Category: Auto Industry

Report: Drunken BBQ leads to 64 torched cars [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Safety, Videos

Parking lot fire at French stunt show

The phrase “You’re doing it wrong,” doesn’t really even begin to describe this one. We’ll admit to being concerned whenever we have to park in a field. There’s always a fear, especially during dry weather, that one person’s negligence could cause the whole lot to go up.

And that’s almost exactly what happened in Noyal-Pontivy, Brittany, France. A cluster of cars were parked in a field outside a stunt show, when a pair of intoxicated men decided to break out the barbecue for a bit of tailgating (or whatever the French call it). The only problem being they didn’t bother to put their grill out before leaving for the show.

The resulting fast-moving blaze required 40 firefighters to bring it under control, along with a farmer cutting a fire line to contain the inferno. 64 torched cars later, the police were on hand to conduct their investigation into how the wildfire started. That’s when our two drunkards came forward, taking responsibility for their negligence. The men face two years in prison. Scroll down for video from the scene.

Continue reading Drunken BBQ leads to 64 torched cars [w/video]

Drunken BBQ leads to 64 torched cars [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Drunken BBQ leads to 64 torched cars [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Safety, Videos

Parking lot fire at French stunt show

The phrase “You’re doing it wrong,” doesn’t really even begin to describe this one. We’ll admit to being concerned whenever we have to park in a field. There’s always a fear, especially during dry weather, that one person’s negligence could cause the whole lot to go up.

And that’s almost exactly what happened in Noyal-Pontivy, Brittany, France. A cluster of cars were parked in a field outside a stunt show, when a pair of intoxicated men decided to break out the barbecue for a bit of tailgating (or whatever the French call it). The only problem being they didn’t bother to put their grill out before leaving for the show.

The resulting fast-moving blaze required 40 firefighters to bring it under control, along with a farmer cutting a fire line to contain the inferno. 64 torched cars later, the police were on hand to conduct their investigation into how the wildfire started. That’s when our two drunkards came forward, taking responsibility for their negligence. The men face two years in prison. Scroll down for video from the scene.

Continue reading Drunken BBQ leads to 64 torched cars [w/video]

Drunken BBQ leads to 64 torched cars [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Maserati and Zegna to roll out limited-edition Quattroporte in Frankfurt

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Sedan, Maserati, Luxury

Maserati Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna Limited Edition Concept

Back in April, Maserati announced a new partnership with men’s clothier Ermenegildo Zegna. We wondered at the time how a Maserati could possibly get any more stereotypically Italian stylish, but now the Modenese automaker is presenting the answer in this fresh take on the new Quattroporte.

When the doors open at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, Maserati will unveil the Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna Limited Edition concept car. That’s their name, not ours, and if you’re wondering how a production vehicle could be turned at once into both a concept and a limited edition, well… we don’t know, either. Maserati says that it previews a production version to follow next year.

So, confusing nomenclature aside, what are we looking at here? For starters, there’s a special platinum-color paint finish with tiny aluminum flecks and a gloss-black primer to give it that extra-deep luster. And the interior has been upholstered in “moka” and “greige,” with leather seats, door panels and headliner and other surfaces finished in Zegna’s own textiles.

We have the feeling pictures probably don’t do it justice, as strikes us as the kind of thing you have to see in person to appreciate, so we’ll look forward to seeing how it comes across in the flesh next week.

Continue reading Maserati and Zegna to roll out limited-edition Quattroporte in Frankfurt

Maserati and Zegna to roll out limited-edition Quattroporte in Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Maserati and Zegna to roll out limited-edition Quattroporte in Frankfurt

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Sedan, Maserati, Luxury

Maserati Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna Limited Edition Concept

Back in April, Maserati announced a new partnership with men’s clothier Ermenegildo Zegna. We wondered at the time how a Maserati could possibly get any more stereotypically Italian stylish, but now the Modenese automaker is presenting the answer in this fresh take on the new Quattroporte.

When the doors open at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, Maserati will unveil the Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna Limited Edition concept car. That’s their name, not ours, and if you’re wondering how a production vehicle could be turned at once into both a concept and a limited edition, well… we don’t know, either. Maserati says that it previews a production version to follow next year.

So, confusing nomenclature aside, what are we looking at here? For starters, there’s a special platinum-color paint finish with tiny aluminum flecks and a gloss-black primer to give it that extra-deep luster. And the interior has been upholstered in “moka” and “greige,” with leather seats, door panels and headliner and other surfaces finished in Zegna’s own textiles.

We have the feeling pictures probably don’t do it justice, as strikes us as the kind of thing you have to see in person to appreciate, so we’ll look forward to seeing how it comes across in the flesh next week.

Continue reading Maserati and Zegna to roll out limited-edition Quattroporte in Frankfurt

Maserati and Zegna to roll out limited-edition Quattroporte in Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: CA stops plans for RFID-enabled driver’s licenses [w/poll]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

California lawmakers suspended legislation to embed driver's licenses and ID cards with radio frequency identification chips.

California could have become the fifth state to issue enhanced driver’s licenses (EDL) and identification cards embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, but last Friday, state lawmakers suspended the legislation over privacy concerns. The RFID-equipped cards were to be optional, but ultimately it was a lack of measures to prevent law enforcement from tapping into the chips that killed the bill, Wired reports.

California EDLs originally were intended to be a solution to long wait times at the US-Mexico border – drivers carrying EDLs would not have to show a passport to re-enter the US at land border checkpoints where RFID readers are used. Michigan, New York, Vermont and Washington are the four states that already employ EDLs, and residents of those states don’t need a passport to re-enter the US at most land borders if they have one of the special licenses.

Privacy advocates are worried that if more states start using EDLs and enhanced ID cards, they could become mandatory across the US, allowing the government to surveil the motoring public without its knowledge. Information on the RFID cards is stored in a secure database at the Department of Homeland Security. “It’s not difficult to imagine a time when the EDL programs cease to be optional,” says Jim Harper, the Cato Institute’s director of information policy studies. “The government also tends to expand programs far beyond their original purpose.”

Ben Hueso, a California senator from San Diego, supports RFID technology and offers a different viewpoint. “Enhanced Driver’s Licenses can provide a significant economic benefit to the state of California, while strengthening border security,” Hueso wrote in a press release in May, according to Wired.

We’re not sure what’s best for California regarding RFID technology, but considering how much of an impact technology like this could make on its citizens’ privacy, it’s encouraging to see lawmakers and privacy advocates treading carefully and airing concerns. Stay tuned for more on this issue – it isn’t going away any time soon.

View Poll

CA stops plans for RFID-enabled driver’s licenses [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: CA stops plans for RFID-enabled driver’s licenses [w/poll]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

California lawmakers suspended legislation to embed driver's licenses and ID cards with radio frequency identification chips.

California could have become the fifth state to issue enhanced driver’s licenses (EDL) and identification cards embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, but last Friday, state lawmakers suspended the legislation over privacy concerns. The RFID-equipped cards were to be optional, but ultimately it was a lack of measures to prevent law enforcement from tapping into the chips that killed the bill, Wired reports.

California EDLs originally were intended to be a solution to long wait times at the US-Mexico border – drivers carrying EDLs would not have to show a passport to re-enter the US at land border checkpoints where RFID readers are used. Michigan, New York, Vermont and Washington are the four states that already employ EDLs, and residents of those states don’t need a passport to re-enter the US at most land borders if they have one of the special licenses.

Privacy advocates are worried that if more states start using EDLs and enhanced ID cards, they could become mandatory across the US, allowing the government to surveil the motoring public without its knowledge. Information on the RFID cards is stored in a secure database at the Department of Homeland Security. “It’s not difficult to imagine a time when the EDL programs cease to be optional,” says Jim Harper, the Cato Institute’s director of information policy studies. “The government also tends to expand programs far beyond their original purpose.”

Ben Hueso, a California senator from San Diego, supports RFID technology and offers a different viewpoint. “Enhanced Driver’s Licenses can provide a significant economic benefit to the state of California, while strengthening border security,” Hueso wrote in a press release in May, according to Wired.

We’re not sure what’s best for California regarding RFID technology, but considering how much of an impact technology like this could make on its citizens’ privacy, it’s encouraging to see lawmakers and privacy advocates treading carefully and airing concerns. Stay tuned for more on this issue – it isn’t going away any time soon.

View Poll

CA stops plans for RFID-enabled driver’s licenses [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teased: Renault teases ‘premium’ Frankfurt concept

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Renault, Design/Style, Luxury

Renault 2013 Frankfurt concept car teaser

Nobody does ‘premium’ like Renault – and we do mean nobody. The French automaker has thrown all manner of projectiles at Europe’s luxury car market dartboard over the years, including the left-field Vel Satis and Avantime ‘coupe’ of the 2000s – models that looked more like MPVs than traditional premium cars. Today, Renault still offers its po-faced Latitude sedan, but the badge-engineered Korean Samsung SM5 hasn’t caught on – even among Francophiles. In fact, the whole idea of French luxury is almost nonexistent in today’s marketplace, with the Citroën C6 having recently gone out of production.

But judging by this teaser photo for next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Renault may not be willing to cede the upper end of the market just yet. Along with the tightly cropped image of the headlamp above, Renault has issued a statement saying it will unveil a “new concept car which embodies its vision of Premium motoring.”

There’s no further details to go on, other than a statement saying this is the “latest opus in Renault Design’s lifecycle-based series of concept cars,” all of which will be displayed at the show. That grouping of six showcars, we might add, was designed under Laurens van den Acker’s leadership, with such notables as the stunning 2010 DeZir coupe and scissor-doored Captur concept of 2011. Whatever this unnamed concept turns out to be, we’re guessing it’ll be unmissable.

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Renault teases ‘premium’ Frankfurt concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teased: Renault teases ‘premium’ Frankfurt concept

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Renault, Design/Style, Luxury

Renault 2013 Frankfurt concept car teaser

Nobody does ‘premium’ like Renault – and we do mean nobody. The French automaker has thrown all manner of projectiles at Europe’s luxury car market dartboard over the years, including the left-field Vel Satis and Avantime ‘coupe’ of the 2000s – models that looked more like MPVs than traditional premium cars. Today, Renault still offers its po-faced Latitude sedan, but the badge-engineered Korean Samsung SM5 hasn’t caught on – even among Francophiles. In fact, the whole idea of French luxury is almost nonexistent in today’s marketplace, with the Citroën C6 having recently gone out of production.

But judging by this teaser photo for next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Renault may not be willing to cede the upper end of the market just yet. Along with the tightly cropped image of the headlamp above, Renault has issued a statement saying it will unveil a “new concept car which embodies its vision of Premium motoring.”

There’s no further details to go on, other than a statement saying this is the “latest opus in Renault Design’s lifecycle-based series of concept cars,” all of which will be displayed at the show. That grouping of six showcars, we might add, was designed under Laurens van den Acker’s leadership, with such notables as the stunning 2010 DeZir coupe and scissor-doored Captur concept of 2011. Whatever this unnamed concept turns out to be, we’re guessing it’ll be unmissable.

Continue reading Renault teases ‘premium’ Frankfurt concept

Renault teases ‘premium’ Frankfurt concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Honda launches new Fit in Japan, has big expectations for North America

Filed under: Budget, Hybrid, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Honda

2015 Honda Fit RS

2015 Honda Fit HybridHonda has officially launched the Fit sub-compact in its home market, ahead of its eventual arrival in North America. The third-generation Fit is wildly important for Honda, with the company’s president, Takanobu Ito, saying, “This is the most important model.”

The third-generation Fit is a ground-up reworking of the car that we’ve come to know. It will pioneer Honda’s new design language, Exciting H Design (seriously) and will also be the very first Fit to be manufactured in North America. Thanks to a Mexican factory that is scheduled to open in the spring of 2014, Honda will be able to produce 200,000 Fits for the North American market in North America, saving the brand a huge amount of cash.

As for that Exciting H Design, it’s meant to be sleeker and more modern, according to Automotive News. It’s not bad looking, but the overall design is far less important than what’s under that hood. The vehicle you see above is a Fit RS, which has quite a resemblance to the rumored Fit Mugen. There’s not a lot of detail on this model, but based on looks alone, we certainly hope it’ll be coming to the North American market – it’d make a great Fit Sport. A hybrid variant will also come to the US market, and that car is returning impressive numbers on the Japanese cycle: 86 miles per gallon so far, thanks to the combination of an 1.5-liter, Atkinson-cycle, four-cylinder engine and a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission. That’s a 35-percent improvement over the current, JDM Fit Hybrid.

Indeed, if the Fit Hybrid can return anything near those numbers on the US EPA cycle, it should do well. Ito’s demands for improved economy are part of what has him believing that Honda will eventually move 1.5 million Fits by 2016. The Honda boss is also expecting the B-segment car to become the brand’s best seller, overall, surpassing the Civic, CR-V and Accord. Those are some big expectations.

Honda launches new Fit in Japan, has big expectations for North America originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Honda launches new Fit in Japan, has big expectations for North America

Filed under: Budget, Hybrid, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Honda

2015 Honda Fit RS

2015 Honda Fit HybridHonda has officially launched the Fit sub-compact in its home market, ahead of its eventual arrival in North America. The third-generation Fit is wildly important for Honda, with the company’s president, Takanobu Ito, saying, “This is the most important model.”

The third-generation Fit is a ground-up reworking of the car that we’ve come to know. It will pioneer Honda’s new design language, Exciting H Design (seriously) and will also be the very first Fit to be manufactured in North America. Thanks to a Mexican factory that is scheduled to open in the spring of 2014, Honda will be able to produce 200,000 Fits for the North American market in North America, saving the brand a huge amount of cash.

As for that Exciting H Design, it’s meant to be sleeker and more modern, according to Automotive News. It’s not bad looking, but the overall design is far less important than what’s under that hood. The vehicle you see above is a Fit RS, which has quite a resemblance to the rumored Fit Mugen. There’s not a lot of detail on this model, but based on looks alone, we certainly hope it’ll be coming to the North American market – it’d make a great Fit Sport. A hybrid variant will also come to the US market, and that car is returning impressive numbers on the Japanese cycle: 86 miles per gallon so far, thanks to the combination of an 1.5-liter, Atkinson-cycle, four-cylinder engine and a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission. That’s a 35-percent improvement over the current, JDM Fit Hybrid.

Indeed, if the Fit Hybrid can return anything near those numbers on the US EPA cycle, it should do well. Ito’s demands for improved economy are part of what has him believing that Honda will eventually move 1.5 million Fits by 2016. The Honda boss is also expecting the B-segment car to become the brand’s best seller, overall, surpassing the Civic, CR-V and Accord. Those are some big expectations.

Honda launches new Fit in Japan, has big expectations for North America originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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