Category: Auto Industry

Report: Hyundai app lets you build your own zombie apocalypse car

Filed under: Hyundai, Humor

Hyundai app lets you build your own zombie apocalypse car

Walking Dead fans, rejoice! Thanks to Hyundai, you can build your very own virtual zombie survival machine. We’ve all seen the light-green Hyundai Tucson transporting the likes of Rick Grimes and his motley crew of survivors in AMC’s hit series, and now you can get in on the action with Hyundai’s Walking Dead Chop Shop.

Available both as a mobile app and desktop version, this quirky configurator presents you with a choice of three Hyundai vehicles: the Veloster Turbo, Santa Fe and Elantra. Each one has its strengths, though we particularly like the Santa Fe’s utility. After all, according to Hyundai, “There’s room for seven survivors inside” and you won’t have to worry about “getting zombie all over your seats. They’re easy to wipe clean.” But for those who prefer not to invite zombies along for the journey, the speedy Veloster Turbo and its 201-horsepower engine may be the way to go.

Once you select your post-apocalyptic ride, you have a choice of colors (including Apocalypse Black, of course), decals (“Alive Inside” is a useful one) and nearly 300 other zombie-fighting features. We’re partial to the automatic shotguns on the hood, although the flamethrower is also quite tempting. You can even add titanium or aluminum armor and a dizzying array of other defensive and offensive weapons: spinning saw blades on the wheels, a horde plow on the front bumper and barbed wire on the side windows, just to name a few.

When you’re finished creating your zombie death machine, the app spits out a percentage rating your likelihood of survival. You can also share your vehicle with friends on Facebook and Twitter. According to Hyundai, 37,672 vehicles have been built so far. And out of these, they’ll choose one vehicle to build for the New York Comic-Con convention this October (the automaker already debuted a zombie survival concept based on the Veloster at the San Diego Comic-Con). The only question now is… when can we buy one of these things for real?

Hyundai app lets you build your own zombie apocalypse car originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Aug 2013 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Toyota reports huge quarterly profit increase, raises forecast for the year

Filed under: Toyota, Earnings/Financials

2014 Toyota Tundra Grille

Toyota isn’t just the world’s largest automaker – so far its the biggest winner for quarterly profits. With an enormous $5.5 billion take during Q2, Toyota took advantage of the weak Japanese yen and strong US demand to record a 94-percent improvement in profit over the same period from last year. So far, Toyota brought in larger profits than Ford and General Motors combined.

Toyota is showing no signs of slowing down either, as it has bumped up its forecast for full-year global production, going from 9.94 million to 10.12 million vehicles, on the back of a 13-percent drop in the buying power of the Japanese yen versus the US dollar. That strong exchange rate is largely responsible for Toyota’s big jump in profits, although it also managed to shift 1.3 million vehicles in the US market this year. Strong Camry sales have also helped. But while Toyota is raking in the cash, it actually saw a small drop in market share, down 0.1 percent to 14.3 percent of the US market.

As is the case with most automakers, Toyota seems flummoxed by Europe, where it recorded less than one percent of its revenue. Still, as Automotive News points out, Toyota only maintains a 4.5-percent market share in Europe and is far less dependent on the continent than other manufacturers. Toyota also struggled at home, much like Honda. With 525,777 units sold, JDM sales were down almost 51,000 units, although Toyota still saw its operating profit jump from $3.5 billion to $4.6 billion.

Scroll down for Toyota’s official press release.

Continue reading Toyota reports huge quarterly profit increase, raises forecast for the year

Toyota reports huge quarterly profit increase, raises forecast for the year originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Aug 2013 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Kia Hotbots come back out to play with 2014 Forte

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Kia

Kia Hotbot ad

Kia is bringing back its so-called “hotbots,” the slightly disturbing female robots that traipse about the uncanny valley while hustling the new Forte and “respecting the tech,” for three new, humorous animated spots.

The Hotbots first debuted during Kia’s latest Super Bowl spot, which followed the debut of the 2014 Forte sedan at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. Each new spot follows the premise of the two originals, with the hotbots protecting the Forte while the oblivious owner stands by. Take a look at all three ads below, along with the two originals that kicked the series off.

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Kia Hotbots come back out to play with 2014 Forte originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Aug 2013 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Watch an Acura NSX prototype lap the track at Mid-Ohio

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Videos, Acura

Acura NSX prototype at Mid-Ohio

As promised, Acura trotted its NSX prototype out to the mass of waiting fans ahead of today’s Honda Indy 200 IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio. The hybrid supercar took to the track for a fast lap, and Acura was kind enough to attach a score of cameras to the car in order to share the event with the rest of the world.

The blue-wrapped NSX looks pretty darn good on a race track, if we do say so ourselves, and its V6 engine, coupled with its three electric motors and lithium-ion battery pack, sounds awfully sweet at full song. The automaker is promising to release its new NSX in 2015, which is still quite a ways away, so we don’t expect this exhibition lap to be the last time we see a prototype in action ahead of a production debut.

Want to see the video? Of course you do. Scroll down to see the NSX take to the track like a fish takes to water.

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Watch an Acura NSX prototype lap the track at Mid-Ohio originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Aug 2013 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorsports: First X Games Gymkhana GRID race is officially in the books [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Celebrities, Racing

2013 X-Games Gymkhana GRID

If you don’t want to know who won the first-ever X Games Gymkhana GRID event, which just happened late last night in Los Angeles, now would be the time to stop reading.

Still there? Okay, good. In the end, it came down to Tanner Foust and Patrick Sandell, with Foust managing to win the first two races of the best-out-of-three format. Ken Block, who’s name is synonymous with Gymkhana, was taken out in the quarterfinals by Liam Doran, who went on to win the bronze medal.

We were on hand at the event, and we came away with plenty of tire-smoking live images for your viewing pleasure. After checking those out, why not scroll down and watch the main event yourself in the video below? Also, don’t forget that the Rallycross event takes place later tonight – we will, of course, be there to bring you all the details.

Continue reading First X Games Gymkhana GRID race is officially in the books [w/video]

First X Games Gymkhana GRID race is officially in the books [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Aug 2013 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Watch Marc Gené hit the track in an Alfa Romeo 4C, then get the girl

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Alfa Romeo

Watch the Alfa Romeo get driven on track by Marc Gené.

Alfa Romeo has turned up the heat on its 4C ad campaign, and we can’t tell if it’s from the hot laps Formula 1 test driver and Le Mans racer Marc Gené did in the car or the hot woman waiting for him and his passenger when they pull off the track. It seems yet another trend has started, as seen in a recent video starring the KTM X-Bow.

In the commercial (the first video), Gené picks up who we are supposed to believe is a complete stranger in a lightly camouflaged 4C, then mysteriously drives to a race track. Upon arrival, they strip off the camo, then Gené takes a lap at wide-open-throttle with the passenger on board. Afterwards, the duo is greeted in the pits by a blonde sweetheart.

In the second video (which has an in-car view of one lap), Gené is happy to indulge in one, screeching powerslide, and the car reaches almost 132 miles per hour on the straightaway. Unfortunately, at the end of the straight, Gené says, “It breaks a lot. It really breaks…”

But don’t worry, there’s no crash to be seen here, and no broken-down Alfas, either – just some badly translated subtitles. (Of course! It brakes a lot…) See for yourself in the video below.

Continue reading Watch Marc Gené hit the track in an Alfa Romeo 4C, then get the girl

Watch Marc Gené hit the track in an Alfa Romeo 4C, then get the girl originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Aug 2013 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chinese automaker looks to patent VW Taigun copy before original goes on sale

Filed under: China, Government/Legal, Volkswagen, Humor

China. Just when we thought the People’s Republic was finally developing its own unique, interesting design language and was attracting big-name manufacturers to set up design studios, this happens. This is not a Volkswagen Taigun. This is a patent filing from a company known as Jiangsu Lake Motors, and it is a virtual ripoff of the VW that’s slated to debut in China around 2016. Yes, a Chinese company is trying to patent someone else’s design before it can go on sale.

The profile is nearly a carbon copy of the stylish new mini-CUV, while there’s an incremental degree of originality in the front and rear of the car, with ever so slight styling tweaks. According to IndianAutosBlog, Jiangsu Lake came up with a name as original as the car its patenting: “SUV.” This is far, far, far from the first time Chinese designers have blatantly stolen the design of a western vehicle, as IAB points out, but so far as we can recall, it’s the first time a Chinese brand has attempted to patent the stolen design. Volkswagen should be lawyering up any minute.

Chinese automaker looks to patent VW Taigun copy before original goes on sale originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Aug 2013 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Acura releases yet another NSX track teaser vid

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Acura

On Sunday, August 4th (yep, that’s tomorrow), a prototype version of the all-new Acura NSX will make its public track debut ahead of the Honda 200 IndyCar race. Acura has already given us a short video snippet to enjoy, but now it’s added one more to get our hearts racing just a little more.

Before you watch it, make sure your speakers or headphones are turned up, because what the low-resolution video lacks in visual quality, it more than makes up for with its audio of the NSX’s exhaust screaming as the car tackles Mid-Ohio. And at the end of the video, the caption reads “watch the NSX racing prototype take a lap.”

Acura isn’t joking either. From what we hear, the car is expected to take one lap before the race and then disappear for the weekend. Scroll down to see and hear the NSX in action.

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Acura releases yet another NSX track teaser vid originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Aug 2013 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Canada getting ready to sell GM stake

Filed under: Government/Legal, GM, Earnings/Financials, Canada

Canada readies to sell stake in GM.

Canada’s federal government and the government of the province of Ontario have started searching for an investment bank to sell the rest of their combined 140 million shares in General Motors, according to an unidentified source, Bloomberg reports. That represents a 10-percent stake up for sale. The news doesn’t come as a surprise because Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said in December that Canada wanted to sell its shares of GM stock, a point that was reiterated yesterday by one of his spokespeople.

Canada invested $9.5 million for 175 million shares of GM’s stock in 2009 as part of the company’s government bailout. The automaker made an Initial Public Offering in November 2010, at which point Canada sold 35 million shares. The country currently is the third-largest GM shareholder, behind the US Treasury and GM-United Automobile Workers Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association. Two-thirds of Canada’s stake are held by the federal government and one-third by the Ontario government.

In addition to Canada’s move to sell its GM stock, the US Treasury also said in December that it planned to sell all of its stock in the next 15 months, reports Bloomberg. It seems to be a good time to sell, as the stock has gained 11 percent since the IPO and 27 percent so far this year.

Canada getting ready to sell GM stake originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Aug 2013 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: I’m Stuck app informs your elected officials when you’re in traffic

Filed under: Safety, Technology

LA traffic

Traffic, as we’ve established, is one of the worst things about driving. Too many motorists on too few roads is enough to ruin one’s day, not to mention the impact vehicle congestion has on the environment. Now, though, an app called I’m Stuck can share the misery that comes with being lodged on the 405 for three hours for no apparent reason with the people that have the power to make road improvements: politicians.

Yes, I’m Stuck, as Wired describes it, is “like tweeting a company CEO when a product fails.” I’m Stuck sends a message directly to your local Representative or Senator about where you’re stuck and why. It includes everything from your average traffic jam to a subway delay to an overcrowded train.

Funded by Building America’s Future, an infrastructure advocacy group that counts former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as its co-chairs, I’m Stuck is meant to help shed light on the amount of productivity that is lost by transportation delays. It’s also designed to help Americans realize that politicians can have an effect on the amount of misery that comes with their commute.

Head on over to the I’m Stuck app’s website to have a closer look. The app is available, free of charge, in both the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace.

I’m Stuck app informs your elected officials when you’re in traffic originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Aug 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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