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Audi considering production Q5 Cross Cabrio

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Crossover, Audi, Rumormill, Design/Style, Luxury

Audi Cross Cabriolet Concept

2007 Audi Cross Cabriolet Quattro Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

It was late in 2007 when Audi lifted the veil on the Cross Cabriolet concept. And it seemed absurd then. First of all, Audi only had the gigantic Q7 in its crossover range then, and Nissan had yet to offer its own CrossCabriolet. Several years on, that drop-top Murano is on the open market and Audi has expanded its line-up with the Q3 and Q5. And suddenly the notion of a drop-top CUV from Audi… well, it still seems pretty silly, but maybe not quite as much.

Now, word has it that Audi could be considering at least a limited run of Q5 Cross Cabrios. If production, as sources suggest, were limited to around 5,000 units, the contract could go to an independent coachbuilder rather than trying to fit the square peg of a niche model into the round hole of a mass-production automaker. In typical Audi style, Quattro all-wheel drive, a variety of TFSI and TDI engines and a fabric roof would likely be part of the mix. And while we may very well be getting ahead of ourselves, that’s what people said before Audi and its German compatriots started busting segments with their ever-expanding model lines.

Gallery: LA 2007: Audi Cross Cabriolet Quattro

[Source: autoblog.nl]

Audi considering production Q5 Cross Cabrio originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 May 2011 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rally Cross to be held outside on streets of LA for X Games 17

Filed under: Motorsports, Racing

tanner foust rallycross la 2010

X Games 16 SuperRally – Click above for high-res image gallery

RallyCross and the X Games were made for one another, and X Games 17 will feature one of the coolest tracks ever. The games, which will run from July 28 through July 31, will include a first-ever rally street circuit in downtown Los Angeles.

Three-time rally gold medalist and Top Gear U.S. host Tanner Foust sounds pretty excited about the development, and we can’t blame him. “Being in the car, ripping through streets, cranking the handbrake through intersections while door-to-door and jumping next to buildings is going to be truly epic! I can’t wait!”

We’re guessing ESPN can’t wait either, as the shots from the competition will likely be awe-inspiring. And the sports news network will have the event very well covered, with 25 hours of high definition coverage and another 18 hours of 3D coverage.

And, of course, the X Games wouldn’t be the X Games without dirt bikes, so you can expect plenty of Enduro X coverage. There will also be eight new Moto X competitions, which will take place inside The STAPLES Center. Sounds like a good time. Hit the jump to read over the ESPN press release, and check out our high-res image galleries below for some of the rally action from last year.

Gallery: X Games 16 Rally Car Racing

Gallery: X Games 16 SuperRally

[Source: Motor World Hype]

Continue reading Rally Cross to be held outside on streets of LA for X Games 17

Rally Cross to be held outside on streets of LA for X Games 17 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Red Bull Donkey Cross combines dirtbikes and asses

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Europe, Videos

2011 donkey cross

Red Bull presents the 2011 Donkey Cross – Click above to watch video after the jump

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to cross the challenging world of motocross and walking donkeys? No? Neither have we. Red Bull, however, feels the two should be combined into one event. The result is Donkey Cross, and it recently took place in the hills of Makrinitsa, Greece.

Thirty riders from around the world converged in eastern Greece. The difficult terrain was the perfect place for the skilled two-wheelers to exercise their talents. We’re still not sure why the donkeys are involved, but no matter. There is video from the event and it’s waiting for you after the jump.

[Source: Red Bull, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Red Bull Donkey Cross combines dirtbikes and asses

Video: Red Bull Donkey Cross combines dirtbikes and asses originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Two-time WRC champ Gronholm takes day one victory at Global Rally Cross

Filed under: Motorsports, Hatchback, Ford, Racing

Global Rally Cross at Irwindale Speedway – Click above to watch video after the jump

Global Rally Cross kicked off its inaugural even yesterday at Irwindale Speedway. Drivers raced in bracket-style competition on a mixture of dirt and gravel stages. Competitors each ran events in two and four-wheel-drive cars.

Marcus Gronholm sealed victory at the wheel of a 550-horsepower Ford Fiesta in the all-wheel-drive round, beating out Swedish star Michael Jernberg in second and Formula Drift superstar (and U.S. Top Gear host) Tanner Faust in third.

Gronholm’s victory shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched him drive WRC cars in the early 2000s. For his part, Gronholm wasn’t too shocked either, and attributed his victory in part to experience with motocross. Check out video of the event after the jump.

[Source: Rally Buzz via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Video: Two-time WRC champ Gronholm takes day one victory at Global Rally Cross

Video: Two-time WRC champ Gronholm takes day one victory at Global Rally Cross originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot Cross Buns: NHTSA reportedly set to investigate seat heater burns

Filed under: Etc., Safety

Seat Heaters

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now looking into whether or not seat heaters pose an “unreasonable risk to safety,” according to USA Today. The government agency is currently shuffling through dozens of reports of burns associated with overactive heaters, and Johnson Clifton Larson & Schaler, an Oregon law firm, says that it knows of at least 150 people injured by the convenience feature.

According to the report, those with lower-body sensory defects are in danger of being burnt by the seat heaters without their knowledge, and doctors have petitioned the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to disconnect the feature on vehicles owned by those with the sensory issues.

In one case, a paraplegic man was severely burnt after sitting in a Chevrolet Silverado with the seat warmers on high for two and a half hours. He accidentally turned on the heaters while attempting to roll down the window.

General Motors, meanwhile, says that it began printing warnings on seat-heater operation in its owners manuals in 2010, and all 2011 vehicle manuals now have the warning.

[Source: USA Today | Image: Damon Lavrinc/AOL]

Hot Cross Buns: NHTSA reportedly set to investigate seat heater burns originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Frenzied cross-country race carried out… on Google Street View?!

Filed under: Technology, Videos

Google Street View video

Racing across the country via Google Street View – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Driving across the United States is no simple task. As our own editors John Neff and Damon Lavrinc recently found out, it takes a few days, a lot of planning and plenty of Red Bull to successfully motor across the good ol’ U-S-of-A. However, our tech-savvy culture now allows us to virtually experience the open road through the magic of Google Street View, and two men took it upon themselves to see if you could “drive” from California to New York only using Google’s street-mapping software.

It took 90 hours and 104,619 mouse clicks, but these two gents successfully piloted their way across the United States (San Francisco to New York) all through the magic of the internet. Some 2,958 miles were covered in this webtastic task, and you can check out a full recap of the events in the video, after the jump.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Frenzied cross-country race carried out… on Google Street View?!

Video: Frenzied cross-country race carried out… on Google Street View?! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Branson loses F1 bet, will cross-dress as Air Asia stewardess

Filed under: Motorsports, Lotus, Celebrities, Humor

You don’t get much higher stakes than Formula One. And while some teams have their own airplanes, there are a couple this season that have their own airlines: Richard Branson’s Virgin, and Tony Fernandes’ Lotus Racing and Air Asia.

As you may recall, the rivalry between the two tycoon-backed upstart teams escalated to such a point that Branson and Fernandes made a gentlemanly bet that was anything but: the owner of the team that fared worse in this year’s championship would have to cross-dress as a female flight attendant and serve as such on the other’s airline.

Well, Lotus edged out Virgin towards the bottom of the standings, so it’s Sir Richard who’ll be wearing Air Asia’s finest skirt and blouse. Fernandes is keen on placing his rival on a long-haul Kaula Lumpur-to-London flight, tickets for which he plans to auction off for charity. Looks like the negative effect of downforce isn’t the only kind of drag these guys will be dealing with in the offseason.

[Source: Autosport]

Richard Branson loses F1 bet, will cross-dress as Air Asia stewardess originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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F1 bosses place bet that involves cross-dressing flight attendants?

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Europe, Lotus, Celebrities, Humor

Richard Branson Stewardess Things are heating up in Formula One. As you may recall, earlier this year, Lotus head honcho Tony Fernandes jested that he would retire and kill himself if his team was bested by Virgin. A gaggle of reporters recently pinged Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson to see how he felt about Fernandes’ oath of victory or death, and Branson responded with a challenge for the Lotus guru. The boss of the losing team will have to serve as a stewardess on the winning team’s respective airline.

Surprisingly enough, ESPN reports that Fernandes is apparently just fine with the notion, saying that the sexier the outfit the better. Fernandes owns Air Asia, which was quick to crank out a rendering of what Sir Branson would look like all dolled up in the airline’s standard flight-attendant garb. It’s an image we won’t be able to shake for a good long while.

Fernandes was also quick to throw a little more fuel on the trash-talking fire, saying that he was certain that his customers would be thrilled to be served by a Knight of the Realm. Judging from that rendering, we’re not sure that “thrilled” is an accurate description.

[Source: ESPN F1]

F1 bosses place bet that involves cross-dressing flight attendants? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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