono? The 1,190-pound, 280-horsepower, £79,950 single-seater from the UK was inspired by , a car that Autocar scribe Steve Sutcliffe called “” The Mono has a U.S. importer now, that being Sector111, the folks in Temecula, California that address the aftermarket needs of and and Ariel Atom owners.
Previously, the company had said its entire run of 50 for 2012 was sold out, but they’ve managed to scrape up “less than 12″ to offer the U.S. market next year. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but a straight conversion of the UK price works out to $125,138. That’s costly, but not out of the question for a roadgoing Elise-beater that can run like an F3 racer on the track and just happens to be .
Four videos have showing what is understood to be the destructive aftermath following news of . Without knowing for certain what’s happening, the videos appear to depict employees (or former employees) laughing as they trash prototype bodyshells of the three-wheeled, hyper-efficient vehicle.
Using a forklift, the people in the videos crush a bodyshell against the wall, drop on from on high and then put it into a dumpster. At the end of the first video, someone says, “None of this shit ends up on YouTube.” In another, an off-screen voice asks, “How much do you think these videos are worth?” Well, now that they’re publicly available, not much, but at the very least, these videos suggest that the shells were pretty sturdy. That’s worth something, right?
This all has the potential to go from bad to worse very quickly. Steve Fambro, Former Chief Technical Officer and co-founder of , that, “There is no viable or logical reason for this to have been done, only to prevent the founders from ever seeing their functioning works again.”
Earlier, Aptera co-founder Chris Anthony that the overall plan for the company once it went out of business was to put the assets into:
a trust with a very well respected Managed Liquidation Company. Their responsibility is to maximize the value of the remaining assets for the benefit of debt and share holders. There are no employees at Aptera and no Board of Directors. Everything that is Aptera, in terms of assets and IP, are now held by the Managed Liquidation Company.
This process to establish how the liquidation will occur has begun, but will take several weeks to be fully defined. Eventually, the assets will be auctioned off to the highest bidder to do with what they choose.
It is the responsibility of the managed liquidation company to protect Aptera’s assets and maximize their value now. They were there when the doors were closed and hold the only access to these assets now.
Nothing will be destroyed, taken away, or otherwise impacted in a way that value will be decreased.
We’re not sure how these videos change that statement, but you can watch them all .
Is there any higher form of comedy than Eastern Europeans doing stupid things with cars? This latest YouTube stunner features the usual stock characters: A guy wearing track pants, his cheap 15-year-old hatchback, and an audience egging him on. We’ll not give away the entire plot, but it involves an Opel with a trailer hitch, some high-tensile cord and a two-story brick wall. Let’s just say that the guy was given enough rope, barely…
Now be forewarned, this is an eight-plus-minute video. You will be as tempted to scrub forward to find the money shot as we are to give you the timecode when it happens. But we’re not going to do that, as the payoff is pretty spectacular. Watch the video .
Now more than ever, there’s a good chance a camera is watching you when you’re doing something stupid. Whether it’s dumping your Bugatti Veyron in a Texas marsh or crashing your during an impromptu street race, you may have to answer the unblinking eye of YouTube the next time things go squirrely behind the wheel.
Police in Montgomery County, Texas have reopened an investigation into a crash involving two . Officers on the scene originally called the crash an accident but decided to take a second look after a video of the two sports cars racing from light to light surfaced on the web.
As of right now, the clip has garnered more than 2.3 million views since it was uploaded on November 24. While no charges have been filed as of yet, there’s a good chance that these drivers may get slapped with a street racing offense in the coming days. Remember kids, keep it on the track and off the streets. to watch the video again.
Day Corvette crash may result in charges [w/video]
