Tag: cars

Video: Philly suburb ponders fining people who don’t lock their cars

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Videos

Locked Door screencap

Upper Moreland Township moves to make unlocked cars illegal – Click above to watch video after the jump

A suburb of Philadelphia is looking into making it a criminal offense to leave your vehicle unlocked. According to NBC Philadelphia, Upper Moreland Township wants to curb a recent rash of personal property thefts from unlocked vehicles by setting up a system of warnings and citations for those that forget to secure their car or truck on the street. Vehicles parked on personal property wouldn’t be subject to the ordinance, but the proposal would have police do spot checks in neighborhoods. Owners of unlocked vehicle would be given a warning by the police on first offense, and if the same vehicle was found to be unlocked within a year, the owner could expect a $25 fine and a citation.

So why are local lawmakers targeting vehicle owners instead of the criminals breaking laws that are already in place? NBC Philadelphia reports that Police Chief Thomas Nestel says that each year, more than 75 percent of thefts are from unlocked vehicles, which in turn means a lot more man hours and paperwork for the authorities than might otherwise be necessary. Meanwhile, local residents are having predictably mixed reactions to the idea of being fined for failing to lock their vehicles. Hit the jump to see the local news spot on the issue, and then weigh in with your own thoughts in Comments.

[Source: NBC Philadelphia]

Continue reading Video: Philly suburb ponders fining people who don’t lock their cars

Video: Philly suburb ponders fining people who don’t lock their cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buick, GMC may turn to loaner vehicles to help sell cars

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Buick, GM, GMC

2011 Buick Regal

2011 Buick Regal – Click above for high-res image gallery

Looking to get some scheduled service work done on your GMC or Buick? If so, you may want to hold off for a couple weeks. Bloomberg is reporting that General Motors is considering instituting a vehicle loaner program for customers who bring in their vehicle for warranty work. The loaner program would no doubt help elevate the overall dealer service experience, but The General is hoping that the move would drive new vehicle sales as well.

Buick GMC boss Brian Sweeney reportedly told Bloomberg that the service could start “in a couple of weeks.” The hope is that service customers who own older Buick or GMC models could borrow, for example, a Buick LaCrosse and notice how much the brand’s new vehicles have evolved and improved. The program could also help dealers who may, in some cases, be struggling to sell more upmarket vehicles than they’re accustomed to. Mark Bowsher, co-chairman of the Buick-GMC dealer council, points out that many of the dealers he represents are former Pontiac dealers, adding “now have to learn how to handle the Lexus, Ritz-Carlton, Cadillac, Mercedes kind of crowd.”

While Buick isn’t yet close to reaching Lexus, Cadillac or Mercedes-Benz status, the marque’s sales have increased faster than any other brand in the industry in 2010. Add the fact that the cheapest new Buick on the market is the 2011 Regal at $26,995, and the Enclave crossover can top out at over $50,000, and dealers had better be prepared to sell premium products at a premium price.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Buick, GMC may turn to loaner vehicles to help sell cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Google quietly logs over 140k on autonomous cars in U.S. city traffic

Filed under: Technology

Sebastian Thrun, the man behind Google Streetview and work on Stanley, the autonomous vehicle from Stanford that’s won DARPA competitions, has teamed up with Google to create a fleet of self-piloting vehicles that have racked up over 140,000 unmanned miles. A handful of the vehicles have traveled 1,000 miles without any human intervention at all, and there’s been only one crash – when one of the autonomous vehicles was rear-ended by another car.

Of course, it will still be a long time before you’re popping down to the corner Ford dealer to pick up a Fiesta AI Edition. Still, to have seven cars plying California streets and highways making their own decisions puts us that much closer to concluding the first generation of data acquisition. One day the threat of car crashes could be virtually eliminated, if only we could get computers that didn’t crash.

[Source: Google, New York Times]

Report: Google quietly logs over 140k on autonomous cars in U.S. city traffic originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Concept Audi billboard hangs real cars from landmark bridges

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Audi

The Audi Spectacle

The Audi Spectacle – Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi is always up for some unique marketing opportunities. For a new campaign called “The Audi Spectacle” it might be going way up. A campaign presented by the Access ad agency has Audi reinventing the concept of the billboard, with its famous four rings taking over some of the worlds most iconic landmarks.

The Brooklyn Bridge in New York, Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, Tower Bridge in London and the Rialto Bridge in Venice have been presented as potential candidates for the advertising treatment. The life-size installations could be beautiful, but would attaching advertising to global treasures be going too far to spread a brand’s message?

If you think that’s the case, don’t get too worked up just yet. The campaign is just a concept at this point, and the potential backlash could kill the idea before it… ummm… gets off the ground.

Gallery: The Audi Spectacle

The Audi SpectacleThe Audi SpectacleThe Audi SpectacleThe Audi SpectacleThe Audi Spectacle

[Source: Access Agency via Co.Design]

Concept Audi billboard hangs real cars from landmark bridges originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google CEO: Ridiculous that humans drive cars

Filed under: Technology

We have a hard time imagining a world in which we don’t drive. Google CEO Eric Schmidt doesn’t have that problem. He feels that humans should give up their right to the steering wheel and hand the keys over to a computer. At a recent TechCrunch conference, Schmidt opined that we humans aren’t very good at driving, adding that “it’s a bug that cars were invented before computers.”

It’s hard to fight Schmidt’s logic. After all, thousands of Americans die each year due to accidents that are mostly avoidable. Then there’s the matter of traffic jams; Computers could one day seamlessly route vehicles to the best possible road, virtually eliminating the Interstate parking lot. Oh, and don’t forget that drivers are becoming increasingly distracted by electronic gadgets like smartphones.

Autonomous vehicles? Nice idea, but until it truly feasible and reliable on a massive scale, we’re more than happy to drive ourselves. And while we’re at it, we’ll row our own gears, too.

[Source: TechCrunch]

Google CEO: Ridiculous that humans drive cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lotus Cars and Lotus F1 embroiled in naming rights dispute

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Lotus

Stick with us here, because this is going to get a little complicated. We have on the one hand Lotus Cars and Group Lotus. On the other we have the current Lotus F1 team. The former – producers of such sportscars as the Elise and the new Elite – is owned by Malaysian state automaker Proton. The former is also Malaysian-owned, but by businessman Tony Fernandes (pictured above, owner also of Air Asia), and uses the name Lotus under license from Proton.

Still with us? Hold on. We recently reported that the F1 team that currently runs as Lotus Racing was switching its name to Team Lotus. That name, which was used on the famous grand prix team of yore, was claimed by one David Hunt (brother of the late world champion James Hunt), who acquired many of the assets of the old team. Fernandes wanted to bridge that gap, and acquired those rights from Hunt. Thing is, Group Lotus (the automaker and engineering firm, not the F1 team) disputed Hunt’s claim on the name in the first place.

As a result, Proton has now terminated its licensing agreement with Fernandes, demanding that his outfit cease using the Lotus name – in any permutation, be it Lotus Racing, Team Lotus or any derivation thereof. Fernandes, girded by his rights acquisition, isn’t likely to back down, and we’re smelling a messy legal battle ensuing. So keep your eyes peeled on this space, and follow the jump for official statements from both outfits.

[Source: Lotus | Image: SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty]

Continue reading Lotus Cars and Lotus F1 embroiled in naming rights dispute

Lotus Cars and Lotus F1 embroiled in naming rights dispute originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy Caprice outperforms Ford and Dodge police cars in official test… or does it?

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Specialty

Chevrolet Caprice PPV

2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV — Click above for high-res image gallery

The police vehicle market is flush with new iron from all quarters, making the results of this year’s Michigan State Police Vehicle Evaluation hotly anticipated. Ford brought its new Taurus-based Police Interceptor, Chrysler had the 2011 Dodge Charger Police Pursuit model, and General Motors showed up with the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle. Preliminary results of the performance and dynamics testing put the Caprice PPV on top of its rivals, says GM, but there’s a catch.

Chevrolet is touting the unofficial test outcome (final results will be released later this year) as proof of the Caprice PPV’s superiority. Being quicker to both 60 and 100 mph and offering shorter stopping distances are performance attributes that officers appreciate, as is a 6.0-liter V8 and a chassis that handled Grattan Raceway with the best average lap time. Thing is, despite the fact that Ford’s forthcoming Taurus-based cruiser was on-hand and competed in the tests, GM only compares its new Caprice to the ancient Crown Vic. The reason? The Blue Oval’s new PI won’t be available for more than a year. According to the blokes at Jalopnik who were on-hand for the shootout, the Caprice was actually bested by the AWD Taurus PI in braking and lap times, but GM has fashioned the ‘not available yet’ loophole to create victory (nevermind that the Caprice isn’t on the streets yet either).

Of course, good performance numbers aren’t all there is to police work, or departments would patrol in Corvettes. Chevrolet says the Caprice PPV leads in interior space and thoughtful touches like seats designed to accommodate officers’ equipment belts. All of this, GM says, adds up to an open-and-shut case for the Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle. You’d expect no less from a press release (posted after the jump), but clearly, the real victory in the race to replace the Crown Victoria has yet to be determined.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Car

[Sources: General Motors, Jalopnik]

Continue reading Chevy Caprice outperforms Ford and Dodge police cars in official test… or does it?

Chevy Caprice outperforms Ford and Dodge police cars in official test… or does it? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: First shipment of new and used cars since 2007 arrives in Gaza

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal, Hyundai, Kia, Middle East

Gaza Strip car shipments

Wherever you live, buying a car – new or used – holds its share of challenges. But for the residents of the embattled Gaza Strip, geopolitical issues have made buying a car all but completely impossible. That is, until today, when a shipment of 20 new and used cars arrived by truck for first time since 2007.

The freeze has been in effect since the Palestinians elected the militant anti-Israel terrorist organization Hamas to their parliament. Following the elections and the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit (who still remains in captivity four years later), Hamas seized control of the coastal strip and kicked out the established Palestinian Authority, prompting the implementation of sanctions and a tightening of the borders by neighboring Israel and Egypt.

The Palestinian Authority, governed by the secularist Fatah party of chairman Mahmoud Abbas, still controls the disputed West Bank territories of Judea and Samaria, as well as border control along the Gaza Strip. Israel has been easing sanctions as a good will gesture as part of currently ongoing peace talks with Abbas.

The new shipment consisted primarily of new and used Hyundai and Kia models arriving via the Kerem Shalom border crossing named after the local agricultural commune, but which Palestinians call Kerem Abu Salem. With no local car industry, many of the cars in the Palestinian-controlled territories are stolen from Israel proper. Thanks to Brady for the tip.

[Source: BBC News | Image: Said Khatib/AFP/Getty]

Report: First shipment of new and used cars since 2007 arrives in Gaza originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Lamborghini bringing not one, but two new cars to Paris Motor Show

Filed under: Performance, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini, Rumormill, Luxury

Lamborghini Teaser

Lamborghini Jota teaser – Click above for high-res image gallery

The plot thickens. Word ’round the web is that the minds at Sant’Agata have something special planned for the Paris Motor Show. Lamborghini will be bringing not one, but two new models to France next month. The news comes courtesy of the crew at 0-60 Magazine. From what we can tell, the Raging Bull will show up with the car that we’ve all come to know as the Jota, complete with a direct-injection V12, something like 715 horsepower and a heap of carbon fiber. That would be the little gem we’ve been seeing teasers of for the past month or so.

The second machine is a little more mysterious. A document obtained by 0-60 magazine indicates that the car is internally called the 83X. It could be the long-anticipated production version of the company’s four-door Estoque concept, a new interpretation of the Gallardo or a flying ice cream truck for all we know. We’re just guessing, here.

Either way, we don’t have to wait long to find out. The company is planning a simultaneous unveil of both vehicles for dealers on September 23.

Gallery: Lamborghini Jota teasers

[Source: 0-60]

Report: Lamborghini bringing not one, but two new cars to Paris Motor Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #194 – Bentley Continental, Lamborghini teaser, Mexico’s Mastretta and budget Toyota sports cars

Filed under: Concept Cars, Podcasts, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Paris Motor Show, Bentley, GMC, Lamborghini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Military

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

It’s Episode #194 of the Autoblog Podcast, and Chris, Sam and Dan talk about the 2011 Bentley Continental, what Lamborghini has in store for the Paris Motor Show, Mexico’s Mastretta MXT and budget sports cars from Toyota. Two questions cap it at just over an hour this week. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #194 – Bentley Continental, Lamborghini teaser, Mexico’s Mastretta and budget Toyota sports cars

In the Autoblog Garage:

Nissan Pathfinder
GMC Sierra 3500 HD
Mitsubishi Outlander

News:

  • Budget Toyota sports cars
  • Lamborghini teaser
  • Mastretta MXT
  • 2011 Bentley Continental GT

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk

Runtime: 63:00

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[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
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[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #194 – Bentley Continental, Lamborghini teaser, Mexico’s Mastretta and budget Toyota sports cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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