Category: Auto Industry

Autoblog Podcast #229: Autoblog changes, Jaguar C-X75 and more

Filed under: Podcasts

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Editor in Chief John Neff kicks it old school with Chris Shunk and Dan Roth this week for Episode #229 of the Autoblog Podcast. The big changes afoot for Autoblog are but one topic of conversation, which ranges from the chatter about an Acura RSX successor, Jaguar’s C-X75 heading for production, the Opel Astra GTC coming to Buick, and Toyota’s commitment to plug-in hybrids for the 2014 Prius. Your feedback and questions finish it off, and we’ve re-posted the Q&A at the bottom of this post so you can play along at home, too. Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next week!

Autoblog Podcast #229: Autoblog changes, Acura RSX successor, Jaguar C-X75, Astra GTC for Buick, Plug-in Prius

  • Big changes for Autoblog.com
  • Acura RSX Successor coming?
  • Jaguar C-X75 headed for production
  • Astra GTC coming as a Buick
  • Prius going all plug in for 2014

In the Autoblog Garage:

2011 Jaguar XF Supercharged
2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited


Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, John Neff
Runtime: 01:26:24

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Autoblog Podcast #229: Autoblog changes, Jaguar C-X75 and more originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford looks to weeds for interiors

Filed under: Etc., Ford

Ford dandelion research

Ford researches dandelions for plastics – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you are going to use a plant as a renewable resource to create sustainable materials suitable for automotive use, you may as well start with a weeds. After all, anyone who lives in states with plenty of lush, green grass knows how prevalent dandelions are in the summer months.

And so it’s not terribly surprising that researchers from Ford and The Ohio State University are working on new rubber and plastic compounds created from the milky white juice that seeps from the stem of the yellow-flowered weeds. The specific plant being used is the Russian dandelion, otherwise known as Taraxacum kok-saghyz to all you budding botanists out there.

Before any dandelions actually start showing up in our cars, Ford needs to ensure the rubber and plastic produced in this process is up to its quality standards. If that happens, such plastics could be used for floor mats, cupholders and interior trim pieces.

Another potential natural plastic resource is the guayule (apparently a shrub that grows naturally in southwestern U.S.). Click past the break to read the entire press release from Ford.

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Ford looks to weeds for interiors originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vettel gets in trouble in Turkey for driving, then drinking

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Middle East

Vettel drinks champagne on the podium in Turkey

Ruh-roh. It looks like Sebastian Vettel hasn’t quite ingratiated himself with his hosts in Istanbul, though there’s no telling what (if any) repercussions might ensue.

According to reports, Vettel was told before the start of this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix that, if he were to win, he would not be allowed to drink the champagne. Not because alcohol isn’t permitted in Turkey – while in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain the traditional bubbly is replaced with a sparkling non-alcoholic beverage in deference to the ban on alcohol under Sharia (Muslim law), Turkey, while predominantly Muslim, is a more liberal country. No, the instructions were given specifically to Vettel because of a new Turkish law that places the minimum drinking age at 24. And Vettel (both the youngest race winner and the youngest world champion in F1 history) is just 23. As you can see above, drink champagne he did.

Now Vettel isn’t the youngest driver on the grid this year. Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari and Sauber’s Sergio Perez are all younger, but given their track records compared to Vettel’s… well, let’s just say the bookies weren’t giving even odds on that particular bet.

The restrictions in Turkey extend as well to a ban on advertising alcohol, forcing some teams to temporarily jettison their liquor sponsors (much as they did when tobacco advertising was banned in certain countries, but not others). McLaren, for example, is sponsored by Johnnie Walker scotch whisky, as Force India is by Whyte & Mackay, while Sauber is sponsored by Jose Cuervo tequila. (Ferrari is apparently no longer sponsored by Martini, while we assume Vettel and Webber simply left the vodka out of their Red Bulls for this round.)

Will Vettel face some sort of punishment at the hands of the Turkish authorities? We’d hate to think what that would entail, but one way or another, he’ll be legal by next year’s grand prix. That is, assuming the race takes place again next year; an increase in the fees by Bernie Ecclestone could mean that this year’s was the last for Istanbul Park.

Vettel gets in trouble in Turkey for driving, then drinking originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: Tornado Attack Vehicle can be yours for $100k

Filed under: Aftermarket, Truck, Auctions, Etc., Work, Off-Road

Tornado Attack Vehicle

Tornado attack vehicle – Click above for high-res image gallery

One of the toughest aspects of tornado chasing, besides running headlong into almost certain death, is finding a vehicle that can withstand the violent onslaught of wind and debris generated even by (relatively) weak storms. Over the years, storm chasers have come up with all sorts of solutions to the transportation issue, with everything from beefed-up pickup trucks to balls-to-the-wall armor-plated beasts.

The Tornado Attack Vehicle is the latter, and is credited as being one of the first specialized tornado chasing machines ever created. The truck was commissioned by legendary tornado chaser Steven Green and is the first vehicle to be driven in to the heart of a funnel cloud. Even with heavy modifications, Green knew a road-going pickup truck platform wasn’t going to cut it. To ensure he and his team got through the twister and lived to tell about it, he had the truck built from the ground up.

The skeleton of the monster is a steel tube frame, draped with 16-gauge steel bodywork. The windows and wheel covers are made of bulletproof M10 Lexan plastic, while the windshield sports a triple layer of super-strong DuPont Mylar. According to the listing, one layer of Mylar is enough to stop a .38 caliber pistol round.

All that armor means this thing isn’t what you would call light, so a Chevrolet ZZ502 big block was chosen to send power to front and rear Dana axles through a custom Turbo 400 automatic transmission. That’s an impressive list of specs to be sure, but we’ll stick to doing our tornado watching courtesy of CNN. Check out the full eBay listing here.

eBay Find of the Day: Tornado Attack Vehicle can be yours for $100k originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW M5 gets sideways and leaves long trails of rubber

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Videos, BMW

f10 bmw m5

The new BMW M5 is not afraid to get wet – Click above to watch video after the jump

Are you currently suffering from BMW M5 withdrawal? Autoblog is here to help, and we’d like to offer up a video that will allow you to cope while you wait for the production version of the newest M5 to be revealed. BMW is still testing and fine-tuning the F10 M5, but the German automaker has been kind enough to bring a camera along to capture the more exciting bits.

Test drivers examine how the M5 responds to wet weather, steep inclines and smoky launches. Here’s a spoiler for you; it handles all of that quite well. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Click past the jump to see for yourself.

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BMW M5 gets sideways and leaves long trails of rubber originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plastic Fantastic: Are composite engines the future?

Filed under: Aftermarket, Technology, Ford

plastic engineFlorida engineer Matti Holtzberg has spent the last 40 years trying to perfect and implement a way of building useable engine blocks from composite plastics. With the advent of carbon fiber and its subsequent permeation of all things high-performance, Holtzberg decided to apply the technology to his composite engine idea.

Armed with a vast base of research and immense skill, Holtzberg retooled his operation to mold carbon composite engine blocks, with an eye toward selling them to racing teams. Holtzberg’s blocks are based on the venerable 2.0-liter Duratec mill that sees duty in the Ford Focus.

Holtzberg’s carbon-fiber block has the potential to save more than 20 pounds over the aluminum equivalent, but at an enormous cost. There’s no definite word on pricing just yet, but it should be at least $2,500 per pound saved, which pretty well limits the technology to race teams… for now.

The technology could make huge leaps forward in weight saving and fuel economy should it ever hit the streets, but don’t figure on that happening for quite a while.

Plastic Fantastic: Are composite engines the future? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quake damaged paint plant comes back online in Japan

Filed under: Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, Safety

red paint lincoln mks

The March 11 earthquake and resultant tsunami in Japan rocked the country’s automotive supply chain, leaving many suppliers with damaged factories and unreliable power. One nearly immediate impact was that automakers like Ford, Toyota and Chrysler could no longer offer colors like red or black.

That’s because Merck’s Onahama factory, which makes the Xirallic pigment used to add luster to colors, was damaged by the natural disaster. But while repairs were scheduled to take longer, The Detroit News reports that the facility was fixed ahead of schedule and production has resumed.

Peter Halas, who heads Pigments and Cosmetics at Merck, said in a statement that the timely repair of the factory was a major achievement, adding “I would like to thank our employees in Japan for their tremendous efforts.”

Merck says that the Onahama facility, which is 36 miles south of the badly damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, is outside of the evacuation area, and the company will adhere to public directives to ensure the safety of employees. The company is also testing products from the plant to comply with safety standards.

To help prevent future shortages of Xirallic, Merck says it plans to establish another production site in Germany for the popular pigment.

Quake damaged paint plant comes back online in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo confirms all-new XC90 for U.S.

Filed under: SUV, Crossover, Volvo

volvo xc90

Volvo has confirmed that the U.S. market is primed to receive a redesigned XC90. Automotive News had the chance to sit down with Doug Speck, CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, and suss out the automaker’s plans for the future. While pushing for increased sales of the new S60 is part of Volvo’s short-term strategy, bringing in a replacement for its aging XC90 is certainly a key component to the marque’s long-term success.

There is no talk yet of a timetable or just what’s in store for the next generation XC90. Now that the S60 sedan has been given a well-conceived makeover, we have to assume that Volvo’s dealers are chomping at the bit for the strong-selling XC60 to get a new-and-improved big brother.

Volvo confirms all-new XC90 for U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Optima beats Camry, Accord in CR test, Altima still favorite; Explorer lambasted

Filed under: Sedan, SUV, Ford, Honda, Kia

2011 kia optima 2.0t

2011 Kia Optima 2.0T – Click above for high-res image gallery

The mid-size sedan battle rages on year after year. Perennial kings are dethroned while new challengers emerge boasting fresh styling and a bountiful list of standard features. Consumer Reports launches its June issue today, and the institute’s testers have put a host of family-minded four-doors powered by four-cylinder engines through a workout to determine which is the top dog. Ten vehicles were tested but, as Christopher Lambert will tell you, there can be only one.

As it has here at Autoblog Towers, Kia’s 2011 Optima draws big praise from the Consumer Reports crew. In fact, the Korean squeezes out a higher rating than the Honda Accord. It may have only beat the Honda by one point, but this represents a significant win for Kia. The opinions of Consumer Reports are highly valued by a large number of car shoppers, and this victory ought to push the Optima further onto radar of the American car buying public. Interestingly, while the Optima earned a “Very Good” rating, it wasn’t the comparison’s overall winner, however, as the Nissan Altima (a perennial CR favorite) claimed the test’s top spot, neatly trumping the Honda and the best-selling Toyota Camry in the process.

One vehicle not fairing so well in the June issue of Consumer Reports? The 2011 Ford Explorer. Nineteen mid-size sport utility vehicles were rounded up for testing, and the Explorer wound up in 17th place – well behind the Toyota Highlander Hybrid – a dismal showing for the Blue Oval brand. If you don’t have an issue of CR in your mailbox, check out the official press release after the jump for more details.

Continue reading Optima beats Camry, Accord in CR test, Altima still favorite; Explorer lambasted

Optima beats Camry, Accord in CR test, Altima still favorite; Explorer lambasted originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lowered Ram dually is world’s most awesomely inefficient can crusher

Filed under: Truck, Etc., Videos

Coors Light can ready for Ram pickup crushing

Dually owner understands the value in recycling – Click above to watch video after the jump

There are many ways to crush a Coors Light can. One can go with the classic squeeze box, the ogre-brand forehead smash or perhaps you might prefer to let your foot do the stomping. The owner of an air-bag suspension-equipped Dodge Ram HD dually pickup has another option when it comes time to crush cans; flip a switch and let the quad-cab do the recycling.

Click past the jump to watch a very expensive way to earn five cents.

Continue reading Lowered Ram dually is world’s most awesomely inefficient can crusher

Lowered Ram dually is world’s most awesomely inefficient can crusher originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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